The weather has been warm up until today and we will probably see snow soon. Last year at this time we had tornados with the warmth ,but we lucked out this year.

I am ready for a new year. This year has had its down moments with my unexpected skin cancer. I am just now starting to breath better from my nose after 6 months. Larry had his share of difficult testing but we got through that too.

New Years Eve was quiet compared to the Christmas holidays. Larry and I went out to eat earlier in the week. We went to a new restaurant and I don't know what I was thinking. It was so crowded, even though we went early. Larry is use to sitting in a chair with arms but they had none. After dinner I had to ask the waiter to help him up. He almost lifted him off his feet. lol We had to duck the waiters carrying trays as we left. It was a good dinner but not sure it was worth the $$.

My son came over Friday and took down the outdoor lights, and then took tree to basement, along with a few containers. I was happy to get it all done. It seems so much harder to take down Christmas.

A friend of mine invited us over for lunch Wednesday. I haven't seen her since Larry's stroke as she moved into a new condo and lives further away. I am looking forward to seeing her again as we use to get together more often.

Larry and I have been downloading pictures from the camera. I'm still not good at doing this and he forgets some of it too. I showed him a photo of his birthday in 2009. What a difference! He was 40 lbs. heavier. Now I have to coax him to eat cookies or his chocolate covered cherries! I don't want the weight back that much - just his appetite. Funny thing, when looking at his pictures at Christmas, he said he didn't like a couple of them. He said "my mouth looks funny". I guess he doesn't realize that is what the stroke did to his face. He surely sees this in the mirrors.

Anyway, I wish others that we haven't heard from would post. I am not a writer, and some of this is boring I'm sure, but it is what our lives are like. No one is perfect anyway, and our lives as caregivers and survivors can be shared in these great forums and blogs. We all appreciate hearing how everyone is doing here. We all learn a lot from others here too.

Happy New Year to all

Julie