Keeping Our Traditions

We've been fairly busy since I last wrote. Lauren is like Suzy Homemaker, whipping up curtains for Gio's house. She had bought all this fabric to make curtains over the last few months. The other day she went in the basement and came up with the sewing machine that rarely, if ever gets used. She sat down and started sewing. I asked if she had taken measurements. She said she didn't need to, it was all in here, pointing at her head. I told her she was crazy and walked away. She has been pinning and sewing all week. Lauren and Giovanni both have the same taste in decorating. Very modern with lots of black and white and a little pop of color here and there. So totally opposite from my taste, but to each his own. Here she is with curtains for the family room and kitchen.

They have been working on the house a lot this week. All the rooms are finished except for the kitchen and they will deal with the bathroom later. The furniture is all up in the master bedroom and Lauren has taken some nice naps while Gio works. It is all coming together nicely. The next big task will be putting the floor in the living room, kitchen, dining room, and family room. They both have been working so hard to make a nice home.

I got Lauren to go swimming one day last week. She was afraid it might hurt to get in the water with her neuropathy from the chemo, but it was warm enough that she was ok. She didn't feel that well after being in the pool though. I think she got too much sun. She seems to feel a lot better these last few days. She has a lot more energy and is getting out more. She went to bowling with Gio on Thursday, out to dinner with him Friday and to the mall, and shopping and working on the house all day Saturday and most of Sunday.

On Sunday morning, like we have done for a few years, we got up at 4:45 am and went to balloon races in North Canton. They have a 3 day festival every year with lots of hot air balloons, fireworks, carnival food, etc. I believe it is the start of the Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities. Anyway, we get breakfast from McDonald's drive thru and take it to a field in North Canton. We set up chairs and watch balloons take off in the field and other balloons come from other starting points and throw these balls with a streamer to try and hit a large target in the field. Some come in just right and can get almost to the ground and hit the target. Mark is huge on tradition and making family memories, so we do this kind of thing a lot. Like fireworks, going to the fair, cutting our own Christmas tree,...I am glad he is persistent about this stuff because I would probably just try to skip them and sleep. Haha. Ryan didn't go this year because he had to work. Mark, Lauren, Gio, and myself went and had a nice time. Here are a few cool shots of the balloons and Lauren, Gio, and Mark.

Last time I wrote, I told you about the prescription my doctor put me on to help me out with things. Well, some of the side effects went away, but the one that was bothering me the most did not. I would get a real strong heart beat in my throat and neck. It would make me feel like I couldn't breathe and I would have to try and calm myself down. It felt like I was calm on the outside, but totally freaking out on the inside if that makes sense. I cut my dose by half and then to a fourth of a pill and it still did this. I did not take a pill Sun. or today and my heart feels normal. No more of that!! I called the doctor's office today and asked to speak to a nurse. A nurse in the crankiest, bitchiest voice answered and said Can I help you? I said Yes, is this Dr. Steineck's nurse and she said in the same rude tone, but even worse and very impatiently, Can I help you? She didn't say yes it is or identify herself. Before I could even think, she set me off and I said, Not when you talk to me like that. Can I please speak to someone else? She kind of laughed and hrumphed all at the same time and said hold on. I was boiling. Then, the sweetest nurse got on the phone and helped me. She wrote down my side effects and will relay them to my doctor so that he can prescribe something different. I will let him know how rude the other nurse was. I could not believe someone like that works in his office. He just moved to this office from one in North Canton and the nurses there were all the sweetest, most wonderful ladies. I sure wish he would've taken them with him.

Lauren and I had breakfast at The Frontier restaurant in Hartville today with Dawn, Debbie, Jill, and Debbie. Dawn brought us our purses we had ordered from her daughter's purse party we went to a few weeks ago. We had a lot of fun talking about the old days working together and the funny things that happened. I just love all of them.

On a sad note, both of our dear friends that I have asked you to pray for have passed away. Kim passed away on Thursday, leaving behind two teenage daughters. Sharon passed away yesterday morning. She leaves a husband, daughter and son-in-law, and two grandchildren, one that was born only a few weeks ago. Lauren is having a hard time with this. Kim had the same cancer as Lauren and Sharon had gall bladder cancer. We will be going to Sharon's calling hours, but Kim lived in New Jersey, so we won't be able to go to hers. These ladies were both so sweet, caring, and wonderful, each in their own ways. Please say a prayer for their families. We will miss them both.


Love, -Pam