The Good, The Bad and The Pretty!

Did I spend my first two weeks here whining?  Well let me tell you, that time is over!  I am having such a good time now and I owe it all to some really amazing friends that I have made.  It seems a bit crazy to say what a great time I am having in this house but it is so true.  Despite all the heart ache and our fair share of drama, there is a group of women here who are simply falling in love with each other.

Monday was Jeanne's birthday and we had such a blast celebrating with her all day.  In the afternoon Jeanne and I went out and got pedicures.

Then that night a whole group of us settled the kids in another room with a responsible teenager for a slumber party and we all came to my room to continue the celebration.  I made it my personal mission to get cool pictures of everyone there so let me introduce you to some of my closest friends in the house.

First there's Jeanne who is pure awesomeness.

 

We have known each such a short time but we have already invested a lot in each other.  We are kindred spirits in many ways but she is way kinder and gentler than I am.  Plus she's super gracious and when she reads this she's going to go on and on about how it's not true and I just love her and that's why I'm saying nice things about her.  And you know, it's true.  I do love her.  But I don't say nice things about her because of that, I say them because they are true.  And when (not if!) she writes her memoirs you absolutely MUST buy a copy because you will not believe the things this woman has gone through in her life.

Then we have Payton...

 

This woman is so stinking cool and I love her because she is just up for anything!  She scared me at first but after her grandson got a liver transplant and her stress level went down a little, I got to know the real Payton.  It's so fun to make her laugh, it's worth your while to get her to cook, and it's easy to be her friend.

This is Susan...

Her life is so complicated and difficult right now but she has an amazing ability to put horrible stuff aside and focus on what matters.  We're all amazed at her strength and want to stand with her in support.

This beautiful woman is Azi...

This was the first time most of us saw her with her hair down and we were seriously wowed by her beauty!  She gave me permission to put her picture on here but she keeps her head covered at all times.  She is Islamic and from Iran and she is here without her husband despite so many people's best efforts to help them reunite.  This woman is a spitfire and she will tell it like she sees it!  She is hilarious and we all just love her.

Next we have Paige...

She is Payton's daughter and it's her son who got the liver transplant.  I never saw this girl smile until after her child's surgery but goodness is it gorgeous.  Paige has had to grow up so incredibly fast but she is calm and so mature.  She has yet to enjoy her baby out of a hospital environment and I know she will treasure that little boy all the more for the time they lost.  And oh my did I mention she is gorgeous?!

Here is my favorite teenager in the world, Rachel....

She and my Rachel have the same last name which we discovered when I got irritated with my Rachael and said both first name and last name.  This Rachel is Jeanne's daughter and Jeanne turns to me and says, "What did you just say?"  Then she says, "That is freaky because that is my Rachel's last name too!"  Told you Jeanne and I are kindred spirits.  Anyway, this Rachel refuses to take a bad picture.  By far my easiest subject.  I think it's because her heart shines through and the camera picks it up.  I only wish my son were about 10 years older and they could fall in love.  I pray for a girl like her to steal Marc's heart.  She is amazing.

This is Joanne...

It takes a lot to get Joanne to open up but she runs very deep.  She is incredibly caring and selfless.  She just jumped right in when we invited her and though she sat back quietly she told us later that she was so glad she came and how much fun she had.  I'm afraid with the limited time I have left I won't get to know her well but what I do know, I sure do love.

I did let them take a picture of me and I'm sure I'll catch flak if I don't post it

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It was such a memorable night... thank you friends for making the way smooth here.  Thank you for supporting me and letting me support you.  I love you ladies... and that's not the margaritas talking!

So that was the good and the pretty... here's the bad.

Rachael got her blood work done on Monday as usual and part of her white cell count is below the lowest it can go and continue treatment.  The lowest is 500 and she was at 410.  To make a long confusing story short we are waiting now for it to go up over 1000 in order to be able to continue.  If it doesn't go up within two weeks then interferon is off.  For good.  I'm not sure what the next step would be but we're just hoping for the counts to go back up.  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow when they will run more labs and I'll make sure I update with what I find out.

In the meantime we are just enjoying our time.  Still feeling sorry for us?