3 Days

Its 1:22 pm

   Happy Monday to everyone.

Friday marked the end of our 28 days of radiation treatments. And to celebrate this great event,President Obama decided to pay Ann Arbor a visit. Now normally a president visit can be a real nightmare,what with roads and buildings blocked off from the public while Secret Service cordons off the area.
  Knowing this and also knowing that it was our last day,I called him up at the White House and asked him if he could arrive in Ann Arbor Thursday instead of Friday. He instantly agreed and sure enough,Air Force One landed in the metro area Thursday evening and the motorcade took the President into town.
 So waking and getting to the U of Michigan was easy as pie. And 45 minutes later Lori was done. They even gave her a little certificate to show she had finished the cycle.
 But our day wasn't over yet,we had to kill some time because we still had to see Dr. Johnston and do some lab work as well.
  We started heading to Briarwood Mall to get some breakfast but we saw a Denny's instead. We had a BOGO coupon so it made sense to eat there. Now I have only eaten at Denny's 3 times since I have moved to Michigan. Used to like it quite a bit in California but wow,has it changed and not for the good. I mean,have you seen how expensive that place has become??? Whatever happened to the 2.99 Grand Slam? Denny's used to THE place for a great breakfast but the one we went to in Ann Arbor was nearly empty other then us and a woman who had spent 4 hours drinking coffee.  We finished up breakfast and headed to the huge Barnes and Noble bookstore we had passed before seeing Denny's.
  This was our first visit to a big bookstore since Border's had closed it doors last year. Not that I need any books,I still have tons to catch up on. And despite the self-imposed Dollar Tree ban,I managed to find two more books to add to my backlog. But I am making progress,I have read 7 books so far this year and now am tackling "The Book on Bush" which should be mandatory reading by every American.
 I settled for catching up on the latest Fangoria which had Nicholas Cage on the cover. Editor and fellow Jet Jaguar fan Chris Alexander has really worked wonders with the magazine since taking over as editor. Its fresh,exciting and has some great interviews with both today's newest horror stars and director while remembering the past greats as well. The interview with the lovely Barbara Crampton from perhaps one of the 5 best horror films ever,"Re-Animator",was a great read and very insightful.
  I showed Lori a couple of pictures from a upcoming SyFy Saturday Night movie called "Two-Headed Shark Attack" which brought laughter as we love watching these cheap ass movies shot on whatever change the director has in his pants pockets.
 So we had to leave and head back to the Cancer Center for labs and the doctor visit. We did labs and then moved upstairs to semi-crowded waiting room. We were about 25 minutes early but we heard Lori's name being called. She went in and I waited until the exam was over and then I would get called back for the consult. Except for two things.....one,Dr. Johnston wasn't there,a sudden call had taken out of the office and even if she had been there,since it was Lori's last day of treatment,she was still far too sore to be examined properly. So they have pushed back her follow-up appointment until the middle of February. That is alright with us...the lab results were very encouraging as her CA-125 results are 9.7 ( 0-3 is a safe range).
  That said,we headed on home where we rested and did some light housework.
Saturday was a beautiful cold day. Lori said she felt so much better then usual,that will happen when you are finished with radiation! Had a light home cooked breakfast and then went grocery shopping. The store we shop at was pretty busy as they had a massive sale going on. Between our list and the crowded store,we shopped for 2 hours before finally checking out.
  After a quick pit-stop,we headed back out to Northville. We are on the hunt to replace a comfy chair that has seen better days. We are shopping the consignment stores and Northville has a very good store we like to shop at. The staff isn't the most friendly but the merchindise is good and the prices fair. The little shop was busy and for a split second we thought we might have found a replacement chair for 65.00 but upon a closer look,it just didn't seem to fit out needs. But we did find a new Cat's Meow Village piece that we snapped up before heading out.
  Lori still felt good so we decided to head to Novi and look at the chairs at Art Van,Michigan best furniture store. It has been a long time since we have been to Novi and we always use Novi Road.. Its a nice 5 lane road until you cross 10 Mile and Novi when it goes back to a 2 lane road for 2 miles before expanding again. Why is this worth mentioning? Because Novi is the home of the biggest shopping center in Wayne County,12 Oaks Mall. And traffic is a bear,no matter what time of the year it is. The 2 lane road creates a real bottle neck and a lot of headaches.
  But a funny thing happened as we headed to Novi,the road had been fixed! Its now a full 5 lane road with a overpass over the train tracks. The traffic was free and easy as we cruised through downtown and to the Art Van store.
   The Fountain Walk side of 12 Oaks Mall was again busy,it seemed like Christmas with the way everyone was out and shopping.
  We spent 35 minutes looking at the many different chairs at Art Van. While we couldn't get the chair we really wanted,we have decided that we continue to look but try and save for the chair that best fits our living room. We have learned that patience is the best way to go when buying things like furniture and other household items. Just have to play it smart and save for what you want.
  By now Lori was getting tired (this happens when you undergo both chemo and radiation is a short cycle) and we pointed the Rodger Young towards home.
  We had a nice dinner and turned in early.
Sunday saw us attend Mass and stay close to home as Lori slept while I clipped coupons and cleaned the basement. Went for a nice brisk walk and then our neighbor came by and asked how we were doing. We chatted for a while and then had dinner. Our cable box had went on the fritz Saturday night so we fired up the Blu-Ray player and watched the first season of Mary Tyler Moore on DVD. I had never really watched this show so it was pretty new to me and I thought it was pretty cute. Got to love whole season DVDs sets!
And so that was our last 3 days......don't know who will read this but if you did and made it this far,"thank you!"