Royals

The lands of Kings and Queens, of Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame, of Portobello Road and the Champs-Elysees, of Harry Potter and the Moulin Rouge - what better vacation for a Queen Bee and a Princess?

I had been to both London and Paris before (14 years ago for Patti B.'s 40th birthday) and so didn't expect to enjoy them as much as I ended up doing so.  There is something about sharing these cities with Taryn that made me feel I was seeing them for the first time all over again.  It wasn't just that we visited some attractions that I hadn't the first time around; it was also seeing certain things through her eyes that made it so special - Big Ben, the Mona Lisa, Pont D'Archeveche (the "Love Locks" bridge in the photo above), the London Eye.  She even made navigating the Underground and the Metro fun ("Mom!  This way!").  Of course, dining with my picky daughter was a bit of a challenge (yep...we had McDonald's once in each city) but we did have such lovely meals at a little outdoor café in the Tuileries and another at an out-of-the-way pub in Westminster.  And our last snack in Paris before heading home couldn't be beat - champagne and a shared baguette!

And yes - we did treat ourselves to a little something from Chanel, because despite the fact that we obviously were not going to be big spenders in their beautiful store, the sales people were kind and solicitous and generous with their time as we looked at all the things we could not afford, and treated us like royalty when we purchased the 2 small mini-card holders that were pretty much the only item in our budget.  Viva Chanel!

And so another adventure ends - who knows where next the Princess and I will venture?

Besides back to reality, that is.

A little health update:  Because of the nature of my disease I've tried not to think too much about prognosis (don't ask questions you don't want the answers to, right?).  However, I have been lately pondering the fact that by the end of this year it will have been 20 years since my initial breast cancer diagnosis and 10 years since the stage IV recurrence.  That thinking led me to doing something I have avoided doing for quite some time -  discussing my prognosis with my onc on my last visit in early March.  I basically just asked him - what does he think?

He talked about the specifics of my disease - the fact that the tumor load is small; that there has been little to no progression; that there is no  major organ involvement; that we are only on the first of many chemotherapy drugs available to treat the disease.  All the things we've discussed in the past.  But what he added was this - he sees me as an "outlier,"  someone who is already at a pretty far end of the survival rate spectrum and could conceivably end up at the farthest end (i.e. with a close to normal lifespan) based on the above factors.  No guarantees of course (we both know things can change on a dime with cancer) but room (maybe?) for cautious optimism about the future.  Something I haven't really felt in 10 years.  And I like the term "outlier" better than "survivor" as I feel I've done more than just survive these past 19+ years.  That's me - the outlier (pronounced oot-lee-ay if you're in Paris...no, just kidding!  A little post-vacation humor).

Other bits of news:  A new little prince was born on March 1st - welcome Graham Robert Martyn, son of Warren and mine's niece Erin and her husband Vince.  Little Graham was a wee bit early (5 weeks) but is home (Phoenix) and loving life with his parents and grandparents (Glenn and Sharon).  Taryn celebrated her 23rd birthday the day after we got home from Paris, although "celebrated" might be too strong a word since she promptly got a nasty stomach virus that put her down for a week (actually had to go to the ER at one point when she was severely dehydrated).  And Caralyn (one of the subjects of my last post) walked a couple of steps with a walker - brave girl!

The Lenten season is upon us and soon The King shall rise.  Have a lovely Easter everyone.

Blessings and Love to All.