Hello dear family and friends,

It is so awesome to be able to blog when I have such good news. I did go in for my 6 month check-up and the Doc was so pleased he gave me a big hug- not his usual approach. Anyway, I had a CAT scan, and the whole blood test routine and everything looked really good. My blood is almost back to normal, with a little way to go for the white cell count, but I haven’t had any colds or sickies since chemo. I have had a battery of other tests- that go with my regular physical, and everything is clear. I just finished a double duty 10 day antibiotic routine to get rid of a pesky stomach bacteria, that had no symptoms, but they want to clear because it could become cancerous. Last of these will be a colonoscopy, and then I hope I’ll be finished for a while. Anyway, thank you again for all of your prayers and energy, because I am sure they have had a major effect on my recovery. I’m sure I have mentioned this before, but they consider ovarian cancer a chronic condition, that can recur, but can be treated. So I am thrilled to be clear or NED—no evidence of disease, and it does really give me a unique appreciation of life, my family and friends.

Anyone who knows me well knows I am a longtime Notre Dame fan. We were the Sacred Heart Irish in a small county-seat, Falls City, NE, which was pre-dominately Protestant, and my mom had gone to St. Mary’s, across the street from ND for college before co-ed. Clark and son Luke graduated from ND, and we all remain fans. We went to the ND-USC game on the Sat. after Thanksgiving, to have a good visit with Luke and see ND remain undefeated and No. 1 in the country, and beat USC. We got home and swung into action to do a Thank you party for my friends who helped so much during chemo, with meals, driving and moral support.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Clark’s cousin, Robert Jones and family in SF. They live near Presidio so we took a pre-dinner walk down to Baker Beach, for one of the most spectacular views of the ocean and GG Bridge you could ever see. I do hope you and your families had a beautiful Thanksgiving together. Know I am so thankful for all of you. Please do remember me and all of us in your prayers, as we do you. I hope the season of Advent will be rich and fruitful for you. I am still trying to reach out individually, so until then, the blog is my best buddy.

Love Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you haven’t given up on me; I am shocked to see how long it has been since I have written. Good intentions don’t quite get it done. I am writing today Nov. 21st which is the one year anniversary of my surgery. What a year it has been. Through the lows of cancer and chemo, there has always been the support of people and prayer that is such a strength and energizer for me. Thank you again for all of the notes, and calls , and actions of care and friendship. Clark and Ellen, of course have been the real storm troopers through the year, and Sarah, my life-saver, after the surgery. I haven’t been thinking back too much, because I think it is healthier to look forward. I will soon have my 6 month check up which is blood work, CAT scan and oncologist appt., so I will write next week for sure.

I currently am doing 10days on double anti-biotics to get rid of H-pylorie bacteria in my stomach. I am happy to report I didn’t have all of the possible problems which I was warned about. I do have some light-headedness and get a little drowsy, but that’s very mild. The bacteria is something that about 75% of the population have, and it isn’t a problem. They found it in an upper GI, and biopsied it in connection with the cancer. They are treating due to cancer in the abdominal area.

So, today I get to play tennis from 11-1 with the Big Kids. I am invited occasionally as a sub- and jit is really fun for me—but they are all so much better than I am. We play with 3 women and 5 men. One woman told me she just wasn’t expecting those shots. I’m not sure if she knows I couldn’t do it twice, or if I had to. But it still is a lot of fun. We are looking forward to the ND-USC game. GO IRISH!

The biggest news of Nov. is our trip to Japan. My late Oct. was a crash course in trying to learn about Japan, and all of the ins and outs of travel. Clark, then spotted several great hotels, and we had a little security. Our Japanese Rail pass was a great deal, and we traveled around Japan while John was a work at his English Language School. He currently works with all adults on conversational English. This school just started this year, so he has to create a lot of material for the students. We also got to meet John’s friends, teammates and coaches, and see two playoff games. John has done very well in his his change to offense. He is tight-end has caught a touchdown pass in every game- 2 in one game. The quarterback, Kevin Craft was the QB at UCLA, and has played in Europe. We also traveled with John’s good friend Rita, who was a delightful companion to the Kyoto and Hiroshima areas. So Japan is a beautiful country, and the people were wonderful. We can’t wait to return.

So, at the end of this year I am so grateful for all of the medical expertise, family and friend prayer and support that helped me so much. I have good energy, and so far haven’t had any colds or other problems. Do know that I am so aware of so many of you and the energy you give me, and still am tryings to respond to everyone personally. Know you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Love Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,

I am sorry it has been so long since I have written. I have thought many times to sit down and write, but I seem to flit away and get distracted. So, I am just going to sit down and at least get notes done, and not try to be so ambitious, and maybe it will actually get out. So, my energy is so much better, and I’ve had a fairly busy month and done quite well. I don’t have another medical check- CAT scan, blood work and Dr. ONC visit until the end of Nov. I am enjoying having hair again, and I do at this point have a poodle-look, but I doubt that my hair will stay THIS curly, although some folks say it did stay curly. We’ll see.

My biggest change has been for the first time in years I didn’t go back to school this fall.—Actually for a long time mid-Aug. Had a great visit with one of my Clarke College roommates, Pat Virnich and her husband Woody. Their daughter lives in Santa Cruz, so we have had several good visits over the last few years. Over the Labor Day weekend we went to MN to see St. John’s 1st football game. It was great to see friends and always a fun weekend. Anybody who tailgates knows about most of the people we saw, and we stayed with Bob Wicker and Chris on our way back to the airport. They cooked us a delicious and of course healthy dinner. My energy was great on the trip, but it did take a while to recover. I mention this because we went to the ND-MI game Sept. 21, had another great football weekend- plus a victory, and my energy was still really good when we got home.

We have two birthdays in Sept.–Clark and Ellen. Ellen had a birthday dinner, gourmet, of course, for him. We then finished Sept. with Ellen’s birthday gathering, and her retirement festivities.
For those of you who get some news of Ellen through my blog, the retirement festivities were really well-done and fun. Ellen had been an Administrator at the SFVA- Nurse Manager in the Psych Dept. having various departments under her. They had an afternoon reception for her, complete with gifts and speeches and very warm testimonies. Ellen had been there for 13 years and had done a great job. Afterward we went out for a drink with friends. Thursday was Ellen’s birthday dinner with Jim Peterson and Sue, Clark and me. Sun., Ellen’s famous Bookclub had a Retirement party for her at the Mazzocca winery. We had a brief, but interesting tour of the winery and a delicious potluck luncheon with fabulous wines. Great friends- great day.

Next up, I have to really work on studying for our trip to Japan. If anyone has been to Japan recently I could use any feedback. We’re going over in early Nov., so the task is right here. Luke will be able to travel with us. We will also have a chance to see Luke, who will be in SF next weekend on Peperdine’s Trial Team competition. Sarah and my cousin Virginia will also be here, so we are very excited about that.
Ellen’s official retirement was Fri., Sept. 28, so she has a whole new availability. All this time is very new.

Will get a note off before we leave for Japan. John is in the Tokyo area- so we’ll start there. Know you are all in my thoughts and prayers, as I ask you to keep us.

Love Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,

My apologies for the blog delay. My goal is still to write about once a week. I had my first check-in since chemo ended. I decided not to do a new clinical trial with any new drug maintenance. My current trial requires a CAT scan, blood work, and a Dr. check every 3 mos. My first one was very good, and the Dr. was really pleased. I could tell by my good energy level that my red cells were much better, and most of the anemia gone.
My white cells also are much better, and my CA 125—the tumor marker was the lowest it has ever been. I am still working with a physical therapist, and that has been directed at first toward lung function and aerobic exercise, and still posture, and core strength. A lot of what I am doing is sort of re-learning what I thought I already knew, but in many cases I just have to be more precise, and isolate some muscle groups, so I can maximize what I am doing.

Summer has been a great time for seeing friends and being in touch. Having too much fun to do my blog. Not really, but I am shocked that it has been so long. For those of you who know some of these folks, it was great fun to have dinner at Charley and Helene Martels, and a wonderful birthday celebration at my sister Ellen’s. We had a memorable evening with Laurel and Robert Jones, and Adoria Williams and husband Julian. Special out-of-town friends and evenings were seeing Jane and Peter Hayman from Austin, vacationing in CA., Brian and Judy Henderson from Pasadena, on their way to Lake Tahoe, and Pat Virnich Hipsher and husband Woody, here from Boulder, Co. to see daughter Amanda and family in Santa Cruz. Another great weekend was a friend’s wedding celebration at a resort in Sonoma. Wendy and Steve Phillips were great hosts and despite the 90’s, the evening cooled off perfectly. We did some shopping and roaming in Sonoma, and hit the Farmer’s MKT. on our way home.

Clark and I swim for several hrs. on Sat. and Sun. and really enjoy it. It is the perfect unwinding for us.

We are so anxious to travel to MN over Labor Day weekend. We will see the Johnies’ season opener, and especially so many good friends that we have known over the last 6 years. It is always so good to be back at
St. John’s.

I’m having a ball playing tennis- so good to be back. We play doubles, and usually can play for 2 hrs. or about 2 sets. My energy is good, and my feet are getting better. Seems as if the nerves have to reconnect and say run, run and get that ball. I’m slow, but manage. Will close and get this out. Do know you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Love, Annie/Noel

Dear Friends and Family,

I can’t believe that summer is half gone. Unbelievable. When working at Salesian, we always went back by mid Aug. I will have a longer free Aug. this year. I mentioned that Clark and I were both going to take trips this summer. Clark took a business/family trip when he and Luke traveled to Tulsa, OK and Oklahoma City to meet several amazingly accomplished attorney/friend/juddges. While in Ok City they also visited the Memorial, and had good visits with Clark’s friends, Jennie and Peggy. After taking the BAR exam Clark worked for JUdge Holloway, in the 9th Fed. Circuit. The Judge still goes to work every day, and is in his eighties.

I was very skeptical about taking a summer trip back”home” to Falls City, NE, but decided to just go for it and make it work. Sarah, Ellen and I hadn’t been back at the same time for about 20 yrs. Anyway, we met in FC after we had seen friends in KC and Leavenworth and Plattsburg, and family in Baldwin, Ks. near Lawrence. It was 105 when we arrived in KC. When it is so hot, we just had long talks, and cool food in the air-conditioning. I know some of Ellen’s friends also like to hear what she is up to—-so she met nursing school friends Anne Cuppers and Pat Vassos in KC, and then stayed with Johny Stone and wife Carmalita in Plattsburg. Many of you know John, who grew up with us in FC. We first had the bad news that he’d had a heart attack, but now is doing much better, and had to have a bi-pass. I had great visits in KC with Nora Ellen Richard, a former SCL, and Sr. Ann Paula, who works with many women’s issues, and retreats. We had a great overnight visit, went to Church and had brunch, and Ann Paula drove me up to Leavenworth. At the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity, I stayed at the terrific Marillac Retreat Center, and was the guest of the Sisters, and Sr. Noreen, who is the Director of the center. For those of you in our Novitiate group, this was the Jubilee-50 year celebration for our group. If you get the SCL publication, you got to see the articles on our class members. I did get to see Sr. Elizabeth- very briefly- because she was on Retreat. I did have lunch and a great chat with Sr. Karen Guth, who was one of the retreat directors, and Sr. Ann Lucia wasn’t back from some travels. Sr. Noreen and I would walk from about 7-7:45 and then have breakfast at the MOther House. There I would see many of the retired sisters, and lots of the sisters who run the various business of the MH. Names that some of you would know would be Sr. Paula Rose, Sr. Maureen Hall., Sr. Arthell, Sr. Marie Carmel, Sr. Mary Brigid Mullen,
and Sr. Mary Hilaria, who was in FC for many years, and who I lived with several times in community. Sr. Hilaria is now in her eighties, and she and SMBrigid still take classes at our university, there, St. Mary University. I did see a number of other people, but I’m not sure who knows which sisters. Sr. Dominic was there but was not well when I was there, but we at least talked on the phone. Looking at the issues of retirement I was also inspired to see Sr. Marie Carmel making fresh fruit pies for causes and the sisters’ enjoyment and writing poetry. My other poet friend, Marilyn Page Snyder came to visit at Rosemary’s, and we had a good, but too short visit.

My cousin, Rosemary Murphy, picked me up at the MH and I visited with her and her family in Baldwin. We had just seen her brother Bob and wife Mimi and friends in the Bay Area, and had a great visit. They are from Charleston, SC., and we had traveled to SC last Nov. before my surgery, to daughter Erin’s wedding. We caught up with Jack Murphy, and Patty, her sister, and saw sons Owen, and Hugh, and new grandson Oliver, and mom Angie.

Sorry for all the references you don’t get, but I can just see various people knowing all or some of these folks. So Ellen left Stones, and came to Baldwin for an overnight visit and then we drove on up to Falls City.

In FC we stayed with Ellen’s best friend, Nancy Simon Kelley, and husband Ron, who have just finished building a new house in FC. There are a number of advantages to retiring in FC, and Nancy esp. had close family ties, and even friends from school. We were wined and dined, and had a great time seeing everyone. Larry Darveau and Jack joined us for several occasions. Pray for Jack, who is in very poor health. Sarah had gone to the courthouse and gotten a list of FC relatives, who are buried in the local cemetaries, so we had a goal of going to check out some of the geneology. We visited Mom and Dad’s graves, and put a new bouquet in the urn. We also were invited to stop by our family home, which has been kept in beautiful shape, and see the whole new backyard area they have created. Just did a great job. So good to see how they have enjoyed the house, and improved it.

Final final, my energy and adrenalin served me well on the trip. I was actually shocked to see how wiped out I was when I got home. I do feel like I am still quite anemic, but even so, all the recovery issues are going well. I think I mentioned that I was playing a little tennis- doubles and really enjoying it. I notice the neuropathies in my feet so much because I’m slow to start, and running is heavy footed. MUch better than it has been, though. Haven’t made any decisions about more clinical trials, but this is the week I am over-studying the materials and calling on the resource people. Please do continue to remember us all in your prayers as we do you.

Love and Prayers

Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy summer to all of you. I am feeling much better these days, and as I feel better, it seems I get all the busier. It is so awesome to have more energy, and lose so much of the dizziness and light-headedness, although I still have to really work to focus. I have done a few regretable things when I get too casual. My hair is just starting to fuzz in a bit. From bald to covered, is going to be a while. I just lost the very last of my eyelashes and eyebrows, so I don’t know what the schedule for that will be. I’m trying to learn some make-up techniques to work on the eyes. I really haven’t worn eye make-up except for mascara, so it’s new project for me.
My hands and feet are coming along; my feet especially have been sort of block, heavy, and feel better in my walks.
I am seeing a physical therapist, and she is having me walk three times a day for 30 min. I am having a hard time getting the third walk in. I also have almost another hour and a half a day of stretching and strengthening exercises so I do have my work cut out for me. I have played tennis- doubles- about 4 times for an hour and a half, so I am thrilled about that. My partners have been very kind, but also have been amused about how well I am doing. One of the people I have played with the longest asked me how I was able to keep up. I told her my most energetic activity was to actually stay awake and alert while I watched the tennis channel, and some of the Grand Slams. I am really happy to get back, and I’m sure the adrenalin is helping.
What happens next? We are trying to decide. There are several options, including some clinical trials with UCSF. I have 12 weeks to decide, and recover, and try to read and understand the studies. My oncologist recommended “do nothing”—-meaning follow the standard of care, which is to see the oncologist once every three months, complete with blood tests and a CAT scan. Actually that isn’t just standard care, because I am required to do that by the first Clinical trial I was in.
Summer is still on the planning board. Luke is really booked with work, summer courses, and a trip to OK City with Clark. Luke is doing Masters’ in Arbitration and Negotiation, and they wilol visit attorney-judge- negotiations expert, long family friend JOe Morris, and Judge Holloway, the judge Clark clerked for, after Law School. During the same timeframe, Sarah and Ellen were travelling to Falls City for a high school reunion, and I hadn’t even considered going. Now that I am feeling better, I started finding out if it would work for me to go, and I decided I would also go. The three of us haven’t been back to FC together for almost 20 years. Sarah has some geneology tasks to do, and we’ll roam around a couple of the family cemeteries, and visit Mom and Dad’s grave. I also will be able to see my cousin Rosemary in Baldwin, as will Ellen. We will see other members of Rosemary’s family, also, our only first cousins. I am also fortunate to be able to see a number of friends, Sisters of Charity, and will stay in guest quarters several nights. I am jumping around, here, but to finish family news, John will finish his current year’s employment, and be involved in orienting the new teachers to Tsu
City, and the language center. He is very busy with finishing up his obligations, and finding a new job, which will enable him to have Sat. and Sun. off, so that he can play Pro-football in spring and fall. Most language centers have classes 6 days a week, so he has to find a job with flexibility. He has done many interviews, and is on the brink of finding several jobs, but just needs to finalize something. He can’t stay in the country when his employment and Visa expire, so he just has a couple of weeks.
I wanted to be sure to get this blog out. I am going to continue to write, so I hope I can still contact each and everyone of you in person. Tonight I am going to a Scrapping-Craft night, so I do need to get organized. I could use about 6 months just doing scrapbooks and our family picture wall. I do have a lot of things I need to do, and also am just needing to restructure . Thank you for all of your prayers and energy.
Hope to see lots of you soon, or at least communicate.

Love Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I”m so late getting this out. I do have a little extra good news, but I should have sent it as it came. My last oncology appointment was Fri. June 1, when I saw my doctor and my chemo tech, who I saw more than my doctor. Dr. Eisenberg is the driving force behind the Marin Oncology Center, so he is definitely excused to do all of the good things he does. The results of the latest CAT scan, May 29, and my last blood test were very positive. Clark and I go in to SF tomorrow to see my surgeon, and hopefully all will be verified again. It is a good clean feeling to have NED, no evidence of disease. I was so glad to have all of this confirmation, because as good as the numbers have been, I have had some bad spells, and it is good to confirm that it is the good old side effects, that just take time to wear off. I am still very anemic, and have low red blood cell count, and my white cells are at an all time low, but since I’m finished with chemo, I now have to be patient, and help my body recover and build back up.

This week, June 4, I am feeling more energy, and by today Thurs., my other good news, I am much less light-headed and fuzzy. I haven’t napped since Tues., partially because there is so much going on here at the house. We have a garden project, and a plumbing project going on, so I have contractors, but we are designing some things as we go, so I want to be in on the shifts. Hard to stay ahead of them. The one day I did try to nap I was just too wired- so we have had several very simple suppers, and one day I even cooked. I have also been running back and forth to hardwear stores and special ordering several parts we couldn’t find. Clark and I picked out some new hardwear for the guest bath, but being a 50’s house, it is often hard to find just standard sizes for everything. All is going well so far. One of the big yard projects was to add a flagstone area to put a gas grill on. We still have a Weber, and all true believers, but know there are advantages to the gas. Cal. is also getting strict on the burning of wood and charcoal, so we are trying to spare the air as well.

One of the side effects that I’m working on in the anemia is shortness of breath. I am seeing a Physical Therapist, and she is especially working in improving lung function and oxygen exchange. Much more complex but I’ll spare you that. Part of my routine is now to walk at a good pace three times a day for 30 min. and to do deep abdominal breathing for 15 min. 3 times a day. Seems strange, but I really have to discipline myself to get that done. As an example, today, Thurs. I’ve only done one of the deep breathings, haven’t done dinner, and it is 4:30. Believe it or not, my blog has been a top priority since Sat. I do have to tell you about Fri. because after our great doctor news we had a fun day. We rushed home, had a bite of lunch and met with a video guy who is going to help get a few areas up to speed. He always has some good ideas, and could actually keep up with Clark. We have the house wired to do about anything, but need some updating on speaker system and TV’s. We also have multiple complicated (for guests) remotes, so we’re shopping for ideas, and a workable universal remote. Ah well, some of it a necessity of modern life. Anyone remember W.H. Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen”? I’ve always been a bit haunted by it, and used it in intro poetry classes. A couple of the powerful lines are –

He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan
And had everything necessary to Modern Man,
A phonograph, a radio, a car, and a frigidaire…..

and later continues

Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd.
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

Written in 1940, in a different climate from social media and networking, and all the connections we have, it is still interesting to me how many facets of ourselves and others we know and don’t know. One of the reasons I am continuing to blog is that it has been so good to be back in touch with so many of you. Now that I have some better energy I hope to get individual notes out also.

After the video consultant, I took a short nap, and then we took the ferry in to SF where we had dinner with Dana and Dona Buttenhoff and friends who were in SF for a Co. rewards trip. It was so good to see them. For the non St. John’s readers, Dana and Dona are rapid St. John’s fans, and we met at the tailgating festivities.

Well, I’m so happ[y to be sharing this good news with you. I am going to keep blogging, which my be more like letters or logs, so we’ll see. Do continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts as we do you.

Love Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I have been so absent from all of you in so many ways. I do cherish your comments, e-mails and communications. I just can’t keep up with it all. Cancer update first. This week May 18- 25 will be my last week with my chemo. It is a very strange feeling, because although I have ongoing doctor visits and blood work, and CAT scans, I don’t have the active chemo knocking out the cancer, and of course, at times me with it. The doctor laughed when I aksed him what the chemo does when all the cancer activity signs are not there. He said he didn’t remember having that question before, but just said, we just never know what we don’t get. The other most telling appt. I have will be the CAT scan, May 29. I will see both my oncologist and my surgeon and have those results to look at. The Clinical trial that I am part of still requires doctor visits, blood work and a CAT scan every 3 mos., so I will have some good ongoing supervision, and hopefully add some information to the knowledge about ovarian cancer. There is very little improvement in the ability to recognize ovarian cancer, screen for it, or treat it by the time they discover it. As you know, our ongoing process at home is using our food as our ongoing medicine. There is so much to learn, but getting and cooking the food is the simple part. The key to healthy eating, reducing inflammation and toxicity is vegetables, vegetables, vegetables, and regular lettuce doesn’t do much until protein and veggies are added. Romaine, is better, but still high water content. This is from one who ate two green salads a day, and always added protein at lunch. My appetite is almost too good, but I now have gained almost 20 lbs. and that helps so much in energy, temp. control, and just not feeling weak and emaciated. In May and April my energy has been very low. I think I have said before that I have injections to bring up both the red and white cells. I have been getting those once a week for about 8 wks, just to be able to continue the chemo. I definitely made peace with the chemo, because I was so grateful to have it.

So, although I have a nasty kind of cancer- one that just has to be considered a chronic disease, I know I do not have the sufferings of so many people. As I get better, I want to try to help cancer patients. I was invited over to Salesian, my high school for some end of the year activities. I would just love to go, and could manage, except that I do have a new infection, and a very compromised immune system right now. Even if it were 3 or 4 weeks from now, I could probably do it. The averages are anywhere from 6 weeks to several years to get all the blood chemistry back, as well as all the liver-kidney functioning really well. Anyway, I’m not going to try to see the students at an all-school function- too risky. I could see my doc was really disturbed that I was even considering it.

Things I’m looking forward to are having some daily energy, a non-fuzzy brain and eyes, having normal breath, and exercise. I’m trying to be patient, but do have lots of things I’d like to do. Mother’s Day was fun, and I still had some good energy on Sun., which is unusual. We went to Mass on Sat., and fixed a good dinner at home. Luke was able to come up for the weekend, which was so good. He starts his summer, as he had finished his Final Exams for second yr. of Pepperdine Law School. He will continue to work at a law office this summer, and will take classes toward his MA in Negotiation and Arbitration, which he will finish with his other work.

One great boon is that they have a 2wk- 2 hr. course conducted in Hong Kong and Beijing, and then a paper to finish the study. They also have books of prep work to do before they travel. I haven’t said too much about John, because he has been in a transition time. He wants to stay in Japan at least another year, but has to change jobs, because he currently is on contract to work on Sat. He will have to move, and get another job that would allow him to play pro-football in Japan. He is already playing and practicing with a team, but the Japanese government requires that he have a job, before he can be signed. It is a difficult timing to finish out the current job- until July8 or so. We will find out more as things move along, but John is very happy, and willing to make a lot of sacrifices to make this happen. The teams are allowed to sign 4 “employed” foreigners, and only two can be on the field at any one time. Every time John joins the team he has to take the bullet train from Tsu City to Tokoyo area- about $270., to be able to make Sat. conditioning and Sun. Scrimmage or practice. It is very different from pro-football, here, but John is impressed with the conditioning, coaching, and athleticism of teammates, and is having so much fun, it is worth all of the hassle. More news on that.

On Mother’s Day, to continue we went to the Farmer’s Market, had my favorite breakfast burrito, and took neighborhood walks, and went out to dinner with Luke and Ellen. Good day, energy held. Sometimes I swear it is just the adrenaline pushing along- so the body still has some resources.

I do need to close. Going for my daily walk- 40 min. or so, when good- longer or otherwise shorter. Ellen is having us over for dinner, so that is always a treat and a great dinner. Both Ellen and Sarah are fabulous cooks. Do continue to keep all of us in your prayers as I do you.

Love Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,
It is Monday afternoon, and I’m going to start. One of the most recent of side effects is a fuzzy sensation around the eyes and head that hangs around. That used to be the sign for nap time, but now I just have to push through it. So, bear with me. I hope I can tell if I’m not making sense. I spent this a.m. working on health care bills and insurance reports. I shouldn’t be surprised to be fuzzy. After a short nap a friend came by, and brought dinner, and then we took a short walk. I am getting close to the end of chemo- May 18 and the following week. The side effects that seem to build up with time are low red and white blood counts which, with the hair loss, will just have to take time to recover. All of my other lab. report #’s are good- very good, and the soreness from the surgery is finally gone. My weight is also up, and altho it fluctuates, I am now up to about 118. I seem to plateau at a weight, and stay there for a while, so this is a new up from 112. Fatigue is the major effect I deal with, now. Things so vary, but generally I still have a good Fri. afternoon and evening. All things being relative, I can have an energetic afternoon, and still need to go to bed by 9:00. It’s really helpful to split the day into morning, afternoon and evening. Those of you who remember my nightowl tendencies will know how things have changed. Anyway, it is exciting and scary to be heading into the new phase.

I realize at Mass, how little I sing anymore. I used to sing all the way to work- to wake me up, and most of the way home, to stay alert. Music has been a consistent part of life, and a real joy and challenge for me. I was just realizing how everyone I know has shared a little of the music background. As a starter, my Mom was a force behind beginning the music program at Sacred Heart, our tiny high school/gradeschool in our parish in Falls City, NE. They didn’t have a band, but had a vocal music program K-12. We learned part singing as early as 2nd grade, and participated in music competitions in our conference. We also could take private piano lessons, which my sisters and I, and lots of kids did. In high school a group of us always sang the funerals, in Latin, of course, and there were various choirs at many levels. Sr. Mary DeLourdes, one of our music teachers, was a lifelong friends of mine, to the point where people in our same religious community called her my grandmother. I am veering along here, but when I was looking thru my letters, SMD was one of the most faithful
letter writers. I will keep going on a music theme, because this is a good way to remember and connect.

Our biggest home improvement, a wine refrig. in our garage. We don’t have a “wine cellar” collection, but Clark does a great job of having some good bottles. This was to have been Clark’s Xmas present, but I didn’t get it done this year. We were keeping the wine in an old garage refrig that we just used as an insulated cabinet. We used to have some bushes that helped keep the garage cooler until I had the bushes cut way back. So the story goes on and on, but a friend who had just built himself an unbelievable refrigerated wine cellar, needed to get rid of his former one, soooooooooo after rearranging the garage, and making a few other changes,
our friend and Clark got the deed done, and we’re thrilled.

As spring arrives I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful change of seasons. I think I had better close, so I can get this out. Thank you again for all of the prayers, energy and notes. I do so enjoy hearing from everyone.

Love
Annie/Noel

Dear Family and Friends,
This has been an unusual week, an Easter week, indeed. Last Fri., Good Fri., I got a call from my doctor, saying I couldn’t have my usual chemo, because my white-cell count was too low. Well, I expected I might also be feeling weak, wiped-out etc. Instead, I had a very different week, feeling more energy each day. Clark and I were worried enough about not making it to friends’ house for Easter, that we had a plan B. Instead, after usual nap, I was really good. Dinner was early and so it worked very well. The other good news is that my weight is up, about 4 lbs., over the last 4 weeks.

So what does one do with better energy? I did have big catching up to do esp. with parts of the house I haven’t touched since surgery. I also worked on some desk work, and organizing projects for this spring, that have to get some research and action, and of course, some correspondence. One of the best things was walking energy, so although we had a rainy week, I still got in good walks, and some mat exercise at home. Tomorrow, if my labs are OK, I’ll have my full dose of both chems. I’m not looking forward to it, but am curious to see the results. Anyhow, it has been a great week, and fun to be able to share it.

I had hoped to do so many things, but it’s so hopeful to just feel better for a while. I didn’t get any scrapbooking done, but those of you who do it, know how much it takes to get going. I do best when I can spread out all over a big area, and plan to work for several days. I went in to work with a personal trainer after a scrapbooking weekend. When he asked how my body was, I had to mention a stiff neck, upper back problems, and aching shoulders. He was mystified how I’d gotten in such bad shape since our last good session. I couldn’t bear to admit what I’d been up to- no, not backpacking, yoga, pilates, hiking, kayaking, sky diving or anything dramatic- just intense hours of scrapping. Well, he was lucky he didn’t choke, when I finally told him what I’d been doing. He assured me that had to be a first for Gold’s Gym. So after some well-deserved teasing, we got to work, and it was a good work out.

Hope you are all well, and know I still need your prayers and energy. I hope you will include another friend’s friend who has advanced ovarian cancer, but may not be able to have surgery because of a nerve disorder. She is 50, has a great family, but no symptoms or warnings. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Love,
Annie/Noel