Friday AM....April 3rd....2009

Busy day yesterday...Linda and I went to St. Petersburg where they are holding the Grand Prix this weekend....we were originally scheduled to work it for a media source ......cancelled out because of Linda's illness. We wanted to see old friends who are working for the Indy Racing League which our Champ Car series merged with last year.

The track was closed as the teams were preparing and the vendors setting up...but Dave's "smooth talking" got us onto the track and we wandered all over for many hours...with Linda in the wheel chair of course.

Who did we see:

***A fragmented "Tag" having secured his ride in the last few hours...

***Our favorite driver Jimmy Vasser who is now a car owner...

***Ziggy Harcus....Linda's favorite official who was scrambling....

***Tess..out favorite tire changer and team member..unique role for a lady
***Jeremy....doing his media work...

***Mark Easley..our dear friend on the McDonald's team
***Amanda Trotter...our boss of bosses...we miss her so.

***Holly....married now so we forgot her last name...married to a great guy...

***Justin Wilson....a good driver finally getting a ride....

And more...and more....

We were so emotionally touched and remembered good days past when we were involved...seeing how some of the stuff worked yesterday we were formally involved in...they don't hold a candle to what the Champ Car series was....and person after person reminisced how "they didn't understand at the time in Champ Car how good it was"....

Anyway..a good day...some pictures...Mark...Jimmy....Tess....Jeremy...

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Wednesday...April 1st....2009

April fools! It's actually Friday...lost contact with the internet so I'm backtracking to Wednesday....

Linda has been doing well.....not an enormous amount of energy...which we attribute to the chemo......attitude is great.....

We walked today...a short one with grand daughter Miss Taigen....her folks return from Disneyworld today....sugar cookies were the order of baking for the day....
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Tuesday...March 31st....2009

Florida Time....slow time today.....recovering from the big day yesterday at Busch Gardens....

Pictures:

Monday....March 30th...2009

Florida Time!

Off to Busch Gardens with Linda and grand daughter Taigen for the entire day today...scores of pictures tomorrow!

I pushed Linda in the wheel chair all over the place...and Taigen rode a lot too.....

What a day.....great to be with the grand kid...she's smart....and takes the risks too....she was the "navigator" for our Safari jeep trip.....

No nap for Linda today so she is tired tonight..but she loved the day....

Again...pictures tomorrow...early!

Sunday....March 29th.....2009

Florida time.....

We slept forever this am....and we're still "pooped"...combination of the red eye flight and warmer weather here.....other than that, Linda is doing well...and Miss Taigen too....

Last night I picked up Wendy, Chris and Taigen at the airport...early this am, Wendy and Chris took Janine to the airport to fly home and they continued on to Orlando for a few "childless" days.

Taigen and I "wheeled" Linda to the swimming pool and lodge for some "sun" and "water" time in her wheel chair..it worked well.

Pictures below of Linda and friend Mary on our last days in sisters prior to the flight to Florida...and then Taigen and all doing the "Florida thing"....

Saturday....March 28th...2009

Florida time!

We made it.....uneventful......the wheelchair worked great. We got to LA by wonderful Alaska Airlines where the flight attendants smile and are friendly....then on to Northwest Airlines....where no one smiles and they are very curt! Our seats had been changed and we were separated....and you can imagine how great I thought that might be..it took me demanding a supervisor to get our seats back where they were and together....northwest needs a lesson in customer relations for sure....

Sunny......and windy here....

Janine picked us up..she leaves tomorrow..tonight it's back to the airport to pick up Wendy, Chris and Taigen.

Linda is well...

Thursday....March 26th...2009

Over to the valley (Portland) to see family and friends....back late last night with dinner with friends Judy and Roman on the way....Linda's friend Mary flew in today from California. Linda is doing well....she did the trip will...tomorrow chemo and then off to Florida...
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The pictures....lunch with the rascal grand daughter Jillian....Linda and Jillian on "Rock Star on the "Wii".... dinner with Judy ....the pictures went every direction so you might figure out what goes with what...

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Tuesday...March 24th...2009

Where are we? Portland

Why? Linda wanted to see grand daughter Jillian before we leave for Florida...Jillian is with her dad because of spring break.

So here we are..tomorrow we spend the day with Miss Jillian and then go back home tomorrow night.

Status of Mrs. Wood...good...she had a good day. Emotional last night as she was feeling the emotional perils of hair loss...I think I said before that hair loss can be the most devastating aspect of chemo treatment. During chemo last year, it was "quick and dirty"...the hair came out in handfuls and it was gone...this time it is hair by hair...last night was the "tipping point" for Linda.....today the wig came back out...again, I think a red head would be nice...but I got a frosted light brown again...oh, well.

Monday...March 23rd...2009

A rather quiet day....Linda felt a bit weaker today..no particular problem..just some energy drop....this is not uncommon a few days after the chemo session as the chemo starts "cookin'"

Linda's dear friend Mary comes for a visit from California Thursday and Friday.....Friday is the smaller chemo day and then we fly out in the afternoon for Florida. The wheelchair is all cleaned up and looks ready to go.....we have permission to use it from curbside to the airplane door and then they store it on the plane and have it ready at the next stop.

The bills from the Houston fiasco (the fainting trip) are coming in...in hindsight we should have rented a cab in Houston and driven to Oregon rather than go to the hospital for permission to fly ...and get the diagnosis "fainting"...it would have been cheaper.

We continue to chip away at the list of things to do......not a big list.....mostly medical bills and payment systems because of the changes in brokerages. The privacy garden is cleaned up and ready for warm weather...the pine needles are raked up and everything out back looks ready for "patio time" on the creek. It's funny..in Oregon we feel as if we have a list to do...in Florida no such list exists....go figure....

Sunday AM....March 22nd....2009

Snow? What the &*$#*@^&!!!!!!!!!! Where's the sun and 60 degrees of two days ago?

Linda had a pretty good day yesterday after the "big chemo day" Friday.....she also had to put up with the ALMS race which she's not a big fan of......Champ Car forever! For that lady...nothing else. And then today it's NASCAR day, so she will be retreating to the bedroom for recorded "Days Of Our Lives"...can you say "soap opera"?

We were able to get our flight changed from Florida..good Alaska Airlines!..no additional fees either because of Miss Linda ...BUT we only got one additional day as there were no awards flights on Saturday the 11th of April or that following Sunday....hey an additional in the sun!

Linda finished the 4 book series with "Twilight" being the first...big book, that last one..whatever it's title is.

More tomorrow.....

Friday...March 20th....2009

What a day.....but she made it...and is doing well tonight.

We arrive this am at the Oncologists office and infusion center...Linda's doctor is on vacation....so another Oncologist was covering..everything went well until we sat and sat and sat in an exam room....the short story.....the temporary nurse forgot to give Linda's file to the Oncologist..and everyone else thought she was up in the infusion room...anyway after two hours (and "yes" we did ask what was going on)....Linda saw the Oncologist...so we were already much time behind in the day....as this was the big chemo day as it was....

The blood cell counts were stable....and Linda could receive her full treatment. Up the stairs she went and started the all day project. She did have trouble with one of the infusions....one that has given her trouble before.....it can be very painful going in.....burns severely.....so they slow it down and add more saline solution....

Linda dreamt two nights ago about a custom quilt for the infusion room..after having made two for the last time she was there...but this one was special..so all day yesterday Miss Wood made the "magical" quilt....see it below..she wanted to be the first to use it in the infusion room and then donated it....

Did we make it...yup...10 minutes to 5 pm..enough time to race over and pick up the motorhome which was in for the repairs...which turned out to be a minor problem....

What now....rest..rest...rest...plenty of water...plenty of water...plenty of water.

Oh, I forgot..because of the scan before the next round of chemo (round 4) and the return of the regular oncologist, things will be delayed for an additional 3 days after the 3rd cycle..which means we can stay in Florida for an extra 3 days if flights can be arranged...might not seem like much...BUT it is a BIG deal to us. .

Thursday....March 19th...2009

I have decided to rent Miss Linda out..she has so much energy (can you spell S-T-E-R-O-I-D-S) that I figured some family supplemental income wouldn't be too bad in this economy.....

Tomorrow is "D" day.....actually "C" day..."C" for chemo....day 1 of cycle 3......my hope is she weathers this cycle as well as she did the last one. At the end of this coming cycle, they do a scan to see if progress is being made....it's kind of a "reality check".....we are rooting for the best...

Warm today..in the 60's..not bad for Central Oregon.....March isn't always kind to us....

Linda is making more blankets for the infusion room at Cascade Care...she had a dream about blankets last night and converted the dream to action today....she made two blankets for the room when she had her last infusion.....

Our trip over the pass the other day...

Linda discovered the nutty chocolate covered ice cream bars at Costco again...they are "labor intensive" so they quit making them...the CEO got so much feedback he reversed things...no, she did not share.

I can't remember where I got this but is is very cool..each letter of the alphabet is found somewhere in an ad or a sign or a?....maybe you can figure some out. Example "D" is for Disney...
"F" is for Ford....Wonder what the "M" is for....

Wednesday.....March 18th...2009

Another day.....another energized Linda

It's to the point where she is "close" to normal..took a walk today....bouncing around the house...etc..etc,....

It is a "mind trap" ...as we have an awareness that another chemo session is Friday.....AND with good rest, a good spirit, a good diet, a good husband...she should weather the next round.....

Linda found out today that she is unable to schedule an appointment with the top lung cancer oncologist at OHSU (Oregon Health Sciences University) in Portland until the middle of April..that will be when he begins taking appointments....This is the second opinion her medical oncologist and Linda have pointed to.....

Facebook.....a disease consuming one's time...but a lot of fun communicating with long lost friends and all....worth the trip....Linda and Dave are under "Dave Wood"...use "University of Idaho, Moscow Idaho" under "a specific network".

Tuesday.....March 17th...2009

She's still back (again)!

Linda had a good day again today...good...good....good.

We don't have much going this week....resting Linda up for Friday...which is her big day.....

We would like to repeat again that what is best for Linda in her "Journey" is love and support....no need for recommending any alternative remedies or whatever....just love and support. Linda is scheduling a visit to OHSU in Portland with her oncologist's support...for a second opinion.....she wants to see the results of the scan which will be done in 3 and a half weeks so everyone will know where she stands. She continues to have great faith in her doctors and the regimen she is on....and she knows she is up against a tough one.....and her spirit and willingness to fight is high. Bend is the center for all the best cancer treatments for all of the state east of the mountains. It seems the lifestyle and outdoors draws the best of the best to Central Oregon in terms of doctors, etc.

What else can you do....urge a smoker to quit....the risks are too great and as Linda can attest to, getting lung cancer isn't much fun....

Monday....March 16th...2009

Linda had another good day today...so what was the deal the other night.....anyway, we'll take it any way we can....

We came home today after visiting Linda's sister Karen and husband Ray....and ran into some big snows in the pass...which we navigated quite well....

Now for a few days of quiet before the big chemo session on Friday which will be day 1 of the Third three week cycle.sorry I must leave the blog now to address my handful of new friends on Facebook...it is the latest craze...and we are loving it as we get to contact folks we haven't seen in years and those who are separated from us by distance and circumstance.

Linda also is appreciative of the second mass amount of cards awaiting her when she got home today....she is doing well...and whether it is a card, a comment on the Blog or whatever, it does add to her persistence and commitment to life....so thank you all....

ps..no germ pics tonight....

Sunday....March 15th...2009

Much better day today....Linda felt great all day today, even with a short nap. Yesterday was a complete mystery...including the situation with the temp rising....and fears around having to go to the emergency room. A rise in temperature in an individual with a low immune system can be signs of serious infection which can give rise to a life threatening situation....Linda had reached the degree (100.5 degrees) we had been warned about for two years...and then to have it go back down....eventually to normal within two hours was most mysterious.

And then to feel great today..go figure!

We had a nice day with family..even visiting the sick son Jim and daughter in law Jenn from afar. Daughter Wendy and son in law Chris and granddaughter Taigen went back to Seattle this afternoon. Son Jeff left for Bend early am as he had to work today. So we are going home tomorrow as we have worn out our welcome with daughter Janine and with the "sickies" being sick and all.

Tonight we had a delightful dinner with Linda's friend and former classmate Claudia. She also surprised Linda by bringing Marilyn, who was also a classmate of Linda's. We had good time sharing stories and giving the restaurant folks a hard time...so much so, it seemed they were sad to see us go..so we must have been a hit. Linda feels so supported to have friends reappear after so many years and be so behind her.

The bad news......we forgot to take pictures (again).......Claudia escapes (again).....

Finally...have you tried "Facebook"?....we avoided it so long but now it is a site where we can connect with friends/folks/acquaintances we haven't seen...and to share....it is a lot of fun....and it can consume a lot of time...so good news and bad news....

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ps...some of the possible germs Linda was up against.....

Saturday....March 14th...2009

Let's see,

Jim and Jenn were sick so they didn't come over for Linda's birthday...actually it was to be at their house....and it was Jim's birthday celebration too. We can't take a chance with Linda catching something and also they didn't feel up to anything.

Wendy and Chris and grand daughter Taigen came from Seattle and Jeff came from Bend.....so we had pizza and cake at Janine's house....

Linda provided a bit of a scare...she always comes up with something new...the doctors have warned us since this all started that if Linda has a temperature of 100.5 degrees to call immediately...as most likely an infection is taking place and her immune system is so low, the infection can spread like wild fire and be very serious with hospitalization required immediately. So Linda starts sweating a bit and feels feverish.....and her temperature was 100.6. .....a call to the oncology doctor was made immediately....he said if it got to 101, head to the hospital......the good news is it didn't get any higher and then dropped to 99.6...it is now back up to 100.0 so we are monitoring.

Linda also called him back as she has been bleeding from the nose all week and today the flow increased significantly...he said it is most likely due to the chemo or the fact that her platelets are down...if the flow increased...off to the emergency room....I had her blow her nose not quite so forcefully and it seems to have not increased....

So a different day...but Linda had a pretty good one anyway...not as energetic as yesterday but we take them as they come...

Friday....March 13th....2009

I felt compelled to write the blog today, so I could thank you all for the best wishes, cards, and gifts. I've never been given so much attention on my birthday in all my 63 years ( and I was just looking at pictures from my 7th birthday party the other day....you looked so cute Ruth Ann)

I really felt well today......maybe because it's my Friday off from chemo, but for whatever reason, I'll take it. I forgot to bring my sleeping pills with me, but I still had a good night's sleep and slept in this morning, as I knew I would get no nap today. Dave and I went to a funeral today with my good friend, Claudia, for the mother of an old friend of mine from teenage years. I think he was shocked to see me, as we haven't seen each other in at least 30 years. His mom was my 4-H leader and lived to just a few months short of 90.

I didn't get to visit with son Jim today ( we share this birthday) as he was sick. I couldn't believe he could get sick on one of our few birthdays of being in the same state (I'm usually in Florida in March). I just have to be careful not to be around any sick people right now, so it's a bummer.

Well, thank you again so much for making this birthday special. You are all special to me!

Love and gratitude..........Linda
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Linda at her 60th birthday party! (when she sees this, I've had it.......)
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Thursday....March 12th....2009

Not the best of days..and it's not about Linda....

We went to Bend early this am (first problem..the "early") and got Linda her shot and Reiki. Linda made two blankets for the infusion center which were well received and a blanket for her primary nurse who is due in May....and she was very touched......

Then back home..load the RV and head to Portland....NOPE....RV having a problem with the jacks again...we couldn't get them fixed so no RV.....April looks like a good time to get it fixed and then across the mountains.....so unload.....load the car and off we went.....end of story?...NOPE...got up the pass and the road was blocked by a truck and trailer crash.....and a leaking propane tank as a result...major problem...gotta get Hazmet or whatever they are called to secure the scene, etc. etc.

3 hours later we are on our way....

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We have made it...slowing down after a quirky day...better day tomorrow....because it's Miss Linda's 43rd birthday! Flowers below sent by brother Darron and sister in law La Velle...the good news is we were late leaving....see above ....and the flowers arrived as we were getting ready to go.

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ps..we love it when someone connects their Blog..so if you have one, please do sign under your name so we can see what you are up to too!

Wednesday....March 11th....2009

I was drawn to the words to the song included in the comments from yesterday....I have many words saved from songs that caught my interest. In the "old days" I was unable or more correctly, didn't listen to words in songs....I listened to the instruments or tune only...One day I decided that songs had meaning and the words in the songs were meant to be pondered.....

Any way after that and reviewing many songs in my computer files, I came upon Linda's Nature Paragraph....so I bagged the music stuff and focused on her statement. I don't know if I've shared it before, but even if I have, it's worth looking at again. The object of the paragraph is be drawn to something in nature and then write about what one sees. Then convert it to "I" and magic happens.

Look at the following and see if you agree. Maybe it can be set to music?

Linda Wood

I am a flower…
I come in many colors and facets…
I stand up tall and brave the elements…
Occasionally I close my petals in…
When the sun comes back out…
I open up again…
The universe gives me nourishment…
And I provide its beauty…


Linda and I were talking this morning about her "life contract" she adopted many many years ago. She said this morning, it is really now when she understood what "courage" meant to her and why it is in her contract...an amazing discovery by an amazing woman.

Linda Wood

I am an open, powerful and courageous woman

Tuesday...March 10th...2009

Great night tonight.....

Linda, of course, got up this morning and was like a "busy bee" straightening up this and that and now is doing coverups for the infusion center.....slow this lady down! We had appointments in town and the Defeat Cancer dinner tonight,so no nap for her today......and late this afternoon the lack of rest started to show....and then...the dinner was so inspiring, she got a second wind. She has agreed though to be less energetic in the morning when she has a schedule of events later in the day.....

The dinner tonight was great..many suggestions and ideas that fit right into where we are at. By the way, for more information on the Defeat Cancer program, sponsored by the Lance Armstrong foundation (Livestrong) go to http://www.defeatcancer.info/. An amazing program led by an amazing group of folks.
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The guest speaker was a local psychologist, whose program is "One Can Outrun Depression and Fear: Lessons For Cancer Survivorship". Basically he has found that in the treatment of depression and anxiety that exercise is the most effective solution, above medication, and medication and exercise. He talked about how exercise gets in the way of frustration, irritability and anger. What I got was, at the first sign of anxiety (in my case), get active....get an activity involving exercise going. He also said the exercise must be one you like...if one doesn't like a particular exercise, there is less or no commitment to it...and there are so many forms of exercise. Look for anything that works!

So now, we are committed to rate our well being at the beginning of each day and to get active as a way of creating a state of well being. Wasn't it the song "Man In the Mirror" by Michael Jackson that said "Make a Change"? Anyway, we get it....a great evening to empower us to be active and exercise to create a state of well being. We are glad we went.

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Monday....March 9th...2009

Quiet day today.....started out sunny and cold..turned to snow...snow and snow and cold....
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Linda had a quiet day....we continue to dig to the bottom of the garage selling all that we don't need or use...made more "bucks" today...love that Craig's list!

Tomorrow we have lunch with son Jeff...then on to the monthly "DEFEAT" (Diet, Exercise, Family,Education, Attitude, Thriving) dinner sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG). Mike Connor, Bend Psychologist will speak about depression and fear around cancer...lessons for cancer survivorship.

Wednesday is another day in the garage...and Thursday we head to Portland for Linda's Birthday celebration and visits with family for a few days. We are taking the motorhome to Portland to keep if the weather allows us to drive it over the pass. This will give us more flexibility in our "valley times" this spring and summer.

Sunday...March 8th...2009

Quite a day today......

It took us until 3 pm to figure out we are now on daylight savings time....both of us slept most of the day....must have been something in the air as we kept "flopping back" and falling asleep.

Tonight we went to a celebration of Deb Bruce finishing her cancer treatments and her cancer gone...as we all exclaimed during the Hawaiian themed event " all PAU"! (pau (pow). Hawaiian word meaning finished or done.) Deb and husband Don have been so supportive of Linda and her Journey....even with Deb's own Journey .The expressions of commitment and thankfulness between Deb and Don and others who have supported Deb brought much emotion to Linda...to the point where she became very shaken. Linda totally understood what the words meant and the importance of caregivers, friends, supporters, etc. etc.

The gathering sang a favorite of the Bruces' (and ours) entitled "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (IZ) (Kamakawiwo'ole means fearless eyes).

It goes like this:

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
And the dreams you dream of, once in a lul-la-by

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
And the dreams you dream of, dreams really do come true
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Someday, I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where troubles melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops is where you'll find me
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Some where over the rainbow, blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?

Below....US.....then...Linda with Deb's sister Wendy...and our friend Wendy supporting Linda....bottom....and Deb on the left with Don along with "us"
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Saturday PM....March 7th....2009

Quiet afternoon and evening....Linda is resting and sleeping a lot....the oncologist said the chemo from last week would be "hitting" today.....

With daughter Janine's help, we got Linda a wheelchair...spotted one in the valley (near where Janine lives) for $25 on Craig's List...and in great shape...so we will start using that a lot to preserve Linda's limited energy.

We've been using Craig's List to sell anything in the garage we haven't used for 6 months.....so far, I've made over $300 selling racks, mounting brackets, tow bars, old tv, scroll saw, etc. etc. Of course if any of you are interested in anything, we will provide a 10% discount and you pay the freight (humor). Marilyn might need a set of golf clubs....Vickie a wet suit...and so on....this Blog could become a lucrative deal for us (more humor).

Saturday ..AM....March 7th....2009

Good Morning Vietnam! OOOPPSSSS......I mean Blog readers! You had to have been there to understand the joke).

Company....company....company......no time to write in the Blog.......(actually I forgot).......

Linda did her chemo yesterday...the doctor thought she looked strong...remember the weird "dip" on Wednesday...but Thursday and Friday she was great.....he did prescribe a shot to boost her immune system...she gets another next Thursday before we take off to Portland for a short week. The chemo went well, although the staff was short handed which made for a minor hassle....and she did get some Reike although a bit short because of the former. She does another session next Thursday AM.

What now....the oncologist will be on vacation during her next cycle so she will be seen by his partner.....we expect more of the same....then he said when he returns at the end of the third cycle......which we think is April 10th...one day after we return from Florida...he will do a scan.....the scan will tell whether things are working..if so, he continues for at least 6 cycles..if not, he has to change course immediately and try something else. He said she looked good so it should be working (this is good news, although a "surface" diagnosis).

Brother Norm leaves this am....son Jim leaves sometime this day...so it will be quiet again...back to reading and short walks....

That's about it.....Linda looks well..we told the doc she's been a bit "sassy"...somehow he or we added "lippy"...also...she has been a bit "lippy"...at least we all agreed she was not "loopy" as she had been last year while under morphine.

ps..For Norm's journeys, check http://www.stormannorm.blogspot.com/ He has promised to write more in it..
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Wednesday....March 4th...2009

Linda's blood pressure dropped pretty dramatically today...so we had to spend a lot of time hydrating...it finally got up to reasonable numbers but not as strong as the last few days......and she feels weak and a bit "odd"...such a difference from the last few days when she felt pretty good. Our fear is that the chemo Friday will be set off or reduced like it was last time due to low blood numbers. I've suggested a hydration infusion tomorrow as I go to town for meetings anyway....Linda is not thinking she might do that but we will see in the am.

Folks have asked for Linda's address....it is 927 E Creekside Ct. Sisters OR 97759.

Brother Norman arrived today....Sons Jim and Jeff arrive tomorrow...a full house to cheer Linda.

Wednesday ...March 4th...2008

Linda's birthday is coming...March 13th....she got her first "happy birthday" wishes from her acupuncturist in Florida...Dr. Steve and Julie are wonderful folks who have taken good care of Linda:

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We wanted to wish you Health & Good Fortune!

We sincerely hope you have a spectacular Birthday
And that the coming year sees you as
Happy & Healthy as ever.

Yours in Health,

 

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Davis Pain & Stress Relief Center
27453 Cashford Circle, # 102
Wesley Chapel, Fl. 33544