Tuesday...December 30...2008

Mrs. Wood is struggling a bit with these "hairballs"......she's not sure if it's the antibiotics or the mucus thinner but it's giving her the "fritz". Today we did the "dentist trip"...each of us had two sessions...so we are "dentist'd up" till May....

Tomorrow we clean the place up and leave for Salem to celebrate new year's with friends.....we haven't told them we have not stayed up for the midnight hour for quite a few years....

We then visit some dear friends in Portland ...catch a Blazer game...see our kids...etc...etc..and then fly out late the 6th for Florida.

Thanks much for the notes of encouragement on the Blog....and the emails from those afraid to leave messages on the Blog. ...Linda "thrives" on the notes.... We are set to install software that identifies everyone who visits the Blog and records their names and emails.....then if no message is left, a threatening follow up email is automatically sent (I made all of this up). Leave messages when visiting....it's like "transfusions" for Miss Linda.

I have more to write but I've got 45 pages left in a Clive Cussler novel which has to be returned to the library tomorrow before departure.....

Monday...December 29th...2008

The doctor saga today.....

Linda got up promptly before 8 am and started her calls....she couldn't get the medical oncologist so she did get the radiation oncologist nurses...they indicated no help there (their expertise is radiation)....we then got hold of the nurses in the medical oncologist office....when they heard "heart" concerns, they said "Immediate Care"....

The "gold" was in a call to Linda's regular physician...an internist....a 4:20 pm office visit was quickly scheduled.

The visit...Linda's doctor is a "hoot"....no hand holding....just the bare facts....but transmitted in a way that we can handle and act on it (that's all we wanted....what is going on and how do we deal with it). Anyway the doctor first said no pity for the face cancer as that was too common but some pity for the lung cancer....it seems harsh on paper but was actually very funny.

To sum it all up....she said no heart problems....no bone problems....the heart was impacted by the coughing and lung problem in a way because of the location of all of this in the chest area....and the pain in the arm was a result of this.....so no bone cancer....no heart problems.

She described Linda's lung as full of "dirt" (from the radiation killing cancer cells in the lung, etc.)....she also said it was like having "hair balls in the plumbing". So it seems the lung, with all of this, cannot easily rid itself of the bronchitis/pneumonia ....so what Linda is experiencing is an extended version of what a normal individual can get rid of in a week or two....and we all know this round of bronchitis is lasting as long as three weeks. Linda is finishing her 5th week.

What now....Linda got a big nasty shot of antibiotics....half in the right cheek and the other half in the other cheek....and "them ain't" the facial cheeks. Tomorrow she starts on another round of antibiotics by pill form....she also is taking medication to break up the "plugs". The doctor wants her to continue with the coughing to rid herself of the mucus.

Linda feels much better knowing all this....it was clear her level of concern was increasing....as she said tonight, " I didn't go through all of that stuff last year to die of something else this year".

Tomorrow the dentist checkups and then dental cleanings and Wednesday.....on to Portland for a few days prior to a flight to warmer weather.

Thanks for your good energy to assist Linda through the past couple of days.

Saturday...December 27th...2008

Linda's left arm to starting to hurt....of course she then worries about the "signs" the doctor warned about....ie..has the cancer metastasized....bones are a prime location....it hurts her, particularly when she coughs..anyway she lost sleep last night worrying about it....Monday morning she is calling her oncologist....for that and also to see if she can get referred to a pulmonologist to check on the persistent cough....

So beam a lot of positive energy Linda's way....

Friday...December 26th...2008

All company has left..just the two of us to run around the house (ok, limp). today we went to bend to visit a deal friend of Linda's, Deb, who is doing chemo in the same place Linda did hers...it was good to see nurses and Susie, nurse practitioner, who took so good care of Linda.

Mrs. Wood got her new hearing aid turned down a bit by COSTCO, where she bought it, as it was getting too much noise (go figure..I have the same issue...too much information for the brain, through noise).

We plan on 4 or 5 days of quiet time before traveling to Portland for a few days prior to our flight back to sunny (and warm!) Florida.

Linda's surgery is healing up....her cough persists.
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Thursday...December 25th...2008

Merry Christmas everyone!

We had our Christmas two days ago when the family could be here....Janine is the only one left...to keep her mom company for a few days.

We have never seen so much snow here..it doesn't seem to stop...keeps the ski areas happy.

Linda got her stitches in her face out...now she has the strips to keep all in place for a few days. Her cough continues..we are considering seeing a pulmonologist if things continue...to see if something can be done...her pulmonologist moved to Portland so she'd have to find a new one.

We now wait a few days for final dental work and then travel to Portland for a week before flying back to Florida.

Enjoy your family and holidays...when the family was here, we took clear glass Christmas ornaments and filled them with colorful ribbon and plastic snow and..and..and wrote something we were greatful for on a ribbon and put it in the ornament also...it was great to hear most all say that family was what they were most greatful for. I said I was greatful to have Linda for this past year as at one time it didn't seem it would happen.

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Monday....December 22nd...2008

Medical update...Linda's surgery is healing well...Dr. Wood is bandaging the wounds every day...Mrs. Wood is starting to feel better....one can tell.....because now she is telling Mr. Wood how to do it.... the stitches are to come out Wednesday.

Linda's bronchitis is stilling lingering...slowly going away..slowly....

Linda's shoulders are sore..she needs her acupuncture...Dave, the massage therapist (ie Me) is filling in, poorly.

Dave's dermatology biopsy was negative..so one skin cancer (Linda's) is enough excitement. His PDT(Photo dynamic Therapy) is healing well...the skin is sensitive, they said, for 6 weeks.

Dave's visit to the doctor for a cholesterol recheck was non eventful..and that's the good news. The numbers are much better than in August....so no meds needed..whew! .....another follow up in May.

We just got back from three days in Portland..which is normally a non event..but with the worst weather since 1943, it was an event...we visited friends and kids and all and traveled quite a bit even though the weather was quite miserable (Portland people just don't know what to do in snow). We bought our first set of chains in 25 years...and sad to say, we had to use them...as coming home last night , there was so much snow on the road covered by freezing rain.....a bad combination....

But the good news is we got all our visits in....as Linda said, putting everything off til next week or so would not seem like Christmas. Tomorrow the kids are to make it over.....how many will come because of the weather is unknown...Wendy, Taigen and Chris made it from Seattle to Portland today...they and Janine and Jim and Jenn are all coming (we hope) tomorrow by caravan.....we hope all make a good safe decision based on the weather. Jeff comes from Bend.

That's about it....we hope your holidays will be great ones...


Pictures....Linda decorating the graves for Christmas.....Linda and friend Nancy "no cooperate" for a picture....snow at home...and more snow since....
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Thursday...December 18th...2008

Where do I start..today being "medical day".....

First, I was able to practice my old ski patrol skills again, being the designee to clean, medicate and rebandage Mrs. Wood. I think I did a pretty good job. It looks to me like the doctor did a great job...although the cuts are 2 and 1/2 inches and 3/4 inch, the suturing was very good....only two small spots of any size. We clean and rebandage the wound every day and she gets the sutures out on the 24th.

I got my sutures out today..I maximized my wound...there were only two sutures...not three! The results of the biopsy are not back yet, as for whatever reason, they were sent to a different lab than Linda's.

Off we then went to the medical oncologist...to his new office complex....what a place..(but not neat enough to go through chemo again!). He examined the Xrays and all and told Linda the left lung was exhibiting a "consolidation"...ie collapsing in part..due to the impact of the radiation. He reminded her she has had massive amounts of radiation. He was unable to say absolutely that she had no cancer in the lung but he said that the lung should be the most cancer free area in her body due to the radiation. He said he has seen hundreds of Xrays just like hers and he says they always seem to be the impacts of the radiation. He said he could do a scan but was inclined not to (unless Linda wanted one). He wanted to wait until April, when we return from Florida...the net results are the same.....no loss for waiting.

We agreed to wait unless the radiation oncologist wanted to do something different....in which the two of the oncologists would "arm wrestle" and have a recommendation.

Off to Costco we went for a delicious lunch of soft ice cream, which Mrs. Wood slipped between her swollen lips.

We then met with the radiation oncologist....short version...he agreed with the medical oncologist...he saw nothing to worry about...he didn't want to see her until August.

What does this all mean....most likely cancer will not show up in the lung anyway....it most likely will show somewhere else in the body if it shows up....metastasizing is the term used....but there is no evidence of any of this. We plan on spending the next 4 months living our lives in gratitude of each day we have....we will take some exotic trips...etc..etc.

Thanks to all of you for your positive energy which was very helpful in getting us to this point. Keep it coming.....we are grateful....very grateful. When you visit the BLOG, please leave a short "atta girl" so Linda knwos you are there...it is easy to do ..follow the instructions on top of the page.

Although it snowed all day today, two days ago it was beautiful and cold...I leave you with some pictures of our "winter wonderland". these are the "Three Sisters"..."South"...Middle" and "North"...or as we prefer..."Faith", Hope" and "Charity".....enjoy!

Dave

Wednesday...December 17th...2008

We're in shock......

Linda's surgery today was not what we had anticipated....it was limited to a "stage 1" surgery (thank God)...but the reconstructive followup was very extensive....much ....much more than we figured....we wish they had given us advance notice about the extensiveness of everything....but we have "move on"....

The cancer was above the left side of her mouth ..above the lip by about 3/4 of an inch. The doctor removed the cancer in his first effort (he said it was the first stage 1 surgery he had had all day..the rest were stage 2)... we are thankful for that. The reconstructive surgery (he is a plastic surgeon also) involved a long cut along the "laugh line...about 2 inches as well as a cut under her nose of about 3/4 of an inch....to bring fat and muscle up to the hole from the cancer removal. She is heavily bandaged...

What now?

Linda cannot talk or move her lips for a minimum of three days. With the oncologist meetings tomorrow, the doctor said to have me ask the questions. She also has to put ice on it for 20 minutes and then 20 off...to keep the swelling down. We have to watch for bleeding and re bandage tomorrow night. There are a total of 30 stitches and it is important not to have any stress on the stitches for a less visible scarring later on.

More later....the picture below is somewhat scary but Linda does have a good attitude in spite of all this..once again, she says it's all worth not having cancer...

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Monday....December 15th...2008

Mrs. Wood continues to provide medical excitement...she got a call this morning from her dermatologist that she has a basal cell carcinoma on her face....a form of skin cancer above her lip on the left side. This is the most common form of cancer world wide. Basal cell cancer does not usually metastasize or travel in the bloodstream; rather it infiltrates the surrounding area destroying tissue. It is not melanoma.

The dermatologist is recommending a specialized technique called Mohs micrographically controlled surgery. The skin cancer is removed under local anesthesia and microscopic sections are prepared on slides . The Mohs surgeon examines the slides to determine if most of the cancer cells have been removed. If not additional layers are taken until the cancer is completely excised. The advantage of this technique is that a minimum amount of tissue is removed and all the edges of the specimen are carefully studied.

The problem is the holidays approaching...trying to find a surgeon who can schedule Linda in. The dermatologist is working on that and we should hear back soon. We shall see.

Tomorrow. I have PDT done.....PDT is Photodynamic Therapy. It is a process where precancerous cells in the face and scalp are eliminated through a process of using a chemical on the face and scalp and subjecting it to a blue light source. Then I have to avoid all sunlight for 48 hours and will have blistering and a sun burn complexion..the severity depends on the amount of damage to the skin. Sounds exciting...not really.

So that summarizes our "exciting news of the day".

UPDATE: Linda's Mohs surgery is scheduled for Wednesday...12:30...3 to 6 hours....sounds big....but they say it is under local anesthesia....with tissue taken off....checked under a microscope....then more tissue ....until clear of cancer cells.

Linda's discription..." a pimple that doesn't go away"....

They told her she'd have quite a bandage...so the Christmas pictures should be great....

Saturday...December 13th...2008

Christmas shopping done....mark the time and date!

Good day for both of us...exciting to have most all Christmas decorating and shopping done...now its relax and enjoy the holidays....of course Linda will continue to bake Christmas treats again...and again...

See the attached pictures of our tree and the new snow greeting us outside...

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Friday.....December 12th....2008

Today Linda has been a tornado...an annual event...with her doing her "30 storage container" Christmas decorating...pictures later. She is very tired right now....

Linda's bronchial condition continues...they say it takes two to three weeks to calm down..mine is not as severe. She also continues to struggle with pulse rates....which seems to be tied to meds taken..not a new situation. The pneumonia seems to be in control..we shall see.

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Tuesday I do a PDT (Photo Dynamic Therapy) with the dermatology center at Bend Memorial Clinic..it is a process to get rid of pre cancerous cells on the face and head...it uses a salve of some sort and blue light....then 48 hours in the dark ...scabbing, etc., etc.. Linda does her lung Xray that same day. Then on Thursday is her big 6 month meetings with her medical oncologist and then her radiation oncologist.

Did I say she has a hearing aid now?...she was able to fit into a cancelled appointment..and then bought the aid in the same session...it seems to help her well...as she is deaf in one ear and the other was getting less than 100%.

Tonight we are to get the start of snow..which is to continue til Monday...there is no skiing yet...hopefully this will make the difference.

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ps..the Lightning won last night in Montreal...after 9 straight losses....Linda's man..St. Louis (number 26), got 2 goals...maybe it is the start of a winning streak?????????????????

Thursday....... December 11th....... 2008

Our Christmas Newsletter:

Christmas 2008 Dave and Linda Wood

Merry Christmas to all….may you have peace around your family and life this Christmas.

This is truly a special Christmas for Linda and Dave. It wasn’t but a Christmas ago that we were struggling with serious health issues including lung cancer and all the chemo and radiation and fears one could humanly deal with. There was also the anxieties associated with this and the appearance of high blood pressure complicating things.

We have come a long way in this year….focusing on the present and living life more spontaneously. We have grown closer when it didn’t seem possible to be any closer. We are more real with each other and more patient and more watchful. We also understand the movement into the “60’s” as an additional set of issues all of its own.

What is the outlook down the line…we don’t know..and we have committed ourselves not to be suppressed by this unknown. We understand “it is what it is”. For a more clear understanding of our journey, catch “Linda’s Journey”, a BLOG tracking our experience since finding Linda had cancer. It is located at http://www.linda-lou.blogspot.com/ .

What have we been up to?....a lot! We have just spent two months at our home in Florida, sitting in the sun, resting, being with friends, bicycling, walking, taking cruises, etc., etc.. This past year, we finished working as fan ambassadors with Champ Car open wheel racing series. We had an impressive run, but the series merged with the Indy Racing League, the competitor just before the start of the new season. We did one last race in Long Beach and then that was it. We missed it…but realized how much work we had put into it…which turned after a period of time into wonderment about how we did manage to do it…As a side note, we are lining up to do a limited schedule of 4 races next season for the IRL being involved with a private media service associated with racing.

In May, we decided to give Hawaii a try to celebrate Linda’s great post treatment CT scan. We took a 7 day cruise to see all the islands and then spent 7 days on Maui. It was quite an experience ….. if we didn’t have other homes and a motorhome, a move there might have been an easy thing to do. We had a beautiful time and look forward to future trips there again.

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While hiding out on the MacKenzie River in a secluded B&B, we got word that grand daughter Jillian,had been seriously injured horseback riding. To make a long story short, she broke her jaw in three places…and looked like she had been in her first bar fight and lost. The doctors at the children’s hospital in Portland fixed her up good and as a grand trooper, she healed quickly.

Linda’s cousin Ruth Ann, Came from Nebraska and spent some quality time with us…we enjoyed seeing her and showing her a little of beautiful central Oregon.

We spent a lot of time in the motorcoach this last summer including a week at the coast and then 3 weeks in California…it was very nice to get to spend time in the coach after limited use the previous year because of illness. In California, we went to a NASCAR race, Disneyland, visited Mary, Linda’s good friend, and other friends from times ago.

We did get a week in Alaska to visit brother Darron and sister in law LaVelle….a nice trip with no fishing which we missed but got to visit more which was nice.

Both of us particpated in the Wings Personal Growth seminars this year…Linda joined Dave in the Crossover Seminar after an absence of many years. Both particpated in Listening Heart, a couples seminar dearly loved. That involved another two weeks along the way in the RV..

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And…we found time to spend a week in Mexico…in Puerto Vallarta…a trip missed last year to son Jim’s wedding to Jenn because of the cancer treatments. Our airfare needed to be used so we flew down and stayed in the same place we were to stay last year….

That’s about what we remember. There might be more, but folks wonder how we are always able to do so much in so little time..so we won’t try to stress folks out by listing everything.Our family is doing well. There are still two grand daughters…no new ones to report…both are smart as can be and surely will be very successful in their lives. Sons and daughters are doing well…each is focused on his/her desired professional life. We did put our Sisters home on the market, hoping to move to the Portland area when it sells to be nearer the family.

That’s about it…like we said, if you want a day by day narrative of what we did this past year, review the Linda’s Journey Blog..it is exhaustive in detail and pictures.

We finish by wishing each of you good health and loving relationships…..not knowing what tomorrow brings and recognizing life as each of us knows it can change in an instant, please live in the present, be current with your loved ones, and don’t leave anything unsaid. And as we signed off in the Blog yesterday:

Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollaby. Never regret anything that made you smile.

Dave and Linda

Sunday...December 7th...2008

Sunny again today...2 days before cold Central Oregon (We fly out Tuesday)......

Linda is doing better...maybe turned the corner after a long bronchial, pneumonial (made that word up) illness. I've had the same bronchitis that has been going around but not nearly to the degree that Linda has.

Our neighbors from New York have arrived.....Dave and Mindy "shatter the calm" around here....he wants to retire from owning a tire business and move here for the winter as we do and open a hot dog stand (honest ).

Lightning lost again last night....we didn't go...went to dinner at friends (after locking the keys in the car and having to send Steve to our house to get the second set) (Duh).

Thursday...December 4th...2008

Actually it is after midnight here and is the 5th of December...anyway....

In the pictures below, Linda got a "Linda Feel Good " Present from her "sweetie" (ME)....for the hockey games...#26 St. Louis ...is a star player....the bad news is that Linda couldn't go to the game tonight because of the pnemonia...so I had to find a "guy" date to go...we lost! Again!

Today's Messages of the Day (sent by a friend):

Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.

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Wednesday...December 3rd...2008

Linda was called to go back to the doctor's today after her Xrays were reviewed by radiologists. Today was not her best day.....after feeling a bit better yesterday....so off we went.

The upshot is that pneumonia was confirmed....they were also concerned about TB...and wanted to do a scan immediately....we set that to rest quickly, having been down that route because of how the remnants of the cancer appear in the Xray.

Anyway after consulting with Florida doctors....then Oregon doctors....Linda was put back on steroids (she doesn't care much for that) and more antibiotics.....and we will return home to Oregon next Tuesday...and then do some in depth work with the Oregon doctors.....some of which was already planned as we have reached the 6 month mark since the end of Linda's cancer treatment.

So no social life ....she is grounded....I am going to the hockey game tomorrow night without her....a "guy" night....sad, as she loves hockey...but no chances.

Today our wilderness friends paid a visit:
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Monday...December 1st...2008

Cough...cough...cough....hack..hack..hack....sneeze....sneeze...sneeze....isn't life grand when two have nasty colds....Sadie is practicing triage between the two of us.

Sunday...November 30th...Bonus Addition...2008

Mrs. Wood reminded me that I had taken pictures of her acupuncture she wanted shown...I forgot...I've also included pictures of the flowerbed and plants we did in our back lanai (our silk plants looked pretty bad after 3 years).
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Sunday...November 30th...2008

Well...we both have now the nasty nasty....Linda has stabilized with the medications, although we are heading out to get her a better prescription for cough...today a weather storm is going to be blowing in with rain and wind and all...for two days...so we're not missing anything. (it's 77 degrees at the moment with sun).

The good news is that we are still smiling at each other even though we feel like c***.

In 9 days we fly back to Oregon....and snow..and cold...and...and.

Friday...November 28th...2008

Linda's cough has turned into the start of pneumonia...so another doctor visit today with Xrays and all. She is on a nasal inhaler and a inhaler by mouth....her congestion is pretty severe with things just continuing to escalate....let's hope this stuff gets a handle on this.

A friend of ours won 2.5 million dollars at the casino the other night....as soon as I read it in the paper, I called her and said: "Terese, this is your long lost brother John"....she didn't buy it for a moment.

Thursday...November 27th..Turkey Day...2008

Happy Thanksgiving....
Mrs. Wood cooked a great turkey dinner for feeling the way she does....she wouldn't let me do it...smart woman! I planted more of her lanai plants today so I did help out...it was a very nice day to enjoy with our conditions...tomorrow we hope to be back....as it is a short time (December 9th) when we have to return to the Oregon cold and snow and all....

Wednesday...November 26th...2008

Bummer day today....Linda has a bad case of bronchitis....a visit to the doctor and now three meds. And I'm still favoring my foot...which seems to be slowly healing....

We canceled our dinner last night with friends...no hockey game tonight...no turkey tomorrow with friends...but the good news is that Friday we are still on for dinner and a movie with friends.

There is still some humor...see what life looks like below if animals are in control...
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Tuesday...November 25th...2008

It's been awhile since I checked in, so you got me today. It's a pretty somber day today, inside and out. The weather is dreary, and so are we.

I believe I picked up some bronchial condition on the cruise, as I am coughing more than usual and am feeling lethargic. I seem to be susceptible to lung related illnesses these days.

The day of embarking on the cruise, Dave complained of shin splints in his right leg. He thought maybe it was a result of all the walking we had been doing. We walked 4 1/2 miles the following day in Key West, and he was dealing with a very painful and swollen ankle area by then. We took it easy on the walking after that, but when it wasn't getting any better by the time we got home yesterday, we went to a walk-in clinic and had it X-rayed. It didn't show the stress fracture David thought maybe he had, but it did concern the doctor that he maybe had a blood clot. Off we were sent to the emergency room to have a sonogram done. They figured he had a cellulitis infection and a surface phlebitis, known as thrombophlebitis. He has to keep his leg elevated and be on antibiotics. What a way to end a great cruise.

We were going to have friends Ernie and Kim over for dinner tonight, but regrettably had to beg off. We're not the best company right now.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and/or friends. We will be joining other friends away from their families. We'll make our own "family". I'm hoping we'll both be feeling better by then.

Love and gratitude for all of you......Linda

Monday...November 24th....2008

Back from the cruise...great time...great 28th anniversary...guess we'll go for another year or two at least.....

Pictures say it all........From our required ship drill....to a stop in Key West where we visited the southern most point in the US as well as a place we stayed several times before in Key West...to a formal cruise dinner....then to Cozumel, Mexico....to our head waiter.....our waiter Roschmann and assistant Eko..... and then our dinner partners....

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Thursday...November 20th...2008

Today is our 28th wedding anniversary...on the way to 50....

Today we also head out on our 4 day cruise......to Key West and Cozumel.....

Linda has been to the acupuncturist once a week now for 6 weeks..it has been helping her...I am still worried about her persistent cough...which she insists is allergies with a lot of phlegm....

We went to the Moffet Cancer Institute again this year as it is lung cancer month...and they do a forum each year at this time on lung cancer. It was quite interesting....we learned some new stuff...

"Cured" and "remission" (words Linda and I have debated many times) are blurred in their meaning. With lung cancer, after 2-3 years, a lung cancer patient can be said to be cured...as opposed to breast cancer and others which are 5 years or longer. But if the cancer reappears in that time, it is them treated for remission. Lung cancer patients can get new lung cancer..they may be "predisposed".

$120,000 is spent in research for each HIV patient...$22,000 for each breast cancer patient...and $2,000 in research for each lung cancer patient. Incredible!

Pink is the color for breast cancer...clear is for lung cancer...as it is the invisible cancer.

The most common symptom for lung cancer is the hacky cough.....just like Linda's....that's why it is not detected in early stages.

4% of lung cancer patients are said to be genetic..hence not feasable or practical to do genetic tests.

I was struck by thinking of my stepbrother who smokes and says he has been tested and his lungs are clear.....the problem is..if it is not clear.....it's too late to quit...he has lung cancer...there is no gray area. In the forum, they described how smoking changes the cells in the lining of the lung and how long it takes to reverse those genetic changes.

10% of lung cancer is by non smokers with no second hand smoke......we knew that...Linda is in that 10%

We have been working on our floral garden...Linda got her first flower the other day.....

Two hockey games in the past two weeks..both losses..but we enjoy them anyway.

That's about it..it's been below 70 every day with nights in the 40's..today it starts to warm back up...

Friday...November 14th...2008

We got to see our first shuttle launch from our house....we went out with 10 seconds to go and saw not only the launch but neighbors pouring out of their homes too...many had been watching the pending launch as we did....now we have to plan a trip to the "east coast" from the "west coast" of Florida to see a launch up close.

Our neighbor shot this picture:
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Friday...November 13th...2008

We haven't written in a while..not too much new to report...and that, perhaps, is the good news.

Linda and I are walking over 4 miles each day...she has the energy and the will and desire to do it...we feel great about it....and Sadie keeps wanting to go too.

Linda has purchased a lot of plants like hibiscus and palms to plant in pots in our lanai...(pictures soon)...we grew tired of the silk trees in the lanai and they started to look a bit ragged after 3 years. We figure that we can hook into our automatic watering system to keep the plants going while we are gone. We look around at the homes in foreclosure, where the lawns and all are dead from lack of watering and notice the hibiscus are still thriving.

The weather is still beautiful...some nights it gets down into the 50's but the days are great...it's already almost '80 here at 9 am....no humidity either.

We go to another hockey game tonight...we not only are wizards at using coupons from the Entertainment Book to buy hockey tickets but EBAY is great too...for tickets at a fraction of their original cost.

Linda's pain is in her very upper back now..into the neck area...the acupuncture is working and if she avoids lifting (as she is prone to do), we think the pain will go away....anyway it is much better than it used to be.

We go home December 9th and have scheduled appointments with the oncologist (cancer checkup) and the dermatologist. I'm having Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) done which will reduce precancer cells from becoming active on my face and scalp as well as reduce the effects of sun damage.

That's about it...oh, I forgot ...we are going to work with Autoracing 1, an internet media site for racing. We will do 4 IRL races, including St. Petes, Long beach, Infineon, and Homestead. We will also most likely do any spring training in Florida.

Dave

Friday...November 7th...2008

I just read an article about a person rethinking her priorities....it is worth repeating:

1. Have more fun.....it's about balancing one's obligations and not allowing them to take priority over enjoying life.

2. Listen to my voice....it's about paying attention to what's important to you and not get caught up in how others are doing it...avoiding comparisoms.

3. Don't forget me...it's about not relying on others to make you happy....take care of yourself.

'nough said!

Thursday.....November 6th...2008

We still are exceeding 4 miles of walking per day...and have a pedometer that allows downloads on the laptop to document and "date massaging"....right up my alley....

We are almost "post election day" recovered.....watch for the appointments coming...it will be greater indicators of what kind of President we will have...

Great weather this week after a couple of cloudy days....and good outlook for at least a week...

We have new cell phones and a new company.....no more Sprint.....goodbye to a company that was very hard to deal with..now we're with Verizon....tried to get AT&T but couldn't transfer our numbers (after having their phones for 24 hours and learning all the tricks of the keys and all)...now we can use a cell phone within our Florida home without standing next to a window....

Did I say we are on a cruise out of Tampa in two weeks to celebrate our 28th anniversary.....

Tuesday...November 4th...2008

Incredible!!!!! ...and Florida went Obama!!!!! ...Unbelievable!!!! ....we will all be better people as a result!!!!

"The rest of the world will wake up tomorrow and see hope as we do"......Heard on MSNBC tonight....

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"Barack Obama is a genuine voice for the issues we face in America and the world. His vision and leadership has energized Americans and people around the globe to demand real change. "Voz Unida" in Spanish translates to "united voice." I know we can make the world better by working together and listening to one another. This will bridge the divides that only lead to misunderstanding, intolerance and conflict—divides that concern me as a world citizen, a husband, and a father. ".......Rafael López

"Hearing Senator Barack Obama emphatically state, "I want to end the mindset that got us into war in the first place," I was moved to hope that the next President of the United States would share my belief in the possibility of world peace. I immediately began to make a work of art to support Senator Obama's ideals and, more practically, his campaign. It is my hope to help him through this action to become the leader who would strive not only to change the policies of our nation, but the outlook of its citizens. " ........Lou Stovall