Happy Thanksgivng!

Last year at this holdiay, I was really scared that it might be my last Thanksgiving. But I'm still here and very grateful.

Also, I will see my 52nd birthday this Saturday.

We got back Monday from our trip to Las Vegas which was fabulous. The Cirque du Soleil show was great. We also had lunch at the Quark Bar & Grille which has a Star Trek theme which I really enjoyed. We did go to see the Dancing Waters at the Bellagio as well. (They have an elaborate fountain that is choreographed to music - very relaxing to watch.) We had great weather. Thanks to my sisters Suzie and Diane and my brother-in-law Al for making this possible. Also, thanks to my childhood friend Beverly Bowden who came in from Ft. Worth to join us. I will have some pictures to post later on.

I had my last radiation on Friday, November 17th. I still have some pain in my hip which they think may have been aggravated by bowling. I don't bowl again until next week, so maybe I can bowl the first game or two and then have a sub step in or use my bowling average. I will see the radiation oncologist for a follow-up on December 15th.

I see Dr. Bergen (my oncologist) next Tuesday to start infused chemo again. (I'm still taking Xeloda orally and am able to stay on it longer before the hand-foot syndrome gets too bad.) I think he'll be doing Gemzar and Avastin next time. I will get to go to my support group that morning in Grand Junction, so that will be good. I expect that we will be setting up some future scans. I'm anxious to find out what my bloodwork results will be. I think I'm still anemic. I am tired a lot.

I am also scheduled to see an orthopedic doctor in Montrose on December 8th regarding the hip bone and whether or not I'll need a pin in my hip. I have fallen twice recently. Once was in Vegas when I tripped on a mat in the lobby and landed on my knees. I tripped yesterday at home over the vaccuum cleaner cord and landed on my right side. Fortunately, I didn't land on my left side either time. I am walking more slowly and watching the ground.

We just had some friends pass through town who spent the night last night - Duncan & Mary Edwards of North Carolina. They used to live in Denver. It was great to see them. We had hoped our friend Darlene Ritchie of Denver would be able to come for Thanksgiving, but she had some other issues come up and won't be able to join us, but we hope to catch up with her soon. Robert's son Ian will be out during Christmas and we will have a vegan holiday dinner.

Robert is going to cook for us for Thanksgiving - a turkey and some of the trimmings. We will eat early and then go open the book store. We actually enjoy being open on the holidays. People are in a good mood, there's no orders coming in, and it's a pretty relaxing day.

It's a gorgeous, sunny day in Ouray and looks like we'll have good weather for the rest of the week. Next weekend, we will be in Los Alamos, New Mexico for a gem & mineral show. I love this little club show - the members are so nice and the auxiliary that has the food concession does a great job of home cooking. The other dealers are very friendly, too.

We went to see the new James Bond movie in Vegas this weekend and it was good. We all felt the new actor is the best Bond since Sean Connery.

So that is it for now. I hope everyone has a beautiful Thanksgiving.

Just up here in Colorado enjoying the sunshine and watching the snow melt in our front yard.

Sincerely, Caroline