For The Love of Mary

My treatment in India is finished I am happy to announce. Jeff and I are in London for a few days of rest, quiet and eating! Cole is currently in Yakima with his cousins and Angie is at home with the dogs (I think).

I am very sad to say that Baby didn't make it out of India with me. It is difficult to accurately describe the process I went through to try to get her home with me. I really thought I had it when I managed to get the Vet to come to the clinic and give the necessary shots, found the exporter and the price was reasonable. I then had about 24hrs to find a kennel and thought mistakenly how hard can that be? I was unable to find a kennel or a pet store in a city of 7 million people. I know it sounds absurd but I couldn't find one. The places I found on line either no longer exsisted or it wasn't the right number or they hung up on me because I don't speak Telagu and they don't speak English. You would think I could have gotten someone to translate for me wouldn't you? If the street dogs weren't like rats to us I may have been able to. Also, if the Raju family (where I was staying) had condoned my efforts I would have gotten assistance from their "servants" (we call them staff). I was heart broken to leave her there. The night before we left she was more playful than I had ever seen her. She ran to greet me when she saw me and bounced her way back to the clinic. The female doctor, Gonga, at the clinic said she would feed her but I have serious doubts about that. It is common for them to tell you yes about anything and everything with no intention of following through.

I had my scans done in India and like everything else it was an adventure. Angie and I went by ambulance to the imaging facility because it was free that way. It was quite a ride. If you have Facebook I posted a few pictures of the ambulance and a video. They were supposed to pick us up at 6 am. They showed at 8 am. They went to the wrong place and we had to wait for Krishnaji to show up at the clinic to call and find out what happened. We returned to the clinic at 4 pm that day. The tests don't show any reduction in tumor size and there is a now measurable tumor in one of my kidneys. The previous scan showed what they call "nuclear activity", meaning tumors not yet measurable in size, in my kidneys and spleen. I don't know that 40 days of any treatment is really what could be considered a fair shot at a treatment modality. The good doctor has sent me home with some herbs, including the nasty tasting one called smirthi, and a treatment method called Takadara that Angie and or Jeff will have to administer for me. Dr. Krishna wants me to do Takadara for 14 weeks and then have my scans again. We will have to find a way for Jeff and Angie to administer the Takadara, as it is an unusual procedure that Krishna wants me to have on my head and my liver, but we will figure it out!

It is common practice for people to ask Krishnaji when he wants them to return for their next treatment. As I mentioned before people return to the clinic year after year because his results are hard to argue with. I did ask him when he wanted me to come back even though I didn't want to ask or know. He asked me when I wanted to come back? I answered truthfully and said "I don't want to come back Krishnaji. This has been very hard for me. I left my six year old son and husband for 2 months." He said "yes, yes" nodded his head and said "come back in 6 months and bring your family. We find an apartment for them to stay in while you in treatment during the day. At night you can be with them". That is not a common thing to do, in fact they tell you that kids aren't allowed to come. It was an extraordinary offer on Krishna's part. I will tell you I find it impossible to think about right now. It wouldn't be possible for Jeff and Cole to go with me in 6 months as Cole will be in the middle of a school year and hopefully Jeff will be employed by then. The thought of going back to India for another 40 days of treatment is beyond my capacity today. I will think about it LATER. MUCH LATER.

For now it is just nice to be in the company of my loving, faithful husband in a country where I can eat the food (meat), drink the water, speak the language, not have to take malaria pills or worry about mosquito's and to sleep in comfortable bed. Just to name a few things I am grateful for. Oh and my drinks can actually be cold and have ice. I am anxious to see Cole, wrap my arms around him and kiss him until he says "mom STOP", which won't take long I am sure.

On Jeff's journey to India his Cpap (breathing machine) was stolen or scanned in security and not put back into his luggage. When we flew back through Mumbai we went in search for it at the airport. WRONG MOVE! They directed us to another building and we made the BIG mistake of going outside to go to the other building. Once you step outside of building you can't get back in with out a boarding pass and the domestic and international flights are in different buildings. We stepped outside and the WOULD NOT let us back in to take the bus to the international building. We had to take a cab! The first cab we got into (with all our luggage) was VERY strange and when they wanted us to pay before hand I said "NO" and Jeff said "this doesn't feel right, let's get out". We quickly did. It is a good thing there were so many people around. We hauled our luggage back to the front of the building, hailed an employee and said please help us get a cab, which they did. This car was clearly marked like a cab. Forty five minutes and $40 later we were dropped at the international building........ One of the patients I was at the clinic with called things like this "Indian Torture". We left Mumbai 5 hrs ahead of the terrorist attacks!

Have I said yet that I am glad to be out of India? Angie is also glad to be out of India. As for Jeff, he has had to rent a Cpap machine in London, which they would only do for a month, not a week. He to is glad to be out of India!

If the treatment cures my cancer it is certainly is worth every second of seperation, inconvenience, expense and annoyance. If it doesn't, well, we made some new friends, learned a ton of new things and can check one more attempt of the list.

We will be home soon and I look forward to being in touch.

As always my love and gratitude,
Mary

Greetings from Hyderabad!

Angie arrived safe and sound. It is really wonderful to have her here. The good doctor told me my pulse was strong the last two days. I told him it was because my sister is here now and it makes me happy. He "yes, yes" nodding vigorously. Angie has done pretty well with the jet lag but is getting tired in the late afternoons. Everyone has told me how delightful, wonderful, sweet and beautiful she is. YEP, I know but thanks for saying so.

A few days ago I asked Krishna if he had treated carcinoid cancer before and he said "yes". I then asked if he had cured it and again he said "yes". Naturally I asked how long did it take and he said "it depends". So I tried a few other ways to get my question answered like how many times did they have to come? He said "it depends". Then I tried how long did they stay? He responded "all different times". OK it depends. Later I asked the female doctor, Gonga, if she had seen carcinoid cancer here. She said "yes" and that Krishnaji had in fact cured it! She continued saying Ayurveda cures many things western medicine can not. Now that is what I like to hear.

There are 14 patients here now so the place has gotten busy and more vibrant. Before I started into my next treatment series I asked the good doctor if I/we could go out for a meal. I was dying to eat my heart out! He said yes and recommended where we go. Angie, Ron (an Austrailian patient) and myself went to Film City. A place outside of Hyderabad where they make a lot of films. Did you know that India makes more movies per year than ANY other country? I didn't know that. There are a couple of hotels in Film City and we ate at one of them. It was DELIGHTFUL.... I was a really happy camper all day long. The food was great and we had fun. I managed to take a large bite of what I thought to be a snap pea that turned out to be a chile. The waiter told me what it was after I took the bite. We had cloth napkins and I could not spit it out. Oh man, was that baby HOT. My eyes watered, my nose ran and it would not stop. Of course I thought, great now I won't be able to taste anything. Nothing that disastrous happened. I just had to wait a good bit before I could go on eating but I recovered and went on to enjoy the rest of the meal. We all got a good laugh out of it.

Baby, the one eyed dog, is still with us and thriving. She has created quite a stir as of late. She went into heat and has attracked all of the other stray dogs. Particularly the males but the females have come to. This isn't a good thing. One stray dog was pushing it in this neighborhood. Now there is a pack. There are dog fights in the street and it has made many of the residents unhappy. One of the management called "the dog catcher" because they are getting brave. Baby, now used to being petted, has come looking for Kate and myself which means she is on the Raju Family's property. On the second and third floor. She had one boy dog following her around for several days and he wouldn't let any other dog close. I asked Harish, the family member that called the dog catcher to please not let them take Baby, that she is a good, gentle dog and won't hurt anyone. He said he can't have her laying in the stairwells with patients coming in the middle of the night. I told him I understood but to please not let them take her that I was trying to get her home. My concern was she would be beaten to death. He told me not to worry because whenever someone called it seemed the animals knew and they all disappeared. A funny thing occurred....they all disappeared, including baby. They were gone, gone, gone. You couldn't find any of them in the entire community. I thought they had captured the dogs. Not even close. Baby is back and her buddy comes and goes. I was relieved. Angie brought her a collar so even if they do show up they won't take her. It has been difficult to arrange to get her home. I know what I need to do to have it happen but making it happen in India is a different matter. I did find a pet exporter but he was outrageously expensive. I will keep looking for options and trying to get english speaking people on the phone (a major chore). She is such a sweet girl. I also found dog food for her at the store, which I am sure she has never had. She likes it and now refuses to eat rice. Go Baby!

I am doing well. I would still rather be home but I am feeling good. My energy has really improved and I am walking some, most days. I climb stairs many times a day and can tell it is making a difference. It is great to be feeling stronger. It has been a LONG time since I have felt this way. In theory I have 13 days of treatment left. Theory because the good doctor often changes his mind. I don't expect to be an exception to this. When I am done with treatment I will have the scans done and we will see what, if anything, has changed. One thing I forgot to mention before is Krishna is also an Allopathic doctor. He can call up a pharmaceutical company and get the peptides for me. He also is going to send me to the top Oncologist in Hyderabad and see what he recommends. I have been looking at the nueroendrocrine peptide in greater depth and have found literature that describes the side effects. They aren't good and I can't find out if they are temporary or not. I am hoping the Oncologist can answer that question. I don't know why I didn't think to look at the side effects before, but I didn't. They are significant effects including kidney damage. I won't be doing that if they are permanent.

Not surprisingly, I miss my boys. It is easily the hardest part of all of this. It hurts my heart.

They celebrated my birthday with me here by buying me a cake (thank you Kate) and singing to me. It was very sweet. The cake was one of the best cakes I have ever had and it had no eggs! They put an interesting "candle" on it. It was on a stand and looked a bit like a funnel. You light a red spot in the center of it (with incense of course) and it blooms (or bursts) open lighting six candles surrounding it. It then starts playing 'Happy Birthday'. A musical candle. They told me it would play all night. They had one patient put it in water to shut it up and it kept playing. I left it in the room we had cake in! I went back the next morning and it was indeed still playing. Made in China.

Jeff and Cole celebrated my birthday by having a surprise party for me and Skyping so I could see the party. It was VERY VERY sweet. It did make me a bit homesick but it was wonderful to see everyone there and I know they had a good time. There are pictures of it on Facebook.

I wish you were ALL here with me. It would make it so much easier. And just think of the memories we would have!!!

I am sending my love across the wi-fi and the ocean,
Mary

And I want a big fat juicy STEAK with potatoes and gravy (beef). I would make a horrid vegetarian. I know you are pleased to hear this Jeff. He made me promise I wouldn't come back vegetarian. The food is good here but I often feel hungry. I really don't like feeling hungry. So American, I know. For all our countries faults I am happy to be from the USA.

I would like to dispel the notion in some people's minds that I am at a spa. I know the treatments sound WONDERFUL and many of them are. I assure you however, this is far from being a spa. I have taken pictures, but of course can't figure out how to download them here. Where are you when I need you Tyler? I am still computer illiterate. I have managed to figure out how to post them to Facebook so if you would like to see pictures of the treatment rooms and how I am fed look on Facebook. For those of you that don't have Facebook I'm sorry. Maybe some day I won't be illiterate. I eat from tins and the treatment beds are wooden slabs with holes in the ends of them for the liquids to drain out of. The drains are large plastic tubes. I have bruises on my bum, elbows and hips from laying on the beds. Some of the treatments you get to lay on plastic cushions that have foam in them. The plastic is hard and ALWAYS slippery cuz all the oil they use doesn't ever come up. Probably because they don't use soap when they wash them! The shower (they call it that, I would not) is a pipe coming out of the wall that sprays all over the room when you stand under it. They do have regular toilets, not holes in the floor like many places here, and for that I am grateful. Enough said.

Baby, the one eyed, no longer limping dog is doing quite well. She has a spring in her step and is wagging her tail when she sees me or Kate. People stare and make comments at us (which of course I don't understand) when they see us petting her but I don't much care. She is a sweet girl. I posted pictures of her on Facebook a few days ago. I have stopped a maid from pouring water on her, just to be funny, a street worker from hitting her with a hoe and one of the drivers from just maliciously scaring her. They are terrible to dogs here and it is making me crazy. I know, I know Jeff but I can NOT stand by and watch it happen. I CAN'T. Sorry. I am trying to find out what it will take to get her back to the States because when Kate and I leave her future looks grim. I promise to find her a home honey!!!

A very little gecko has taken up residence with me and I am enjoying watching him skitter around the room. Think I can make friends with him before I leave? No, Jeff I will not bring him home to. Promise.

Now that I have shared with you how computer illiterate I am (many of you know this to be true) I have to share a funny story. The house I am staying in has Wi-fi, mostly, but no one could remember the password so I could get on. When I wanted to use the computer I had to go across the street and hook up to Wi-fi there. At night when I could talk with Jeff and Cole on Skype I had to go sit in the Lobby of the Clinic. Not only was there no privacy but the mosquito's seem to love me here, even with repellent on. I kept asking Krishnaji, the good doctor, for the password. He would give me one, it wouldn't work and he would give me another. They never worked. I stopped asking but I kept trying to figure it out so I didn't have to go out at night. I went to have my pulse checked one morning, as I do every day, and said to Krishnaji "I am very proud of myself today". He naturally asked me why, to which I told him I had figured out the password at the house. He clapped his hands, laughed and said "you a good hacker". I then laughed and said "that is the funny part, I am virtually illiterate when it comes to computers". He threw his hands to the sky belly laughed and said "how you do it then"? To which I said "sheer determination". He got very serious and said "what the password? I have to writed down" and again he smiled.

It is with that sheer determination that I plan to find a cure for the cancer. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be here. Good people are taking wonderful care of me and the good doctor is a marvel.

My love,
Mary

Needless to say it has been an interesting experience. I have had eight days of treatments. They will change as I go along. This last week was oil messages, water treatment with boiled herbs poured over my body for 45 min, doughnut shaped dough over my lungs and small back filled with hot oil and pearls (yes pearls) and a cold treatment drizzled over my head. Their treatment beds are not like ours and I have had a hard time getting comfortable. The treatment that apparently puts everyone else asleep creates awful pain in my back. They are doing everything they can to make me comfortable but my scoliosis throws a wrench in things. Today was the most comfortable I have been.

I have felt good at times during the day and a few hours later can be feeling sick. It has happened repeatedly and am told it is normal. I was better today. I am grateful I haven't been prone to mood swings in my life cuz I will tell you they are no fun.

The herb I told you Krishnaji wants me to take 6 times a day called Smirthi is NASTY stuff. Most folks take it once a day. I have only managed to get to 4 times a day. It is actually a paste and most people just swallow it. I can't do it as it burns my throat terribly that way. I have to mix it with water and drink it. You won't find Smirthi if you google it as a few have already tried. The RAju Family are supposedly the only people on the planet that have this formula. It is supposed to trigger cellular memory. It triggers my gag reflex right now.

It remains hot and I think sometimes I may spontaneously combust.... It rained this afternoon which was pure joy for me. I went out and stood in it.

I have had my first true "Indian" experience. I was riding to treatment in one of their cars (I use that word car loosely) and was turned around talking to the women in the back seat and the door I was leaning against flew open. Out I started to go head first! The technician by the name of Vasomatti grabbed my arm and I grabbed the dash. PHEW. I didn't get hurt and we all got a good laugh out of it. Kate the other female patient here with me said when we were getting into the car "this car is TERRIBLE". She was right. She told the Doc the next morning what she thought of the car. She reminds me of Laurel and I am glad to have her here. She has been here 7 times and knows the ropes which has been helpful.

Their are wild dogs through out India and the people think of them the way we think of rats. It is quite sad to me. They are obviously starving and they run in packs like in Mexico just to survive. There is a female that has taken to sleeping in front of the clinic. She has only one eye, she limps and has clearly just had puppies that are no where to be found. She is sad beyond belief. Kate and I have taken to feeding her and petting her which brings all kinds of strange reactions from the people here. We are calling her baby. She saw me get out of the car today and came running toward me wagging her tail. We hadn't seen that before. It made both Kate and I happy. We recognize it may be awful for her again when we leave but for a time she will have some love. I wish I could bring her home with me! What do you think Jeff????? Don't answer that I already know.

I have to go my technician has shown up to give me my evening foot message and head treatment.

Aside from missing my boys terribly I am doing just fine. Counting down the days until Aunt G gets here.

I hope you all are well and that the sun has started to shine in Seattle.

Love to all,
Mary

I made it, 38 hrs later I am here. I have been here for 24 hrs and have a few first impressions. The sun never stops shinning here. It was 98 degrees when I arrived here yesterday. Coming from the rain it is a welcome change. One of the first things I noticed is 99.5% of the women have long hair and few of them go gray even in later years. Then on the plane from Mumbai to Hyderabad NO one spoke until the plane was about to land. I have never been on a plane that quiet and it was full. The ride into the clinic was a delight of sight, sound and smells. There really are cows walking down the center of busy paved streets and people herding sheep across their major highways. Everyone stops and lets them pass. They honk at one another constantly but don't at the animals. Maybe they know it won't work. They have many wondering dogs, much like Mexico, that no one is caring for.

There are 9 of us at the clinic now. It holds 26. It is their slow season due to the heat. On Sunday there will be 3 of us left. A week from Sun there will be 2 of us. If no one comes after that I will be there only patient. I should get some GOOOD looking after don't you think. Since there are so few of us here the Raju Family is cooking for us instead of the regular cooks. To my benefit I understand, as the food is usually bland. It is quite good, thank goodness. You know how I like good food.

I met the Dr. this am. Nothing in my realm of experience with doctors was like this. He asked me what the doctors told me. Read my large medical file, took my pulse and said they will give a packet of herbs but "you take nothing without checking with me first. Take Smithi (an herb) 6 times a day, drink hot water for your cough and most importantly you must be brave." That got me to smile and I said to him "I am nothing if not brave. That one I have covered." He smiled for the first time and said "good, good, most important part." He than said they will come and get you for your first treatment and that was that.

I did have my first round of treatments today and it was a series of the most wonderful messages, oils, buttermilk, head rubs, poundings, water pourings and hot oils. That goes on 7 days a week. My smirthi was just delivered. The herb the doc has recommended I take 6 times a day. It has honey in it so it can't taste that bad. We will see at 3:30 this morning, or 3:00 pm your time.

I have talked to Jeff and Cole on Skype and FaceTime and they seem so close. Before I left town we had a slew of visitors and on Monday Cole asked me if he could talk to me in his room. He proceeded to ask me if I could have them all go home and just have family time. I told him we were going to have all day on Tues together and he didn't have to go to school. He seemed ok with that. He went to TaeKwonDo, earning his second stripe on his yellow belt, came home and Deborah Juarez was visiting. She had been there shortly before he left for TaeKwonDo. He went to his room got his semi-automatic nerf gun, came into the hallway and shot Deborah directly in the head! I guess he wasn't satisfied with we will have family time tomorrow. She turned her head away as to not laugh and handled it with the grace that only Deborah could. It helps that she has raised 4 children of her own and adores kids. Kids will always let you know what is going on if given an opportunity. My little Assasin. Naturally he claims he wasn't aiming at her....

Angie is coming on June 17th and Jeff on July 11th. They will be welcome sights.

My love to all,
Mary

Happy Spring! Yes, but where is it? There are a few rays of sunshine out today and it would be nice if it would stick around a while. (said by a woman that LOVES the rain)

Well I finally submitted to the scans to see what, if anything, was happening to the tumors. I also had the tumor markers taken and the results are mixed. While two of my tumor markers were normal one of them was elevated. The most "accurate" marker was once again normal which it has been four of the last five tests. I do attribute that to Protocel the supplement I am currently using. The serotonin was four times what it should be. The scans show some growth in two of the tumors, one in my liver and one in my stomach. The growth is 3mm, very small. There is also a new tumor in my neck that appears to be in lymph which isn't terribly surprising since we have known it is in my lymph system. Matt, the oncologist, says the Protocel isn't working. I am just not ready to say that yet, with the most sensitive marker being normal four times in the last eight months, so I continue taking the Protocel. I am having another MRI this week or next to have a better look at the tumor in my neck and to check the white spots they found in my brain over a year ago. The white spots are not "supposedly" related to the cancer.

While I am not willing to concede that the Protocel isn't working the news has spurred me to make our arrangements to go to India where we will locate (somehow) the nueroendrocine peptides that I can't get in this country. We have also made the decision for me to stay in an Ayurvedic Hospital for treatment. The nueroendrocine peptides and ayurveda are completely separate treatments. Ayurveda is the oldest medicine in the world and it is ALL natural. We have chosen the facility that I will be at and it is in Hyderabad, India. They have asked me to stay for 50 days to start with and I will do that. We have also found a western medicine doctor there that is trying to help us locate the peptides. I have sent the formula we are looking for and are waiting to hear back from them. Beyond that we don't have anything else in place. We are applying for visa's and trying to work out all the details of how to make this all happen. I do know that Jeff will be with me for part of my stay and Angie is going to join me for part of it also. The Ayurvedic facility lets someone come and stay with you for peanuts a day. I am very grateful for that. There are MANY MANY pieces to this complicated puzzle, that have been overwhelming at times, but I am certain it will happen. My hope is that we will make it there by the end of May. There may not be any reality to that time frame but I am shooting for it anyway. "God Willing and The Creek don't Rise".

I continue to steam, take Vit D and go to nuerofeedback (biofeedback of the brain). My Vit D plummeted from 80 to 61 last testing. I thought I was having a reaction to it, stopped it for only a week, then lowered my dose to 8,000 IU/day. What I had was Impetigo not a reaction to D. In that short period of time my D dropped markedly. The moral of the story is don't stop taking your D even for a week. I was surprised!

I have been meaning to tell you about the nuerofeedback I have been doing for over a year and keep forgetting. I have been seeing Bev Brashen for this specialty treatment. It is very much like biofeedback of the brain and helps to re-regulate the brains natural, healthy patterns. It has a fascinating history and great success with many disorders including epilepsy, depression, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, sleep and addictions just to name a few. It has helped me to regulate my life long sleep disturbance and bolstered my immune system. It also relaxes me deeply. I have loved doing it and am forever grateful to Bev for having suggested it. Naturally, it has been shunned from mainstream medicine because the pharmaceutical companies can't make any money on it and they can't control it. Do I sound bitter? I really am not. I have just learned more than anyone would want to know about how medicine works, or doesn't, in this country. That is NOT an indictment on the marvelous doctors that practice medicine to help people. We have encounter many such docs on our journey.

We all continue to be unemployed in our household but it has been quite a blessing, in disguise, of course. Jeff is still looking for work and I am glad he hasn't taken anything he hasn't felt really good about. Call me selfish, but I want him to go to India with me! I know he has been happy to spend so much time with Cole and me. Angie being willing and able to come to India and stay at the hospital with me, while observing the treatments, will be a wonderful addition to her education at Bastyr. Cole won't be going to India with us for many reasons. Maybe next time.

Saving the best for last... I want you to know I feel better than I have in two years. Most of my energy has returned and my mind finally seems to have been mostly restored. I can hold information for longer periods of time and my tracking has definitely improved. I am looking forward to trying to regain some of my physical strength and stamina. The plan is for things to keep looking up.

I will keep you posted as India unfolds and definitely from India.

Many blessings,
Mary

It is a Happy New Year in our house. We got the blood work back from the latest screening and we are once again doing the happy dance. This time there is no roller coaster ride just dancing and thanking the good Lord. The most sensitive marker is Chromogranin A and is indicative of cancer growth. The normal range is 0-50. Last time my chromogranin was 100. This time it was 5. Yes 5! 5, 5, 5, 5, 5. Serotonin is also measured and normal is 0-220. Last time mine was over 1000. This time it was 46. Yep, you are reading right 46. Serotonin in massive doses like I had is what ultimately damages the heart, as it floods from the liver to the heart, and is also partly responsible for the flushing I experience. I didn't have scans done so we don't know if the cancer is receding or not. I will have those nasty scans next month (I keep saying that)! The other test that showed improvement was my Vit D. It went from 71 to 80. The Vit D council recommends that people with chronic illness have a level from 80-100. Which reminds me. Have you all had your D checked? Ya, here I go again. Vitamin D is involved in over 2000 gene's. Which means it has a TON to do with your long term health and even more important, healing. PLEASE, get your D checked. It's easy and cheap.

Next week marks the two year anniversary of the bilateral mastectomy and the beginning of a long arduous journey. Jeff and I were talking about the first surgery and it feels more like ten years than two. I will have my sixth and hopefully final surgery a week from today. So much has happened in the last two years that it is just simply hard to take it all in and sift through it.

Over the holidays I started rereading the best of the cancer books I've collected and was reminded of the significant difference that friends and family make on a cancer patients survival. Cancer patients survive up to 60% longer when they have a good support system in place. Here's how I figure it... I have a much better than good support system. I have an UNBELIEVABLE support system so I'm thinking my survival must be up to 100% and we can just beat this damned disease. I know all of you have wanted to do something, anything to help and those studies prove YOU HAVE. It has made all the difference in the world and then some. Jeff and I feel grateful (understatement) and blessed.

Jeff is still looking for work. We have had a wonderful few months hanging out together. He has gotten serious about his job search and things have started to look more promising. I think he is ready to go back to work. It has been really great for me and I will miss not having him here all the time.

Cole's newest adventure is Tae Kwon Do. White Gee and all. So if he "hi ah's" you, I apologize! It is delightful to watch and his master is wonderful with the kids. There are little 9 yr old black belts. Holy Cow! Cole's school teacher told us last week that she is sure Cole now understands everything she is saying in Spanish (he is in Spanish Immersion school) as he is translating it all to English, out loud of course, and she has to stop him. He is reading in Spanish as well. We are really pleased that he will be bilingual in a short time.

Aunt G (Angie) is still living with us and continues with her studies at Bastyr. She remains a ray of sunshine in my life as those of you that know her can easily see. Jeff teases her, as only brothers can do, that Cole will be leaving home before her!

I wish you all a loving, joyous and healthy year.

My love,
Mary