Okay, so I really need to make or carve time out of my week to update this as I've once again fallen into what Duke refers to as the Facebook black hole....

Gannon is in Southern California this week with his Nana, Papa and Cousin Lexi and having a grand time!  We miss him a LOT...I just wonder if this is how we will feel when he leaves for college?????  But it has been awfully quiet around here and not having him around kind of messed up our routine.  Then again, we aren't sure how things will be once he is back since he is also out of school.  I do start coaching his soccer team tonight (gawd help me!), so that will be interesting - I'm hoping that there are some really good players that can keep up with Gannon, but we will see.  The only way we could get him onto the 7-8 year old team is if I coached...

Here are some photos from the past few months that I wanted to share...

I have to admit that living in the Tri-Cities, we definitely see more interesting weather - such as these thunder/rain clouds!  Oddly enough, if it rains where we live, sometimes it doesn't where my parents live, which is 15 minutes north of us!  So bizarre....

Gannon's first science fair...Ear Wax...kind of cool, kind of gross...but he was one of only 3 kindergarten kids that participated so it was a good experience for him!

In trying to join the mainstream in managing my Facebook page, I have seriously neglected this blog.  After having my Facebook page hacked, I did deactivate my page for a week or so, thinking I would just start back updating our Xanga page instead - which I believe will be my new path forward.  I just need to figure out how to save all the images on Facebook so that I can repost them here. LOL

So if there is anyone still reading and following our blog, have no fear as we are back in business! 

Until then...

Thank goodness for corners everywhere - time out!

Duke really liked this statue at OHSU...lol...

Thanks to Grampy for taking Gannon to the zoo...

At OHSU, and finding out then that Duke would need surgery on his knee again...

Visited our other good friend, Sheri, Aric and Brayden...miss you guys!

With luck, we planned our trip the same time Jeffrey had his 5th birthday party...and I got to spend time with my good friends Cindy and Yaqin!

Visiting Gannon's newly annointed Godparents, Kevin & Tracie!

In town for our monthly check-up, so we stayed with Uncle Nick and Aunt Kelley and visited with Nana & Papa...

Getting his haircut professionally for the first time in YEARS!  And he didn't scream!

Visiting my brother and his family - they rarely take or post any photos of Gannon with the boys, so I need to take as many as I can to post for your viewing pleasure as we love our little nephews!

Our pups!

Pulling weeds, my least favorite thing to do..

Gannon's year-end school party at this local pizza joint...they each got to make their own pizza!

Wow, I can't believe how much has changed since we moved in...

I keep trying to find and make time to update our blog more frequently but good grief, I can't believe how little time I do have to do this!  However I will keep trying and here is the top 10-15 of what has been going on (I find this is much easier and I don't have to explain EVERY picture! LOL):

1.  Duke had his 4th knee surgery a few weeks ago - the great news is he not only qualified for the clinical trial that we signed him up for, but he also made the experimental group, which meant that all they did was take a  biopsy of his cartileage (sp?) and so his recovery was great!  Sucked as we had to drive straight home after he got out of recovery as I had to work the next day (it was on a Thursday).  But we couldn't have expected better news.  Now we just have to wait until this lab in Boston grows his patch out and then we go back to OHSU in 6 weeks to get the patch placed - much more invasive surgery, and he will be in crutches for 6 weeks afterwards.  The point of this clinical trial is to see if there is a better alternative to micro-fracture surgery, which we would have had to settle for and that recovery is slower than I think this one will be.

2.  Gannon has finished his summer soccer league - he did pretty well, though I think he is expecting more "team work" and so he is a bit hesitant to be a ball hog, which is okay, though the competitive mom that I am I would like him to go after the ball all the time.  We have to make deals with regards to having him play goalie - he picked up some great techniques on his own by simply watching the World Cup, but we would much rather he be running the field.  So I make a deal with him that if he can score more than 2-3 goals, then he gets to play goalie. LOL 

3.  Gannon starts his NEXT soccer league in a few weeks as well as his first time with flag football, which should be interesting to watch.

4.  I still have a hairline fractured right rib, but I think it is getting better.  The one thing I noticed was that when I wore the more inexpensive bras, I tended to have more issues than when I wore my $50 Victoria Secret bras. *sigh* I guess I will need to invest in some more of the VS's one's...  But overall I think my cancer stuff is going good.  Just fighting those damn allergies, like Gannon, but we have found a fantastic doctor in the Tri-Cities, believe it or not!

5.  My job is good - stressful as it is government buying season and I'm scrambling to get some projects pushed through to the end of the fiscal year which is Sept 30.  Tears have and will be shed...LOL

6.  Duke is halfway through his school...

7.  Gannon starts Kindergarten on August 31!!!!!  I can't believe it...our baby is growing up!

8.  We adopted a rescued pup - a deerhead chihuahua named Eva.  So far it is going okay - the other dogs are doing well with her, and Gannon just loves her, though he does somethimes thinks she is a toy.  We got her spayed last week and because she just started her "heat" we had to pay an additional $80!!! 

9.  Still love our house, though we have to take our time in "finishing" up our yard...

10.  Hmmm....I can't think of anything else exciting - Oh, I turned 40!  

And now for the photo dump..

Okay, I forgot but Duke's good friends, Mike & Pat, came up over Memorial Day Weekend to visit us...so Gannon had a great time with his Uncles!  We went and played golf too...

 So once again, I am back online blogging about 4 months behind schedule - ugh!  I really need to do a better job though I have been spending more time figuring out Facebook and the such than taking care of Xanga.  In thinking that I may switch over to FB simply because it is a bit easier to throw up a bunch of pics with minimal commentary, I do also see the benefit of having a blog, since I would like to come back from time to time and read my thoughts and what was happening in our lives at "this" time.

Ready for the photo dump?   Working backwards...

Not sure if already wrote this, but I took an old bookshelf that we were going to toss and spray painted it with that chalk paint and believe it or not it really does work!  Now Gannon and stand and draw on and actual chalk board instead of all over the concrete patio.   

So we have never had the privelage of either a nice front yard with lots of grass nor the concept of having underground sprinklers.  Boy how little things make all the difference to OUR quality of life these days!  Of course Gannon is also enjoying the sprinklers, though I'm worried if he is ingesting too much of the water since it is irrigation water.  Oh well...

We did also start building out our backyard - and getting the basketball hoop us was the first priority!  Gannon loves it - he is out there every day shooting hoops, which gives Duke and I a lot of hope...

Our house has these rockbeds in lieu of flower beds, so they looked pretty boring - Duke did a lot of research and apparently we live in some sort of wind tunnel, so there are only so many types of trees that we can consider planting.  I think the one we finally got is a weeping Cherry, but don't quote me.  Green thumb I am not...and buying a tree that was already semi-grown and not owning a truck but having a sun roof, well...

My boys!  I figured out a trick to keep Gannon amused in the car and in restaurants - having a set of coloring pens and a workbook in the car at all times.  He is starting to LOVE to color and we are very impressed with his ability to look at something and come pretty darn close to copying it free hand (mommy's side).

And some beautiful sunsets from our backyard - solidifies even more why we are glad we made the move to Washington.

At Gannon's school he had two separate events to celebrate both Mother's Day and Father's Day, since his last day is June 3rd.  Based on the pictures Duke took in comparison to the one's I took, the program for the morning seemed to be quite similar other than I got muffins and Duke got doughnuts.

Okay, I'm missing some pics, but you get the idea!

And more baseball - be forewarned, I got a new camera for Mother's Day that I can carry in my bag, so I will have a ton of just random images that I will post.

Have no idea when these photos were taken, but definitely our little ham! 

It has been weighing heavily on my mind these days on what makes a family, and what exactly does having a family mean.  Having been brough up in a fairly traditional Chinese household, I feel that today, as I begin the approach to my 40th birthday, that I have done the best I could straddling that societal line of the Chinese culture versus the "American" culture.  Mind you it was not easy growing up this way - there were several barriers that I had to overcome both as the daughter of Chinese parents and as a societal member of the American society.  However as I sit here today, looking at my beautiful child, having my wonderful Caucasian husband cater to my needs as I am still struggling with a bad sinus infection, I realize that how I am living my life today is the embodiment of employing aspects from both cultures and finding a working parallel, so to speak, in balancing what are times contradictory values, into a set of values that we have laid before us and in the future of our son as a bi-racial person.

Not having grown up in an overly demonstrative family (hugs, words of love, etc.), there is no question my brother and I were loved and still loved, we were just shown it more than it being spoken to us.  However I believe that it is important to hear that you are loved than to not hear it at all, which is why Duke and I have made it a priority in OUR family to tell each other how much we love and care about one another on a daily basis.  That affirmation means more than just knowing you have someone that loves you, it also provides a sense of belonging as well as a sense of security in knowing that we are not all alone in this vast world of ours.

I am happy, today, tomorrow, I am happy and will always remain as such.  There is enough negativity in this world today that does not need me to add to it - especially having faced my mortality head on, fighting for one's life every day changes one's perspective on all things that are relevant. 

We moved to Richland, Washington from Portland, Oregon for two reasons:  1) we wanted a community that would provide the right opportunities for our son to grow, both academically and athletically; and 2) I wanted to be closer to MY famiily as none of us are getting any younger, and I want to be able to cherish these next years with my parents, whom I have been away from far too long.  If there is one thing they really nailed down deep into my soul, was that family is the most important thing we have in life - and I truly believe that.  I love my parents deeply, and though I know that I have never quite lived up to their expectations as a daughter, I just hope that we can look forward instead of backwards.  There are many decisions I have made in the past that yes, I do regret, but what can one do about that but move on?  And again, especially after the battle I fought recently, it is a time for NO regrets. 

To me, now, life is about LIVING it and living it for the day and for the next.  When my husband and I look back, we realize there is nothing we regret about moving back to the place I grew up.  For once, in a very long time, things are slowly falling into place for us and we couldn't be more excited about what the future holds for us.  This is what life is about - not dwelling on the past, on past mistakes, errs in judgement, missed opportunities, I could go on.

Live life as you would if you knew it to be your last day on earth - that is how I face every day, and I'm still here, happy, albeit a bit under the weather, but still fighting all the same. 

Okay, enough of my rant!   I just wanted to say a little something about how things have changed for me and how much I truly love my family - for all their support especially.  It's hard to not get sucked into the negativity of life, as I believe once you start down that path, then your hope also starts to fade. 

I'll be posting some pictures shortly so enjoy!

Making Strides - Patt Mosley/Team Battelle

My dear Family & Friends,
 
I am sending this email out to you today as an official "survivor" of Breast Cancer.  Having completed my treatment exactly a year ago today, I am thrilled to be able to be here today, healthy, cancer-free and am finally able to join in the fight against Breast Cancer and share in the collective voice in the effort to generate more awareness.
 
As many of you are aware, last fall, my family and I made the life-changing decision to move back to the Tri-Cities, Washington in order to be closer to our family and also to give ourselves the ability to kick-start our lives anew.  In looking forward and not back, I have cleared my regular check-ups, found a fantastic new job, and we are en route to owning our new home in just a few short days!  Time does move by and FAST!
 
However, even with all these new life changes, I cannot trivialize the last 3 years of our lives while I went on my "journey" through breast cancer and given that, I chose to volunteer my time this year with the Amercian Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event.  Though I've never felt that I would ever be interested in volunteering or championing the cause other than on my own personal soap box, several reasons prompted me to make the decision to participate:  primarily, a newly found friend of ours was diagnosed in early January with a rare form of appendix cancer.  Due to the LACK of awareness, knoweldge and visibility of this cancer, she has struggled with both the diagnosis and the lack of information she is requiring in order to make those heart wrenching decisions on surgeries and follow-up treatment.  Hearing this made me relook at how things progressed for me during the time I was diagnosed and then all the way through treatment and I realized that without voices, donations, support, and advocacy from people like you, I too would have found myself in the same situation as her where the future was unknown with regards to what steps I needed to take in order to SAVE MY LIFE! 
 
In addition, just a few weeks ago, I was once again, notified by a personal friend who wanted to call me directly to let me know that she had just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer - this friend was instrumental during my treatment, as she organized collections, brought food for our family, and called me every week or so just to check in.  I read a statistic earlier this month that said every 1 in 8 women you know, would be diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  For me, make that 5 out of 8 in less than 3 years...it is definitely time for me to stand up and share my story, contribute my time and effort into creating more awareness for Breast Cancer and find a cure so that less women and men need to go through what those of us who are survivors had to. 
 
So this brings me back to this email - I need your support and I will not be shy about asking for it!  The fight for my life doesn't end after an event, I have to keep fighting every day to live so that I can be here for my family.  But if during that fight, I can benefit those with my efforts, then all the better!  I truly believe that I would not be here today if it wasn't for the volunteers that donate, support and drive all the various events to finding a cure for cancer. 
 
Please, if you can donate, it doesn't matter how little or how much, and you can do it anonymously as well, know that all the proceeds DO go to Breast Cancer research and programs through the American Cancer Society.  Also, if you donate online, you will get a receipt that you can write off next year.
 
If you want to be virtual team member, GREAT!  I would love to have you join my team, Team Battelle (still working on the actual name though) - we can list you as a team member, and I can send you a team shirt.  I am the Team Captain, as well as a committee member on the Making Strides Event - yes, it is a lot of extra time spent, but I feel it is worth every minute, if it means I can help make a difference.
 
The event is on May 8th, the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend, at Howard Amon Park in Richland, Washington - it is a 5K walk ONLY (thank god!), and it will definitely be a time of celebration, tears and joy - though in someways, it will look like we all drowned in a bottle of Pepto (so the Pink thing I am still struggling a bit with...)
 
Here is the link:  Making Strides - Patt Mosley/Team Battelle
 
To close, I want to take this time to thank each and every one of you for giving me my life back.  If it wasn't for your support, love, prayers and thoughts, it would have been a rougher journey for me and I am humbled and honored to be able to have you all on my side during my battle.  So I am asking again, for you to stand by my side as we continue forward with this fight towards such a terrible disease and in finding a cure for once and for all!
 
Your servant,
Survivor,
Patt Mosley
 
Supporting the Fighters,
Admiring the Survivors,
Honoring the Taken,
And never giving up HOPE!