From Trains to Cancer to Reunions

Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going well so far. Thank you for stopping by for coffee (or tea!) I am drinking raspberry tea. If we were really meeting for coffee I would tell you to come on over here. It's a beautiful day here with birds chirping away in the backyard, the sun peeking through the trees, the air crisp. I have two questions...do you want coffee or tea? And, are you up for hearing a story?

{Me, Aunt Lori, Emily before the start of our very first Just the Girls Road-trip, 1998}

For years, Aunt Lori, my cousin Emily, and I took an annual trip called "Just the Girls Road-trip." The first trip took place in 1998, when I was 10 and Emily was 8. Only the first year did we take an actual road trip, driving from San Clemente, CA (southern California) to Vancouver, Washington, making many stops along the way. The following years included a cruise to Mexico and Catalina Island; a weeklong stay in a cabin in the Big Bear mountains; a trip to visit potential colleges for me in California, Oregon & Washington; and a few other wonderful trips.

In the spring of 2000, we took an emergency "Just the Girls" trip. I had been diagnosed with Leukemia in January and we wanted to squeeze in another before I had to surrender to the cancer and begin my treatment regimen in May.

The plan was an oh-so-exciting train trip from southern California to Beaverton Oregon, for a week-long stay with my Aunt Carol & Uncle Bob & cousin Bobby. At age 12 and 10 Emily and I were in heaven, sleeping in the train overnight...it felt like such an adventure! They had a viewing car made of nothing but windows to watch the scenery go by. A movie theater with a huge screen and comfy red chairs. A snack car, a lounge area with games and books, and the dining car where we would order a slice of the decadent chocolate fudge cake after every dinner. We had a blast in Oregon and when the time came to leave we were sad to go but ready for home.

While we waited for our train to arrive in the station, Aunt Carol spotted a Susan Branch book on one of the tables. Aunt Carol is a huge fan of her artwork, owns many of her books, and as a seamstress and quilter, loves her fabrics. It was her newest book at the time and Aunt Carol picked it up, flipping through like a kid, as we all oohed and ahhed. Then we heard someone say something and we all looked up to see Susan Branch herself! Aunt Carol was starstruck. Apparantly Susan Branch was waiting in the station with a friend, and had signed the book to give as a gift. We all had a laugh, and then said our goodbyes.

One of the beautiful aspects of train traveling is all the people you meet. They seat you with strangers during meals to make use of the space and fill up the tables. Later that night at dinner, we were seated at the same table as Susan Branch, completely by chance. We had a wonderful time with her, and spoke with her more through the trip. She was so warm and friendly, and eventually Aunt Lori told her all about my being sick and the upcoming transplant. When the trip was over, we were happy to be home and had plenty of stories to tell and memories to keep. But now it was time to focus on the next journey, and this one wouldn't be so fun.

During my treatment I was always amazed at the generosity of strangers. I received encouraging letters, gifts, etc. from people I had never met or spoken to. It was one of the things that really carried me through - knowing how many people were thinking about me and pulling for my well-being. But when I received a huge package with "Susan Branch" on the return label, I couldn't believe it. Inside was a 12x12 scrapbook album, all the supplies - papers, stickers, die cuts, stamps, markers, etc - that would ever need to fill it, plus more. She included a handwritten note inside about how wonderful it was to meet us, and suggested I use the album to document our recent trip.

Instead I used the supplies to make an album of my transplant experience. Pages filled with the cutting of my hair in preparation of losing it, radiation treatment, my stay in the hospital, activities that kept me busy during my stay, my nurses and doctors, visitors, favorite cards I received, milestone bloodwork, etc. It is one of my most treasured possessions...the album tells my story of that time through the eyes of a 12 year old girl faced with a life-threatening illness. Without that generous gift from Susan it never would have happened. I look back through the album and I can instantly feel the pain and the vulnerability I felt during that time in my life. It The note from Susan is tucked in the back of the album so I can always remember her generosity.

In May 2010 I had the 10 year anniversary of my cord blood transplant. It was filled with surprises, one of which was a congratulatory card from Susan Branch. I was so surprised and felt honored that she remembered me a decade later. You can read about my anniversary party HERE.

{The card from her on my 10th anniversary}

Last night Aunt Lori, Emily, and I had the opportunity to reconnect with Susan Branch. 11 years later we were sitting listening to her tell her life story. She was so funny and had a way of painting such a mental picture in my mind as she spoke. I could picture the oak tree underneath which she said her marriage vows. I could picture the small house she bought in Martha's Vineyard with the 1950's gas stove and the rows and rows of old books left behind by the previous owner. Afterward we spoke with her and it was fun to reminisce about our first meeting on the train.

{Aunt Lori, me, Susan Branch - March 7, 2011}

On the drive home I was thinking about how much has changed over the past 11 years. I fought cancer, I graduated high school, I went to college, I moved around, I traveled to Africa for my make-a-wish, traveled to Germany, Mexico, visited new states in the U.S., celebrated milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings, I had 4 knee surgeries, I fell in love with my physical therapist, discovered my passion for photography and baking, and much, much more. Yet when we spoke again with Susan Branch, it felt like nothing had changed and that train trip was so recent. We have gone through the ebb and flow of life, and while circumstances have changed drastically, we are still our same selves.

{Signed book from last night's event}

{Above: The front cover of the album from Susan Branch

Below: Some pages from inside the album}

I hope you enjoyed the story, thanks for listening! I hope you all have a wonderful week, thanks for stopping by! XO

Thanks to Amy for hosting Virtual Coffee!

For more of Susan Branch you can visit her website HERE.

The Birds

I am not a big fan of birds. Well, let me rephrase that...I am not a fan of coming into close contact with birds. They make for great photographic subjects and look cute on stationary and accessories, and I love to watch them from afar and very much enjoy the sounds they make. But generally I don't like to get too close. Maybe I was traumatized by Rio, the pet parrot of my childhood friend who chased me around the house trying to bite me. Or maybe it was the nesting birds on the SFSU campus who would dive bomb our heads trying to protect their nests. Or maybe it was the fear of coming out of the public transportation station and running into a giant pigeon.

Well whatever it is, I had quite an experience last week. I woke up to a loud banging sound coming from the living room. No one else was awake, and the first thing I saw when I went into the living room was soot everywhere surrounding the fireplace. Then when a small bird flew past my head, I realized what the sound was coming from! This little creature had either flown or fallen down the chimney, and was flying into the windows and walls trying to escape. Half asleep and freaked out, I woke up Aunt Lori, and together we shooed the little guy to safety.

I have now saved two birds. The first was a hummingbird at my mom's house last year I rescued from their feline hunter, Boone, you can read that story HERE if you want. It was actually a very touching experience. And now this, maybe I will come around.

Cracked

I have been taking and very much enjoying Tracey Clark's photography classes. I am in my third now: Picture Winter. Each morning waiting for me like a little present is an email with a prompt and her photo for that day. I usually open it first thing in the morning, mull over the prompt, shoot some different photos throughout the day and choose my favorite to submit.

Well the prompt a few days ago was "cracked open," and I may have unintentionally taken it a bit too literally. Driving home from Brent's house I passed Doheney Beach and it was so beautiful I had to stop to take photos. Maybe I would even find something that would apply to the prompt. Five minutes out of getting out of my car, I was taking this photo of a puddle covering cracked mud, when BAM!

My brand-new, six day old baby of an iphone 4 fell out of my jacket packet, from ONE foot off the ground, and when I picked it up, it looked like this:

Dad, if you are reading this, don't worry, you can stop cringing, this story has a happy ending, I promise. But needless to say, I was bummed. Iphones are NOT cheap and I had a feeling "stupid enough not to put the phone in a tight, safe spot" is not one of the problems covered under warranty. But it's me, I am a photographer who when I see something photo-worthy, I pull over the car, I make Brent wait for me as I fall behind on our walks oohing and ahhing at every little thing with my camera, and it's me, who, as freaked out I was about having to prepare an iphone funeral, I continued on to the beach to take some shots. I was already there dangit, and my phone was shattered, and it felt like someone was throwing softball-sized rocks at my back. I was GOING to get at least one good shot!!

Back to the phone. I went to the Apple store and just as I suspected, "stupid enough not to put the phone in a tight, safe spot" is not covered under warranty. "That'll be $199 dollars" says the apple genius man. But he waited just long enough for it to sink in and allow my eyes and mouth to grow into three gigantic circles before adding "but since you only had it less than a week, we'll cover it for you." OH MY. I had the case on. I dropped it from a foot off the ground. Why did it shatter? Apparently, it doesn't matter even if you have it in the strongest of cases, if it lands on the "sweet spot" it will break. But I think I was rewarded for being patient, for staying at the beach to snap those pretty photos, for keeping my cool and staying calm. Because on the drive home was this amazing sunset:

If this ordeal (I know, I know it is just a phone, but...) had not happened, I probably would have been inside the house and completely missed out on this incredible sunset!! Glad it is over.

Crazy World

My favorite shocking stories lately...

The 19 pound baby born in Indonesia... he is on the left, and the baby on the right is the average

size of an Indonesian newborn.

TLC, the channel that labels itself as the "discovery network," is adding a new show to their

incredible range of shows. It is called"My Monkey Baby" and it premieres tomorrow night. Meet the Johnsons and their beloved "child" Jessica. Only problem is, she is a monkey!! This is the best new concept they can come up with?

Just when I thought TLC sunk to an all-time low with their show Toddlers and Tiaras- a complete train wreck that I cannot tear my eyes from. Yes, I will admit I do watch this show, because it is such a compete train wreck I cannot tear my eyes from. Seeing 5 year olds completely check their youth at the pageant door, with spray tans, fake nails, fake teeth (referred to as "flippers"), hair pieces, etc. is so bizarre. They look older than me when they are done up, Terrible (although I could not stop

laughing the first time I saw the preview). By the way, TLC labels itself as the "discovery network".

From awhile ago, but still keep thinking about it: the costume changes of Lada Gaga at the VMAs. Maybe I should just wrap myself in a bird's nest or cover myself head to toe in red lace and I can be famous too?

Let's laugh

Waking up in the recovery room after my knee surgeries, everything foggy, barely able to move, barely able to formulate thoughts due to the drugs and the anesthesia wearing off, barely able to formulate words after the breathing tube down my throat, nursing staff bustling around, medical equipment making annoying noises, trying to open my eyes long enough to see which family member is there to comfort me. One of the first requests I can remember making besides more pain medication, is asking the nurses to tell me a joke. I always crave a distraction, something to make me laugh and smile even if only for a brief moment. Some nurses would be completely unoblidging, but I actually had one who called her boyfriend on the phone just to ask him for a few jokes, and then wrote them down for me to keep in my hospital room.

As a kid, anytime I would get upset and cry in front of my mom, she always knew how to make me smile, no matter how upset I was. She would hug me and say "you are getting your eye water on me." Without fail, this would always make me laugh.

The last few days have been miserable due to this new back pain. Nothing makes it better, I have not been getting only a few hours of sleep per night, and I am worried about leaving for San Francisco this weekend while I am still in so much pain. I was watching Two and a Half Men tonight and Jake told this joke:

"If girls with big boobs work at hooters, where do girls with only one leg work?
-Ihop!!!"

So, in the spirit of making light of dark situations, the next time you are having a bad day, or you need to be cheered up, or you are in pain, ask someone to tell you a joke. No matter how cheesy it is, I promise it will make you smile.

P.S. does anyone know any jokes? Post some on my comments :)