Alumni Show!

That's right.  It's and actual ART update!  How crazy is that?!

I finished a painting the day before my latest surgery.  It took 3 (or 4?  No, 3) sessions - and I love it!  I usually nit pick a painting To. Death.  It'll hang on my wall for ages as I walk by and try to decide if I can live with the "mistakes" or if I should just leave them.  I try to leave them.  I really do.  But I'm not always successful.  A painting is never truly done - it's a cliche for a reason.  But not this one.  I finished it.  I like it.  It's done.  AND it's now been accepted into the AASU Alumni Show in early October.  :)

Now I'm off to enjoy this beautiful Fall day - I have butternut and acorn squash I have to figure out how to cook.  Probably a yummy soup - perfect for a cooler evening.  Feel free to post any recipes you might have!

Ahhh, squishy!

It's been two weeks since my "final" surgery!  It's gone by quickly this time, I suppose.  I do have to struggle to stay in-active.  I can't get my heart rate up due to the possibility of bleeding, and I can't use my pecs still, well - because they were cut and sewn back together.  I should be released for activity in 2 more weeks.  Yay!  I'm already planning my TRX/Power Yoga fitness comeback.  It would be lovely to be in shape to teach by January!  You know, when all my gym peeps decide they need to be healthy again, for a few months ;)

This surgery was SO much easier.  In fact, I only used pain meds for the first 2 days.  I occasionally take a reg Tylenol or 2 now, but it's rare.  I have to say, it's so much more comfortable being squishy now vs. having those dreadful expanders!  Of course, they don't seem so bad while they're in - you do what you have to do.  But now that they're gone?  Ahhhhh, relief!   :)

Today is officially the first day of Fall.  It will happen at 10:49am - most likely while we're hanging out at the coffee shop downtown.  I don't normally look forward to Fall - I am certainly more of a Summer Girl.  For some reason I'm almost excited about the weather change this time.  Could it be the new boots and cardigans I've been buying...?  Or maybe that my summer was not exactly stellar this year?  Who cares.  I just know that it feels fabulous outside - and it's time for me to get off this couch and go enjoy my Saturday at the Farmer's Market/coffee shop!  I even get to head over to a gallery and pick up a check for a painting that sold recently.  Happy Autumn everybody!

Freaky.Deaky

This freaks me out every time.

Every. Time.  

Commencing Phase 2

Aka Operation Swap Out

It's official. The next surgery is scheduled for Sept 7th. Time to change the expanders for silicone. Then on the road to normal. I realize that's relative. Can't wait!

How sad is this?!?

This is a reenactment. I was sitting here on the couch with the laptop - and picked up the phone to finish reading an article I'd started this morning while waiting at the park for my walking partner.  I figured my crazy technology obsessed self should be forced to admit that there's clearly a problem...  Here's the video proof:




It's pathetic really.  Oh well, at least the TV wasn't on...  :)

Fill 'em up! And other randomness.

It's that time again.  Time to take the girls in for another fill up.  Sure they were topped off a month or so ago - but they had to take some of the saline out while the stitches dissolved.  (I was allergic.)  Now we get to fill 'em back up!  Why am I excited about this?  Well, they will be full - which equals more comfortable when you're talking tissue expanders.  But more importantly I will be a giant step closer to my next surgery!

So Friday morning I head in - and I hope to leave with full expanders and an idea of when the next surgery is.    Looking forward to having it, healing from it and getting this body back to doing what I tell it to do!

On a different note:  I've changed the title up there (I would insert an up arrow here, but I don't have one, so squint your eyes really tight and imagine it)  I can officially ramble to my heart's content without feeling guilty - 'Cause if the name warns you that I'm rambling and you choose to read it anyway, well then - you knew what you were in for.

I am also officially trying this whole vegetarian thing now.  I was already working toward it in baby steps.  But I really like animal based foods.  I love bacon and cheese and butter and greek yogurt.  But I also love veggies and fruits and grains.  And since I read and tried Clean, I have felt a huge surge in energy.  I needed that!  Then I watched Forks Over Knives (twice!) and figured I should probably go for it.  It definitely took some mental preparation.  But I'm getting there.  And it's going well.  I am technically focusing on making my food 95% plant based foods - thus 5% or less animal based (watch the movie, that'll make sense).  That means I'm not forbidden to eat anything in particular, I just have to make sure I don't get crazy with it.  (yes, most of you know what voice to read that in.  If not, go here.)

Another shameless plug for my other blog:  OurCurrentPlan.blogspot.com  Go here.  Follow me.  Keep up to date with the boatiness that will one day ensue.  :)

Thanks for following and commenting and blogging!  I love hearing your thoughts and reading your rambles.  Have a great week!

Oh, to be on a boat -

- where I would hopefully not be able to hear/read all of the Chic fil A hooplah.   There are certainly more important things to focus on in life.

Check out the other blog to see where we are in the process of our current plan...

Tips!

I'm thinking I should log the things I learned from my first surgery (bilateral mastectomy w/placement of tissue expanders) so that I can remember them - and maybe even help someone else that stumbles on this little blog :)

1st and foremost - T-rex arms are a nuisance but they CAN be accommodated!  (I may or may not have walked around growling like a T-rex and waving my forearms maniacally, as my elbows were initially held close in to my rib cage due to lack of range of motion.)  So here are tips that will make round 2 much easier!

1.  Move the coffee cups down to the bottom shelf - or even the counter top!  Coffee is muy importante - for me and those around me.

2.  Keep a small, light weight stool in the kitchen.  I kept a small one around and just kicked/slid it throughout  the condo so that my tinyarms could grab things that were just out of reach.

3.  My rocking chair became my best friend.  It is fairly shallow so I didn't have to lean back so far.  (sitting on the deeper couch and trying to lean back seemed/was impossible for at least a week.)

4.  Keep the ground coffee where you can reach it!  (see #1)

5.  Comfy button front shirts are crucial!  Make sure they are long and baggy so they cover the ugly drains that you'll be toting around for a couple of weeks.

6.  I will have my honey shower with me before bed each night next time.  Showers wear you out - just like when you have the flu.  And no matter which fabulous relative agrees to help you shower - it's still awkward.  So M. gets the job this time.  And I'll be able to slip into bed and sleep as soon as my hair is dry.

7.  My motorized bed is magical and was worth every penny - no changes there, I'm just thankful I know I'll get decent sleep without having to resort to sleeping in a recliner as I've heard others are forced to do.

8.  It ALL passes.  The weird tingling that you get when your nerves grow back DOES go away.  As do all of the other odd pains and sensations.  In fact, immediately after surgery I was having improvements daily.  After a couple of weeks my improvements were more likely to be weekly.  And now I notice improvements every couple of weeks.  In fact, 4 months out, I think I'm almost normal.  I still don't have full nerve sensation in the general region of the incision - but I'll be having another surgery anyway, which will jack up the nerves all over again.  At least now I know they'll eventually heal, for the most part... :)

9.  Drains suck.  And while they seem to last forever - they really are gone in a couple of weeks or so.  You may not want to hear that they are horrible, but they are.  And then they're gone.  

10. Take your pain meds - the sleep is crucial to healing your body!  I tried to get off of them too quickly - and when I went back to taking them before bed, I noticed another big jump in my recovery.

11. Get massages!  They will be awkward - so find someone you know.  I still can't lie on my stomach, but massage therapists (even the ones that were strangers) are happy to work around it.  Just explain what you can't do - and they will do everything they can to accommodate.  

I have a feeling this list will get updates...

Playing the Gene Game

How did I forget to update on this?!?  I got my genetic test results back - the initial BRCA 1 and 2 results, that is.  Still waiting on the BART.

You should see my family tree.  There is SO MUCH cancer.  (Not to mention other weirdness going on that most of you know about but I won't discuss here... You should've seen the genetic counselors face when she looked down at my loopy tree!)  But it's all different kinds of cancer.

My results were negative.  Yay/boo?  I'm glad they were negative, as that means I don't have a crazy high risk of ovarian cancer (well, still need the BART results to be sure - it's a more specialized test).  That means no ovarian removal surgery.  Woo hoo!  I personally think I'll have reached my yearly quota on surgeries as soon as I finish with The Girls.  But clearly there is something going on with our family.  They just haven't narrowed down that gene yet.  One day, maybe they will.  Won't that be a cool day?  You know what will be an even cooler day?  When they figure out what causes cancer in the first place and how to cure it.  Technically, I guess they kinda have.  If you catch it early you can get rid of it - as illustrated by ME over the past 4 months :)  But anyway - if they knew what gene it was then ALL of my crazy sisters/cousins/nieces/brother/nephews etc could be tested for that single gene.  While they wouldn't be out of the woods, it would be a much less scary trek through said woods.

Off to clean my house with chemical free cleaners I'm slowly converting over to in order to reduce my exposure to potential carcinogens...

It's broken. Waaaaah!

Just shy of the 17 yr mark and my wedding band snapped. I don't know how or when. I just noticed it scratch/pinch me yesterday. 

You'd think a $15 ring fr Walmart would hold up better ;). This makes me sad.

And yes, that's gold glitter (spray paint) on my thumb.

It's Official.

I bit the bullet and started the new blog.  You can see it here.  Please follow along!  You'll be kept up to date on our boating escapades - and maybe learn along with us, to boot.
It's a working title, as it's a working dream.  We're always evolving - or rolling with the punches, whatever you want to call it.
Now get on over there and see what the fuss is all about!

Boat Name Quandry

Who knew it would be so crazy hard to agree on a boat name?!?

We headed down to St. Augustine yesterday for an afternoon of boat browsing.  Not really shopping, as we are just trying to narrow down the brands/models in the Catamaran world.  We spent the entire 3 hr drive down and most of the drive back brainstorming boat names.  Anyway, we hooked up with a great broker and learned SO much.  Great way to spend our Saturday.  :)

I think I've figured out a way to get around the boat name/blog glitch for now...  I wanted to have our boat name before starting the blog, but we don't have it yet, and we're already in the boat research process, so I need to get busy on the blog.  I think I'll go with something generic and then when we have the name nailed down, I can have the blog point to the "official" website.  I think it'll work.  Do you know of a glitch in that plan?  If so, let me know!

Here's our current favorite catamaran from our search yesterday:

Fountaine Pagot Mahe 36'

Ours will not be this new and shiney...

Isn't she gorgeous!  Now who knows if this will be our final choice, but it's fun to start the shopping process!

Blog update - Literally.

I'm playing with the Blog and would love your input!
Why, you ask?  Why do you see an ad WAY down there?  And why do the boxes along the right side keep changing/moving/increasing/decreasing in size/number, etc?  WHY must I jack with it all?

Well here's the down-low:
As soon as we come up with our boat name, I want to start blogging about the process of buying/maintaining/using it.  You know, how we go about shopping for it, the buying process, decisions we face (new vs. used, cat vs monohull, etc), the repair process, and what we decide to use said boat for.  I think it would be cool if you could follow along and chime in on the decisions - and maybe even learn from our experiences.  And it would be even better if that blog could produce a wee bit of income.  (you don't exactly get rich, but I could stash it away for future boating adventures.  And as Gmaw always says: A penny saved is a penny earned!)

So here's where I am on the blog:

I'm researching ads and affiliate programs.  What are your thoughts on ads?  What are your thoughts on affiliate programs?  Do you know what an affiliate program IS?  Are these things annoying/distracting?  Or are they helpful?  I'm not sure about the ads, but am leaning strongly toward the affiliate program.  Why?  I think it would actually be helpful to you, my lovely readers.  When I mention something that I love, love, love - I can add a link for you to go check it out.  And if you love, love, love it - you can purchase it thru that link on my blog.  I'll get some change in my account (which will help fund the boat plans!) and you'll get something cool that has been tested by me.  Win/win, right?

Seriously - I want your input on this.  Pleeeeease :)

What's in a name?

Trying to name our currently non-existent boat.  It's harder than you'd think!

I need to have a website AND blog spot available...  And I don't want it to be cheesey.  (Although I am a total sucker for cheese!)

Here's the top 10 boat names of 2011 according to Boat US.  Obviously, I don't want a supercommon name.  You know us.  Any suggestions?

Where've I been hiding?

Wow - I haven't written in a while!  I've been reading along on all of those blogs I follow, I just haven't gotten to the participation portion of blogging lately...

So, why is that?  I guess I'm so bored with the day to day life of healing after surgery that I can't imagine anyone else would not be bored by it!  But here's an update - just so I can say I did it :)

Still healing.  Yes, the second surgery should've originally happened a week or so ago - but my body is not ready yet.  (In addition to being allergic to bandaids, latex, sulpha drugs, yadda yadda yadda - I am also apparently allergic to my stitches as they dissolve)  As soon as my body says so, I guess we'll do that second surgery :)  One more step toward being done with this cancer nonsense.

In the meantime, I'm searching for sailing schools.  I think I've found one I like in Fernandina Beach, FL.  Not much of a drive, beautiful water and close to friends so we won't need hotel rooms while we learn to sail.

So why are we learning to sail? We bought this condo with the knowledge that there will eventually be a dock built - and we are itching to get back on the water! We've narrowed the type of boat we want down to, most likely, a sailing catamaran.  Thus the obvious need to know how to sail.  I'm a big fan of On the Job Training, but something tells me that learning the basics would be handy.  That and all of the stories from the blogs I follow of other sailors that have both learned the hard way and those that have taken courses.  I say you can never have too much knowledge crammed into your noggin.

Now I just need to have the next surgery to get these tissue expanders out and the final implants put in -and heal from that, and we're off to the sailing lessons!  I'm hoping to start next spring (I'm pretty sure that pec muscles will be crucial in sailing...)  There are at least 2 courses we want to take - and most likely 3.  (ASA 101, 103 and probably 104 - but there are others that look cool too!)  These courses will not only help me feel more confident in the bigger boats, but pass some time and help me feel like we're working toward our goal while continuing on with life for the next (?) years.  (Ok, so we have a timeline, I just don't want to currently publish it)

What have you guys been up to?

Crack is whack! Cracked bricks, roof, windows,etc...

Just a quick update on the landlording business:

This is what we came home to after our July 4th vacay (more on that in a diff post!)

Someone decided to make the college rental a drive thru.  Thankfully it wasn't one of our renters - and they were not currently living in it.  They were not scheduled to move back in until this weekend.  That is getting pushed back a week, but expected to go smoothly.  Wish I had a pic of the car that smooshed into the bricks...  Driver was ok, and arrested from what we understand.

Off to enjoy my Saturday and leave the remodeling to some professionals.  :)

Happy Because:

I can paddle again.  Sure it's raining, and the channel behind our house is filled with rack from a storm and I couldn't actually get out to the river if I tried, but I can technically paddle again.  For a little while, before my chest gets too tired and starts to cramp.  (Trust me, you DO NOT want a boobie cramp.  Seriously - so. weird.)

I have amazingly good insurance.

I do not have to work.  There is no worry about where grocery money will come from or about how I'm going to pay my deductible for that awesome insurance.  Now that is something to be happy about.

I booked both the July 4th at the lake AND Christmas in Jamaica vacations!  Both with good friends.  Can't wait to sip a (small due to calories) drink and enjoy some plain old fun.

I Do Not have cancer.  And it left with a 1 way ticket, so I have no plans to have it visit ever again.

I have new boobs.  And while they are currently just tissue expanders, the real, softer than my natural ones implants will be inserted sometime in late July/early August.  And while I'm at it, discussions of fat removal on my thighs has begun.  I mean, you know, if I'm going to be under at the plastic surgeons office, why not wake up with new boobs AND without those horrid, hereditary saddle bags that have plagued me all my life.  I mean, seriously, I have to lose TWENTY pounds before those suckers go away.  And I'm not a big girl.  20lbs would make me a weak tooth pick.  But they've only disappeared once in my adulthood, and that took strict calorie counting and excessive wake boarding.  That makes me tired just thinking about it.  It's not like I don't already work out like crazy and eat healthy foods.  That's why god created plastic surgeons with lipo machines.

It's a quiet, rainy day at home today.  Perfect for reading or blogging or watching movies and cleaning house.    But it's Monday, so most people will have to work.  Not me :)   I'm off to read and clean house and watch a movie and have lunch with a great friend.  So see?  Happiness is always easy.  You just have to think about it a bit more some days.  :)

Very brief rant...

...because sometimes we just have to indulge ourselves.

I have realized that not only am I missing the summer semester, but I will now be missing the Fall semester of culinary school - due to this  that stupid cancer.  (It's gone, so it will now and forever be referred to in the past tense.)

I STILL cannot work out to my previous levels.  Far from it.  This means I have had to cut down on what/how much I eat to try to staunch the weight gain.  I am not happy when I must restrict my food choices.

I'm tired of not being able to sleep on my side or stomach.

I'm tired of phantom pains in my rock hard boobies.  (long gone are my rock hard abs.  Ok, so "rock hard" is a bit strong for my abs of March, but you get the idea.)

I'm tired of getting tired when I've basically done nothing but be a housewife all day.

I'm tired of this rain that keeps me from walking miles or sitting by the pool on these never ending obligation free days.

Tired of wondering when I'll be able to teach again.  (sure, I'm teaching 1 day per week for the next 3 weeks for my Seniors, but don't even get me started on how tired I get after that class these days.)

Too late.  Now I'm started.  I get tired from my SENIOR CHAIR class.  Seriously.  It kicks my butt.  What used to be my "break" is now my exercise.  Urgh.

I'm tired of feeling guilty for not being perfectly happy 100% of the time because all I needed was 3 surgeries instead of chemo/radiation/tamoxifen.  YOU try having 3+ surgeries and then we'll chat about how grateful I should be.

I'm tired of my skin breaking out and knowing that there is not, and never will be a fix for it again since the cancer was stupid hormone receptive cancer and the break out is due to my now and forever more unbalanced hormones.

And now I've made myself tired of myself with this rant.  Time to write one for all the things I'm happy about.

Whur's all muh peeps?

Suuuuure, I haven't been blogging.  But YOU GUYS are still supposed to be blogging.  How can I stalk you if you don't blog?  You know who you are.  :)

Ready to Run?

Or maybe walk.  Or crawl, even.  The Y I currently work for on Tybee has set up a team in my name for the Susan G. Komen run here in Savannah on April 21st.  They need teammates and/or donations, so just follow this link and get the scoop.  Any donations/runners would be HUGELY appreciated!
I have surgery on the 11th, so I don't foresee me running or walking - but if I can, I may just head on down and cheer everybody on!

THANK YOU!