Haaapppy Holidays!!!!
Written by JKM on November 22nd, 2008So, the holiday season is upon us, and I’m loving it! I love riding around town, looking at the decorations (yes, even though it’s not Thanksgiving yet, Katie…and yes, I have started listening to Christmas music already!).
OK, it’s now Saturday afternoon, and I just put up some pics for you to enjoy. My mom and I are having a wonderful time with Maya and her mom, and Laura got in last night too! We plan on going to “Joey’s” for an early dinner, and I’m really looking forward to all the company, and of course the good eats. Maybe we’ll get in some more “Blockus” too!! That is an awesome game, if you haven’t yet had the chance to play. I think my mom and I need to work on our trash talk though, because Maya insists it’s a very integral part of playing. We’re just too sweet….we would never do such a thing!! 
hahahaha
My mom and I both agree that my energy is supersized right now, so I feel almost normal. I don’t know if it’s the steroids doing their thing (they are getting rid of the rash too which is good!), or if it’s maybe a combo of the steroids (prednisone) and the fact that I am indeed getting stronger. When I walk, my ankles don’t feel like they wobble as much, and I don’t necessarily want to be sitting on the couch or my bed….imagine that!!! I keep reminding myself that I am still a patient, and prednisone makes my blood levels seem higher than they are, when they really actually put me more prone to infection. I am excited, worried and triumphant in one breath. Excited to be feeling well, excited for the holidays, coming home, my future…worried because the nagging thought “What if it comes back” will forever be there…and triumphant because I feel in my heart that I have won. With Laura’s help and your support, I really and honestly feel that. I feel almost ready to take on all the challenges that come with being healthy again–finding a job, organizing my life, being there for others. At other times, as I wrote the other day, I become overwhelmed by that thought, but in this very moment, I’m looking out at a beautiful church sitting up on Capitol Hill behind the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, admiring the late rays making it the brightest building in view right now…I’m looking forward to spending time with my mom, Laura, Maya, Momma Nakamura, and I’m happy.
Holidays always help to get me in the right frame of mind too…I know, they can be stressful too, but I’m not one to complain too much when the music and ornaments start appearing in stores just after Halloween…bring on the joyousness, I say!! You would be amazed how many little decorations and quiet touches you notice at the clinic or here in the Pete Gross House, things to make the patients and their families smile. So it really is the little things in life, huh?
Love and an early Merry Christmas (oops and Happy Thanksgiving!) from Seattle
Enjoy the photos!!!
Julie
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- Maya and Momma Nakamura are here!! We enjoyed a deeelicious dinner at "Wild Ginger", although it was a bit difficult to find....just ask them! :)
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- Hey, that hat looks good on you, Maya! Maybe you can walk around with that one and I'll walk around with my Princess one and we'll be the talk of Seattle! :)
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- Just a big cutie waitin' for his owner outside Starbucks...I'm doin' pretty well sharing all the dogs of Seattle with you, don't you think?
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- It's all decorated for Xmas! Woohoo!!
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- Checkin' out the houseboats...I love driving along the water and imagining what it would be like to live on one, just for a bit.
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- They each have a little neighborhood/dock area, complete with mailboxes. Wish I knew someone down there!!!
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- Thought this was a cool tree.
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- And here's the top of that tree---part of the entrance to this little houseboat neighborhood.
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- Xmas Coke! Christmas is officially here!!!!!!! To commemorate my Christmas in Seattle. :)
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- Meet McKenzie----what a cute face!! I noticed her peeking out from behind a store counter and dragged my mom inside. :)
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- Relaxin' before dinner with Maya and my momma :)
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- Dinner's over...time for the games! Maya and Momma Nakamura brought this cool game..."Blokus"...anyone ever played?
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- AND NOW....I present you some more hula hooping!!!
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- Heyyyy, loooking good!!!!! I think we have a challenger for Kristin!
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- Maya's turn!
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- She just looks way too relaxed, don't you think?
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- I love this one--Maya, your expression just cracks me up!!!
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- Even though it's blurry, this is a classic---are you guys out there hula hooping?!!! See how much fun it can be?!
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- Here we go with the arm technique, one of Laura's faves....
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- And we always end up laughing---told ya!! It's impossible not to!
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- Tiso, here's another shot of those creepy basketball heads in my neighborhood....they've shrunk a bit and I guess they're supposed to be pilgrims or something, but they're still there!!
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- This is going to be a new housing facility for SCCA patients, kind of like the Pete Gross House I live in now...it's on the other end of the street, just a couple blocks down closer to the city rather than Lake Union.
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- I love this picture for some reason. You have the building blocks for change on your right side, and a beautiful older building right in the center, with a gorgeous tree popping out the back of it, in front of more new growth in Seattle. It kind of reminds me of that children's book where the little house doesn't want to leave the big city, and everything else just builds up around it.
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- My mom noticed how perfect the lighting was on our neighborhood church today....it does look gorgeous, doesn't it?
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- Mom on Minor (our street) :) I like this photo a lot.
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- One of our favorite little apt/condo places along our walk. Although it may seem otherwise, I was not drunk when I took this picture...perhaps a little off-balance....I'll try again later.
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- Now this is a scarrrrrry picture!! I went ahead and put myself in harm's way so you could reaaaaally get the full-on effect of what it may look like before running into the tree that's on our street--yup, the one I've spoken of many times that juts out over the entire sidewalk!!!!
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- And a view from the other angle---very scary, don't you agree? Should I send these pics to the Seattle City Council?! :)
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- There's our little "Home Deli"---despite the fact that our neighbors across the street frequent it, it's a nice deli with very friendly owners, and it looked especially pretty in the lighting today....the glint of the sun just makes everything a little more beautiful, don't you think? (unless it's catching my furry face hahahahahahaha)
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- Hooking up the horse and carriage for the weekend....I can't wait 'til I can go on a trail ride!!--perhaps in Ireland?
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I vote for “a combo of the steroids (prednisone) and the fact that I am indeed getting stronger” I never got so much done as when I was on Prednisone! If I ever decided to abuse druge, it would be Prednisone. And it is the cheapest “high” out there. $2 will keep you dancin’ for a week.
You are definitely getting stronger, and feeling better/good just feeds back on itself. Getting your old self back may be a bit of a roller coaster, but every peak is a little higher and the troughs aren’t as bad as where you’ve been. So optimism is the word of the day.
I will say, though, that the days that I tapered the prednisone were just yukky days. It is a hormone after all so I did feel “hormonal” which for a guy is a real trick.
Charlotte wanted to know if you were watching the REdskinds game out there in Seattle. I didn’t see the game. WHen I don’t watch, they win. Worked again yesterday…
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Great entry! I’m glad your energy has been so great and that you had a nice visit with Maya and her Mom. Hopefully Laura will be feeling better soon so you guys can hang out.
As for the Christmas music, I’ll let you slide on this one. Any other year, I really think you should at least wait until the Friday after Thanksgiving in order to give proper appreciation to all of the holidays.
Love ya!
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Hi Julie! We’ve been thinking about you lots. Glad to see everything is going so well in Seattle. We miss you at group too. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your entire clan!
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Well my little putita,
Great blog, sorry I haven’t posted a comment in a while, but I’ve been reading them all! I especially liked the video one…remind me to bring my video camera when I come back in December, we can hit the town & tape EVERYTHING! Remember the video I made about Anakin? “A Day In The Life Of Anakin”? Well, we can do the same for you! 
Anyway, love ya! Wish I wasn’t stuck all alone in this hotel, sick! 
ugh! Hope to break out soon! Love to Mom too!
Since I’ve been quarantined, I figured I’ll just communicate with you through posts on your blog until I’m allowed back in The Pete Gross House!
xoxoxoxoxox
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So great to see pics of Maya hooping! Haha! I have played Blockus (both versions) — what I want to know is do you call it “BLOW-CUS” or “BLOCK-US”?? Jason and I have a running debate on that
(well anytime the game is out)
Tell Maya I said hello! Been reading every word - trying to catch up to present. Thanks for having this blog and sharing everything (and I mean EVERYthing - haha!)