Hello 2011

Wow, am I behind. So I will give a condensed update. We had our annual Christmas cruise with all the kids and had a wonderful time. We all went scuba diving in Roatan Honduras and ate way to much....I gained 3 lbs in week! It was our first time on Norweigen cruise line and a HUGE ship. The food was the best but there were a few to many people on board. No complaints though. It was lovely and I did not have to cook, clean or make a bed. Steven flew straight back to school at BYU and we had a two day drive back from Miami. Jeff and Jordin then went on to Williamsburg,. Jordin is starting graduate school at William and Mary this month and she is excited to have something to focus on besides work while Jeff is in law school. We spent Christmas and New Year on the boat and it was wonderful to be at such a huge party on the deck and ring in the new year with the captain doing the count down. Kissing my husband was the best part and I am so grateful that I have made it into 2011. My last doctor appointment was perfect again and I will be starting a new medication for the bone cancer on my next visit. It was just approved by the FDA and will be in shot form rather than being given IV through my port. This will make my visits much quicker. I do get a chest x-ray at my next visit to monitor my lungs for any metastasis. I continue to work-out almost everyday and feel wonderful. We are planning a trip to Memphis to see Chris' parents this week and then to California in February to see all our west coast family members. kelly is very busy with volleyball tournaments and we travel a lot with her. We are so blessed and I am so very grateful for every wonderful day in my life.

NASCAR and the ER

Hi Everyone! Just wanted you to know we had an exciting weekend. Chris and I went to Charlottesville, NC so that he could do the "Nascar Experience" there. I purchased for his 50th birthday present. After some instruction on how to drive the car and some safety information and of course the legal waivers, they put him in the car and he was on his own. I guess this is a total dream come true for men. He was able to drive the car on the track completely on his own. They did have a driver who talked in his ear to give instructions and guidance when needed. He did about 5 or 6 laps and went 140 mph. There was no speedometer in the car only something that told him rpm's. Of course, just as he got a good feel for it they told him he only had one more lap so he is ready to do it again and top his speed. He said the hardest part was not the turns but coming out of them. There is no power steering so you have to have some muscle to straighten out. He LOVED it! Anyway, on our way home we were about 25 min. out of Lynchburg when we got a call that Kelly was at the emergency room. She went to a school talent show with some friends of ours and got up to use the restroom and passed out in the foyer twice. She had also vomited a few times. Someone called an ambulance and they announced her name from the stage so that our friends could ride with her to the hospital. When we arrived she was doing well but very tired. After all the tests, we were told it was most likely vasovagal syncope. Apparently it is not uncommon but the doctor did hear and extra sound when he listened to her heart so we are going to a pediatric cardiologist to check on that. Nothing showed up on the EKG so that was good news. Anyway, it was very scary for everyone and just goes to show you that if mom and dad take time to play they will have to pay! We were just glad it was not something more serious. She has been very tired the last 3 weeks or so. Hopefully they can find out if there are any problems......I am feeling great and completed training for Hospice so I can start doing some volunteer work. I hope to start after the holidays. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE. There is so much to be thankful for!

LIFE IS GOOD

I guess it is time to update! I had a bone scan on Monday and my regular check up on Tuesday. Unlike last time, I felt good about this one. My doctor says that the bone scan showed significant healing in the bone marrow and that my blood counts were the best they have ever been! I figured it would be good news since I was feeling so good. Chris, Kelly and I all celebrated our birthdays this month with a big party last Saturday. We had barbecue and a huge cake. Kelly had about 12 kids over and we had about 40. Jordin and Jeff came down from Williamsburg. It was a lot of fun and a good way to celebrate everything all at once. Jordin will be attending graduate school at Willliam and Mary along with her husband. She will be taking classes in the evening while working. She plans to study special education. Steven had good news. He competed in Dance Sport at BYU against 200 other dance couples and him and his partner came in top 25. I hope to post some pictures he sent me. Chris is in New Orleans for a meeting and will be back on Thursday. I just hate it when he is gone! Kelly is trying out for a travel volleyball team and is looking forward to getting back in to some regular practices. She turned 17 yesterday......can you believe it? I am going to a training session today in order to volunteer for Hospice. I need to fill my days up with more volunteer work and feel this is a worthy cause. I think it is time for me to give something back at this point in my life. The blessings keep coming and the prayers keep working so life is GOOD!

Re-connecting

Ok, I admit, I have been horrible about letting everyone know how I am. My last Oncologist visit was nerve racking as I had not been feeling like myself and had had a few more aches and pains than usual. I was terrified I would be getting some bad news. Chris went with me and we were both overjoyed to hear that my blood work was all completely normal. My doctor is so impressed that he wants another bone scan before my next appointment so that he can compare it to the first one. I lit that one up like a Christmas tree! I am not sure I really want to do it since no news is sometimes the best news. He has taken good care of me so far so I will just do what he says.
Jeanette Willes (my cousin Johns wife)came to visit me on the one year anniversary of my diagnosis and we had a wonderful time. We went and had manicures and massages and ate gourmet cupcakes. Then, the next day, I took her to a service project. A member of our stake is dying of cancer and wanted to be buried in a family cemetery on his land that he is clearing. I had her hauling tree branches and moving logs........I hope she has forgiven me. If you know Jeanette, this was a true sacrifice for her and she was a trooper. We were also able to see the play Oklahoma. It was wonderful having her here and letting her get to know Kelly better too. They really enjoyed each other and Kelly is wearing the "hoodie" with San Diego on it, that she bought for her.We are hoping Kelly can spend some time with them this summer and get to know her cousins better.
The same week that Jeanette left, I flew to Utah to see my son and visit with family. I started off the week by having dinner with Chris's sister Becca and her husband Dennis and their wonderful kids. I stayed at my brother Danny's home and was able to catch up with his family and got to carve pumpkins with his kids. What a great group they are! I was also able to spoil my son and his roommates and attend church at BYU and do a session at the Provo temple. We also attended a football game. It was pouring down rain 20 minutes before the game and we were running around trying to find rain ponchos. We finally gave up and left his apartment to walk to the stadium and it immediately clearing up and did not start raining again until we got back to the apartment. It was a blessing. Oh yeah, we also won the game. We ran into several people that we knew from Florida and it was good to see them as a bonus. Steven is doing well and enjoying the "Y" much more than his freshmen year. I was also able to see my parents and Aunt and uncle. All in all it was a great trip!
We just got back from Williamsburg visiting our daughter and her husband. They were living in a wonderful townhouse but had 3 broken pipes in 2 months and the last one flooded them out. They are staying in temporary housing until renovations are completed. The entire place was gutted and all pipes are being replaced. They are anxious to move back in as the place they are staying is not that great. They caught two mice while Kelly was there. They went to Bush Gardens and had a wonderful time together. We are hoping they can spend more time together as sisters! As you can see we are very busy and it is sometimes hard to keep up with it all. We pray every night for our friends and family and are thankful for yours. I am blessed and I hope I never take it for granted!

One Moment In Time

Life can be confusing. I just received word this past weekend that a former member of our church congregation was killed by drowning after saving his two small children from a rip current at Myrtle Beach. He leaves behind four small children and his wife is a expecting their 5th. It is difficult to imagine such a tragedy and yet in the end mortality is but a moment for us all. My prayers are with this family and others who are suffering. Life can be long or short but I hope to make the most of it. Chris and I recently took Kelly and some friends to the top of Sharp top mountain. It is the 2nd largest peak in Virginia and by Utah standards is not much of a mountain. It is a pretty good hike to the top and has beautiful views. Chris was also gone to Spain recently on business and these days that is always hard. He was gone for a week but was able to come home one day early because the FDA showed up on his works doorstep and the CEO wanted him there. It all turned out good as they are still in business. We celebrated by going dancing at a local club and had a great time. They had two live bands play and there was a lot of music from our high school years. We stayed out until 11:30 pm......WOW that really did us in!!!. No, we really would have liked to stay longer but we had to make sure Kelly was in a curfew so we had one too. I am back to playing tennis more regularly and falling asleep is getting easier too. I have Chris stretch my shoulder so that every day I get a little more range of motion. I also attend Kelly's volleyball games twice a week and try to get some exercise myself 3 to 4 times per week. My last check up with the Oncologist went great and all my blood tests are normal with no sign of the cancer. The medication I am on is doing its job and I always have a thankful prayer in my heart for that. All in all, I am blessed and I hope I never take that for granted. I try to enjoy each moment in time........no matter how many I am given.

One Moment In t

The long and SHORT of it !!!

Alright everyone, here is the latest on the McDaniel household. We have been crazy hikers lately and go almost every week. We hiked to the top of Sharp Top Mountain and saw the most amazing view. There was even a full rainbow and the deer would come right up to you. A fellow hiker said they would sometimes even come up and lick you because they like the salt from your sweat.......gross! We are taking some of Kelly's friends to the top with us on Monday. Kelly is loving volleyball and practices after school every day. She also works on the weekends to pay for gas and going out with friends. It makes it hard for us to take time to go see Jeff and Jordin now that they are so close. We will just have to jump in the car and leave at some point. Steven is doing well at BYU and is attending the football game today. We are so jealous. It is good to know that we will be able to get the games next year on TV. Sooo, I had an appointment with a salon that specializes in black woman's hair because I was going to get "invisible braid extensions". This is where they braid your hair and human hair together about one inch at the scalp and let the rest fall so that it is basically like fusion extensions only without the bond but a braid instead. The night before, Chris and I spent a total of 4 hours taking out my old extensions.....when we finished I said, "ok, I can live with this". My hair is pretty thick and has some curl to it and is just long enough for me to look like a girl. I canceled my appointment and have decided to go au natural ! Steven called and I promised I would post a picture. Ignore the wrinkles.......I really look tons younger than that......I wish. It is wonderful to know that I have to use shampoo again and will actually have to go to a salon again at some point. The little things we never really appreciated before, especially feeling like a girl. I have my check-up on tuesday but expect only good news as I am feeling good. I finished physical therapy for my shoulder but still don't have all my range of motion back. I am continuing the exercises at home so we will see what happens. I thank my Heavenly Father each day for my continued health and the opportunities I have to serve others.