Golf on December 19th!!!

It is hard to believe but today dawned sunny and bright after weeks of very wet weather. Snow is predicted in the hills this evening but it was nice when I walked the dog this morning. So I went up to the country club and manage to slog through the mud and play the equivalent of 18 holes of golf (played 2 balls for 9 holes). Actually hit some pretty nice balls on some of the holes which really surprised me.

This has been a bad month for cars in our family. Both my daughter-in-law and my son-in-law were in car accidents in which their cars were totaled. Lori was bruised but OK, but Brian suffered a slight brain injury and needed not to do anything active or strenuous for a couple of weeks. I went up and babysat for Kai for the week. What fun!! but exhausting. I took Kai to the children's playroom at OMSI one morning and my legs felt like I had done 100 squats from getting up and down from all the little chairs!! Not to be left out, I took Dash to the children's museum at the Portland Zoo. He is now at an age where he really enjoys playing with the other kids so I could just watch and enjoy. Got home yesterday and slept 11 hours last night!!!!

Am a bit discouraged as I can feel another subcutaneous tumor and the one in my right thigh is getting much bigger. Will find out exactly where I stand when I have my scans on the 28th. However, I am sooo thankful that I have had these two months to recover from the BRAF drug and to be well enough to enjoy golf and babysitting.

Happy Holidays!!

As the lights on the last candles of Hanukkah burn down and the Christmas lights twinkle on all over the neighborhood, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. My holidays will be full with my kids and grandkids and my two sisters as well several gatherings of friends. I also look forward to some quiet time at the beach for long walks and reflection about my life over the last year and the challenges in the years ahead.

I will probably not post much until I have my scans and meet with my oncologist on the 29th. I will know then whether I am holding my own or will need to start another course of therapy (an immune enhancing on this time). Please keep your positive thoughts and cares coming my way.

In this season of giving, please consider (thank you if you haven't done so already) making a contribution to the Melanoma Research Foundation at . http://www.firstgiving.com/mollybloomfield.

GO BEAVS!!!

Well today is a very big day in Corvallis and Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are playing the OSU Beavers in the annual civil war game. But there is much more at stake than the inter university rivalry. If the Ducks win, they will play in the national championship game. Needless to say the town is rocking. I am going to stay warm and watch the game on TV.

I had a marvelous Thanksgiving in the Bay Area with three generations of Bloomfields. There were 15 of us at the table for most meals all week as we rotated between homes. I came home exhausted but feeling like it was a very special time.

I am feeling so good. I have to pinch myself. My face is finally healing up from the ravages of the drug and the cancer surgery. I am able to sleep and eat well and each day have a little more energy. I feel so blessed to be able to have this time and am savoring each moment.

With the holidays upon us, I am going to stay pretty close to home with celebrations and time for friends and family in Corvallis, on the coast and in Portland.

For now I will be posting about once a week, unless I get some really cute photos of the kids from Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Believe it or not, Sophie and I see turkeys like this on our walks around my neighborhood. There are several flocks of wild turkeys that wander in this area. Sophie isn't sure just what they are when she sees them.

I hope that you and your family, where ever they are, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. The experiences of the last few months have made me realize how much of our lives we take for granted. I am so thankful for my family, friends and renewed health.

Thank you to each one of you who have supported me with your thoughts, prayers, gifts of food, time and dog walking. Please know that I cherish each one of you and so appreciate all that you have done for me.

Glorious Rainbow

When I took Sophie out for a walk this morning, there was a beautiful full rainbow across the sky which lasted for over 15 minutes. It represents the joy I feel for being fully healthy again and the optimism for my future. Yesterday I listened to a webinar about the immune-enhancing drugs that are being developed for treating melanoma. I have always felt that it has been my immune system that has held off the melanoma cells and these drugs will just help me do that in the future.

May your day be wonderful and full of rainbows!!

Blessings

Hello all you faithful readers. Thanks so much for continuing to check in.

I can't express how grateful I am to wake up in the morning with energy and no pain. I am truly back on my feet again: out and about, seeing friends, walking Sophie, and playing golf and pickleball. My face surgeries are healing up well. The sebaceous cysts on my face and body (this is a totally new side effect for the books according to the oncologist) continue to spread but they don't itch or hurt...they are mostly cosmetic...I can just think of it as being a teenager again with a bad case of acne!

My biggest problem right now is pacing myself. There is such a desire to do everything since I have no idea how long this is going to last and I risk exhausting myself and ending up compromising my immune system. So I am working very hard on being in the moment and in making sure that I have time each day to rest and meditate.

Magnificent Fall Day

What a blessing to have days like today...60 degrees, sunny, and gorgeous colored trees. I am feeling stronger each day. I am playing golf every nice day I can as I know they are numbered. We are supposed to have a very rainy November.

Election day....Thank goodness..no more campaign ads! I pray that we can find a way to be more civil in our election process and have elected officials that can work together for the people of this country. I think that the politicians all should follow the teachings of Pema Chodron and approach each new issue with an open mind and loving kindness both toward themselves and others....