Sunshine moments

Life has been very potent since the last post.  Lots of very full moments.  Kind of like the weather - lots of sunshine and heat, both in Maui and in Calgary, with a few wicked thunderstorms thrown in every once in a while.

For the sunshine, the boys turned 9 and made their first communion the first week of June - they are growing up so fast.  They also conquered ball hockey over the last couple months, both playing on the same team and setting up some amazing plays I've only seen in the NHL otherwise!  They won their gold medal game - twin power :)

For serious sunshine of course Maui was incredible again - it really can't be otherwise.  Mom, Colleen and I enjoyed the first week with lots of pool and beach time, walking and tasty eats and drinks at happy hours.  We watched (and saved) lots of geckos too! We celebrated my June 12th 3rd transplant date - 7 years leukemia-free (thanks Brandon!) with a delicious meal at Ruth's Chris Wailea (thanks Ellen!) and a toast to life. A few clouds - Dad didn't make it for the last half of the trip and my sinus infection slammed me pretty hard, but the urgent care in Wailea was a rather marvellous health care experience.  Mom and I continued pool/beach time, walking, snorkelling and happy hours, meeting lots of nice and intresting people, and I returned with my feet looking and feeling a lot more normal and my heart in better shape.  So once again the Maui energy moved me forward (thanks Shannon and Laura!)

On the health front, things continue to improve. I did Herceptin treatment just before and after Maui, and my veins seem to be holding up.  I have a cardio MRI next week to see how my heart is holding up but my guess is that it will show no further decline from the last one.  My energy is getting better each day and my neuropathy in my feet has also improved thanks to some laser/light therapy.  I returned to work the end of June and it hasn't been as exhausting as it was during chemo - good to get back to some normal.  And even more visits with friends, family continue to make life lately more familiar than the past number of months.  Even got a golf game in :)

Tomorrow I take posession of my new condo and move in the next day - after doing the walkthrough a couple weeks ago, I'm really excited as it looks fantastic.  Lots of bright light and lovely finishes. Can't wait to get in there.  Also will reap the benefits of my moving spreadsheet when I know which boxes to unpack first! I'll hope to post some pictures next time :)

It's been really hot in Calgary since we returned with a few crazy thunderstorms.  Yesterday I went to watch Tasha's son Talyn play in a gold-medal soccer game, but the lightning forced a 5-man shoot out indoors! (Nice goal T)

While my family unfortunately has had to weather some storms lately, we always try to focus on the sunshine moments, as we have done so many times before.   I saw a card once that sums it up - Life isn't about trying to avoid the storms, it's about learning how to dance in the rain.

Cheers.

Toasting 7 years June 12th

Jack & Davis 1st communion

Cutest gecko

Maui energy

Turning tides

May 24th - my grandma Gunn's birthday if she were still here with us.  She would have been so totally annoyed by this latest chapter in my cancer journey but incredibly happy that I am done chemo.  She also would have been thrilled that I am heading to her favourite Hawaiian island in 2 weeks.  She travelled there herself to stay with friends long after she joined us on my first trip there back in 1986.  If she was still around I'd have had her join us.

The past few days  I have enjoyed feeling better than I have in a long time.  Instead of getting chemo Tuesday, I had an appointment at wound care (to monitor my feet issues and neck wound) and then had herceptin infusion (every three weeks - 10 to go).  During Herceptin I chatted with a nurse who had cared for me the first weekend I was diagnosed with leukemia back in 1997.  We chatted about memories from "back in the day" so the IV time (only 1/2 hour) flew by. I see Dr. Stewart tomorrow when the results of my bone density test will determine what medication I'll have to take and how long for - it's really to reduce the risk of recurrence related to estrogen trigger as my tumour was slightly "ER positive".  Outside of that, my next few weeks includes some treatment to try to help my feet neuropathy issues and just exercise to get my heart health back up.  Very small stuff.  Back to maintenance phase.  Surgery for reconstruction is still in consulting mode but moving forward and won't be for a while if it happens.

Overall I had a pretty smooth exit from the grey of round 6 - got my week at work done and lots of awesome visits with family and friends - new and old.   I also got to take in the energy of the "C of Red" at the (sadly) last home Flames playoff game - pretty remarkable thanks to Yvette and her fiancee Andrew for giving me a seat at that.

Tuesday night I decided because Thursday I had no appointments (!) I would see if mom wanted to head to Banff Wednesday night and stay a night at the Rimrock to celebrate my birthday - Dad would babysit Lucy to make it happen! I hadn't been to Banff in the summer for a couple years and the forecast was for true summer weather.  It didn't disappoint.  We had a great time walking, shopping, eating and just staring at the view from our room (the pic that looks like a postcard below).  Also took a rare selfie of mom and I in front of Bow Falls.

Thursday evening I enjoyed a barbeque birthday dinner with Brandon, Jacqui and the boys, with a Facetime call with my goddaughter Mireya and family to celebrate as it is our "joint birthday";)   That was followed by a custom birthday dessert with Tasha, Talyn, Tasha's boyfriend Andrew, and his kids Brodie and Ruby - the five of them managed to create three of my favourite desserts into one delicious combo.  So 41 has started on a high note - hard to imagine the wonderful party mom and dad threw for me was a year ago.  I have hope that my 41st year will bring less excitement than the 40th - of the cancer kind anyway.  As a good friend texted me on Thursday "Tricia's tides are turning."

Cheers