Today is Friday, July 29th

Catching up... Thursday was Brokers tour day.  Saw 2 amazing beach front homes and met a new client late in the day.  Home to bake some panko covered snapper with red peppers & fresh corn on the cob... mmmm

Today was the day for T's labs and great news!!!  T is holding steady on his white cell count and has actually had a boost on his red counts!!!  We are looking for T's highest good in whatever we find out next Friday at Stanford.  T will have been off chemo for 6.5 weeks by then.  His white count will probably have to be at 2 or above for the next phase to start.  We're looking for the best outcome for T... with or without chemo...

Let go and let God!!!

Please keep T, Roddy & Jennifer in your prayers as we are....

Today is Wednesday, July 27th

Tuesday, I'd tried to donate an older camera to a colleague traveling to Zambia to teach tech skills to orphaned children with AIDS BUT T had already freecycled it.  He's been a freecycling maniac lately... don't know what he'll donate next...me?


Since I had another sleepless night, Wednesday started much later than normal... I finally fell asleep after writing my blog.  Missed the Breakfast with the Mayors.  I'm finding it very hard to keep focussed on anything or anyone other than Tracy and his needs.

Did some marketing stuff & paperwork, details kept me engaged.  Luckily, Jan came by to work on our bodies and after that, who cared?  Channel surfing we found the Gershwin Award to Sir Paul McCartney on PBS and we both were captivated.  Lots of Paul's songs interpreted by many fab artists at the White House.  Singing along with Paul, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder and many, many more lifted our spirits as only music can...

Tuesday, July 26th

Office meeting this morning with guest speaker, Kathy Hartman, our Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors CEO.  She presented info about our Association and upcoming events.  There's a breakfast with the local Mayors on Wed. morning.  Paul made a pitch for Old Republic Title's new iPad app & I'll make an apt with Karen to get the password.  Then, the best part of the day...The fab four, Lorraine, Marilyn, Vicki & I toured our new listings together... oohed & ahed over a new Seacliff beauty and ended up at Cafe Cruz for a birthday celebration.

Lunch Beauties: Vicki, Marilyn, Birthday Girl & Lorraine

I am soo thankful for the support and camaraderie of friends!!!  I had the seafood medley and there was enough for Tracy to share.... we talked biz, bonded and relaxed ... we're all stressed out for one reason or another... life has become complicated.  I thought growing older meant less stress... apparently not.  Thank God we have a network of support!

On to pick up a new shampoo for stress related thinning (gal suggestion) and finally, a new phone for T.  Radio Shack was out of the "go" phone I wanted, but the AT&T store had it and it's exactly what T needs.  A phone that makes calls without all the bells & whistles...  Let's see who drops this one in the water first...  we do have a history with water and phones...

Tracy drove himself to get his labs done.  He called to say his white count was lower but his red count was great.  I'm very concerned that Tracy's neutrophil count is steadily sliding downward.  What are we waiting for to start the Neupogen?  Are we trying to see how low he'll drop or bounce back?  We don't understand what it is we're doing right now.   He's told he's borderline neutrapenic & not to hold a party.  I am very worried....scared really.  I keep crying.  I've emailed Dr. Wu's office for a clue or two.  Meanwhile, I'm clinging to T... trying to keep a happy face while he's very quietly resting & accepting.  T looks good!  His color is great and his hair is growing back slowly but surely.  It may even be salt & pepper.  I'll take a photo later today.

I think I'll stay home and make him breakfast... but first I'm going to try and sleep a little more... 

Sunday July 24th

OK, So we all know it's Monday but I'm still celebrating my birthday....sort of... a day off to try to get all the technical crap out of the way and relax with my honey...

What an amazing weekend!!!  I am so thankful to be here in this place with my love and feeling loved...  I wasn't exactly looking forward to advancing another damn year but it certainly beats the alternative.  We're all on the right side of the dirt!!  Tracy has been surprising me in oh so many ways....

Saturday was a full on work day.  I showed 13 (my lucky number) homes to a wonderful UK couple and enjoyed helping them see the possibilities.  They have some homework to do in order to figure out what will work for them as a second or full time home and I'll be there to help.

I came home to my honey and we ate another bowl of fettucine with marchegiana sauce and then, we decided to make the Strata.  Linda had given us this wonderful brunch recipe several years ago and Thursday, an Italian Realtor friend gave it a name as she served it up to we starving Realtors on Brokers Tour.   Layering Italian (recipe calls for white bread but I'm hopelessly Italian) bread, cooked Italian sausage, grated cheddar cheese (champage cheddar was delish) and then, 6 beaten eggs with 2 cups of milk ( I used soy milk).  We left it to marinate overnight in the frig and popped it into the oven for about 50 min. @350 degrees on Sun. morning.

What a wonderful lazy Sunday full of surprises!!!  I was born very early in the morning many moons ago and I decided to make it a day of leisure this year.  I spoke with my family & very slowly greeted the day.  Unbeknownst to me, my T had been very busy.  I came downstairs to a dozen beautiful red roses and a pile of cards laid on top of a wrapped present.   We set to work in the kitchen... T made the coffee and I squeezed some oj, & made a protein drink.  I wasn't in any hurry cause I was fooled by the size of the package.  Usually, Apple packages are elegant and much larger than the item enclosed.  Well, I was on the phone with Johnny & Shar when I unwrapped the end of the package and saw a silver Apple.... the dam burst and I could no longer speak... my honey not only had written 2 beautiful cards, he'd managed to get an iPad2 engraved for me... I'm so thankful.... we'd cancelled a possible brunch gathering cause there was no way to have Tracy exposed to the number of people we'd wanted to invite.  Also, I just didn't have it in me to entertain upwards of 20 or more... I'd been putting names on a list and in the middle of a sleepless night, I realized it was just plain stupid.  T & I would make it a day...  So, man were we surprised when Carla & Jayne appeared bearing many gifts ( a gorgeous blouse, an Italy boot charm, an iPad cover and bag, a floor mat, Italian beans & spices, peach & cherry pies, bagels & cream cheese) and itching to walk on the beach!!!  The Strata went in the oven and we sat and chatted and looked at Jayne's Tuscany photos on her iPad... never did make it to the beach.

  I was bowled over by my emotions continually choking back tears throughout the day.  The thoughtfulness of my dearest & oldest galfriends astounds me.   They knew that they would be missed & decided to surprise us.. Then, Jayne gave T his birthday present early.... his very own iPad!!!  OMG!!!  0 to 2 in one day!!!  What a phenomenal day full of love and good feelings....  Thank you one and all for your kind notes, cards, calls & emails....

Onward and upward cause life is what we make it!!!

Today is Friday, July 22nd

Great news!!!  Tracy insisted that he drive himself to have his labs done this morning!!  I had an early appointment with Michael for my hair ritual and T decided he didn't have to wait for me!  Freedom for T and me!!!  I have to admit I was sitting on pins & needles until I heard from our guy... first time driving on Hiway 1 in 9 months and then, would he need blood and therefore be neutrapenic again??  We were hoping for the best outcome and that's what we got!!!!  Tracy's counts are holding and he's rejoining the land of the living... got to do something about his phone soon.  The bag holding the dead phone & all it's accessories is  sitting in the back seat of my car waiting for a solution....

I spent the day at the office.  2.5 hours of mind numbing crap trying to get my email hosting straightened out.  I so miss having Tracy handle all of the techie stuff.  He's so good at it and I'm just impatient for it to work without me trying to figure it out.  Just a bit more now and it will all be straightened out, but T would have done it in no time...  oh well...  Take a look at my new website - double click this link:  http://AnneMarieSellsHomes.com
 and please let me know what you think...  Spent the rest of the afternoon working on the details of Saturday's tour.

Went home to celebrate... Linda & Jim picked us up and we returned to the Hindquarter after at least a 10 month hiatus!  We sat outside by ourselves on the front patio and T enjoyed his baby back ribs... what a wonderful early evening and a true return to the living for our T!  He ate the entire full rack of ribs with a beer and had a huge smile to boot!

We're looking forward, acknowledging the past and living the present.... no one's going to rain on our parade!!!

Today is Thursday, July 21st

OK,  I'm guilty... jam packed last few days and that's a good thing.  I made Tuesday's office meeting and toured with Lorraine...everyone has their crosses to bear and we all get through the day with a little help or a shoulder from our friends.  On to Costco, where I learned that there was nothing to be done for Tracy's phone.  Yes, folks, I washed his new phone... it's nice and clean but it no longer works.  So, I need to find an old phone or a cheapie and put his SIM card in it.  Supposedly, that will work.  Oh well...  so, I picked up our food staples and headed home to stock the pantry and then, have a blessed massage.  Tracy was already under Jan's loving hands and his color is so much better as a result....  Gary stopped by and we all chatted until the calzones were ready and then, we shared some bites too.  Shower and bed were very welcome...

I slept a full night and actually felt human again on Wed.!  It's amazing what sleep can do for the soul.   Wed was a full day of work - a comparative marketing analysis & putting a tour together for Sat. with my new client.  I took a break so T , Riley & I could walk around the neighborhood.  Then, I made my version of Marchegiana meat sauce and T & I relaxed and watched a little TV.

I keep trying to focus my thoughts on positive outcome for our boy... keep that white light coming, please....

I'm off to the dentist...

Today is Monday, July 18th

Busy, busy Monday and once again I'm awake in the middle of the night... so it's really very early Tuesday morning... just read some UCLA info on how to prevent Alzheimer's .. it's not too late ... who would have thought apple juice, coffee & internet searches could help?

Met with a web guru who is helping me to update my website... transition will happen very soon.  Amazing how satisfying to find a solution that works & eliminates some tedious tasks for me.  I'm a happy girl...

T's white cells were a little lower but we're on a wait and see plane... here's hoping that he bounces up again.  We do a recheck on Fri.  He seems stronger & more with it & very sweet.  That abrasive stubborn streak has left the building along with Elvis....

Book club tonight amongst the Corralitos redwoods... great food & discussion & I enjoyed the red wine...

I'm gonna try to go back to sleep....