Here I am!!  I bet you’ve missed me this past week or however many days it’s been.  :)  All is well here.  In fact, I’m basking in the glow of the freshly fallen snow—ok, that’s a lie.  It sounds a lot better than “basking in the glow of the computer” though, don’t you think?  Seriously though, the snow’s really coming down out there now!!  God must have listened when I requested one good snowfall before spring.

All is good.  I’m feeling well, going for walks (I did 3 miles yesterday with the dogs!!), driving around town, dancin’ around the house and yup, breaking out the hula hoop!  I really have to get some practicing in because a friend of mine is having a hula hooping contest at her wedding later this year!  No, I have no delusions of winning because I just am not that coordinated with it, but I’ll get better than I am now, that’s for sure!  The main part of hula hooping for me is the smiling.  For real, try to do it without cracking a smile, I dare you.  In fact, I triple dog dare you (yes, I learned my bullying skills from “A Christmas Story” )!!  Let me know how it goes.

I had a wonderful night tonight.  Six of us from high school got together for a girls’ night (we try to do this every so often, and it always turns into an evening full of nothing but laughter).  I feel so lucky to have all these wonderful women in my life.  I guess it’s extra special because we’ve known each other so long (some of us since elementary school!).  Even if we lost touch for a while when we were busy or not living in the area, once we’re together, it feels like no time has passed.  There is always a lot of catching up to do on our lives/work/families, but it feels so effortless to get back in the groove.

OK, now it’s Monday night, and I’m trying to finish up the post so you can all know that I’m doing well.  I have lots to say (I know, you’re thinking “Uh-oh!  It’s gonna be a long one!”).  No worries tonight though because I’m too tired to put all the info in considering it’s 11:30 PM, and I have three different appointments tomorrow, the first at 10 AM which is quite early for me, as you all know. 

Here’s a quick preview of what I might talk about more in-depth in the next post:  how I feel about the “Snuggie” (advertised on TV), a tip to make cooking more entertaining, my dad’s winter coat from the 80s and my day in the snow.  You can’t wait, can you?!  Well, you’ll have to just sit there in suspense.  In the meantime, here’s a little something to entertain you.  It’s a video about Koko (the gorilla who does sign language)…it’s amazing.  I’ve had this thing for gorillas since I saw “Gorillas in the Mist”, and one of my psych professors at UVA helped to train Koko.  Her skills truly are amazing.  Check out this video (one of many showcasing her ability to communicate): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdACUfI6nA0&feature=related.  Speaking of gorillas, if you haven’t been to the Bronx Zoo, you need to check it out.  The “Congo Gorilla Forest Exhibit” makes you feel as though they are watching you, rather than the typical zoo set-up where we humans gaze at them.  I could watch them all day long.  I know this seems like a random topic, but Ronnie sent me the video, and I just had to share it with you!

On to another random topic, music.  Maura O’Connell is a folk singer from Ireland, and the Matthews fam has always enjoyed her music.  She has one of the strongest female voices I’ve heard.  I recently discovered this song, and I wanted to share it with you.  It’s called “Trip Around the Sun”, and I find it soothing, not only because of her beautiful voice, but also because of the words she sings.  Let me know if you agree: http://www.mauraoconnell.com/disc_dont_i_know.html (Click on “Trip Around the Sun”, and hopefully it will play it for you–it doesn’t play the whole thing though, so you may just have to get the song on itunes!).

OK, that’s all I have to share tonight!  Stay tuned (hopefully tomorrow), and I’ll catch you up on other important goings-on in my life.  :)  Tomorrow I see a dermatologist (just for a general check-up), my wonderful social worker (whom I haven’t seen since before I left for Seattle!), and my oncologist (one of them…I’m seeing two right now, my original oncologist to whom I’m very attached and the bone marrow transplant specialist who is greatly respected in the transplant field).

I’m fading fast, so it’s off to bed I go.  Hope everyone enjoyed the snow day!  Be careful out there!

Love,

Julie