Still Hanging in There

Well this will be a pretty short post. I am still feeling pretty healthy. I had an over abundance of energy for a couple of days. That has worn off but I am still feeling healthy. The weight is continuing to fall off...I am down 10 lbs in 2 weeks. Have I mentioned how much I truly hate Prednisone....I thought so :) That is about all to report. Hope life is okay with everyone else. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers...they seem to be working! I will see the docs in 3 weeks!!

Amanda is BACK

Believe it or not I, Amanda, am back. And in full force! Yesterday I had my last scheduled chemo. It went fine....a bit longer than normal but fine. I got some super great news from both Doc. Ellen and Doc. Saleh. First we found out my counts are still up so I will not see them again for 4 weeks! Now that is exciting! Doc. Saleh reminded me I will see them for the rest of my life, just not as often anymore! :) Then Doc Ellen gave me the okay to start kickboxing and spinning again. She said no to the tattoo, or at least not yet. I am not in remission yet, so I am can not be 100% back.

Then we talked to both doctors about our future. The first good thing is that the quicker a person responds to the treatment the longer the person is in remission. Well I have responded immediately, so that gives me a lot, A LOT, of hope! Then we talked about the option for children. Dr. Saleh has said that there is NO WAY I can pass ITP to children. We also found out that when Jacob and I start thinking about having children (a while from now for sure) but when we do think about it, if we talk with the doctors they can start preparing my body for pregnancy. I will most likely be able to carry the baby full term. ITP will come back, but if we are prepared I should be fine. That is very very exciting news!

The weight has started falling off. We knew it would but the fact that it really is, is super! I have been able to do my 3 mile walk daily, and some days I have been making it 6 miles! I also just started to run. Only running about 1/2 a mile, but still, I have enough energy to be running! I will be going to kickboxing today! I seriously can't wait!

I think that is about it. All such great news! We are happy here in the ATL!

Me with Doc. EllenDoc. Saleh

To my Fathers

A little tribute to the fathers in my lifeMy father Jerry Cade.....hmm.... what can I say? He has been there from the beginning, and we still have a great relationship. My dad has done some amazing things in his life and has become an easy ear for me to cry to; not to mention a great model to try and live up to. We have shared family vacations to Florida, long train trips, and how he dealt with two little girls on his own I still don't know. Even after the divorce you stayed in our lives, and made sure I knew who my father was. It was you who showed me how to budget, and save, and look at where I am now. You placed a love for the big city life when you moved to Chicago. You didn't let distance stop our relationship, and before I could drive you bought us train tickets to come and visit you. My love for higher education, and teaching comes straight from you. You have always wanted the best for me, even when we didn't see eye to eye. Even after I moved to Atlanta you have come to the rescue time after time to make sure that Trisha and I get to spend enough time together. I thank you for everything you have done, and words can not express the love that I have for you.

Step - dad Duane.....well you have been around since I was in middle school. I was not an easy daughter to take on. I was rebellious, and was not happy about sharing my mom. I worked hard to try and make your life miserable. And yet when we built our first house as a family you considered where I would like my room, what color, and how big. You even put in the mirror doors that I had begged for. You were at every softball game, and loved to pretend to take out your guns when I started to date. You took on the challenge of loving me, even when the fence was so high there was no light coming over the top. I eventually began to cave. You worked on every junk car I happen to bring home, and taught me how to drive a manual so I could have a reliable car. You allowed me to fire a gun, and even try deer hunting, even though I have never stayed quite for longer than 5 seconds. Our love for nature and helping others brought us to common grounds. You work hard (sometimes too hard) for a job you have never been happy in, but do it to support the family. You are an amazing family man. Thank you Duane for making my mom really happy, and never giving up on the relationship that you knew we might have someday! Oh and don't forget to check the blinker fluid!Uncle Gaga....otherwise known as Gary. Wow....another man who chose to take me on as a daughter. I know my dad came with a lot of baggage.....mostly Trisha and I. We were very young and you took us on with no reservations. You have spoiled us rotten since day one. You set down firm rules but you have never raised your voice. You demand our respect by your actions, which makes it so easy for us to respect you and your rules. You bend over backwards whenever we make a visit, taking off work even when you should be there. I love watching shows like Jerry Springer, and Cops with you just to make dad mad! I truly believe there is one person in this world who can control, and love another, and you are that person for my dad. Just think where he would be without you (or us)! You are always there to help us with getting plane tickets, especially after my honeymoon. You have always been there for all the big events, and I know you truly do care. Thank you for taking me on, and loving me through everything!

Dad Larkin.....You are the newest dad to my life. I could not ask for a better father-in-law. You raised an amazing son, who I am so lucky to know and love. When I first met you, you worked for a company that was showing the world to small town kids. Your company gave me the chance to find the love for different cultures and environments that I still hold dear. You were there for me while Jacob was in the service, and always had a door open whenever I was in town. We have made road trips together, and somehow survived! You are an amazing, loving father, and I feel blessed to be considered one of your daughters!

Happy Father's Day!

Chemo - Check Feeling Healthy - Check!

Well yesterday was chemo day and it was pretty uneventful. We were done right at 1pm on the dot again! I will have one more session next week, where I will also meet with the doctor. Right now everything seems to be amazing so I am pretty sure he will ask me to come in for two weeks to have my blood checked, and then the word "remission" might come out of his mouth! I can not wait!!

Now that I have the healthy part checked off....well pretty much....I am now working to get my real body back. That Prednisone really messed up my body and now it is time for me to get my body back. I am starting to have energy back and I have been able to do my 3 mile walk 5 days a week. I am totally loving our Wii Fit and it is keeping me on track. My goal is to lose 40 lbs...that will get me back to the weight I was when Jacob and I first eloped. So now my blog will change a bit from lets get my body creating platelets to lets get my real body back! I am up for the challenge!

The next bit of news ..... first time I have mentioned this.....Jacob is now in active duty Army Reserves. This was a long and complicated process and I won't go into details. This was the right choice for him, and I completely love and support him. He has a unit that is located on the south side of Atlanta, so it is super close. He will be leaving for training (that should be somewhere in GA) anytime, and he will be gone for about 3.5 months. I am really happy for him! I will try to keep people updated..but remember we are dealing with the government so it will take forever to get this process started.

That is about it. No new pictures...the computer USB ports are still messed up so I can't download any pictures. Jacob is working on fixing that...so soon there will be pictures!

The Adventures of A and T

My lil sister Trisha.

What to say, what to say. Our parents somehow produced complete polar opposites, who love each other more than words can express. I am outgoing, organized, and athletic....Trisha on the other hand, shy, disorganized, and the girly girl who played with dolls.

While we were growing up, we always had each other, no matter where we were. It would take months for me to write all of the memories I have with her.

These past few days we were able to make quite a few more memories.

Friday, Jacob and I picked her up at the airport. This was her first time flying alone, and she has only flown about 5 times before that. She did so great! I was so excited to see her. We went to the Georgia Aquarium, and of course had a lot of fun! We just hung around the house, played some Wii and played with all the animals. We went out to walk to Dairy Queen (my all time favorite!) and as we started these really dark clouds started to arrive. We had already walked about a mile away from home and it started down pouring. Trisha is TERRIFIED of thunderstorms and the lightning and thunder was right over us. Jacob said he would run home and get the car, and pick us up. Well Lola, Trisha, and I just kept walking. Trisha was screaming and almost crying....I love thunderstorms but the lightning was a bit scary....it was striking very close to us. We finally came upon a bus stop and Jacob caught up to us with the car. Needless to say we ended the night soaked!!

Saturday we spent the entire day at the water park! Trisha is not quite as adventurous as Jacob and I but she did so great!! She rode almost every ride. It was such an enjoyable day. My withdrawals of Prednisone so I got a terrible migraine, and I was a bit more tired than normal, but considering I had not stopped after the chemo on Thursday I would say my body was probably just tired. After the park we went to Sonic, so good....so fatty....so good!! We finished the night playing Wii, and watching this show Jon and Kate plus eight.....an interesting show to say the least.

Jacob had to work Sunday so Trish and I hung around the house. We went to Lenox Mall, and walked around. Then we drove around until we found a nail place that was open and went and had fake nails put on. Trisha had this lady who was mad about something that happened at CosCo and she took it out on her hands. It was quite funny! Both of our nails look fantastic though! Jacob came home from work around 6 and we made some homemade pizza. We ended the night playing some Mario Party....and I didn't come in last!

Monday we all got up and took Trisha to the airport. I was very sad to see her leave. She made it home safe, but I wish she just lived here. Jacob and I went on a search for a Wii Fit. We finally found one on accident...but either way we now have a Wii Fit. For those who don't know what this is it is a video game that helps you stay in shape. It has yoga, strength changing, aerobics, and balance exercises. It is a workout for sure. It measures your body weight, and keeps track of your exercising log. I LOVE IT! I worked out for an hour today!!

I am sad Trisha is not here, but life must go on. Today (Tues) I let my body rest and organized the storage closet. Wednesday I am tutoring and have an eye appointment, then of course Thursday is chemo day! I hope everyone is having a good week!

Trisha I LOVE YOU!!

Feeling Fantastic!!!

Today was such a great day! Not to much to report. Chemo went amazing, fast, and easy. We got there at 7am and were out at 1pm on the dot. Then I was feeling pretty good so we went and picked up my check from tutoring, grocery shopping, and then bought a new vacuum. We got home and I did some Breast Cancer Walk mailings, and then took Lola to the dog park. We just got home from all of that doing, and I am still pretty awake. I think this means that something is working, and my body is feeling good. I am completely off of Prednisone now, until we get out test results next week. I am so EXCITED to be off of it! Jacob and I took some pictures of the chemo adventures. Hope you enjoy!!

Lola showing off her new collar!! SEXY
Aww! Who is Momma's baby??
Earl Bearl always squints for his pictures Simon ( or Bitty as we call him) probably being naughtyThis is the IV machine. The top number is the speed of the drip, how fast it is going in my body, and then the bottom number is how much more of the drip until I switch speeds. When it is done it dings like this...ding ding ding dong....ding ding ding dong...very annoying.

AWW! My hot, supportive husband!
Here are some shots of the Chemo Room from where we sit

In the middle is the nurses station so they are always watching!

This is what I look like most of the time!!

Hope you liked! If there are any people or events that we are not documenting well enough let us know. Only two more scheduled treatments! I feel like something is working!!

Tuesday = Pool Day

Today I woke up and took Lola for a walk, and then jumped in the shower. When I got out of the shower I put on my bathing suit. Needless to say I am still in my suit right now as I write this! Danielle (teacher friend from MI who lives like 3 miles from us!!) came over and we spent the day talking (gossiping) and relaxing in the pool. It was such a great day. We had only planned on being out there until I had to leave to tutor at 2, but I got a call that my student had canceled, and with gas prices they were just going to have someone there cover my 1 hour appointment, so I didn't have to go in. What a perfect day for it. We just chilled and relaxed...oh what a day!

Jacob and I went to Six Flags yesterday. Dad and Gary bought us season passes to Six Flags and the water park White Water. We love both of those parks so much. So we went to ride the roller coasters early yesterday, got on all the rides we wanted to, and then left in time for me to tutor at 4. It was so perfect!

Trisha comes on Friday. Jacob got off Friday and Saturday so who knows what kind of trouble we will get in. I am excited!!! We will try to take some more "chemo shots"(pictures). I know those of you far away appreciate to "see" what is going on! :)