Did I fail to mention?

In the chaos of last week I didn't post about my bloodwork results. My doctor e-mailed last week that my tumor markers were up just a little but not enough to worry. So for this month she is considering me 'stable' which is where I really want to stay! Yehaw, hip hip hooray and all those other things! Now we are looking forward to a trip to Philadelphia the weekend of May 8th to visit and participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure! Everything is coming up roses!

The Saylors take DC!

Our trip to Washington DC was a huge success! The boys were so excited to board the train that we have watched enter and leave the station so many times! We navigated the Metro, saw some sites and had a good time! It was our first trip without a stroller and, ironically, it was Trent who was looking for the stroller toward the end of the day. We walked and walked and walked and walked. I was shocked that Ian and I could keep up the pace! Also there was obviously no nap for Ian and he didn’t have any meltdowns! They were certainly not as interested in the Smithsonian’s as I had hoped but I guess they figure if you’ve seen one airplane, gun, spaceship, etc., you have seen them all. Here are a few things I learned from our trip:

First, I am old. And I say that because the minivan that we had growing up, the white one with the wood paneling on the sides, it is in the transportation area of the Museum of American History Smithsonian.

Secondly, I have turned into my parents. I recall my eye rolling and loud sighs at both Antietam and Williamsburg specifically (although I am sure there were others) when my parents wanted to stop and read every sign. We spent two hours in the Museum of American History and I feel like I could have been there way longer. Brad and I decided we will take a day and pick two Smithsonian museums to go through without our children.

Also, if you pack enough snacks and water in two backpacks, our family can go all day!

And finally, if I could have scheduled a train to take us from our house to the closest 7-11, it would have been just a good for the boys!

Choo Choo

For several years we have frequented the Martinsburg Train Station waiting for trains. The train station has been used as a reward for good behavior, a treat for an afternoon, a place to read a library book or eat a packed lunch, and once we celebrated a birthday there. Sometimes we see long freight trains. Other times we see people getting off and on the Amtrak or MARC trains. Each time we go, the boys dream about the day that we will get on a train at our train station and go somewhere. They talk about all the things we will see and how exciting it will be when it is their turn to get on.

Brad and I have been talking about riding the train too. So, this Friday at 6:30am our family will board the MARC train at the Martinsburg Train Station and start our adventure. We are going to Washington DC for the day. We are going to pack our breakfast and lunch and will spend the day walking through a Smithsonian or two, picnicing on the mall, and looking at a few monunents. I bought some mini kites so if it is a little breezy maybe we will try that too! We will get back on the train at 5pm and arrive home around 7. I fully expect that the highlight of the day will be riding the train. And I hope that the daily commuters get a chuckle about how exciting the train ride can be to two little boys who have always dreamed about riding the train our of 'their' train station.

All Aboard!!

Church goers

We are Catholic and I do my best to take the boys to Mass each weekend. There are some days that I leave the church wondering why I bothered. There seems to be nothing about going to church that boys enjoy. They do not enjoy dressing up (although in our house that term simply means khaki pants and a polo). They do not enjoy getting up early. And they certainly do not enjoy being quiet for one hour. But I go. Every weekend.

This Sunday, as we were standing in church I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Mrs. Kamenski, a woman I have known since we moved to Martinsburg when I was 10. She asked if we would like to take the gifts to the altar. Surprised, I said 'sure.' After all, Mass had gone really well so far and the boys had been quiet. I turned around and looked at Trent who was standing nicely beside my dad and I smiled. Then I looked down at Ian who was grinning from ear to ear looking somewhat like Mr. T with five rosaries around his neck and I wasn't smiling anymore.

As thoughts of certain disaster went through my mind I got the rosaries off of Ian and we went to the back of the church. Kindly, the ushers had pretty much figured who should carry what and, with some adjustments, we started walking down the long center isle of St. Leo Church. About half way down, when I realized things may not be a total disaster, I started thinking about how amazing it was that I was there, once again walking down the isle beside my dad: just as we had done on the day of my wedding and just as we had done on the day of my mom's funeral. But this time my kids were walking with us. It occurred to me as I walked with them what a blessing it is to have them and to still be here with all of them.

It was amazing how relieved, happy and enlightened I felt when we had given the gifts to Father Brian and turned to leave. So when we walked back down the isle I wasn't even phased when a classmate stuck his hand out and Trent gave him a rather loud high five. The boys were so proud of themselves and I hoped it would start off a good trend in church-going. Well, until we got into the car and Trent said, "that was fun but we still don't have to go back until next week...right?" OK, so we are a work in progress!

Why do we worry?

When I started this blog I fully intended for it to be a place for me to update friends and family about my health. It turns out that right now my health is a pretty boring topic. And, really, that is the way I like it!


I've been working with Brad's aunt who is a Doctor of Naturopathy and we have talked about everything from fresh fruit and veggie juicing to cell regeneration to the effects of stress on a body. This week several things have happed that have made me think about all the worries that cause us stress. What do we worry about anyway? Is it work drama, family drama, lack of money, paperwork, deadlines, housework, kids, pets, total lack of time, failure, health?


This week I inadvertantly walked into a conversation between a parent and the aide in Trent's classroom. The parent was obviously upset about a book that had been read the previous day about the presidency and the White House. I knew they had read this book because Trent had told me that they were, "learning about voting and that the president was really lucky because there is a bowling alley and movie theater in the White House." I volunteer in the classroom and have seen the book on the shelf. It is from Scholastic and written on an elementary grade level. Apparently, the child of this particular mom had come home with a different interpretation of the book and the mom was very upset because she thought the teachers were trying to impose particular political views on the students. The next day, while we were signing in for a field trip the same mom cornered the teacher saying that her, 'husband will be in to discuss this matter.' It was obvious that the mom had spent a lot of time worrying about this, it was causing her a lot of stress, and she was more than happy to discuss it LOUDLY with as many people within earshot as possible.

Also this week, a co-worker of Brad's was on day 14 of a medically induced coma. The day before Easter this late 40-something guy suddenly got a terrible headache. When he started to black out his wife called the ambulance he was rushed to the hospital and into emergency brain surgery. He had an aneurysm and several strokes. On Friday they removed all life support and he was breathing on his own however, the doctors told his wife that his brain had sustained major damage and suggested she think about removing the feeding tube. She has been sitting in that hospital worrying since the day before Easter. Brad got word this morning that he passed away last night.

Sometimes I wonder why I have spent so much of my life worrying about things that are absolutely out of my control. Letting go and trying not to sweat the small stuff has been particularly difficult for me since I am a typical type A personality complete with daily to-do lists and a driving need to control every detail of every thing. I will never be glad that I have cancer, but I can say that it has helped me try to recognize that there are so many things I can't control. I am a work in progress.

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I know we did! Don, Jackie, Felix and Amelia came to Martinsburg and the kids had a great time playing! It was so much fun watching them playing nicely (for the most part) and it made me think about playing with our cousins when we were kids. How much fun we had when we got together!!

Saturday was Brad's 36th Birthday so his family and mine all got together at our house for a cookout. His grandmother even came out for dinner! The weather was beautiful, the food was great, but most importantly it was wonderful to have everyone together!

I sure was tired on Monday and it took me most of the day to recover. I just don't bounce back like I used to. I am so thankful that Trent is on spring break this week! In the past week I have learned two important things about my boys. First of all, they are finally able to sleep in! Wahoo! I have been waiting for this stage for almost seven years and we have arrived! By sleeping in, I do mean that they sleep until 8am! I have also discoverd that the boys really enjoy having jobs! They were a big help getting the house ready for dinner on Saturday and a huge help with some projects I tackled yesterday and today. I do realize that in a few years the sleeping in until noon will get annoying and they will be less enthuiastic about having 'jobs' with no compensation, but I will enjoy it while I can!

Happy Easter!!

PS. Thanks for the flowers Aunt Carol! They are beautiful!!