Power of Love

Sorry for the short notice, but please send lots of positive, healthy thoughts to San Francisco today starting at 5pm EST, as that's when Rosie will be having surgery.

Tell Me More

Tonight, when the bar closed after spending the night celebrating a good friend's 30th birthday, we went to everyone's favorite late-night/early-morning dining establishment. 15 of us crowded around a big round table and ate as though we hadn't eaten in weeks. It was a great end to a really fun night.

When the fortune cookies were passed around, I eagerly took mine and broke it open, only to find a "fortune" whose top line had been cut off. The line that was left said:

"itself known through your words."
(Lucky Numbers: 7, 14, 17, 28, 34, 42)

Here's my question to you, dear readers: What did the first part of the fortune say???

Strength in Numbers

Rosalie was 21-months-old when she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor. She had surgery to remove the tumor, then went through 14 months of chemo and radiation. Seven months ago, Rosie finished her treatment protocol, and she has had clear MRIs ever since. She has re-learned how to walk and talk and sing and dance, and has won over the hearts of many doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and all of her physical, occupational, and speech therapists in the proccess.

I lived in San Francisco when Rosie was diagnosed, and was volunteering at UCSF where Rosie was treated. Each week, I'd go early to volunteer and visit with Rosie and whichever parent was "on duty" that day. We'd play with Elmo and sing and giggle. Over the months that Rosie was in the hospital, I not only built a relationship with her, but also re-kindled my relationship with her mother (a friend from summer camp). I looked forward to those Wednesday afternoons, and was sad when it came time for me to move across the country to Boston.

Since then, I've managed to get back to San Francisco almost every six months, and I have been able to see Rosie and her family each time. Those visits have been highlights of my trips and I always look forward to seeing how many more things Rosie can do since my last visit (painting, standing, walking, talking...).

Yesterday, after a routine MRI, Rosie's family got the horrible news that there is a new tumor growing in her spine. I feel so overwhelmingly sad and frustrated, both at the news, and at the fact that I can only lend my support from afar this time, instead of being right there with them. So I'm keeping them in my thoughts and sending them lots of love and strength, and I'm begging all of you to do the same.

Rosie & Mommy & Miss Kitty Spring 2006

Singing with Mommy, Spring 2006

Rosie & Daddy, Spring 2006

Rosie & Mommy, Winter 2007












Susannah & Rosie, Spring 2007

Rosie & Susannah, Spring 2008

Swimming Rosie (no more tubies!)
Fall 2007

Dr. Rosie, Halloween 2006

Illin'

Those of you who have been following my status updates on Facebook lately know that I had a lovely bout of what I thought was food poisoning on Sunday night. I spent all day Monday in bed recovering, and then worked all day yesterday. Was working a full day after being so sick a good idea? Perhaps not, but there are no paid sick days when one is a babysitter, and I couldn't stand the thought of watching another full day of bad daytime television.

So off I went, first to sit for the 2.5 year old girl (M) I sat for last year and her 6-month-old brother (Z), and then to sit for a 5-year-old boy (J) and his 3-year-old sister (M), both whom I had also sat for last year.

Despite having no appetite, I was relatively functional at my first home - kicking a ball around the yard, playing with play-doh, having an in-depth conversation about the difference between sticks and roots and branches (M: "You can pick up sticks, but you can't pick up roots!" - brilliant, that child is).

As I headed to the second family's house, I wasn't feeling quite so hot, so I picked up some saltines and ginger ale (lunch of champions) on the way. Munched on those while older brother T and his friends ate birthday cake, and then hung out with J & M while T and his friends went to see a movie.

After walking to J's favorite ice cream store, J telling me he felt like he was going to throw up, getting their ice cream to go, and then walking (a little faster) back home, we got inside just as the thunder began. Unfortunately for J, the thunder in his belly was also doing some work, because he ended up as I had a few nights before. Poor kiddo.

So I finished babysitting around dinner time and was amazed at how much better I was feeling (though exhausted after not a lot of food and quite a bit of energy output caring for these kiddos). On the way home I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up some chicken soup. Ate the soup for dinner, watched the game, and fell asleep happy and optimistic that I was moving past this illness...

So imagine my surprise this morning when I woke up and opened my eyes and immediately felt dizzy. At first I chalked it up to not enough sleep, so I rolled back over and fell back asleep for another hour. But when I woke up the second time, I experienced the same thing - a generally woozy feeling that increased the more I tried to sit or get out of bed.

After another sick day in bed, I went to see my doctor at the end of the day (Sidenote: Special shout-out to TG, as I am 100% convinced that getting to the doctor would not have been possible had it not been for a tip I received that anti-nausea medication might help my woozy body. I took some a few hours before my appointment, and by doing so, gave myself the strength and ability to get to there in one piece).

Because I was able to report to my doctor that the anti-nausea medication had helped to make me less woozy, she determined that my sickness earlier in the week was probably a virus and not food poisoning, and that it had traveled around my body and landed in my ears, causing the dizziness. The technical term for this: Labyrinthitis. The name makes it sound so cool and interesting, but it really REALLY isn't.

Really.

Here's the best part: it can last for a few days, or a few weeks - so there's no way of knowing just how much fun I'm in for in the near future.

For now, I've stocked up on some "less-drowsy" anti-nausea medication and ginger chews and am hoping for the best...

"If You Were in an Accident..."

I have a blog post floating around in my head about this, but for now I'm just going to post the video. It includes what might possibly be my favorite Josh/Donna moment ever on the West Wing.

Scooperbowl Tuesday

Tonight I had ice cream for dinner, and I did not limit myself to just one flavor.

Apparently, every year the Jimmy Fund holds a 3-day fundraiser. Individuals pay $8 and receive a spoon, and then go around to tents to taste-test ice creams from New England vendors. Not sure how I missed this day last year, what with my ice cream radar being what it was, but this year I was prepared.

By my count, I sampled no less than 11 flavors of ice cream (indicated by "*" below). For what it's worth, the cups were (relatively) small, and I didn't always finish my sample, however that doesn't mean that I didn't come away feeling just a little bit ill.

Lessons learned from this evening:

1. It's fun to eat ice cream for dinner.
2. Nobody does cake batter ice cream like J.P. Licks, so don't bother trying any others.
3. The hotter the weather, the faster your ice cream becomes soup - eat fast.
4. Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip is damn good (and worth seconds)

26th Annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl Vendors:
Ben & Jerry's
*Cake Batter
ONE Cheesecake BrownieTM
Imagine Whirled PeaceTM
Strawberry

Breyers®
Vanilla
Strawberry
*Mint Chocolate Chip
*Cookies & Cream

Brigham's®
*Quack TracksTM
Mad Fish Mud
*Coconut Almond Fudge
Xtreme Razberry

Cold Stone Creamery®
*Shock-A-ConeTM
Coffee Lovers Only®
*Founder's Favorite®
Chocolate DevotionTM

Doriti Gelati
Lemon Sorbetto
Orange Sorbetto
Mango Gelato
Vanilla Bean Gelato

Edy's®
*Birthday Cake
Cookies 'N Cream
*Mint Chocolate Chip
Orange Cream Sherbet

Élan Frozen Yogurt®
*Coffee
Chocolate
Vanilla
Black Raspberry

Garelick Farms/Gifford's®
World's Best Chocolate
Maine Wild Blueberry
World's Best Vanilla
*Maine Lobster Tracks

Häagen-Dazs®
Raspberry Sorbet
Belgian Chocolate Chocolate
Pineapple Coconut
Vanilla Honey Bee

HP Hood®
Red Sox Green Monster Mint
Fat Free Vanilla Pomegranate Swirl Frozen Yogurt
Light Martha's Vineyard Black Raspberry
Bear Creek Caramel
Cookies N Cream Itti Bitz

30

In approximately 2 hours, I will be 30 years old. 

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about where I am in my life, where I've been, and where I'm headed. In reviewing my life, I've realized that all of the major decisions I have made in my adult life have been based on one (or more) of three things: job, relationship, and/or location. I moved to Boulder after college because of the location (not Boston or NYC) and my relationship. I moved to San Francisco because of the location and my friendships there. And I moved to Boston because of a "job" (school) and its location (closer to family). 

For the first time in my adult life, I am finding myself completely at a loss for what to do next. Though I have a degree in a field about which I am passionate, I don't yet have a job. I don't have a significant other with whom to consider potential future plans. And though I do enjoy living in Boston, I don't feel particularly tied to this place. It is an interesting position for me to be in, and one that has left me feeling both excited and overwhelmed.

So now, on the eve of my 30th birthday, I look back at my accomplishments thus far, and look ahead to all that awaits me. I think of how right the decision to return to school felt, and trust that other such major decisions will also feel so good and right. I trust that despite often feeling as though I will never find someone with whom I can share my life, there is in fact such a person out there to be found, and I look forward to finding him. I trust that despite not getting the fellowship I thought was made for me, over the next few months a new path will become clear, and I look forward to discovering where that path leads. And I trust that the next 30 years will be filled with just as much joy and laughter and challenge as the past 30, and I look forward to sharing that joy and laughter and challenge with friends and family, old and new.