Two Weeks in Wisconsin

I recently had the pleasure of traveling for two weeks. Technically I was gone for 11 days, but it felt like 20. My new company has an office in Wisconsin and was bringing all of the sales reps out for training. Since I'm new to the company and still learning as well, I joined the group for the whole training session. 

Um - Good to Know Guns Must be Kept in Your Car

My Two Weeks in Training

I had the opportunity to fly back home to San Diego over the weekend between the two weeks of training, but decided to stay in Wisconsin for the weekend instead to visit my family in Madison which was a 90 minute drive away. I hadn't been to Wisconsin since I was 4 years old back when my cousin David got married. Its been about *cough* 20 years or so since then and my cousin has grown children of his own, two of whom are married themselves now. I was looking forward to the opportunity to see family that I hadn't seen in years, and also meet family members I've only gotten to know on facebook. See? Facebook is actually good for something.

Picture of My Dad & Uncle on the Family Photo Wall

Little Monika - I Look Unimpressed

On Saturday my family took me to the farmer's market in downtown Madison. I was told that this farmer's market is known as one of the oldest and largest in the country. I was amused by the difference in vendors at this farmer's market in comparison to the ones I've seen in California. The farmer's markets here are almost entirely filled with produce since we have the luxury of year-round favorable weather. At this farmer's market, occurring at the very end of winter, the vendors were mostly cheese, meat, cheese, plants, and cheese. Did I mention they had cheese? 

Freezing at the Farmer's Market

I saw cheese curds in person for the first time but as a life-long cheese hater I had no desire to try them out. Advertised to "squeak" as you eat them? Um, even less appealing.

Squeaky Fresh Cheese Curds

After the farmer's market my cousin Sarah took me, my other cousin, and her daughter on a little Wisconsin sight-seeing trip. We went to visit one of the most famous landmarks in the state - the House on the Rock! She had tried to explain what this attraction was before we got there, but upon starting the tour I realized why the explanation was so unclear. The House on the Rock was um .... a weird house with a museum of random "collections" of everything you could imagine. Complete with a carousel, automated musical instrument scenes, and various bizarre knickknacks. 

Collection of Strange Guns

One of Many Pipe Organs That Played

Horse Drawn Carriage

Collection of Model Trains and Railroad Certificates

Walking through the tour of the whole house and the museum almost took two hours! Darn, should've worn my Garmin so I could log the miles. :o) jk  The tour was bizarre but interesting, and if you're ever in the area I recommend checking it out.

Collection of Toy Cars

Collection of Burma Shave Signs

A Car Completely Covered in Ceramic Tiles ... Why??

Collection of Crown Jewels Replicas

That night we had a 15 person family dinner at my aunt's house. It was quite an impressive feast! I had happened to visit the family on the weekend of my aunt's birthday so not only did we have a family dinner at her house that night, the next day we had a birthday lunch at my cousin's house as well.

Panoramic Family Photo Attempt

Complete with "Twin" Babies

Serving Bowl My Dad Gave My Aunt/Uncle as a Wedding Gift 50ish Years Ago!

Happy Birthday Aunt Barbara!

After a fun weekend with the family it was back to West Allis and back to training. Checking back into the hotel for the second week was much sadder than it was for the first week. Being greeted with a warm chocolate chip cookie (signature of the Doubletree brand) wasn't even that exciting the second time around. The next few days went pretty quickly and I even had the chance to see an old friend while I was in town. 

A former coworker of mine who I worked with in San Jose at my first job right out of college had relocated back to Wisconsin years ago. We had kept in touch via facebook (thanks again facebook!) but hadn't seen each other in 12 years! Talk about time flying. I had been complaining on facebook about the lack of fresh vegetables I had been able to eat for the past week aside from the meals my family had prepared and Pete was nice enough to scour the Internet for a more appealing option for me. I've been trying to eat vegan for the past few months and let me just tell you this - eating vegan on the road, especially while in Wisconsin is near impossible. Even options that are vegetarian aren't something I can eat since the restaurants usually replace meat with tons of cheese ... which I hate. 

Engineer Reunion Dinner

Fortunately there was a vegan restaurant only about 10 minutes away from my hotel. Fresh vegetables, noodles, and green juice? I was in heaven!

Noodles, Tempeh, and Veggies - Oh My!

My 11 days in Wisconsin soon came to an end and I was able to escape the freezing cold weather and snow (yep, it snowed while I was there!) to head back to San Diego. I actually left training a day and a half early because I had to be back in town for one of my bi-monthly scheduled blood tests. Thanks cancer!

Thank You Gift Basket My Company Sent David

Consolation Prize for My Absence

I couldn't leave the state without purchasing some cheese head gear though. Although I can't stand cheese, I'm slightly enamored with cheese heads. They're so cute!! I spent about 15 minutes in the gift shop trying to decide if I should buy my dad a cheese baseball cap, cheese head beer coozie, or a cheese necktie. In the end I decided to be practical and took a picture of the items I shouldn't buy because they'll just end up in a closet somewhere, and bought little cheese magnets. You'll get yours next month Dad!

Foam Cheese - What's Not To Love?

Being away from home for 11 days for work was no fun, but getting to see my family was a really great experience. Thank you Carlson family for the hospitality!

Update for the New Year

Wow, its been a while since I've updated my blog! My last post was from mid-December when we were in West Virginia for two weeks to spend the holidays with David's family. The two weeks flew by between family activities, snow runs, and some nice rest and relaxation. 

Kona Drugged Up on the Plane

With the Nieces - Hello Kitty Shirts!

Shrek the Halls Ice Show in DC

The Ice Sculptures Were Amazing!

First MRI

A few days after we got back to San Diego I was scheduled for my first post-radiation/chemo MRI. My radiation oncologist and neuro-oncologist both told me that what we wanted to see was that the tumor hadn't grown. That would be a win. I told them both that I instead would be hoping that the tumor was GONE. Hey, I know that's unrealistic, but one can hope.

I've had a couple MRIs before and this one was just as pleasant (or possibly more pleasant) than the others! Can you smell the sarcasm? If you haven't had an MRI you're lucky. Being stuffed into a tube with your head constrained by foam blocks and a cage while the machine beeps, clicks, and makes endless other horrible noises for an hour is NOT fun. But oh well, its a necessary evil and regular part of my life now.  At least it doesn't hurt.

Anyways, getting to the important part - I saw my neuro-oncologist the day after my MRI and we received good news. The tumor has shrunk!! Granted the shrinkage is minimal, but its better than it staying the same size so I'm happy. If I had to estimate I'd say it looked about 3-5% smaller based on what we saw. The chemo and radiation worked!

Resolution Run

A few days after my positive MRI I was scheduled to run my first race of the year. I use the word "race"loosely since my main goal was just to finish. I had run this race the past two years and last year's race was my standing PR. I had much lower expectations this year since I had only been running a few miles (slowly) just to stay in shape. Luckily Tara was signed up for this race as well and kept me company the whole time. I'm proud to say that we only took a tiny walk break through the water station and otherwise ran the whole way!  We finished with my slowest 15K time ever, but it still felt like a win.

Resolution Run 15K - Beautiful Day in San Diego

Mini Mermaid Club

On the afternoon of the Resolution Run I had plans to meet my friend Karin and her group of girls in the Mini Mermaid Running Club. This club is similar to the Girls on the Run program and has different themes for each lesson. The lesson that Karin had asked me to attend was the lesson on role models. Karin introduced me to the group and talked about how I had cancer and how I continued to run throughout my treatment.

Talking to the Mini Mermaid Running Club

I talked to the girls about having cancer, loving to run, finding motivation when I was tired, and how much it helped to have friends around who were encouraging me. At one point I asked the girls if they knew what chemo was. Several girls raised their hands and the one I called on said "chemo is when your hair falls out". Haha yes. Chemo is when your hair falls out. The girls asked a few other questions and then I passed some of my race medals around for them to see. 

Mini Mermaid Running Club

After I left, the girls had to complete a workbook exercise on the lesson and their answers were so cute! I was a little nervous about speaking to this group at first since I had no idea what level of conversation was appropriate with 8-10 year olds when it came to cancer, but it all went well in the end and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go. Thanks Karin for inviting me!

Don't Give Up Something You Love

New Dose of Chemo

While I was going through radiation for six weeks last year I was taking a lower dose of Temodar (130mg) everyday. For this year I will be on a higher dose for 5 days of the month, and then I have a 23 day break. For January, I was on double the original strength (250mg) and in February on for the rest of the year I will be on triple the original strength. (Assuming my body can take it of course.) I will have blood tests twice a month to monitor my blood counts, and if things are looking off and it seems like I'm not recovering properly the next dose of Temodar will be postponed.

When I received the prescription for the January dose I pored over the package insert. I hadn't done this the first time since I figured whatever was going to happen would happen. This time I read through all of the side effects to mentally prepare myself for something "worse". The most common side effects that were reported were fatigue, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and hair loss. Awesome. I knew to expect the fatigue and nausea, but anorexia? What did that mean? Well, about three days into taking the new dose I got it. Not only did I totally lose my appetite, I couldn't stand to eat. Most foods were unappealing to me, and several suddenly became repulsive to me. The smell of David cooking bacon one day sent me running into the other room. Bacon?! I love bacon!

For a little over a week I could barely force myself to eat anything. Cereal, fruit, and crackers were about all I could tolerate, but they don't make for a balanced meal and if I had to estimate I'd say I probably only consumed 300-400 calories each day. I was also pretty tired for the week and I'm sure starving to death only contributed to this. For this coming month though I have a new plan. I bought a case of Ensure (okay fine, I bought Costco's generic version) and I plan on drinking a few of those a day. They're pretty concentrated in calories and vitamins and I have my fingers crossed that the taste of them doesn't turn me off. 

As far as hair loss goes ... a lot of hair started coming out during the week I was on the chemo. When I'd brush my hair there seemed to be 3-4 times as much hair in my brush. This ended a few days after I stopped taking the chemo. Thank God! I'm praying that losing hair each month doesn't leave me bald by year end. I only have half a head of long hair to begin with! :(

Carlsbad Marathon

Two weekends after my new stronger dose of Temodar I ran the Carlsbad Marathon! Just kidding, I totally didn't. I ran last year with Tara and had plans of pacing her though the last 8-10 miles this year, but unfortunately I just wasn't feeling back to normal yet and decided to spectate instead. I felt fine being up and out and about during the day, but I was still pretty fatigued when I ran and I didn't want to push my body. David and I drove up to Carlsbad to cheer on Tara and several of my other Girls on the Run friends and we got to see them run by at miles 16, 20, and the finish. 

Carlsbad Marathon Finishers - Go Girls on the Run!

It was hard to stand on the sidelines of a race and I actually started crying at one point. I was excited to see my friends, but I was so sad that this was something I wasn't sure I'd be able to do again.

LA Marathon

Speaking of being able to run a marathon ... I'm signed up for the LA Marathon in March and have been somewhat training for the race, but my training is way off schedule because of the chemo and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to run at this point. I thought that I'd only be down for one week from the chemo. I didn't realize that I'd be totally out from running for one week and then slowly starting to feel better for the next two weeks. By the time I feel strong enough its time for the next round. Only being able to complete one long run per month is not adequate for a marathon. 

For now I'm listening to my body and only running as far as I feel like I can. I have regular blood tests and of course I won't run at all if things don't look right. If my blood tests do look okay though and I'm feeling strong enough and trained enough, I'm going to try for LA. Tara said she'd stick by my side and she'd be okay if we even had to walk most of the race. From a sub-4 hour marathon to wondering if I can even run/walk a marathon. Life changes so quickly! Don't take it for granted.

Wedding Quilts, a Family Tradition

My dad's family has a tradition of making a quilt for each person that gets married. Each (willing) woman in the family creates a square, and then one of my aunts puts the whole quilt together. The first time I participated I was a low-achiever and sewed together pre-cut pieces my aunt sent. The second time I participated I decided to try a bit harder and created a needlepoint which my aunt used as the center of a quilt square.

Cousin Kate's Wedding Quilt

For my most recent cousin's wedding I decided to step it up a notch and actually sew a quilt square. I looked online and found what I thought was a simple doable pattern. I took the base fabric my aunt sent and went to the craft store to find other fabric that would work in harmony with it, and then I enlisted the help of my best friend Garley (and her sewing machine) to make it all happen.

Quilt Square Design

Fabric & Instructions From My Aunt

Preparing the Fabric

In my mind I pictured the whole square process taking about an hour. Um yeah, it took more like four and required a last minute trip to the craft store to get a second fabric to add to my square. 

First Pieces Sewn!

Starting to Come Together

Greyson Approves of My Design

So the Pinwheel Points Don't Match Up ... 

The Paw-Print Edges Go On

The square came together quite well throughout the assembly process although I remembered too late that I was supposed to iron the fabric before sewing it all together. Do you know what happens when you don't iron the fabric first? It doesn't lay flat. My square was a bit puffed up in the center, and I prayed that my aunt could flatten it and make it work.

Hard at Work Sewing

The Square is Almost Done!

Just Some Final Trimming Left

Ironing Out the Square

Complete! My First Real Quilt Square!

The creation of the quilt square happened this past Thanksgiving when I was home in San Francisco, and I finally got to see the entire completed quilt last month at my cousin Rachel's wedding.

Rachel's Wedding Quilt

I flew out to DC to meet David, and we drove 4 1/2 hours out to Roanoke, VA where the wedding would be held. It was hotter than I could stand this weekend, and there might have been a lot of complaining. Sorry David!

Trying to Cool Off with My First Chocolate Dipped Cone

The wedding celebration kicked off with a BBQ at Rachel and Dickie's house. I somehow managed to forget to take pictures the whole time we were there, especially when a crazy storm came through a few hours later and knocked out the power. We didn't realize how serious the storm was until people started to leave and found out that there were trees down in the driveway. After the men realized they couldn't drag the tree away, chainsaws were called in. A few hours later the road was cleared, but we found out that most of the area had lost power and that the storm had actually knocked out power for millions! (Turns out a lot of people in the greater DC area didn't get their power back for six days! MISERY!) More on the storm called a "derecho" here.

Rachel Greeting the Guests

 

(Official wedding photos. I'm sure you can tell.)

 

The Happy Couple

The next day the wedding was held at Roanoke College where my cousin Rachel is a professor. The ceremony was in the campus chapel and the reception was in another building nearby. The campus had lost power in some areas and not others, and the reception actually had to be moved at the last minute. Rachel seemed to be taking all of these changes in stride. I'm pretty sure I would have been freaking out!

Family Photo

With Aunt Barbara & Uncle Brian

 With Aunt Judy

Cousin Ted and Family

The Happy and Incredibly Tall Couple
(I'm wearing 4 inch heels!!)

Parents of the Bride - Uncle Stanton & Aunt Elsa

Cousin Sarah & Brianna with Rachel Photobombing

Lucky Centerpiece Winners Kim & Kate

It was nice to spend time with family I hadn't seen in so many years and to have a chance for David to get to know everyone. The next day we headed back up to David's parents' house in West Virginia where a pool party for his nieces was in full swing! It was nice to beat the heat in the pool and get to spend some time with David's family.

Pool Time with David's Nieces

David & the Girls

The weekend was a lot of  fun and I'm so glad I got to spend time both with my family and David's. Congratulations Rachel and Dickie!

Rachel & Dickie