Merry Christmas [12/25/10]

[The Weekly Update is an email that was started in the fall of 2010 to keep family and friends informed of my medical condition and has continued as a review of family activities.  Written by Zelma and edited by Steve. Working on adding past issues to the blog.]

Hi All,

We hope everyone has had a nice Christmas - ours has been.  We opened presents yesterday after lunch since my son was off in the afternoon to his Dad's.  That way he would be with his stepbrothers and stepsister Christmas morning when they opened presents.

Matthew has had a computer strategy game for a while that we didn't realize wouldn't play on our computers when we bought it because it required a high powered graphics card.  His present was a new graphics card and the expansion pack for the game.  While he was at his Dad's, Steve helped me install it.  Although the internet instructions said it was easy and should only take 20 - 30 minutes, it ended up taking about 2 hours.  Thankfully it worked! Steve also got my Mom's Christmas present (a new GPS) updated with the latest map versions. 

In addition to his early Christmas presents (the iPod and a new winter coat), Steve got gloves, scarf and 2 winter hats.  His favorite is the black wool driving cap.  Although, he isn't supposed to lose his hair from the chemo and radiation, Mom and I figured he could still look stylish on the way to treatment.  He decided to wear it backwards for the "fun" picture with Matthew.

We'd like to thank everyone again for all their support!

Take care,

Zelma and Steve

Happy Thanksgiving [11/25/10]

[This email actually pre-dated the Weekly Updates, as Zelma was communicating more frequently about my treatment and recovery from the 11/6/10 surgery.]

Hi All,

Yesterday was my day to run errands for prescription refills and last minute groceries for Thanksgiving.  My brother Roger and sister-in-law Becky drove in from Harrisburg, PA yesterday and stayed through early afternoon today.  It was nice to see them and it was probably the right amount of time for Steve to have extra company.  Normally Steve handles cooking the meat, so this year he coached me through brining and cooking the pork loin.  He's a pretty good coach so it turned out well.  :-)

My family always tries to get together at Thanksgiving and one of our traditions is the Thanksgiving group shot, so I've included it with this note.

We also got confirmation yesterday that the next round of appointments for radiation starts Monday at 8:15 am.  We have a lot to be thankful for with the support of our family and friends and some exceptional doctors and medical facilities.

Take care.

Zelma