It has been awhile since I updated this....sorry. It gets busy trying to get on with life and all. Just another shot of work. I have been back just part-time. I still feel a little out of place but it gets easier everyday. I would put a pic of radiation in here but, I think you all might find it a bit disturbing. The mask and other accessories are not the nicest things to look at or think about. Only two more treatments to go....I have symptoms and stuff now. I guess they last for a couple weeks after the treatment ends, at least that is what I have been told. Something to look forward to!

Hi! Sorry it has been a bit since I updated the blog. The holidays were great, busy! I'm sure everyone feels the same way! Scott and I were home in Minnesota...had a great time with fam and friends! We saw the radiation doc last friday and I had yet another CT scan yesterday for mapping for the radiation treatments. They actually form a plastic mask to your face and everything. I even received a very small tattoo on my sternum. Pretty cool and a little creepy at the same time. Radiation treatments start next tuesday...I will receive approx 18-20 treatments and it runs Mon-Fri! I'm starting back to work a little more this week. My docs say to just ease back in and see how it goes! I am working two days this week, 8hrs each day! Crazy! Above is a pic of one of my first days back the week before Christmas. Things went great...how could they not being around all my old buds again! Love ya lots!

Hey everyone....guess what....no more chemo...yup, we are done. Well, kinda done...I still need some radiation, but that is not bad at all. It is very local and I will not have all the icky side effects that I have had with chemo. Just a little sun burn and a sore tummy/throat. This is the awesomest thing ever and I am still very much in amazement that it worked out this way. I will start the radiation after the first of the year and since I don't have any more chemo Christmas is going to absolutely rock!!! That's Dr. Mellott...she is obviously my favorite person ever. Thank you everyone for all your prayers, thoughts, well-wishes and all around goodness. You all have no idea how much your strength has given me courage throughout all this mess. I am truly blessed.

Hi everyone....had a great lunch with Sam at Flo. It was yummy, I was so craving tacos and they had great steak tacos! It was excellent! Don't we look cute...well I look tired but what else is new. Stay tuned....we see the doctor on Friday. Love you all!

Hi everyone. This is a picture of me by the PET scan. I get strapped in for one hour. Its actually quite cozy and I always fall asleep. I had my CT scan yesterday too so now we just wait for the results. We meet with the Doctor on Friday. I will let you all know as soon as we know.
Love you all!

Hey everyone! I got chemo #8 today. That's Jill, as most of you know, she took me to chemo today, how cute are we! Everything went great! My port was a little ornery and required a little TLC from Angela to get the blood going but, all is well. I used atomic fireballs this time to mask the taste I get when I get flushed with saline....man are those things spicy. Definitely did the trick! I have scans on Monday so now's the time to start crossing those fingers and keeping them crossed. I'll know the results late next week. I see the doc again one week from today to review the scans. I'll let you all know how it works out. I'm really optimistic about it. I didn't get Starbucks this week, as you will note, even though my lovely friends gave me a Starbucks gift card. I was actually running a little late (I took the final for my grad class this morning) and went to the Corner Bakery instead because it was closer...quite a disappointment though, definitely won't make that mistake again! I bet that's why my port wouldn't work right away...it didn't know it was "go time" without the Starbucks!

Hi everyone....I did have chemo yesterday. Above is a pic of this week's fearless chemo team, my sis and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was my DD (designated driver)! I saw the doctor and everything is running according to plan. My next treatment is on Dec 7th. A tighter window between treatments but it was a sacrifice that we made in order for me to enjoy Thanksgiving out in LA. I will be scheduling scans after that treatment. Yeah! I am excited. I feel like not knowing is far worse than knowing. My sister and her boyfriend are here until Thurs to help entertain me. Fun! Its nice to have the help when the chemo lands on a Monday like this. I know its harder for everyone else to be around because of work. I'll update you all again soon. I am sleepy and must lay down for my first nap of the day. Love you all.

Well, Thanksgiving in LA was great. The flights were not that bad at all. We did have a 90min delay in Minneapolis, but not too bad considering how awful the weather in Chicago was that day. It was so much fun seeing everyone. The top picture is of us and some good friends we got to catch up with. So great to see them both. The bottom picture is of the Mclarty children and the dreaded Christmas card picture. Yucky...we would have used one from the summer but, I hated all of them and I get veto power! We do look cute, I guess...I tried to vote that we didn't have to do one at all but my mother-in-law insisted. The whole weekend was one big food fest. Scott's grandma even made my fav, manicotti from scratch. Holy cow was it amazing. I don't think my weight will be down for this chemo at all. Chemo #7 tomorrow. My sis and her boyfriend are flying in tonight and are staying through the week. Tons of fun. One month until Christmas, let the countdown begin!

Well, I had a great day. Pic of the ladies from Northwestern Hosp...so much fun catching up! Doyle took me around the new unit! I can't believe how big it is. Hopefully all her cool tricks for remembering where everything is will work! I am very excited to start working a little. Get me out in the world a little bit. It was great to see everyone! I even ate in the new "restaurant" and had hot tea from the argo tea in the lobby. So cool! Thanks Doyle! In other news, Scott and I leave for LA tomorrow to spend the holiday with Scott's fam. Weather permitting! I hope that everyone has a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. Eat lots of yummy food!!!! My next chemo is on the Monday after Thanksgiving. I get to see the doc too so I will update you all on when my scans will be and we can all start crossing our fingers. My sis and her boyfriend are coming to sit with me! So fun. Love you all! Have a great turkey day!

I know, two pictures might be a little much but I couldn't resist. The top is my fearless chemo team. They look so intense...I thought it was funny. I guess the drugs make things a little funnier than they probably actually are. At the time, I thought is was hilarious. Chemo #6 was fine. Just about as uneventful as we all want it to be. My counts are doing great, thanks to my shot of Neulasta. So, that's a milestone, we are half of the way there! Thank goodness. We did go to Starbucks before as always and just in case any of you are there next time, remind me not to drink a grande Gingerbread Latte before chemo. Doesn't exactly settle the stomach!!! Live and learn. Thanks for all the thoughts, comments and prayers that I know are coming my way. Two more chemos and my oncologist will start ordering scans to see if everything is clearing up. Time to start crossing our fingers!!!! Can you all imagine the party I am going to throw when this is all over! It is going to be the awesomest awesome party ever. Well, I think that's enough blogging with drugs on board.

I love you all! Have a great weekend.

Hi guys...Sorry its been a bit since I updated the blog. I have been doing stuff, it's just I forgot my camera and a blog without pictures is just no fun. Above is Liz, my friend from work, we went to brunch today at a great brunch place Bongo Room in Wicker Park. It was very yummy!!! Definitely tasted better then my lunch excursion last week...I went to Hooters (I've never been before and I heard they have good wings)...let me be the one to announce this to everyone, the wings are not that great. Lesson learned. I walked all the way to lunch today(about 1.5miles), it was a bit of a walk, but if felt great! Which I take as a good sign of my energy level and (hopefully) means my weeks of being on the couch have not put me into horrible shape. I have chemo on friday, it will be #6. Only 6 more to go! It's crazy to think that when we all started this magical journey through chemoland that I was staring down 12 treatments. It really makes me think that there may be an end to all this fun after all!

Hi everyone...sorry so late to get the news out that last Friday chemo went smoothly. My old college roommates were there to lend a hand for this one. Thanks ladies! So, for those of you who are counting(I know I am) that's 5 down and 7 to go. We are definitely getting there. I also saw the doctor on Friday and got good news...no flu shot for me!!! Just everyone else who wants to have contact with me during flu season...ha, ha, ha! It made me really happy, I dread the flu shot, don't ask me why. So, doctor's orders everyone...go get your flu shots!

Hey everyone! Scott and I had a couple people over to carve pumpkins over the weekend. It was a lot of fun. We ate squash soup, pumpkin bread, and lots of Halloween candy. There are some very talented pumkin carving people out there. I was impressed! I have the next chemo this friday, so I will be spending the week cleaning, doing laundry, and schoolwork in preparation of the start of cycle 3. I can't believe its almost November! How crazy! Have a great day!

Hi everyone!!! Had a great day out today. I went to Dominick's to get my pumpkin!!! So much fun! I can't remember the last time I bought a pumpkin. I met Sam, as you can see, for lunch. We had dessert, isn't it huge! It was as good as it looks, yummy! I also spent some time at one of my favorite stores...Target! Have you ever noticed how overwhelming Target's Halloween area can be? I ended up buying way too much candy...like that's a shocker! FYI, they already have Christmas stuff out! I couldn't believe it either! Although, that does mean that time is marching on and all this fun chemo will be over soon. Yeah!!!!! Have a great weekend. I'll be thinking of all my Prentice ladies with the "big move" tomorrow! May the force be with you!

Nice pic of Rose, my mother-in-law, and me at chemo! She came in from California on Thurs. It's always nice to have a mom around to help out and just be around. I always get that "everything's going to be okay" thing when moms are around. She and Scott are going to Costco today!!! Yeah groceries! The blood counts were awesome, so we are staying nicely on schedule! I feel okay today. Just the usual. My friend Beth came over last night...she is an oncology NP. I used to work with her at Loyola. It was so fun, we drank Fanta and Beth ate some of the pie that we got at the Norske Nook over the weekend. Rave reviews on that pie. So, thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes for the counts. I think it worked, along with the fresh Minnesota air and my mom-visit from last weekend. For those of you who are curious, the hair is still kinda there but, kinda not. I'll just shave it soon. I am getting tired of sweeping it up all over the house!

P.S. We do have a starbucks in this pic too. I'm telling you...I'm addicted to that place, its just not chemo without it!

Hi! We got back from Minnesota all in one piece. It was a great trip. We had so much fun with my mom and fam and friends. Above is a pic of our good friends Anne, Donella, and Mickey. We had dinner with them and the cute dogs. Those are Donella's. We went to the Norske Nook Bakery on the drive back. The pie was awesome, definately worth the title of the best pie in the U.S.! The drive was great too...lots of fall colors!!! It was beautiful. I have chemo on friday. This will be #4 and end of cycle 2. It's great to count them off. Only 4 more cycles (8 more chemo treatments) to go! Scott's mom is coming in from California tomorrow. I am picking her up at the airport and then we are off for manicures and pedicures! Fun! In other news, Sam finished her marathon and raised $$ for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Way to go Sam, you are awesome!!!! Love you all! I'll be sure to let you know how the chemo goes.

Hey everyone! Had a great day today. I joined the local library and ate lunch with Kim at a new local place. It's called Crust, a very good all organic pizza-type place. It was yummy. My appetite has been a little slow to come back after this treatment. It's the craziest thing for me to experience, since I have always loved food so much, to go through this period during which I could care less if I eat or not. I did "force" myself have some carrot cake for dessert, it was awesome. The weather is absolutely gorgeous. I sat outside most of the day and read my book...that I got from the local library! In other news, Scott and I are heading for Minnesota this weekend. Scott has a three-day weekend and we are in desperate need of some non-city air. So, have a great one! Love you all!

Hey everyone, sorry for those of you with a weak stomach. We thought it would be cool to have a picture of me before I give myself the shot for my white blood cell count. Scott thinks its hard core. At least its only the one shot this time. The last two times I had to give myself three shots! Yucky. Feeling okay. Just tired and nauseous. Anne, Donella and I took naps this afternoon and watched Who's the Boss season 1. It was a great way to spend the day. Love you all. I'll be in touch. Sorry if this entry grossed you out!

Dearest Readers...

I obviously got chemo today! Yeah! Thank goodness. By the skin of my teeth. My white blood cells showed up for the game...GO WHITE BLOOD CELLS! It was a pretty close call...they were right on the line! Anne and Donella were with me. We had a great time! Scott surprised us by showing up too. I think he was worried about Anne driving me home! Just kidding! So, all is well. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers! Have a great weekend! Now its time to watch chick flicks and eat ice cream!

Well, Anne and Donella made in on the night bus from Minneapolis this am. Its great having them. We got manicures and pedicures this morning in true girl fashion. Then we went to the new Dominicks grocery store for dinner...lots of samples. Tomorrow is the grand opening. We are so excited about the grocery store...its only a couple blocks away. Thats a pic of Scott, Anne and Donella enjoying one of the many samples we had. Then...we went to see a free screening of the new movie The Kingdom. Needless to say...a very busy day! Tomorrow is chemo. Hopefully my counts will be good. I'll let ya all know. Love you!!!