Halloween Party 2019

Shireen hosted her annual Halloween bash on Saturday.  We started discussing our group costume plans for 2019 at the 2018 party.  It was all Elliott's idea, and I'm proud to say we pulled it off despite a year riddled with cancer, surgery, chemo, and radiation. 

We picked up a dozen spooky donuts from Krispy Kreme to take with us.  I should have just baked more cookies on Thursday so we had a homemade treat,  but I didn't have it in me this year.  I ate one of the orange donuts.  It was filled with cake batter and it was a delight. 

We took a few pictures in the backyard before we left, but Elliott refused to open his eyes.   And as you can now see, we did a group Scooby Doo theme. 

Once we got to the party we took alllllllllllllllllll the pictures so I could do allllllllllllllllllll the comparisons. 

Natalie as Daphne Blake

Michael as Fred Jones

Elliott as Scoobert "Scooby" Doo

John as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers

Maryellen as Velma Dinkley

Spencer as The Creeper

We did some episode recreation shots, of course! 

Joni wanted a side by side for her costume too!

Shireen had the perfect,spooky backdrop areas set up in the backyard. 

John and Michael having fun with The Creeper

Me and Maryellen having fun with The Creeper

The two red-heads at the party!  Oh, with our photo bomber!

The Gang!

The world's best acting and really the world's best video, ever. 

Freddie Mercury won for "Most Creative" costume.

We won for "Best Group" costume

And then all the final pictures before the party was over.

2019 is going to be hard to top!

Back to work and appointments

The week that I was off of work for fall break and healing from surgery was the first week since December that I didn't have one single appointment related to cancer.  It was lovely. And then the next week I made up for it with three appointments.

I went back to work on Monday the 21st.  It was an animal print kind of day.  And then I made it a mostly animal print kind of week. 

I did this fun activity with spooky houses and creepy bugs during all of my therapy sessions.  

After work I went to Home Goods and bought a nice little gift for my surgeon.  

These shoes were delivered in the mail that day.  The heel is higher than I expected so I wore them while I made dinner to test them out. 

I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday the 22nd.  I had her gift waiting when she came in the room. 

More animal print that day.  This time red cheetah.  

My surgeon said everything looked great and as long as nothing changes and I don't need her in the future, I don't have to go back to see her again. 

Elliott's new pajamas that night.  

I took one single picture on Wednesday the 23rd.  This is the skirt that I paid an insane $26 to have hemmed.  I picked it up that day. 

I also took one single picture on Thursday the 24th.  More animal print.  This time it was grey zebra stripes.  I had an appointment with another surgeon that afternoon to take some small moles off of my chest.  My dermatologist was concerned about them and offered to take them off and biopsy them, but I didn't want big scars, and she always leaves big scars so I went to a plastic surgeon.

I had an appointment with my oncologist on Friday the 25th.

  I baked 7 dozen cookies on Thursday afternoon to give our piano teacher, my oncologist, the nurses and patients at the oncology office, my friend, and our pediatrician. 

This was what I gave my oncologist.  The cookies were in the bag. 

My nails got trashed by chemo, but they are finally making a comeback.  I matched them to my skirt.  

After my appointment, I had lunch with my friend Garth.  Garth and I were interns in the Senate together.  He left after the internship and went on to law school while I stayed and worked as an assistant analyst.  Then I left to go to graduate school and then eventually Garth got his law degree, passed the Bar, and started working for the Senate again.  He's been there for at least ten years I think.  We haven't actually seen each other since Spencer was a toddler. 

We made it a 2.5 hour lunch!

After lunch I went to Walgreens and picked up my new prescription from my oncologist.  This is a hormonal chemo drug that I will take every day to prevent my cancer from coming back.  

Then Spencer and I went to his 12 year well-child check-up.  It lasted 90 minutes, and all but about 5 of those minutes were spent with his doctor talking about his eczema, his asthma, and my cancer.  

When it was finally done we went to Target.  We ended up in my favorite aisle- coffee on one side, wine on the other. 

And then finally- home, in my jammies, with a glass of wine, and my new drugs.