Mood:
on fireNow Playing: Day 2929-Chapter 3... Happiness~My Silver Lining
A HUGE surprise awaited us before heading out on the open road late this morning...
SNOW!!! YAYYYYY!!! 
WOO~HOO!!!!
We even called ahead of time to make sure that my surgery wasn't canceled. But nope... everything remained right on track to get this surgery done and over with!
I would be lying, if I said that I wasn't a bit nervous. This gal does better being knocked out, cold turkey, during any surgery. The mere thought of having to be awake through the entire procedure left me feeling a bit uneasy. But tis better now to get these skin lesions under control! I can't believe it... but here I go again. Less than 2 weeks later... another surgery.
Poor Eric... he hadn't even slept yet this morning after just getting home from work, changing clothes and having to head out the door with me. Our life has yet to slow down. What we both need this year is a much needed break. More like... a long overdue vacation since we weren't able to take one last year. A great escape for the mind, body and soul! Florida sounds like a wonderful idea for later this year. However, we have far more important matters to attend to such as our move out west. So many things that need to go as-smoothly-as possible before loading up all our contents and getting our fur children ready for the long, picturesque trek out west. We both are super excited for all of the amazing opportunities that lie ahead for us this new year!
But first... there are surgeries, recoveries and lots of follow-up appointments that I must attend while we are still living along the Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky border.
Today, I not only learned a bit more about the various ways that skin cancer is treated. All in hopes of a permanent cure. But as well, I have learned that skin cancer has come a very long way as far as different treatment options. I am lucky to have another skilled surgeon to add to my team of specialists. Not only does he have many decades of surgical experience removing various types of skin cancer. But as well, he was able to perform my surgery with minimal damage to the surrounding skin. Freeze, cut and chemo. That pretty much summed up a rather quick surgery. 
Removing both skin lesions. I didn't know they used liquid chemo for skin cancer? But they say you never truly learn it all in a lifetime. I may had rather been sleeping during the procedure. But on the flip-side... I learned a great deal as my surgeon talked me through the entire surgical procedure. It was rather fascinating! He even tolerated my, "OUCH! Good GRIEF!!" and other choice words during the freezing and cutting of the skin lesions.... Hahahahaha! And guess what? A mere hour later... surgery was complete.
I feel pretty darn proud of myself to finally be able to face a medical obstacle and this time... WIN!
If only other medical challenges were that easy. If only they were found much, much earlier. But tis all just a learning lesson. God gives his bigger challenges to his strongest warriors. Amen.
chillin'
We are quickly making huge steps towards making sure our big move this summer is a huge success! Eric has been keeping in close contact with his assigned recruiter out west. Making sure that all necessary certifications and military documents are sent over to the recruiters office. We don't want to miss a thing or have anything delay the start of his training. We still have quite a few steps to go in the process of our big move. But we are super excited to announce that it WILL be happening this year. YAYYYY! 
One thing that I was super excited to get back to this evening was walking along the river. It's been quite awhile in between not feeling well and this crazy winter weather. Over the past few days it has felt more like spring here in our little, lazy, river town. A perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy a nice walk along the river trail before the rain heads back into the area for the remainder of the evening. Actually... over the next few days along with SNOW! YAYYYY! SNOW!!! It might not had been a picture perfect walk along the river. More so like a scene out of The Pirates Of The Caribbean. Hahahahaha! But I made it! I finally was able to get back to something that I truly enjoy! I give myself a round of applause for also being able to walk the entire trail along the river! WOO~HOO!!!
cheeky
I went from being one with the vampires... to now waking up with the birds. HA! I don't mind though, it just means being able to now get things done during 'normal' hours when folks are up. HA! 
In the meantime... it's important as ever to remember to not dwell on things and keep smiling! Sharing laughter among each other as one big puppy took his first and last far bigger bath at a nearby self grooming salon. So much for trying to save money by doing the grooming ourselves. Instead of paying the lady at the counter $10.00 for using their self-service salon. Maybe we should had just 
handed them a $10.00 bottle of extra strength Tylenol. Hahahaha! Not only did Snoreo want no part, what-so-ever, of his first and last bath out in the open for everyone to see and hear... bark-whine-bark-whine-whine-bark-whine... but I tend to firmly believe that the employees at this salon never want to see us back again. Hahahahaha! If only video capability was available on this current blog software. Hahahahaha! I never laughed so hard in my entire life! It was EXACTLY what we both needed! Maybe exactly what everyone needed that worked at the salon and customers who just had to see what all the commotion was about with a BIG puppy and a far BIGGER fear of getting a bath! Hahahahaha!
hehehe! 
lucky
Life is just far too short folks. Especially to let anyone try to rain on your happiness parade. Attempting to pour a bucket over your beautiful, glowing, beaming ray of light. Like... how my face will be looking after a really good charcoal therapy mask!
HAPPY! 
celebratory
bright
Between waking up from another very vivid dream. Only to look up at the television and see once again, another sign. I did a bit of online research to see if others had the same occurrence during a surgical procedure. Very vivid visions of being somewhere else. Only to awaken in disappointment of being sent back. It isn't the first time this has happened to me. I know it won't be the last. But it 
seems as well upon research that many, many others have had the same similar experiences. Signs. They do have a special meaning. I know mine are being directed to me. To us. Through those that have passed on and watching over us from heaven. It isn't something I believe. It is something that I firmly know. 
I may be the only one right now really enjoying this extreme cold weather so early in the winter season. A long awaited break from far too many warm winter seasons. If only we could add a bit more snow to the mix... ahhhhh...
that would be heavenly! Last nights temperatures heading back from the hospital dipped to a rare zero degrees. Although this isn't the coldest we have seen over the past few weeks. It is pretty rare to see zero and below zero temperatures. The only downside to this super cold winter weather are the double size record utility bills that hit our mailbox today. Our bill literally doubled from just the month prior! Even our high efficiency furnace couldn't keep up with the constant demand for warmth. This might not only be a record cold winter season. But also a record season for extremely high utility bills! Crossing our fingers for some available overtime at the sheriffs department! 
Until then... tis a great day to enjoy the great outdoors via a room with a view. Actually our living room with a huge window view of some rather large visitors. It never gets old looking up to see a new visitor or two from all the deer that surround the wooded hillside. You know... someone has to feed god's creatures, both big and 
small. We continue to be fortunate to be a part of those someone's. Nothing fancy, just a few homemade food stations to provide something to eat for all the wildlife visitors through out the cold winter season. 
doors. Having more than one fur child is very common in our little, lazy, river town. It's not uncommon for a typical household to have more than 3 fur children at a time. Especially during the past few weeks when even those that have gotten lost are still welcomed with open arms. Seeking temporary shelter in a strangers home. 
never.
today was that day.
This past surgery was tough! Yet... I still have another upcoming surgery to remove a cancerous skin lesion in less than 2 weeks. I also have a few more surgeries still left to endure once I make a full recovery from my most recent surgery. Two separate surgical procedures to replace bone that had to be cut back due to tumors causing the initial infection. Bone that literally crumbled on my surgeon. But first... I must make a full recovery. It's like another flashback from surgery a little over several years ago that started this entire mess. A surgical procedure that turned out anything, but normal. An ovary that literally crumbled as well on them. Scary enough... there seems to be quite an eerie pattern going on here with my body. A very bad pattern. 
ahead of me! 
My surgeon had me come into his office today during his lunch break in order to address issues with another post-operative infection. Not only is my digestive system extremely slow when it comes to an anesthetic state of sleep. But so is my overall healing process. My body is just now beginning to show signs of healing. Crazy! At least all of the surgical bruising is finally starting to fade away. One grows tired of hiding indoors in fear that some folks will assume that Eric is a wife beater of some sorts. HAHAHAHA! No worries... we already had to explain my bruising to a few at our local bank. BAH! Even my surgeon's assistant got in a few of her own funnies regarding odd, but normal for me, various shades of bruising that is just now beginning to fade away. As she told my surgeon, "I sure hope she didn't give out the name of who did her surgery!" Hahahahaha! Once again... being called the 'special patient,' with some really special post-operative complications like another nasty infection. Another procedure, but a far shorter one today in order to drain the infection.
Eric wasn't given every little detail with regards to what my surgeon encountered during last weeks surgery. But today we both got full details of not just problems with my far too low blood pressure issues. But as well with bone tumors that literally crumbled on my surgeon which meant the need to cut far deeper than anticipated. Surgical incisions that we were told will take up to 5 months to heal. We were also told that I will need to have a few additional surgeries, surgical implants, to replace bone that had to be removed within the entire upper left portion of my jaw. I don't need to go into any further detail on how fortunate one can be to have such an amazing surgeon with decades of handling such highly complex cases as my unique case. Let's just say that sometimes pictures say more than a thousand words. I will handle the changes within the structure of my face. I will prepare, once again, for the necessary upcoming surgeries.
