[Joy]

It is so nice when people are thinking of you-thank you so much. I, like Chrisy, have been trying to keep up with posts and everyone's events. But have not posted much because of LIFE. It does not mean, though, that I'm not sharing your sorrows, frustrations or joys.

I have had my friend of 29 years staying with me a lot this year and it has been really great. We have kept very 'busy' with catching up on movies, reading our "Rolling Stone" magazines, going out, chatting and cheering each other up. She is off to Park City, Utah to work the Sundance Film Festival as film festivals are what she does. It will be lonely without her here.

My kids are quite emotionally challenged and challenging these days. My 11 year old seems to be on the verge of womanhood and my 8 year old seems to be regressing to toddler-hood. We could fill a tub with the tears. So I have been trying to really focus on them when we are home together.

My ex got his 2nd new puppy and that has been fun and busy.

I'm still working at my sister's bakery and that is a lot of fun, but it is work. I made our scone mixes ALL DAY today. We make everything from scratch but we mix the dry ingredients together and put them in the fridge for later when the wet are added and baked. I blew my nose today after work and, I'm not kidding, there was ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour in there!

We also have a lot of school commitments this time of year and we are preparing for our annual Thanksgiving trek to Pagosa Springs to be with my parents-can't wait!!!!

Health wise, I feel great and I'm still on tykerb/xeloda. As of 2 weeks ago the CMP was all normal and that has been a good indicator of liver function, which is always our main concern. I'll have it checked again next week and continue to hope for NORMAL. I think I'm scheduled this month for a CT and of course I'm praying for continued regression (for all of us).

I've done really well on this combo and still get nervous about when that ride will end. It is so dumb, but I just want to keep on treatments that don't cause my hair to fall out. I'm sick of just getting it back and loving it and having to lose it (3 times so far). I know it is petty.

I still feel like a loser a lot of the time, especially since I want to date again (the on-line thing stinks and I've had weird experience after weird experience). And I just can't help but feel that no one would be interested in me with cancer and 2 kids. Just when I feel like I look good and go out with friends it is always the others that seem to attract people. And it is true that the great ones are taken. And of course the limited places to meet people is a problem.

So that is the update.

I think of everyone everyday and wish I could fix all of us and answer questions, but there are such smarte people here who do that so well. Thank you to all of you!