Time Change... Ugh!

Up at 3:30 this morning!

I love that it will now be lighter in the morning, but this time change really messes me up. I usually wake up at 4:30 - 5:00, so I knew I would be awake around 3:30 - 4:00. I tried to go back to sleep, but that didn't happen, so at 4:15 I got up and made coffee. I love how people say you get an extra hour of sleep. Yeah, only if you actually fall back asleep!!

I hope it doesn't take too long to get back on track!

College Campus Tours

My daughter, Haylee, is a junior in high school, and we are now starting to tour college campuses. Yesterday we attended UNC Charlotte's open house. The campus is beautiful, and Haylee really liked it. I also think she likes the idea of living near/in a big city. Before touring UNCC her number one choice leaned towards ECU, which we will be touring on November 12th. Now she's not so sure about ECU. She's also interested in UNC Wilmington, which we will tour on December 3rd.

Yesterday she kept saying she didn't know if she wanted to be a Pirate, a Seahawk, or a 49er! After she tours the other campuses I hope her choice will be easier!

Normal Labs

Dennis had his labs done yesterday and the results are normal. I did notice 2 items flagged with a "L". RBC was 4.40 (range 4.50-5.90), and Absolute Lymphs 1.1 (range 1.5-5.0). I'll have to check Google University to see what these numbers mean. More good news, Dennis has gained 6 pounds! It must have been all the brownies he ate while at his moms this past week.

His next CT scan will be on December 2, with the results, labs, and Zometa infusion on December 5th. I'm glad there will be one more scan this year since the start of my insurance year will change from March 1st to January 1st. Unfortunately, this means I'm screwed out of 2 months since I hit my out of pocket maximum. We will have an information session about our insurance today, and I have a few questions about our prescription drug plan. Needless to say my monthly insurance premium will be increasing AGAIN, along with my prescriptions and co-pays!

Insurance - it's a love / hate relationship!

Grandfather Mountain

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous out, and I decided to take a trip to the mountains to view the fall foliage. The leaves are just starting to peak in the higher elevations. I traveled north on 421 to Boone, picked up 221/321 to Blowing Rock, and hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Grandfather Mountain, which was my final destination.

Panoramic view from the Blue Ridge Parkway before the Linn Cove Viaduct.

Viaduct straight ahead!

View from Grandfather Mountain

View of the mile high swinging bridge on Grandfather Mountain.

Trail from the lower parking lot to the swinging bridge.

It was such a beautiful drive I might have to do it again next week during peak!!!

2011 Coleman Classic

This year our Coleman Classic Golf Tournament was held on Sunday, September 25th. We had thirty-five golfers participate, and about fifty people who came out and purchased a plate of food for our cause. It was a great time, and we were lucky the weather cooperated. It didn't rain until 8:30 that evening, right when we were leaving. 


So, let's get to our final dollar amount. Drum roll please...


We raised $1600 for kidney cancer research!! How awesome is that?!

All proceeds from our fundraiser will be donated this week to the UNC Cancer Center, for Kidney Cancer Research.

Thanks to all who donated!

Searching...

for direction.

There's a lot going on in my life at the moment, and it's a bit overwhelming.
Taking it one day at a time...

Staying Busy!

Last month I took a trip to NY to pick up Haylee. On the return trip we planned a few stops. We went to Philly, and then to DC, returning home the day before she went back to school. We were around the DC area when the earthquake hit, but we were in the car and never felt it. I was a bit disappointed that I missed it.

I continue to run, but it's not consistent. My last run was on Saturday. The days are shorter now, and I no longer run in the morning before work since it's dark outside. The temperatures are cooling down, so I will be able to run after work, and not overheat.

Dennis had his scans on September, 9th and we saw the nurse on September, 12th for the results. Dennis remains stable. He will return in 6 weeks for labs, and return 6 weeks after that for scans.

The 2011 Coleman Classic Golf Tournament will be held on September, 25th. This is our Kidney Cancer Research fundraiser with the proceeds given to the UNC Cancer Center. I hope we have great weather that day, and lots of people!!