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www.foraweddingandafuneral.com.au

Time to update this blog

I can't believe my last entry was in August last year! My, how time flies :)

Since then I've........

• had a clean bill of health through my regular blood test
• been house sitting in Kiama and looking after 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 birds - as well as the house. Although I thought being in Kiama, beautiful little seaside village, would be enjoyable, I soon learnt that living 30 minutes drive from my usual home town is not so much fun. Everything I was focused on was still in Wollongong and I spent a lot of time in my car travelling between the two places. We had the most amazing dust storm while I was there
• moved into my own place - finally. I haven't lived in my own place since 2002, so it's really nice to be among my own things and my own four walls.

• conducted my first weddings in my capacity as a Civil Marriage Celebrant successfully with generous, positive feedback from the happy couples

This photo is of the first bride and groom I married. There are photos of the others, but I can't load them right now for some reason. Grrrrr.....

• conducted several funeral services in my capacity as a Civil Celebrant - also with generous feedback from family members
• had a wonderful Christmas with most of my family - but without my own children and their children (the other family's turn!). My sister and her husband came from Canada as did one of their son's with his little family. Lots of local family members to make the day memorable. Christmas Day was iffy weather-wise and we finished up having the first course outside in the garden and the second course inside after the rain started. It was all good family fun
• spent January relaxing in the beautiful summer weather with my sister, Leigh, and her husband, Bob
• made it to February and I'm in South Africa. On 6 February I was privileged to conduct the wedding of Nici and Mat in Giraffe Camp in the African bush. I worked in tandem with Father Chiko, a Portuguese Catholic missionary. It was a beautiful ceremony, with a beautiful bride and groom, happy families and happy guests. Even the giraffes, zebras, rhinos, wart hogs, kudus, baboons, buffalos, birds and all sorts of antelopes appeared at the right times and helped us all have a most wondrous experience.
• I'm now staying in Durban, where my daughter, Nikki, and her family have been living since July last year. I'm here for a month to spend family time and to ensure the grandchildren don't forget me!!!
• have been working with a company to develop my celebrancy website. Watch this space for its launch in the next few weeks :)
  

And when I return to Australia in early March it will be time for me to have my annual CT scan and blood test. Always a little anxious at these times. I have more weddings to plan, so will be kept busy.

Life pics

Oops! It's been a while

Wow! 30 May since I talked to you. Well, in that time life has been great. My health is at it's peak - how do I know that?....... because my clothes are getting too tight. Now, you might think that that's a good thing given that I have been far too skinny for the past 3 years. But, in actual fact, it really has to stop NOW.

On the positive side it means that there musn't be any insidious growth in me - gobbling up all the goodness. On the negative side - well, I quite liked my svelt self of recent times, the wardrobe I have accumulated which all fitted me perfectly. Now every garment is tooooo tight and there's this bulge around my middle that is uncomfortable when I'm sitting.

On the list of the benefits of having cancer that I had been developing was "never need to worry about your weight again". Well, I guess that's true when you have it (the Big C), but when you no longer have it you need to remember to worry. And that's what I'll have to get back to - being careful about how much I put in my mouth!

So, if you see me when I'm eating - just give me a look that will remind me, please.

Since I last wrote about the 'jolly good fellows' I have been developing my celebrancy practice and now have a few nice engagements to look forward to. The first wedding will be at the end of October and there's one every month from then until Easter 2010. Hopefully more will come in time.

I have also been conducting funerals. It started with a friend asking me to conduct the ceremony for his mother's funeral. And it's gone on from there. It certainly is different from planning a wedding but I have found it rewarding - through the process of establishing rapport with grieving families and giving them confidence about the process of honouring their loved one's life. I sense great relief when I talk to them about the ceremony and how they would like it to proceed. And I've received grateful appreciation from them after the event.

And now a few pics from life over the past few months.

Zeke and Willow and Oscar

For they are jolly good fellows!

Well! Once again - it's time.

My gruff oncologist, on my last visit - when I was to receive the official result of my April CT scan - told me I could quote him when he said "I think you've beaten this, Terrie. You're one of the lucky ones!"

I couldn't get out of his rooms quickly enough and the receptionist had to call me back to pay my bill!

Well..... I've decided I can believe it now. I don't think he would risk his reputation saying something like that if he didn't believe it.

So. Who are the jolly good fellows?

• my children and grandchildren - Nikki, Tim, Sam, Zeke, Willow and Oscar - whose mere existence as well as their love and support have kept me strong and given me reason to want to live. From the beginning and forever.....
• The rheumatologist who ordered the original blood test that discovered my low haemoglobin count. April 2006
• the gastroentarologist who found the bowel tumour and sent me for surgery. May 2006
• the bowel surgeon who successfully removed the tumour without any side effects. May 2006
• the doctor who administered SIRT (radio-active) microspeheres that shrank the liver tumours. September 2006
• the surgeon who removed part of my liver and most of the tumours and ablated the rest. January 2007
• the oncologist who prescribed and oversaw the chemotherapy treatment that killed the new tumours that appeared after the liver surgery. From October 2007
• the Chinese herbal doctor who has been treating me since this all began and has helped keep me healthy and strong enough to survive all of the above. I remain on his treatment today. From July 2006
• the Quest for Life retreat I attended at Bundanoon where I learnt previously unknown (to me) facts about cancer and valuable strategies to deal with living with cancer. November 2007
• the gorgeous, romantic French man I sat next to on a plane. November 2006
• AND YOU ARE. The family and friends who have supported me through all of this for the past 3 years and have said prayers and sent positive vibes from all over the world. From the beginning and forever.............

Thank you, every one of you. My success is your success. I'm indebted to you for your love and support and encouragement and all the really practical help you have given.

And now.............. life continues. 3 weddings booked, grandchildren coming to stay soon, from today - a month in Sydney to enjoy all that the big smoke has to offer. Life continues to be great

It's about time.....

It's about time I wrote here again - expecially since I have excellent news from my latest CT scan. The report says that there are no changes since the last scan (which was 12 months ago). And the last scan said - all good. So along with 12 months of excellent blood results I'm absolutely delighted to report that I'm very healthy and enjoying everything life has to offer...

..... which includes

a visit to Canberra to see the Degas Exhbition, the National Portrait Gallery and to go hot air ballooning! Photos below.

This is how we dressed for the pre dawn take off

And this is the view of the dawn over Lake Burley Griffin from the top of Black Mountain, because

this is as close as we got to any balloons!!! The wind was too strong and it was not safe to fly in the hot air balloons. What a disappointment - again! So we found these balloons when we were having chocolate and retail therapy later that morning to help us deal with the disappointment.

I have also spent a pleasant weekend farm and dog sitting on 100acres just south of Wollongong.

There were 'real' cows on the farm, but this one was closest to the house for photo purposes! So a pleasant weekend was spent with 3 gorgeous old boxer dogs and friends who came for lunches in the sun. Life is good.

And right now I'm on the Gold Coast visiting my son and grandson for 10 days. Don't see them very often, so it's great spending quality time with them both. Oscar is 17 months old now and has developed his own little boisterous personality. It's exhausting keeping up with him - but loads of fun. In the quiet time he loves me to read him his 'My Grandma' book. Of course, I love it too.

Oscar and hat 'in the Broadwater'.