The new backyard in the winter

Well it's been 2 months since I last added anything to my blog. I been busy, and really haven't had the chance to update the blog. So for all those who have been checking for any updates I'm sorry I haven't been very diligent in posting. On another note THANK GOD 2005 IS OVER...WELCOME 2006!!!! I'm hoping this will be a better year than 2005, too much bad stuff happened in 05. I am glad to see this new year come. Now that we're in the new house, we're hoping to make a fresh start, and get on with life. I have finished my chemo, and radiation. I got the results of my first CT scan, it was NEGATIVE!!!!. I think that was the best present I could have got so far this year. We are happy to be in our new house. I finally have a 2 car garage that is attached to the house, and has HEAT!! This house is only 30yrs old, as apposed to the other house which was 101yrs old. This house is in a nice Saratoga Springs Development( the oldest house is no more than 40yrs old), with 1 acre of land. On New Years Eve morning we got our new kitchen applances, and in 2 weeks we are getting all new cabintry for the kitchen( I have a lot of work ahead to do). For no the biggest job is to finish moving in, and unpacking all our stuff. This move was by far the worst move I have ever had, and am not moving ever again. Everything that could go wrong...DID! First like an hour before I got home on thursday night to move I got the worst headache, then maybe an hour after that(once my headache was better), the power went out thruout the nieghborhood for 5 hours(just durring the loading of the truck, ever try to load a moving truck in the dark with flashlights...don't). Finally around midnight we loaded as much as we could on the truck, and then jump started the JEEP, to load it on the car transport on the back of the truck. I thought it was all the way on the trailer, so I shut it off, and then realized it needed to be 1 foot deeper onto the trailer. Now it won't restart, and as My luck that night would have it, it started to sleet, and snow! We finally got the Jeep that 1 foot further onto the trailer, and we got underway around 1am. We now had to drive the moving truck, with the Jeep on the back, and the Dakota loaded to the gills, with a trailer hanging of the back in a snow storm. We finally arrived at the new house( driveway plowed in, of course), dropped off our stuff and headed home. We got back to the old house at 3am, so I could get 3 hours sleep before going to work.

another pic

It's just amazing how a little rain makes a Jeep look just a little nicer. Ha Ha

Just a pic of my favorite toy

I just wanted to post a pic of my favorite toy, that I miss driving, and working on. Maybe in the near future I get some time to do some work on it. They just don't make like this anymore.

Good news, and Bad news...

It's been awhile since I last posted, sorry for that. I've been doing alot better since I last posted. I'm finally putting back on some weight since my operation, and my eating habits are pretty much back to normal( oversizing my portions again, and not eating like a bird). At my last appointment with my surgeon, he was suprised at how well my scar was healing. Unfortunately I still can't go back to work, because all the chemo, and now the radiation is knocking the snot out of my white blood cell count, which leaves me open to an increased chance of infections(what would make someone sick for a few days, can send me to the hospital for a few weeks). Now most of you are probably saying,"yea,right who wouldn't enjoy sitting home for a few months"...ME that's who, not liking only getting 70% of my pay, and not being able to afford to go anywhere, or go where there is a crowd for that matter. My only high points this summer have been being able to spend the days with my son, the 3-4 times I've got to take my new boat out(only because it's still on the first tank of gas, only have less than 1/2 tank left, so that's almost over too), and the one yearly family camping trip to Cranberry lake(thank God that chemo the week before didn't kick my ass, and I could still go) I have just ended my first round of chemo, and am begining radiation for six weeks(5 days a week, and taking an oral chemo drug instead of being injected twice a month). They say that I'm doing really well with the chemo, lets hope the same holds true for the radiation. I did notice that I am losing some of my hair on the top( hope it's just thining due to age), it just started last week, and is not from the back of my head (lets hope it's just stress, and leave it at that).

Now for the bad news.....
Last night at 9:30 pm on I-4 in Deland, Florida a good friend of My wife, and I was killed in a car accident while on vacation. Annette, her mother, father, and sister were driving on I-4, when a car crossed the median of I-4, and hit them head on in there rental car. Annette was killed instantly. Her Mother, and Father also died in the crash. Her sister is in critical condition at this time. All our hopes, and prayers go out to her sister, her widowed husband Mark, and her brother Ron. She will be greatly missed by all that knew her, or had the luck of meeting her. She was a very kind person who was always there to help somebody, wheather it was someone who needed cheering up, advice, or help with a problem, she was willing to help anybody. She once even tried to teach my wife to bartend(never worked out, my wife is not the bartending type). It was today that I realized that being perfectly heathly doesn't mean that your going to live a long happy life. That nothing in life is for sure, and no matter what you can go at any time. So for that be thankful everyday folks that you open your eyes, and can be with, and share time with your families, because it all could be gone tomorrow. http://www.wftv.com/news/4821196/detail.html#

More Updates on me

It's now been a little over a month since my surgery. Things are starting to get better. I'm starting to eat like a normal person again(at least portion sizes). I am also noticing my bloodsugar levels getting down to normal ranges, at the times they should. I've started to get some good exercise. I'm riding my bike, doing some light work around the house, and using the Bowflex. I'm still trying to get used to the chemo routine. Have chemo on wed(feel fine, except for little strange woosy feelings, elevated bloodsugar levels), Thrusday(feel fine, no woosy feelings), then Friday(tired, feel like crap, and don't really want to move). Figure that one out, it takes till Friday to wreck me. I guess I'll get used to it, it could be worse( at least I still have my hair, and I'm not getting sick(yet)). On a upward note, my son has learned the best word I could have hoped to hear come out of his little mouth..."JEEP"!! Yes, to most this sounds silly, but to me this is the best I could hear from the son of a Jeep nut. He now also has some little Jeep "CJ" trucks, and is is saying more words everyday, so now we have to watch what we say around the little man.

Getting on with life

When I was first diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer, it struck horror in me. I thought "Oh my god, I have one of the worst cancers, and have little hope of living through this". I have since did some research on this cancer, and found the reason that the outcome is so poor, is that most cases are people between 60-80 years, and diagnosed late(stage 3-4). So I did some thinking, I'm not 60, and my cancer was stage 2(had not spread to other organs). I was told that surgery was my only hope. My surgeon told me that because of my age, and health I stood a better chance than most. He told me that the operation would be about 5-8 hours, and that I would loose part of my stomach, part of my pancreas, part of my small intestine, and my gall bladder. I went in on April 26 for the operation, and came out of surgery 11 hours later(the surgeon came out and told my wife that the tumor was the largest that he ever removed(4.6cm), and if it wasn't from my age, and health that he would have stopped the operation). It's now a month after my surgery, and everyday is getting better(still have some rough spots in my days,but still better than living with a tumor in me). I am learning that the only way to survive this is to want to survive this, and get through it. I have alot going for me, and I know it(my wife, my son, my family(both sides), and my dog(hell if he can beat cancer I should be able to..ha ha)). I am no longer scared of surgery, or doctors. I now know that if it's needed, do it! I have also learned to be even more compasionate for the unlucky, and their family that don't even get the chance that I have been given, to survive this awful cancer. So in closing, I just want to say thanks again for all the support I have got from everybody, and go to www.cancer.org , and get your purple bracelet to help fight, or find more information to stop this cancer from being the killer that it is.

My Blog Page

This is my blog page. I guess everyone else had one, so I created one too. I will use this page to help track my progress through all that is happening. This will also serve as my stress outlet for my own personal rantings, and things that bother me(talking on cell phones when driving, drivers who think they are above all traffic laws, thoughtless people that walk ahead of you through a door, and don't wait the .10 of a second to hold it for you, and let it close right in your face). Pretty much anything that adds to the decline of the western civilization on a daily basis.