Certificate of Merit

I wish you could all see how happy she looked holding this certificate of merit in completely-cancer-themed clothes. (Margaret's cancer T-shirt with pink pants, I love them!)

Last night, we went to Color Me Mine for Family Home Evening Activity by using the gift card that we gave to MOM for Christmas.

Then, we celebrated "Last-day Eve" for radiation therapy with her favorite ice cream. And we have already decided what kind of ice cream we will get on her last day of Provo, too.

Radiation Therapy

This is how Radiation Therapy is done.

A patient lay down under the gigantic machine.

Medical staff will adjust the point with the red ray.

Once radiation starts, all staff but the patient leave the room. (Those walls are made thick concrete.)

Monitor the patient while the machine goes around her.

Check the breast and shoot for the white space in the green graph by the radiation.

After radiation, the patient gets red skin but is happy for burned cancer cells.

4 bowls of love

MOM has been cooking more since we started school/internship. Last Tuesday, she made delicious enchiladas but she had to pour the source and the enchiladas four times to find a pan, just right size. Last week, she had been gone a lot with her cousin and relatives on her side.

Tonight, Aunt Anna (always so sweet) invited all for pancake night. Aunt Rachel gave a lesson about scriptures and she suggested an activity, in which we picked a story/parable from the scriptures and did skit. I was bad thief with Aunt Rachel, Grandma was a dramatic poor Jews, grandpa was a good Samaritan, and David was a narrator (New Testament). MOM was Esther, Sam was Mordecai, Uncle Bernell was a king and Aunt Anna was Hyman (OT). And the Smith played Nephi's family (BOM). I loved how MOM(Esther) said "such a time as this" with clear and stunning voice.

It's always fun to get together.

Hair report

On Sunday morning, I saw MOM moving her hand up and down around her head with a hairbrush. Indeed, she was combing her hair.

Her hair looks a little curly from the back and has two patches of white grayish color in front which I never really notice until she says so.

But most of all, her radiation therapy will come to a conclusion next Tuesday. Yeahooo!!

My goal is to visit her radiation place and take pictures before she ends.

She is in the Newspaper!?

Yes, she was in the Newspaper. (Front page)

This is the close up of the picture.

And here is the electronic article.

MOM is, in my eyes, doing wonderful = cooks dinner every day since yesterday.

David started new semester on Monday. But he's been already stressed since Sunday.

I started Therapeutic Recreation internship. I could not sleep on Sunday night because of nervousness. But, I begun LOVING my internship as soon as it started.

Christmas

We celebrated Christmas and a New Year.

We celebrated MOM's birthday (Nov. 23rd-24th).

We bought wii (Nov. 30, yes, it was our Christmas present).

We went to ward Christmas breakfast (Dec. 5).

MOM begun radiation treatment.

MOM attended a cancer group Christmas party (Dec. 8).

We saw nutcracker (Dec. 12).

Somebody started dropping off 12 days of Christmas with candies and fruits and good stuff.

We went to Grandpa's place for Christmas Eve.

We came back and opened one present each.

We also read a Christmas story, since David insisted it was a bad idea to watch "it's a wonderful life."

All aunts who were there at grandpa's: "Yaya, you haven't watched 'It's a wonderful life?' You should watch it tonight."

When we came back home...

David: It's such a depressing movie. He (the character on the movie) tries to kill himself.

MOM: BUT, Angels save him!!!! It's great!!!!!! We should watch it.

David: No, it's SAD.

I think they repeated this conversation at least three times. By then, I learned "it's a wonderful life" is a Christmas movie which contains life problems and angels.

On Christmas day, we woke up (David woke all up) and opened presents.

We took sassy (our lovely cat) for shaving (Dec. 31).

We went aunt Jan's for soups and games like everybody th

ere said.

While MOM was having a nap, David and I did count down and celebrated the New Year.

MOM woke up shortly after, at 1am, right after we went to bed.

We ate breakfast together!!! (It is a big tradition in my Japanese family on the New Year's day.)

We ate mochi for breakfast.

And, we just came back from a movie (AVATAR).

MOM treated us with soup and salad/sandwich.

Thanks to all the family members and friends, MOM and we are having great holidays.

I was especially touched with all the Tueller aunts who always make us feel welcomed and loved. And off course that wouldn't happen without grandma and grandpa's great examples.

So, thank you.

2 more days until we get back to life again!