AWESUM STUFF

WOW, I'm actually waking early at this time in the morning (it's 7:45-8AM) instead of going to bed at this time...tee hee. (FEELS GREAT!)

I soooooo need to get back into a normal routine. I tell ya, after being sick for sooooo long it's taking me about the same amount of time I was sick to return to normalcy (if there is such a thing lol). At least my normal routine I'm used to and a regular schedule. So this is a good morning for me! Now, if I can just get up two hours earlier and be out running again! I'm working on it for sure. My next race I'd like to run is March 16 in Tucson, benefiting the leukemia and lymphoma society -which is the race that Tony has decided long ago to run for Tony's Run since all the cancer. He has chosen this race because it benefits the exact cancer he has been battling. Here's a link: http://www.arizonadistanceclassic.com/ ANYONE INTERESTED IN JOINING THIS WITH US? I'm excited because we've talked about this race for what seems like forever now...since back in August I believe. And now the time is drawing near. Yay! We weren't sure if we'd actually see this day, together. So this will be a celebratory race for both of us, esp Tony. This was going to be "Tony's Run" that a lot of his co-workers were going to participate in as far as it was mentioned before he went into the hospital for the bone marrow transplant. However, that was quite a few months ago, and things have changed at work for Tony, and he doesn't know if anyone will really participate now. BUT, we are still planning on it!! We'd love to have anyone else join us in this celebration that he is able to run in this race and made it through all the intense chemo treatments and the transplant itself. (Intense-because he was given a non-FDA approved treatment as it was still in the process of being approved, which was very near getting approval, just wasn't completely finished in the process - so Tony, was either the 1st to be given these drugs or one of the first. I remember that Tony nor his health insurance had to pay for these drugs because of this fact. I think I got that right...something like that, I'm truly not-so-good at remembering facts and details with unfamiliar terminology for me. And because this treatment would be that much more stronger than the ones normally used, Tony was extremely monitored through all of it.)

Here's a pic of Tony during all the cancer treatments etc... when he was sportin' his new look: He looks totally different huh? Kinda like 2 different people. We have commented on it too :)

Not to mention, finding out immediately after leaving the hospital, coming home, and going back to one of his follow-up visits, that Tony was given the information of having a 'hot spot' in his thyroid. Within time, we were going back to the hospital for the partial removal of his thyroid. GREAT RESULTS, they removed all of the cancer which was a very minute portion amongst the small portion they removed. Yay GREAT NEWS!

Now, Tony has been experiencing the effects of this removal. We were hoping that wasn't going to happen, but it is... he has been super tired and sleeping far too much, has lost 7 or 8 pounds since the removal took place, he's been very cold and other symptoms. So he has an appointment coming up and we'll find out what sort of medication(s) he will be given to balance this all out.

I was talking with a co-worker friend of mine the other day, and he told me that a friend of his had a partial removal of his thyroid and same thing happened. He was given a pill to take for the rest of his life. Additionally, now he's doing GREAT! It took quite awhile to get everything balanced, as it usually does, but it was a success for him. I was relieved to hear such news. It's always comforting to hear about other people who have gone through or are going through similar issues/experiences. So Yay, thank you John Widick for sharing that information with me!

I am intrigued and fascinated by amazing people. And Tony is an amazing and wonderful person. He is very gifted in many ways. He could've been a child prodigy when he was a child, but chose to blend in with the other children. He has an incredible memory that is mind boggling. (He truly blows me away with this memory of his. There have been many many times in the beginning of our relationship when I would repeat something weeks later, thinking I needed to repeat it anyway, and come to find out he was a bit impatient with me to get to the point because he already remembered detail for detail what I had told him earlier, and these are weird details that you wouldn't expect anyone to remember. I've since learned to expect that he knows exactly what I'm talking about and I don't need to remind him of anything. How weird is that to have a boyfriend, ladies, that you don't have to remind of anything! I'm still getting used to it! lol and kinda funny how we're completely opposite in this dept. I seem to be rather forgetful and most of you who know me can vouch for it. I remember significant things though, in my own defense, haha.) He struggled quite a bit those childhood years, esp in school, and has stories in college too. And has many stories to tell if he so chooses to share. As a lot of his memories were not-so-good ones. As any famous or unfamous child prodigy or great intelligently gifted famous or unfamous adult today will have stories of their own. I love reading stories of Einstein when he was young and his school years. A lot of them did not fit in at school and/or were very bored by school. (I like to think that I come close -tee hee- because I was always bored at school. LOL)

You know how we all have different ways in which we learn? Some either by Visual, Audio, Touch, or combinations of all three. Tony learns by visual. He reads a lot! One of the many things we share a love for is reading! We both have our own libraries in our own home. I LOVE to learn and I LOVE to read! Reading is by far one of the best ways of learning. I have come to realize through experience that when I go through periods of not reading so much, I feel a downward slope of my mind, a 'slacking off' if you will and I begin to feel not only sluggish but my communication suffers. When I'm involved in reading and continuously, I am able to communicate much better with others, either in correspondence or in speech. My vocabulary improves tremendously and I have far more interesting things to share with others and to bring up in conversation. I can find at least one thing I share in common with any ONE person on this earth! Don't believe me? BRING IT ON! Haha.

A subject I adore and have enjoyed reading up on and studying...please enjoy the below video I found on yahoo this morning. (Unfortunately, I couldn't get the video to post on here, so it's a link, but worth clicking on and viewing) You may have seen this video already today if you have yahoo or visit yahoo. I was particularly interested in this and when I opened it to watch it, I couldn't believe how much this young girl resembles my niece LIBBY! Soooo LIBBY, if you get a chance to see this video, this one's for you sweetie! I love you so much! -your Auntie Christy says hello :) (PS LIBBY, is this going to be you? You keep doing such a great job at school etc, and it just could be!) I truly believe we can do anything we set our minds to doing. It is possible!

Courtney Oliver, 10yrs old, a veterinarian-just completed her college degree! :)
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=6202682

See the resemblance: (I know it's a small photo of my sweet niece Libby, sorry I don't have a larger image. Merrianne, wanna send me a larger copy of that pic or a different one and I'll post that too? thanx darlin') :)

This link will take you to many more articles on child prodigies:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=famous%20child%20prodigies&fr=fp-today&cs=bz&sado=1

You should really take the time to read any of the articles in the link I posted above. They are really great. Here's one of them: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/12/10/mf.child.prodigies/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail

I'd have to say that John Von Neumann would be the most interesting character of the bunch and one I'd like to meet, if ever given the opportunity. I LUV spunk and sass! :)

Then of course there's Marie Curie -aka 'Madame Curie'...I think I would have marvie conversations with this gal. I am so captivated by physics. There's so much I have to learn... I wish I had actually done better in school so I could be much further advanced in knowledge, however, I know I wouldn't be the person I am today...and I like who I am. So I wouldn't change the past, but I probably would've done things a bit different had I had the knowledge and wisdom I do today, back then. Lol, don't we all? But then I think, I wouldn't have the knowledge and wisdom I have now, had I not done the things in my past I have done... and maybe I wouldn't be so starving for that insatiable feast!

And, Blaise Pascal, after reading about this genius, now I'm curious to find "Pascal's Wager"... I'll have to look that up. Anyone ever read this before? Comments?

Soooo if you've read the article I posted, with the exception of about 3 or 4 of them, there is one particular thing they all have in common. Can you find the pattern I see? I challenge you!

A note to my sis: Hey Andrea, considering the age of most child prodigies etc, little Anson, both Tony and I think he may be a little genius himself... watch that little guy of yours... and see if he doesn't teach you or us a thing or two. Yee hee. That boy is a wonder and I adore him.

I couldn't decide which photo to post since they're sooooo warm and cute... So I posted both of them. He's such a character for his age and I just love him oodles. :)

Ya'll have a beautiful day...I'm sure gonna :)