September 25

I haven't been doing so well at keeping up with this... Things have been busy or sleepy around here, one extreme or the other. We finished up radiation on Wednesday!!! It was a great day and all of us were able to be there to celebrate! Justin, Allison, and I all took off early from work to surprise Mom at treatment and then we had a fancy celebration lunch at Arby's. Dad had to get home for bed because he was going out on night shift Wednesday night, so we'll have to have a proper celebration some other time.

Yesterday I had a professional development day at school and David Weber spoke to all the staff. Mom has been reading his book, "Sticks and Stones" and I talked her into coming with me to hear him speak. He provided a very entertaining message and I think everyone had a good time! I encourage you to check out his books or at least his website davidweber.com. Lots of information to improve your relationships with everyone you meet!

We're gearing up for the Buckwheat Festival and some Preston High football this evening. I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!

September 19

We're nearly finished!!! Wednesday will be the last day of radiation. We had an appointment with the oncologist on Friday and Mom will take her chemo until Monday and then have 23 days off. She will have an MRI on October 22 and then begin a stronger dose of chemo for 5 days followed by 23 more days off. It is my understanding that the chemo dosage and length of treatment will be determined by what the MRI shows. Mom has been feeling pretty good this week. She's still worn out, but that hasn't kept her from doing anything. She made it through the Preston High game last night, but has been napping most of the day today. The Buckwheat Festival is right around the corner! It's going to be a busy week, but we're so thankful to be so near the end of radiation and on the road to a full recovery! Thanks for your continuous support!

Monday, September 14

Well, we had a very busy weekend! Friday night I worked the Preston football game, and Mom, Dad, Justin, & Allison went to watch. Saturday we went to Colton to the Mastrogiuseppe's for the 4th Annual Fish Fry! Although the weather was a little chilly, we had a great time and some really great food. Sunday was a relaxing day and we finished off the evening with a fire in the fire pit, roasting hot dogs. Aunt Betty joined us for a hot dog and shared her good company.

Mom is nearly finished with her radiation treatments! Luckily she has been feeling pretty good with only some complaints of feeling tired. Today was treatment number 23, only 7 treatments left! Thanks to all of you who continue to send cards and delicious meals! It has been a huge relief to not starve to death while Mom's been out of commission.

Here are some photos we took during the our visit to Colton.

Saturday, September 5

Things continue to go well with treatment, although the radiation is making Mom's head very sensitive. We have a lotion to apply that is to help with the discomfort. We had a pretty busy week and today has been a very lazy day. On Wednesday evening Mom and I did a little shopping. Thursday we had dinner with Justin & Allison, Allison's parents and aunt & uncle. We went to Shinston to look at a house they are interested in buying. The house belongs to Allison's boss Lauren and we had a nice evening eating, touring the house, and meeting Lauren. As we left the restaurant there was a gumball machine that sold adhesive mustaches for 75 cents. Who would've thought anyone could laugh so hard with a stupid mustache. Here are some photos from the car ride with Mustachio!




Friday evening Kay Jenkins made us some lasagna, so Mom and I took it over to Morgantown and had dinner with Justin & Allison. We watched some episodes of Good Eats while we ate and just had a relaxing evening together. Dad's working night shift for the weekend, so Mom and I are having our slumber parties. Today was filled with a lot of sleeping for everyone. We slept in, and started watching the game, but Mom didn't make it very long into the game before falling asleep. I got through most of the first half and then slept through all the rest of it. Rumor has it that we won!

No big plans for the weekend. Just more resting. Mom is better than halfway through her radiation treatments! Thank you all for the meals. It has been such a blessing. Mom would like to put together a cookbook of all the recipes everyone has prepared for us. If you haven't already sent her your recipe and wouldn't mind sharing it, you can email it to me at mistydmiller13@gmail.com. Thanks so much to all of you!