Easter Wishes

Life has been again busy lately with lots of good moments. The past few days I've been feeling awful with an infection of some sort but it seems the antibiotics have kicked in and I feel human again today! Along with that, there is finally both sun and warmth outside, all in time for Easter Sunday.


I had a great trip to Vegas with Shelley (aside from a cold I had while down there!) and we took in the glory of the Encore/Wynn, poolside and shopping, eating and playing "Jackpot Party" which got us laughing. With Shelley's first trip to LV, we also explored a few other hotels and were reminded of all that is surreal there (Jelly Belly Statue of Liberty at NYNY hotel). It was lots of fun.








A few weeks later Tasha and I experienced Coachella in California as VIPs - our all access passes with the "Safari Tents" (if camping were only that easy) we rented got us behind the scenes and into some sweet areas where we stood next to a number of celebs - Paris and Leo to name a few! The weather was crazy hot, the bands were amazing, art installations interesting (giant dandelions) and our tents air conditioned...it was a unique experience we plan to replay again.

Aside from that. work has been busy but not crazy (even got to feed the elephants apples while auditing the Zoo), and other than a couple of cold/coughs (regular stuff), my health has been quite stable - down to bloodwork only every month now. Physio each week has proved to help my range of motion considerably, so it's motivation to keep on that. Maybe even get some golf in if the snow would go away!

A couple of weeks ago, I went with Tasha and Talyn to the hospice where Ryan stayed last year, on the anniversary of his passing April 4. Hard to imagine it's been a year and in other ways it seems longer. Visiting the "pad" as he called it was good. Peaceful place - makes me more confident that he is also at peace, as much as he is missed here. That evening we had dinner with a few of their friends, as Talyn wanted to have a party, "in case people have forgotten Daddy". Of course, anyone who knew him could never forget.

A few days later I hosted poker night in my condo finally after a year and a half with my girls from work which was fun and on Wednedsday leave for the Gunn Girls Getaway with Mom and Colleen - I know it's another trip to Vegas but what can you do? We're even staying at a different hotel so really it's an entirely different thing. Who am I to justify another trip! It's what I love to do, so I continue to do it.

I've finished putting together some little Easter bags for Jack, Davis and Talyn and tonight we'll have Easter dinner at Mom and Dad's. I love to see those little guys - they are just dudes now, no little boys anymore. Ready for anything. It's inspiring.

Wishing you all a sunny Easter and a chance to celebrate the love we have around us. And maybe eat a chocolate bunny or egg or two ;)

Tricia

Thawing out

I can't imagine it's March. February just slipped away and after the warmth of Maui, winter has been colder than usual and I think everyone's just gone into slight survival mode. Just get to where you need to go but don't do anything optional that would involve driving icy roads and leaving your car to freeze itself!


My blood counts have stabilized during the past month or so - my hemoglobin remains below normal but is a really common side effect of the Gleevec medication I am taking for the scleroderma. After finding out that that skin condition won't likely ever reverse, and that Gleevec is likely the only possibility of any improvement, I am willing to live with the low blood counts hoping for any improvement. I also started back to physio to maximize what range of motion I have now with the tightened skin. A great physio guy and a kinesiologist have been a big help in getting that rolling. And at the end of the day, I am still miles ahead of where I should be so I'll just keep doing the meds and exercise and enjoy life.


In amongst the cold weather, there were lots of great visits with friends and family (including my goddaughter Miss Mireya), playing Wii with all my little boys (Jack beat me at tennis a couple weeks ago) and even work was busy but manageable. My volunteer work with cancer patients also continues to provide inspiration. While I haven't been away since Maui (that's almost 2 months without a flight!!!), I have a few short trips coming up that have also been fun to look forward to. Thursday I leave for Vegas with my childhood friend Shelley and we are waiting for the sun, pool, shopping, shows and dining. It will be a great weekend getaway with a very good friend.


In a month Tasha and I are going to try to replenish our concert tanks after last year we had to miss out on Arcade Fire and Lilith Fair with all of my health drama. I also cancelled a trip last June to Winnipeg to see Tom Petty so I feel like our upcoming trip to Coachella, a 3-day concert festival near Palm Springs is completely logical. The line up is phenomenal and we have a more luxurious adaptation of "camping" to go with it. Should be excellent.

Late April Mom and Colleen and I will head back to Vegas for the now annual Gunn Girls Getaway weekend (Amy and Ellen - next year for sure) and more fun in the sun and shops and laughing our heads off. I think it was knowing I would be heading back to the sun a few times that got me through the latest cold spells!


So aside from the physio appointments and bloodwork, life has been mostly about living lately. Nice. I have been reminded more about who I am, outside the health story, and that has been rather refreshing. The world looks pretty good. Even my space at my condo has been evolving, with a few new paintings on the wall and some wall art (compliments of Tasha) that is totally my style. Funny how much these simple things make your mind relax into a comfortable place. Even the weather has started to warm up, and will be happy to continue enjoying life with some of my closest girls in the coming weeks. Ahh.