He Never Wore His Hair Like This!

For the last few days I have been under the weather and spending a lot of time in bed resting. I got a little bored and saw this silly website where you could superimpose someone's face on to old yearbook pictures. So...I decided to try it and made this picture of Don to give him a laugh. When I showed it to Don he said, "Who is that"? I told him it was him and he said, "That's not me, I NEVER wore my hair like that"!!! I tell you, sometimes he just cracks me up.

And the Number Is...

Today we went to see Dr. Regenstein for Don's monthly checkup. His blood test showed his cancer count has had another significant decrease. If you remember, when he was diagnosed in June, his count was 55,000 and in September, after three months of chemotherapy, it had gone down to 3,600. Today his count was 600. I asked if it were possible for the count to get to zero and Dr. Regenstein said it would not get that low. He explained to us this chemotheraphy will not cure Don's cancer but can keep it from growing for a while. Don and I feel very fortunate that he is doing so well. I did tell Dr. Regenstein about the shakes that Don takes and he said he was a firm believer in supplemental nutrition and to keep doing exactly what we are doing.

Christmas is Coming...

The air has a definite chill to it and Christmas lights are starting to show up everywhere. We finally got some decorations on the tree, but I would like to add something with a little sparkle to complete it. I also need to decide on a new tree top. For the last several years we have had an angel on top of the tree and the kids admitted to me this year that they have ALWAYS hated that angel! So, I'll be on the lookout for something that will make everyone happy.

Don is feeling well and goes to the doctor tomorrow. We should get the results of his blood work and are praying that they are the same or better than the results we received in September.

A Day Late...

There was a baby shower this weekend for the daughter of a friend of mine from work. Susan (another friend from work) called before Thanksgiving and said she was going to be in Pensacola through Saturday but would be home in time to go to the shower on Sunday. We made plans to go together. Sunday rolled around, I got up and got dressed as Don scurried around with excitement, anticipating the fact that he would be alone while I was out. (He uses the time when I am gone to do things that drive me crazy like going in the attic and moving stuff around, cleaning the garage, and eating things that he has no business eating!!) Anyway, I called our friend Mary to get exact directions to the shower and found out the shower was SATURDAY!! Don was so disappointed when he thought I would be staying home! Not to worry, Susan was already well on her way to my house so we used the opportunity for girls' day out. We had a nice lunch, went shopping at the newly reopened Macy's and then delivered our day late shower gifts. Susan and I both enjoyed our visit and Don is hoping we do it again soon.

Don said he watched football most of the day and did a lot of resting. At one point, he was watching the first quarter of a game-the next thing he knew, it was the end of the third quarter. So, obviously he had a nice nap!

Busiest Shopping Day of the Year - But Not For Us!!

It's the Friday after Thanksgiving and we are home preparing for Christmas. I am getting the house ready to decorate for Christmas and Don has settled down for his long winter's nap. I think all of that driving yesterday caught up with him this afternoon. So, while he's napping I have decided to do something quiet, and what better than to decorate the blog. I think the tree will wait for another day.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We were on the road this morning before the sun was up, headed to Aunt Vickie's and Uncle T.C.'s house to share Thanksgiving with Don's family. This is a tradition we have kept for most of our 26 years of marriage and we were happy to be in Century again this year. It was such a nice family gathering, filled with immediate and extended family members enjoying many, many different dishes. Aunt Vickie out did herself again. The batteries were not charged in my camera so I was unable to take all of t he pictures that I wanted. Below are a few taken during the day.

Don's shakes even made the trip and were blended right there amongst all of the yummy Thanksgiving treats. Who knows where the blender will travel next. He felt great all day and even drove the entire trip, to and from Florida, about 7 hours total!!
Ashley, Drew, and Douglas ready to go. Ashley and Drew were sharing an Ipod and singing along with the music...due to their off-key signing, this is probably the last time Douglas smiled during our ride to Florida!
A serene path.
Enjoying our day in the country.
Erin and Ashley enjoying the horses. Ashley was actually scared of Uncle T.C.'s horses which I find interesting since she took horse back riding lessons and even rode in competition when she was in high school. What's up with that girl? (In the picture below of all the children lined up on the porch, Ashley and Erin are the two little girls on the left - my how they've grown!)
Ashley and Don sharing a moment.
The horse whisperer.
Ashley and Deanna cleaning the kitchen. It was so nice to have help in the kitchen from the younger girls!

Call from the Doctor's Office

Last night we got a call from Dr. Regenstein's nurse regarding Don's appointment on December 3rd. The day before each appointment he gets a blood test so that the results are ready and waiting for the doctor when we get there. When we left with the lab request after his last appointment, the doctor had not requested the test that measures his cancer marker and we were a bit disappointed. During the conversation with the nurse, I told Don to ask her if we could add that test to the lab sheet and she said go ahead and do it. So, if you recall, this is the test done in early September that showed his marker went from 55,000 to 3,600 after three months on the Nexavar. When this test is done next week, it will be almost three months since the last one and we are praying that the news is as good as last time. Oh, what a gift that would be. Now, we just have to wait. Fortunately, we will have the Thanksgiving Holidays and our visit to Florida to distract us!

Drew made it home and said he had a wonderful time in Pennsylvania once he got used to the cold weather. His flight came through Atlanta and he said the weather was really rough for a while but calmed down after about 45 minutes. It's good to have him home again!