Harmony Hill Cancer Retreat

Monday, Aug 25th we were invited to join Harmony Hill Retreat Center in their course “Tools for the Journey: Living with Cancer”. Tools for the Journey is a one-day mini-retreat that taught us breathing and stress reduction exercises; basic Yoga and Qigong; Guided Imagery; and provided cancer resource recommendations. For lunch they prepared delicious organic vegetarian food. After lunch while Brandon took a quick nap I participated in their labyrinth orientation and walked one of their labyrinths, which was very therapeutic. The center has 3 labyrinths, one lavender labyrinth, one garden labyrinth, and one made from oyster shells. The overall experience was very beneficial and we look forward to attending their 3-day retreat soon. Click on photo to see photos of their grounds of Harmony Hill located in Union, WA on the south shore of Hood Canal.

Art in Tacoma

On our way to the Olympic Pennisula for our mini-retreat we planned a day of art viewing in Tacoma. It was a perfect day to spend indoors because as soon as we got to downtown Tacoma it started raining. We first visited the Glass Museum where they had exhibits that ranged from teaching you an introduction to glass art to displaying Italian art pieces and our local yet world known Dale Chihuly’s art. We then walked a short distance to the Tacoma Art Museum where we saw more glass exhibits as well 2 of their touring exhibits. The Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible presents the only handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago. Also, my favorite was The Forty Part Motet, by Janet Cardiff where eight groups of five speakers arranged in a large oval allow visitors to experience the choral composition from the vantage of individual performers. The piece performed is Spem in Alium which was written for a forty-voice choir in 1573. It was very meditative standing in the room and almost put you in a trance state of relaxation. We then checked into our hotel where we got a great weekend rate at the beautiful Murano Hotel. It is almost an art musuem itself! Every one of its twenty-something floors has a different artist and they display over 45 pieces of international glass art. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

Hiking at Olallie State Park

Today we went for a short hike at Olallie State Park (“Olallie” is the Chinook Jargon word for “berry” and park is rich in huckleberries).  It was a warm and sunny day and we wanted to get outdoors and enjoy it! Jenny, Alden, Gavin and Katie joined us. When we arrived at the entrance we found a cute self-serve raw honey stand. I couldn’t resist and promptly picked up a pound for us. Once on the trail our nephew Alden did a great job of keeping up and entertained us with his singing and questions about the sites and sounds on the trail. Brandon’s fatigue, headaches and stomach aches are still hard to handle but he kept good spirits the whole way. After about 45 minutes of hiking we were getting tired so Jenny, Gavin, and Alden continued up the trail to the Falls and Katie, Brandon and I headed back home. To view more photos of our hike click on photo link.

Radiohead @ White River Amphitheatre

Wednesday night we went to the Radiohead Concert. Brandon was really excited since they are one of his favorite bands. I would have to say it was one of the best live concerts we’ve ever seen! The light show was done with LED lights to save energy. This tour Radiohead is trying to reduce their carbon footprint so we got VIP parking for carpooling, they sold t-shirts made from organic cotton and recycled plastic. Although we were sitting in the lawn section and got rained on the last hour, the acoustics were amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed the show!

A day at the Zoo!

Since my parents are in town we decided to enjoy the day with the family. Mom, Dad, Brandon and I had a delicious breakfast at Louisa’s Cafe in Eastlake before heading up to the Woodland Park Zoo. We met up with Jenny, Ben, Alden and Gavin. We saw Gorilla, Tigers, Emu, Wallaby, and a kookaburra bird. We then went to the rose garden to enjoy a picnic lunch under the shade while Brandon took a short nap. Again the crowds and excitement were a little much for Brandon but taking rests and keeping hydrated helped a lot. We also tried a Acai Energy Shake which was delicious! I was happy to find that the zoo is using compostable cups and utensils made from corn. I didn’t feel as guilty about using disposable items. After lunch we wandered through the rose garden to look at the many colorful varieties of roses which brought back memories of our beloved Ed. Enjoy our photos of our zoo trip. Click on photo for more.

Perfect day for a Wedding

Today was one of the warmest days of the year and the perfect day for a summer wedding. My parents flew in from Florida to join us in attending Lindsay & Tony’s Wedding at the Landmark on the Sound in Des Moines, WA. I lived with Lindsay’s family my Senior year of high school so I could complete school in Washington while my parents lived in Florida. I acted as Lindsay and her brother Spencer’s part-time nanny for a couple years so it was very exciting to see the little girl I’ve known since she was 3 years old taking marriage vows as a beautiful young woman. It was a gorgeous wedding with ten groomsmen & bridesmaids, bright cheerful orange and pink colors, gerber daisies and ballons. They even brewed their own beer for favors. Lindsay’s father sang at the wedding which brought tears to my eyes. Brandon needed a few breaks from the excitement of the party but overall we enjoyed the evening. Enjoy these Photos!

First Month Self Injection Checkup

Today was my check up with the Oncologist at SCCA to evaluate the first month of self-injections.  That’s 2 months of Interferon down and 9 months and 3 wks more to go.  Thank God for insurance because this stuff is not cheap. I went in with my laundry list of side effects I’ve been experiencing and talked for some time with Dr. Thompson and Jon Smith, the head Melanoma nurse who is quite an expert on the side effects.

Due to some of my complications they left it up to me if we were going to continue with the same dose, continue with a lower dose or to quit for a week or two.  I decided to keep on the standard treatment but was referred to another doctor for my insomnia and nervous energy.  The blood tests came back normal, which is good since Interferon can really damage the liver and kidneys. They almost had to stop the Infusion phase at one point because my liver was doing poorly.  So still no alcohol for the whole treatment!

They also weighed me and I’m only down 20 pounds, which is about what they expect.  They warned me though that most people gain the weight back pretty quickly after the treatment and you start to eat normally.  I actually think that I’m at a healthier weight now so I’ll have to be careful. So far the only foods that really taste good are fruits, veggies and Melissa’s smoothies. I still can’t believe that coffee tastes so bad to me. Now I know what it is to be a Seattleite that doesn’t drink java and it’s not pretty.

I’m almost through with my physical therapy visits for the Lymphedema in my leg and was recommended to a massage therapist to continue working on the lymphatic swelling. Basically, the Lymphatic Drainage Massage assists the body in creating new Lymphatic pathways to replace the ones that were severed during surgery. Once a day I do brushing massage along the lymphatic system to assist these new pathways. I’ve also been good about wearing my “compression garment” (i.e. my $90 thigh high stocking) and the swelling has been kept in control. Luckily I’ve been able to avoid any serious complications with this because it can really be a life long problem for a lot of cancer patients who have to have any type of Lymph Node removal surgery. Having full use of my leg after the second surgery was a really big concern for me and so far my biggest problems have been a little nerve damage and some minor pain and stiffness that builds after long periods of sitting.

Another walk in the park

So today I woke up to find that my wonderful husband had prepared breakfast in bed for me. Along with extreme fatigue, at times Brandon has anxious energy from the interferon, which makes it very difficult to sleep and so this morning he woke up very early, went for his first jog since his surgery and then made breakfast. We then decided to go to the Fremont Sunday Market to find some birthday gifts for friends and family. After some pizza for lunch we went a few blocks down the road to Gasworks Park. We heard there was a Peace Music Festival and wanted to check it out. It turned out that there were two music events fighting to be heard. Also, there was a very eclectic crowd which made things very interesting. Everything from a bride and groom and their wedding party taking photos to Medieval Knights practicing their fight moves in full steel armor! Click on mountain of metal for more.

Stillaguamish River Festival

Brandon and I ventured up to Arlington today for the Stillaguamish Festival of the River. We met up with my sister Stephanie, her husband Rich and our nephew Bryce and niece Sabrina. We got a chance to listen to some great music and dancing with the kids, eat a delicious Salmon dinner, and see one of the most spectacular breath taking Rainbows we’ve ever seen! For more photos of this event click the Sand Sculpture. Enjoy your weekend!

Fun Videos that make us smile…enjoy!

Where is Matt? from Matthew Harding. Fun Video with shots from around the world

Peaceful Sony Bravia Commercial with Jose Gonzales: Bouncing Balls through San Francisco