About that week I spent in Australia...

So this happened...

You know me well enough to know I don't usually post photos of myself, but... me with this little cutie is worth breaking my rule.  Flattering pic it is not (my hair reacts to sub-tropical climate humidity, I digress...) but lovely moment in my life captured on film, I must share.  I got to cuddle this little beauty for a few minutes.  Her name is Vinnie, and yes she does have sharp-ish claws so I was grateful for the advice to wear long sleeves.  She did not smell bad, contrary to popular belief, and she did not pee on me.  Her fur was incredibly soft - like a cross between chinchilla hair and sheeps' wool, if I could describe it that way... super soft and fine on the surface, but very deep and floofy, my hand sunk in a bit when petting her.  Totally worth the 20 extra AUD dollars at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, just outside of Brisbane, Australia.  :-D

I also got to feed kangaroos - like real live hopping huge kangaroos.  Many of them were lying around just chillin', and they preferred their food to be delivered by hand directly to muzzle, but they were cool to observe, and pet.  Unbelievable experience!  One large 'roo hopped right by me and it shook the earth a bit... they are clearly very powerful animals.  I also saw a platypus swimming around like a mad man, couldn't catch him on camera (bought the post card though!), and hung out with the cutest Tasmanian Devil I have ever seen.. Oh wait, that was the only Tasmanian Devil I have ever seen.  Australia's largest predatory mammal didn't look too predatory to me - until it yawned and I saw it's razor-sharp teeth large enough to notice in a quick glance.

Not even an intro for this blog LOL - just STRAIGHT to the Aussie animal experience! :-)  

To say this trip was a dream come true is an understatement, but I'll try to keep the gushing and gratitude talk to a minimum, just give you the scoops on the trip itself.  Many of my friends know that I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Australia, but I had taken it off my bucket list a few... oh at least three... years ago when I thought my life was over.  #cancer  

Another time, I will write more about the reason for the trip itself, my attendance at the World Congress of Melanoma, and the Global Coalition for Melanoma Patient Advocacy annual meeting, but for the purpose of this blog I will share the personal stuff and highlights of photos.  For those of you who know me on facebook or instagram you have already seen a couple of these.  

Blogger's Lounge at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  

A TRUE blogger, I suppose, would have posted notes and photos as they were happening, but frankly, I was too busy with the conference to be able to do that, so... you'll have to trust me now that I am home, comfortably sharing my stories, reminiscing from my couch.  

My flights were largely uneventful, and not nearly as bad as some had warned, I highly recommend Qantas, totally great food and staff, and every consideration.  Individual movie screens make the flight pass quickly between naps (of which I had several) - I even watched Crocodile Dundee on my way to Australia!  Yes, I am a tourist.  

I flew through Los Angeles from Toronto, so after that first flight and the few hours connecting, my Qantas flight to Brisbane finally took off around 4am Toronto time, so I was pretty beat.  I fell asleep for a couple hours immediately after take-off.  Funny part of this is that I woke up at one point, looked out my window, and saw lights below!  I was like - WHAT - did I just sleep 13 hours? No, couldn't be... but city lights? We're flying over the ocean!  I turned on my seat-TV thingy to the flight tracker and lo and behold, we were flying over Hawaii.  LOL!  I fell asleep again, pretty pleased with myself that I woke up just long enough to be able to say I saw Hawaii.  Amateur traveller I am not.  :-P

Got to Brisbane, uneventful trip through customs - I watch Border Security, so I certainly know what NOT to pack to Australia!  Made my way to a taxi to the city and, dead stop, cars and drivers of cars are on opposite side!  Enter my first tourist moment of the trip - taking pics to send the kids of the taxi driver driving to my right and our car careening around on the wrong side of the road!!  My first time, yes.  

My Aussie friends did warn me to look both ways before crossing any streets - like really - look the opposite way!  Which was helpful, and by the end of the week I did get used to it, though on day two I was almost taken out by a bicyclist.  Not for lack of signage though, it should be clear to any foreigner which side is which.  Even the roads and pathways are marked (they all walk on the opposite side too, which makes sense, I guess):

I did manage to take a few modes of transportation while in Brisbane, happy to say.  Taxi, uber, ferry, bus, bici-taxi, and I did walk a tonne.  The Conference Centre was on the opposite side of the river but not far from my hotel, so it gave me lots of chances to walk around and explore "South Bank."

 

Hotel was nice, and situated on the North Quay as it is called, a short walk to downtown and the Queen Street Mall, a pedestrian shopping/eateries area, totally safe for Canadians walking around oblivious of the side of the sidewalk.  I had a few meals there, and did most of my shopping there, got the touristy Aussie swag in the open-air shops all around, got a new plug adaptor as the one I brought from home conked out on the first night, hit the currency exchange booth, and brought the girls some treats from Lush Cosmetics LOL.  

 These birds, called Ibis, were everywhere! ---^

I tried lots of different foods, had the local "Moreton Bay Bugs" which are like large shrimp, but from the bay directly off the coast by the city of Brisbane.  The food in general was varied, all fresh, quite a bit of "fusion" food, Asian influence but also lots of English/British; it felt quite European to me.  Lots of staples like avocado toast with poached eggs, oh and grilled tomatoes with every breakfast. 

 Australian coffee speak: 

above-pictured espresso is called a "short black," 

a normal-sized coffee coffee is called "long black," 

and a "flat white" is a coffee-milk latte sort of thing but small.

(Aside - it is Spring in Brisbane now, so the temperature was pretty warm and humid. And rainy!  It rained every day that I was there, was cloudy most of the time, and that made great fodder for the presenters at the skin cancer conference.  After all, almost 2,000 people were gathered for four days in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, the "melanoma capital of the world" - and none of us were in danger of getting any sun all week.  Many jokes were made over that, but it also gave me a great excuse to buy a local umbrella haha - why would I have brought one with me to a sub-tropical climate?  Silly traveller, always pack your umbrella, just saying)

(Chocolate Lab photo bomb- I just took this pic at home today, 

I was too busy using this umbrella in Australia to take pics of it then LOL)

Back to the food - yum, I love to explore local food when traveling.  In addition to the British pub fare and fresh sushi and Thai, I found an Italian restaurant making Napoli pizza, YUM.  Mine had buffala mozzarella and braised beef cheeks - and a glass or two of local Shiraz on the side.  for a long time my favourite wine at home has been Aussie Shiraz, I just like it.  It's a bit spicy, and the weight of it is perfect for me, not watery bland like a Zinfandel or heavy like a Cab, but right in the middle.  Going into the trip I made the mistake of thinking I would be able to enjoy lots of Shiraz while in the land down under, but it's not like traveling to a Caribbean country (or even the States) where the local booze is cheap and easy to bring home.  HA!  Not in Australia it's not! 

I drank the same wine in Aus that I buy at the LCBO here, but for the same price if not more.  In fact, I did manage to seek out one liquor store, and I did buy one bottle to bring home, but there was not a Shiraz for less than $28 AUD!  I was shocked; we pay half that for an everyday Aus Shiraz here.  I'm thinking maybe they send their cheapie stuff to Canada, and save the good stuff for in Australia  haha  

Most of the items I saw or purchased were very expensive actually, I would venture to say it was even more expensive than in Europe.  I'm not criticizing, it was just an experience I didn't expect.  The rate on currency wasn't bad, but the prices of things in restaurants and stores were quite high.  Oh and you don't leave tips at restaurants - Australian wages are quite a bit higher than ours, my friend told me that their minimum wage is $22-ish or something like that?  They are paid more, and valued more, from what I observed.  Which is nice.

  

One thing I did notice was cheaper there - passion fruit.  LOL  One day on my way to the conference there was a Farmer's Market setting up in Brisbane Square, so I got a few photos of what a tropical outdoor vendor market looks like.  Bags upon bags of passion fruit at one stall, and for only a few bucks!  Here we are hard-pressed to get passion fruit in the grocery store, and if we were to be able to, it would be about five dollars for one. 

One night after the conference sessions of the day I did manage to find a local grocery store.  YAY - one of my mandatory excursions when traveling.  At the direction of an interesting guy I met in the afternoon, who happens to be part of a macadamia nut farming family, I walked to the neighborhood "Woolies" or Woolworth's, to get some Vegemite, Timtams, and check out the fare.  I got a few things and a grocery bag, so now when grocery shopping around home I can casually pull out my Woolworths and Koala Sanctuary re-usable cloth bags and reminisce about my Australian grocery shopping.  Here is some of the stuff I bought (minus the TimTams, those did not last - apparently the "TimTam Slam" is a thing for a very delicious reason! The girls were very happily my official taste-testers):

Ahem yes, that is kangaroo jerky... I bought it for a friend. I did not eat any kangaroo meat while in Australia, though some of my colleagues did, as it was an option on the menu at one of the dinners we attended.  Apparently it is common to eat kangaroo meat there, and I am typically an adventurous eater in foreign countries, but this I just couldn't do.  They are too cute for me to eat.  (I'll spare you the details of the conversation I had with an Aussie on the topic, about the "cute" Bambi-deer (we consider pests) that Canadians are known to eat)

Speaking of the girls, they did a great job while I was away.  It was an emotional time for us, as that is the longest - and farthest apart! - we had ever been away from each other.  They were proud of me, and I was ambitious to go, but we were always on each others' minds and we were quite conscious of exactly how far apart we were.  Timezone-wise it worked out fairly well, as with my roam-like-home cell package from Rogers I was able to call home as much as I wanted for only $10/day, so the girls and I could talk anytime (except when I was flying of course). The 14-hour time difference worked with their school schedule, I was getting ready for bed when they were getting ready for school, and we could also talk when they got home from school in the afternoon, I was getting ready for work.

   

 (a few of my snapchat story pics keeping the kids posted on my whereabouts)

It helped that I didn't really sleep much, I suspect jet lag was minimized by adrenaline, and the incredible honour I felt for being invited to this event, plus my typical zest for exploration when I travel all caused me to check out everything I could from 6am to 10pm.  I knew I was one lucky SOB just to be standing on Australian soil, and I was going to make the most out of every moment I was there.

I feel I was able to cover a good portion of the city, though my photos aren't stellar for the most part due to the cloudy skies and my old/crappy phone camera.  I got a thorough feeling for Australia's "new-world city," Brisbane.  I went on the giant ferris wheel, put my feet in the sand on Streets Beach, sniffed the flowers all through the South Bank Parklands, and talked with everyone who would entertain conversation with me.  

 

Much of the city is open-air, restaurants and stores all wide open, but many many covered walkways or funky roof-type structures - all in the name of sun protection! That's truly what they are for, though I found them handy for rain protection the week I was there

 The Wheel of Brisbane

 City Hall Tower, downtown Brisbane

 Brisbane Square

Australian people are truly lovely.  I was impressed - Canadians have a reputation for being very polite - well in my experience, Aussies have us beat!  Sweet people, helpful, open, well-travelled, intelligent, and progressive.  I felt humbled but also very much at home, if that makes sense.  They were very welcoming, and proud of their heritage.  I was worried that Aussies might think me very touristy to be so ga-ga over the koalas and stuff, but no, they really seem to embrace it.  They are openly proud of their unique land and they seem genuinely happy to share their culture and specialties with visitors.  Lots of kangaroos and koala souvenirs all over, and koalas in every logo and crest around.  And so many Aussies I spoke with had either been to Canada or wanted to go.  Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal were all popularly named Canadian destinations for them, so I was happy to be able to reciprocate some patriotic descriptions of my country, especially since having been to each of those cities within the past year.  Yes, maybe now I'm bragging a bit.  ;-)  

Polymer bills like ours, and toonies and loonies but also a 20-cent coin!

I will wrap up with saying this trip was the most amazing experience.  It was the trip of a lifetime, and I am so very grateful to have had it.  I got to work in one of the most unique places in the world, on a topic that is very close to my heart.  I met many amazing people, and have made connections and friends that will last a lifetime-- shout out to my new friend Di - looking forward to a home exchange vacation in your lovely home in Tasmania!!  (hope you find Meaford as exciting as I will find Tazzy hehe)  :-)

A few more random Aussie wildlife photos for you.... and a major THANK YOU going out to my life-saver in many ways, Save Your Skin Foundation: thank you for making this possible. Thank you to everyone also, who helped make this trip feasible for me, who helped check in on the girls - and the pooch! - while I was away, and who supported me in the emotional and psychological ways it took to get me across that big wide ocean and back in one piece.  Love you. 

There is a eucalyptus plantation on the sanctuary grounds, so they can feed all these koalas - they eat tonnes of the stuff!  Fun fact: eucalyptus has very low nutritional value so koalas sleep 18-20 hours per day to conserve energy.

 Saw lots of these!  ----^ 

 Sculptural art in the street

Oh and LOL.... more snapchat anecdotes that I sent to the kids....

I made every effort to support the Australian economy, including the purchase of a couple Didgeridoos (spelling negotiable?), and one boomerang:

 And flying out of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: 

...and into Los Angeles... I saw the Hollywood sign from the plane:

Countdown to Australia

Next month I will be attending the 9th World Congress of Melanoma in Brisbane, Australia, as the representative of Canadian patient advocacy group Save Your Skin Foundation.  This four-day congress serves as the meeting of world leaders in the field of skin cancer research, prevention, and treatment.  I will be attending sessions covering all of the latest news and topics in melanoma and other skin cancers, and I will bring this knowledge back to Canadian patients. 

In conjunction with the congress, I have the honour of sitting on a working group in the Global Coalition for Melanoma Patient Advocacy, in which we will continue the work spearheaded by Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF).  I have followed MRF since my own diagnosis, and celebrated their work from my corner so far away; namely, this year in May was the first annual World Melanoma Day.

My itinerary for the week is pretty much booked.  In addition to the main plenary sessions discussing melanoma, I have chosen sessions which speak to my personal experience and interests, as well as those of Save Your Skin, as we want more detail in the following areas:

• Advances in Merkel Cell Carcinoma (a rare but very serious form of cancer)
• Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas, Actinic Keratosis, and if I can, Uveal Melanoma (a.k.a Ocular Melanoma)
• Surgical management of Stage III melanoma (directly relates to my scars)
• Immuno-Oncology in melanoma
• and one that I REALLY want to know about so I can put to rest the controversy - Sunscreen: Bioavailability and Toxicity (this topic was always on my mind in my tree-hugger days, and it is still a common question asked to SYSF)

My brain is going to be SO full!  I must admit, in the almost-year that I have been working for Save Your Skin, I have allowed myself to be intimidated at times, by the science and politics behind what the Foundation does, but as I buckle down and study it piece by piece, I realize I know far more than I thought.  My colleagues have been patiently teaching me, and I have been soaking up the information but now I find myself actually being able to apply the information to my own experience with melanoma, and it makes sense.  

I was there (still am, of course, my 6-month CT scans are Monday in fact) - I know what they're talking about, I have done my time at Sunnybrook and analyzed every word my medical team has told me over the years.  Now I get to learn from the best, about people just like me, and I understand. It is science - and I'm okay with that - thanks Kathy! ;-)

Aside from the conference, I am taking a day to go hug a koala.  IN AUSTRALIA!!!!!          :-) :-) :-)   #spoiledgirl #gonnawearlongsleeves

 

 **************************************

22 days remain in my countdown to Australia, and I am reflecting on how this has all happened.  Three years ago at this time I was recovering from extensive surgery, my family and friends were looking after me, I was heading into my third systemic immunotherapy treatment, and I was in a psychological tailspin.  I had no idea whether or not I would survive to see any semblance of the future I had hoped I would have, and fear overtook most of my days.  

Step by step I walked out of that place, I worked to overcome those challenges, I leaned on the supportive people in my life, and I got back out there.  And I talked about it.... blah blah blah... you already know, I talked.  Blogs, youTube, radio, TV, magazines, speaking appearances, more blogs: it gave me something constructive to do with my cancer experience.  When I realized that there were others like myself, others navigating an advanced melanoma diagnosis with the same mysterious dark cloud over their future, I wanted to share.  I wanted to reach out and help them know they were not alone, and I wanted them to tell me it would be okay too.  Which they did. And still do.

Now I have the honour of being able to help others through their skin cancer journey on a grand scale.  I will go to Australia, attend the World Congress of Melanoma, fill my brain with all the latest news from the world leaders in this field, and bring it back to Canada in the form of reports from Save Your Skin Foundation.  Not bad for a humble little patient like me... as if I'm not already grateful enough just to be alive.  

Thank you Save Your Skin Foundation, for bringing out the best in me, and for encouraging me, now that I live permanently outside my old comfort zone.  Thank you for posting my first guest blog, it all started here:

 

Re-group, restore, and re-charge

This summer has been exactly that of the title of this blog: a few months to re-group and recover from an unexpected turn in the roller coaster of life, restore my faith in others - and in myself, plus re-charge my batteries via some changes in pattern.

afternoon siesta in Cuba, just sayin'  :-) 

I am happy to report that I have achieved all of the bucket-list goals I set for myself in the spring, and I have many loving friends and family members to thank for the support along the way.  Life is crazy enough without adding the post-cancer dynamic to it, but with the love of true friends it is possible to get through.  Knock on wood, my health has been great - energy great, losing weight, have full confidence for another good CT scan in September.

Last night the girls and I celebrated a huge milestone with a bunch of new friends; the end of summer vacation brought the last shifts of their summer job(s).  They have worked hard all summer at a high-end restaurant in the next town over, as the resident "Aquatic Technicians," working three nights per week each sweating their asses off in the dish pit.  

There were many times they dreaded going to work and feared the pressure and fast pace, but they stuck with it and buckled down with the team and "dumped it every night!" - I quote the Executive Chef's compliments of them last night LOL  There were several times we all thought they might quit but nope! They persevered, and they are now basking in the glow of a job well done and the power of sticking with a well-laid plan.  This accomplishment is in part to the credit of the Chef's team in the kitchen, they are an inspired group of young entrepreneurs who welcomed the girls with open arms, taught them well, and supported them when they needed it.  This respect in turn earned the girls' desire to do a good job for them and to pitch in extra when the team needed it.  

All summer I watched this transformation in the girls, from anxiety and trepidation to full-on confidence and a lift in understanding of the working world as they experienced what it is to be part of a team that values their effort.  They were inspired - as the rest of the staff are - it was contagious, and as a result it has provided them with a plethora of fun memories of stinky dishwater and singing chefs.  :-)  I am one proud Momma.  *I may or may not also be slightly relieved that our six-night-per-week 10pm drives to Thornbury are over* LOL 

We made lots of memories in addition to work; one notable experience was seeing Green Day in Toronto, now ranked as my favourite concert of all time.  We also traveled a bit, the girls to a friend's cottage, Canada's Wonderland, several shopping trips to the city, and my long-weekend getaway to Cuba.

  

Yes, Cuba.  I, the eternal skin cancer patient, went to sunny Cuba in August.  It's not what you think, rum-soaked resort life beach pool sun sun sun, no... there was some rum LOL  but I got to drink it in the home of friends of my traveling companion, with whom I had previously traveled to Cuba in 2008.  We wanted to get away for a weekend this summer just the two of us, a girls' weekend - and as we priced hotels etc. in the likes of Niagara, my Cuba-expert friend suggested for the same price we could buzz down there for a few days.  And so we did, staying in the city of Moron, at a hostel, living the local Cuban life - and enjoying the local Cuban food (which is amazing, and a FAR cry from what is served at Cuban resorts).  

We went on horse-buggy rides to tour the city, relaxed on the balcony, went to a friend's birthday party, ate avocados and mangoes unlike the puny imports we have here, had carefree afternoon naps (in our blessedly air-conditioned room), generally just took a step back and chilled out... we laughed, we cried, and we talked non-stop, as has been our talent since we met in grade eight.  :-)  It was SO good to re-connect, I really needed that time with my buddy, and I came home feeling strong and empowered, refreshed in exactly the way I was hoping this trip would do.  (more pics below)

This trip is actually the start to a busy few months of travel plans in my household, I am happy to say.  I have always loved to travel and wanted to do more of it, but with the setback of the last three years I thought I was grounded, I had sort of written off my plans for world travel, staying home with young kids and a career taking most of my available energy.  But.... intrepid as I am... I have somehow landed myself in the wonderful position of being invited to travel again, and I am repeatedly proving to myself that I can actually do it.  

Flying to Montreal with Save Your Skin Foundation last September changed my life, and in the year since then I have come to realize the extent of the changes are even still unfolding.  

I am grateful beyond measure to be freshly back into the foray of international travel, Cuba was a good tester.  My next trip is for a September weekend at Whistler, via Vancouver, for a work meeting.  November I have work in Toronto and Ottawa, and in December the girls and I are going on a much-deserved (and long-delayed) vacation to the States - we are going to California!    

The pièce de résistance is in October...  I can hardly even believe I am saying this right now, but... drumroll please...  I am going to Australia!  I have the honour of representing Save Your Skin at the World Congress of Melanoma 2017 and subsequent meeting of the Global Coalition for Melanoma Patient Advocacy.  I will blog more about this in the near future; there is lots to explain, as I have been remiss in my blogging about the work I have been participating in for melanoma patient support in Canada.  My Aussie travel visa is approved, I am working on booking flights, and I will soon choose the sessions to attend at the Congress: I get to select relevant information and data to bring back to Canada from the world leaders in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma skin cancer.  Words cannot express the honour I feel for being given this task.    

So as I daydream about the summer passed and the koala bears to come, the girls are preparing for back to school on Wednesday - there is much organizing of backpacks and choosing of outfits happening upstairs LOL   Tonight we are having an end of summer campfire to celebrate our successes over the past few months, and we will renew our vow to take life one step at a time, and to live every day to the fullest.  

 Sickest taxi I have ever been in

 Casa guard dog my buddy Rosie

 Laguna de la Leche

Market day in Moron, Cuba

Cheers!  Viva Cuba

April 2008 hot messes ~ August 2017 hot messes part 2 :-)

CT Scans clear, and blue skies ahead

Two months since I have last written here - that is a record.  Not one I'm proud of, geesh, blog neglect tisk tisk! 

Has certainly been a busy couple of months, being back to work has really kicked my butt.  In a good way for the most part - don't get me wrong - I love my new job!  The people I get to work with are inspiring, caring, intelligent, and the work we do is real.  We are working together to try to improve cancer care in Canada, by way of fighting for patient access to immunotherapy treatments that many people don't know are not currently provided in our country. 

My last post was the night before the conference I helped to plan in Toronto, the IO Network Patient Leader Education Summit March 31 - April 1, 2017.  I was nervous for it; our team had put a tonne of effort into inviting patient advocates from across cancer types to meet in person, to discuss how we can all work together to help save lives.  Long story short, the meeting went well, there were two days of exploratory discussions, and a solid foundation was built for future collaboration.  I will post more about it when we launch the Network website and publish the report from the conference.

From that busy weekend in Toronto, I went directly to my six-month oncology appointments at Sunnybrook: bloodwork, CT scans, exams and consult with the Boss, and another night in a hotel.  Though it had been six months since my last checkup I moved through the routine as if I had just done it the week before.  I fell into quick conversation with my friend the CT Nurse with the twin girls close in age to my own twins, my backpack was light, my wardrobe was CT scanner-approved, and I got a good seat in the D - E waiting area at Odette. 

It was a pensive day for me, as it happened to be exactly three years from the day I first had my troublesome mole removed in Collingwood.  Three years to the day of my first surgery for melanoma, I lay in the CT machine, tears streaming... I walked like a zombie through the tunnel underneath Sunnybrook, and sat quietly waiting for my consult without any desire to read or fidget, my mind racing.

I have been struggling with many three-year milestones the last little while.  Three years since mole excision, three years since needle biopsy, three years since stage IIIb cancer diagnosis, three years since debilitating node dissection surgery, three years since I have become afraid of the sun, three years since my family has been burdened with my lot in life.  

Strange to be thinking this way, trust me I know, and it is not intentional.  Seriously - I can hardly remember my own postal code let alone random dates in April and May.... but these I remember.  

In any case, I got out of the city after that round of appointments, grabbed some pad thai for the girls on the way home, and snuggled in with my puppers to rid my soul of the trauma (and vats of tea to rid my kidneys of the CT contrast dye).  A couple of weeks went quickly by, I finished my post-conference tasks and got back into our home routine of being grateful to be alive (and not dwelling on the three-year mark), plus I had the distraction of facilitating a website upgrade/overhaul for Save Your Skin Foundation. 

 

The Easter Bunny came, and though I was spoiled with flowers and chocolate, I also got a call from my beloved family physician, with the news that my CT scans were clear.  No Evidence of Disease - YASSS!!!  Onward an upward my friends!  I got another six-month pass, therefore I get to cram as much life as possible into the time until September when I go back for the next round of tests.

And cram in life I have been, as evidenced by my lack of indulgence in personal time for my favourite pastime, namely, writing.  This is a particularly busy time of year for my family anyway, with Melanoma Awareness Month being May, my daughters' pending birthday, and the end of school year rush of deadlines, events, and then... high school exams.  

I have become acutely aware of my time spent on various activities, and I have noticed a change in my personal relationships as a result.  Some of my closest friendships have morphed into a sort of shadow of what they were before, and I am powerless to change that at this time.  I have several hand fulls of single parenting and home maintenance, work hours and physical limitations, taxi-ing to teenagers' events and jobs, not to mention my long-standing love affair with quiet alone time.  I believe this will resolve itself with time - I will either get better at it, or my kids will grow up and I will have a clean, quiet, peaceful empty nest.         Love you girls! ;-P

 

In addition to lots of inspiring work-work on my to-do list, I have a few posts planned in the coming days, one being about melanoma awareness month and the efforts I am supporting with regard to patient advocacy.  I am also catching up on spring cleaning and garden work - my beloved canine has (accidentally) compounded the damage done to the flower bed closest to my front door where the driveway gets snow-plowed in winter; poor plants don't stand a chance with him running through, I think I will plant ROCKS.  

I do have additional appointments on the horizon: head-to-toe with my new Dermatologist in July, ongoing thyroid surveillance, and in the second week of June I will be at Sunnybrook to sit on a Melanoma Patient Education Panel.  Will keep you posted!  

Thank you