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IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

It's REALLY my favorite day this week. I had surgery to remove the tumor in my bladder Wednesday and I came out with flying colors! The doctor was very pleased with the results and as a result, my next appointment won't be until March. On Wednesday morning we had to arrive at the hospital admitting by 5:30 a.m. so we spent Tuesday night in West Linn with our daughter. Luckily, there was no traffic at that time in the morning. Who gets up at o-dark thirty anyway? After waiting my turn in line and signing all the necessary papers, the clerk handed me this ID bracelet to check for errors on my name. First thing off, it wasn't even my name! Not a good sign. So after making up a new bracelet, I got checked into my pre-op room where I changed into this ridiculous gown and crawled in bed to watch as a parade of nurses checked me out. I think I counted seven or eight that were coming and going for the next hour. I had my temperature taken, my heart and lungs checked, pressure pads put around my legs for circulation, blood drawn, IV inserted and so on. Finally around 7:30 the anesthesiologist arrived and asked me all the same questions that the nurses had asked! Oh well, better they have too much information than not enough. As I was talking with him, the surgeon arrived, apologized for being late and made sure I was ready. After the doctor left to change his clothes, the anesthesiologist hooked me up to his drugs and the last thing I can remember is being told to keep my hands inside the moving gurney on the way down to the operating room. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room. After a couple of hours there - after I had my bearings and did the pee thing - I left for home. I never did get to see the surgeon after the procedure, but he did go in to talk to Dave while I was recovering. He said they found exactly what they expected and were able to remove the tumor with no problem. He even had pictures, but I won't share those! I am feeling great and am SO glad it is all over with. Oh! And yesterday afternoon, this beautiful floral arrangement showed up on my doorstep! Do I have the greatest girls or what?

While we were in town on the day before the surgery, Dave had his six-month appointment with the cardiologist. He is doing great too and so he doesn't have to see the doctor again for another six months. After that, we both ran to the office next door to see the dermatologist as Dave wanted to get his skin meds renewed and I had a blood vessel on my face that was bothering me. The doctor took a couple of moles off of Dave and removed my blemish and off we went.

We made it back to West Linn in time to join two of our granddaughters at their Christmas pageant at the school. Jaysa was playing her violin and Jadyn was singing in the junior chorus. Jaysa has been taking violin for only a couple of months and Lara warned me that it might sound like a bunch of cats fighting in the back yard. The description wasn't far off, but it was a nice pageant and both girls really enjoyed performing for us. Before we left for the event, Jaysa - who is six years old - decided that her bangs were in her eyes and got the scissors out and cut them off - clear to the scalp. My daughter did a quick comb over with what she had left and it didn't look too bad. But what a time to decide to cut her hair! So now Lara has to take her to her hair stylist and see what can be done with the "re-arranging" Jaysa did.

While we were out and about earlier that day, we did a little shopping. I had mentioned to Dave that it would be nice to have a Kindle so I could do some quick reading and Facebook on my own without having to try to use the laptop - which is usually in HIS lap. The idea was put on hold as the NBA was on lockout and we couldn't afford to spend the extra cash. But that has all changed now so Dave decided we could make my wish come true. So, we came home with a Kindle "Fire". That's the good news. The bad news is that so far we haven't figured out how it works. These new contraptions don't come with very good instructions and you have to go to the web site to figure it out. And all that site tells you is just what you DON'T need to know! I guess they cater to the younger generation who know all about using these new machines. It is really frustrating sometimes. Dave is also looking at getting a new "smart" phone and we will see how "friendly" that will be.

I hope you are making your holiday plans and getting your list marked off. I am putting the finishing touches on my Christmas letter and hope to have it out in the mail by the first of the week. I am running a little late on it this year as I wanted to wait until after my surgery to report the outcome to everyone. It is hard to believe that Christmas will be here in about a week. Wow! Then we get to start the New Year.