Andy pops the question!

We are so excited that our son Andy is getting married to his sweetheart Chelsea.  He popped the question last Saturday night.  He took her to dinner at the Tree Room at Sundance and after dinner they drove down the canyon to the secluded Nunn's park where his cousin Sydney and her husband Adam had set up the engagement area to create the ambiance Andy wanted for the special event.  Syd took about 200 pictures on her fancy camera and really captured the special moment.  They had spread out Andy's tee shirt quilt on the snow and Chelsea said that she loved that symbolism.  The quilt has blocks that represent all the things he has done in his life up to a point and she felt like he was welcoming her to join his life and to make their own history together.  It was terribly romantic and such a special evening for them.  We're so happy to welcome Chelsea into our family and look forward to their marriage and wedding celebrations coming up in June.  They will be married June 14 in the Los Angeles LDS temple and have a ring ceremony following that day at a beautiful beach venue in Malibu.  They will honeymoon for a week and then return home to celebrate on June 22 at a venue in Provo Canyon. Andy is so happy to celebrate his marriage at the beach and in the mountains, his two favorite locations.  We are so proud of them both and love them a lot. Good times they are a comin!

Loving me some Downton Abbey humor

I credit my daughter Claire for introducing me to Downton Abbey.  She started watching it right from the start and got me hooked early into season two. And the rest they say, is history.

33 treatments...and done!!! *

Today was my LAST radiation treatment.  Hooray!!! They started on January 7 and I have gone in every day at 2:30 pm Monday-Friday since then.  The first 25 treatments were to my upper chest area where the tumor was located and the last 8 treatments have been what they refer to as a "boost" that is concentrated in an oval shape right on the surgery area.  I got two doses of radiation from each side from the radiation machine for the first 25 treatments and then directly down into the surgery area for the last 8.  The side effects have been manageable - fatigue, redness, peeling, some general discomfort to the radiated area and some occasional pin prick pains in the radiated area.  I think they have figured out that radiating from each side causes fewer side effects, rather than directing the radiation directly in to the body for all 33 treatments.  My white blood cell counts have gone down, but they should rebound in the next couple of weeks once treatment stops.  Dr. Clark the oncologist radiologist has been wonderful as well as his staff who I have seen every day for the last 33 days.  They are kind people who are perfectly suited to the job they do every day.

I've now finished the triathlon!  Surgery.  Chemotherapy.  Radiation.  I had surgery on July 20, 2012 and now I finish radiation on February 20, 2013 exactly 7 months later.  The oncologist and the radiologist will continue to be check my blood for any signs of the cancer returning and I will have several mammograms this year to make sure that all is well.  The doctors both reiterated that they feel like I have an excellent chance (90%) of no re-occurrence since the cancer was caught so early and it was only a stage I cancer.  We'll continue to hope and pray that that is the case.

So now, on to celebrate the end of treatment!  I'm going to give myself a couple of weeks to get stronger and then I'm ready to party.  They say that it takes about a year to get regular strength and energy back, so I'm giving myself time to heal.

Rick and his mother are throwing me a party!  It will be near my 58th birthday as well.  It will be an open house to Celebrate Life on Saturday, March 9 from 2-4 pm.  All friends and family are invited. If you want more information, just let me know. The end of treatment really is cause to put a HUGE smile on my face.  I'm so grateful I survived it.  I'm grateful for what I've learned along the way.  I'm grateful for ALL the many people who have supported me and helped me get through it.  I'm just grateful.

*I will still continue to receive my Herceptin infusions through my port every 3 weeks until August.  They will continue for one year from the time they started in August of 2012.  While the drug doesn't cause any major side effects, it can cause heart damage, so I will continue to get periodic echo cardiograms to make sure my heart is staying strong.  After that time, I can get the port removed from my chest.

Sweet Charlie turnes 1 year old!

Courtney is so creative!

The little man gets his own "year in review"

What a darling family!

What a great birthday cake for the little man.

Apartment decorations ready to go...

...with two cakes!

Get ready to open presents.

Getting some fun boy gifts

What a lovely day for a birthday party with friends and their children.

We all love you little Charlie...1 year old on February 11.

Chowing down on his football cake and loving it.

Sharing a kid friendly meal

Last week I took a meal into a friend who just had her sixth baby.  Since she has five older kids, I decided to prepare a kid friendly meal.  It was a hit!

Applesauce Cake
Blend:
1 cube soft butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 cups applesauce

Add:
2 c. flour
2 t. soda
3/4 t. ginger
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. clover
Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
Mix and spread over cooled cake



Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 - onion, diced
1 - 32 oz package ore ida crispy crowns or tater tots
2- 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
2 can green beans
1 - cup milk
1- cups grated cheddar cheese
pepper, to taste
season salt, to taste

Directions:
Brown ground beef and diced onions, adding, pepper, seasoning salt to taste. Drain.

Pour ground beef & onion mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. In a separate bowl mix together the soup, green beans and milk.

Pour the soup mixture over on top of the ground beef layer spread evenly to cover the meat mixture. Top with tater tots, sprinkle with grated cheese over the entire casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and cheese is completely melted.

Snickers - Apple salad

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed or 2 cups fresh whipping cream (I prefer the real cream)
2 large Snickers candy bars
4 -6 granny smith apples (you can vary the apple with successful results if you choose to, but I would NOT recommend a soft variety)

Directions:

1.  Mix softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until thoroughly blended.
2.  Fold in Cool Whip or whip fresh cream until stiff

3. Cut Snickers into bite size chunks and add to cream cheese mixture.
4. Chop the apples into chunks and stir.
5.  Chill 1 hour before serving.
6. Chilling for a long period of time (such as overnight) will result in liquid being released from the salad.