It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hello all!
Just wanted to update and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah! We have been busy at our house shopping and wrapping and decorating and baking..etc. It is extra special this year because we have so much of our family here to celebrate with us! Pat's parents arrived in November and are renting a small furnished home not far from us until February 2009. We have been enjoying their company, especially Sunday dinner at Oma's for delicious German food..yum!

Today my sister and her family flew out of super snowy Las Vegas and arrived safe and sound in San Antonio! This is the first year in many years that my brother-in-law Kevin has been able to get Christmas off from work so it is a real treat for everyone to be together! My nephew Cody loves being around all the loud goofy cousins and when he is here he shares the middle child spot with my Kevin. Fun!

On Sunday my parents will be rolling in from Florida in their RV to spend the week. This is only the second time that my entire family has spent Chriatmas together since 1994! It should be a fun and crazy week with all of us here. I cannot imagine Christmas morning with 14 people opening gifts! We will be baking some breakfast casseroles with cinnamon rolls and coffee. I can't wait! Christmas is by far my favorite holiday!

Our weather here has been a nice mix of pleasant days and chilly nights- giving us the perfect opportunity to build nice roaring fires in the family room. Hot apple cider and crackling logs...it feels like a television commercial for AT&T!

On the health news front- Pat and I both had follow up appointments with our favorite doctor from Radiation Oncology, Dr Dullea. He is pleased with how I am doing since my treatment has ended. Everything looks and feels great on the outside and I am scheduled for my first post-treatment PET scan in mid-January to check on the inside. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a clean one with NO cancer! :) I also need to begin a more aggressive health and fitness program to help combat fatigue and to firm up all the parts that got puffy and jiggly while fighting cancer from the safety of my couch! Luckily my doctor said to wait until after the holidays- that's why we love him!
Pat's health also seems to be improving since his radiation. His breathing has improved immensely and he is not as tired as he had been. He is still receiving weekly chemotherapy which knocks him out of commission for a few days but otherwise he seems to be feeling really good overall. Pat will also get a scan in January to track the progress of this most recent chemo on the tumors in his chest. We are all praying for some good news. January marks two years since Pat's diagnosis and it has been a long hard battle thus far. We could really use a break!

We would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday- whether you celebrate Christmas or Hannukah, we hope you will remember how good it is to be together during this special time. One lesson we have learned is to be thankful of the time you have together and to remember to tell the people you love how much they mean to you. None of us knows what the future will bring so savor the here and now as much as you can. Take care and Happy New Year too!

Today's Glass Half-Full: Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours. ~Swedish Proverb

A New Liver For Maggie!

I know I need to update you all on us...BUT- back in September I posted a bit in my blog about little Maggie who is the same age as Wil. She has been waiting for a liver transplant at Johns Hopkins. Well, she got her new liver on Sunday!! So far so good, a few small bumps in the road but hopefully it will all work out okay. Please keep Maggie and her family in your prayers! I'll post again soon.