Texas For Thanksgiving

Tomorrow morning, Dan and I will be on an early flight to Fort Worth, Texas. Yay!!!

Back in July, you may remember that my MRI scan came up with an area of concern. Dr L and the UCLA team wanted me to fly back to LA for a Dopa PET scan to assess the situation, but I really wanted to give the chlorotoxin some time to do its' thing. The doctors said it would be fine to wait until my usually scheduled three month MRI, placing all of the testing out until October. In the meantime I was very scared. I felt certain that the area of growth was truly tumor, and at the time the doctors warned me that if it was in fact tumor they would be recommending further treatment (like radiation or chemo).

This brings me to one of my life dreams. I've never considered creating a "bucket list" or anything of that nature, but there is one thing that I have always wanted to do with Dan: take him to Fort Worth to check out the city, show him where I came into adulthood, and most of all get back to TCU for a football game. The problem is that we're always on such a short time span. It's always three months by three months by three months, never knowing if I'm on the cusp of further treatment. Flash back to July, Jobi and her husband visited the NW for her birthday (you'll remember she's one of my college roommates). As women do, Jobi and I, later, devised a master plan for Dan and I to visit her turf. I talked to Dan and we decided that even if we were doing chemo we could handle the trip. (The chemo for gliomas is uniformly pills that you administer yourself.) Thankfully, I'm not doing chemo or radiation - one more thing to celebrate!

Flash forward to tomorrow, in the wee hours Dan and I will hop on an Alaska Air flight. We will make our way to the lone star state. We will head to the ranch and celebrate with a friend's Thanksgiving! Jobi and I are going to cook up a storm; the boys are doing some sort of delicious deep fried turkey (yum!). We will ride around the wild Texas ranch, and probably shoot some guns - don't worry, probably not at the same time (my friend Meghan MF, and all of my anti-gun friends, are vomiting in their mouths right now). It's going to be the best throwback to my college days! Then on Saturday, we will head to the TCU vs Baylor football game, which also just happens to be the final home game. I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

I haven't been back to TCU since 2004, for Jess Abu's graduation. I have so many wonderful, hilarious, memories from college. To mentally prepare for the trip, I just pulled out some old photos. Here's the first picture I ever took on the first day I started living away from my parents. I was sitting on the front steps of Shirley dorm.

Here's a few random photos from my college days. Looking back makes me very grateful for the opportunity to attend a college half the country away. To go to a state where I knew no one was definitely a challenge, but it helped me grow, and evolve, and learn, and observe (TX seriously is like a different country), and make new friends, and work my way into an adulthood. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but what I do have came from those old disposable cameras, so I'm just lucky I have any photos at all. Aaaah, the days before camera phones. Actually, at this point of my life I didn't even have a cell phone. I remember being a little bit proud of that fact. Of course, I eventually caved. :)

Aaaaaand, for the original "photo bomb".

A Free Range Life

First, I need to share that there is a new link to Astroctyoma Options on the blog (upper left hand corner). The tricky part is that you won't see it if you typically read the posts on a cell phone. Unfortunately, the blog has a different format that shows up when when accessing it mobile-y. I don't know how many people read the blog from their phones, and I don't know how to combat that issue so that everyone can see the links. If you read the blog from a typical computer you will see the link.

Also, I would like to share that Stephen worked with his fabulously talented brother to create Astrocytoma Options. Stephen did the verbiage, and his brother Michael did all of the website design. Pretty smart dudes. Michael clearly has an eye for design, and although I've never met him or corresponded, after checking out his design website, I immediately fell in love with his honesty, and humor. Not to mention his aesthetic. It looks like he's currently taking on new clients, feel free to check his design company Free Range Designs. His website is so cool that you'll enjoy surfing his site even if you aren't in the market for web design. Actually, he's so good that it will make you want to have your own website, even if you don't have anything to promote. He's that good.

On another note I have some super sweet news. I was contacted by a neighbor, here in Green Lake. The gentleman saw the Komo 4 News segment on our dear stolen Buddha, and brought his over. I now have a happy little Buddha to join me on my journey. I am continuously reminded by how wonderful people are. Even just today I had a comment on the old Buddha blog post with a wonderful family who was offering their Buddha. It's incredibly kind how many people have cared so much about my silly little theft-ipsode.

Here's a photo of our newly beloved Buddha: He's a cutie!

He seems a bit more pensive than my last Buddha, so maybe it will spur more depth in my thoughts. 

Also, from the weekend I'm sharing a fun photo from Saturday night. The colors, the scenery, the friends, it's just fun. Dan had his hands full! What a chap to escort us crazies around town. Not to mention he's a pretty great photographer.

Also, to sweet Maleka, thank you for the gift certificate to get my hair done. I actually have a hair-do now! It's so fun!! Gone are the days of my reverse mohawk! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate you very much.