A Note From My Dad...

This week was a full one with progress in Nikki's (Anita's) healing and recovery. Monday she got her last drain out. It just all of a sudden decreased output over the weekend. By Monday it was well within the range where the surgeon would take it out. She called for an appointment and got right in. She still has a little hole in her side but can cover it with a bandaid and shower. She did come home and take a long HOT shower. After nothing but sink baths since Jan 9 she enjoyed standing under running hot water and washing her hair and body. Everything got steamed and cleaned. Tuesday she had a chest xray and a bone density test as part of a screening for a clinical trial she will be participating in. After her tests (screenings) we went to Chemotherapy 101 - Yes, it's a real class. They tell you everything you needed to know and some more. We got a tour of the infusion room. It's a big room like an open emergency room but no dividers - just sections with 4 recliners with IV poles beside them. They are all about patient comfort. They have a TV in the center of these chairs and whoever starts first, or isn't sick chooses the station to watch. You get sick, fall asleep, you lose control of the remote. They have baskets of gloves and foot warmers. A refreshment bar has broth packets, teas, hard candy, water, juices and the like. Patients bring their own comfortable clothes, blankets, pillows, books, work, music, computers, TV, or radios. There must be about 6 - 7 such areas in this room. And of course, there is a long counter with the staff behind it who produce the stuff you take. . Wednesday morning we got up at 5 and to the hospital by 6 for the surgery to have the portacath put in. Instead of having to get stuck each time with an IV and hoping they find a vein, she now as a port in her upper chest. No worry they can't find the vein. It's a round receiver device just under the skin that runs a tube directly in to a major vein. In preparing her for surgery they missed 2 times to find a vein. She came out looking like she had been beaten with a stick all up and down her arm. I think they do that on purpose to reinforce your decision to get the portacath. She requested no narcotics for surgery but rather the same drug they used for the original surgery in January so didn't have any worry on being dull headed or groggy all day. She was discharged and home by 10 AM. I went to work and so did she. That afternoon she got fitted for new bras and a prosthesis, and is glad she is looking normal in her clothes now. She is scheduled for a MUGA (a heart scan) on Monday and if she is within guidelines, we'll start chemo Wednesday or Thursday. Then it's every 3 weeks for 18 weeks. She'll be bald headed soon, and will have an array of several wigs to choose from - no caps or scarfs for her. If all goes according to plan, she should be finished by the end of June. She has talked to other women just ahead of her in the process and picked up some tips about what to expect. One thing she has learned from Louise Gray, the mother of Kristen's roommate from Baylor, Bethany, is plan a soup week after each treatment. If you have a winner of a soup recipe please send it on. I'll proabaly fix two or three different recipes that week and freeze some for the next soup week. Everybody doesn't react the same way but generally soup is a comfort food so it'd be good to eat anyway. It's hydrating, a good way to get vegetables, a one pot meal, and I like it too. Thursday we accepted a perk of her job. The Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted a dinner at an Austin icon restaurant - Green Pastures. It was a nice dinner and we won a gift basket with beach type stuff plus a gift certificate for a two night stay at The Holiday Inn Emerald Beach in Corpus. She has received another offer from a resort on Lake Whitney for an overnight stay for 2, meals, spa and golf package,etc. which we will try to squeeze in for March or April. These getaways will be a welcome break for relaxation. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We can feel the outpouring of your love and it is truly amazing. Nikki's goal is to see this as a journey and an opportunity to grow closer to God, and seeks to handle it all with grace through Christ.

Live to Love Another Day

So, as of 9:53 am on February 1st, I've been around for 23 years. Obviously I have no idea what the Lord has planned for me, but I'm eager for the plan to unfold. For my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to have a birthday dinner with some of my best friends at Cheesecake Factory. Brittany was in charge of logistics and she even picked up the tab for my fish tacos and lemon raspberry cheesecake, does it get any better? Rachel, Brittany and Asilyn (below) are a couple of my friends who were in attendance and it was a good time had by all! Apparently, Rachel did not get the memo about wearing purple.

I went home this weekend for a benefit concert that a good friend of mine, Sarajane, was hosting. The girl can sing any genre, but she prefers opera! The concert benefited a non-profit called House of Friends. The organization is offered free of charge to individuals with dementia who are being cared for at home by family members. It is a weekly program designed to give the family caregiver a four-hour respite. Participants interact socially with others in a highly structured but caring mode. The goal is to support the family so that institutionalization can be postponed. Check it out at http://www.bethanyhof.org/. Sarajane (below) also has a website. Check it out: http://www.meladailey.com/.

While at home, I was also able to spend quality time with my mom and dad and 3 of my friends from high school. On Saturday, my mom needed to run some errands and I needed to get my car inspected. While my car was being inspected, my mom, dad and I went to Academy and the post office - my dad drove. So we go to the post office and my mom is in line and my dad and I are sitting on a bench inside people watching. It's time to go and this is how the situation plays out, inside the post office, in front of spectators:

Dad: Nikki, do you have the keys?

Mom: No, you have the keys.

Dad: No, I don't have the keys...

(Dad checks his pockets and I can hear the keys, but he can't find them)

Me: Dad, you drove and you have the keys.

Dad: No, I don't have them! Nikki check your purse.

Mom: I don't have them.

Me: Dad, maybe you locked them in the car...

(Dad walks out of the post office first)

Me: DAD! They are in your pants! You tucked the keys in your pants!

(Dad reaches towards his lower back and grabs the keys that are dangling from his pants)
Me: Why would you put them there?!

Dad: I put them there so I wouldn't forget them...

It was so funny, and my mom and I were both laughing so hard! I tried to get him to re-enact the situation so I could take a picture and post it, but he refused.

Another highlight of the weekend was the return of the pine cone. You might recall that I put a pine cone at the bottom of my dad's stocking at Christmas. To my surprise, the pine cone returned to a place I least expected to see it. So, I'm sleeping in one of the most comfortable beds and as I roll over, I kick something. My first thought was some animal with teeth is in my bed. Startled, I wake up and debate on whether or not I should look to see what it is. I think about what I felt a little bit more and thought Eddie (the dog) might have snuck a treat and left it in the bed. I decide to face my fears and pull back the covers to reveal what's in my bed. What do I find? A pinecone. My dad put the pine cone in my bed. Oh, this is funny...

I was breathing heavier than normal and my heart was beating pretty fast, so I decided to walk to the kitchen to get some water. On the way back to my room, I dropped the pine cone in my dad's chair.

I wake up the next morning and run to the living room to find my dad in his chair.

Me: Dad, did you find something in your chair this morning?

Dad (with a confused look on his face): No, but I think my underwear got bunched up because I am a little uncomfortable.

Most Saturday mornings, my parents meet Jessica & Evan and Evan's family at a hole in the wall in Round Rock, formerly known as the Breakfast Taco House. This Saturday was no different than most so I needed to get dressed so we could be there on time. I was going to grab a pair of jeans from my bag, but I decided to wear the jeans that I had worn the day before. I find that it's difficult to pull my pants all the way up because there is a freakin' pine cone in my pocket!

My dad had the weekend off and was scheduled to go back to work on Monday. I thought, "Perfect! I'll shove the pine cone in his work boot!" Well, I told my mom about how I shoved the pine cone to the tip of his work boot and she got a little worked up thinking about his reaction at 4:30 am on Monday morning. She said passionately, "Do not put that pine cone all the way in his boot! Do you hear me?! He's going to be upset and late for work if you do that. Do not make it hard for him to get that pine cone out!" "Ugh! Fine! Mom, he better not find it before Monday morning or I'm going to be upset." "Honey, he won't see it. He gets ready in the dark so he won't wake me up. He won't see it." Well, to my frustration, my dad decided to take Monday and Tuesday off. He already had Wednesday and Thursday off so that meant he wasn't going to find the pine cone until Friday. So I called my dad today and he picks up the phone and starts screaming:

Dad: No doc, no!! Wait for the anesthesia to kick in!!! No!!!!

(I'm freaking out because I don't know what's going on)

Me: Dad! What's going on? Where are you?!

Dad (Panicked): I'm in the minor emergency room!

(Immediately, I think something is wrong with my mom.

Me: Why? What's wrong?!

Dad: I got a pine cone stuck in my foot!

Me: What?! You found it? How did you find it?!

Dad: Are you kidding me? I found it the afternoon you left for Dallas.

Me: Ugh!!! Dad that was going to be so good!

Dad, be on guard...

I had to watch that show...

Kristen, Katelyn and I came home to Austin this weekend. My mom had a single mastectomy last Friday so we wanted to be with her and relieve our dad and other sister, Jessica, for a couple of days. Katelyn went straight to the pantry to find her potato friend - success! The house is filled with flowers and they all smell so great! My friends, Brittany, Bonnie, Callie and Andrea, had a really pretty arrangement delivered to the house. It's actually one of my mom's favorites, and she's not bias.

On Friday night, one of my dad's best friends, Glenn, brought dinner over for my mom and dad. Kristen and I opted for Pei Wei. Anyways, we were all sitting around the table, and I asked Glenn what his favorite TV show was. I can't really remember what his answer was, but my point in asking the question was to bring up the Biggest Loser. So we started talking about it, and Glenn was not at all hooked on the idea. He thought it was fake, even after I led him to the computer and showed him the before and after photos. To that, I got very defensive for my favorite show. Then my dad told us how he started watching the show.

Dad: "I was in the doctor's office while your mother had her MRI and the TV was on. I wanted to watch something else, but the lady behind the counter wouldn't change it. So I had to watch that Big Fat Loser show and I kind of liked it. You know, you see these fat people doing these challenges and then they weigh in to see how much they've lost, it's neat."
Me: Dad, it's not called the Big Fat Loser, it's called the Biggest Loser. Like you want to be the Biggest Loser, of pounds..."
Dad: Yeah, Biggest Loser.

So our time in Austin was fun and relaxing, for the most part. My mom is healing well and got some of her bandages removed on Thursday. She still has her drains in, but will hopefully have those removed this Tuesday. I got to wash her hair in the sink this morning - who knew washing someone else's hair could be so fun! She will go to the oncologist on February, 5th, to decide on treatment options.

The Biggest Loser

So, I am addicted to the Biggest Loser. I'm actually watching it as I type. This show is pure intensity. So intense that I've cried 4 separate times in one episode. Even my roommate, Ali, teared up which is completely unlike her. My favorite teams: White team - Jerry and Estella; Orange team - Dan and Dave; Brown team - Ron and Mike; Pink team - Helen and Shanon. I've now cried 5 times. Jerry, the oldest contestant the Biggest Loser has ever had, just got voted off. I really don't like Joelle and I wish she was in the bottom two because her lazy butt would have totally been voted off.

I learned some really helpful tips from the Biggest Loser website: http://www.50millionpounds.com/. Check it out. These guys (below) are my favorite team.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

So this Christmas was by far the best Christmas I've ever had! It was just our immediate family and was so much fun! I arrived in Austin on Monday night to join the Kristen, Dave and Katelyn, who came in on Saturday. We ended up celebrating Christmas on Tuesday night (my Dad pulled some strings to get Santa to come early) because he had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We made breakfast and celebrated Jesus' birth with a birthday song, cinnamon rolls, egg casserole and laughter... lots of laughter! The cinnamon role cake had a "1" candle on top, because Jesus is #1!

I can't tell you how thankful I am for the love of Jesus and for all the ways He is constantly providing for and growing my family - both together and as individuals. Praise be to God for all that He's done and all that He continues to do! We have been so blessed by His presence in our lives and my prayer is that we'd be able to display His strength through our weakness and His perfection through our imperfection.

This year, Dad asked that we not buy him Christmas presents, but instead, cut out pictures of items we'd like to buy him and attach $5. The McCurdy family found lots of fun gifts in the Office Depot advertisement and attached some $5 bills. I think Walgreens was also pulling out all the stops this Christmas...

Santa always forgot to fill mom and dad's stockings when we were younger (we understand, he has a lot of traveling to do in one night) so we took it upon ourselves to fill their stockings this year. I thought it would be funny to put a pine cone in the bottom of dad's stocking. Kristen pleaded with me not to, but I just couldn't resist. I enjoyed a good laugh and dad ended up with a few cuts and scrapes.

Katelyn made a friend over the holiday! She ventured into the pantry and found a new potato - it was love at first sight. Who needs to spend hundreds of dollars on toys when you can spend $0.50 on a potato and have a child who's still filled with joy? It's a great cost cutting tip during the economic crisis... try it!

So I have been looking for a sleeper for a quite some time. Brittany's mom (not myself, my friend) got her one when she was sick and I'll admit, I was a little envious. I raided every Target in sight and was empty-handed after each visit. I went back to Target with my mom and dad and low expectations. I just needed to return some clothes I had gotten for Katelyn. During my return transaction, I noticed a woman standing next to me who was returning 5 (yes - 5!) sleepers! I asked her which department she got them in and she said the women's department. My parents and I searched and searched, but again, came back to the return counter empty-handed. I asked the girl working if I could see the sleepers the lady had just returned. She told me to go to the fitting room counter. I walked quickly to the fitting room and there they were, 5 sleepers just waiting for me! The Lord totally provided for me that day! As you can see, I got it, with no hesitation. My persistence paid off, and my dad even offered to get it for me for Christmas. YES!

When it came to presents this year, I didn't do what my dad asked - so ironic, I always listen to my dad! Last week, I went over to my friend Alison's house for dinner with some of my other co-workers. Alison's husband, Jim, created a recipe for "Barack Obama Beans." They were the best beans I've ever had. So amazing, that I faced the consequences with a smile later on that the evening as I reminisced about how great they were. Anyway, Jim was kind enough to give me the recipe and I gave it to my dad, along with all of the ingredients, for Christmas. We made them one night for dinner and although they didn't taste exactly like Jim's, they were pretty close! Thanks to Jim for making my dad's Christmas present a reality!

To add to the Christmas festivities, I decided to start a new Christmas tradition this year. I've heard that it's not a tradition unless it's happened for 3 years. So, I'll rephrase. This year was the 1st annual Bradberry Christmas Dance. What does this even mean, you might ask? This means that each person in attendance, in any way related to the Bradberry family, must dance to a song of their choice before they can open their presents. It was AWESOME! I've included some videos below...

David - 12/26 10:21 pm

Many of you know that I think my dad is hilarious, by far one of the funniest people I've ever met. A handful of you have heard the stories I tell about him as I imitate his voice and mannerisms to the best of my ability. The humor is too much to keep within my small circle of friends and family. This humor needs to be shared with many people. With that being said, I think it's appropriate to start a new weekly posting. The weekly posting will be titled "David" until I/someone else can think of a more fitting title.
Scenario:
Me and my dad are sitting on the couch in the living room watching the nightly news. My mom is in the bathroom getting her face ready for bed.
Conversation:
Brittany: Dad, if you could have any other job in the world, not playing Sudoku all day, a legit job, what would it be?
Dad: Oh I don't know.
Brittany: Dad, come on. Any job. Just think.
Dad: A comedian. A stand-up comedian. I would come on after the Late Late Show.
Brittany: A comedian?
Mom chimes in: You should be a chef!
Dad: Deaf?! Hell, I'm already deaf!
Mom (thinking he said chef): Yeah, but if you were a chef you could get paid for it!
Dad: What deaf person do you know who gets paid for being deaf?
Mom (realizing he did not say chef, but deaf): Oh no, you are deaf.
Brittany: Wow. I need to blog about this right now.

Austin, Forney and an engagement in Denton!

I travelled with Kristen, Dave and Katelyn to the great city of Austin for Thanksgiving. My dad drove to Beaumont to pick up my grandparents so they could be with us for Thanksgiving too! Aside from half of us being sick over the course of the weekend, I was so thankful to spend time with my family and have everyone together for the first time in a long time.

Katelyn was caught red handed with MaMaw's credit card - she had big plans for Black Friday - Babies R' Us, Once Upon a Child (she's such a bargain shopper) and Best Buy to get MaMaw and PeePaw a flat screen for Christmas - so thoughtful.

Katelyn also spent time searching YouTube for hilarious videos - she takes after her Aunt Brenner.

Ali and I finally finished our Charlie Brown pumpkin puzzle and we didn't lose a single piece! I had some intense nights where I would say, "Just one more piece and then I'll go to bed...," but I found myself staying up until 12:00 am (late for someone who normally goes to bed at 10:30 pm).

I also attended the annual Forney Hometown Christmas in Forney, Texas with my friend Bonnie who was born in raised in Forney. Forney has always been a relaxing getaway for me, but this particular weekend was different. This weekend was full of intensity. A lady fell off one of the parade floats and had her foot run over by the float. If that's not crazy enough for a day in Forney, a butane tank also exploded and thankfully Bonnie's dad, Forney Fire Chief, has a great team and they were able to put it out fast. Forney Hometown Christmas also had a huge inflatable slide that we went down. We waited in line for about 45 minutes right behind a large group of the most annoying 11 year olds I've ever encountered, but it was worth it!

My last post mentioned that one of my best friends, Brittany, got engaged. Well, let the proposals continue! Bonnie also got engaged this past Thursday night! WOOHOO!! David, Bonnie's boyfriend/fiance, graduated on Saturday and promised Bonnie that when he got a job, she would get a ring. David accepted a job about 3 weeks ago, and we've been waiting on pins and needles for the question to arise! Bonnie and David wanted to go out to a nice dinner to celebrate David's graduation, and David decided that they should both get dressed up. David came over to pick her up. David made a wrong turn and Bonnie asked him where he was going. He said he needed to stop by the square downtown for something first. It was not unusual for David to do something like this. He parked about a block away from the square and when Bonnie asked him why he didn't park on the square, he replied, "There isn't any parking on the square." They walk towards the square and approach a path of rose petals which leads to a white sheet full of rose petals and a stool in the center of the square. Bonnie sat down and David got out his guitar. He sang her 4 songs, 3 that were milestones in their relationship, and one that he wrote for her. He asked her the pressing question and she said yes! That makes 2 weddings this summer, will there be another?

That's all I got. Enjoy your week!