What a great week....

What a great week Mom and Dad have had back at home. Thank you so much to everyone for your love and generous outpouring of calls, cards, food and visits. Mom said that when she got home last Saturday, there were over 150 cards waiting for her that were filled with encouragement, support, and love. It's a true testament to how much mom and dad are loved and cared for, and their children and grandchildren can't thank all of you enough.

Mom and Dad even joined the "Senior Center" in Waxahachie this week and have taken advantage of their work-out facilities. They said they needed to after all the incredible and delicious food that has been brought to them this week. Texas food, and the sweet Texans who prepare it, just can't be beat.

Mom and Dad will return to Sugar Land on Monday. Look out Dana and Ashley....Mom is "Waxahachie rested" and ready to take on any contest, card game or competition you place in front of her.

Back in Waxahachie!!!!

Marsha reporting again, and will be reporting for a while because......Mom and Dad got to go home to Waxahachie today!!! Yup, they packed up Dad's new hearing aides, jumped in the car with their granddaughter, Ashley, and headed home! They will be returning to Houston, and the comforts of Dana and Sheila's house, on Monday the 25th. Mom and Dad don't have a computer at their house, so I promised Mom I would update the blog while she was away from modern technology. I will also be reading her "comments" to her daily, so please feel free to continue leaving her messages....especially you, Tommy Medford, because they're hysterical.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers, love and support. Whether you are a long-time friend or a new one, someone who knows my folks, or someone who just knows "about" them....so many of you have been praying, and we see God's answer in how well Mom is doing right now. Little buddy Lawson....run next door and give Trudie a big hug from all of us!!!!!

Trudie's daughter, Marsha, reporting on the blog today because it gives me great pleasure to report that, even after undergoing her second 7 hour round of chemo, Mom was able to sit and beat BOTH Dana AND Dad in the card game canasta. As my daughters and their high school friends would say.....TRUDIE IS A BEAST!!!! That's the ultimate teenage compliment. She continues to prove that she is one of the strongest women - physically, mentally and spiritually - that we know!!!! Way to go Mom......we love you!!!

Guess what Jim got yesterday? Hearing aids!!! He loves being able to hear everything. We went to see the movie "Blind Side" last night and he was able to hear every word. He could even talk to Marsha on the cell phone without using the speaker phone. Guess I'm going to have to start watching what I say, cause now he'll hear me.

I'm going for my second round of chemo tomorrow. While your loving thoughts and prayers make me feel so loved and strong, please also take a moment to pray for all the poor people in Haiti who are suffering so much right now. God continues to love and care for all of us, and we are all in His hands.

Update to yesterday's Phase 10 episode....today I beat my granddaughter AND my daughter-in-law. I'm on a roll. They said it's not going to be much fun to play with me if I keep beating them. But, they can still tease me about the fact that Dana got me a new cell phone about two weeks ago and I still can't figure it out! Ashley finally wrote out a "how-to" list for some of the functions because she got tired from telling me over and over how to do things. Maybe I should take it easy on her during the next round of Phase 10 to show my appreciation....

A Weekend of Blessings...

It has been a good weekend. Well actually, it started Thursday when my doctor told me I DIDN"T have to watch my diet....I should be eating anything and everything that I wanted. I'm still making some diet changes though, and with Sheila's help they will be healthy ones, too. Saturday, Jim and I got to spend the afternoon and evening with my granddaughter, Brittnie and her crazy husband, Brandon. We had a nice, long visit and Brandon cooked up a wonderful vegetable chili for dinner. He also made home-made yeast rolls. They were delicious.

One of the fun things about staying in Sugar Land is that my granddaughter, Ashley loves to play games....board games, card games, Wii games, just any kind of game. And, she's very good at them, too. She's so smart that she almost always beats anyone she plays with. Now, I love to play games, too, so today Ashley taught me the card game "Phase 10". And ... don't tell ... but I actually beat her two or three times. I'm not bragging because I would never do that, but it's nice to know that my mind is still as quick and sharp as my precious granddaughter's. Thanks Ashley....that was fun!!!!

Jim is doing fine. Dana keeps him supplied with daily newspapers, so if you need any current news, just ask Jim. You will find him in the media room, in the recliner, in front of the big-screen TV, watching any sports he can find on TV. Life is good!

We went to church today, then out to lunch at Luby's. This afternoon was spent being lazy and napping....but also remembering all our dear friends and how much you all mean to us. We miss you all, and love all the cards, phone calls, and postings on the blog. I go for my next chemo this Thursday, so please keep me in your prayers. You are all in mine daily.

Time to Change the Diet.....

So, yesterday Jim, Sheila and I decided that it was time for Jim and me to make some diet changes.....so off to Whole Foods Market we went for the afternoon. What a great and interesting place! They need one of these in Waxahachie. Anyway, we spent the whole afternoon reading labels looking for foods that were low in carbs and sugar. Do you know how much sugar and carbs there are in food???? Well, food that actually tastes good, anyway. But, after looking and looking, we found some really fun and tasty things.....honestly, they really taste good. My beautiful and precious granddaughter, Ashley, has been making me some delicious dinners that are healthier for me, too. Who knew you could make meatloaf with no tomato sauce??? These diets changes are going to turn out to be alright. Not too sure how Jim feels about them though. He still loves his Blue Bell Ice Cream. My kids and grandkids are taking great care of me and Jim. We are so blessed. I love hearing from everyone on this blog. Please keep writing....

Our prayers are being answered....so far Mom hasn't had any significant side-effects from her first round of chemo. Yesterday, she helped Sheila take down and store all her Christmas decorations. Today, she felt good enough to go to church. Our good friend, James Beam, has nicknamed her "Trooper Trudie", and he's right. She's going strong. Mom sends her love to everyone, and is enjoying reading the blog "posts".

The New Year Begins Like This...

We arrived at MD Anderson around 1:00 today for blood work and Mom's first 7-hour round of chemo. After the blood work, we were told to take Trudie to the May Clinic for her chemo, which is probably about 3 blocks away from the Main Building, but can be reached by a very long skywalk. Because it is Saturday, no shuttles were running, so we made the long walk, stopping a few times to let Dad rest. We finally reached the May Clinic, and were promptly told we were in the wrong place and needed to return to the Main Building. Dana and Marsha put Mom and Dad in wheelchairs for the return trip, and promptly started having wheelchair races all the way back. Dana and Dad won...but they always cheat! Mom finally started chemo around 5:00 and by 9:00 she was saying she was tired of just lying around and was ready to get up and go home. Unfortunately, that won't happen until around 11:30p.m. Everything has gone well, with only minor discomforts during the chemo treatment. Marsha accused her of making-up the fact that her feet were tingling and going numb just so Marsha would stand at the end of her bed and massage her feet and legs for an hour. Please pray that Trudie has a peaceful and restful night, and that tomorrow brings no discomforts or miserable side-effects. Thank you to everyone for all your loving thoughts and prayers. That, and God's love, sustains us. A happy and blessed 2010 to everyone!!!