Oh! The Chafing!

At the risk of slighting those of you in the “over 21” age range, I am rarely inspired by grownups anymore.  Not that grownups don’t do amazing deeds all the time, it’s just that on average, those deeds pale in comparison to what “our kids” achieve daily.

Len on the road

                This weekend, I was inspired by a grown up.  His name is Len Forkas and he (along with many others) got on a bicycle in Oceanside, California and pedaled nearly 3,000 miles across the United States, all the way to Annapolis, Maryland in what was called the Race AcrossAmerica.  Not only that, he won his division (50-59 years old) and placed 10^th overall, edging out riders much younger than himself.

                Len had a bucket load of inspiration as he was using the event to fundraise for Hopecam.org, the non-profit organization he founded that connects homebound children undergoing treatment for cancer, and other life threatening illnesses, with their friends, families, and schools using laptops, high speed internet, and web cameras.

                Charlotte received a Hopecam notebook computer while she was undergoing treatment and we used it for Skyping, emailing, writing Caringbridge updates, and most importantly, for the Reading Vigil. We played recordings of friends/family reading books to CJ and people Skyped in from all over including our friend, Dr. Karen Massar who, while sitting in The Netherlands, read to Charlotte in Dutch.  It’s still one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.

                One of the methods employed for keeping the purpose of the ride front and center (not to mention keeping Len pumped and focused), was to dedicate each day of his ride to one of the many children who have benefited from Hopecam’s endeavors.  On that day, Len would be read descriptions of the child as he rode. Charlotte got day 8 and a video dedication.

They also invited Rachel and me to Annapolis to be among the cheering crowd as Len crossed the finish line.  The wonderful people at Hopecam, including interim Executive Director Jennifer Bond, took very good care of us, paying for the room at The Doubletree Hotel and breakfast Sunday morning. When it became clear that Len was going to get in much later on Sunday then they had anticipated, they offered to pay for another night at the hotel so that we could stay and still see Len cross the “FINISH” line Sunday evening.

We didn’t mind since Annapolis is a beautiful town and was calling out to be explored by us. We figured we could leave early Monday morning in order to get Rachel to work in time.

So after a full day of walking, we settled at the courtyard into which the cyclists would be riding and waited.  There was a rather long time in between finishers which gave us time to network with people in the Hopecam crowd and with other riders’ crews.  One Canadian rider, nicknamed “The Hammer,” actually got hit by a car in Arizona yet was relatively uninjured and finished the race in ninth place overall.  One member of his crew had the torn up jersey he had been wearing at the time of the crash and waved it as he crossed the line.  There are many other stories and not nearly enough space.

Len hoisting his bike in celebration

We finally got word that Len was on his way and the large Hopecam crowd excitedly gathered around the finish line.  When he came around the corner in the dark with his various lights shining and blinking like a big rig on the highway, the crowd went nuts, us included.  When he got off that bike and immediately bent down to greet all the children who were assembled up front (and there were a LOT of them), it showed, even in his exhausted state, where his priorities lay.

Shannon

Soon, the emcee brought Len on stage to receive his medal, given to him by two time survivor and Hopecam beneficiary, Shannon Eastman.  Len wasted no time making sure everyone knew who the star of this event was.  “I just finished the toughest bike race in the world but it’s peanuts compared to what Shannon has had to do.” With Shannon standing close on the stage, he said, “I could stop at any time, Shannon couldn’t.  She had to finish.”

Throughout the evening, I found myself wondering over and over again, “How can I do something like this?”  It wouldn’t be easy.  Just thinking about the amount of time and effort it took to train Len, assemble the crew, plan who was going to do what and where, not to mention feeding everyone, is enough to make a lot of people quit before they even begin trying.

Roger, Len, and Rachel

But you know us; especially when we’re inspired.

Anyone wanna go for a bike ride?

"I do it mysef!"

Can't believe she's still here. And snoring lightly and peacefully at that! I think Fred Horn had it best on his Facebook post, "Who would ever have dreamed that Charlotte would do things her way!!! That is what has always made her special!!!" Rachel and Mary Poppins were saying she's waiting for Frosty The Hutt to melt before leaving. He's now Frosty The Lump.

Last night Rachel and I took turns holding her. We sang songs, rocked her, and enjoyed a quiet evening. We even got Granny to Skype in a story. We were having some issues connecting to her all day and then all of a sudden, it worked!

The lower amount of traffic through the house was a nice change. We still had plenty of people come by like Pastor Ed, Auntie 'Retta, Nurse Patty, etc... and lots of stories were still read but the people who agreed to Skype instead of come in person helped us have more "close-time" with CJ.

Today is going to be quiet as well. Rachel is sleeping in a little. I slept moderately well too which is a nice change. With all the "goodbye-ing" we've been doing, the idea of waking up and Charlotte being gone doesn't freak me out like it would have in my last lifetime. It would be just a matter-of-fact kind of thing now.

We really appreciate all the compliments people have given us concerning "how strong we are," and "I don't know how you're doing it," etc...and I hope we've had a positive (or at least calming) influence on someone but as we've said before, we haven't done it alone. Here's a story about that...

When we lived in Boone, NC, our dentist died suddenly while he and his family were on a cruise. He was a pretty popular guy in town and I was working at the local AM radio station so I got the job of talking to his wife to get details for a news story. What really touched me was how composed she was only days after he had died (this was before the funeral even happened) and how completely at peace she was even though it had to have been quite a shock. She was very nice and answered all my questions, adding answers to a few I forgot to ask, and seemed genuinely touched by the support and love she was receiving from the community. I've met a few others like her in my travels but she's the one who stands out in my mind. I give people like her at least some credit for my outlook on this situation. It's the old standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants thing. Norman is in Ireland. (or was that, "No man is an island?")

A sense of humor doesn't hurt, either.

Gotta go look at my stubborn little girl.

Charlotte is still here, sort of.

She's reacting less and less to questions and her breathing goes through these periods of slowdown and then it comes back up. I'm sure this will increase.

Nurse Cathy checked her out today. She said CJ's heart rate is slowing and her body is to the point where it won't take any food/water and wouldn't know what to do with it if it had some. Her blood pressure is very good which means she's in no distress or pain. Cathy confirmed for us that Charlotte would probably pass within the next few days. There will be noticable additions to the website when that happens so that everyone will know without having to read the blog because who knows what shape we'll be in?

Charlotte and I have a certain way of holding hands that I think she got from watching the movie, Wall-E. The concept of holding hands and interlocking fingers became a major theme and Charlotte developed this way of wanting to hold hands with me. I'll assume she did that with others but I'm not sure. Yesterday, she initiated that with me which made my day.

I quite possibly heard her last words the other day as well. I may have already mentioned this but at one point, she actually opened her eyes and said, "Daddy?" (preparing to tell me a plot point from one of her books or videos the way she had done so many times in the last few months)

Just about falling off the chair, I sputtered out something like, "Yes dear?" or "yeah, Baby?" or "Charlotte?" or something like that. I was pretty flustered by hearing her little voice which was raspy from dryness and lack of use.

"Marianna (I think) put on her crown and ..." didn't understand the rest. I asked her to say it again but the moment was gone. Haven't heard her speak since then except to grunt "Mm Hmm" (yes) once when we asked her if she wanted some chocolate milk.

The reading vigil continues and it's become so much more than I ever imagined. I came up with the concept to have voices filling Charlotte's last few days with stories because books/words are her favorite thing in the world. Since she couldn't manipulate the books very well anymore and I knew we weren't going to be able to read to her all day so I figured we'd get other people to help.

What has happened is people from all over, some we've never met before, have come in/Skyped in at all hours of the day and night. Some of you have brought your children and have used the opportunity as a very healthy way to introduce them to the concept of death. Some of you have sent in recordings or videos of yourselves reading stories and the energy of this house has remained. The only thing missing is a Skype from Holland. (Let us know when you're available Karin. Needs to be soon.)

The food, which has become healthier (mostly), keeps coming in and the wine bottles have been multiplying. Rachel and I are determined to bring our physical selves (fat tubs of goo) back up to the level of our spiritual selves (growing ever more peaceful).

I helped with Winter Camp at Romp n' Roll this morning which was great. It was a total parade of cuteness and it was so nice to feel the warmth of the kids when they saw me. Next week we start back big time and I think I'll be taking over some of Rachel's classes for a little while. I think Samantha, Annette, and Emily (who have taken over the lion's share of work at Romp n' Roll) can't give up the responsibility and extra hours fast enough!

Speaking of Emily, she's gone and done a very cool thing. She is a student at Randolph-Macon College in the Drama Dept. and is directing the upcoming production of Alice In Wonderland. She has coordinated with Prof. Joe Mattys to donate all ticket sales to Charlotte's fund!

So go see it! :-) It runs March 17-20, 2010 at the Black Box Theater on R-MC's campus. Tickets are $5. Can't beat it with a stick! I'm thinking we might pick one of those nights to be CJSTUF Night Out At The Black Box. We'll let you know. Call(804) 752-7316 to reserve your tickets. It's a small venue and large crowds are expected every night.

Here's another thing coming up for runners/walkers. For anyone who wants to use the races for fund raising, we will have registrations available for the Ukrop's (What are they going to call it next year?) Monument Ave 10K in March and then more for the Suntrust Richmond Marathon, McDonald's Half Marathon, and HCAVA 8K in November. All those interested in participating who raise $500 or more in pledges will receive their 10K registration free. Not sure what the limit will be for the Nov races.

For the 10K, we will have pledge forms available very soon or you can make your own. Make sure all checks are made out to Charlotte or CJSTUF. For the November races, we hope to be a little more technically advanced. We're working on our own race accesories and everything.

Please let me know if you're interested in participating and what race(s) you want to be in. I'll be doing the 10K, the Richmond Marathon, and probably a few other races during the year. I even want to try the very questionable act of running the Chicago Marathon in October as well.

That's all for now.

Update and Quirky Charlotte Observations and Sayings

It's been an emotional couple of days for me, but in a subdued way. I'm not totally upset or anything and I'm not really in a bad place. It's weird and difficult to explain. Like everything else with this journey, running the marathon is exhausting. And this jaunt in Houston is like a mini-marathon within the marathon. It's weird to be out of familiar surroundings (although after a while everything here starts to look familiar and "feel" like home). It's strange to not have access to a car 24/7 (and yet strangely liberating). It's unusual for me not to be uber-busy and always running to one thing or another. Yet that is probably a good change. If it weren't for the fact that I'm hanging out in medical facilities almost every day, this would almost be a vacation. It's definitely an opportunity for me to relax a little. I still have to think about work but that only takes up about 10% of my day (as opposed to the 60-70% of my day when I'm in Richmond). I've done more "reading for pleasure" in the last few weeks than I've done all year. And that's a very good thing.

Then there's the cancer factor. You meet families every day. We meet some at the RMH. We meet others in clinic. There's overlap (those who are living at RMH AND getting treatment at MDA). You hear their stories and you can empathize. Some have been on the journey much longer than you, others are just starting (and six months in, I feel like such a veteran). Many are here because (like us) something wasn't working and they've come here for answers. Their hospitals and medical teams back home did all they can with their resources and sent them here. Some stories are inspirational and others seem so bleak that your heart breaks. And you worry if down the line your story could echo theirs. I met a 16 year old girl yesterday who has been battling medulloblastoma with remissions and recurrences for over 8 years. Scary.

Everyone seems to deal with their own personal trauma in their own way (of course) and we slug along. The parents exchange knowing looks, sighs, and smiles. Awake at 7 AM...off to the grind of the clinic...shuttling around to appointments all day...home to dinner. And the kids play and laugh...and cry. Like I said, it's surreal and almost hard to explain.

I very much miss Roger. It's difficult for us to be apart. We are usually each other's sounding boards and even though we can talk/skype every night and text throughout the day, it's not the same as being there. Fortunately, Aunt B, Aunt Lynn, and Uncle Terry will be here Saturday, closely followed by Roger, and I am planning a date for just the two of us Saturday night. We just need some together time.

yesterday, Charlotte actually broke down crying as we were waiting for proton therapy because she (finally) decided she was hungry. I told her she couldn't eat and she just bawled. Today was better. I let her sleep as long as she wanted and she didn't get up till after 9 AM. She also ate some cheddar bunnies (thanks Aunt Rebecca!) right before bed so I think/hope that helped. She's been very tired and clingy. Still cries at the least little thing but she is eating ok and her weight is still stable. Nothing major in the way of symptoms. The medical teams just marvel at her every step of the way. Surprisingly, her hair is not thinning and her skin still looks ok (it can get burned/red or very thin and translucent) but that can be stable for a while and then change pretty rapdly. Good progress on the regularity front too. PLUS, miracle of miracles, we actually got in and out of radiation on time today!

I made the mistake of trying to walk to the proton center this morning. It really didn't seem that hot at 10 AM but halfway there, I was soaking in sweat. Didn't help that I was carrying a pretty heavy backpack and pushing a stroller. I needed the exercise and the shuttle schedule wasn't really jiving with our schedule so I figured it wouldn't be too bad. It was less than a mile walk. I made it but I was DRENCHED by the time I got there. That was my workout. Charlotte was fine (she got to ride...in the shade, no less). Needless to say, we took the shuttle home. Heard on the radio we might set a record for temp her today. Somewhere near 100. Geez!

So that's all the news I have for today. We're just hanging around waiting for dinner. Thanks for all the cards, letters, and care packages. Charlotte enjoys reading all the cards. We got a very funny Hawaiian postcard yesterday from her friend Bridget and it made her laugh.

Just heard that the Bonitas made it back to Tennessee safely. Good to hear! Love to everyone!

Rachel and CJ

Update:

And now it's time for "quirky Charlotte observations and sayings":

1. She likes adding a -k to the end of words, particularly saying "O-cake" instead of "O-K". She also likes playing with word sounds so if I say "mish mash" she'll say "bish bash", etc. What good phonological skills!

2. As mentioned before, she LOVES to retell the plots of some of her favorite TV shows and movies. As she is falling asleep some nights, she will be quiet for the longest time (you'll think she's asleep) and then out of the blue she will tell you some plot point from Diego or Blue's latest adventure.

3. She has developed this odd habit of not wanting to eat any "broken" food. She won't eat goldfish that are missing pieces (not whole) and does the same with the cheddar bunnies. She always gives the broken pieces to me ("You can eat these mommy"). This applies to both anthropomorphic food (i.e., goldfish, bunnies) and other food (pieces of cheese).

4. The other day, out of the blue, she said, "Mommy, I really liked it when I was a baby in your tummy." Too funny! She also added, "After that, I was born and drank from your ninnies." As long as I don't have to explain to her how she got IN my tummy, we're good.

5. She has gotten REALLY good at pressing the buttons for the elevator when we go up and down at RMH and at the proton center. As daddy likes to say, "She's a born button pusher!"

6. Today, we were working on stretching her leg muscles and the doctor had recommended adding warm towels and/or lotion to the mix. I was working on her stretches and massaging her legs with the lotion and she says, "Mom, is this my spa treatment??". I told her that yes, indeed, it was and only princesses get to go to the spa!! She loved it!

So there is your amusement for the day. never a dull moment with this chick!!

An Update

Doing a whole lotta nuthin' sure makes me tired!

Charlotte didn't settle in to sleep until after midnight last night (sheesh). I did manage to get her to eat a few veggie straws before bed in hopes that it would sustain her a little longer during the day. I woke up and got myself ready, going downstairs while she was still sleeping to eat breakfast. I figured a hearty breakfast would help me hold out till proton therapy so I ate the leftovers from Roger's Mexican lunch the day before. They were good....and filling!

Then I roused the princess and we set off for the children's cancer center. We didn't have an appointment but Roger insisted that I should just "show up" and they'd work us in. About 10 AM they got our labs (we had come in about 8:30) and about 11:30 Reh, our nurse, let us know that her labs looked pretty good and instead of seeing a doc at the clinic we should just go ahead over to the proton center. Her weekly "checkup" with the radiation oncologist was scheduled for 11:30 and Reh figured as long as some medical professional was following up with her, they didn't need to see her till Wednesday.

So we trudged over to the proton center. The shuttle ride was not bad, actually. Got there, checked in, they took her vitals, and we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally I asked someone what was up and they looked into it. Turns out that Dr. Mahajan is out this week and so Charlotte is supposed to see Dr. Woo and HE is seeing all his patients on Tuesday. Nobody had told us this, but it was on our newly revised schedule. BUT the newly revised scheduled had not been posted online. I was told the solution to this is to get a new printout of the schedule every Monday morning to assure accuracy. I'm not sure how I can get a printout before coming TO the proton center for my Monday appointment but somehow that has escaped everyone else's logic. Maybe the radiation gets to their brains a little in this place.

Anyway, so we were just MEGA early for her proton appointment that was scheduled at 1:30 (and of course, in true form, they didn't see her till 2:30). I did ask about moving up her time slot but they don't have anything available earlier for two weeks when she will then have a 10:30 AM slot.

Through all this, Charlotte never complained once. She never asked for food. Never said she was hungry. We did snuggle and cuddle a few times, which was nice given the cold shoulder she usually passes my way. We read some books and she entertained herself in the play areas. Finally it was her turn and Grandpa and I headed off in search of lunch for me (at 3 PM). She finally roused around 5-ish and we headed back to RMH for dinner. She did eat some cheese slices, applesauce, and a bunch of crackers tonight. And some chocolate milk. Her belly is getting VERY full and kind of rigid. She has not been able to bend down all day and she tells me that it hurts her tummy. the kid needs to POOP!! We keep giving her mag citrate and getting her to walk as much as possible. She told me that she "doesn't like to poop" so I hope she's not holding it in voluntarily. That could be a problem. I told her that she doesn't get to watch her "new favorite" goodnight video until she goes poopie so hopefully we will get results soon.

Other than that, she doesn't seem to be demonstrating any ill effects from the radiation (knock on wood). She is full of storytelling today and the bulk of our conversations revolve around her retelling some facts or plot points from Dora, Diego, Sid the Science Kid, SuperWhy, etc. It's very cute! Especially when she says things like, "Condors are the largest flying birds in the world."

Today I was the chauffer (stroller pusher), chaperone, and master chef. Plus I got in some light reading. Nabbed a book from the book exchange that has been very good so far. It's the newest Wally Lamb book and I've enjoyed his other two novels. We'll see. Oh, and I did payroll. The romp n' roll employees will be happy. Thank goodness for remote internet and quickbooks online. So I actually did some "work" today too.

Charlotte looked absolutely ADORABLE in the dress Aunt Phyllis sent. She wore it today and wowed everyone. She was a purple princess today. I will attach a photo. In this picture, she is making a grilled cheese sandwich using an iron. Very creative, I thought!

We did get to end our day with a skype chat with Daddy. That was fun and Charlotte was actually engaging for a few minutes. Seems like things are going well in VA as well. One day down....how many more to go? September seems a LONG way away.

Stuck in Limbo Land

Good morning,
Charlotte had a pretty good night except for some drama taking vitals at about 4:30am. Her temp was registering 95 degrees so Nurse Suzie was trying to take it orally, which CJ was having none of. It had actually worked earlier in the night but I think it was only because she was unconscious.

After a bit, I just told Suzie not to worry about it since it wasn't an issue and not worth the stress. This morning's temp read 97 so we're cool.

We talked to Meredith via Skype/Hopecam as well as Reese and her mom. I think Reese was far more into it than Charlotte this time.

Rachel and I spoke with the pediatric psychologist, Dr. Bitsko this morning to kind of take a look at how we're doing. The bottom line being we're really tired and definately feeling the stress but not to the point where we need happy pills.

CJ had a small BM yesterday which was not much fun and nothing since. We tried to get her to take some Docusate (sp?) but that's about as easy as getting the cat to take his antibiotic (without the claws). We've asked about magnesium citrate which she will take and it seemed to work at home. Word on the street is that they have ordered the mag citrate. Now we are just waiting for the results of the CT scan and orders to take out the ventric. In fact, the neurosurgery resident just came in to check on her so we are moments away....

(The previous was mostly Roger's post from earlier today. Now I will put in my two cents):

First a big thank you to Grandpa and Juanita Bonita today. Roger and I had to fly in different directions this afternoon for Romp n' Roll so it was yet again good to have them around to keep Charlotte company. Plus, Juanita has been cooking away and keeping us well fed and the freezer is getting stocked with even more goodies!

I can't believe it's June! In some ways this has been both the slowest and fastest 6 months (or so) on record. I guess it's no wonder I'm drained (physically, emotionally, etc.). Dr. Bitsko made a point today that reallly hit home: for most families dealing with stuff like this at this point in the process, there is usuallly some stabilization. Families will still be in treatment but at least have a plan and a terminal goal for treatments. We are still stuck in limbo land. That is one of the most frustrating things right now. We started out running a marathon and they have changed the course.

It reminds me of the time Roger ran the DC Marathon right after the war in Iraq started. The organization organizing the race backed out but many people planned to run the race anyway. Because it was an unofficial volunteer effort, the runners had to run on the sidewalk instead of the street, there was minimal police coverage to handle traffic and they even changed the route. It was (to say the least) kind of a mess. Roger and I BOTH got lost in the process of the race and he didn't run a good time because of the delays. Does it seem even more ironic that he ran that race to raise money for St. Judes Childrens Hospital that year?

Anyway, so we are on this long course but we dont' know if we are running a marathon, an ironman, or a 100K race. We don't event know where the finish line is. It's a little...ok a LOT frustrating. Here's hoping we will get some answers soon regarding our next path.

Gotta run while we get a ventric out!

Rachel

Another Busy Day

Another busy day. Charlotte and I are enjoying a quiet evening at home watching a movie (Cars) so I thought I'd use the time for an update.

First of all, we got a substitute Mickey and I understand more are on the way (that way we'll NEVER run out!!). Knowing our luck, by the time the new ones arrive, she will have a new "obsession".

Also, Roger now has the webcam with Skype hooked up so Charlotte can talk/meet with her preschool friends. If anyone else has Skype connections, please let us know. We would love to schedule some "Charlotte talk times" with you.

Thank you to everyone who has written or who we have seen in the last few days and offered their thoughts and concerns. We really appreciate it. As we have said to many people who have asked about Charlotte, she is doing great. Really, reallly great. That is part of what makes this so difficult. To look at her, you would still never really know (except for the bald head and the sometimes awkward motor stuff) that she had this tumor growing inside her. As usual, Roger and I are suffering more than her through a lot of this.

After some consideration, Roger and I have decided that we do not need to pursue a second opinion on the surgery. We trust Dr. Tye and his team and know that this is a necessary next step regardless of how we proceed with the oncology side of things. We will be talking with his office first thing on Monday to determine when exactly surgery will happen. It may be soon.

We still have some questions about the trip to Houston and MD Anderson. Mainly the questions revolve around "how" not "if". Mainly, we are concerned that the timeline the doctor has given us may involve travel sooner than we think Charlotte will be ready post-surgery so we just have some more questions to ask. Our initial thought is that we will take Charlotte to Tennesse to meet up with Roger's dad and from there we will take his RV to Houston. This will allow us to keep Charlotte as comfortable as possible on what will be a very long road trip. Others have mentioned Angel Flights and we are investigating that as well. There is a question about whether air travel will be a possibility so soon after brain surgery.

Anyway, we will report more as we know details. My mom is still planning to leave on Wednesday (the 13th) so we will let you know if we need help in the coming weeks.

Today was a busy day with the Chic-Fil-A Cow Drop. The weather cooperated and it was good to see many romp n' roll friends as well as meet some (hopefully) new customers. Roger is up in Maryland performing with Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet at the Mainstay. He should be back late tonight.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening and day tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there (especially mine!)

Reminder: Open Gym at Romp n' Roll tomorrow from 10 AM-4 PM for all those dads that need to give mom a break...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Charlotte has asked to type a message so I'm going to let her type here:

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Charlotte has Been Having a Great Few Days

Very sorry to have to tell you that the event at Glen Allen Golf has been cancelled. They'll still be open I believe (call first).

Not a lot of new stuff about Charlotte. She's been having a great few days and we won't have any kind new road map until Friday at the earliest. That's when we meet with the team to figure things out.

Rachel says she has noticed a possible and very slight decrease in her ability to spit words out off the top of her head so there is a perceptible (however slight) change over the last couple of weeks. The words she DOES get out, however, are still amazing.

Just to address a few questions people have asked us:

They are all discussing our case widely with experts from all over the country so we're getting second, third, fourth, etc...opinions. We really feel like we're in good hands.

We should be getting the webcam laptops set up at home and at "Montessori House" so CJ will be able to see her friends very soon. I'm sure if any of you have webcams and a Skype account, you'll be able to visit too. It isn't anywhere near as good as hugs but it will have to do for now.

Whenever we start the month of radiation, we will need to call on our friends and family a good amount to either stay with her or occasionally take her to treatment since it will be an everyday thing. Tuesdays will definitely be high maintenance as both of us are scheduled with Romp n' Roll activities that day. After this Friday, we'll have to reassess our needs and then adjust the care calendar. Stay tuned.

With the kaibosh on the Glen Alen Golf (Thanks anyway, Dean and we'll pick another night soon) tomorrow holds the next "event" which is massages for mom at Romp n' Roll. Lori Raybold will be back tomorrow from 1:30-8:00pm with both her chair and her table so Mom can get pampered either way.

Chair massages are walk-in and can last from 5, 10, or 15 minutes.

Table massages are 30 or 60 minutes and must be reserved. Plan to arrive 10-minutes before your time.

Lori is offering a really great deal for us so poke and prod your significant others to sign you up. It's the least they can do for a hard working mom! (Call the store to reserve your time)

Friday is our Mom's art project and Saturday is the Chick-fil-a Cow Drop at the Hanover Airport.

Then next week we start all over!!!