Clementine Ruby George entered this world at 1:25 am, Wednesday,  December 30, 2015. She weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz.  Her length was 21 inches. Her entrance was a bit rough. Poor Heather had to be induced because of high blood pressure. She had a very long labor and a tough delivery. Clementine swallowed meconium (bowel movement in the amniotic fluid) and it had to be cleared out as soon as she was born. Because of this, she was put in the NICU and put on an antibiotic. Her first night she had some breathing issues that the staff at Manchester Hospital (NICU doctor from Children’s Hospital) said were unusual and might be a seizure. She then had her breathing monitored. She was doing good, eating good and Heather was breast feeding. On Sunday, she had some shallow breathing, so they decided to transfer her to UCONN NICU in Farmington. This is a unit of Children’s Hospital also. She had an EEG and an MRI on Monday and Tuesday. Results were nothing definitive. Neurologist said they could put her on anti-seizure meds if they wanted, but they chose not to.

Needless to say, this was a very stressful time for Jason and Heather and all of us.  Everything else was looking good, all the blood work, etc.  It took a couple of days for her to vomit and/or poop out the meconium.

Clementine finally came home on Thursday, January 7, 2015 — Heather’s birthday and Clemmy’s due date. We are in love! Of course, we’re prejudice and believe she is the most beautiful little baby girl in the world.

Everyone is doing fine and Clemmy just celebrated her 2 week birthday!  Jason and Heather took her to the pediatrician last Monday and he said that Clementine was ‘perfect’!  He was aware of her time spent at Manchester and UConn.  He said she looked good and her color was good.  She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz.  She was 7 lbs when she left UConn a few days earlier.  She’s eating well and gaining weight.  All is good.  She measured 19  3/4 inches!  Her head has gone down to her normal shape, thus the change in her length.

Of course, I’ve got to post pictures here.  I’ll try not to post too many.

Jason and Heather are doing well and enjoying being parents to their beautiful Clementine.  And, Ray and I are enjoying being grandparents!  So are Debbie and Butch, Heather’s parents (this is their second and third will be arriving in a month or so!) Continue reading →

I started the new trial on Tuesday, December 8th. We had to be there at 7:30 am, so we booked the Holiday Inn Express in Cambridge. It’s 5 minutes from Mass General–if there’s no traffic. But in Boston there’s always traffic so we left the hotel at 6:45 am and made it there by 7:15 am.
What a day!!! Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not a morning person. I don’t care how much sleep I’ve gotten, I’m just not a happy camper in the morning. I didn’t have anything to eat because I had to fast for 2 hours before taking the drug.

We had our own room with a tv and a hospital bed. Unfortunately, Ray had an uncomfortable chair to sit in all day. Anyway, once we were settled in the nurse had to take blood and urine (peed in a cup). Then she tells us that I won’t take the pill until the doctor comes, which is scheduled for 9 am. I am not happy!!! It was one of those communication is great if you use it moments. To try to make me feel better the nurse, Susan, says once your fasting is ended, you can have a yogurt and juice. UGH!!! I said, with a disgusted tone (as Ray informed me later), ‘I don’t like yogurt! I like pudding though.’

The doctor, Dr. Goyal, came around 9:30 or so. She’s really wonderful. She is really excited about me using this drug.  She told us that Dr. Zhu had sent my blood to an outside company and they found an additional mutation.  So it’s an extension of the FGFR2 mutation.  The pill I’m taking targets both mutations.  So they are very optimistic.

Long story short, I never took the pill until 11:59 am.  And then I had to fast another hour before I could eat anything.  There were all kinds of obstacles that delayed me getting the pill.  Once I took the pill, they took blood from me every hour and collected all my urine.  We never got out of there until 7:45 pm.  Very, very long day.

I’ve been on and off the pill since then because my phosphate levels were too high.  This was an issue with the last trial too.  I had another all day blood and urine draw Dec 28th.  Julie and Ray were with me.  The really fun part of this was that I also had to collect my urine when I went home (to the hotel) and turn it in the next morning!  Thank goodness I don’t have to do that again.

I had a CT scan this past Tuesday.  The doctor called me Wednesday to tell me that I’m stable.  That’s very good news.  I wasn’t on any meds for almost 2 months and only took 21 pills before I had the scan.  Looking forward to how this works after taking it for another 6 weeks and then have a new scan.  They lowered the dose because of the phosphate levels.  Hopefully this will work and I won’t have any breaks.  The good news is that I don’t have any side effects so far.  Early on my mouth was a little sore and I had some taste issues, but not this week.  My hair is growing in some places and not others.  Oh yeah, my eyebrows have started to thin and fall out!!!  Hope that doesn’t continue!  I’m not the best at applying makeup!

Many of you have seen pictures of me with my white hair!  What an experience that has been!  Many people have remarked how much I looked like my mother.  I even scare myself sometimes when I pass by a mirror – I scare myself because I see her and wonder what she’s doing there! Lol

Some of the guys

All the ladies at Jim & Elaine’s Christmas Eve.

Juls, Di, Me, Alisha

Dec 28th, the day of the blood and urine draw, Heather was put in the hospital because of high blood pressure with plans to induce her later in the day.  Julie was scheduled to fly home the next day out of Boston.  Heather was in labor by then.  Julie cancelled her flight.  We all headed home on Tuesday the 29th.

Tree in our backyard

I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve done an update on here! The good thing is, I’ve been very busy and not getting worn out! Yahoo!!!!

To bring you up to date on me, since August my CA19-9 number has been going up. That usually indicates something is going on. When I first started on the BGJ398 trial my CA19-9 was 242. It went down to 24 in July. In August it went to 48, September it went to 98, October to 150. The last blood test it was up to 176. When I had my scan in August everything was good with a little shrinkage of the large tumor. The scan in October showed a new lesion on the liver. Very small, but a new growth! BOOO!!!!!! Because I had growth, I got kicked out of the BGJ398 trial. So when we met with Dr. Zhu a week after the CT scan we discussed a new trial and a new study. To get on a new trial I have to be off any kind of chemo for at least 4 weeks.

So the study/research takes my tumor tissue and they study it in a petrie dish and/or mice. This is exciting for us as this is looking at my cancer and possibly coming up with a personal treatment for me. If not, it could be helpful for others with this cancer.

Because they needed tumor tissue for the study, I had a biopsy Nov 9th. They took several samples from the large tumor and the new lesion. The biopsy went well. A little discomfort, but not bad.  They kept me for 3 hours after because of what happened last time (I ended up in the hospital).  It was a long day!

For the new trial, I had to have several tests for screening.  November 17th I had a CT scan so we have a baseline to measure shrinkage or growth. I also had blood work, EKG and strength test that day. We had to go back to Boston the next day for an eye exam.

Next was waiting for a start of the trial date. It’s turned into a mess! They called last week and asked if I wanted to start on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. I’ve been told the first day will be at least 8 hours long as they will monitor me all day long with blood tests, etc. There was no way that we wanted to go to Boston that day with what the traffic would be. And, more than likely, I’d have to go back on Friday. So I told them no.

I just got off the phone with them again. I was supposed to start December 1st and now it’s changed to December 3rd. I was supposed to go back for blood work tomorrow and now I’m going Monday, November 30th. Another catch with this trial is that I will be put in a slot that will dictate when I take the pill.  It could be Monday-Wednesday-Friday or every day. They will not be able to tell me what slot I’m in until after the blood work is done and submitted to the pharmaceutical company. So when I start on December 3rd, I may need to return the next day or Saturday or Monday. Not sure!

The good news is that I continue to feel well. I don’t have mouth sores, or dry mouth, or lack of taste, my nails are getting better.  I’ve been enjoying eating things and tasting what they really taste like and having the texture they’re supposed to have. I have plenty of energy and have been using it!

Nature centerpiece at Heather’s baby shower

Debbie and I showing off our masterpiece!

After the wedding Debbie and I started planning the baby shower for Heather. We had a great time putting together the favors and the centerpiece for the nature theme that Heather wanted. We had a tree and asked attendees to write words of encouragement on a paper ornament to hang on the tree. We also had a diaper raffle, which gave them a great supply of diapers for the coming months. The shower was a great success and Heather and Jason have everything they need to welcome Clementine into the world!!! Of course, we are beyond excited about Clementine! We can’t wait! Due date is January 7th! Right around the corner.  Heather and I decided that Ray is the most excited!  He sees babies on commercials and says ‘we’re going to have one of those soon!’

Clementine Ruby George 4d scan at about 7 months. Amazing!

Diane, Shar, Julie, Nancy enjoying the shower.

Heather opening gifts from Julie

Cars packed with all the gifts. The end of a great day!

The day before the shower we joined Aunt Pat, Aunt Wilma, Donna, JR, Kathleen, Penny, Lindsay, the Foran family and Frankie (Aunt Wilma’s friend) for the Irish Club’s bus trip to New York. We had a great time. We went on the subway for the first time.

NYC Subway

That was an experience! We went to the September 11 Museum.  What a sobering and sad experience. They did a wonderful job paying tribute to those that lost their lives that terrible day. And a tribute to those that helped to save lives also. You really need several hours to go through the entire place.

Freedom Tower

September 11 Museum

We went to O’Lunney’s. Thanks to Ray we found out there are actually three O’Lunney’s in New York City owned by the same family. lol.  We went to one of them before we got to the right one.

Ray, Lindsay and me

Kathleen, Ray and I got our workout that day!! We also had a taxi ride from hell!  We had plenty of laughs. Ray led us astray in the subway station too! We were on the subway on our way to the Museum when they announced the track was blocked and gave instructions to get off and take another train. We went up and down stairs a few times and finally figured out what train to get on and we were on our way!  Oh yeah, I also had to go to the Hersey Store in Times Square and get some Twizzlers!

Another good thing is that my hair is growing. I’m going to see my hairdresser at the end of the week to see what she can do for me!

Another good thing. The last CT scan finally gave the measurements of the large tumor. When I was diagnosed it was 6 inches. It is now 3.6 inches by 2.6 inches. That is thanks to the BGJ398 trial drug. The new drug is similar to the BGJ398. The new drug is named TAS-120. We found out that I also have a mutation in my blood that the BGJ398 could not fight against and more than likely that’s why I got the new lesion. The good news about TAS-120 is that it can also fight the mutation that is in my blood. So they are feeling very optimistic about this new drug.

Dr. Zhu is also working on immunotherapy trial for me. We’ve got a great team of doctors and staff at MGH. I will be seeing a new doctor for this trial. Her name is Dr. Goyal. She is very nice and knowledgeable. I will continue to meet with Dr. Zhu also.

Well, this is more than enough information for everyone. Thank you for your continued prayers, love and support. You are my strength!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! And if I don’t get back to this blog, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My new sweatshirt. ‘Bile Duct Cancer Messed With the Wrong Woman’

The week before the wedding we were all excited. Anxiously awaiting the big day. There were a lot of things to be done. Ray helped Deb and Butch set up tents and lights for the ‘after party’ at their house. On Friday a crew of us went to the Elks pavilion to get things ready for Saturday. Heather, Julie, Debbie, Vicki, Donna, Ray, Jay, Kenny and me were the crew. Julie and Heather had flowers and things to pick up, so they left before us. Ray and Jay packed up the Subaru and the Pilot and Ray’s trailer with tents, warming trays, tools, etc., etc. The plan was to be there for noon.
Ray, Jay, Kenny and I never left here until after 12. We were riding down Route 2, just before Exit 6, Griswold St. when Ray say’s ‘there’s something wrong with my tire’. I look out the sideview mirror and see rubber flapping around. He pulls over. Jay and Kenny were following and they pulled over also. All three men got out to inspect the damage. They took the tire off. I told Ray where he was and their best bet was to go to Tire City on Silver Lane. So off Jay and Ray went. Kenny and I sat in the Pilot with the car and AC running on the side of Route 2. We had a nice visit and I learned alot about Ken’s new job. Meanwhile the girls had stopped by the house before heading to Glastonbury to say they had a problem with getting the flowers at Aldi’s. Something about a ‘misunderstanding’. While Ken and I were in the Pilot I called to Julie to let her know what was going on with us and she informed me that the flower shipment had arrived at Aldi’s and Donna was going to pick them up! YEAH! It took about an hour between the flat tire and getting a new one before we were on the road again. When we got to the Elks, the ladies were doing what they could without the stuff that was in the Pilot and Subaru and the flowers–Deb and Vicki were decorating the arbor with flowers from their Mom’s house. Donna arrived with the flowers shortly after we arrived and the production line began. Meanwhile the guys were taking down the vollyball net and putting up tents. We took a small break to have lunch and went back to work. Before we knew it, it was almost 5 o’clock. The wedding party was arriving at 5:30 for the rehearsal.
Ray and I left around 6 and went home and changed and headed to the Marco for the last minute rehearsal dinner. We had pizza and salad and good time with everyone. Mom George and Donna came and spent some time with us.
Finally Saturday was here! I felt pretty good and decided I would join the ladies at Heather’s Aunt Vicki’s house. The guys were going out to breakfast and leaving from Butch & Deb’s house.
Heather had a nice spread of pasteries, fruit and mimosas for everyone. Vicki and Danielle put together the girls bouquets. The hairdresser arrived and did all the girls hair except for Jazmin who did her own. I took a nap around noon. We got to the Elks just before 2 pm. My wonderful niece Alisha bought me to Vicki’s and to the Elks. She helped out wherever she was needed – a real help with the music for the ceremony.

After all the preparation, and a few mishaps on Friday, the day was finally here. Everyone looked great, and Heather was radiant. She looked beautiful in her angel-winged gown. Jason was handsome and smiling away as Heather’s Dad walked her down the aisle. Jay and Heather’s friend Sue performed the ceremony. All the groomsmen and bridesmaids looked great. The guys in their gray pants, white shirts, gray sports jackets and Nike sneakers. The girls in fall colors in pretty lace dresses–maroon, purple, green, and navy blue. Their bouquets were fall colors of yellow, orange, red and green.

Jay & Heather’s Wedding

It was a nice ceremony and before we knew it, Jason and Heather were married! Immediately after the ceremony a series of picture taking began. The guests were feasting on an assortment of appetizers that were delicious. I snuck away for a few minutes to grab some!
Before we knew it, the caterer had arrived and everyone helped themselves to a wonderful dinner of fried chicken, barbequed ribs, macaroni & cheese, browned potatoes, carrots, and salad.

Jay and Heather danced to . . . don’t even remember the song!!! A while later Jason came and got me for the mother/son dance. I was so afraid that I was going to cry, but I didn’t. Jason and I talked the entire time we danced and we had a great time enjoying each other! A while after that Heather and her Dad danced and Butch really did a great job. He got into it. He was twirling Heather around. Don’t know the name of the song they danced to either!

I didn’t get to see everyone. It’s tough when there’s so many people and you want to spend a bit of time with everyone. I did enjoy visiting with those I got to talk to.  I had fun dancing with my friends Nancy and Julie – my daughter Julie joined us for a while too.
John McGrath, best man, gave a nice speech, followed by Donna Villandry, maid of honor, who did a great job. Then Julie got up and spoke and had everyone laughing and crying. She reminesced about growing up with her brother. It was really nice.

I got to re-meet Butch’s sister Darlene. Darlene sent me a card shortly after I was diagnosed with a note that her church was praying for me. I had only met her once and was very humbled by her outpouring of love. We embraced and talked for a while about my situation.
It was my off week for the pills so I was feeling good. I did need to take care of my mouth after I ate dinner, but that was it. No runny eyes, etc.
Before we knew it, people started to clean up. Tables needed to be taken down, chairs had to be piled, tableclothes had to be folded, etc., etc. A great group just got into action and did an awesome job.
It was just a beautiful, wonderful day and things couldn’t have gone better. We’ve gotten many compliements on how much everyone enjoyed the day, the food and the laid back atmosphere.

Newlyweds

Wishing Jason and Heather many years of love and happiness.
I’ve included some pictures here, but I can’t include all that I have as there’s over 200. And we haven’t even gotten the pictures Kenny took yet!!! If you go to my Facebook page, you can see the pictures.
Thank you everyone for your continued support, prayers and love! You are my strength.

We decided to head up to New Hampshire on Friday, September 4th. Julie arrived home Wednesday. So, Ray, Julie and I left East Hartford around 2 pm. We arrived at the lake house rented by Susan and Tim around 5:30.

Lake House in Whitefield, NH

Jay and Heather arrived around 7-7:30. The first thing Jay did was put a line in the lake. He loves to fish. The house was beautiful and perfect for our crowd. Sue, Tim, Ray, me, Julie, Jason, Heather, Diane, Bruce and Hank stayed Friday night. Alisha and Adam joined us Saturday. There was plenty of room for all of us.
Kelly and Ryan’s wedding was at 4:30 on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and actually a bit warm. We had a little walk through the woods to get to the ceremony location. As we approached the site, some woman yells out ‘Stop!’. I just kept going. She yells ‘Stop!’ again! I said something like, ‘are you talking to me?’ and stopped. She says ‘yes, can’t you see I have a camera around my neck?’ I’m thinking, so what, big deal. I’m out of breath and I just want to sit down. Then she says, ‘Marissa wants some candids.’ (Marissa is Ryan’s Mom. I went to high school with her and she was in my sorority. She’s a couple years younger.) Anyhow, I just kept walking. I guess she didn’t know that candids are pictures taken that people don’t know are being taken. LOL

Kelly and Ryan’s Wedding Ceremony

Anyhow, the ceremony was beautiful. Kelly was radiant. Elaine was beautiful and Jim was trying to keep his emotions in check (looked handsome too!)  I felt myself choke up when Kelly came down the aisle. They planted a tree as a reminder of their marriage site. The site was beautiful with the pond and Jim and Elaine’s home in the background.
When the ceremony was over we had to go on the other side of the pond to the reception site. Ray got the golf cart and drove me over there. He then taxied a few others over.
They had a huge tent for the reception that was set up with long tables beautifully decorated. Everything was wonderful. The woman had a special ‘port-a-potty’. The entrance had a sign ‘No Boys Allowed’. So cute. You went in the door and there was a room with a couple of chairs, a window w/frilly curtains and a table with assorted toiletries. Then there was a door where the toilet was – this room was huge and equipped with an air conditioning, a sink, a changing table, and several cabinets. It was beautiful and a nice touch for the ladies in attendance.

It was great seeing some old friends and just being with family. Visited with all of Jim’s friends too. Met one of Elaine’s long-time friends.
My mouth wasn’t cooperating the entire time there, but I managed and had my props with me to make it as comfortable as I could. Ray and I danced several times and I danced with Julie, Diane and Susan.
Kelly was beaming the entire time. I never saw her without a smile on her face. Her wedding gown was absolutely gorgeous. Ryan was obviously very happy too. Everyone had a great time. The gang stayed up for a while after the wedding.

Julie and Jason stayed up late Friday night and there were reports of them singing and reminiscing about the ‘good old days’. Julie also was encouraging Uncle Bruce ‘to hit a moose’ on the way home from the wedding! She insisted it would feed us all for a month! LOL
I slept in a little on Sunday. I was beat. We packed up and Ray, Jason, Heather and I headed home. Julie stayed for the remainder of the weekend and then went to Boston and Lake Placid to visit friends before returning to East Hartford. I pretty much slept all the way home except for a stop to get something to eat. It was a great weekend, wonderful, fun wedding. It was time to rest up for Jason and Heather’s wedding in two weeks.

Boy, it’s been a busy summer and it’s not over yet!  Thankfully I’ve been feeling pretty good.  My dentist recommended Biotene mouthwash and toothpaste for my mouth and it’s working very well.

Enjoying the Jack & Jill Party

Jay & Heather’s Jack & Jill was a tremendous success.  Even though it was a very hot day, lots of people showed up.  The food, music and company were all great.  And, of course, the drinking went well too!  I must have had 2 gallons of water that day.  It was nice to see relatives, friends, work friends, and friends of Jay and Heather.  Julie came home from Sacramento for the event too!  It was at the P&F  Pond in East Hartford.  Who knew that we had this little piece of heaven in the middle of town.  It really is a nice secluded place.  There were raffles that were enjoyed by everyone.  There was a fun game for Jay and Heather where they put up each other’s shoe or their own to answer several questions about their relationship.  Everyone enjoyed that immensely.  According to reports, a group of them stayed there until after 1 a.m.  They watched a spectacular thunderstorm from the pavilion overlooking the pond.

My August 20th visit to MGH was a long day as they always are.  I had a CT scan at 11:15 a.m.  Then Ray and I had to walk across the hospital for me to have a MUGA test.  This is a test to see if the blood is flowing at an acceptable rate in and out of my heart.  They take blood from me and mix it with radioactive material.  I asked them how many days I’d be glowing! LOL That takes about an half hour and then they put it back in me!  Next they literally strap me (more like a cocoon) to a table and a large machine takes pictures.  They take 2 and it takes about 15 minutes for each one.  I actually fell asleep!

The results of the CT scan show that I’ve had additional shrinkage!!!  YEAH!  Heading in the right direction.  The lung report stated that all nodules were either stable or had shrinkage, there were no comparisons to the previous scan.  The liver report showed that the large tumor is 1 cm smaller, so now it measures 3.91 inches.  That was a 3.13% shrinkage.  When I was originally diagnosed in May 2014 that tumor was 5.9 inches, so this great news!  There are two smaller lesions in the liver that shrunk by 36% and 38%.  My heart is doing it’s job also.  So all is good.

We went to Boston on August 27th for my standard monthly visit and I had an eye exam, blood taken, EKG, and met with a different doctor, Dr. Clark, because Dr. Zhu was on vacation.  We discussed the CT scan results and know that all is good.  We had to wait for the nurse to give me my pill supply as she has to wait until all blood results are returned.  I took my pill at 3:15 pm.  We were finally out of there.  Because I have to fast, we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so we stopped at the first highway eatery and had some delicious Boston Market.  Hit a lot traffic and didn’t get home until after 6 pm.

We’re looking forward to my niece Kelly and Ryan’s wedding this coming weekend–September 5th in Lancaster, NH.  It’ll  be on the property that Jim and Elaine bought about ten years ago.  They plan on making it a weekend event.  My wonderful sister Susan rented a big house on a lake up there so we all have a place to stay.  Julie is flying in from Sacramento on Wednesday and will be home for several weeks as Jay and Heather’s wedding is September 19th.  We’re planning on heading up north Friday.  The wedding starts at 4 pm on Saturday.

OH!  Great news is that Jay and Heather are having a baby girl!!!!  We’re so excited and, of course, so are they!  She’ll be named Clementine.  A favorite name for a girl that Heather has had for as long as I’ve known her.  Due date is January 7th, Heather’s birthday.

That’s about it for now.  I don’t go back to Boston until late September for a monthly visit.  Hopefully I’ll be updating here before that.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support, love and prayers.  You are my strength.  You are all so important in helping me to fight this cancer.  I also want to thank my angels up above for pulling strings for me!!!

Went to Boston on July 30th. Had an eye appointment, blood draw and met with Dr. Zhu. We talked about my side effects–muscle aches, hair loss, mouth inflammation and a fingernail coming away from my finger. We discussed the fact that I’m managing all these as best I can. He said, ‘this is exciting and can’t wait for the next CT scan’. Also got my pill supply for August. All is well. A few days later I found out that my CA19-9 number is now 24. The last blood work it was 25. After the huge jump from 242 to 36 at the end of May this number is anti-climatic. BUT it’s going down, so that’s a good thing.

I’ve been feeling really good and managing my side effects pretty well. My mouth has calmed down and only gets irritated once in a while. I have a couple of cold sores on the corners of my mouth, but they too are getting better. The funny thing is that my hair is growing!!!! There is no hair in the original bald spots, but it’s growing everywhere else. It’s coming in a mix of white, gray and black!!! The way my hair grows I may be sporting a new hairdo for Jay and Heather’s wedding!!!

Ray’s been busy helping out with the Jack & Jill party for Jason and Heather. That’s Saturday, August 15th at the P&F Pond in East Hartford from 2 pm to 8 pm. It’s going to be a Mexican Fiesta!!! It’ll be a fun time! There will be plenty of Mexican food, games, gambling, raffles–with some exciting stuff. Looking forward to seeing everyone and making it a special day for Jason and Heather.

I’ve been busy working on a few projects and doing day to day stuff like cleaning and laundry and grocery shopping. I’m enjoying that I can now do the simple things in life that I didn’t have the energy to do before.

I’ve acquired quite a wardrobe of scarves. And depending on my mood, I’ll wear a scarf or my wig when I go out.

Next MGH visit is August 20th for a CT scan and an ECHO cardigram (or something like that–something with my heart). Then August 27th for the regular eye exam, blood work, visit with doctor and supply of pills for September. Hope to have the CT scan results within a week or so after the scan. Will update when I get them.

I think I mentioned in last post that I’d do an update on our vacation. As usual, thanks to Ray, we had great weather. He actually did research on the weather years ago and found that the 2nd week in July more times than not was one of the best weeks in the summer.   Last year we decided to rent for two weeks and did the same this year.  It turns out that the first week of July isn’t too bad either!

Julie and me chilling on the beach.

We just love the cottage we rent. It’s a block to the beach so it’s an easy walk down the street–unless you’re pushing the beach cart. Fortunately, I usually don’t have to do that!

Julie was with us for almost the entire 2 weeks and we had a great time. Jason and Heather came for the first weekend. Poor Heather was sick all weekend.  She was burning up with a fever when we left on Saturday.  She spent most of the time there in bed.  They ended up staying until Monday afternoon and then headed home.  They came back on Thursday and stayed until Monday. And then Jason came back Thursday night, before Julie left.

Fireworks 2015

We arrived on July 4th.  Julie has a couple of friends that their families have places in South Kingston and we were invited there to see some fireworks.  We didn’t know what to expect, but what an awesome show.  We were on the beach and the fireworks were shot off directly over our heads.  It was crazy!  I’d never been so close to fireworks before.  I felt like a little kid, smiling from ear to ear!  And cheering with each display!  According to one of the guys, there are 3 or 4 families that have a competition going to see who can shoot off the best fireworks show every year.  They outdid themselves.  We’re looking forward to going again next year.

Jason & Heather’s friend John came down a couple of times and Shawn & Trish came down once. Had a great time with these great friends of theirs.

Julie and I had a few days to ourselves as Ray went back to East Hartford to golf in his league and did other things when Julie and I went to the beach. The day Ray went back to East Hartford, Julie and I had a great day at the beach. Then we went out to dinner at the 99. Then we went shopping at the JC Penney’s and T J Maxx. We had fun and bought a few things. They were having a great sale at Penney’s. I got a dress for the wedding!

Julie, Ray and I went to Mystic Shoppes one day. I love that place. We went to a store I had gone to last year where I hoped to get a beach scene picture for our new sun porch and they didn’t have any. I was disappointed. But Julie said, ‘Mom why don’t you just use one of the beach pictures you’ve taken at Misquamicut or other places you’ve been.’ Duh! What a great idea! Also went to my favorite Irish store and got myself a nice pullover sweater, a fleece and a small quote plaque for the porch. Of course I couldn’t leave there without going to the Christmas store where I always buy a few tree decorations. Also went into the General Store and bought a 1,000 piece puzzle of a cottage on the water.  Great trip. We had a great time and ate lunch at the Friendly’s across the street. And, a nice Irish lady waited on us!

I had just started Cycle 3 of the ‘magic pills’ the Thursday prior to us going on vacation. The middle of the first week Ray cooked chicken breasts on the grill for dinner. When I had my first bit it hurt my mouth and was very irritating! He had only put salt and pepper on it. It was like the pepper was 100% intensified. So I cut away the outside and ate the middle. The remainder of the vacation I had no spices on any foods, including mustard or ketsup. I kept doing my mouth rinses and magic mouthwash throughout the vacation. I also found an arthritis/muscle pain killer for my muscle pain. It’s 650 mg. Take 2 every 8 hours and they really work to ease the pain I’ve been having. Most days I only take 2 in the morning. If needed, I will take 2 more 8 hours later.

My hair was thinning every day at the beach. If I just touched it, I had a handful of hair. That is why I had it shaved as soon as we returned from vacation.

Storm Brewing at Misquamicut 7-2015

The second week the Turkis Circus came to town! That’s when we really started having fun! The guys-Ray, Bruce, Jay and Adam–did a lot of golfing and had a lot of fun. They always had great stories to tell when they got back.  Julie, Diane, Alisha and I went to Watch Hill one day and did some shopping. That’s where I got a few of my scarves. The fun stop is the candy store there. Can’t go to Watch Hill without getting some candy. And, of course, drove by Taylor Swift’s mansion, because there’s no other way out of there, and just saw all the guards milling around. I think she was on a tour because I know that Gabrielle, my niece, was going to her concert at Gillette Stadium the end of July.

The 1,000 piece puzzle soon became the challenge of the week.  At any time of day or night Julie, Jay or Heather would be working away at putting the pieces together.  There were a few times when I found some pieces and Ray chipped in too.  It was all put together by mid-week.  It was beautiful.  I wanted to frame it, but was voted down on that idea.  LOL.

All in all it was another successful vacation — lazy days on the beach, the guys golfing, playing fun games at night with Julie’s phone, great games of dice and washers, good food–including our annual seafood fest, good drink, great people, good fun and lots and lots of laughs!