Dinner Parties, Ski Bowl & Mtn. Biking

Those who know me, know that I tend to live life a bit on fast forward…. That in mind, I really haven’t let cancer slow me down!

Once I recovered from Chemo #2 and was ready to rejoin the world again, we celebrated in true girly fashion with an “Italian” dinner party hosted by none other than Super Sheryl! Two things impressed me about this dinner party - #1 SHERYL COOKED – and as far as I know it didn’t involve a microwave!!! Wow! Living in Italy for the past year must have rubbed off on her. #2 SHERYL’S FUN, CLEAN APARTMENT – Wow! Who would have known that we could have dinner with a Wookie, Elvis & Captian Kirk! Michelle, Brittany, Sheryl and I all have a special place for Italy in our hearts so this was the perfect party! Thanks ladies! Ps. Did I mention that SHERYL COOKED?

The next weekend following the dinner party gathering, I was off to P-town to visit my buddy Gary Fergus! We took advantage of a super saver coupon and the chance to ride at Ski Bowl instead of Hood Meadows…hummm – Good thing we had a coupon! Not sure if we need to go back, but it was still a fun day riding with buddies. Ski bowl leaves a bit to be desired as far as terrain goes, but it was still fun to ride with Gary, Harley and his lovely girl Anna. Even sported my new bald head! Take that, cancer! The question now becomes - Who has more hair - me or Gary?

This was a great play weekend for me! I was feeling better, showing cancer who’s boss, so I thought why not throw in a little mountain biking while I was at it! I met up with a good friend in Hood River and took on some sweet downhill sessions! Even spent sometime in the terrain park building my free ride skills! Pretty fun until the “Teeter totter” got the best of me. I tried a few times and after falling right on my chest (unfortunately on the stupid portacath) it was time to call it a day.

HALF WAY THERE!!!! Chemo Round 2!!!

So I made it this far and seem to be doing well. Talked with the doctor and hope we have adjusted the after chemo meds to avoid the crash I had the first time. I was hesitant to invite too many people to chemo this time seeing as I pretty much slept through it the last time. Mom was hit pretty hard with a flu bug so she was unable to take me or even being in the chemo treatment area (our immune systems can’t take it). Steve drove me up to the Swedish Cancer Center and waited while my support crew showed up. Thankfully Shawn and Charis were able to make it in and Shawn was my driver home.

Only my second time here but know I know what to do like a pro… pick up your lab sheet at check-in, get your blood draw (the only good thing about this stupid portacath is that they don’t need to prick your veins) and then wait for the doctor. We chat about what went good and bad
since chemo and he makes sure I have meds for the time following chemo. From there it is up to the treatment center where they hook me up to all kinds of drugs… we start out with the prep ones like Pepsid, Benadryl, Ativan - some sleep inducing anti-anxiety drug, hydration, etc… then we move on to the big ones - Taxotere and Cytoaxan! This whole process takes about 4-5 hours. I seem to only stay awake until the Ativan and Benadryl and from there pretty much don’t even remember the rest of chemo or even getting home. Lights out for me!
Charis is a good sport and always brings entertainment such as cards – I was winning until the Ativan – I swear! Talk about taking advantage of the chemo girl!

Crazy Last Minute Whistler Trip – Gotta get my ride on!

So, what does one do when they get a last minute call from a buddy saying – hey let’s hit whistler this week, I got a condo? Well when one has been DYING to get on a board since this whole stupid cancer thing hit - you say YES! First it was 6 weeks off for surgery, then another 2 weeks off for the portacath surgery – geesh that’s a lot of winter riding time GONE! Time to make up for my lost activity time!!

The crazy part of this trip is that I flew in from Orlando at about noon on Wednesday, raced home (was locked out of home and had to wait for locksmith – but that’s another story) changed out my luggage for warm clothes and a snowboard, then headed for Whistler that evening with my buddy Shawn who had gotten the condo. Got in late, but up early to meet up with Brian for a FANTASTIC day on the mountain. Well fantastic except the part where I almost kill Brian – maybe he shouldn’t have followed me??

Check out the pictures to see what an amazing day we had… the only blip (the almost killing Brian part) was when we climbed up Spanky’s Ladder to the back side and took a tiny shoot (Brian refers to this a the “goat trail”) to drop into the glacier bowl. Brian tried to turn and flew off the ledge back flip style and miraculously landed between the two huge boulders on his head before falling halfway down the bowl. I have the video here, but you can see as I get scared the footage drops to the snow! Thank God he made it ok!

Once the lifts closed, it was time to embark on our 5 hours drive home – chemo tomorrow!
http://picasaweb.google.com/Alyssabzis/LastMinuteWhistlerTrip

(And they survive!)

NASCAR for Dummies!

Daytona 500 here I come!! Having just finished my crash course in NASCAR, I felt it was my duty to share some of the pictures and adventures.

My co-worker, Brittany and I hosted 40 people at this massive event. The first thing I have to say is that they were probably the happiest, most friendly people I have ever encountered…this event sure does attract a certain kind of true fan! Maybe the fact that they can bring their alcohol in with them helps with this? Hummm…

For this event we hosted a welcome reception on Friday night, and then took the group to the races both Saturday and Sunday. I have to say looking back at Saturday’s Camping World 300 Race there was not as much going on leading me to wonder what about this sport draws the fans… Initially it was exciting to see Daytona’s famous race track for the first time and the people watching is AMAZING!

(VIEW FROM OUR SEATS - AND THE RACE BEGINS)
Once they started driver introductions and the race began, it was pretty exciting….. then you realize they are going to travel around this same track turning left for 120 laps!!!! Really??? I think maybe the first few laps and the last 8-10 are the most exciting…. All the laps in between – are they really necessary? Makes for a bit of a long day! Brittany and I (along with some avid fans in our group) took it upon ourselves to try and make this exciting or at least try to understand the draw. Our biggest fan, “Get Fired Up Ron” decided it was NECESSARY for us to get right down to the track by the fence and FEEL the cars…. Now that was FUN! They are so loud and intense when you are that close to the fence!

("GET FIRED UP" RON FEELIN' THE CARS)

Brittany and I attempted to walk around the track, but you can only go so far. You also learn at the end of the day that spending time by the track equals a face full of rubber and dirt! Nice look!

Sunday brought about the big event – the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500!!! Having sported my GI Jane bald head for Saturday’s event, I thought I would spice things up for the big day with my Pink hair!! Turns out it was a great way to get photo opportunities!

The first impression was - WOW! What a difference between the two races! The first being the CROWDS!!! It took forever just to get into the parking lot and the stands were packed. The second was that there was so much more going on at the track and for our group! We started with a hosted hospitality tent in Hospitality Village – this was pretty cool because a lot of drivers make appearances at their sponsor’s tents. Brittany snuck into see Richard Petty and got both an autograph and a photo! Sneaky! In addition to these passes, we also had passes to Pit Road and the track! That was impressive! We got to meet a lot of the pit crews, see the cars as they prepared and went through inspection, tons of live music and shows going on. The atmosphere was charged and super fun!

Eventually they move you off the field and into the stands for an amazing pre-race show… Brooks & Dunn, Kool and the Gang, Chubby Checker... just to name a few performers. Once the driver intro’s began, we were off to the races…..for 200 laps!!! Despite the excitement in the air – I once again found myself asking…. WHY SO MANY LAPS…. 200???? It took over four hours – that’s like a road trip of left turns! Don’t they get bored? Need some music, maybe some snacks or company? This race was a bit more exciting in that they seemed to trade places a bit more than they did Saturday, but overall the last 8 or so laps were again the best ones! The winner was unexpected – Ryan Newman (and you thought I wasn’t paying attention) – so unexpected, that in the post race video he looked like he didn’t realize he even won! Talk about shocked! Having not fully jumped on the Junior train (Dale Earnhardt Jr. – crowd favorite) or really picked a favorite driver, it was fun to see an underdog come in first!
































(NEWMAN WINS!)

To view all the photos go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/Alyssabzis/Daytona500

Hair Shave Party – IT’S ON!!

(BEFORE)

My decision to go ahead and have this party was made a bit easier by the fact that the past two days my head had been driving me CRAZY with itchy, tingly, tenderness. This combined with the fact that my hair seemed to be falling out at a much faster rate (I could barely touch it without having some in my hands). It made me realize that the “probably” not fall out was turning into a “probably” going to fall out.

SO...The e-mail went out to the cancer posse and the party was on! We all met in the lobby of Gene Juarez and waited for Rayna, my super stylist! Needless to say I was nervous at this point! Fortunately, I had a huge turn out for the

(THE MULLET)

event which helped to make this an immensely positive and fun experience!!

My large cancer posse took over a huge corner of the salon, attracting a variety of onlookers – other stylists and customers. Since all my friends are as photo happy as I am, it felt like I had paparatzi around me! Michelle even popped champagne for the event!

I think the photos probably tell the rest of the story best. You can also check my friend’s photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SeanAllDay/AlyssaSCloseShave http://picasaweb.google.com/wendybug1/AlyssaSHairCutShave
I started with 3 lovely ponytails and Rayna cut them off, one by one! Once that first pony tail fell I was committed and the hair was donated! We tried some crazy hair looks along the way (my one and only time with a mullet) and I got to make the first shave – I’ll be honest, that took some courage!

For some crazy reason, Rayna kept telling everyone how perfectly shaped my head was – who would have thought? Guess you never know till you see it! At least there are some bonuses in this deal! I ended up with a GI Jane hair cut reminiscent of Demi Moore. How fun! The most surprising thing of all of this for me was that I didn’t hate how I looked bald. I felt like I was looking at a stranger, but she didn’t look half bad! With all the positive friend reactions (and the one super honest kid reaction – Colby told me it was “Weird”) I was confident enough to go wigless to our celebration dinner!!

Before heading out, however I did have to try on all the wigs and Rayna arranged for her friend Dannie to clean up my eye brows so the look would be perfect. Huge thanks to both of them for not only donating their time to me for these services, but for making the entire event so special.

After all this, it was off to the celebration dinner! Thanks to all of you for making this so fun!!

(AFTER)

POSSIBLE – Hair Shave/Cut Party

About the time I learned exactly what chemo plan I would be on, I also learned that I may or may not lose my hair from it. Doctor had said about 50% chance with my dose and drugs. Naturally being the rose colored glasses person that I am, I clung to that info with the thought that maybe I would not lose my hair….

Things changed when I realized that if I did lose my hair it would be about the time I would be “hosting” a group for work at the Daytona 500! Now, I would love to take the wait and see approach, however the prospect of having to deal with this in a hotel room in Florida while also having to face a group I am leading is a bit overwhelming to me. Also, my head has been driving me crazy (super itchy, tingly, and more fall out than normal already). When I mentioned that symptom to my chemo doc, he said it means I would probably be losing my hair and possibly in the next few days to a week. Again, I keep hanging on to the word "probably". I have also heard that sometimes your hair just thins and doesn't fall all the way out.

I am sure now you can see my dilemma. If I wait to see, then I could be dealing with this in Florida making it harder to ensure the hair can be cut in time to donate it and the thought of it falling out on a work trip sounds stressful. If I cut it in advance there will be no stress during my event and I can have friends/family around for a more empowering experience and emotional support. I have already gone wig shopping so I am prepared either way!

So, I decided to make a "tentative" appointment set at Gene Juarez Downtown on Wednesday evening (the day before the Daytona trip) with my favorite hair stylist, Rayna, to "possibly" cut all my hair off and donate it to "Locks of Love" - a wig program for children with cancer. The day I found out I had breast cancer I already had an appointment set with her. I kept it and asked her to give me the best hair cut ever because I didn’t know how long I would get to keep it. She was awesome and helped me relax and get through one of the more stressful days of my life. It seems only right to have her also be the one to help me lose the hair!

At this point, not having fully committed to the hair cut (because it is slightly scary), I sent an e-mail to my cancer posse told them of the my appointment and asked if they could be available for a short notice decision. Being the SUPER, AMAZING, AWESOME people that they are, they not only promised to be available (some even worked on getting off work early) they sent the most amazing and supportive e-mails to me about this. Am I luck to have these people or what?

Cranial Prosthetic – An Adventure in Wig Shopping!

It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t apprehensive about wig shopping. As many of you know I am sort of attached to my hair and as we may soon be parted, I wanted to be prepared. Having never been wig shopping before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

It took a bit of research and planning (fortunately I excel in this area) prior to the actual event. I am sure it would come as no surprise that the insurance system needed a bit of navigation before I could shop. Apparently one needs a prescription to obtain a “Cranial Prosthetic” (yes – folks, a new head) – we wouldn’t want to overdose or anything! One also has to find a location that supplies “Cranial Prosthetics”. The insurance company makes this easy by giving you a list of 20-30 places which may or may not carry such a thing. Imagine the fun of calling random providers and asking if they carry CP’s when they really specialize in artificial limbs! Got tired of that by call 4 or 5 so I called the insurance company directly to ask them to tell me specifically where I could go.

Fortunately I hit the jackpot with a very sweet and helpful agent who discovered that since we have no local suppliers (good thing I didn’t bother calling all 20-30 places!), I could go to one of two out of network providers and be reimbursed. Translation - Let the paperwork begin! Now in addition to my prescription, I needed a detailed form from my doctor referring me to the non-participating provider and now also have to submit another form for reimbursement. How fun!

Armed with my paperwork and CP prescription I was ready to shop! Knowing that this is something I could never do alone (I can barely pick out clothes without a second opinion) and having had several conversations with Auntie Gail about this (she handled all my frantic “what does this mean”, “how do you know” calls), I knew I would need some good people with me for this adventure. Hey, just like some girls can’t go to the bathroom by themselves, I can’t shop for breasts & cranial pros ethics by myself! It was time to go to my cancer support posse for some assistance.

My time frame was a bit limited seeing as I would be traveling the next two weeks (you think cancer is gonna stop me? Phhleeaase!!), so I need to go on a Friday in the middle of the day (wig shops have limited hours – like 10-2pm). My sister, Kristin, was able to break away from work along with Shawn. Perfect team! I knew my sister would be honest with me and Shawn would give me the guy perspective (hey I still want to be cute!). Besides these two are the most stylish “metro” people I know!

Never in a million years would I have guessed wig shopping could be so much fun! Thanks to Shawn, Kristin and Janey (the woman assisting me at the shop); it was a fun and positive experience. As much fun as I had getting breasts! Kristin made it to Seattle early and did recon on the two shops my insurance said they would cover – low and behold one of them was a costume wig shop (now I know where to go for the pink wig) and the other one, “Hair Options” was a little more what we were looking for.

As you can see from the pictures it was time to let the fun begin! So many choices, so many looks! Janey brought out different styles and colors – there was Erica, Veronica, Sasha, Brittany, Debbie… so fun! I played with all the ladies! After trying the different colors and styles it was hard to choose! There were certainly some clear top picks! In the end I decided on three (having only one is just not as fun) different styles and colors. Now I can pick out my hair every morning, not just my clothes! The best part – these are perfectly styled and ready to go every morning! No prep time! Snooze button here I come!

Thanks again Cancer Posse!