Hey there everyone! How’s it going? I’m happy to report that I spotted my first firefly tonight! I guess that means summer is really here. Although I don’t love the heat, I do enjoy the pleasant hum of the air conditioner, the sound of tractors and weed whackers, the loud croaks of frogs from a neighbors’ pond, the beauty of a thunderstorm. Yes, I may be one of the only NoVa residents who relishes all this rain. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sun also, but there will always be something special about the rain. Its sound relaxes me, but the sight of it also gets me excited to go out and play with the dogs or go for a walk (not in a thunderstorm, mind you). Even getting caught in the rain can be fun! I got pretty soaked last week after doing some shopping at Wegman’s, and I think I was one of the very few driving out of the parking lot with a smile on my face. It seems I just can’t get enough! Whoops…hope that doesn’t jinx us. 
I was happy it didn’t rain Saturday, because we had Relay for Life over at Oakton High School. From the pictures below, you’ll see that, once again, I really enjoyed myself. My mom stopped by for the survivors’ lap, Laura visited a couple times with some of her friends, and Rachel came with her dad and stepmom. Several friends from my support group were also there. Although it wasn’t as large or as well organized as other years, I enjoyed myself, and I know together the teams raised a lot of money for the American Cancer Society.
I got home around 1 AM to find several of my neighbors’ mailboxes had been knocked down….I mean, seriously, people still do that? How much fun can it really be? I was pretty exhausted, so it was easy to fall asleep. Starting last week, I stopped taking my Ativan at night to try and train my body to fall asleep naturally. The doctor didn’t say that I needed to do this, but I figured I might as well give it a go. Needless to say, I haven’t been sleeping too well at night. I’ve also had some very weird dreams. If it gets to the point where I’m not functioning well during the day without taking it at night to sleep, I’ll go back on, but for the meantime everything seems OK. Even when I take it, I wake up several times a night. Does anybody have any tricks for how to get a better night’s sleep?
Speaking of sleep, I can’t stop yawning, so I’m off. Before going though, I just wanted to mention another friend who lost her fight with cancer. My dentist’s wife died last week. Throughout her treatment, she never lost hope, and I will always admire her strength and positive outlook. Sending lots of love to the Outten family.
And lots of love for all of you too!
Julie
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- Relay, 2009 Yup, that's me with the purple flag! The flags read "Celebrate" (that's my flag), "Remember" and "Fight Back".
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- Hey! No one told me I was holding it backwards!
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- Thanks for taking all these wonderful shots, Rachel!
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- That's me walking off the track...I had passed on the flag at this point...that sucker was heavy!
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- Mom and I (that's my survivor sash...pretty cool, huh?)
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- Well, I look really silly, but Rachel, Mr. Kahn and Linda look good!!
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- They have pockets on a quilt where they insert photos of all the survivors...I would be pointing to, guess who?--me!
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- Look at those dedicated walkers!!!
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- We look goofy. :)
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- Rachel and her dad with my mom and me---check out the moon behind us.
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- This was spelled out on one of the sets of bleachers--beautiful, isn't it?
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- And now, I wanted to share with you the luminaries I purchased...these are only a few of our friends and family affected by cancer....my friend, Holly (she is doing very well!)
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- Our wonderful family friend, Katherine, who is also doing well!
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- Mary Ann Scully, a longtime family friend who died of metastatic breast cancer in 2007...she fought it for eleven years.
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- Uncle Pete, my mom's brother, passed away of a brain tumor in 1989 after fighting it for two years.
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- Dave Happoldt...I wrote about him just a couple weeks ago. He just passed away after fighting leukemia for a little less than a year.
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- Mary, my neighbor from isolation out in Seattle AND at the Pete Gross House! She's doing well, and I'm hoping we can meet up at our one-year follow-up in September.
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- Aunt Barbie, my dad's older brother's wife. She's been cancer-free for over twenty years!
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- I think you know how she's doing! ;) (By the way, I didn't buy this one...Rachel donated it.)
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- Which do you like better...no flash?
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- Or flash? I prefer no flash.
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- Rachel, I had so much fun!! Thanks for coming out...you and your family helped make the day really special.
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- Mom went to work on Saturday, and this is her little helper. :)
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- This is Usa's beautiful little girl, Sara...my mom said "this is when you know you have too much paperwork" and that she "really gets wrapped up in her paperwork". :)
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Yay Julie! Thanks for sharing your experience and pictures….I hope to join you next year!
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The relay looks like it was on a beautiful night! I’m sorry I couldn’t be there but I plan on being there next year.
I love those photos of Sara, she is adorable!
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I’m sorry I missed the relay this year! It looks like you had some wonderful company, though!