This one's for Scooby!

So this post is all about my main man, my numero uno, my big eared and bad breathed, people loving dog - Scooby. I got Scoobs from a past relationship, no need to re-live that drama. He arrived at BWI airport in a little bag on 09-09-09. I remember picking him up at the airport thinking what in the world have I gotten myself into. He was super skinny and so shy. I couldn't get him to eat a morsel of food for quite a while and he cried uncontrollably. As time went by, he started to adjust and has really come out of his shell. He has a personality as big as his ears. (just to give you an idea - he has been called the flying nun before)

Not a day goes by that I don't walk Scooby and get stopped on the street from people yelling his name or wanting to meet this little koala bear look alike. I have come to appreciate these walks on those really bad days, because it is a given that someone will point at his ears and smile or I will hear murmurs as we pass about how cute he is.

For me, though, Scooby has become a lot more than just a cute little guy I take for daily walks or visits to Pet Smart Day Care. He is my loyal companion and has become a fixture in the family. As I mentioned before, he is my dad's sleeping buddy, and he is constant company for me. Yesterday I took the little guy to the vet and he has to have some dental surgery on Thursday. The vet said that he thinks Scooby either has an abscess or nasal tumors. When the vet uttered the c word, I almost lost it. I am not sure how much more anti-c energy I can channel, but I am adding him to the cancer sucks prayer list, just to be sure that come Thursday, the vet finds only a nasty tooth infection.

Oops - Here is the video

An Ugly Cry

So after a long day at work I came home to my little man and a Tivo full of reruns. I happened to start watching Oprah's Big Australian Adventure and then it came - the story that brought on the ugly cry. A dad, just a year older than me, diagnosed with liver and bile cancer (bile is what my dad has) and he has two young kids and a beautiful wife. It got me thinking, these two little boys have a chance of losing their dad without ever getting to know him. How cruel this disease really is. I, on the other hand, have had a long time with my dad, and how lucky I am for that.

There is not really much I want to say today other than life is way too short to worry about money - having too much or too little, too short to worry about love - having it or not, too short to worry about being able to afford the right car, the right house, or the right wardrobe. It's about enjoying every moment of every day. There are no guarantees that the road of life is paved with easy living. This isn't my soap box, but rather just an appreciation for time, my family, my friends and all of my life's experiences, good and bad!

Watch this! It's really sweet!

If only I loved being around kids...

So I have been seriously (well not really, but wanting very badly) considering buying a one way ticket back to the motherland, aka, Italy. My hatred towards cancer is growing by the day, and with all that's going on at home, I need a permanent vacation. I saw a post on FB yesterday from a childhood friend, who is living in Rome and attending the same grad school I did there, that a family is looking for an au pair in the fall in Rome. Let me tell you, despite my desire to not have kids at this point in my life, I was seriously considering emailing her! I don't think that interview would play out well.

Mom: da quanto tempo sei stato babysitter? (how long have you been a babysitter?)
Me: Mai. (never)

Mom: così si deve volere figli (so you must want children?)
Me: No. (no)

Not so sure I would be a top candidate.

(to my friend Joe - I know I probably got the Italian wrong. See ANOTHER REASON I NEED TO GO. Perfect my italiano!)

Oh and my dad is super tired this week. Selfishly this post is all about me!

More soon... Until then - can't you see why I wanted to go from this picture??

Who wouldn't want to snuggle with Scoobs?

So with Father's Day this past weekend, I made my what feels like my 100th trip to Pitt this year. My dad had chemo on Thursday so I made it home in time to see the effects kick in. He was exhausted but rallied enough for the 5 of us to have dinner together on Saturday night. He managed to take a nap on Saturday afternoon with his main man by his side - Scoobs! Yep, Scooby has become my dad's napping buddy. I think the fact that my parents got a new comfy bed in an effort to help alleviate my dad's back pain before the diagnosis only adds to the little man's desire to be curled up next to gram-pa. (Yes, I refer to my parents as Scooby's grandparents - since that's probably the closest they'll get from me!)

Sunday my dad had a really rough day. He was in a lot of pain, which was really hard to see. It was probably the hardest day since his diagnosis, actually. There is nothing more awful than seeing a parent in pain and there isn't a thing you can do about it. I can't even put into words how sad I was. Damn cancer! On the flip side, I was able to witness something so grotesque and fascinating at the same time though. The visiting nurse came right before I hit the road to help drain my dad's stomach. He had a permanent drain put in a week or so ago so he can drain the fluid at home. I have a weak stomach for medical fluids and this was no exception. I watched with one eye open, and confirmed my career choice to work in the administrative side of health care. God love health care providers is all I can say!

Back to Normal - Almost...

Well I don't have much to report this week, which is great news in my book. My dad had a break from chemo last week, and for a few days, it was as if he had returned to his good old self. My mom called me crying with tears of joy she was so happy that he was feeling good. I promptly told her to shut it and stop wasting the good moments with tears. She really needs to get a hold of that, or I need to buy stock in kleenex. I think for her, she was happy they were eating out two nights in a row. A former staple for them since my mom and the kitchen aren't exactly close friends.

The one thing that did happen last week was that my dad had a permanent drain installed so that he can take out the fluid in his stomach at home. A visiting nurse came by a few times to help, and he gets to remove a liter a day. It's like talking to a kid who is excited about discection in science class. Every day my dad calls and says, I took out another liter today. He is excited, and I am grossed out! But, it makes him feel better, so WOW - THAT'S COOL DAD!

This week chemo starts back up again. He will have it on Friday and will see the oncologist first to check in. I was planning on going home this weekend since it is father's day, but I have a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society on Saturday night and I am going with my boss, not so sure I can miss this one. So I am undecided what I am going to do about Sunday, but as my mom said, I wasn't home for mother's day, so it's ok if I miss this one too! Oh Mo...

The Breakfast of Champions: Nails

So it's taken me a bit of time to recover from my time at home for my Aunt Mabel's funeral. In typical Italian fashion, much time was spent in the funeral home, reconnecting with family, eating, and of course, dressing all in black. I must admit, with all of the bright summer color clothes I recently purchased, it was nice to return to my wardrobe of all black - remember it's lengthening and slimming (so I tell myself). My cousin Paula asked me to read a poem at the funeral home. Looking at all of my relatives in tears, I walked up to the casket and read a great poem about a conversation between God and an angel on what "ingredients" make the perfect mother. After reading the poem, one of my aunt's asked me how I was able to get through that without crying. She asked me what I ate for breakfast - nails? I think that was a compliment to the my strength. Luckily no one has camera access to my apartment - I am not always tear free lately.

When I was home, I was able to spend some time with my dad, which was awesome. Thursday of last week he had a great day! He went to work, didn't nap during the day and even made it out to dinner - in public! First time in 7 weeks. It was so nice to have him out and about, if only for a day. Upon my return to DC for the New Kids Concert (sidenote, those guys still got it going ON - Donnie without a shirt on is pretty yum), my mom called to say that my dad was being rushed to the hospital for shortness of breath. Turns out that pregnant belly of his keeps growning and the fluid buildup after chemo on Friday made it hard for him to breathe. They kept him in all weekend and were able to drain the fluid - wait for it - 13 liters! That's almost the equivelent of 7 bottles of coke! He went from a 44 in stomach to 38 in 3 days. He's home now and feeling better. No chemo this week so he can rest up and let that stomach relax. Think I should get him some of that cream expectant moms use to help keep stretch marks at bay?