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.

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER ?

Ok, I had no intention of blogging today, although I have tons to catch up on. I went to my second to last physical therapy session today and then off to workout at the "Y" (don't be to impressed, I do a lot of walking!) On my way in I caught the eye of a woman coming out and she just stared at me. All of the sudden she says Richelle?!!! I am thinking who is this. Then I recognize her as my primary care doctor who admitted me to the hospital last October. I have been meaning to go by her office and let her know I was still "here" but had not made it there. What a wonderful surprise. In my defense, she looked different in glasses and workout clothes. She said she talks to my oncologist regularly and asks about me. I was happy to report to her that I am in deed doing well and even hiked up Sharp Top Mountain on Saturday. I thanked her profusely for listening to my concerns a year ago and admitting me to the hospital which basically saved my life as far as giving me more time on this earth. She told me that she took my concerns seriously right away since I was not a complainer and when she say my cardiac labs she knew something was up. She said she never sees my oncologist without asking about me. I just want those in the medical profession to know that they really can make a difference in peoples lives. I know they can't save everyone but sometimes they truly "save a life". I feel as though we are here in Lynchburg because of people like her and my oncologist. There is so much more connection between people in smaller communities. It was such a wonderful moment for me to be able to thank her on a personal level.
Now, besides hiking up a mountain and wakeboarding on Smith Mountain Lake and having my son, daughter and son-in-law in town, and the first day of school, not much has been going on around here..............just kidding! Chris, Jordin, Jeff and Steven all went to the ballgame in DC and had a blast. They had their own waitress to bring them food whenever they wanted and a buffet restaurant to eat at and also were able to go to the press box. We all also went tubing and wake boarding and Steven even broke the wake board. Our boat also broke down so when they brought us another from the rental place, they gave us a wake board to use free. The man could not believe it had broken. Steven did not take a huge fall so it was a mystery. We already purchased another one. Yep, I can still get up on it and even went outside the wake but was to scared to go back in.
Today was Kelly's first day of school and she is loving being on the volleyball team. She worked really hard to get there and although she won't see much playing time this year, I am sure she will be a starter her senior year. You can see how excited she was for me to take the first day of school photo..........charming! Oh well, she will get over it!
Remember, prayer is the best medicine ever. I am so blessed !

Endless Summer.......I wish

Ok, I have to admit, I was never one of those mothers who was sad to see summer end. I always enjoyed getting the kids back to school and my life back to some kind of routine. It is the type "A" personality kicking in! But this year I am just not ready. Summer has gone by much to quickly and I have not had time to get bored at all. Steven will be visiting in a few days from BYU between semesters and Chris, Jordin, Jeff and Steven will be headed to a ball game in DC. Chris got 4 tickets for the box seats and they should have a great time eating all the free food. This past week, while Kelly was at camp, Chris and I did a 30 mile bike ride on the Virginia Creeper trail. Half of it was downhill so we only had to peddle about 16 miles thank goodness! It was great fun but my toosh really hurts! I also had my monthly doctors appointment and I have been told that I only need to see him every 5 weeks now because my blood work looks so good and he can not feel any lymph nodes or sign of the cancer. I keep telling him I am cured........but he still makes me keep coming back........ I have no idea why! He says he would love to be the "miracle doctor" that cures my cancer so I will see what I can do about that. I am still seeing an Orthopedic doctor about my "frozen" shoulder and have physical therapy 2 times per week. It is slowly getting better but my therapist says I may never get all my range of motion back. I am not giving up though and do all my exercises faithfully. I hope to return to tennis real soon. I was able to talk to a dear friend from high school recently after all these years. It is so fun to find out all the trials that people go through and then find out that they are truly happy on the other side of life. I guess most of us figure it out in the end. I can say that my trials have been a blessing to me and helped me to prioritize my life. I am grateful for all God gives me and for my wonderful friends and family. I tell my husband after every doctor visit that it is the prayers of everyone in my life that have blessed me on this journey. I can not say thank you enough! Keep the prayers coming.....they work!

Oregon Trail

We just returned from a week long visit to Portland where we had a fantastic time visiting my sister Faith and her husband Larry. We were able to go hiking by some beautiful waterfalls and go white water rafting as well as spend time with family and see where they live and work. I have one thing to say about the city of Portland and surrounding area......gorgeous!!! The only complaint was it was in the 70's in July which is why it is so pretty there. I was glad I brought a light jacket. The city is beautiful and teaming with people that live and work there. It has free transportation around the city and public fountains for the kids everywhere. There were a lot of homeless teens roaming around and some of the locals told us that this is a big problem in the summer. I could ALMOST live there if the weather was warmer. The natural beauty of the area is breathtaking. It was wonderful to be able to see my sister as she is expecting her first child. They do not live close to family so that was a real treat for both of us.
We also had a visit from my parents and Chris' parents. It was wonderful to spend time with them and we enjoyed berry picking and some sight seeing.
The day after we arrived home my daughter Jordin and her husband Jeff came for two days on their way to Williamsburg to attend law school. Jordin got a job with the Williamsburg district as an assistant teacher and has an interview for assistant cheer coach. She is probably going to get her Masters degree in teaching as they will help pay for it. Jeff will start law school at the end of august and is very excited about moving on. They have a great townhouse they rented from a couple in our ward.

HOTTER than.......you know.

WOW...what the heck. It has been 95 to 100 degrees here for weeks. Our grass is dead and I am completely "wilted". Between the heat and the hot flashes, I feel "over cooked". Just wanted to update everyone. I officially have "frozen shoulder". The MRI says it has nothing to do with the cancer so that was good news but I did not really need this "icing" on my cake.....I have physical therapy three times per week and it is getting better. No one knows what really causes it but it made me miss the last half of the tennis season.
My parents and inlaws were here last week and we were able to rent a boat and go tubing on Smith Mountain Lake which was a lot of fun. I love the water! It was wonderful to visit with them.
We are headed to Oregon tomarrow as Chris has a professional meeting and I will visit with my sister Faith who just found out she is pregnant with her first child....YEAH! We are also going white water rafting and hiking. Kelly has Especially for Youth in Utah and has been working VERY hard for volleyball tryouts the first of August. She just completed Pioneer Trek a few weeks ago.
Steven is adjusting to college slowly but surely. It has been wonderful for him to have his sister there although they are leaving this week for William and Mary. I can't wait to have them close but Steven will really miss them. They have really helped him get settled and taught him how to buy groceries and work the BYU system.He has decided to try to get to dental school so he is majoring in Mircrobiology for the near future. He is a smart kid so he will be successful in whatever he does.
Jordin got a job in Williamsburg and will be a teaching assistant in special education. It comes with full benefits and they will help her to get her Masters in special education so that is her plan while her husband Jeff is in law school.
It never ceases to amaze me how really blessed I am with a wonderful husband and beautiful life......no it is not perfect......but it is wonderful.

It's a HAIRY situation

Ok everyone, I promised a picture so here goes. Keep in mind that my hair was only 2" long and they normally require at least 3" but we gave it a shot anyway and I think it turned out pretty well. It is much cooler than a wig and I will be able to get a cute short cut when It grows out. The nice part is that the extensions don't damage the good hair so it will just let me grow it out more gracefully.
We are taking a short trip to the DC area this weekend and hope to catch up with a few friends and attend a temple session. Kelly will be on pioneer trek which is like a reinactment of the pioneer companies crossing the plains with handcarts. She is VERY excited about it as you can imagine! Actually, we were a "Ma and Pa" when my oldest daughter Jordin did this and it was a wonderful learning experience as well as physically challenging. Hopefully she will take some pictures we can share. Well, this is a short one but I am loving life and feeling good. It is nice to be able to spend time in my prayers thanking my Heavenly Father and praying for others.

Seeing my son in the sunshine state

I can hardly believe it but my son has completed his two year mission for out church. He was in Ogden, Utah. Chris flew out to get him and toured his mission with him and my daughter Jordin. They were able to meet many of the wonderful people who meant so much to him and who he grew to love. They surprised him with a car and laptop which he will be using summer semester at BYU and then it was off to Florida to meet up with me and Kelly. We could not go out to Utah since it was Kelly's last week of school. So we had all the family together for the first time in 2 years. It was a whirlwind of activity. The men went spearfishing one day and we all went scuba diving in the keys another day. There was also a day dedicated to getting Steven some new clothes and meeting up with old friends. Steven, Jordin and her husband Jeff also went to a couple of clubs in South Beach Miami to dance the night away with some friends they have kept in touch with since high school. They had a great time. We also spent time at the beach, played beach volleyball and lots of cards. Steven was also able to give his homecoming talk in the church we attended when we lived there. I have included a picture of our old home there that Kelly took. We sure do miss Florida. It was a great vacation and we all had a wonderful time together. Steven is thinking of pursuing a career in dentistry but has not completely made up his mind yet. Dentists seem to run in the family so I guess time will tell. He is still adjusting to life outside of the mission.
I also did something fun. I got hair extensions! I have been thinking about it for a while and my hair was really to short to do it but the hair stylist said she would give it a try and so far so good. I just hated to have my son see me looking like I had been sick. I feel so good that I just want to look good too! I am such a girly girl that I just could not go for the short short hair look. I figure this will give my hair a chance to grow out some. I justified it by saying that I have not spent a dime on my hair for nine months so what the heck......give it a try. Anyway, it has it's pros and cons. It is real hair and is much cooler than a wig but not as cool as two inch tresses. I figure it will buy me some time and let my hair get longer with some dignity! Oh yeah, one more negative......10 hours in the chair.....can you say torture! Anyway, I survived and was able to go to Florida with some new locks. I will publish a picture as well as more from our trip when we get them all organized.
One more thing....sorry about not blogging for a while. My daughter changed her password so I could not log in and could not figure out why......I am up and running again though and so excited to have Steven home.....kind of !!!

Paradise

Ok, time to check in. I went to my doctor about 2 weeks ago and my chest x-ray was clear and my blood work good. The only problem I am having is pain in my left shoulder. This started about one month ago and I am not sure if it is because it is the shoulder I sleep on, the bone medicine I am on or the cancer. I am pretty sure it is not the cancer because it is getting worse and my blood work is looking good. It is almost like a nerve problem as I have shooting pains into my lower arm and hands. If it does not get better by my next visit, I will have him check it out. I did not sleep well last night because of it so I guess I should look in to it. Ok, enough of the "medical stuff" and onto the good stuff. Friday night Kelly had an overnighter for camp counselor training and we were supposed to meet up with friends and go to Bush Gardens. They canceled at the last minute which was a good thing because Chris' flight from Germany to Philadelphia went well but from Philly to hear Thursday night was a disaster. They were halfway home and turned around and went back because there was to much fog to land. He rented a car and drove to DC, spent the night at 1:00 am and then drove the rest of the way Friday morning. So, what to do at the last minute with our daughter gone? We quickly looked on the Internet and found the most wonderful private cabins ever! there are three but they are far apart for REAL privacy. We ran around in robes all day and bought food on the way there and cooked out. You can see Chris cooking in his robe. There was a hot tub on the back porch and Chris and I enjoyed our sparkling GRAPE JUICE......No, we really don't drink. It was sheer PARADISE. The best part is that they are close by in Lexington area so we can go back on a moments notice. The only problem we had was on the way up the drive through a cow pasture, we had some barbed wire wrap around our Axel (see pic). We called the owner and he was there in 3 minutes with some wire cutters to our rescue. It was a lot of wire and a miracle not damage was done to the car or our tires. Saturday we went and picked up Kelly, drove to Roanoke to get Chris' car at the airport, ran errands and finally passed out. Sunday after church we hiked to Crabtree falls with Kelly and some of her friends. That is the most gorgeous hike ever! we forgot the camera so no pics from there.
Hope everyone is well and thanks to those who have loaned me books, given me nutritional advice and most of all, those who keep me in their prayers. I LOVE YOU.

Milestones

So much to report on! We made our quick trip to Utah to see Jordin graduate. Her husband could have to but chose not to so they could keep their student health insurance until august. He will graduate then. It was such a proud moment for Chris and I. She has really become a beautiful young woman. My sister Tonya and her family came up from California and we were able to visit with my brother Dan and his family. It was a quick trip! Two travel days and 2 days there. We ate out way to much and stayed at the Super 8 which was super great........not really but it was the only place that had available rooms at such late notice but it really was not to bad and was located right at the edge of campus. We can not wait for them to move to Virginia and be a little closer. They are now on a cruise celebrating the next phase of their schooling. Jordin has decided with this job market that she may attend graduate school if she is unable to find a job in her field. We all hope she can but what the heck, might as well get more education now if you can.
This weekend has also been busy as we watched a lacrosse game Thursday night and then drove down with some friends to West Virginia and went white water rafting. It was wonderful and we had the shock of our lives when we came to a class 3 rapid (they went up to 5) and our guide, who was in her 40's and ran the river for years, told us that if we hit this rapid at the perfect moment, there was a small chance we could flip. Well, guess what, we did and we did. It was obvious to us all that she had not expected to take a swim on this trip as she was dressed in a tank top and carpi's. We could not believe we were all in the water. One of the teenage boys we were with was able to save all our paddles and thank goodness we were all in wetsuits. After a great lunch we were all pretty nervous to hit our first class 5's but they turned out to be wonderfully fun and we never got dumped again. We all had so much fun that Kelly was begging to go again.......we would love to but it will take some time to recover. It is such an adrenaline rush! Saturday it was like we had a hangover.
Sunday we had friends over for lunch and I had a make-up tennis match. It was my first doubles match and the first game I have lost in since I have been playing in Lynchburg. It was a heart breaker as we won the first game 6-4 and were up by 4 in the second game and lost 4-6 and then lost the tie breaker. We were so far ahead the second game that I think we just lost focus. I have a new perspective on things so it is hard for me to get really upset about things like that. I am just glad I can play.
I am also speaking this Sunday on Mothers Day. Not sure why I was asked since I am certainly not the perfect example but it should be fairly entertaining. Chris is speaking also so I am going to tell him not to be boring! We shall see.........
My treatment is to marrow and I am anxious to see what my blood work is. They will also do a chest x-ray this time and make sure there is no cancer there. They do this routinely every other visit. I'll let everyone know if there is anything to report. No news is good news.
So anyway, there are my milestones. Daughter and son-in-law graduate college, my first rafting accident, and my first lost tennis match. Each is a blessing and I can't wait for more.....Keep them prayers coming! I love you all.

You Never Know

"you never know".I wish I had a dollar for every time I have said that since my diagnosis in October. It seems as I have become the "you never know" preacher. Encouraging those around me not to put off doing the things that are important to them or seeing the people they love. I know I was guilty of procrastinating and thinking that Chris and I could do those things "later" in our lives when we had "more time". This was recently brought home again when a friend of mine husband had an unexpected heart attack just recently and she realized that "you never know" how much time we will all be given on this earth. She is thinking that they should speed up the timing of their dream vacation to Jerusalem. I say, GO FOR IT!. (just my humble opinion)
Well, I have tried to keep myself busy as usual. I was finally able to have lunch with my friend Jerie. It is so nice to spend time with people and really get to know them. I find peoples experiences so interesting and sharing them with each other so uplifting. Also, me and some other friends were also able to help clean and organize a room in some one's home. This is the best in that it is so wonderful to see the final results. I know she felt relieved to get it done as they will be putting the home on the market soon and her husband is out of town. It was such fun to all work together and makes it so much easier. She has done so much for others it was nice to give back.
Tennis is in full swing and I am loving it! I had a good practice last week that made me feel that I have not lost all my skill. I am playing doubles this year which will be a change since I played singles last year. I have included a picture of myself and some of my team from last year at the state tournament. I play with these same ladies this year. They are a good looking bunch!
I am leaving this week with Chris to see my daughter graduate college. Kelly will stay her with some friends from church so that she does not miss any school. I really wish she could be there but with seven class periods, the make-up work is dreadful. I will have pictures to share I am sure. She is graduating with a degree in health education and a minor in history. It is an odd combination but will make her more marketable since she would like to teach middle or high school. Her and her husband are moving to Williamsburg in July so he can attend law school. We can't wait to have them closer.
I did go to the doctor last week as my tailbone has been hurting and I felt that one of the bones on the end seemed to be protruding more than I thought it should. Anyway, after much debate I went in to see him about it and he said it seemed perfectly normal to him and just to make sure it did not change. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed but I guess I have never made it a habit to check my tailbone in the past so had nothing to really compare it to. To save face, I told the doctor that I just wanted to make the appointment so he could take a good hard look at my BUM! He is such a great guy and thank goodness he has a sense of humor! We just had a good laugh and I went home with the advice to take it easy on my bum and not sit on anything to hard for a while......Oh well, I had to check it out "you never know"

Count Your Blessings Name Them One By One

I recently went for my first jog since my diagnosis last friday. I had put my Ipod on safety so never thought the battery would have run out. Many of you know that running is TORTURE with music and without it, it can be worse than waterboarding! Well, it was a beautiful spring day and I was not about to go home. As I was jogging and looking at the sun peaking through the green trees and wild flowers blooming, the children hymn "Count Your Blessings" came to my mind and I sang it (in my head of course) the entire time. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for including all of you.
Saturday we went on a 6 mile hike with Kelly and her friend Leah. It was near Lexington so after a great hike we ate at Wendy's just to eliminate any possibility that we might have done something healthy......no, really, there are a few things there that are not to bad.
Easter was wonderful. We had kelly follow clues to find her Easter basket which is a family tradition. She received a Madame Alexander doll called Little Irish Dancer to remind her of her Irish blood and to give to her daughter one day. I did this for her older sister Jordin too. We ate dinner with another family from church which was nice as there was only the three of us.
Monday and tuesday Chris and I painted the dinning room of a wonderful woman from church. She has become a dear friend and she mentioned that she would like to some day paint over the dark paneling in there. I, of course, was all over that as painting is something we can do. It took three coats of primer to cover the dark wood. We painted all the trim white and she picked out the paint color. Now, having lived in MANY different houses over the years, I have one piece of advice for would be painters. Whatever color you like in the store, choose at least one shade lighter to put on your wall as it always appears darker. The color was a pretty green but on the wall, it looked a lot darker than she would have liked. I felt bad for her but the results were much better than the original dark paneling and the good news is that if she ever wants to repaint, the hard part has been done. It was nice to make her home more cheerful and bright!
Today I am mailing some Ebay items I sold and going to the grocery store so it is a banner day in the McDaniel household......anyone need some painting done? Oh yeah, a wonderful friend also called to ask me to lunch but my husband called no less than one minute before and beat her to it so call me again Jerie! Love Ya'll and keep the blessings coming so I can count them ONE BY ONE!

A dose of William & Mary

I feel like a traitor! We spent this weekend with my daughter and son-in-law, who will both soon graduate from Brigham Young University, wandering around Williamsburg and actually bought William and Mary T-shirts. Not for ourselves, of course, but our daughter Kelly was eager to wear the green. Of course my daughter and son-in-law are eager to shed their blue since he will be starting law school there in the fall. It is exciting to see them move on to the next step in their lives and shocking to see what rent will be in the area. After seeing several "horrible" possibilities, we quickly decided that the wonderful townhouse offered by some friends would be the best option. They have a daughter who is graduating from W&M and he will pursue his graduate education at UVA. This proved a great blessing to our kids who get a wonderful place to live at a wonderful price.......can you say spoiled. We also went to church with them Sunday and the congregation was huge compared to ours here in lynchburg. It made me think they should combine congregations here. It was a very productive trip and my daughter was able to visit several school districts as well as some private schools. We wandered around old williamsburg and bought a few things at the outlet malls.....nothing exciting, a wallet and a tennis skirt and a jacket to replace the fleece one I lost somewhere. It was wonderful to have Kelly and Jordin together again. I think they really miss each other. All-in-all, it was great together time. I included a picture of the wonderful place we stayed (Governors Green)It was VERY spacious and had 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Great for large families!
Now, I must repent, apparently I have left several people with the impression that Kelly and I are having problems or that I am trying to get away from her for some reason.........why would anybody want to do that? Let me set the record straight. Kelly is a WONDERFULLY VERY NORMAL girl and for that I am extremely grateful. It is a blessing that she does not feel the need to alter her day to day activities because of my situation and that she is able to experience her teenage years as she should. She is a blessing in our lives and keeps us going and most of all keeps us young. It is hard to see her growing up so fast but she is a wonderful girl who we love very much........That does not mean I can't complain once in a while.....he he.
I had my Zometa treatment today so I should start to feel a little under the weather and achy in a few days. A small price to pay for the way I feel the rest of the time which is wonderful!. My labs are still good although not a great as last month but my doctor says that is normal and all is well. He did want me to stop taking the iron supplements and just stick with a multiple vitamin. Chris went to the visit with me and it was wonderfully routine and boring....just the way we like it. He is such a wonderful husband and support. A wonderful friend of mine said it best, "you have learned to Cherish him" That is so true. We hate being away from each other now and want to spend our time one another differently. The fault finding and small arguments have really taken a back seat to being more thoughtful and kind to one another. As most of you know, I can be a challenge when it comes to sarcasm but I am really trying to work on that with my husband as he is such a wonderful man. When it really comes down to it, your marriage is your primary relationship and it needs to be well taken care of. Thank goodness we had learned most of this lesson prior to my diagnosis so it has been relatively smooth sailing in that department. Well, I better sign off as I must go to the grocery store at some point. I tell everyone who will listen that it is your prayers and blessings that keep me going and I love all of you. Thanks so much!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow......

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly.......why O why can't I.....Oh yeah, I still have a teenager at home! It has been amazing how many friends have invited us to come to their lake house, visit over the weekend and even go to Acapulco Mexico for a week. We would jump at the chance to do all these wonderful things, especially since I am feeling so good. But, we have a huge problem in that we have one little "blue bird" that has not left the nest and the law says I can't push her out until she is 18 years old...Oh well, such is life. We love her dearly but she is in the wonderful stage of zero memory and can't even remember to turn off the house lights and put the garage door down so it is unlikely that we could leave her by herself for more than one night. We know from past experience that this stage won't last forever and that she will all to soon "fly the coop". It is just hard to let these good days go by when you are not sure how long they will last....again, I am counting on at least 30!
I have been trying to keep busy by helping others which I love to do. Last week I helped a friend, who will be moving soon, scrape her ceilings and sort through some stuff to get her home ready to sell. Chris is helping her son get his Eagle Project together so he won't have to do it after the move. I was also able to babysit a beautiful little girl who reminds me that I DO want grandchildren in the not so distant future.
My daughter and son in law are coming to check out William and Mary Law school next week. He will be starting there in the fall and they want to check out apartments and get their Virginia licenses so they can take advantage of in state tuition ASAP. It will be wonderful to have them 3 hours away and speaking of grand kids.........the sooner she can get a job with benefits!!. We are attending her Brigham Young University graduation next month. She finished her degree in Health Education and a minor in history. She is hoping to teach school or be a drug rep for a pharmaceutical company.
Well enough for now. I am feeling great and playing a little tennis, taking long walks and wishing I was in Acapulco!!! ONE OF THESE DAYS.......thanks to all for the love and prayers.

No news is GOOD news

I had better update my blog as people keep calling to ask if I am OK since I have not posted for some time. In this case, no news is good news. Everything is going great and this past week was wonderfully uneventful. I went to the dentist and have no cavities (for some reason, I was not offered a sucker and no one even made a big deal about it....HA!)I was a able to pick up a game of tennis and even got all my laundry done and put away (the hardest part). I received a wonderful card from my cousin-in-law and gal pal. (You know who you are)
Chris and I were able to have dinner saturday with some wonderful friends we had not seen in a long time. She shared a great experience with me that had happened earlier in the day. She was shopping and casually struck up a conversation with another woman nearby. Later, the issue of hair came up and the lady mentioned that she had lost her hair previously (she now has long dark hair). When asked why, she mentioned that she had stage 4 breast cancer but had been doing well for the past three years. My friend said this was an answer to prayer as she had been nervous to see me later that night and not sure what to say or not to say or how to let me know that I had "been in her heart" for all this time. It was a wonderful experience that she shared and another testimony that God can work in small ways in all of our lives. I hope to meet this woman sometime as she speaks publicly on the issue of breast cancer. Not only did this help my friend but also me in that it is a reminder that life can return to "normal" and that I will be OK. I am amazed at how the little things like a good meal with good friends is no longer taken for granted and I am grateful for that. I have also learned to cherish my husband much more. I guess I really just took for granted that we would always be together. While I still feel that I will be here for a long time, I no longer want to be without him even for a short time. We have both been affected this way. Whenever he travel now, we can hardly wait to see one another again. It is the best marriage counselor ever. So, I hope all of you are happy and living each day to it's fullest. Let us know if we can help any of you in any way as it makes me feel so good to be able to help in any small way that I can. LOVE YOU.

Small miracles everyday

I had my first follow-up post-chemo appointment today and the "small miracles" keep coming! It appears that the Femara pill that I am now taking is working wonderfully. My doctor informed me that it works for about 50% of woman and so far I am one of them. He said that you can usually tell pretty quickly if it is not going to work. So, I have been very blessed that the first chemo they tried as well as the Femara have both been effective right away. This has been a HUGE blessing in that no time has been wasted with ineffective treatments. He also mentioned that my blood work has improved with each visit meaning that my bone marrow is working regardless of the bone cancer. This means that my body is winning the war so far. He mentioned that the Femara generally works for 5 years and possibly longer. With the wonderful funding that breast cancer enjoys, I can only hope that there will be many more new and better treatments whenever that time is up. He mentioned there are many options out there even now.............I guess God has more work for me to do and I am happy to get the time to do it. Your prayers really do create miracles in my life. THANKS!

California Dreamin

I'm baaaack! I must say that I am happy to be home and sleeping in my own bed. Especially since we just bought a new one to replace the low budget one we bought from Sams Club a few years ago. Chris is now able to sleep through the night. I have not noticed such a drastic change yet but I am hopeful.
I spent my initial 2 days in San Diego with my cousin John and his wife Jeanette and their "adorable" son Scott who is 16 and still likes his parents. We had fun eating seafood and Mexican food and walking along the beach. We visited the new Mormon Battalion Visitors Center in Old Town and it is really worth a stop. The church has done a wonderful job showing the contribution made by the Saints to the San Diego area. I then went to my sister Tonya's home and visited her family. I was able to celebrate their daughter Faith's birthday with them and eat more Mexican food and In and Out Burger(the best!). Her husband had his GPS stolen out of his van while we were at the birthday dinner. We spent lots of time with my other sister Laura and her wonderful daughters. I was even able to see her son Blade before he returned to Utah. One morning I woke up at Laura's and decided to take a walk and on my return noticed that someone had let the air out of two of her tires. We ended up spending about 3 hours removing the tires and getting them back on after Costco filled them back up for free. Her husband passed away last year so it was just us ladies. She did a great job with very little help from me......she is a fighter. It is apparent that crime is alive and well in California. My Grandpa Davis and Grandma Briskey were also wonderful to see. It is amazing that at in their 90's they are doing so well and have so much energy and spunk. Thay have both lost their spouses but not their sense of humor or yest for life.
I have my doctors appointment today but feel great and I am expecting only good news. I was able to play tennis twice before I left on my trip and it was wonderful to do something so "normal".
As a warning to all in Lynchburg, Kelly got her license while I was gone so another milestone for last of my "babies". They grow up to soon and leave to fast although sometimes not fast enough !!! Well, I will post some pictures and I love you all. Everyone was amazed at how well I am doing and I give credit where it is due. All the prayers on my behalf and a Heavenly Father who is listening to all of you. Thanks again for all your love and support.