Here For The Party

I may not be able to taste, drink or speak at length without drying out my mouth but it does not appear to have slowed me down any. Witness the photo evidence above.

The first photo is of our 14th Annual Upper Lou Avenue Block Party, held on July 18th this year. In addition to our usual food fest and Tiki Bar (courtesy of MJ and Anthony), we held a food drive, asking guests to bring a non-perishable item for the local food pantry. We collected 6 bags of food (which Warren and I brought to the church the next day, and many thanks to our friend Cindy for meeting us there). And best of all, we had a touching and exhilarating tribute to our wonderful, departed friend Mickey (if you recall, he was my neighbor that died while I was in the hospital). Warren said a few words about Mickey and then just when we were all getting that lump in our throats, the DJ put on the song "Mickey" by Toni Basil and all the Lou Avenue neighbors gathered in a circle to dance wildly, laugh loudly, and hug tightly, all in celebration of the man whose smile lit up our block. And in our hearts, it still does.

The second photo is of Warren and I at our friend Mary Cannon's barbecue. Our "Girls Night Out" girls (Mary, Mary, Patty, Patti, Jackie, Elisa and I) gathered at Mary's house with our families (yes, we even let our husbands come!) on an absolutely beautiful day. We ate and drank and chattered and planned (Girls Weekend Getaway - let's do it!) and marveled at how much our children have grown (I give Cecelia one more year before she's taller than Mary), how bright and beautiful the girls are (could Colleen's eyes be any more gorgeous?), how smart and tough the boys are (Warren is still talking about how impressive Ryan was dealing with that splinter the size of a 2x4 in his foot), how fast it all goes by (was I really discussing college visits with Lucy?). At the risk of sounding boastful (this will probably come back to bite me), I am going to state that, based on what I saw and heard yesterday, we have all done an amazing job as parents so far. (At the very least we don't appear to have created any seriously damaged ones!) Clearly, we deserve a reward...like, say, a Girls Weekend Getaway!

Life's challenges continue, but so does it's celebrations. Make no mistake, I am here for the parties.

Blessings and Love to All.

American Girl

At Long Lake, where Warren and I spent the Fourth of July weekend with my in-laws, we watch the fireworks from Glenn's boat, anchored in the middle of the lake. With the Adirondack Mountains surrounding us, the boom and crackle of the fireworks reverberate like the sound of 43 NASCAR cars speeding around the track at 200 mph. Maybe the fireworks aren't as impressive as those in NYC or even Jones Beach, but it is nevertheless a magical display and an awesome experience (can you tell I just LOVE fireworks?) in an awesome country. God Bless America! Pictured at right - Dom, Lynne, Glenn, Sharon, Warren and I at the camp.


The worst of the effects of the radiation have just about disappeared, and now it is a waiting game for taste and salivary function to return. I have what I call a "dulled" sense of taste - I taste a lot of things, but just barely and not the whole time I'm eating. I described it to Taryn this way - imagine looking at stuff without your glasses on or contacts in. You can see things but they are blurry; some things you can identify and some you can't depending on how close they are, but even the things you can identify are blurry. So most things I eat are not necessarily enjoyable, but at least they're not completely tasteless anymore, which has allowed me to expand my menu a bit (Grilled chicken honey mustard snack wrap from McDonald's - YUM!) and eat a little healthier (I'm able to enjoy some fruit now). I still can't handle anything too spicy since I'm still healing, but it's nice to have a few more choices. I'm still dealing as well with some severe dry mouth issues; I've learned to have water with me at all times, especially if I'm going to be speaking a good deal.


I did see the endocrine surgeon today, who is very pleased with what he sees and feels in my mouth. We talked a bit about some of my appearance issues (the asymmetry of my mouth and lips in particular) and he basically said that although there is plenty that could be done to resolve my concerns in that area (i.e. more plastic surgery), it would be wise to wait and see how everything looks after a year has passed because so much changes over the course of a year. I know the flaws are more obvious to me than to anyone else, but I still would someday like to look better than I do (oh Vanity, thy name is DonnaLee!).


Must. talk. about. THE HAIR. I thought at first that it was coming in straight this time, or maybe wavy, but it has reverted to curly and now looks a lot like it did coming in last time. So for now I've got this Brillo pad on my head, although luckily, after about another 6 months, it should look pretty good (hard to style or control...but not bad-looking). I find myself touching my hair a lot, it feels so soft because it's such "new" hair. Wait a minute...didn't I also touch my little bald head a lot because it felt good? I think I might just be obsessed with my own head! (Guess that's potentially better than some other body part obsessions I could have).


Best part of my week - I am back to my yoga classes! I went on Wednesday and again on Friday and completely surprised myself by getting through both classes quite well. My stamina was good, and even my flexibility wasn't bad, just needing a little work to get back to where I was before the surgery. My balance was off a lot so I am going to need a good bit of work on my core to regain that, but I am so encouraged, not only from a physical standpoint, but also because regularly practicing yoga keeps me grounded in the here and now (something I really need because I tend to dwell too much on what the future will bring right after a bout with cancer). And it was good to see Leslie and Sumati, my yoga instructors, who worked very patiently with me in class. I really missed my practice both on and off the mat, and I'm looking forward to regaining my form in the next couple of weeks. (Next up: spin class! But not for a couple of more weeks).

Prayers for Julie and for Jodie (a longtime friend of my brother's), here's hoping both get to enjoy some better health in the coming weeks. And special thoughts for those in our country and those right here on Long Island that are hungry - we will do our best at the block party to help. It's difficult to not be able to taste; it's worse to have nothing TO taste. I don't really have it so bad, do I?


It's good to be back in the present - all the best things happen there.