HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hi there...hope you're all doing fine and avoiding the cold and flu season. Dallas has a cold this week but despite having lower blood counts, etc. he's out there stacking a cord of wood today! We'll be busy over the next few days because Dallas's parents arrive in town. We're very happy that they've chosen to spend the winter on the island and have rented a townhouse about 20 minutes from us.

Next week will be a busy one here - Dallas starts his fifth chemo cycle and I am having some surgery (why does everything happen at once?). As usual, we'll get by with a little help from our wonderful friends and family who will be chauffeuring us around.

We're looking forward to upcoming visits from our valley friends Ed & Sharon Wiens followed up by another good friend - Brian Schaal. It should be lots of laughs and if the weather permits, maybe some fishing on the Cinnamon Girl. Thanks as always for your emails, calls and blogs - we love you guys! More later...

Patty & Dallas

ROUND FOUR FINISHED!!!

Hi everyone...I'm happy to report that Dallas successfully completed round four of his chemo cycle and is feeling pretty well. We were very happy to hear that he had been approved for three more cycles without any hassles. At the completion of cycle 6 they'll be removing one of the drugs - the paclitaxel - and reviewing his treatment plan again. The paclitaxel accompanies herceptin for the first six treatments and then the herceptin is given for the rest of the treatments (we're not sure how long that will be yet). We were very thankful that Dallas's reviews will be based on how well he is feeling rather than more scans and tests.

We enjoyed a quiet weekend with a visit from old friends Diane and Jim. It was great to catch up with them as well as Marcus and Heather who joined us for dinner on Saturday night. Last night we had dinner out with Peg and Steve - spending time with them is always a great way to cap off the week.

Thanks as always for your emails, calls, visits, cards and blog comments (okay - who is anonymous - really??!!). After a very rainy Saturday we're going to get out and enjoy the sunshine today - +12 degrees just to make those of you in deep freeze country feel better. Remember our B & B is always open! More later...

Love,
Patty

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Hi everyone,

Thanks as always for being on our team. The last couple of weeks have been busy ones. We had a nice visit from Lawrence Miller - a buddy from the valley. Lawrence is now known as the "lucky" fisherman - he landed a 90 lb. halibut while fishing with a cousin on the island. Lawrence's catch has made Dallas even more determined to go halibut hunting! We missed seeing Lawrence's better half, Judy, so hopefully we'll catch her next time. We also had a nice visit with Jim Guild on Sunday (Jim's another valley transplant like us). Jim has a busy dental practice in Ladysmith so we really appreciate the time he spends with us.

We enjoyed Marcus and Heather's Engagement Party a couple of weeks ago. Sharon (Heather's Mom) hosted the party - the food was yummy and it was great to get our families and the wedding party together to celebrate.

Today is an exciting day for us because Jordan arrives home for Thanksgiving. His birthday was on Tuesday, so we'll celebrate that tonight and then tomorrow we'll pack for a Thanksgiving weekend in Seattle. The boys bought Dallas Seattle Seahawk tickets for his birthday so while they're enjoying the game Heather and I will shop 'til we drop - YEAH!

Dallas is feeling quite well. The effects of the chemo are cumulative so this go round he finally admits that he has less energy than the last round. Despite this, my guy continues to amaze me - he rarely keeps still and seems to always be working on a project. We have an appointment with our favourite cancer doc tomorrow (Peter Battershill is definitely on our team). We still haven't officially heard about whether or not Dallas's next round of Herceptin has been approved. I can't see the Cancer Agency denying us because Dallas has experienced such good results with the drug but the wheels of bureaucracy turn strangely sometimes. Our next chemo session is scheduled for this Wednesday so we're just going to show up and hope for the best! Positive thoughts and prayers are always appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving! More later....

Love, Patty