So thumbs up for Jodi, who decided to revising her Low- which was when bryant decided this summer to “donate” our much loved wheeled kitchen chairs that everyone loved (but Bryant).there was quite an up roar in the house.  Leilou samples the array of food offerings with her cousin Derrick. We finally had about 60 people come for thanksgiving.  Everyone had a marvelous time.  Clean up was quick, a large group stayed behind rolled up the plastic table coverings, broke down the tables and folded up the 30+ chairs we borrowed from our church.  We had several games available, see connect 4 in one picture.[...]

So thanksgiving turned out fabulously.both sides of the family meshed seamlessly.  We ended up with 5 turkeys and a 20 pound spiral cut ham!  HyVee did a wonderful job packing everything up for us.  And a Big THANK YOU to JUSTIN (brother #4)!  Who paid HyVee for our feast.  Everyone brought supplemental dishes to add to the mix, we had bbq cocktail weenies , pies, gluten free items, Watergate salad, deviled eggs and not one bag of chips with dip!  We always play Hi-Low with Bryant’s family during thanksgiving, so we drug my family right into that.  1 person tells everyone the highlight of their year followed by their personal low for the year.  Sometimes we have topic restrictions (last year you couldn’t use the word COVID,  this year. The no-no words were Covid and cancer) Sometimes your high and  low can be the same thing!  Mine response was:  HI-I met my insurance catastrophic cap. My insurance now pays 100% of all my medical bills to the end of the year.  LOW- I get to restart and pay my deductible all over again![...]

Our thanksgiving plans are coming together.  Turkeys have been ordered, tables and chairs are reserved with a pickup date/time, the out building has been cleaned, swept/mopped, all the “extra” incidentals are ready like warming trays, table coverings, napkins, thanksgiving plates.  I just need to generate name tags for everyone.  This year we are hosting BOTH sides of our family on Thanksgiving t the same time.  Call me crazy, but the final count looks like 55-60 people.  Bryant is getting a little nervous, but I’m not sure why, every bon fire we have had over the last 10+ years has been practice for such an event.  I’m ready!  Bring on the families!  I have a laundry basket full of odds and ends including an electric knife for carving the (4) turkeys plus (1) ham.  An amazing variety of sides all from Hy-Vee.  Yes, I’m just crazy!  
I’m feeling better and better every day since my last day of chemo and radiation!!  I’ve got some “peach fuzz” coming in where the radiation was directed.  The top of my head has more or longer hair growth so it looks like a slow Mohawk growing out.[...]

The wacky and strange items I can actually taste: watermelon, peanut butter, Italian dressing, Arby’s curly fries, Arby’s roast beef sandwich with ranch, green grapes, green apples, 1/2 choc flavored DQ Shakes, Water, orange juice,[...]

So tonight I actually ate my first real meal.  Nothing special, but I got it down. and it wasn’t like chewing bland cotton balls!  I’ve been craving Arby’s roast beef sandwiches for about a week.   Tonight my husband and I stepped out to fulfill my second craving, watermelon!!  When whatever meal we’re eating, if it tastes flat on my tastebuds, I fall back on watermelon.  It’s something a little sweet and sour.  At Arby’s, I ate the whole sandwich, covered in ranch for flavor and the curly fries.  Yumm yumm!![...]

Today was a good day. I actually felt pretty good, totally moved beyond the chemo and radiation fog; that has surrounded me for weeks.  With my daughters help, we dropped the van off for an oil change.  I wondered the aisles in walmart for a few minutes while my husband took our child off to high school.   After 10 minutes I was done browsing, actually exhausted.  I guess I’m not really 100% back to normal yet.  I think it’s gonna take more time. [...]

So this happened on Tuesday, my first free day without chemo or radiation!  A fabulous facial!  Thank you Deanna Peterson for taking me along on this adventure.  This is definitely one worth repeating!!  I had to laugh because the spa, Message Envy, required me to get a doctors note?!  I remember getting the note, I could hear my 1 neurologist, ask the head nurse, “what is a facial?”  I had to laugh, he is such a brilliant man, with an unbelievably head of thick hair (just like my son’s hair), but utterly clueless of some necessities in life. Women definitely need facials!  I can swear to that fact.  Maybe it’s because English is his 2nd language?  I believe he’s from China.  Absolutely, women need facials!![...]

So here is my mask UNMC used to anchor my head to the radiation table.  .  The taped Xs are markers for the technician to align the radiation to.  Plus, I found out that every day I’m getting radiation, I’m also getting an X-ray of my skull so they can line up specific points on my brain.  Glad someone isn’t just radiating me wily-nilly, oh here’s an X, let’s shoot there!  The mask is made of hard plastic, but it is somewhat flexible.  I’m so lucky the mask only goes below my chin!  The guy after me, his face mask comes down to the elbows!  That would be creepy, most likely throat cancer.[...]

I Want my sense of taste back!  Every once in a while I get a craving for some type of food. Senses build up in my mouth, I can imagine how it feels on my tongue, the taste, texture, temperature. hmmmmm.  Things like watermelon! I ate a huge amount of watermelon on Sunday, oh it was soooo goood!  Right now, if I saw the melon i’d probably choke,   Or a A Chick-fil-A sandwich with honey mustard.  I was able to get most of that down. I force myself to eat some type of protein every day, imaging chewing a bland cotton ball?  Yuck![...]

I could be a bell ringer in front of Walmart!![...]