HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Well, dear readers, it's been a long day at the Warren-Schumacher household. We woke up early, as I was scheduled to go in to Swedish and get my Herceptin infusion. But, as we all know, Anna's world works differently than your average gal's. Got showered and was drying off when suddenly the top of my nose, that harbored a tiny blood blister thingy (for years) started gushing blood. I'm talking, I could have been a "stand in" for Sissy Spacek in Carrie. It wasn't stopping. So, Kevin is freaking out and I was laughing ... a bit. It was like a faucet. So, we try to get Silas out of the bathroom so he doesn't see Mama "dying."
I sent the boys off ... I was supposed to get Silas to daycare, but it wasn't gonna work out that way. Kevin told me I HAD to go the ER. So, I off I went, in my pajamas and my cozy little slippers that my brother Josh bought for me when I was pregnant. Half way there, the bleeding slowed. So, I turned around and came back to the house to get clothes ... thinking I would rush over to Dr. Fer and the infusion center to make it in time for my Herceptin. NO GO. As I was leaving the house, the faucet began to leak again ... I mean, it poured!!!
Off to the ER I went again.
Once there, I ended up with the funniest group of male nurses, save one dear lady. My Doctor was so dry, that, at first, I thought he was an ass-hole. But, he ended up being cool. He asked me if I wanted my nose numbed while he tried to get the bleeding to stop. I told him that I had demanded that I get no anesthesia whilst getting my mastectomies, as I have a REALLY high tolerance for pain. Finally, a smile!
In any case, They finally, after a frickin' hour, got the damned thing to stop bleeding. They had pulled out the cauterization cart just in case. I told them I wanted it to be cauterized. But, the doctor said that it would take a long time to heal afterwards and the scaring might be bad. So, the male nurse, basically, laid on my nose for 20 minutes with all this shit that they had put on there. The first round of treatments didn't work. So, they moved onto another powder thing that I think they use for athletes. It worked.
I'm now getting a bit of a black eye ... I'm assuming it's from the pressure of the nurse who use to be a Marine. Enough said.
Who in the hell was I in a past life that has led me to such dramatic stuffs? Thank God I have a good sense of humor.
I'm planning on going as Ghandi for Halloween (the bald head lent itself to this). I'm gonna really have to work in the black eye and the "nasal stigmata" as I've termed this latest snafu.
xoxo
anna

More Yakima pics...

So, here are the photos from Grammie. The pics are of Silas and Grammie, Silas and Uncle Levi, and Uncle Levi and his adorable girlfriend before Homecoming. Regan was a homecoming princess, thus the crown. She's a hoot. Fits in with the family like gang-busters.
Again, we had a wonderful time. Next time we go to Yakima, we'll probably be able to share pictures of snow. It's great there in the winter. Getting over the pass is the problem.
I had a really busy day today. THAT IS GOOD. The salon has been quiet this month, as folks are gearing up for the holidays. They wait to get their hair done before the religious holidays. There are too many to mention ... and spell.
I'm starting my countdown to my last big reconstructive surgery. I am "booked" for December 22nd. That's right. The week of Christmas, I will get these big-ass expanders out of my poor chest and will, FINALLY, get my implants. I miss having squishy boobs and laying on my stomach to sleep at night. Once I heal (a week), we fly to South Carolina. We'll fly out on New Years Eve. I'm soooooo looking forward to being home and spending time with everyone. It'll be wonderful to get home.
Off like a prom dress. We're eating jambalaya tonight.
xoxo
Anna

Back to the Emu ... and his/her name:

So ... back to the random emu on my farm.
After looking at this regal little being, I'm gonna operate under the assumption that the emu is a male. He's all tufted and fluffy and gorgeous. Male animals are like male (human) drag queens. They show-boat and are much more beautiful than the female members of their species. We know that male animals end up looking more colorful and brilliant because they need to attract mates.
So, as I think this little enigma is a male, AND because I think that he thinks that he still belongs amongst the cows even though they see him as a drag queen, I'm gonna name him "Sparkles Emo McQueen."
He's gonna peck my eyeballs out when I go home in January and call him that.
xoxo
Anna

Weekend in Yakima ...

Well, we're back home from a wonderful trip to Yakima. The pics here are from my camera. Debbi's (my mother-in-law) wouldn't download. So, I'll work on them and post 'em later.
We spent Friday night with Kevin's dad and step-Mama. Got to visit with his step brother and his wife. They've got a gorgeous son - Mason. They also have an adorable new baby girl named Madeleine. To say she's adorable is an understatement. I wanted to kiss her sweet little face off. Needless to say, I had her in my arms at any chance I could get. Knowing that I'll not be able to have anymore babies, biologically, makes it so much more precious to hold the babies of my family and friends. They are just so precious. In any case, we had such a wonderful night with the Schumachers. Lots of laughter and love and great conversation.
Saturday was spent at Kevin's mama and step-dad's house. Silas loves it there. He got to play on Uncle Levi's drum-set and with all the great toys they have there for him. We got to meet Uncle Levi's girlfriend Regan. It was homecoming night. So, we got to see them off in their pretty attire. Regan was a homecoming princess. Such a cutie. We also got to spend time with Granddad (Gailon's father). He's the most spry and funny guy. Kevin's step sister just got married. Danielle and Chris are the funniest newlyweds I've ever met. What fun we had with them.
It was such a great weekend. I'll post more pics as soon as I can figure out how to download them properly.
xoxo
Anna

Our very own Sasquatch in SC ...

The picture isn't doctored folks. I've heard rumors for some time and decided that it simply COULDN'T be. But, it is true. There in the flesh ... or the feathers, as it were ... is the mysterious creature that has apparently been living amongst the cows on my family's farm back in York, South Carolina. Yep, you heard it: the mysterious creature is none other than a frickin' EMU! Not on a farm in Australia. York, South Carolina. He thinks he's a cow. He stays in the fence and roams those several hundred acres with all the cows, bulls, and calfs.
"How did that damned bird end up on your farm?", you ask. Well, dear reader, that is an extremely good question. And the answer would be, "beats the shit outta me." No one in the family knows how the critter came to our beautiful land. I guess he got a notion that the grass was greener ...
I think I'll name him/her. I think that should be our next step. We need to determine if it's a cow or a bull, first.
xoxo
Anna
p.s. Get a load of the cow with the white face. She looks perplexed! Priceless.

Something Widked this way comes ...

It got awfully blustery this evening. We came home from having a nice Mexican dinner and settled in. Suddenly this black cloud enveloped the sky and the trees started swaying. I, personally, love that kind of weather. It's lovely. The rain started pouring and the remainder of the little birch tree leaves fell in clumps. Hate that they are leaving us (no pun intended) but I love rainy/stormy weather. Not surprising that I love the weather up here. However, I wish it rained harder and was less misty. If you're gonna do it, DO IT. I think. This explains some of the more aggressive treatments that I'm on. I know many don't do them. But, for me, it's worth it. As long as my heart scans are good, I'm good. That's that.
The pics in this post crack me up. One is of two red blobs. They are hats knitted by my friend/agent. She knitted the first one when I was diagnosed and was going through chemo. It was my best friend. So soft and warm. But, not constricting. The second was made by her recently. When I went bald again, for no reason, we shaved Silas' head. It was his wish. So, she knitted another ... from the same material. Apparently she's held on to this material for several years, as it had been discontinued. So, she knitted the same hat for Silas in a tinier version. When she put it on his head tonight, I started laughing hysterically. It was just surreal to see my chemo-hat on him. I've always been apposed to children dressing like their siblings or parents. It's creepy. But, the little hats seem different to me. They represent so much more than someone wanting to use their child as an accessory. My Mosey shaved his head to look like his Mama. Somewhere, in him, he may just know the facts. But, as far as he's concerned, I shaved my head "so I could grow new hair 'cause I was tired of the old stuff." So, we are gonna wear hats to continue the tie. Just my take.
The other pic is of a photo OF a painting OF Kevin and me. Our girlfriend Sandi is an artist. She did a series of paintings based on the seven deadly sins. She chose us as lust. NO comment. In any case, she will be starting a new painting this week. She planned, nearly a year ago, to do an Amazon Woman painting. I guess it's fitting that I was left with one breast when she decided to do it. So, this week, I'll begin posing for her. She's got photos of me throughout the process. Now, it's just a matter of pulling out the bow and arrow and getting the warriors face to match the body. I imagine that it won't be that hard to muster up the visage of a warrior with one breast caught in the midst of battle. Not hard at all.
xoxo
Anna

Pretty Day ...

Well, it's been a lazy Saturday. I love that. We rarely have weekends off. We're always booked. So, today has been great. We didn't do much of anything until T and I left to take the dogs to the dog park. The boys napped, as they are both sick and Kevin has a show tonight. Hope his voice holds up. There is no way he could "fake it till you make it" with the type of music they play. His vocals are pretty striking.
Golden Gardens was beautiful today. It was wonderful to walk through the forest there with the pups and see how green and gorgeous this city is in spite of the falling leaves. It's a gorgeous dichotomy. And, it's a gorgeous city.
Silas is now watching The Wiggles and has been jumping on the bed and dancing. The pictures show how much fun he was having, as his pants fell off. He's now naked... go figure. He's my son.
My head is still bald, but getting some nice blond peach fuzz up there. It's so bizarre that it's growing back in the same manner that it did when I was on chemo. Still so surreal ... and funny.
We're heading to a joint baby shower tomorrow for 2 of my co-workers. It's a baby frenzy at Salon Joseph. They are both expecting boys. The WHOLE salon has boys. So, it's pretty amazing. Chock-full of testosterone. I love being a mama to a boy. I think I've always know that I would have a baby boy. I love it. He's such an hilarious and dreamy boy. Everyone calls him "an old soul." He's always thinking ... even if he's in the midst of playing with the other kids. You can see those wheels a-turnin'. He's his own little man. I love that.
Happy Saturday, everyone.
xoxo
Anna

Great evening ...

So, I just logged into the Young Survival Coalition boards and saw a wonderful post. One of the women on the boards consulted with a fantastic oncologist and spoke with him about her stats. She asked him about her HER2NU status. I am HER2NU positive, as well. She wanted to know about her recurrence rate, being HER2NU positive. He said that he doubted that she would EVER recur, as he's had only 1 patient ... of all his patients (and they are ALL breast cancer patients) ... recur. WONDERFUL NEWS. Herceptin is a great drug for us HER2NU positive gals. Before it came out, things looked bad for, as it made our cancers much more aggressive. One in Four women, on average, are positive for the HER2NU mutation. So, this leads into my next point. I'm continuing on Herceptin. Typically, it's done over one year. Some choose to go on to do two years of the drug. My oncologist and I have decided that I am just fine moving on to a 3rd year. My heart scans are consistently good. I don't know anyone (that's not metastatic) that has done 3 years, but I'm damned aggressive with this disease. My oncologist thinks that it's a wise move. We're tight. He knows that I was diagnosed at stage 3. Pretty late stage. Plus, I'm a young woman with a young child. He's wonderfully supportive of my being so aggressive.
On to politics. Leave now if you don't care to read about it.
So, the debate was a bit anticlimactic for me. I missed parts of it, as I worked late and my boss and I got it to air on the speakers throughout the salon. But, my blow-dryer was drowning out the debate. After listening to the end of it on NPR, it sounds like everyone thinks that both candidates did okay. Funny thing though: NPR pointed out McCain's comments about how "nasty" Obama's adds have been. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? John McCain started this huge flame-war in regards to the adds. He's the one that continues to associate Obama with a "terrorist" who was accused of such when Barack Obama was 8 years old. Come on ... is that all you've got? Let us not forget the Keating 5. At least Obama was 8 years old when the guy was doing his "nasty deed." McCain, not so long ago, was taking vacations with and using the private plane of a man that was indicted only a few years ago. Who in the hell told McCain that dragging Obama into this "terrorist" shit was gonna bode well for his campaign. Someone is getting fired!
McCain is desperate. I think his running-mate shows that. Again, my step-brother has Downe's Syndrome. I've never seen my step-mother use Shane as a card in any game. I HATE THAT. She's NEVER put him in the spot-light for her own gain. She's never shoved him in front of her to gain ANYONE'S sympathy. Sarah Palin is a parody of herself. She has chosen to drag a pregnant teenage daughter into the largest spotlight that that girl will ever experience: the entire world. I cannot imagine dragging my child into that. If you're that young, wait four years AND THEN RUN FOR VP. But, ambition, as we've all seen, is quite the Siren. DEADLY.
xoxo
Anna
p.s. I've been told by many people that they are afraid that Obama might be targeted by extremists that want to cause him harm. I SAY TO THAT: If you are that simple minded that you want to harm someone because of their race, you need to look within yourself and the Bible (which I'm assuming you "pristine" people subscribe to). Jesus was of middle eastern decent. HE WAS NOT WHITE. Shocking! Shocking for people that are totally clueless. Pull your ignorant heads out of your asses and remember that that region was inhabited by many human beings before our blessed America was even a baby. If you're too ignorant to understand that, take some time to reflect. If you cannot do so, turn your TV off and, FOR GOD'S SAKE, DO NOT GO TO THE POLES. Find a therapist and get over your race issues. GET A HOBBY ... AND A VASECTOMY. The last thing we need in this world is more of YOU!

Wonderful evening...

So, we had the honor of being able to catch up with an old friend of mine that happens to be my sister-cousin's (Angi) best girlfriend from college. Her name happens to be Angie. I love this woman. Cracks me up. She's not only gorgeous on the outside, but her insides are pretty damned beautiful, as well. She's in Seattle for business. Angie has witnessed many things that have happened in my family and defined my best friend "The other Angi" and myself. She's been there during marriages, babies, deaths in the family, and other crises. Silas, Kevin, and myself got to meet up with her for a cocktail before she had a dinner meeting. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with her. It felt like I had an hour of South Carolina right here in Seattle. I miss South Carolina. I miss my family and friends. It's just so unbelievably wonderful to sit, bald, with a girlfriend that has known me since I was in high school. She knew that I had gone bald for no reason. Didn't seem to make a bit of difference to her ... even though I caught random stares from people in the restaurant. You always get that. You, basically, become immune. It was so great to focus on the present and to hear about her two beautiful girls and see her playing with my son. Angi, I KNOW you're jealous! You should have flown up with her!
xoxo
Anna

I'm bald ... again...

Yes, you heard it correctly. As if the crazy arm infection wasn't enough ... the thrush due to the antibiotics dealing with the infection wasn't enough ... I HAVE LOST ALL OF MY HAIR. AGAIN.
My head starting hurting last week. It was hurting for no reason. It felt the same way it did when I was on chemo and it was fixin' (I"m not Palin) to fall out. Next thing I know, I get out of the shower on Saturday and rubbed my achy head over the sink. Hair falls out. I pulled a clump out. Then, I pulled 4 more, as I'm most certainly an over-achiever.
So, after speaking with my oncologist and another at the renowned Swedish Cancer Institute, there really is NO explanation. We've covered all my meds. We have our hypotheses. But, it doesn't add up. Like how I speak in terms of "we" in regards to my doctors? That's because I've crowned myself an amateur oncologist. You have a question, I'll answer it. I'm fixin' to start charging.
In any case, I shaved my head on Saturday. That led Mosey to shave his little head. He wanted to look like Mama. I didn't mention any treatment stuff. Just told him that I was wanting a a change and wanted new hair. Then, by Sunday, the little nubs of hair were still falling out. So, we revisited chemo days and just duct taped my whole head last night. Most of it came out. There are still little nubs here and there. But, for the most part, it's gone. Cue ball gone. My clients, today, were taken aback but so calm about it. Just laughed right along with me. They are ROCK STARS!
I could care less, honestly. The only thing: I'm supposed to be recorded for the news tomorrow as a thriving survivor. Oh holy hell!!!!! Gonna have fun explaining my health and how I'm two years out (TODAY, AS A MATTER OF FACT) and am suddenly bald.
I'm gonna tell 'em that I got struck by lightening or something. It's just easier.
xoxo
Anna

Ding Dong

Just wrote that Title, as we've inherited a new computer from a great friend, but it has an asian script every time I go to type. Thus explains the strange text that you might be seeing. I like it. Just want to see what "Ding Dong" ends up being in Japanese or Chinese. I'm still not sure what Asian lanuage we're dealing with.
So: the debate. Interesting. It's clear to me that Sarah Palin tends to talk like a beauty queen trying to win a crown. No doubt the lady is intelligent. She sure is. But, she is removed from what this country is going through, in my eyes. Her previous interviews have rendered me in stitches from laughter ... especially, after Tina Fey's impersonation. It was spot-on. You CANNOT get better than that.
Tonight, I thought that she was very evasive. Namely, in the beginning. She caught "her" stride and built some confidence after "debating" for a while. I'm sure she is a fine person. But, she has NO clue what she is talking about in regards to this entire country and foreign policy. Joe Biden,on the other hand, did well by me. I was afraid that he would be abrasive, as he can do that. But, he was spot-on. Stuck to the task at hand and was focussing on what was thrown at him. I cannot say that about Palin. I was hoping that he would, simply, focus on the questions ... AND HE DID THAT. Sarah Palin did not. When one has to announce that they refuse to answer a moderator's question, you have to question their motives. I was embarrassed for her. For, maybe, one second.
In any event, I was pleased with the debate. Biden did a great job. I was very proud of him. Let himself settle, and not get out-of-wack.
Oh, and by the way, if my step-Mother had thrown my step-brother in front of her for sympanthy during any life situation, I'm sure she would have gotten a huge sack-full of fans. My sweet step-brother has Downs. We went to Jr. High and High School together. Before we became relatives, we were pals. Now, we are brother and sister. My step-mother would have NEVER put him on stage at every chance she got. She would have NEVER had a family meeting about his existence while he was in her belly: Sarah Palin did this. How can someone that is "pro-life" have a meeting about the decision of bearing a child with Down's Syndrome? It's hypocritical, at best.
He's not a flag, or a sign, or a decree. "He's my brother...", as they say.
xoxo
Anna