My favorite Marine-- photos from the job

Glamorous new swimsuit....with a little help from the princess

Well, I was trying to take a photo of the glamorous new swimsuit I get to wear thanks to radiation-- the top is up to my collarbone-- when I had a little "help" from the princess. I'm sure it made for a better picture, anyway! :-)

Another day, another ER visit

No, this time it was not for me. Liv hurt her arm at a BBQ-- ever heard of nursemaid's elbow? It's a little like hyperextending your elbow and it's painful as all hell. We flew to the ER, Liv screaming and crying at the top of her lungs. Scariest. Sound. Ever.

We got in, got her looked at, and before the doctor could come in....

...she was fine.

Apparently the cure for nursemaid's elbow is pronating and supinating the arm (bending it, in other words), and Liv did that for herself. Poof. Just like that, all is well. No soreness. No nothing. She's doing great, playing with stuff in the ER room, being silly, demanding dinner. Perfectly healthy and happy little girl.

Our nerves may never be the same again.


*****

I forgot to say: it happened while playing a game with her baba who feels really crappy about the whole thing even though it wasn't his fault. Poor baba.

4 days

I just found this photo and noticed it was taken FOUR days before the fateful mammogram.

Funny how you seldom know when your life is going to change forever, eh?

Update on my favorite Marine

Here's the latest from Christy about her husband in Iraq:

So far Joe sounds really tired but he says the food is amazing. It's been over 110 degrees everyday. He said the sun comes up at 4am and by 6am it is already 80 degrees and by 8am it's 100. He said its completely dark by 8pm and there is no exterior lighting on the base so I'm sure it feels weird.

Here is what he can tell me about what he does... He works at Al Faw Palace (you can find pictures online - he said he'll send some as soon as he can). He works directly for Gen Petraeus and has video briefings from him first thing every morning. They work 14 hour days - until about 10pm - which is 3pm here....[she says] I keep calling what he lives in a "trailer: but over here it's call a CHU -- a containerized housing unit!...

Me, I can't wait to see the pictures. He works in the legal unit which was greatly affected by some recent Supreme Court rulings. Intriguing stuff. It's a lot of responsibility for a young Marine lawyer. We're all really proud of him.

Hair update - giving El Jeffe a run for his follicles!

Okay, El Jeffe, I'm slowly catching up to you. But I appear to be scotch and soda brown (looks darker in the photo), while you're your usual lager blonde. Go baby!

Wretched day enlived by old pals

Sometimes things just work out well. Today's been a wretched day, cancerwise. I feel like 20 pounds of irradiated, hormonal fertilizer in a 10 pound bag. Hot flashes, nausea, poor sleep and a lot of paperwork that needed doing. (Isn't that always the way?)

This sorry state of affairs was alleviated in large part by a mostly day-long e-chat with an old friend much beloved since I was nearly 12 years old. That and a joke sent from a 14 year old son of a dear friend. Both made me feel loved and made a really lousy, pain-filled day infinitely better.

God love all my friends. This would be so very much harder without them.