It’s that time of year again where I make my way to America.  As we get further and further west it becomes a little more challenging to get back to the states.

Matt and I were in Whangaroa enjoying the beautiful bays when we realized we had to head back so I could catch my flights.  We sailed about 6 hours to Bay of Islands where I caught a city bus to Whangarei (3 hours).

Whangarei

While in Whangarei, I visited with my friend Kara and her friend Emma.  I was able to get a quick mani / pedi and my hair done by my favorite stylist Jordyn.  I would really love to go back to my dark brown hair, but without access to a hair stylist I just can’t deal with the grays!  Yes, this is a HUGE luxury for me.  Normally I go years without any beautification treatments so this is a special treat!

The next day, Kara takes me to the airport where I catch a small puddle jumper to Auckland at oh-dark-thirty (1.5 hours).  From there it is a 14 hour flight with a screaming mother and child during a very turbulent flight.  Truly one of the worst flights I’ve ever had. But, I make it to America, Dallas safe and sound.

Dallas

I spend a few days with my good friend Wayne in Dallas.  He was kind enough to let me store some of our “stuff” in his closet and it was time for me to go through it to see what I could discard.  Originally when I placed these items in his closet we thought we would only be gone for 3 years.  Well, we are going on almost 8 years now and surely I don’t need half of this stuff.

I tried on every single piece of clothing.  Items that did not fit (size 0 and 2) were put in a donate pile, items that were expired or documents that were older than 7 years all got shredded.  It was a great cleansing experience and fun walking down memory lane.

We had a lovely dinner with our friend’s kids, Sydney and Dylan (and Corey).  It had been several years since I had seen them so it was great catching up on their lives.  Top photo: Wayne, me, Dylan, Sydney and Corey.

San Antonio

Wayne and I drove to San Antonio (Boerne) to visit with Shawn and Sharron (4hr drive).  It always warms my heart to be around them!  They just fill my soul with lots of love.  Mason was home and made his famous brisket.  He is doing so well teaching high school students history, government, and economics.  All three kids are just doing spectacular!

After our glorious weekend, Wayne takes me to Austin (2.5 hour drive) to get my rental car and then he continues back to Dallas. 

Austin

It is spring time and the flowers are blooming.  This is my absolute favorite time of the year and I am so happy that I get to witness the natural beauty of Texas!

The Bluebonnets (purple) and Indian Paint Brushes (red flowers) are all over the highways, roads, and yards.  We also stop at Buc-ees which is a true Texas establishment with over 120 fuel pumps and over 100 toilets!  Only in America can a gas station with 100’s of toilets be a destination!

My dear friend Jamie flew in from Oklahoma and we both stayed at our best friend’s house, Michelle.  She is hostess with the mostest! These two women feed my heart and soul.  I am so blessed to have them in my life.

I was swamped with doctor appointments, but one night they took me out to meet our friends Jennifer and Heather at a beautiful place called Wild Flower.

Medical Appointments Galore!

Once a year I return to Texas to visit my oncologist and take care of a few medical things.  This year, I’ve been experiencing numbness in both arms and hands along with upper neck pain which was concerning to her.  So, along with the standard complete blood panel, she ordered an x-ray, bone density, and a bone scan.  So, I spent several days in and out of doctor offices trying to get it all done while I was in town.

The Good News:  I am in my 9th year of being cancer free and have one more year to go before I stop taking my chemo medicine (anastrozole).  After my 10th year I no longer have to come in once a year for blood work or doctor visits either as I will be considered in complete remission (applause).  

The bone scan did not show any metastasis which is fantastic news! 

The other good news is that my bone density showed that I am still in Osteopenia despite my bones getting worse, they have not crossed over to Osteoporosis.  

The Neutral News:  The x-ray showed that my C4-C6 has degenerated further and that surgery is in my future (at some time as I refuse to do it now).  This is causing the neck pain and most likely causing the numbness.  I can stretch my neck hanging from a doorway (except we don’t have any doorways on the boat).  So, I will search for other exercises to help minimize the pain.

Medical Care outside of America

For those of you who are wondering, we do receive medical care outside of America.  Matt and I visit the dentist, optometrist, dermatologist, general practitioners and a few others when the need arises.  We pay cash out of pocket, just like we do in the U.S. as we don’t have health insurance.  We have received excellent care all over the place including Panama, Chile, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Fiji, and New Zealand!

Celebrating with Friends

To celebrate we gather a few friends for happy hour.  My friend Diana organized everything and it was fabulous!  Thank you for everyone who showed up!

It had been years since I had seen some of these beautiful faces!  Top: me, Erica, Missy and John, me and Jason.  Bottom; Jeff, me, Tracey, and Diana and next pic is John, me and Missy.

Oscar and John, Josh and Tiffany also came in for special Christine hugs!

My time has come to leave Texas and head to California.  I am so very grateful for all of the love and generosity my friends showered upon me, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Stay tuned for the second part of my trip to America in California.  Coming up next.

Our blog posts runs 10-12 hours behind live events.  My trip to America occurred mid-March to mid-April 2024.  In our last blog post I summarize our sailing locations around the North Island.