round 11

Well I guess it's a good thing if things are going well enough that I forget to write anything on chemo day. But I guess that's why I forgot. So chemo was Tuesday. Tom took him in because he was home from work because we both have the swine flu. Yes, the swine flu. And yes, I did just have the "regular" flu just a few weeks ago. So poor Tom, fever and all, took happy-go-lucky Preacher in for chemo. It was actually time for the 25 pills that we give at home but he gets blood work and an exam anyway. And all is well. With Preacher. Tom and I however are just a couple of coughing zombies. It's really pretty insane. I was lucky enough to get some tamaflu...quite possibly the last box in the area Walgreens, I kid you not! And boy am I glad that I got it. I am getting better much faster than Tom. Poor guy.

Anywhoo, Preacher is great. We are on the mend. Life is good.

One month to 10 years

In one month, almost to the day, Tom and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary. We got married on October 16th, 1999. It was one of, if not THE, best days of my life. Everything about it was happiness. We got married in my parents back yard and nearly every single person that I love was there. That just never happens. It was magical. I would re-live it everyday I think, if I could. But here's the thing, the 10 years since have been pretty magical too. Not to sound cheesy and over the top ushy-gushy, but I do love him more now than I did that perfect day 10 years ago.

I was talking to my friend Stephanie the other day about past relationships and possible marriages that would not have been a good thing. And I was saying that it's no wonder people divorce - if you have never had that real love, that perfect friendship that crosses back and forth from confidant to love of your life, how could you recognize it? It would be easy to meet someone and have all of the ear marks of a good match fool you into thinking "they are the one". How do you know? I asked my aunt that question once. Before I met Tom. She said "If you have to ask then he's not the right one." I didn't know what she meant until I met Tom. And in these past 10 years I have never ever asked that question.

He and I were talking tonight about 10 years. What would we tell people our secret is...he said "You are my best friend." I said that every choice I make I consider him and our marriage - is it the right thing for me, for him, and for us. So, for what it's worth, those are our secrets. In this day and age being married 10 years is quite long - but my 10 years have flown by. I am so looking forward to the next 10 and the 10 after that and the 10 after that and the 10 after that...

Calgon take me away!

I am not a morning person. At all. This morning the girls showed up to clean at 8:30 and I was still asleep. Okay, first, I know what you are thinking "poor you. you have girls to clean your house. you get to sleep until 8:30. waaaaa!" I know. I am very lucky. Don't I tell you all the time how lucky I am? So, we have wonderful girls who clean the house. And yes, I sleep past 8:30 - let's just leave it at that. But, I stay up late. Sometimes working until 11 or 12 at night. Sometimes with the computer in bed catching up on e-mail at 1am. Anyway, I'm a little tired and a little overwhelmed with ACL looming so near in the future. Will it go okay? Will I have enough inventory? Is my set up/display good enough? etc. Normal anxiety before a big show I think. So I am day dreaming this morning of the beach. The serenity of the ocean. ahhhh, calgon, take me away.

Make it your own

Here's a little more info on the d I've been toying with for the past few weeks. I mentioned it in my last post, kind of a personal collection of words, colors, and meaning that each wearer might want. You can pick your words, your resin charms, and your semi precious stones in various sizes and colors.

Small semi-precious stones from pearls, to jade, to labadorite, to hemimorphite.

Medium semi-precious stones from lava rock, to faceted pear shaped pink jade, to citrine, to turquoise.

Large semi-precious stones from orange calcite, to ruby in fuschite, to turquoise, to leopard jasper, to big slabs of faceted blue quartz.

Look for these new necklaces (and bracelets) on a new Make Your Own page Metalsgirl.

round 10 and other goings on.

Today was round 10 of chemo. He did great, didn't miss a beat, loves everyone at the clinic, made new friends at the pet food shop, ate dinner like a champ. Life is good. Let me just say that the oddly fantastic way that I am saying "life is good" right after saying "round 10 of chemo" is not lost on me. I am very aware of how lucky we are and as redundant as this sounds (but it's not redundant), I feel very lucky that I realize how lucky we are. Weird? I don't know. What I do know is that yesterday Tom and Preacher played chase through the house. That is happiness.

So, I've had the flu. The flu sucks if you didn't know. And apparently this strain of the flu lasts for all eternity. Every day I keep thinking it's gonna be the last day of the ickies and then the ickies are still there. Today I had a teeny bit more energy but my throat was viciously sore and every time I swallowed I felt like a pencil eraser was jabbing me in the ear drum. Tom said "that sounds like strep" and I said "do you just not love me at all anymore?"

I don't have time to be sick. I have people patiently waiting on orders (thank you Robyn you are wonderful) and my chart of ACL progress is lookin' a little weak. But what I do have a lot of is time. Time to sit and think of ideas for jewelry and ideas for ACL displays, and ideas for my website. I know Tom is Tha-Rilled about that last one because every time I get one of said ideas I e-mail him my little command to make it so.

My latest jewelry idea is this kind of make-what-you-love jewelry. I'm not sure yet how it will translate to online orders but I think it will be very fun at shows. So the idea is that you have all these little piles 'o things that you can put on either a chain or a bangle...resin charms, word or name discs or rectangles of silver, all different sized and colors of stones, all of it jingle jangling together. So I put together a sample of one, pictured above, I am calling them the Bundles of Color. Whatcho think?

Oh, and anyone got any home remedies for the flu? And Uncle Rick, you can just keep that whiskey one to yourself. All it did for me was get me drunk!

seriously grumpy.

The flu made me miss Paolo Nutini. Just one more reason to dislike the flu. Stupid flu.

The flu sucks

uggg. Did I fail to tell whoever is in charge that I don't have time for the flu until early 2010? So far two days in bed and no end in sight yet. The above photo is just one of the piles of things waiting to be dealt with, completed, made, etc. There is no time for body aches and coughing.

Updates and blog winners and ACL, oh my!

So I am a very bad blog contest runner. I promised to pick a winner on Friday and I never announced said winner! So, drumroll please...Janice, you are the winner of a lovely pair of concave disc earrings! Just send me your address and I will send them off to you lickety-split! Thanks to everyone who participated. It was fun reading all of your suggestions and very helpful!

Now for the Preacher update: No chemo this week. Hallelujah! But we did go in today to have blood work done just to see how he responded to last weeks chemo and to just verify all is well. Blood work looked FANTASTIC! Yippee!! And the wonderful news is that we are officially on an every other week schedule. I cannot begin to tell you how thrilling that is. And we don't have to even go in for blood work ... we are free and clear for two whole weeks! This is exciting for so, so many reasons. Most importantly because he doesn't have to go through it - the stress of going(it totally poops him out -see photos!), the mild nausea, etc. Second, it means that the chemo is right on track and he has responded almost as well as he possibly could (except for the week three upset). Third, one less week to worry about chemo reactions. And four, financially - I am not complaining about cutting out a weeks worth of vet costs at all! I know I have said it a bajillion times, but thank you all so, so much for your thoughts and prayers. I know, I absolutely know it has helped.

And last, I am in manic mode getting ready for ACL. I worked until midnight last night. I won't be doing that every day because I would be useless by the time ACL hits, but I am sure there will be several late nights and long days in my short term future. If you are coming out to ACL please stop by and say HI, I would love, love, love to see you!

Happy Tuesday everyone!