Debi

What great pics Becky - they are beautiful!! Can't tell you what I would give to get a picture of you after the canoe trip. You look so darn dignified in this one...

Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle (I think)

UPDATE- SO I call the school and the secretary tried to give me the Dept of Transportation phone number. I insisted on talking to the Principal since he assured me that HE was going to get to the bottom of it...which he did, once I got through to him. Turns out the Bus people added 3 more kids, that live the other direction, out on the dreaded COMMERCE, to the bus route. It adds 11 minutes onto the route. SO the carefully constructed bus schedule that I had to peel from my clenched knuckles last evening, is wrong. Instead of getting to the bus stop at 3:26 (his stop is 3 minutes away from school!), he will be getting there at 3:55ISH. (I'm still not sure how that's 11 minutes). Anyway, the principal says that I should consider myself lucky since they had deleted a stop, so 4 kids couldn't get off the bus when they needed to.. (I'm picturing these kids still riding around on this ghost bus). Thanks for all your concern!!! (and gail, I always remember your story with your son - you give me hope that I will be telling a similiar one in 11 years!)

Against All Odds - Phil Collins (a title close to our hearts!)

I had no idea where to put this post, so I ended up here, as always . Just wanted to share that today was my son's first day of second grade, another milestone for me. When I first found out that I had cancer, I just hoped that I would make it to his first day of pre-k. So, not only did I make it to his first day of pre-k, I made it to the first day of kindergarten, 1st grade, and now 2nd grade (but who's counting?). Just a side note- we almost didn't make it through today. It was his first time ever, riding the school bus home and the bus never came. His father is supposed to pick him up every day and I was home with a cold, his father called to tell me the bus didn't show nor did Eric. So I'm up and out of my bed, immediately in my General Patton mode, told his father not to move from the stop, and I'm driving to the school which is not even 5 minutes away. I trace the bus route-no bus. Long story short, I end up in the office with about 3 teachers and secretaries there and the principal who to me, are a little bit too laid back about this whole incident. The bus is missing, its 25 minutes late by now. By this time I am in my Cousin Vinnie, NY Debi mode. The principal is telling me- "Don't you worry, we have never lost a child" and I'm giving him my ice glare, and asking, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" (this said twice of course, with the second time slightly louder and higher). The secretary is on the phone with the bus driver, telling him my son's name about 10 times and I'm about to leap straight over the desk to wrestle the damn phone from her. I'm asking her, "is the bus driver an idiot?" and she's a total nervous wreck by now. Then she says to me, "oh, we have to wait a few minutes, he's on Commerce and has to pull over to call your son's name out". And I'm looking at the principal, and screaming, "COMMERCE???" What the HELL is he doing on COMMERCE???? (That is the main drag, and nowhere near the bus route.) FINALLY, after what seemed hours, the bus driver relayed that my son WAS on the bus, and he would be dropping him off in about 3 minutes. Just then, my son's father called my cell and I'm yelling in the phone, "when the bus driver gets there make sure you find out why the HELL he was across town, make sure you ask him, you better ask him". The ordeal ended with the principal promising he would get answers for me, and me promising to call him tomorrow. So anyway, moral of the story - I am so grateful that I am still here to go through the stress of first school days, even though I have not necessarily attained sainthood somewhere along the way.

Brian, I was just thinking of Joanie earlier.. thanks so much for the update, you must be exhausted with everything going on, both physically and emotionally!! You make sure to tell Joanie that we are all thinking of her. Sounds like she's having a rough time with all these side complications going on- but tell her it won't be long before she's as good as new (well as new as she can be at her age -make sure you run when you tell her that!). Seriously, you tell her I think of her often, and can't wait till she's back on board, posting herself. My best wishes are with both of you...

Blowing in the Wind - Dylan

To All the Girls I've Loved Before - Willie

Let me just add that I am thrilled about LCSC and LUNGevity joining forces. If you ask me, (OKAY, SO YOU DIDN'T, BUT WHO CARES?), if ALL the Lung Cancer websites and organizations joined together we would have all the more power to get our voices heard. This is definitely the right step to a louder voice without losing the support that we have all grown so accustomed to. What a great deal Katie!

She's Always a Woman to Me- Billy Joel

I have no idea how many times I saw Wizard of Oz but my favorite character was always the scarecrow. Now that I'm older, I kind of like the flying monkeys!

Sharon, How perfectly bizarre that this worked out!

I remember my dreams infrequently. Probably a good thing since the last dream I remembered from a week ago, my girlfriend from work was breeding cattle in her backyard.

Christy, Sorry that you had a bad experience. I just got a tattoo myself when I went to Dallas for Katie's 'Bash' and actually my experience was okay. Where I am in Oklahoma, tattoo parlors are illegal and I thought that's how it was all over the state. Did you go in OK? And if so, are they the only place around, maybe that's why they don't have manners. I know that we are getting a place here in town in November finally- an established one from Gainesville Tx is opening up a branch here. Anyway, don't give up on your tattoo because the people were jerks. It's probably a good thing they showed their true colors BEFORE you got the tattoo. God knows what it would have ended up looking like!!

Good one Teresa!!! Actually, I would contribute something but I could hardly give a Schitt.

All I can say at this point is no more schitt.

John, Of course I wish that your scans came back with no evidence of cancer, just like I wish I never had lung cancer and none of us had to be here... But since we're all here, and what is is, I am really glad to hear that your scans are stable and unchanged. Keep kicking that cancer butt John, you're one of our heroes. (That was a compliment.. don't expect any more for at least another year.. )

I don't like thrill rides, and hated when my daughter would go on them (my son is still too small). I used to make Jessica put her hair in a ponytail because I read once that a girl's hair was flying out behind her and got tangled around a screw on some thrill ride and snapped her neck. Okay, I try not to give in to the voices, I swear..

Can you say obsessive compulsive Geri???? (this coming from a person who has a compulsive need every 2 seconds to keep checking the rearview to make sure her son is still in the backseat of the car- like, where the hell would the kid go that I wouldn't notice that the car door opened while I'm driving?) I did the pants thing but by the time I got back to the computer (10 seconds) I forgot which leg was what. Can you say old age?

I realized at 32 that I was a cat person, after having dogs all my childhood years. I think if I allowed myself, I could easily become a cat collector. I presently have a dog named Lady that we adopted as an adult from the dog shelter (I have no patience for puppy messes). We have a black cat we named Snowball who showed up at my house as a kitten 4 years ago and a calico cat around 5 months old named Baby who we just adopted from the Animal Shelter a month or so ago. I did have a mean *ss iguana named Spike who only allowed me to hold her but she died a few months ago from degenerative bone disease. And of course I had my Casey cat who I lost 2 years ago at 16 to diabetes. I don't think I will ever find another cat that fits in my heart like he did...

Glad to hear your good news!!!

I hear lefties are very humble too....

Darn it all again!!! Okay, bright side, cancer not back. Tell Joanie we're all with her in spirit-

Tell Bev to enjoy the ice cream.. she certainly deserves it!!

Lily, Congratulations all around!!!!