tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30577848626324861392024-03-05T16:46:14.345-05:00au soleil levantau soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-53085228135074145892011-10-09T08:50:00.000-04:002011-10-09T08:50:13.001-04:00Au RevoirA message from Soleil's family<br />
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Barely one week after her last post, Soleil was admitted to the hospital again because of infections and severe respiratory problems. Despite the best medical care and her incredible determination, Soleil was unable to recover. With unbearable sorrow, we regret to inform her blogger friends that Soleil passed away two weeks ago. Our beloved daughter faced each day with optimism and great courage, and made every moment of her life count. Our hearts are broken as we will forever miss the richness that Soleil brought to our lives each and every day.au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-61281389052421887862011-09-07T21:07:00.000-04:002011-09-07T21:07:08.561-04:00A week outI've been out of the hospital for a week, and it's been interesting. My balance is definitely off because of the ear infection, and that will supposedly stick around for a few more weeks. I'll.probably be getting a home health aide to help me around and make sure I don't fall. I'm also getting a platelet transfusion every other day, and as a premed, to prevent reactions, they give you benadryl, and that puts me right to sleep. So I've been getting a lot of sleep!<br />
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Otherwise, I FINALLY saw Harry Potter 7 Part 2! It was supposed to be a birthday activity, but I didn't get discharged until med afternoon, so we put it on hold. I'm so glad I finally saw it, it was very well done. Not as god as the book, of course, but a good movie adaptation.<br />
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And my brother started football season! We were at the game, a home game, so we got to sit in the President's Box because we are members of some sports support club. Yeah, the perks of giving money to Division 2 schools are pretty nice :) My brother played very well and the team won, so it was a good game all around!au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-90764857618505744202011-09-01T21:23:00.000-04:002011-09-01T21:23:51.966-04:00Out!I was discharged from the hospital yesterday evening. I'm glad to be out. Not a lot of time to write now, but I'll update you on my health stuff later. Hope you're all doing well!au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-7023898854359377892011-08-28T21:54:00.000-04:002011-08-28T21:54:56.237-04:00You'll never guessI've been in the hospItal since Wednesday with an ear infection! I'm feeling.better I think? I'm having trouble balancing when I stand up and walk around, which I definitely didn't need on top of all of the rest of mobility problems I've been having. Uuuggghhhh. Anyway, That's what's going on here! Hope you all are enjoying the end of summer,au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-4339717801427880802011-08-20T17:12:00.003-04:002011-08-20T17:25:47.523-04:00Book reviewsI love to read and have always been a voracious reader. One of the best parts of not doing anything is that I have a lot of extra time to read! Here are some reviews of books I've read recently.<br />
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<i>Major Pettigrew's Last Stand:</i> I really enjoyed this book. I read it about a year ago, as a recommendation from Amazon, and it was an excellent recommendation. It's about a retired major who becomes friends with a Pakistani immigrant and has to confront racism in his small English town. There's also an issue about the inheritance of an antique gun after his brother dies. Highly recommended! The tone is really enjoyable and the characters are well developed.<br />
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<i>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society:</i> This is an epistolary novel about the effects of World War II on the island of Guernsey, which was occupied by the Germans, and a little bit of London too. Letters between Juliet/Izzy, a journalist, and the residents of Guernsey tell the story of the German occupation and how the residents of Guernsey used their literary society and friendship to overcome those hardships. Eventually Juliet/Izzy decides to write a book about Guernsey island and moves there for several months. The characters are <br />
wonderful, the tone is funny, and it reminded me a lot of Jane Austen's writing, which is<br />
good because she's my favorite author :). Highly recommended! The story and characters are really wonderful.<br />
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<i>The Georgia Nicholson Diaries</i>: This is a series of ten books by a comedian that are the diary of a teenager, and they are hilarious! I think they are meant to be read by adults who remember being that ridiculous, or who enjoy reading about how ridiculous teenagers can be, but they are also very popular with teenagers, and I don't think they get that. Oh well. <i>Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging</i> is the first book and shares Georgia's search for a sex god boyfriend, and her struggles with her parents and much younger sister. Hilarious, and very good for a light read.<br />
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I'll add that I'm really not a fan of dramatic novels and prefer stories that are mostly nice and not bloody or traumatic. My life is tough enough, and I don't need to read things that are unpleasant.<br />
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Which is perhaps why I wasn't so much a fan of the novel <i>Faithful Place</i>. This was an Amazon recommendation, and I do like mysteries along the lines of Dan Brown and Agatha Christie, so I thought, why not try this one. It's about a police officer who hasn't had contact with his family for about 20 years when he was supposed to elope with his girlfriend, but she never showed and so he ran away on his own. His girlfriend's suitcase is found, and soon after her body, and he's drawn back into the world of lower class Dublin while trying to solve this case. The story was sort of interesting, but I had it figured out about half way through the book, and the way it was written wasn't terribly interesting. I'll give it a half recommendation, if this is your kind of book.<br />
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<i>Remarkable Creatures:</i>. I haven't finished this one yet, but I'm really enjoying it. It's set in the 19th century in Lyme Regis, England (another Austen tie in!) and deals with the relationship between two female fossil hunters. It's set in the first half of the 19th century so evolution hasn't been proposed yet, but these fossil hunters find fossils that don't fit animals that are alive today, so where did they come from? One becomes a very famous fossil hunter, and their friendship and work is played out against the background of 19th century opinions about women working and taking credit for discoveries like these fossils. Highly recommended! Makes me want to read more Tracy Chevalier. I enjoyed <i>The Girl with the Pearl Earring</i> and <i>The Lady and the Unicorn</i> (and seeing the tapestries at the Musee Cluny) so I'll probably add more of her books to my "to read" list.<br />
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Last one for today! My cousin was an extra in the movie <i>Flipped</i>, and after seeing the back of her head and finding the movie cute, I decided to read the book, and really liked it. The story is almost exactly the same as it is in the movie. It alternates points of view of the same events as experienced by a boy and a girl who are neighbors. The girl is in love with the boy for years, but he finds her embarrassing and so tries to ignore her. It's about the things she does to impress him and how their relationship changes over the years. Very well written and a very cute story!<br />
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Hope you find something here that interests you, and if you have read any of these, tell me what you read and how you liked it!<br />
au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-57394317438127726592011-08-14T20:14:00.001-04:002011-08-14T22:38:35.371-04:00Other things to do in and around Traverse City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">There are tons of attractions in the Traverse City area, which I'll say is the top left corner of the lower peninsula, or the tip of your left pinky from the back of your hand. There are lots of cute towns with various shopping and eating places, islands to visit, and lots of outdoor activities. For example, there's Sleeping Bear Dunes, a park featuring 400 foot tall sand dunes, Old Mission Peninsula is fun to drive around and has some wineries and historic attractions, and there are five lighthouses in the area to visit. Did you know that Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state? There are lots of cruises you can take in the Grand Traverse Bay, parasailing, you can rent boats, there are lots of golf courses... and there are a few casinos too, if that's your thing. The visitor's bureau has a pretty good <a href="http://www.traversecity.com/">website</a> of things to do in the area, but there are of course many more things than they list!<br />
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This year we visited <a href="http://www.lelandmi.com/">Leland</a> and it's Fishtown historic district for the first time. Fishtown has these old, decrepit looking buildings that are what would have been there 100 years ago.<br />
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(Not my photo, because I didn't take many this year, but I went here! Lifted from the site above)<br />
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Today they're home to some souvenir shops and a couple of food places. An amazing smoked fish store, with fantastic prices because it's fresh and local, and the cheese shop in the photo above with really good cheeses. I really enjoyed the goat gouda. The town itself is very small and very cute with galleries and shops. You can even charter boats and go fishing on Lake Michigan, for those who like to fish!<br />
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And of course, the big thing to do anywhere you visit is eat! Since this is the Cherry Capital (Michigan produces 75% of American tart cherries and this is where they are grown) anything cherry is good to eat, and they are everywhere. Dried, covered in yogurt or chocolate, worked into sauces, in pies... there's even the huge National Cherry Festival on the 4th of July weekend. I've already blabbed about the wonderful ice cream at Moomers, so no need to repeat that. Restaurants that I recommend are:<br />
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Thai Cafe: I know it sounds ridiculous to recommend a Thai restaurant in northern Michigan, but this is a really good restaurant! The spices are very well done, the flavors are wonderful, I've liked everything I've had from there. And they give you huge portions.<br />
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<a href="http://www.tcfirefly.com/">Firefly</a>: a really interesting place because they have large dishes but you can also do a tapas-type dinner and order a bunch of small plates to share. I've been twice with a friend of mine who has had a great time working up north for like five or six summers, and we've done the tapas dinner thing both times. Loved everything! The nachos really stand out in my mind. <br />
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<a href="http://www.northpeak.net/">North Peak Brewing Company</a>: they do in fact brew their own beer, which I didn't order because I don't really like beer, but my brother did, and he liked some of them. The fish and chips are great, the pretzel crusted walleye is also very good, and the veggie nachos are great too. I love nachos and am quite the critic, so that's a real complement.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amical.com/">Amical:</a> this was a new visit this year and a huge success! Everything was wonderful, and the star was this enormous tomato soup en croute (with pastry on top) - seriously, the soup could have been a dinner all on it's own because it was so big, and it was delicious! I didn't finish it though because I had a whitefish coming for dinner, which was also wonderful.<br />
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We also ate at <a href="http://www.poppycockstc.com/">Poppycocks</a> and I thought the food was very good, but they don't take reservations, so we had to wait around for a while, and there was an issue with them not having a lot of vegan options for my sister despite saying they did, but the food we had was good. The sun-dried tomato polenta stack was really tasty, and the salmon and whitefish were both very good.<br />
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So, if you go to visit the Traverse City area, there are lots of things to do, and you should visit! In the winter there's skiing, so it's a four season destination. Please do visit, Michigan could use the money!<br />
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</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-59457162691564932662011-08-07T22:39:00.000-04:002011-08-07T22:39:22.498-04:00Pleasanton Bakery and The Village<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">One of the best bakeries I've ever been to is the <a href="http://pleasantonbakery.com/">Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery</a>. Their breads are fantastic! My favorites are the Tomato Parmesan and the Cherry Chocolate, but they only make certain breads on certain days, and we weren't there the Cherry Chocolate day, so I missed out this year! All of their breads are wonderful. I haven't had any of their cookies or other sweet treats, but I'm sure they are good too.<br />
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The Pleasanton Bakery<br />
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The bakery is located in this place called <a href="http://www.thevillagetc.com/">The Village</a>, or Grand Traverse Commons, which used to be a mental hospital, and the other buildings in the area look like it. The Pleasanton building used to be a fire department building, and this is the rest of it.<br />
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It looks a lot less creepy in these photos because it was sunny when I took them, and because I don't have a picture of the front of the building, which is the creepiest looking part. The hospital has been redone and now has shops and restaurants on the bottom floors, but on the top floors they're putting in apartments and offices. <br />
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I find this redo of an old mental hospital strange and creepy because mental hospitals were not fun places to be. The patients were usually mistreated and punished for behavior that was beyond their control, and they often lived in very bad conditions. It just makes me a little on edge to be in the building and know how miserable the poor patients must have been.<br />
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But luckily the Pleasanton bakery isn't located inside the old hospital, so I have no problem going there to pick up fresh bread! </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-42099813989527409172011-08-03T19:47:00.000-04:002011-08-03T19:47:01.871-04:00Wine Tours<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm going to start off by telling you guys that my internet issues weren't over the last time I posted! We lost power on Monday night. What are the odds? Luckily it was only out for about five hours, but really! The internet gods must be angry with me, but I love the internet and don't know what I did to hurt their feelings! In any case, hopefully there won't be any more issues with my internet!<br />
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Back to my trip up north. The Traverse City area is actually on the same latitude as Bordeaux, so there are several different <a href="http://www.traversecity.com/wineries-and-tasting-rooms-40/">wineries</a>, but the quality of most of it isn't as good as the stuff from Bordeaux. They do make excellent rieslings though, and since my favorite kind of wine is sweet white wine, I indulged! I'm not as keen on red wine (of course I avoid the wine that's supposed to be good for you!) and the ones up north aren't that good anyway, so I only sampled whites, champagnes (okay, sparkling wines, I know that champagne is technically only from a certain area of France) and a rose or two. <br />
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Our first stop was Chateau Chantal, which has my favorite riesling, the <a href="http://store.chateauchantal.com/store/product/28/Late-Harvest-Riesling/">Select Harvest Riesling</a> (not sure why it's labelled as Late Harvest on that page). They also have a wonderful <a href="http://store.chateauchantal.com/store/product/34/Sparkling-Cherry-Wine/">sparkling cherry wine</a> and <a href="http://store.chateauchantal.com/store/product/33/Cherry-Wine/">cherry wine without bubbles</a> that are delicious, and very specific to the area since it is the cherry capital. The best part about visiting Chateau Chantal is the wonderful location. It's on a hill on the Old Mission Peninsula which divides Grand Traverse Bay in half and you can see both the East and West Bay.<br />
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The East Bay<br />
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The West Bay<br />
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Our next stop was <a href="http://www.brysestate.com/">Brys</a>, which was not as good as Chantal, but they had some nice wines. We also stopped at <a href="http://www.leftfootcharley.com/">Left Foot Charley</a>, which is a newer winery, and they specialize in white wines. They mostly weren't sweet enough for me, but they were good.<br />
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Our last stop was the <a href="http://www.grandtraversedistillery.com/">Grand Traverse Distillery</a>, which makes vodka and whiskey. We took a tour, which lasted a little bit too long for me, so I guess I must be a little ADD these days. They make an extremely pure product with very specific steps, like what type of barrel they use and how many times they drain the water. It was interesting to learn about how into the process they are. Their products have won a lot of awards too, and they haven't been around very long, so that's great for them. The tasting was kind of funny because you got these mini-shot glasses to try the drink with, and it was me, my parents, and my brother who just turned 21, having a shot party. The problem for me was that the vodka was just way too strongly alcoholic to have plain without a mixer, so I had a sip and gave the rest to my brother. It was very good though, and we bought one of each of their offerings.<br />
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Winery tours and tastings are really fun, and definitely an important part of your trip to Traverse City! Don't expect the best wines you've ever tasted, but you'll definitely find some good ones. </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-33728792167344213202011-07-31T19:08:00.000-04:002011-07-31T19:08:43.453-04:00No internet!On Friday morning we left for Pennsylvania to visit my aunt, uncle, cousin and his fiancee. We were very surprised that the hotel we stayed at this weekend, despite advertising that it was wireless, only had wireless in the lobby and was wired in the room. Not a problem if you bring your laptop, but for my birthday my parents bought me an iPad, so I just took that with me, and it doesn't have an access for wired Internet! I know I could have gone to the lobby and used that wireless, or used my mom's laptop, but I was lazy and we weren't in the room that much because we were visiting, so I was WITHOUT INTERNET for the weekend! It was kind of a big deal, but luckily for a very short time. Now I'm home and can spend the entire rest of the day online. Ha. Although, to be perfectly honest, since I don't have anything pressing like classes to do online, it really wasn't that huge of a deal because I had other things and people to occupy my time. So tomorrow we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program of Traverse City vacation recounting. Hope you all had Internet-filled weekends!au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-14882333274023181422011-07-27T22:06:00.000-04:002011-07-27T22:06:14.872-04:00Moomers!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.moomers.com/">Moomers</a> is an award winning ice creamery outside of Traverse City. Good Morning America awarded them the best ice cream in Americ award a few years ago for their signature flavor, Cherries Moobilee, which is cherry flavored ice cream with sweet and tart cherries, fudge swirl, and brownie pieces. YUM! <br />
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The problem with Moomers is that it is only available in a few stores up near Traverse City, in their adorable store that's abot 20 minutes outside of town, or you can order it online. This year a big change was that you can buy pints at Tom's, the local chain grocery store. So we bought some of them to start off out trip! We got grasshopper, mint oreo, something chocolate, and coconut almond delight, which isn't my favorite because I don't like nuts. But everything else was delicious! We also got cinnamon bun at some point, I think it must have been then. The next night we went out for ice ream and got lots different flavors! Black raspberry, mango, lemon custard, lemon sorbet with raspberry sauce, chocolate peanut butter chunk, and chocolate raspberry chunk. We all had fresh bowls, and some got multiple flavors, which is why we had so much ice cream! I didn't try the two lemon flavors because my brother and sister carry germs, but the black raspberry and mango were fantastic, the chocolate peanut butter chunk is a favorite from last year, and the chocolate raspberty was mine, and was fantastic! Chocolate ice cream with a raspberry swirl and raspberry filled chocolate cups. Amazing! My mom and I went back the days before we left and got some pints and quarts to indulge in that evening, and to take back with us. We got chocolate peanut better chuunk, cherries moobilee, coconut almost delight, toasted coconut (for those who don't like nuts), raspberry truffle (just like the chocolate raspberry but with vanilla ice cream), and ummmm..... somethng else. I think it was amaretto cherry. <br />
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Think we got enough ice cream??!!!!<br />
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The great part about Moomers is that their ice cream is the perfect amount of creamy and sweet, not too much of either, and the flavors are very authentic, not at all fake or artificially flavored. It's a real treat!<br />
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I was too busy eating the ice cream to take any pictures of it, but here are some pictures of Moomers! <br />
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</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-49372976739106298562011-07-25T21:40:00.000-04:002011-07-25T21:40:53.922-04:00Back from break!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've been back since Friday, just took a while to upload my pictures so I could make some posts. I really didn't take that many pictures this year because it was so ridiculously hot out, I just couldn't spend the extra time in the sun!<br />
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Our condo was fantastic again. Same model as last year, but on the second floor rather than the third floor. <br />
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Here are pictures of the view, but for some reason that I don't know and find frustrating, Blogger has rotated some of them. So you can either crane your neck to the side and peek at them that way, or just look at the ones that are right side up. Or if you know how to fix this problem, please let me know! <br />
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Looking out on the East Bay towards Old Mission Peninsula<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzoiYQIHyast6BZIFL8tdVap61BFtthlKv4o_qKk6LZbzP12EWhSJwI6VeSOLN5meVV-wMhUQpBDNhYGvm1dY_XjK6hs0num46GdwwY-YSBtOnoA-4183lz4u3lESqsN8oUyMLCG6Qt4/s1600/IMG_8185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzoiYQIHyast6BZIFL8tdVap61BFtthlKv4o_qKk6LZbzP12EWhSJwI6VeSOLN5meVV-wMhUQpBDNhYGvm1dY_XjK6hs0num46GdwwY-YSBtOnoA-4183lz4u3lESqsN8oUyMLCG6Qt4/s320/IMG_8185.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Looking back towards mainland Michigan </div><br />
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There are lots of boats in the Grand Traverse Bay, but fewer on the East Bay than the West Bay<br />
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Some of condos are owned, and the dock is for boats that belong to owners. The seats on the beach are up for grabs. <br />
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Having fun in Lake Michigan! The lake is probably the best way to escape the heat and humidity. <br />
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Stay tuned for more sideways pictures of Traverse City!</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-37560500827186989552011-07-15T11:47:00.000-04:002011-07-15T11:47:57.418-04:00Great birthday present!I'm getting discharged today! Unfortunately we won't be out on time for our Harry Potter tickets, but I have a feeling it will be in theaters for a while, and we still get to leave on Sunday for our trip to Traverse City!<br />
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On Wednesday and Thursday I had sedated procedures, so I wasn't up for much computer time. But I'm feeling better since starting the antibiotics and anti fungal. I can breathe more deeply, I don't feel as out of breath when I'm doing things, so that's all good news. I don't have to wear oxygen all the time anymore either. That was one of my guidelines for getting discharged, I had to be off oxygen, and so I am. I'll still be on some antibiotics and an anti fungal, but at least I'll be out and able to enjoy myself!<br />
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Today we'll probably be running around doing shopping for things we'll need to take up north with us. We'll be staying in a condo on the beach with a kitchen so we bring some snacks and things, but they have fantastic food up there too. Moomer's ice cream, the Pleasantown bakery, Black Star Farms raclette cheese and French pastries (the best croissants I've had outside of France!), and of course the wineries! So today won't be so birthday focused, but that's okay, I have a great dinner planned for tonight. Tuna steaks, smashed potatoes, roasted potatoes (my dad's favorite, if we don't have them it isn't Shabbat), pea pods, and for dessert, coconut cheesecake! <br />
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I wonder if they pushed to get me out of here because the hospital is full and they need my room, or because they really like me and wanted to get me out for my birthday and vacation. Probably both! I am pretty popular among the medical folks, if that doesn't sound too ridiculous to say out loud :)<br />
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Hope everyone has a wonderful day!au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-61449779819049710342011-07-12T23:30:00.000-04:002011-07-12T23:30:16.508-04:00Crazy from relief!I'm taking a steroid every other day to help control my GVHD, and this past week I was having very strange, not comfortable symptoms the day after not taking the steroids. On Saturday evening it was really bad, so on Monday I had my photopheresis appointment and I asked them to let my doctor know. He called back, I explained my symptoms, and he thought it sounded like the problem was the every-other-day-steroid thing and changed my dose. One of my problems has been shortness of breath, and I noticed on Monday evening that walking around my house twice was getting me out of breath. This was no good. Of course this made me start freaking out about my lungs. It could be GVHD, could be another recurrence, could be lots of different bad things! And we're leaving for a week in northern Michigan on Sunday, what if things get worse while we're there with health care that's nowhere near as good as it is down here!!!! <br />
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So I called first thing this morning and left a message that I wanted to be seen before I left. Got a call back from a nurse in clinic who said the only appointment she could get me was Friday morning. One, I don't want to come in on my birthday, and two, that's not soon enough. So I emailed my doctor asking if he could see me earlier. He has clinic today, but called me back soon after I sent the email, we discussed things, and he said come in for a chest x-ray and then wait around until he's seen it and can tell us what the deal is. <br />
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We ran to the hospital as quickly as we could, got the x-ray, and then went upstairs to clinic and waited. I'm freaking out because I'm so worried about the results. My doctor came out looking for us pretty soon after we got there, missed us as first but eventually our waving and calling brought him over. He says "you have pneumonia." And then we got my pulse ox and blood pressure and made a plan for treatment.<br />
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PNEUMONIA! I'm so happy!!!! That's so much better than a recurrence or GHVD! I mean, it isn't good, but it's so much better than the other things I was worried about! I feel so much more calm and less anxious than I did before. What a relief! I've been telling everyone how happy I am to have pneumonia!<br />
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The next few days will be kind of annoying, but I have a sick liking of the hospital and nurses on the BMT ward. Yes, I was admitted as an inpatient. I already started a broad spectrum antibiotic and an antifungal, and got a chest CT. Tomorrow I'll be getting a bronchioscope (I think that's what it's called, can't remember) and a lumbar puncture with chemo that I was already scheduled for, which means I'll be pretty out of it all day because they are both sedated procedures. <br />
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So the hope is that I'll be out of here on Friday so I can celebrate my birthday! We have tickets to see the new Harry Potter movie at 1 PM (no, I do not want to see it at midnight, I like to sleep, thank you very much) and I have already spent my birthday in the hospital, and it wasn't that fun, so I'd rather be out. I'm sure you all understand where I'm coming from :) I at least hope I get out by Sunday so we can still go up north for next week. Fingers crossed! I'm not sure what the guidelines will be for letting me out but I'm guessing it will have to do with my pulse ox and what kind of pneumonia they decide I have and what my treatment should be. I'll keep you all updated. But not tomorrow, because I'll be sleeping most of the day :)<br />
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I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!! YAY PNEUMONIA!!!!<br />
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(No, I wasn't admitted to the psych ward, but yeah, I'm a little nuts today because I'm so relieved!) au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-28192263855898961812011-07-09T18:15:00.000-04:002011-07-09T18:15:00.472-04:00ShoesI have huge feet. It's kind of embarrassing, actually. I wear a size 11, 42 in European sizes! I never found any shoes in France that fit, and even in the US it's a problem. <br />
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Because of my limited mobility, I'm supposed to be wearing shoes that have thick soles and are supportive, and if I wear sandals they have to have straps over my feet and around my ankle. Guys, those shoes are all UGLY! I keep looking and hoping to find something useful, and I found a pair that's... okay. Less bad than the others, and not too terrible. I want a pair of sandals for our trip to Traverse City, so I decided to buy them. <br />
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The sandals came yesterday. My other foot problem is that they are very skinny and sometimes I need to buy narrow width. These ones were only available in an 11 medium. So I tried them on, and they're too big! They're too wide, they don't fasten tightly enough, and I think they might actually be a little long. That isn't usually a problem I have with shoes! <br />
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I'm not sure if ordering a 10 narrow will help, but I'm thinking about it. I think it's funny that this is what led me to find shoes that are too big!au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-63091959816132706332011-07-06T18:01:00.000-04:002011-07-06T18:01:54.753-04:00Pie PicturesFirst off, a big thank you for all the support on my last post. It really means a lot to me, and I can never express fully how much I appreciate it. Thank you.<br />
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In other news, today marks seven years since I was first diagnosed. I'm still here, so screw you cancer!<br />
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In food news, we had a great barbeque for the 4th of July, and a wonderful dessert! The cherries finally appeared last week so we had cherry pie with all the fixings. Michigan is the #1 producer of sour cherries in the US, and sour cherries are the ones you use in cherry pie. The Cherry Capital is Traverse City, located on the tip of the pinky finger on the back of your left hand. I hope everyone knows that the lower peninsula of Michigan is shaped like a mitten, which is great for pointing out locations and fun for jokes. We'll be up there for a week starting the Sunday after my birthday, the 17th, and I can't wait! We were there <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/07/cherry-capital.html">last summer</a> around the <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/07/moomers-and-tall-ships.html">same time</a> and had a <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/08/summertime-in-northern-michigan.html">great vacation</a> and I think <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/07/so-far.html">this year</a> will be <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/07/some-history-on-old-mission-peninsula.html">just as nice</a>. <br />
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Here are some pie pictures. My mom is a fantastic cook, and the pie was wonderful!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoN3ASXfhwDJDAA3peKiF4q_tGilZNcqlEGx_4FgWVaVVoLeNW3ADvoYCq8zVG90JIth4Qh11ro__3CpYvcLklesa8FiU_E76aKmgIEa2lPclmQBOU1ETSgEpDW-dvNOJDGiSZJCVUbNo/s1600/IMG_8174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoN3ASXfhwDJDAA3peKiF4q_tGilZNcqlEGx_4FgWVaVVoLeNW3ADvoYCq8zVG90JIth4Qh11ro__3CpYvcLklesa8FiU_E76aKmgIEa2lPclmQBOU1ETSgEpDW-dvNOJDGiSZJCVUbNo/s320/IMG_8174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbipQLjJcWDRz3KVDWt7j5K4BcCUurIViGkt15LPp_q16h83yWOphlXoepI5qHF-gR7GfBgLDl4Old1PTPW-ZIso5zpzlX1vqEhP1XviIyKazr8R1zVx-6ceo00rerSd8kuKE_LyqbqQ/s1600/IMG_8177.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbipQLjJcWDRz3KVDWt7j5K4BcCUurIViGkt15LPp_q16h83yWOphlXoepI5qHF-gR7GfBgLDl4Old1PTPW-ZIso5zpzlX1vqEhP1XviIyKazr8R1zVx-6ceo00rerSd8kuKE_LyqbqQ/s1600/IMG_8177.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbipQLjJcWDRz3KVDWt7j5K4BcCUurIViGkt15LPp_q16h83yWOphlXoepI5qHF-gR7GfBgLDl4Old1PTPW-ZIso5zpzlX1vqEhP1XviIyKazr8R1zVx-6ceo00rerSd8kuKE_LyqbqQ/s320/IMG_8177.JPG" width="320" /></a>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-8056694379402570022011-06-30T22:02:00.000-04:002011-06-30T22:02:13.030-04:00I kept a secret from you all<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Blogger friends, I have been keeping a secret from you for the past month-ish. I didn't say anything because I had a lot of people to tell, and was very busy going to appointments almost every day.<br />
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They found more leukemia, in my cervical spinal cord and in my spinal fluid.<br />
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The good news: that's the only place they found any leukemia. My bone marrow and gut were clear.<br />
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The bad news: I had to get 3 MRIs, one lumbar puncture (or spinal tap, which is when they go into your spinal fluid with a needle), a PET/CT, a regular CT, and an EMG, which is this weird neurological test where they use surface and intramuscular electrodes to measure muscle function. OMG, I am so sick of tests! <br />
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For treatment I had twelve days of radiation, which finished a couple of weeks ago, and it was highly successful. First of all it only took like five minutes, and I'm a fan of quick medical procedures, especially when they take place every weekday for twelve days. Secondly, it has made a huge difference in the way I feel and get around. I've mentioned that I've been having mobility problems, and getting the radiation has improved all of them. I'm not back to normal yet, but I've regained a lot of strength and function, which is so wonderful and encouraging. It's great to feel better every day instead of worse. The past six months have been the hardest I've passed in the seven years that I've been dealing with leukemia (July 6th will mark seven years snce I was first diagnosed). The physical limitations have been the worst thing I've had to deal with because they limit the things I can do, and I've never really had to deal with that before, certainly not for this amount of time and when I've felt well. It's just so amazing to be able to do things for myself again and be a little independent. I still have a ways to go, but at least I'm advancing.<br />
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For the rest of my treatment I'm getting intrathecal chemotherapy again. <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/05/everythings-coming-up-stinky.html">I got it last year too</a> - it's chemo injected directly into the spinal fluid. This is basically a good thing for me. I don't get side effects (knock on wood!) and I know the group of people who give it pretty well since I've been there a lot before, so I'm pretty relaxed about getting what is a pretty freaky sounding procedure. I had my first session two weeks ago and my second on Wednesday. They draw some fluid and send it to the lab each time to be tested for leukemia, and the results from Wednesday showed no leukemia already from the treatment I got two weeks ago! I'll keep getting the chemo every two weeks for several more sessions, not sure how many exactly but I think my doctor will tell me on Tuesday when I see him next. <br />
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So despite the fact that there was some bad news, the most recent news is all good. I'm feeling better, the leukemia is out of my spinal fluid, and I'm down to doctor's appointments every two weeks instead of every week. I' really glad that I decided to defer the master's program I was accepted to until next year because it would have started last week and I would have had to drop it. I'm also taking more time to complete the last two prerequisite classes that I would have had to finish before the start of the master's program because I just need a break. Cancer gives you all kinds of good excuses to get out of doing things. Hahaha.<br />
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Thank you all for sticking by me through this crappy cancer crap. I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful people as part of my life, and it only says good things about you that you continue to support me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-26079578242673889652011-06-25T12:43:00.000-04:002011-06-25T12:43:08.444-04:00New Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I really don't like it when people stop updating their blogs very often, and I know that since November the most times I've posted in a given month is five. So, my summer resolution will be to improve that number!<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, my life is pretty boring and I don't have that much to write about! Unless you enjoy hearing about my twice weekly physical therapy appointments. I'm doing these 80s style exercises with steps up and down, and they're quite challenging. Keep in mind, I can't get out of low chairs by myself right now and need a hand going upstairs too, so it's not like they're working me that hard, but I'm usually pretty tired afterwards. I've gotten so lazy that even though I know I need to do this stuff, I really don't want to! Can't I just magically be normally strong again?<br />
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On the plus side, no matter how much I eat I am not gaining any weight! I'm eating tons of sweets, my mom keeps baking for me, and it's summer so there's ice cream, which we all know is my favorite, and my weight is stable and the lowest I ever remember it being. I'm not underweight, although I could stand to gain a few pounds of muscle and strength, but hey, no complaints here at the ability to eat whatever I want and not gain any weight! I probably just jinxed myself and will gain 20 pounds in the next month, but for now everything is good.<br />
<br />
Sorry, that was a super annoying paragraph. Will you forgive me for being annoying if I tell you that the steroids I have to take right now to keep the GVHD under control affect the way insulin processes sugars so I have to take my glucose and give myself insulin shots? Here's my secret though: I usually forget to take my glucose. But when I remember, the glucose level is okay and I don't have to take any insulin. Maybe my horrible specialist in France wasn't so wrong when he said I was a non-compliant patient. Ha! He wishes he were right about something!<br />
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Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! <br />
<br />
P.S. This was all meant to be somewhat amusing, so don't take it too seriously. But if I screwed up and it wasn't funny at all, do let me know, and I'll work on my style :) </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-2022537293070754252011-06-19T14:47:00.000-04:002011-06-19T14:47:47.660-04:00Hair and Happy Father's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last weekend I had a revelation. The last time I had a full head of hair was in December of 2009, before my transplant. I've mentioned a few times here that about a third of my hair grew back, and we were a little unsure as to why it wasn't totally returning, if it was chemo or GVHD. It usually takes 2-3 months for hair to fully regrow after chemo, so as the months went by I was pretty disappointed to not have my own hair, and I was using Rogaine for Men to try to make it grow more. Baldness is the number one physical mark of being a cancer patient, and you just want it gone. <a href="http://ausoleillevant.blogspot.com/2010/08/meet-wigs.html">I got a couple of wigs</a> and wore them occasionally, but it's been a long time since I dressed up or put on a wig because I've been pretty busy with treatments and being weak and not doing a lot.<br />
<br />
Last weekend it all of a sudden occurred to me that I don't really care if my natural hair ever grows back. It's probably been wiped out by graft versus host disease over the past 18 months. GVHD, which is the reaction of the donor cells against my cells, can cause joint, skin, liver, eye, and hair issues (among many, many others!). I realized on Saturday that my hair has been the victim of GVHD and is gone forever, and it really wasn't a big deal. I was surprised when I reread the entry I linked to above because I was so sad at that time at not having my own hair, and my attitude now is so different.<br />
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Hair is such a complicated issue when you're dealing with cancer. Losing it is a very clear symbol of your illness, and it takes a while to grow back to your original style after you've finished treatment; it can take a year or more depending on your hair. Cancer makes you feel pretty unattractive and being bald, especially for women, makes you feel even uglier because it's so abnormal. Everything else in your life changes so much, and you don't even look like yourself anymore. You have to come to the realization that if you need to lose your hair in order to live, that's okay. I am really lucky because my dad has been bald as long as I can remember and always been very cool about it, so the fact that I am bald has never been a problem for me, just the fact that cancer made me bald, if that makes sense. <br />
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So this week I wore the Aubrey wig almost every day, and it was great. I felt less sick, more normal, and even kind of pretty! I really like the Aubrey color and cut, and I got tons of compliments from everyone at the hospital. I had never worn a wig there before so it was a new thing for everyone. There's no point in wearing a wig to a cancer center, they're all bald anyway! You aren't fooling anyone!<br />
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Anyway, so there you have it. I'll be a red head until I decide to switch wigs. It's really liberating to have come to terms with this and be so comfortable with it. Look at how much easier my life is. I only have to wash the wig every 8-12 wears, it's easy to style, takes 30 seconds to put on in the morning... life is good!<br />
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A few words about my dad, since it's Father's Day and he's such an important part of my life. My dad and I are very similar, and we've always gotten along really well. He'll do things to help you without being asked, just by anticipating what you might need, and he's such a loving, caring guy, which you can tell by all of his actions. He's also really funny and has a list of reasons why being bald is great. Saving time and money are of course the most important reasons, but don't forget that if you're being chased by the police you can hide out in the melon section at the grocery store. Hahaha! <br />
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Thanks Dad, for being such a great guy, and Happy Father's Day to everyone else out there.<br />
</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-68962758764673995482011-06-08T17:05:00.001-04:002011-06-08T17:11:58.326-04:00Dear Weather<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Dear Weather,<br />
<br />
I don't know if the crazy weather we've had this year is due to global warming or weird weather patterns like El Nino or something, but I am not happy and I want a change! We went through a very cool, wet, cloudy few months and didn't have any leaves on the trees until the very end of April, when it snowed too just to make sure we didn't miss winter yet. In May we finally had a couple of days when nice temperatures and sunshine were mixed in with the rain and clouds and the cool temperatures and I really enjoyed the five days we had that were like that. Then all of a sudden you throw this 100 degree, high humidity junk at us and we just have to welcome a horribly hot and humid summer into our lives! Whatever happened to spring? And why is summer going to be so nasty? Because if this is a preview of what we're looking forward to for the next few months, it's no good at all! Please, take pity on your poor victims and let us pass a summer with much less humidity and heat than we've had the past week. I always recycle, I never litter, and I like nature and being outside, I'm an eco-friendly kind of girl! I'd even take clouds and rain rather than this! Well, not for the whole summer, but a few days a week I could put up with it. I did live in northern France for two years, so I know how to handle rain and clouds.<br />
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Love and best wishes for a healthier tomorrow without global warming making you nuts,<br />
Soleil</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-11225671358994018232011-06-05T19:31:00.000-04:002011-06-05T19:31:03.708-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I had such a wonderful time with my visitor. We hadn't seen each other in about a year, so it was great to reconnect in person. I can't tell you guys enough how wonderful it is to have good friends, especially when you're going through the crap that I deal with all the time and you have people who tell you to complan to them about it, and who don't mind that you can't get out and do a lot because of mobility issues. It was a wonderful few days and I hope she had as good a time as I did!<br />
<br />
I had a lot of margaritas this week! We tried a few different recipes at home while my friend was visiting, and yesterday my baby cousin had his first birthday party, at which margaritas were available (I assume for adults only, but in my family you never know! Haha). One was the full calorie mix, and one was the reduced calorie Bethenny Frankel kind. Reduced calorie basically meant no sugar, so it wasn't a big hit with me. I prefer the homemade kind with fresh ingredients. So next time you invite me over for a margarita party, have fresh limes around. </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-29991559644997872592011-05-31T16:16:00.000-04:002011-05-31T16:16:59.282-04:00Visits!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Having a great time with my visitor from California. Today it's hot and humid an the only day this week when it won't be raining, but it's also sunny and gorgeous out, which is quite the change for us! Yay sunshine!</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-6508971217973061482011-05-25T21:44:00.000-04:002011-05-25T21:44:55.438-04:00Four Topics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Number One</b><br />
I don't want a boyfriend. Not that anyone has asked or that I'm going out and meeting people these days, but I was thinking about it the other day because of the book I'm reading and I realized that the idea of a boyfriend is very unexciting. There are several possible reasons for this. One, I'm a psychopathic loner. Two, I have too much else going on and no time to care about someone else that much. Three, I don't have any hormones and so no desire for any romance. Two and three are definitely true, and hopefully one isn't :)<br />
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<b>Number Two</b><br />
I'm having trouble typing and doing fine motor skills because of weakness and numbness in my right hand and arm. And I get these terrible hand and arm cramps.<br />
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<b>Number Three</b><br />
I decided to defer my entry into a masters in education with elementary teaching certification program until next year. I'm too weak to run around after kids, and since I'm having mobility problems it would be difficult to get around. The woman who is in charge of the program has been great and very helpful to me, and even said I could take a class in the fall if I'm up to it. I'm actually relieved that I won't have to start a full schedule of classes at the end of June. It also gives me more time to complete the two online prerequisite classes that I haven't finished yet. Normally I'd have six months to complete them, so in July I have to finish, but if I were doing the masters they'd have to be done before that started, so by June 20th I'd have to be finished. Whew! I need a break!<br />
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<b>Number Four</b><br />
It's still raining! The amount of rain we've had this spring is unbelievable. I thought that living in the north of France had made me used to the rain, but it never rained this heavily for this long. In Michigan we luckily haven't had all the problems with tornadoes and flooding that other parts of the country have had, but it's been a really crazy spring. The temperature was pretty cool until a couple of weeks ago, since then it's gone back and forth between the 60s and 80s every few days, and the rain has been almost constant. I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed again this month, to be honest! It's been nuts this year. I'm kind of enjoying it though, as strange as that is! I'm rarely outside and I'm not driving so I don't have to deal with the bad parts of the crazy weather and can look out the window and exclaim about how rainy it is or how cold it is. Life is luxurious when you have limited mobility :) </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-17252074570652199602011-05-17T15:14:00.001-04:002011-05-17T15:14:00.930-04:00Movie Shooting!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Our house wasn't chosen for the movie they're shooting in town right now, but another one in the neighborhood was, so my mom and I spent a few hours there last Tuesday watching the goings-on and chatting with neighbors. It sounds like these are not the scenes they wanted to shoot at our house, and this family was contacted a couple of months before we were about their home being used in the film, so no jealousy issues. And after watching what went on during the shoot, I'm glad they decided not to use our house. They drag stuff in and out, make holes in your yard, there are tons of people all over, and they kick you out of your house to change it and use your things. There weren't many people watching, just the people who own the house they were using and a few people from the neighborhood, and a couple of random people from around town, so maybe 15 total. That surprised me, I thought there would be a ton of people watching, but no, there weren't, and it was definitely better that way! <br />
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The "security" people, who I guess were there to keep us from running across the street or something. wouldn't let us take pictures of the outside of the house, which I didn't get at all. I snuck a couple of pictures on my cell phone, but they're sideways and I have a new laptop and can't figure out how to use the photo editing software, so you won't get to see them, unless I figure it out. Sorry guys. I did get a picture with one of the stars though! Which I also won't be posting, but it's a pretty good picture. You can email me if you want to see it. <br />
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It was a fun experience to watch, but nothing really happened. It was exciting when the stars arrived, in Cadillacs, and waved and came over to take pictures and sign autographs, but that was just for a few minutes. Most of the time they were in the house filming, and we were just standing around trying to make conversation. Michigan passed a tax credit bill a few years ago to entice movie studios to film here, so a few different movies have been in town, but they're reducing the tax cut because we're in so much debt, so the number of movies being filmed here is going to decrease. But a bunch of the people who were there had been to other tapings around town, and they were really into being there and talking to whoever they could talk to, and knowing when the stars would be coming and leaving. And it was my first celebrity siting, and I feel like everyone else in southeast Michigan has had a gazillion already! It was a fun experience. Then today when my mom and I were driving back from my appointment we saw the movie trucks again at a different house, so we'll have another opportunity to watch! </div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-37689722286850391972011-05-09T23:12:00.000-04:002011-05-09T23:12:24.672-04:00I successfully shamed the medical students into being good doctors!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">My session with the medical students went really well. I felt good about the way it went from the reactions of the students, and afterward the feedback from the professors was fantastic. I was also surprised by a $50 Visa gift card, which was totally unnecessary but very nice.<br />
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I spoke to first year medical students who are taking an infectious disease class right now, and my mom is one of the teachers, so the other professors have been hearing about my medical issues for the past almost seven years now. They asked me to come in for their unit on immune suppressed patients and the issues they deal with. My mom and I were on stage together to respond to their questions. I was expecting them to ask more medically based questions, but the students really seemed to respond to the fact that we're all around the same age and asked some really great questions about dealing with being sick. One asked what makes a good doctor, they wanted to know what I'll be pursuing a masters in, asked about my health insurance, the reaction of friends, how I entertain myself when I can't go out and do anything because of my immunosuppression, side effects of medications, etc. The two questions that stood out to me because they were so personal were one about how I maintain a good attitude through this, and one about dating with cancer. The attitude question, I tend to be a positive person and I also have a great support system. Dating with cancer, well, that one is a little more complicated. A lot of the time that I've been sick I was/am so concentrated on myself and what's happening in my life that it wouldn't be fair to a boyfriend, and I wouldn't be interested in having someone in my life anyway. It's also hard to find someone who would put up with all of the medical visits and crap like that. <br />
<br />
I thought it was great that they were so interested in my life and how I deal with being sick rather than just asking about the medical stuff. People who are interested in patients are the best doctors. You want a doctor who cares about you as a person, not just someone who wants the paycheck a doctor gets. I tried to impress on them the dehumanizing aspects of being a patient and how important the comportment of the care team is and what sort of behavior patients appreciate. It seems like these students will make good doctors. Several of them came up to me after the class was over to thank me for coming and speaking to them too, which was nice. <br />
<br />
Clearly I successfully brainwashed them into being good docs. You can all thank me in another three or four years when they're residents :)</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3057784862632486139.post-7305424900335506002011-05-01T18:02:00.000-04:002011-05-01T18:02:03.190-04:00Just wanted to post something new<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I think I'm going to leave the matzah background up for a little longer, even though Passover was finished on Monday night. I already wrote about how much I like Passover as a holiday. It';s a contest between Passover and Hanukkah for my favorite holiday. I like the candles and the lights of Hanukkah, and the different dishes we use for Passover. Clearly my priorities for picking favorite holidays are good and religious-based. Haha.<br />
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I felt like writing but I don't really have anything to write about that I haven't already put on here. The weather is a little warmer, but still totally cloudy and we're getting a lot of rain. The new thing this week is that we finally have some leaves and flowers on the trees, and it's basically still March, rather than May. I would like a little sun, please! I have to say though, the fact that my physical ability is pretty limited, I'm kind of hoping the weather stays bad because I can't do much outside right now. Sorry folks who live in Michigan, I'm being a little selfish.<br />
<br />
I can't believe it's May already. This year is going by so fast! January seems like it was just a few days ago. I can't believe I've had these physical problems for five months now. I haven't walked up a staircase normally in five months. Hopefully this physical therapy will work.<br />
<br />
Hmmmm.... can't think of anything else to bore you guys with. Oh, this week I'll be talking to first year medical students about being an immunosuppressed patient. I'm hoping to traumatize them into being good doctors :) Hahaha. I'll fill you in.</div>au soleil levanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11064160087622989411noreply@blogger.com4