Welcome 2009!

Early Happy New Year's to everyone!

I hope your Christmas was wonderful! Ours was nice...Different, but nice. Mom and I had a nice day, cooking prime rib, exchanging gifts, watching Newman play with his new toys, and we even shared a nice game of bowling on my new Nintendo Wii. After dinner, we went down to see Dad. It was a very quiet Christmas, full of the important things...Love, being together and hope.

Mom and I went to see the thoracic surgeon on Monday, and they have scheduled her to have the lower lobe of her right lung removed early next week. We will know Monday which day they will do the surgery. It is a big surgery, but it has the best outcome of all the procedures. Mom will be in the hospital 5-6 days and will be recovering at home for 4-6 weeks. I am not looking forward to Mom having to endure the pain (or me having to endure Mom having the pain), but I am looking forward to putting the lung cancer thing behind us. I think she is too.

The Dr. is optimistic that this will take care of it. No chemo or radiation to follow. All good news.

Once again, we aren't telling Dad. I am not sure how long the "Mom's not feeling good" excuse is going to last this time, but Dad really doesn't have a great sense of time, so hopefully we will be able to keep him at bay until Mom feels up to going down for a visit. It will probably be a week or two before I can take her down, but hopefully it will motivate her to want to get better quickly.

Tonight should be quiet and hopeful. I am spending it with friends, and Mom is planning on spending the evening with Dad and then going home.

I am ready for 2008 to be gone...It has continued to be just heartbreaking over the holidays...After a good life of 19 years, my good friend Rachelle's dog Penny passed away, and I know she and Tucker are somewhere running through the fields together and falling asleep in the sunshine, and my friend Chris's house nearly burned down on Christmas day. Her portion of the duplex did not burn, but there is smoke damage, no power and she is homeless and living with my friend Chelle (who broke her left foot and right ankle a month ago)...Sheesh, I am beginning to think it is me that is bringing the black cloud...If you know me, and things have been going ok for you, just do me a favor and drive extra careful, watch where you are walking, don't skip any doctors appointments, and don't forget to unplug the iron...Just to be safe...;)

To all of you that have been there for us this year, I thank you with all my heart. We couldn't have made it this far without your help, love, support and time. Your visits with Dad, your kind words, calls, cards, rides, hugs, good thoughts, little gifts, flowers, and friendship have meant more than you will ever know to my family.

I hope that for all of us, 2009 is full of love, laughter, peace, hope, prosperity and many, many good times to come. In the immortal words of Charles Dickens via Tiny Tim..."God Bless us...Every one."

Much love and thanks!