Thanksgiving Weekend

Happy December!! Hope your holiday is off to a peaceful start. Above is a 3 generation photo from Thanksgiving Day......my mom, me & my daughter.

Last Sunday, November 29, Mark & I celebrated our 13th anniversary. We looked at our wedding photo album with the kids. It's funny to view it through their eyes.

Thanksgiving weekend we took a little trip to southern Arizona. Arizona is amazingly diverse in its landscape & natural beauty. We are blessed with so much and the southeast corner is no exception. We hiked the Echo Loop in Chiricahua National Monument. Gorgeous rock formations! Do you know the difference between a National Park & a National Monument? A Park is designated by congress and a monument by a presidential order. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge designated the Chiricahua Mountains a national monument. Thank you, Calvin!

From the Chiricahuas, we drove southwest to the artsy town of Bisbee once rich in copper and now rich in history. We toured the Queen Mine. Very fun for all ages....except those who might be claustrophobic. Our kids loved it. It's a consistent 47 degrees in the mine....brrr! After the mine we drove north to Benson to tour Kartchner Caverns where it's always 68 degrees and 99% humidity. Amazing what dripping water can create over millions of years....wow!

On the medical front......this past Tuesday, I saw a gynocologist oncologist to discuss my ovaries. No surprise to hear him recommend removing my tubes & ovaries. Since I am BRAC2 positive, my risk of ovarian cancer significantly increases. Ovarian cancer is a silent killer because it is so hard to detect & difficult to treat. There is no medical reason to remove my uterus. It's up to me. I've decided to have all three taken out. I will have surgery the end of January or first week of February......after I hike the Grand Canyon. The surgery is done using a Da Vinci robot which is minimally invasive allowing recovery to be pretty easy. I worry less about the surgery and more about life after with respect to hormone management. Everyone is different so I'll have to wait and see what my body does. I hope to manage it naturally.....the focus of my current research efforts.

On Tuesday, December 8th I will have my stress echo test on my heart. Hope to get some answers then. Later, srb