Happy Halloween!!!

Oh, my favorite holiday. My very, very favorite. Nothing but fun and candy - oh and scaring the crap of of people! Mike and I got a head start and watched "Halloween" 2 nights ago. Classic. Michael Myers, scary, scary, scary. All I can think about is him behind Jamie Lee Curtis in the hallway. "He's not dead Jamie! He's not dead! Grab the knife you dummy!" *shiver*

This year we are celebrating with the regular ol' trick or treats and also a parade for the kids in a 'hood down the street from us. I can not wait to see Colleen dressed up as Dorothy. She is going to be so cute! She has already had a trial run with this costume and she already got to go trick or treating once. How you ask? How does a girl get so lucky? In my parents 'hood all the kids & grandkids of the residents jump into golf carts and drive around the neighborhood and bombard each house with about 60 kids at one time. Somebody always ends up crying, usually an adult that can not handle all of the noise any longer - questioning themselves "Didn't I move to this semi-retirement golf community for peace and quiet??" HA! Little did they know that a boat load of children would decend on them once a year all hopped up on pixie sticks and chocolate! *giggle*

So, since its Silly Nanny Friday...here are some great funny/cool/creepy Halloween pics.

Scariest Movie Ever - Well...maybe the Exorcits ties with it...
I really did give up meat for a while after I saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and I will never look at those cute little white houses in the country the same again.







Here's Johnny! (YIKES!)


Cool! Its the death star! (Somebody has entirely too much time on their hands!)




Here he is...*shiver* again


Grrrrrrrr...


Hope you have a very HAPPY (and safe!) HALLOWEEN!

Love, Light & BOO!

Yoga For Headaches

Some of you know that Hailey and I both have suffered from migranes most of our lives. My BFF Heather also suffers from them - and now that she is preggers (yippee) that little girl (only my guess at this point!) is causing her major headaches and she is very limited to the medicine that she can take. Chiropractic care, diet and Yoga have been my biggest allies in my personal battle with migranes. This quick article below from Yoga Journal is a good lesson in preventing those painful suckers before they start. Also, practicing the Legs-Up-The-Wall pose daily will help with this pain. Unfortunatley, you can not do that pose when you are pregnant - so we will find alternative solutions for my pregnant friend.


October 30, 2008
Stop Headaches Before They Happen

Often we express stress in our necks and jaws. Without even noticing, we tense in these areas, blocking our breath, decreasing our circulation, and sometimes provoking a headache.
Luckily, we can avoid these symptoms by taking a break to relax the neck.

Here's how:
While seated, interlace your fingers and place your hands on the back of your head. Allow your head and arms to relax forward and your chin to travel toward your chest. The weight of your head and arms, combined with gravity, will begin to release your neck and reduce or eliminate your headache.

Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

IN THIS ISSUE

Headache Fighters
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1217?utm_source=DailyInsight&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=b&utm_campaign=DI_2008-10-30
Crick Fixes
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1969?utm_source=DailyInsight&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=b&utm_campaign=DI_2008-10-30

Cool Article on Long Life

I read this on Yahoo this morning. There is just more and more evidence to point to eating dark foods like berries, pomegranates etc...are really good for you - and who doesn't like a big hand full of fresh blueberries? Yum. Heather Ivey's kid Evan should live to be 110 - he loves his blueberries! AND IT SAYS TO DRINK MORE WINE - Whoo hoo! ;)

Unfortunately, by the time I actually have children - according to this article - my kids will live to be a ripe old age of 35.

4 Surprising signs you'll live a long time

by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief, PREVENTION, on Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:57am PDT

We all know the obvious ways to add years to your life: Don't smoke, eat your veggies, wear a seat belt (even in the backseat). But there are other, lesser-known habits and attributes that can help you live to a ripe old age.

YOU SKIP SODA (EVEN DIET)I finally kicked my diet cola habit in my 20s, a good thing too, because scientists in Boston recently found that drinking one or more regular or diet sodas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome-- combination of conditions that increase your chances of heart disease and diabetes. The exact culprit isn't completely understood, but it could be the caramel color added to colas and other dark sodas, which increased the risk for metabolic syndrome in animals. Experts also speculate that exposing your tastebuds to the sweet fizzy flavor of soda conditions you to crave sugary foods, which can lead to weight gain. Whatever the reason, it's an easy enough habit to quit. Club soda (sodium free, of course) with a splash of juice satisfies the fizz craving with just enough sweetness. For a good alternative, try Sassy Water.

YOUR LEGS ARE STRONG Lower-body strength means you also have good balance, flexibility, and endurance. While you probably care more about how your legs look in a mini and a pair of knee-high boots right now, as you get older those attributes reduce your risk of falls, injuries, and hip fractures, all of which are associated with declining health in older folks. So do some squats, lunges, and stair climbing to look good now-- and be strong and healthy later. It's win-win! Get up to 10 pounds lighter and take 10 years off your body with this workout.

YOUR MOM HAD YOU YOUNG If she was under age 25, you're twice as likely to live to age 100 as someone born to an older mom, according to University of Chicago scientists. The reason, they suspect, is that younger moms' best eggs go first to fertilization, which may mean healthier offspring.

YOU EAT AND DRINK PURPLE THINGS Red wine, concord grapes, blueberries (okay, not quite purple, but close enough) all get that deep rich color from polyphenols- compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may even protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. So crack open a bottle of Pinot (don't overdo it), snack on some grapes, or make a blueberry pie and ponder all the years that lie ahead. Talk about happy and healthy!

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose

I think most of you know that I am studying to be a yoga instructor and I am starting to form classes now. Hopefully I will be teaching the ladies in my neighborhood soon and possibly I will be parterning with my church to set up something really cool! Anyway - this pose - the Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose is my all time favorite and has saved me from running around like a banshee, crying and wailing about how miserable & stressed out I am. 10 minutes a day in this pose will really help you relax. So then you and me are not so miserable and stressed - and then the world, our little world, is a happier place ;)

Yoga Journal - Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose

Posted using ShareThis

Recovery

Hey y'all
Hailey is at home recovering from all the chemo and she is just really laying around like a slug most days. She had a low grade fever yesterday and felt horrible, but today she is feeling better. She is aggrivated that her hair has not started to grow back yet...she wants hair for her wedding!

I am so excited about this wedding!!!! Its going to be so much fun.

Here is today's silly nanny Friday video...classic.
I could totally see Hailey doing this...but James...it makes me laugh out loud just thinking of it - he would kill it, I am sure of it! :) much love to you guys!!!! xoxoxo - H

Is it too early

For silly nanny Friday?

I just have to share this one with ya...LOL

UK police find naked burglary suspect in chimney

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press Writer – Wed Oct 22, 11:26 am ET

LONDON – British police say they found a naked burglary suspect trapped in the chimney of a supermarket in the northern English town of Pemberton.
Greater Manchester Police say officers found the 22-year-old man at around 5:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) on Wednesday. The fire service was called to help extricate him.
A spokesman for the police says he "has no idea" how the man got into the chimney. He says that some of the man's clothes may have come off as he struggled to escape.
He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with force policy.
Police say the suspect was hospitalized as a precaution but has since been discharged and arrested.


Idiot - ha

Tough times call for extreme measures I guess...

High Fructose Corn Syrup...

I am sorry, I can not help it.
I have to say something about those darned commercials touting the benefits of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). First of all, corn in its purest form is not very good for you - my mama taught me that. Its a grain, a starch, not a vegetable, not really. Broccoli, THAT is a vegetable, kale THAT is a vegetable, corn - not so much. Anyway - once refined into the gooey cheap sweetener HFCS it reeks havoc on your internal system spiking the glucose levels and causing issues with your blood sugar and insulin levels. It has even been shown to increase cholesterol. Also, the commercials state that HFCS is perfectly fine in moderation - but HFCS is in SO many products that you would not think its in that moderation is out the window even if you cut back on sweets. Did you know that a can of tomato soup has a ton of HFCS? Yuck. Again, you are asking yourselves - what does this have to do with Hailey? Well, I am trying to get her to eat better and eliminating HFCS is one of the steps. Glucose is linked to feeding cancer cells. Does this mean that she can never have a Popsicle again? No...but she (and WE) all need to be more aware of this yucky product in all of our food...

Its in cough syrup for goodness sake...dill pickles, pimento loaf (who eats that anyway? ha!), potato chips, ketchup, steak sauce, bread, chicken nuggets, SO many drinks like sodas, Poweraid and Gatorade, almost all cereals and so on and so forth...so you can see how difficult it can be to eat HFCS in moderation when its lurking in all kinds of foods you don't expect it to be in - like a pickle!

Read more by clicking here...
The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

Here is a list of foods that do not contain HFCS
I got this from http://highfructosehigh.com/no-hfcs/

BREAD
Amana Multi Grain Bread
Aunt Millie’s Old Fashioned Butter-Top Wheat
Brownberry’s Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread
Country Hearth 12-Grain Bread
Earth Grains 100% Natural 7-Grain Bread
Franz “McKenzie Farms” Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread
Milton’s Bread (most, if not all)
Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat bread (note, other varieties do contain HFCS, but not this one)
Oroweat Mult-Grain Bread (but watch out for HFCS in their other varietes)
Martin’s Breads & Rolls (including hot dog buns/rolls and such)
Pepperidge Farms 100% Natural Breads
Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
Rudi’s Organic Bakery Buns
Vermont Bread Company breads
CEREAL
Cheerios
Giant brand Instant Oatmeal - most flavors
Kashi (most, if not all)
Kix
Life ceral (regular and cinnamon)
Nature’s Pride Organic (most, if not all, varieties)
Kellogg’s Reduced Sugar Froot Loops
Trader Joe’s Graham Bites Cereal
CONDIMENTS
Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup
Annie’s Naturals Organic Honey Mustard
Annie’s Naturals Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce
Cascadian Farms Sweet Pickle Relish
Frenchs Honey Dijon Mustard (I don’t think most regular mustard contains hfcs, but a lot of the “honey” mustard does, which is why I’m listing some honey mustards here that don’t.)
Frontera BBQ (Barbecue) Sauce
Gates BBQ Sauce (a barbecue sauce mainly found in the Kansas City area)
Heinz Organic Ketchup
Hellman’s Mayonaise
Meijer Organic Sweet Relish
Nature’s Best Organic Tomato Ketchup
Vlasic Sweet Gherkins
Woeber Sweet And Spicy Mustard
Consorzio Bbq Sauce Organic Original
Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Mustard
CRACKERS
Dare Vinta Crackers
Milton’s (most, if not all)
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
MARINADES
Acadia Naturals Tuscan Grill Marinade
Consorzio Brand Marinades
PEANUT BUTTER
Jif Peanut Butter
Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter
Trader Joe’s brand Creamy, Unsalted Peanut Butter
SALAD DRESSINGS
Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing
Annie’s Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Blanchard & Blanchard (Country Italian & Caeser Parmesan)
Brianna’s Blush Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Drew’s Salad Dressings
Olde Cape Cod Traditional Caeser Lite
ICE CREAM / FROZEN NOVELTIES
Ben & Jerry’s (most, if not all, varieties, but watch for the kinds that add bits of candy bars and cookies)
Breyer’s All Natural Ice Cream
Dreyers/Edys Strawberry Fruit Ice Cream Bars
Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
Breyers Pure Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars
Stoneyfield Farms
COOKIES
Archway’s Molasses Cookies
Destrooper Almond Thins Cookie
Destrooper Butter Crisp Cookies
Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookies
Keebler Simply Sandies Cookies
Lu Le Petit Beurre Cookies
Lu Scottish Recipe Shortbread
Mi-Del Snaps Ginger
Nature’s Best Chocolate Sandwich Creme Cookies
Newmans Wheat Free Fig Newton Cookies
Newmans Own Ginger Os Ginger N Creme Cookies
NewmanS Own Alphabet Cookies
Pepperidge Farms Butter Chessman Cookies
Pepperidge Farm 100% Natural Varieties
CHOCOLATE
Cadbury - Most Varieties
Hershey’s Symphony
Hershey’s 100 Calorie Wafer Bar
Hershey Skor Candy Bar
Hershey Special Dark Candy Bar
Dove - Most varieties
OTHER CANDYJELLIES, JAMS AND PRESERVES
Bonne Maman Preserves
Hero Jams & Jellies
Smuckers Organic Strawberry Preserves
St Dalfour Preserves
Trader Joe’s Reduced Sugar Organic Strawberry Preserves
MAPLE SYRUP
Trader Joe’s Organic Maple Syrup
Pretty much any actual maple syrup is devoid of hfcs - most “pancake syrup” does not even have any maple syrup in it and is pretty much all sweetener and water and “stuff”
PASTA SAUCES
Classico (Most varieties)
SODA POP
Archer Farms brand Natural Italian soda
Bawls Guarana Soda (most varieties)
Blue Sky Soft Drinks
Boylan’s Sodas
Cheerwine (the glass bottle varieties)
Jones Pure Cane Soda
Goose Island
Dublin Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper from a bottling plant in Dublin, Texas)
Nantucket Nectars
Virgil’s Sodas (the cream, cherry and root beer varieties)
SPORTS DRINKS
Accellerate
OTHER BEVERAGES
Bolthouse Farms C-Boost Smoothie
Bolthouse Farms Vegetable Juice
Capri Sun ALL NATURAL 100% Juice
Horizon Flavored Milks (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry)
Ocean Spray Grapefruit Juice
Ovaltine (dry chocolate drink mix)
Simply Juice (orange, limeade, and lemonade)
Sweet Leaf Tea
YOGURT
Breyer’s
Brown Cow
Dannon All Natural Vanilla Yogurt
Dannon All Natural Coffee Yogurt
Dannon Lite & Fit Vanilla Yogurt
Great Value Light Nonfat Yogurt (most varieties, if not all)
Horizon Organic Fat Free Yogurt
Nancys Reduced Fat Plain
Nancy’s Whole Milk Honey Yogurt
Stoneyfield Farm Yogurt
Stoneyfield Farm Yobaby Yogurt
GRANOLA BARS
Kashi
Nature Valley Oats & Honey flavor granola bars
OTHER
Cool Whip Sugar Free

Going to the chapel...

AND SHE IS GETTING MARRIED!!!
Whooo hooooo!
Congratulations Hailey & James!

James proposed to Hailey yesterday and she has been crying tears of joy ever since. I got to see the beautiful ring at church before James popped the question. Its so pretty! Nice job James!!!!!

Now we have a celebration to plan!

Time to panic...

No, really, don't panic...nothing is wrong with Hailey - its just time for a concert! Widespread Panic is here for shows down at Lakewood. Poor Hailey wants to go so bad, but she just does not have the strength to go. I will dance extra hard for her and Peyton is coming too - I am sure she will boogie ooogie enough for both of us! Woop Woop!!!!!



Watching people roll by
Wonder where they're going
Hey, what's your job?
What're you knowing?


Driving to the grocery store
Pull my money out
Passing by the liquor store
Throw my money down


Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand


My wife's got the blues
Now I've got them
Gonna bring her a kiss
Make those blues run


Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand


The sun came out the other day
Through those dusty clouds
And in my mind I was a child
And it felt good!


Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand

Hailey Update

Hi All!
Just got a text from Hailey and she said that she has been feeling down the past few days BUT she had a good doctor appointment yesterday. Her counts are looking good and she is "on the path to recovery"
Yippee!
That is good news

Her first scan is coming up soon - so then we will know if all of this chemo was worth it. I am sure it has been. She is young, strong and has a lot to live for.

Love & Light

What about NOW?

I am on the verge of something...
Something that I pray will be huge. Something that may have never been conceived if my sister did not get cancer. Something that will change the world - my world, my community, my family's world, Colleen's world, maybe your world. In order to change the world, you dont have to change things in Africa, Europe, or Iraq - start in your back yard. We have a good idea and I am SO excited about it I am about to burst. I can not divulge all the details yet, but just pray for guidance and clarity on our vision for our future. Hailey and I need all the prayers we can get - for her to get healthy and for me to figure out how I am going to tackle my new project.

Watch this video...you may have heard this song before, but I'm normally not a fan of popular rock/pop music but this Daughtry video is great. I mean, it just really hits home. It made me cry. Please forgive me for continually putting up videos that are tear inducing...but, its good to cry sometimes! This one is a good cry...so please watch this video if you have 3 minutes to spare. It kind of sums up where I am at in my head right now.

As I am sitting here eating my FREE lunch from the Chinese place Mike delivers coffee too, I wonder why is it so easy (not that I am complaining) to give to someone like my husband who has food in the fridge at home, but its not so easy to give to some dirty, poor, homeless, addict on the street?
Fear? Yes.
Anger? Yes.
Animosity? Yes.
Get a job you bum!? Yes.
Will the world ever be perfect? No. Not until the end of time as we know it, anyway.
So there will always be poor people on the planet, no matter how hard we try. The test is how do we serve them? I do not advocate giving money to the poor, but passing out fruit is not a bad idea. If they get mad at you and ask you for a whiskey bottle or money instead - well, at least you tried to help. I have actually done this - passed out food to random homeless people in the street in Atlanta. After I saw a man digging through a trash can and finding a 1/2 eaten doughnut and then he ate it - I ran out, bought bagels and passed them out. Most of the people were delighted and surprised at the gift of a bagel - some were grumpy, some were so far gone mentally that they really did not understand. But I only did this once! Maybe I should do it again.

What can you do to help the poor - and not enable them? Any ideas? I welcome all discussion on this subject.

Blog Action Day

Neato Torpedo...

http://blogactionday.org/

I will participate! Any of my fellow bloggers out there, check it out!

Today on Post Secret...

I love Post Secret

It is one of the blogs on the side bar that I recommend you read...its funny, inspiring, really sad and sometimes creepy - but at least you know that you are not the only freak in the world after reading it

This is one of the post cards from the site today...

Like I said, I love post secret...this just makes me feel better. I wish I wrote it and sent it in.

This weekend went well, Mike and I kept Colleen for most of the weekend. We decorated for Halloween, went to church, Waffle House and fed her lots of good food including ice cream cake at the Borah's. Hailey is feeling OK. She is VERY tired and has slept most of the weekend. She is still in pain, but its getting better.

She is home

She is home, resting

A Quickie...

Cuz...I have Colleen & she wont leave me alone until I start decorating for Halloween with her! :)
Hailey's fever has come down and she is feeling better, somewhat...she is still in a lot of pain so keep sending vibes & love her way
Hopefully she will be home tomorrow

Thanks y'all

Love Love Love

H

I'm not having a good day today

I wish there was some sort of anxiety medicine that would not knock me out so I would not feel like exploding or crumbling or running or freaking out right now


she is supposed to be getting better damnit!

Yikes

She still has a 102 temp. It did break for a bit yesterday, but it keeps coming back. She said that she had a rough night last night. I am spending the night with her tonight - hopefully she will start feeling better soon.

Good Vibes, Prayers etc...send them her way

She is not feeling well right now at all. She has a 1o2 temperature and feels like hell. She said that she feels like the worst case of flu that you can imagine x 1million.

FEEL BETTER HAILEY!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

STAY STRONG!

HEALTHY

HEALTHY

HEALTHY

Picture Pages...

Hi my loves -


I promised you pictures, and as dingy as I may have appeared yesterday, I can keep a promise :)


So...here you go!


Mmmmm...cuddling



Tech: Santiba = Pure Joy in Human Form, she rules
Mom's inspirational words "Think Rocky" Mom runs around singing the Rocky theme song to Hails when she feels down.
Plus, more of Colleen's art!



One of Hailey's awesome nurses, Kathy - an angel on earth




Thank you nurse Kathy - we love you...




EMPTY! Those suckers are gone ghandi! The 1/2 full one is just IV fluids - the other smaller ones are the chemo - empty I tell you, done! Finito!




YEAH! I am unhooked! I can roam free!




And for the grand finale of today's picture pages, I give you quite possibly the funniest picture that has ever been taken of Hailey & I...

Don't you mess with my girl sucka...it feels good to be a gangsta




Here is your video to go with today's picture pages...from the awesome hilarity of Office Space
*note that there are cuss words in this video, just don't want you to get in trouble at work...but its sooooo funny if you are an Office Space fan! :)





Love, Light & Gangsta

Phone Clarification & Disturbing Soy News...

Hi all...
She did get a new phone...its just not charged since she had to go to the hospital on short notice, she did not bring her charger, so no Heather, we do not need to take donations for a new phone. Eddie & Hannah from Barrow County helped her out with that :)
Thanks for asking though...that was sweet.

I talked to her early this morning and she sounded pretty rough. She said that she just wants to sleep, it hurts too much to be awake. Just makes your heart sink doesn't it? Poor thing. Hopefully she will be getting a blood transfusion today and that will make life much better for her.

Also, I wanted to share this with you - and Shams if you are out there, please help me out with this. Is soy is good or bad? I love my tofu and my neighbors baby is on soy formula because he can not tolerate the regular kind. Also, I have been putting soy protein powder in Hailey's smoothies...

Evidence against soy article...CLICK HERE

Dead Phone, Funny Pics and How I Keep Myself Laughing...

Laughing at myself that is. I have a great passion for wasting time. I am a huge procrastinator. I should be getting ready for work, but I am here on the computer. I think its my best talent. I can waste time like NO OTHER. If there were a competition for wasting time, I would win it. Well...its not that bad, but here is an example of what I am talking about. My friend sent us pics from her farm where they keep getting pictures of deer in her woods. So I take the time this morning to do this...just to entertain myself and hopefully make somebody laugh.





Did you laugh? Chuckle maybe? I hope so! I know its not that funny - but I amuse myself.
Here is another thing to make you laugh...I found my cord for my camera. It was hidden in the most inconspicuous of places...ATTACHED TO MY COMPUTER! I am rolling my eyes at myself right now. I swear, any future employers that may be reading this blog - I promise you - I am not that dumb but sometimes you just miss the obvious. Also, I always get the job done, no matter how much I procrastinate - I work better under pressure. :)

So now I can download more funny pictures from this past round of chemo and I will have them up here tomorrow.

On a more important note - Hailey's phone is dead. So if you need to talk to her, call her on the hospital phone. If you call Athens Regional's front desk they will get you to her. She is not real keen on answering that phone. Being hooked up to IVs, bed ridden and trying to reach the phone that is attached to the wall is not really feasible most of the time.

Off to work!

So soon!

Back to the hospital already! Yikes! Dr. Spichael is not taking any chances with her this time. She already has a fever and she could not muster up the energy to make Colleen's lunch this morning. She said that she ended up in the floor. I asked her if Colleen was scared, and she said no, unfortunately she is used to it. James made Colleen's lunch thankfully, he is a great cook! :)

Hailey is very grateful to be going back to the hospital. She knows that Colleen will be sad, but Hailey knows that she just needs to be taken care of right now. She just needs to be able to push a button and have a nurse bring her IV meds, or water, or ice, or a ginger ale - whatever.

Happy Monday to all of you and be peaceful knowing that Hailey is in good hands right now and will be all week.

Love & Light

H

Silly Nanny Saturday

What was one of the first thoughts that ran through my head this morning? I know you are dying to know...these are the things that keep you up at night, admit it! My first thought was "am I supposed to be going to work today?" then, "what day is it?" then, hey! its Saturday...OH NO I neglected Silly Nanny Friday!" How could I do that to ya? I know that you were all SO disappointed in my yesterday. You were all running around your desks cursing my name because I did not follow through with Silly Nanny Friday...well please forgive...I was more interested in putting a tear jerking song on here and making you cry like me. Seriously, I cried ALL day yesterday. I guess I just needed to get it out. Hailey felt sorry for me. I don't want her to waste her energy feeling bad for me. She is doing well (surprisingly so) and to cheer me up we watched the best of all silly nanny movies ever last night with Mike. Can you believe he has never seen this classic until yesterday?

My friends I give you an homage to The Holy Grail...THE GRAILLL

Tis but a scratch!



I fart in your general direction!



This song is from "Life of Brian" not "The Holy Grail" but its a good one! Widespread Panic played this last Halloween - Classic! I wish I could have found that video...

Anyway...I will try to find my cord for the camera and I will post the pics from this last round today (hopefully). Hailey is coming over to mi casa today to rest so I can do yard work and she can still be taken care of...

Love & Light & Monty Python...

Home Sweet Home

Hey!
We are home. I spent the night with her last night and got to take her home this morning. She is feeling yucky...but that is to be expected. I am tired too. I have some funny pictures from this last trip for chemo, but I can not find the cord in order to download the pics...so that will have to come later.

I know that this is not over, by a long shot, but I just want to say THANK YOU for all of the love, prayers, support, hugs, tears, laughs, emails, advice, listening to me rant, responses to this blog, scarves for Hailey, nursing, flowers, huge gift baskets, laundry, casseroles, soups, ginger ales, and LOVE LOVE LOVE that we have received from you. It really warms my heart. I know that I am much freer with my hugs to anybody since this has happened. You learn a lot about being human through facing death. All the BS really does not matter, its the heart that matters and love that matters, and God that matters, and Family that matters - people and love - that is all that matters...

Thank u

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!
This IS her last round of chemo!!!!!!!!!

It is, it is, it really, really is!

I know that I said that I wanted her to have one more round, but forget that - I am so happy right now and I can not jump up and down too much in an attorney's office!

YIPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Broken Phone, Angels on Earth and a 90's History Lesson

NOW HEAR THIS! NOW HEAR THIS!
HAILEY'S PHONE IS BROKEN!
Yup, that's right, it finally bit the dust. 4000 texts and 3000 calls a day finally took its toll on the poor thing. She went to make a call to me and when she flipped it up, the top just fell completely off. James made some futile attempt to fix it, but that did not work. THEN the angel of mercy showed up, right on time as he always does (insert angelic singing from the Heavens) Eddie! So Eddie is going to help her with the phone situation so she does not have to worry about it. Eddie is apparently always right on time and he is Hailey's mentor. I need to devote an entire blog entry to Eddie - call me for an interview man! :) As he reads this, Eddie is hiding under his desk, because public accolades are NOT his style - which of course, makes him even more awesome.
<------- Eddie

Well, I took advantage of this beautiful weather and played in Athens yesterday (got my hair cut, went shopping, ate lunch at the Grit, took a yoga class...ahhhh) and of course that means a visit with Hailey while she is in Athens Regional. She was doing OK - she has a little fever, around 99.5, but the nurses did not seem too worried about it. She looks flushed and of course her eyes are weak, but that is to be expected. I swear, I think some of her eyebrow hair is falling out now, but don't tell her I said that. She has REALLY thin eyebrows anyway, so who knows...

We still don't know if this is the last round or not. I know, its easy for me to say, but I kinda hope that its not. I just want all the insurance we can get.

James took some awesome pictures yesterday, so when he emails them to me I will put them up here. We went for a walk and Hailey could see something other than her 4 walls - so that was good - short lived, but good. Then I curled up in bed with her and sang her songs like "everybody needs a bosom for a pillow" to keep her entertained.

I am going to spend the night with her tonight and relieve James from his overnight duties. He has rigged up the fold out chair with another chair at the end of it so his feet don't hang off...poor baby. My statuesque height of 5' 2" can compress itself into a tiny little ball, so this has never bothered me...poor James...

And for those of you who think I am weird for singing songs that involve bosoms to my sister...here is a 90's history lesson...

Chemo Brain

So, chemo brain, ever heard of that one? I had not until all of this. Apparently chemo turns your brain into scrambled eggs. Let me explain - Hailey knows what she wants to say, and she is talking, but the words don't match what she is thinking. I have a dear friend who's mom is going thru chemo, and her port (in her arm) started beeping and she thought it was the car alarm - she ran around trying to turn off the car alarm...but it was in her arm...that would suck, but its humorous at the same time. I already told you the story about the M&Ms - well apparently this round is really doing a number on her noggin because Mom called and told me some pretty funny stuff. I guess its funny, freaky and funny at the same time because we know that she will be back to her normal, smart as a whip, self in a week or so.

So here are some examples of chemo brain speak:
1. Colleen and Mom were visiting Hails in the hospital yesterday and Hailey told Colleen (who did not ask about playing or anything like that) that she could go outside and play on the back porch. This is a common question (like every 5 minutes) at her house - so Hailey just decided in her chemobrain-ness that Colleen could go out and play on the back porch, however they were on the 5th floor of the hospital. ha.

2. Hailey was trying to tell mom to buy her favorite nurse - Kathy - a coffee mug as a thank you gift. She could not get the words out right, so Hailey asked Mom to get her a Moppy Cub for Kathy. I dont think Kathy needs a Moppy Cub, but we will see if we can get one for her - whatever Hailey wants we will get right now! ;)

3. Cryptic text messages, here are some examples...

Gas Blow & I will takk 2 U in ba. Love

Translation: The gas crisis sucks and I will talk to you in a bit. Love

Y ur wiite cgo cad brgn. U r comn thur 2 sgend nit?

Translation: Why your ??? ??? ???. You are coming Thursday to spend the night?

I think she was asking me about yoga class - but I am not really sure.

So, as you can see, it takes some effort to understand what she is saying sometimes. Poor thing, that has to be frustrating. She was always the smart one - I guess I can have a leg up in the smarts department for a week at a time right now. Sibling rivalry lives! hahaha

Also, Hailey did specifically tell Mom to call me and tell me all of this so I could put it on the blog. She wants us to see the humor in all of this. Thanks Hails.