Just a Little Update

February 6th

It has been a while since I have written anything. Being back to work is really talking all I got. It drains my brain dealing with formulas and spreadsheets all day. Sitting up in a chair in my office all day kills my back. But I keep trying different things to make my back feel better. I’ve purchased some lumbar back support and use the heating/massager too. I have to get up sometimes and move my desk up so I can stand & work at the same time.

Around noontime, I make a nice big green salad. I put a bunch of different veggies (because you need 8 servings of veggies a day). My mom & sister FaceTime for a few minutes, and we eat our lunch together. We have to make sure mom slept ok, takes her meds, and eats her lunch! If the weather is nice, I take Rusty, boy, for a walk. He absolutely loves to go for a walk. Then it’s back to work. Around 2:00 I start to get really tired, so I make myself a green veggie juice or a fruit & veggie smoothie. Trying to get as many veggies in me I can.

My next breast cancer oncology visit is February, 15th. She will go over my blood work and answer some questions about complementary care. My scans are not until April. So keep me in your prayers, please!

I had lunch with my friend Rick Squibb. I forgot to get a picture, though. I have known Rick and his wife Karyl since I was 18. I worked with them at Prudential and Rick again at Main Street. We had fun laughing about getting old and all the stuff we had to go through. He bought us lunch from the burger barn. I love their burgers; I usually get them with lettuce instead of bread. The staff is very nice, and I highly recommend the burger barn!

I received a beautiful birdhouse from my Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex. It is so adorable I don’t want to put it outside and get ruined. I found a place on my shelf in the living room to look at it every day.

My friend Andrea and I went and visited my friend Sandy in Georgia. Both friends from work. Sandy has mentored me off and on since I’m 18. Andrea and I met at Main Street, but she worked at Prudential in NJ when I worked at Prudential in Jax. It was a 5-6 hour drive to Sandy’s house. I did ok with the car ride. We stopped a couple of times so I could get out and walk around. Our visit was so much fun, and we want to do it again in the springtime! We went to dinner in some of the nearby restaurants. We had mask & movie night. We walked around the Ritz Carlton grounds, and it was just so beautiful. And the sweetest dog, Jenny, gave me so much love. She was such a joy to be around! On our way back home, we took some back roads. We kept seeing white balls all around the grass. Sure enough, it was cotton, and Andrea got out of the car and picked some cotton! I love it!

Chemo Noir had an 80s party at Ruby Beach Brewing downtown near the Florida Theater with food, drinks, and of course, 80s music. Some of the decorations brought back memories from middle/ high school. The DJ was so good, and his wife had a 360 photo booth. She had lots of props, and we had so much fun taking photos. It’s hard to believe the 80s was 40 years ago. It’s my age, oldies! I danced when a good song came on, which was every song. Well, I swayed back and forth because of my back. I couldn’t really put a bunch of moves out on the floor. Tom & I sat and guessed the song’s name and the artist. Wow, it’s incredible how we can sing songs from the 80s without skipping a beat. But I can not remember the words to a song on the radio today.

Tom, Shelby, and I went to the cancer support group in St. Augustine. They meet every Tuesday, and this was my second visit. The support group allows the people to talk freely about their cancer. Some people choose different treatments, but they discuss what has helped them become Cancer survivors. Some people are new to the diagnoses and want to learn more about what they will be facing with chemo or radiation, or surgery. It’s a no-judgment meeting, and it has been good learning both times I have gone.

Things are going on in my life just as if I was not sick. I am working hard to eat more veggies and fruits, cooking from scratch, and no processed food, dairy, bread, or grains.