Wow it's been a long time since I've posted. Still not much new though. The economy problems that have hit so many are threatening to hit us too. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

_ _ _ Not much new here

The new range and dishwasher have been in for over a week now. My daughter and I both wanted to cook the first meal on the stove. Being the nice person that I am I let her cook. Darn! I wish she wanted to cook every night. It really is nice to have a beautiful new stove and because it has a glass/ceramic smooth top it is so easy to keep clean. Even at the top where there are usually knobs, it is smooth. No knobs to clean around. Just a pad with numbers to press. I love it. Of course I don't want to cook anything and mess it up. The brand happens to be LG which is the same brand as the dishwasher and my refrigerator so they all match. My microwave is some other brand so the stainless steel is a little different, but not enough to matter. Well this post is not very interesting. Is it!

I finally finished a small wall quilt that I started quite a while back. It's a gift so I'll take a picture of it before I send it away, and post it when I figure out how. I haven't really tried to figure it out yet. I really should do that. I've also gotten all my blocks of the month caught up. I had to do 2 months of one, and 3 months of my Thimbleberries blocks. I hope I can stay caught up now.

I hope your life is more intersting than mine. I love read about yours'.

_ _ New appliances coming

We bought our house almost 19 years ago, and all the appliances except the refrgerator were brand new. Now all the appliances are crapping out at the same time. We've replaced the dishwasher but we need a new one again. I got a new refrigerator last year, and yesterday I bought a new range and dishwasher. Now I need to clean my kitchen and house so I can have my friends come over and see my new appliances! OK, not much going on in my life if this is the most exciting thing happening. But that's not a bad thing! My health is good, and I have much to thank God for.

_ _ _ _ _ _ Health Update

I went last week for another Pulmonary Function Test. I saw my doctor yesterday and she repeated the stair walking test. Everything is the same, so my health is not declining. My doctor said I am STABLE. Of course, my husband says the doctor was talking physically, not mentally.

She also said there is a new drug for people with Interstitial Lung Disease, that is making it's way through the FDA approvals now. It is supposed to prevent scarring. She said it should be released early next year. Since there is no current treatment, for ILD the FDA will most likely push it through. I think this is great news.

My daughter got her learner's permit yesterday, but we're going to make her take lessons with a driving school before she drives our cars. I almost had a heart attack several times when I taught our son to drive, and I don't think I can survive it a second time. My husband says she can wreck the driving school car, not ours. Well I have to agree with that.

_______ A Great Vacation

We had a great time on our vacation. The cruise was great. There was a big water slide and us 2 fifty plus year olds had as much fun as the kids. Of course, like all cruises, the food was wonderful. St. John, Nova Scotia and Halifax, New Brunswick were beautiful, friendly cities. The weather was awesome! Lots of history there!

Then it was hot and humid in NY but we were expecting it. The three of us saw quite a few of the main New York sites. We used a taxi once, and the rest of the time we used the subway system and walked to get around. We did a lot of walking! I managed not to gain any weight! That's how much walking we did! I was surprised at how few of the subway stations had elevators or escalators. We had to drag our suitcases up and down quite a few stairs. A few times a good samaritan helped. We stayed 2 nights in Soho, and 3 nights in Times Square. The first stop in our NY adventure was The City Quilter. Then before we left, we made another stop there. We went to Central Park, Grand Central Station, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, NBC Studios, Top of the Rock, New York Skyride, the Empire State Building, Dylan's Candy Bar, Times Square, World Trade Center Tribute Museum, saw a play at the Helen Hayes Theatre. We ate Pretzels and hot dogs from the street vendors, ate at Roxy's Deli, Papaya Dogs, White Castle Burgers, and the New York Hard Rock Cafe.

We had a wonderful time and if I ever take the time to figure it out, I'll post some pictures.

Let's go! NY here we come!

This is my last post before our New York/Canada trip. Can't wait! Well I guess I can wait, because I'm certainly not ready to go. I have started packing a little, and I didn't want to spend money on new clothes, but I think I need some. I don't want to walk around looking all frumpy. I have my standard packing list that I use everytime I go on vacation. It's on my computer and I just tweak it each time, depending on destination and expected weather. Then I print it out, and share it with who ever is going on the trip.

My friend Jan at work gave me a zippered bag full of all kinds of travel size stuff! Qtips, bandaids, tissues, lotions, etc.etc. Not sure I fit all of it in the suitcase! She is such a thoghtful lady. I love her. In fact all the "girls" I work with are total dolls. We are all close to the same age, and all experience the same menopausal symptoms. We all have hot flashes, (personal summers, or my inner child playing with matches) and we all suffer from CRS (can't remember shit). It is a pleasure to go to work everyday with these women. I am truly blessed. I need to work another 2 1/2 years before I can think of retiring and it really makes it easy to go to work when you enjoy your job and the people you work with.

We'll fly out Friday night 7/31 on Jet Blue. Then get on our Carnival Cruise to Canada for 5 nights, then back to NYC for 5 nights. Then we fly back on 8/11 and rest and unpack on the 12th, then back to work on the 13th. Well, lets not talk about back to work right now.

I will take a lot of pictures, so I better study up on how to post a photo!

Have a good 2 weeks! I know I will! Chris

"Live your life, not your disease"

One of the researchers at work has tried to talk to me twice now about my "illness". Poor guy, everytime he talks to me, I get teary eyed and he feels bad. He told me he was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago with a very agressive case of Prostate cancer. His oncologist told him, "Live your life, Not your disease". Well, that sounds like a great idea to me. I may live 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years, but I'm going to try my best to live my life, and be healthy.