Yesterday was a beautiful day but changeable, as always. We drove to Seattle for Mike's second Opdivo treatment with blue skies and sunshine. We came out to clouds and misty rain - and seriously cold for June (for us).
These are some random pictures I took on the way. Nothing special, just more views of the beauty of the drive.
This is Lake Washington and the floating bridge we have to cross. Mike always mentions that it is floating in case he can make me anxious since I don't like bridges or tunnels too much.
Somehow, tunnels that aren't under water don't bother me as much as the ones under water. I'm just always glad to get out of them.
Bad pictures from a bad camera from the car.
I dislike very much these parking spaces in the parking garage at the medical buildings. If you do get a car like ours in there, there's no room to get in or out the doors.
So Mike drove to the 3rd floor and found a regular one and actually got the car in there pretty straight. He was proud of it, considering some of the jobs he's done lately.
We found these by the elevator, just for people like us who are wandering around lost even after multiple visits.
This is the entrance to the Arnold Pavilion Swedish Cancer Institute. A beautiful building with beautiful people inside doing great things.
Funny thing about the lady going in. We ran into her 3 more times after we discussed the state of the elevators going in. Most people have the same routine probably: Labs, oncologist visit, and then treatment. She was a patient of Dr Kaplan also, and we ran into her talking to the volunteer knitters in a room near his office and then again in the treatment area.
The places we went seemed a little more crowded than usual, and we were running a little late, but it was a good experience, as usual. Mike's labs were excellent, his weight stable, and he was showing no side-effects of the Opdivo.
So on to the treatment area. My camera battery died when we got there, but it's more of the same. He gets a nice recliner and a line in his port. Then coffee, sandwiches, Pepsi, and egg custard plus a 30-minute nap.
We're always pleasantly surprised when we get on I 90 with no problems and headed home. I'm not sure I can do it but will if I have to. There will be every-other-week treatments for a while.
I had a dentist appointment in Issaquah and decided to go by myself. I'm anxious about driving up here for some reason, and I'm making small trips to get familiar with things.
I left at 1:30 for a 2:00 appointment and got home at 6:02.
It was such an enjoyable experience. Emily, Ryan, and Mike had all raved about this office and how much fun it was, but I had to experience it to believe it. The receptionists treated me like an old friend. "You're Emily's mother!" and included me in their crazy conversation. Unfortunately, when Debby was trying to get x-rays of my teeth, the computer broke, and it took longer than usual - but still pleasant and relaxing because of my view. The wall you face is a big window that overlooks a natural setting - a meadow and trees with a creek running through it. They've seen deer and blue herons and various wildlife, but all I saw was a bunny rabbit.
Dr. Scoles was nice and easy to talk to also and interested in where we came from and how we liked things up there. He said all the right things about my teeth: he saw nothing that needed any attention and he would see me in 6 months. There was a cancellation at 4:00, so I decided to wait for a cleaning and not go back another time. I got a cup of coffee and read some newspapers while I waited and again enjoyed the company of the girls out front. I don't remember the name of the hygienist, but she made the whole thing enjoyable, giving me a heated neck and shoulder wrap and explaining the reason she was doing certain things. She actually made me want to follow all the rules about flossing, etc.
And then I got a carnation when I left!
The reason for the late arrival home was because of an accident on I-90 just before the exit for Snoqualmie. We were stopped for probably 45 minutes and kept seeing ambulances and a fire truck go by. So sad. Three cars and a motorcycle and some serious injuries. There seems to be a problem with people exiting there to go to Maple Valley, and the cars are stopped on the interstate for a mile or more waiting. There was another accident near the same place today. Scary.
We're pretty much enjoying the cool weather, but we never know exactly what to expect. Graysen and I decided to walk to the library this morning, but when we got outside, it was raining pretty hard. We got Mike to come pick us up and take us, but by the time he got there, the sun was out brightly, and we were able to walk home and enjoy a beautiful morning.
This girl is a joy and keeps me smiling.
She loves learning the name of flowers (the ones I know), and she learned about Dusty Miller, which was the only plant her mother could identify for years.
She loves the hydrangeas at the foot of our stairs. She said, "Oh, this makes me SO happy."
Mike had lunch ready for us when we got home and after playing a little bit, we snuggled up in bed with our books - 8 of them. We got through 3 of them before I was asleep. I woke up to hear her talking with Mike in the kitchen, and she never did nap. We had a lot of fun though.
Some pictures of her making Great-Grandmama Ray and Aunt Kathy cards because they don't feel well. She can't stand for anyone to be sick and has the most sympathetic face when she hears about it.
Ryan confessed he knew her shirt was on backwards, but she didn't care and we never got around to changing it. She's not really into fashion much unless it twirls or has to do with ballerinas.
Making a heart with a stencil was pretty exciting. Sometimes the right hand and more often the left.
