Countdown to Disney

Hello again - yes, I know my updates are far and few between, but it's hard to do updates when there isn't much going on!
Mom & Dad Horton visited for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've noticed my dad is starting to match his age. We had good holidays, too much food, and a lot of time together. The pups & kitties liked having visitors around - more fun with newer people.
Sad news: Dec. 28th, 2008 Brenda Stima, one of my past team mates and an honored team mate for TNT lost her battle with multiple myeloma. It's so sad and shocking to all of us. In the meantime, we are still counting down to Disney, PF Chang Arizona & Gasparilla. Most of us have completed our longest runs and are in taper mode (Disney & PF Changs). We have to keep up the good fight - for Brenda and all the others.
Disney is less than 2 weeks away!!

quick update

Sorry I haven't been updating too much lately.
First and foremost - Gil had his CAT scan & check-up recently and he is still cancer free and is now on one year check-ups (w/CAT scan). He does have an appointment in May with the oncologist (Dr. Ball) and will be setting up for an annual physical with our general practitioner (Dr. Ray) soon.

Gil is still currently seeking employment, if you know of anyone seeking an employee!

Today we are going to the eye dr. - Gil feels his eyes may have changed some more. A little chemo, a little age, I guess it happens.

As for me, I just did 16 miles today - ok, honest truth, it was closer to 15, and I did not do well - I walked A LOT! Hopefully it was just a bad running day for me.

I've been taking the Wii to school. It's been a bit of a fund raiser with the kids - $1 to play. Something I need to enforce a little more than I do. But it's also been good for my side-job as school 'wellness coordinator' or 'champion' or something....I used the Wii fit portion to start our "Biggest Loser" program at school. And there has been anime club, salad day, Principal's brunch next week, and "Cold Turkey Day" (formerly known as the "Great American Smoke-out").
Soo much fun!

'til next time.

TNT time again!

Oops - I did it again!
A little de ja vu? Nothing to do with Brittany Spears, but I think I have used that opening before.

Well, I have joined up again with Team in Training, the worlds largest endurance training and fund raising program. This time I am training to run the full Disney marathon (yup - 26.2 miles!). AND they asked me to be a mentor! How cool (or insane) is that?

So, let's see - school's back in session and we are enjoying some of the new stuff in our library (tables, chairs, built in presentation station - screen, sound & ceiling mounted projector). Hopefully I can get the Wellness program going and do a "biggest loser" contest with our faculty and do a 'fit fair' with the 3 other surrounding schools. And our first Anime club meeting is next week; and i have yet to do the faculty listing on the website, or Sept. calendar, or ...whatever else.

Gil is still looking for a job. He got a rejection letter from the county the other day, and an cofirmation/rejection email from one of his electronic submissions. I feel so bad that this is just such a bad job market right now and he's never had to job hunt before. It's rough, but we will manage. We've been in tougher spots before (I think)

Well, it's getting late and 5am comes awfully early after a nice summer of sleeping in.
AH - but Labor Day is coming! OH and I'm still signed up for the "human race" on Sunday. I don't know how/where/when I'm gonna squeeze in 6.2 miles after church, but...Can I do it? hummm.....

Don't forget....I need your donations! Help me fight blood cancers one mile at a time...
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sun/wdw09/csterling

Most insane race EVER!!

I just finished the last in the series of Picnic Island Adventure runs yesterday - and what an adventure it was!

From the back-up on the Gandy bridge, to losing my car key, to starting the race late due to an impending storm and being told that the race will go on but we run at our own risk.

Not too bad - the first 1.5 mile, sand & grass, was breezy (ok, windy - thought I was going to have to carry my hat) and the rain was just starting to hit. After the obstacle course (cargo net crawl, tires and hurdles), there was a course change - instead of going around the mangroves, which often meant going out into a little water, we had to run thru the mangroves, and the back area was really wet & mucky, like mid-calf. This meant a lot of single file run/walking. At this point, it was full tilt thunderstorm. When we hit pavement, my (prescription) sunglasses were almost impossible to see through. Then it was an other stint through some mangroves, and up onto shell and grass where we ran up and down hills, then around the end of the island and, as we hit the second set of hills we could see lightning hitting the water - not so bad - then hitting the hills! EEK!

Made me run a little faster.

Then it was back out onto the beach with another slight course change - a little more grass and no water run (usually the run goes about 200 yards out into the water, around a buoy, then back to shore for the finish).

I really have no idea what my finish time was - race clock said 35:??; my watch said 33:03 - if/when the pictures come out, I think I will have to buy them.

That was totally INSANE! Can't wait till next year!!

oh, btw - we found my car key about 20 feet from my car. Fell right out of my pocket (darn, so that's what the zipper is for!). Also, check out some pics I took at the June 27th run (http://www.myspace.com/librarylady411 - click "view my: pics" right under my photo, then select the "Picnic Island" album)

busy busy...

OK - I think in my last post i left off with mom getting a stint put in her heart - all is well there.
So, since I last wrote here is how our busy life has gone:

Gil had a few Dr's visits - Dr. Ray, CT Scan, and Dr. Ball. Everything is good and on track. Next years visit is the milestone: He recently turned 45 (July 5th) so I guess that means some extra special ...stuff. In the meantime, all is good.

Let's see...I've been running a lot. Hog Hustle 5k on May 7th, Picnic Island on May 30th and June 27th (Last one is July 25th), Dunedin Midnight run 10k 12:15 am July 4th; I also ran by Seminole High School's graduation (June 3rd).

I've been doing lot's of training since school let out - the first of which I was one of the instructors and it was my birthday. How fun is that? Yes, by birthday was very interesting...there was an accident on 301 & Interstate 275 three days before my birthday, so my birthday dinner with my parents was post phoned until they returned from their Delta Queen Cruise. We finally met up July7th for a double birthday dinner.

What else? Well, Gil helped me with VBS this year the week of June 16th. Our church is welcoming a new pastor. Cleo dodged the bullet; we thought we were going to have to put her down for the long sleep, but with fluid therapy, she is back to messing with the dogs. And...BIG NEWS ... Gil had a job interview with the county today. It's a county print job and he was the first interview. We are hoping for news soon - 4-6 weeks.

I guess that's about it. I go for another thyroid test tomorrow. I was put on 50mcg of Levothyroxin (Synthroid); I suppose that may change. I'll know in about a week.
Hopefully it won't be 3 months before I update you all again!

Much love to all ...

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

OK, it may be a Japanese name, but we're still going to blame it on Jason even if he is from Hong Kong, China. 

First of all, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I actually thought I had already posted some of this information, but...well, on with the show...

I have (had?) what is called "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis" which is an auto-immune disorder. Not a big surprise - having the ANA's in the blood stream, tested for lupus, and having psoriasis. Thursday (4/10) I will begin taking thyroid medication (synthroid or generic).

Spring break was last week. It was OK - it wasn't work. I did some bookkeeping, a little house cleaning, hosted our nephew, David, for the ENTIRE WEEK! "Enjoyed" a little drama there - what is it with teenagers and drama?! Visited Mom & Dad in Pt. Charlotte. Tried to get back to a little running - decided to start joining TNT Alumni runs during the week. That was fun. Picked up a couple of French kids for their spring break - hosted them for 2 nights before their other host family was able to take them. 

Really, that's about it! Mom had a catheratization today. All went well there. She'll have a reading tomorrow and we'll hopefully find out when she gets her stints put in. I've been back at work for almost 2 months now and things are going ok. Been a little tired; weight is starting to creep up. Had a blood test done last Tuesday, so I'm going on medication (as mentioned above). Not much really beyond that.

OH - I do have one bigger thing to mention. March 5th Dad & I did the Harbour Heights 5k. I ran it in 27:42 (22 sec. faster than last year) and Dad walked it in about 55 minutes. I also did the Carrollwood 'Tour de Village' 5k the following weekend - a trail race. Did it in 30:21 and took first in my age division - My first WIN!!

That's pretty big news!

OK - feeding time at the zoo....till next time...

our story so far...part 2

As somewhat mentioned before, over the next...24 hours...after surgery, Gil had to empty my drain bag and "milk" the tube, which made us both kind of queasy. Because of the drain, I had to sleep in our recliner, so Gil slept on the couch. Not exactly the most comfortable of circumstances.

Now, if I didn't mention it before, I was very taped up and couldn't lift my head to well. So, the next morning, when I went to get the drain taken out, I was walking a bit like Frankenstein's monster. I was trying to hard to straighten my back, but couldn't lift my head...so I looked so stiff. I was really happy to get that drain out and get the tape & bandages off, which left me looking like bride of Frankenstein (or Franken-chick as David called me). I felt I could handle a little more movement. As we left, Gil took me to Target where we got some soups, pasta, and other groceries that I could eat (my sore throat could only handle so much) and I bought a Starbucks coffee (of course!).


After that, things are pretty uneventful. It took a little bit before I was really comfortable in our bed - sleeping on my sides rather than my back. I'm not supposed to lift much and take it easy talking. Talking gets to be like a workout - the muscles get sore and the voice starts to waver. I did a little walking on the treadmill Sunday - about 1.5 miles. I need to get back to working out. Merlyn got into something in the backyard and I had to give him a bath, which, it turns out, he is over my lifting weight limit - 12 lbs.; I'm not supposed to lift over 10 lbs. And last night I went to give Gil a kiss goodnight and lost my balance. Funny how much you use your neck when you are trying to keep from falling forward.

Today, Tuesday, Feb. 12th, I had the staples removed. I feel I have a lot more movement in my neck. Turns out I had a benign tumor called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid, but I don't know who Hashimoto is or how really it differs from a goiter except it's not an iodine deficiency. Should be good for a little research.

I'm still kinda tired, and very sore, like I've been "clotheslined", but I think I might try to go back to work Monday. I definitely want to give it a few days before I go back to work the kinks out of my neck. Voice still gets weak too. So, today is kinda blah. Good day to just sit home and continue my recovery.

Until next time...this ride is over!

Our story so far...

Tuesday, Feb 5th I got a call about 1:15 pm, shortly before school ended for the day. Actually it was the second call, but I missed the first one and hadn't returned the call yet. It was the surgery center with all my pre-op instructions and questions - no food or drink after 12 pm, surgery was to be at 8am but I had to be at the center by 7am, had I ever had this or that, make sure to wear a button down shirt, and so on...

So about 5:45 am Feb. 7th we got up and got dressed; left the house about 6:20am. It was still very dark. When we arrived at the surgery center, I was surprised at the amount of children. Evidently there were about 5 kids, under the age of 10 scheduled for surgery very early. That made me so sad. About 7:30am I got checked in and about 15 minutes later was called to go in the back for prep. Gil was brought in a little later to see me off. Before I was taken, Dr. Steineger stopped in, 2 anesthesiologists, and one other Dr. that I don't remember hearing mentioned when they told me who all would be in the operating room. She made me nervous because she asked me all the questions I had already been asked by the pre-op nurse and some by my Dr. I was taken away about 8:15, I guess.

One of the anesthesiologists that had already introduced herself put something in my IV, and I quickly felt a cold sensation in my hand as they wheeled me away. I asked if that we my anesthesia and if I'd be feeling loopy any minute...that was the last thing I said as they made a left turn down a hall. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the same place they took me away from.

It wasn't like I just fell asleep and woke up - I KNEW something happened in between. I heard them welcome me back. I smiled at Gil, and periodically acknowledged he was there. He looked a little scared. I didn't feel so good either, but mostly just sleepy. I don't remember too much at that point; I seem to remember the Dr. coming by and saying the operation went smoothly; I remember the Nurse getting me to sit up, breath, asking me if I felt ok...I felt a little rushed to get dressed and moving. Gil seems to think that was to get the anesthesia out of my system; I don't know, I think they needed the space. I felt a little queasy, but with the nurses help, I got dressed and we moved to a sitting area. There I really got kinda sick and dizzy. She waved some kind of wet-nap type pad under my nose. I'm sure it was like smelling salts (which, by the way, you never want to smell when you are ok - because they stink and will make you pass out). After some apple juice and coffee (which I spilled - good going Carol), we got under way.

Oh, somewhere in there, the nurse showed Gil how to clean out my "drain" - a tube that was under the incision , and about 5 foot of tubing on the outside that dumped into a bulb like bag. Yeah- almost every time we cleaned out that thing, I felt sick.

Well, we got home.I was so taped up at the incision that I couldn't lift my head and stand up straight, so my back was really starting to hurt. I got sick when we got home, but kept it in (eww). Once Gil got me settled in, he called him mom to sit with me while he went and got my medication - pain pills and anti-nausea. I slept through most of that.

Once, just before Gil got home, Mom got to talking to me. It's hard having a one way conversation because I really couldn't speak, let alone make much sense. It was then that I realized, Gil had practice, and Lori was supposed to sit with me, but I became real uncomfortable with that idea. I ended up being a bit selfish and asking Gil to stay with me instead of going to practice, which he did. We spent the rest of the day with him playing video games (Call of Duty 4 online with his Xbox 360) and me sleeping. I think I eventually had some tomato soup and crackers - was that dinner? And I know I drank some.

Well, that's enough for now. This looks like I'm writing a book! Who knows, by the time I'm done, it may be darned close!

Until next time...

Upcoming surgery

Well, did the Disney 1/2 Marathon on Jan. 12th and finished in 2:25:02 - a little off the 2 hours I had hoped for, but not bad for a newbie (I think).
Got thru final exams and have trained my new TA's to the best of my ability. I've also lined up my sub, so everything should be ok while I'm gone. As for my time off...

Surgery is Feb. 6th sometime between 7am and 12 noon at the Mease Surgery Center (dunno where that is off hand). I have a Dr.'s note that says I should be able to return to work Feb 25th, but I'm hoping to be ready sooner.
So, knowing that you are going to have your throat cut open and part of your thyroid removed, right near your trachea and vocal chords, how do you NOT worry?

Beyond that, who knows? I'm hoping to sign up for the Harbour Heights run in Pt. Charlotte on March 8th and the Carollwood run on March 12th. I'm pretty sure I should be ok to do that.
More later....much love to all...

Let the ride begin...

OK - anyone out there keeping track? Anyone know the song by OK GO - "here it goes again"? Because all this is seeming a little too familiar.

Just to re-cap: A couple of months ago, during my physical, Dr. Evans noticed my thyroid was enlarged. Since then I have had an ultrasound and a nuclear exam (kind of like a CAT scan). It seems there are several nodes on my thyroid, and a particularly large one on the right side. My doctor didn't like what she was seeing and has suggested a biopsy.

Dec 27th I went to see Dr. Steiniger, an ear, nose & throat specialist, and he has suggested having the right half of my thyroid removed. OK - choices actually were: needle biopsy and have it removed or just have it removed. Either way, I was going to end up with it out, so why prolong the inevitable?

So what does all this mean? Good question.

At this point it means day surgery and about 2 weeks recovery time because it is such a sensitive area and he will probably have to move my vocal chords.

There is 80% chance it is nothing, but there is 20% chance it is something, but I'm not ready to go there yet. I'm not sure what else to say. I am still trying to wrap my head around this myself.
It's very hard having just finished Gil's cancer treatments only two years ago. I'll admit, I'm a little scared.

We haven't scheduled the surgery yet. I have the 1/2 marathon on Jan 12th - I've raised a lot of money, trained too long and too hard to give that up now. And 1st semester finals are Jan 16th & 17th. I'm also waiting for some input from my "bosses"; my supervisor says do it now, my principal hasn't responded yet - it's hard to keep up with work email over the holidays.

{sigh}

Keeping an eye out

OK, time to start keeping this thing updated.
Had the nuclear exam: the left half of the thyroid is hyper and the right is swollen with nodules. They want me to see an ENT (Ear Nose & Throat specialist) for a "further evaluation and biopsy". Hmmmm....I don't like it. This is all too close to my race!
Anyway...as always...playin' it by ear!

CAT scan & training update

Well, Hello all of you in blogger-ville!
I don't know who all keeps up with this this; I know I don't keep it up quite as I should.

Gil had his 6 month check-up recently with his CAT scan on Nov. 7th and follow-up on the 12th. He's still clean,which, we figure he will be for a long time, but we still hold our breath! His next check up is May 1st. They are going for a CAT scan again, which he has a really hard time with the contrast shakes, but if he can do it, it's the most revealing scan (I guess). Two more check-ups like this and he will be moved to once a year check-up: over a year ahead of the normal check-up schedule!

Thanksgiving - I did the Turkey Trot again (5K) in 27:12 - a whole 1:29 faster than last year (28:41). My best so far! Mom & Dad came up for dinner, which was good and quite filling; too bad I kinda messed up on the temperature for the Turkey breast! Hmmm...holiday cooking...always an adventure.

I am still training for the Disney 1/2 marathon. I have almost reached my fund raising goal, but am still accepting donations. All the funds are supposed to be in by Dec. 28th, so if you haven't made a donation yet (or are feeling generous again)...go to http://www.teamintraining.org/ and click on "Find a participant" to search for me. Then you can donate to your hearts content!

OK, now for the test of who reads this.

During my annual physical, the Dr. noticed my thyroid was swollen on the right side. I went in for an ultrasound and it looks like I have nodules on my thyroid. This is not terribly unusual; I believe that it has actually been swollen for a few years but wasn't noticed by the Dr. till I lost weight (which, actually, I lost a majority of the weight a few years back, but as most women know, the body keeps changing as we age and with the extra running...). I am supposed to go in for some kind of nuclear medicine testing...something..."They" will call with an appointment. I will try to keep you updated.

It was really good to see Jason & Suzanne Smart this week! We hope you had a safe visit and trip home. We miss you!
Much love to all!

haven't visited in a while!

Wow - haven't been here in a while have I. Well, just a quickie update:
My training continues. I am exhausted from waking up at 5am 6 days a week, but the running feels good. We (team in training) are just starting add mileage, so it's 3 miles 3 days a week and 4 miles on Saturday with a 30 minute run on Sunday (which I do with the dogs...so I walk a bit).

A little while back I had my first run at Ft. Desoto which included the Hillsborough and Sarasota teams. It was fun to meet others from around the area.

I'm lining up a couple of fund raisers around the area. As I get dates & more info I will let you all know. I'm looking at a couple of car washes thanks to our church youth group and (hopefully) the Seminole HS National Honor Society. I'm also looking into doing a garage sale.

I hope to see you at one of those!

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.

Please remember - this is not about me. My husband, Gil has become my inspiration for running, but I'm also running for my family, members of my church, and all those who are battling blood cancers. They are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to find a cure!

Please support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission by making a donation.

http://www.teamintraining.org/ Find a participant and search for me.

Hopefully I'll have some good pictures soon. I really need to run with my phone so I can get some pics!
GO TEAM!!

Back to school

Well, it's that time again...time to head back to school. We had a long summer vacation this year and I got to spend all of it with Gil. Was it good? eh...we had a few moments, but most of it was good.

Best thing has been exercising together. I would run while he would ride his bike. I / we have really seen an improvement in his energy level. Although, now that summer is over, I don't know how we will get through our days without a nap!

Ok, evidently I have this nack for overloading myself so to speak. This year is no exception. I am PAST president of PALMS (Pinellas Association for Library Media (or inforMation) Specilaists), so that takes a little off my plate, but I will still be involved. But this year my big project is Team in Training...training for the Disney 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) in January 2008.
OK - here is the letter I sent out to everyone I had an address for...

OK kids, well, I’ve gone and done it again. I’ve entered myself in another race for a good cause. This time it’s a little more personal.

I’ve joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, the world's largest endurance sports training program that helps raise funds for research of blood borne cancers. I will be training for the Disney 1/2 marathon in January.

This will be the first time I’ve run with a group, let alone been “properly” trained for any event. I’m excited and a little nervous, but I figure, if Gil can endure 4 months of Chemo, 2 months of radiation and come out of it as well as he did, I can endure 13 miles.

But it’s not about me; it’s about those who are living with cancer. It’s about people like Gil, TNT’s honored teammates and all of us whose lives have been touched by cancer. It’s about the research so there will be new, better treatments, maybe even a cure. Imagine a world without cancer.

To train for this race I need to raise funds. This is where I need your help. I have a goal of $2,400, which is due by December 28th. 75% of the funds raised goes toward research, education, services and support to patients and families battling these cancers. Donations can be made safely online through the website, or you can send me a check that I will send them in.

My donation site is http://www.active.com/donate/tntscfl/CSterling.
While you are on the site, take a look around and check out what TNT and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is all about.

If sending a check, make it out to “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” with my name in the memo section.

I will do my best to keep you up to date on my fundraising and training.

Thank you for your help, prayers, and joining me on my journey. Together we can save lives, one mile at a time.

I will leave this entry at that. My next entry should be around Nov. 7th after Gil's CAT scan. Maybe sooner...the TNT kick off party is this Saturday. If anything interesting happens, I'll try to let you know.

Much love to all!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Catching up...

OK, I realize I put St. Augustine ahead of some other things, so it's time to back peddle a bit.
Before we left there were a few other things we had done...

Creating our little Zen garden. Took some work...digging up all the old plants, rocks, trees; getting the fountain (and fixing a hole in it), putting in plants, trees, sand...and making it all work (priceless).


We also recently attended WAMP...our church's Worship Arts Ministry Picnic. Lots of fun, music and FOOD! The Lupton's Boggy Bottom Ranch in Plant City was quite a place and they put out quite a spread - mac & cheese, BBQ chicken, pulled pork, hot dogs, cole slaw, and people brought desserts (Gil made some great lemon cupcakes while I was patching the fountain). Free food, Jason!
They did water balloon tosses, hula hoop contest, sing-along and just a bunch of water fun.




Some just kind of made up games of their own.

SO, that's the stuff we did BEFORE St. Augustine.

Hello from St. Auggie

St. Augustine that is. Yup, this year for our "vacation" we decided to check out St. Augustine. We didn't quite get to do EVERYthing due to some weather, but we did a fair bit. We went on one of those little trolley tours, the alligator farm and on a walking ghost tour (well, I thought I was getting one of the trolley tours "Ghosts & gravestones" but, I signed us up for the wrong thing).







We also went to the lighthouse (that's where we had the tornado warning), then a little shopping down St. George street and the fort De San Marcos.



We had the dogs with us so we did some other things too, like walking to the Nombre de Dios park where the Spanish are said to have landed.



Well, tomorrow we head home. Feel kind of bad we didn't get to do more, but not sure we could have. Anyway, it's time to go take the dogs for a walk before going to bed. I hope to run tomorrow morning..should be fun!
c'ya

New Addition

OK, well, to start with, Gil had his PET scan and Dr. follow-up. All is good, so far. Because Dr. Ball in on maternity leave, Gil saw a partner who is new to the practice. He was a little rough feeling the lymph nodes on Gil and prefers CAT scans. So, Gil will be doing a CAT scan sometime in November, which means he has to drink these nasty little shakes that he has a really hard time with. Oh well, such is health care. Hopefully Dr. Ball will be back in time for his next follow-up.

In other news, Jason has flown home to Hong Kong. We don't know if this is permanent, but we think he would be happier if he can attend a College/University closer to home.

Gil and I went on our second paintball adventure. I got popped a couple of times, once when we weren't even in play. Those unexpected shots will give you a new respect for our troops overseas - it can happen anytime! I'll still be darned if I didn't get anyone out! It would be much more fun if I knew I shot someone. Does that sound wrong?

Now, as for the new addition, no I wasn't referring to the post as a new addition. We have adopted Christian, our church cat. He is a beautiful and very healthy Siamese, about 5 years old, and is trying very hard to figure out who is "boss" of our animal pack. I think he beginning to figure out that the dogs rule around here - sort of. If he picks a fight with Cleo, he may get a real good look at the dogs because that is THEIR kitty. Anyway, they are figuring things out.

School is quickly coming to an end. We are still working on inventory in the library. Advanced Placement testing is happenings all this week, then final exams are Thursday & Friday, with Graduation on Monday May 21. I have my summer projects kind of planned out. And in June (10 - 13) we will be taking the pups on vacation with us.

My Aunt Ruth is being taken care of by hospice. We don't know how much longer she will be with us, but I pray she is pain free. I know she doesn't like the way she is having to live right now, so ... I'm not sure what to hope for. I guess that her passing comes quickly and painlessly - she deserves to be free of all this.

Overdue for an update

Um...I guess I've been a little busy. I didn't realize how long it had been since I did an update.
Anyway, Gil is doing fine. He went for blood work early February, all is good. His Dr. (Dr. Ball) is pregnant and due sometime soon, so she is on leave. I'm not sure who will do the follow up after his PetScan on April 30th. I'm sure it will all go well though.

OK, on to some big news.
The print shop is closing after 26 years of service. It appears they have sold the business, and will be "closing" on April 13th. The new owners will be moving in April 30th or officially taking over May 1 (same difference, right). Gil is looking forward to some much needed time off before he worries about what to do next. He's looking, checking options, he applied for a job with the school system, but he's not really on the hunt just yet.

We have recently discovered the joys of Paintball! We even have our own markers (guns) and the whole set-up. We played for the first time March 31st and had a blast! It was a few people from church and us (Jason, Gil, me (Carol), David, John, and Sterling (our other nephew)). That was at the end of my spring break.

Jason is finishing up his first year of college. I'm so used to knowing how he was doing in High School, now I just have to count on him for how he's doing in college, but he is his own worst critic (in other words, he always thinks he's doing bad). He is looking forward to going home May 5th and is trying to get into a college back home or in Australia. We wish him all the best.

I'm dealing with the end of school. SRI (reading) testing for the month of April, last Principal's Brunch on the 18th, PALMS (Pinellas Association of Library Media Specialists) end of the year banquet on the 26th (of which I am president, but get to turn it all over to a new board), Senior Breakfast on May 11th, and last but not least INVENTORY (wwweeeeeeeee)!

Well, that's all the breaking news for now. Until May 8th after Gil's follow-up, TTFN!!

Happy Holy-days

As Christmas fast approaches (it’s Christmas eve as I write this), I’ve come to realize a couple of things.

First I want to apologize to all our friends & family for not sending out Christmas cards….again! I want you to know we do think of you often. To our family & friends here in Florida to family in New Jersey, Maryland, and Canada, across the country to California and anywhere our friends have ended up in between and the many kids we’ve hosted from overseas in Spain, Macedonia, Korea, Japan and the one in Hong Kong, we want to send much love and many Christmas wishes.

I also want to say, women who work and still keep the home are truly my heroes; especially those who have kids and go to school along with everything else. How you keep a home relationship is beyond me. Just trying to work and keep things running well at home has become so hard! Being dept. head for the library at school, President of PALMS (Pinellas Association of Media Specialists or inforMation Specialists), running, and just plain ol’ housework (including Gil & Jason)…. I can’t keep things organized. I wonder, now, how I kept it together last year when Gil was going through his treatments.

By the way, he is doing wonderfully. He sang in the church cantata (I helped with sound) and has been working on re-wiring the band set-up at church. Today we are hanging out with the McReynolds as there are 4 services at church today so, why bother going home to Clearwater when we just need to drive back to Tampa within a few hours.

But, back to the whole Christmas thing; I do want to thank everyone again for your support and love. We have really had a rough couple of years – Jason, 4 hurricanes, parents left “homeless” for 10 months, the loss of Nikita, Gil’s diagnosis and treatments, getting Jason through school and into college, I’m just muddling along, but we could not have done any of it without the support of our friends and family. We love you all very much.

Well, this may be a more personal blog on my side, but it's done; we are home, it's late, and it's time to go to bed.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Well, on Thursday, Nov. 23 I ran the 5K Turkey Trot (known as the "WingDing") in 28 minutes 41 seconds (4 minutes faster than last year). Then Gil and I went home, cleaned up and headed to SouthPort Square in Pt. Charlotte to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mom & Dad, cousing Jim and Aunt Ruth. Jason decided to stay home and take care of the dogs.

December 1st was the Anniversary Gil's first Chemo session. It came and went without much notice. But as he says, "hopefully we'll never have to do it again". We are all very thankful that it is done and over with, and that Gil is in good health to this day.

Well, December is a very busy month....Christmas performances, holiday parties, shopping, taking kids to the airport, and picking them up (ok, that's in Jan, but...), Christmas services, anniversary...oh, yeah....

December 21st we will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. Jason will be heading home Dec. 13th - we are very happy he will be able to spend the holidays with his friends and family in Hong Kong. We will be done with our Christmas cantata at church and on break from work by the time we celebrate our anniversary, so we are spending two nights at Inn at the Bay, a bed & breakfast in St. Petersburg. It will be a nice break, but we will also be looking forward to Jan...sort of.