Cancer Awareness

Cancer.

The one word that can bring down every emotion in the book: denial, fear, anger, depression, anxiety, hysteria, regret, sadness, loneliness...well, you can get the picture.

My grandmother, Granny Ruby, one amazing and loving woman, had cancer...I learned how to cook with her and where she kept the oreo cookies. My Dad, Frank, had prostrate cancer but it didn't stop him...I learned how to throw a baseball with him and how many oreos to take from Granny Ruby. My brother, Laton, had skin melanoma and later on stage-4 liver cancer which ultimately cost him his life...I learned how to be a brother...well, I learned a lot from him growing up but that's a whole other blog! :-)

I am listing a few resources:
http://www.cancer.org/
http://www.cancer.gov/
http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/
http://ww5.komen.org/

I strongly encourage you to donate to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/ People can sign up for teams and gather donations that support the ongoing research efforts, treatments, education and support for patients, survivors and their families. Walk or run, crawl or stumble...it doesn't matter how you do it...just commit and do it.

Cancer can be beaten. But it will take EVERYONE doing their part to help.

So please help find a cure...let's all erase cancer from the dictionary and from the bodies of our friends and families. Big thanks to Becky (who runs for Komen) and Allison (Relay) for everything they do...keep it up!

Now, I'm off to scoot...

Weather

Weather can be a funny thing. I remember the tornadoes in West Texas growing up including the big one that hit P-view in the early '70s. We had thunder, lightning (sore subject for me), hail, wind, rain, tornadoes, sleet, snow (yes, snow), dust-storms and more.

The use to say that the weather changes all of the time in Oklahoma...NOT. The good Lord decides to change the weather here a minute-by-minute.

For example, Sunday, it was gorgeous - blue skies, a little cloudy and warm. I slept in (I needed it), got up and headed to the commissary...out of NOWHERE...hail. Yes, hail. A nice big gray and drizzling cloud (which I called a few choice Sailor names) came out of the place I will call NOWHERE. I thought I left HAIL when I left HALE COUNTY in 1982 for the Navy...but NO...I didn't. My Jeep took a beating for about 10 minutes...and of course, then sun came back out.

Why hail in the PACNORWEST?

Well, because it can...and it will...whenever it wants to!

Off scooting...

Seattle Living

What a week and weekend...

Spent time learning my way around the ship, where the closest heads (restrooms) were and spending time going through the files. There is still so much to do and more...we have several ship tours this month (~70 local preachers on Tuesday which will be my first tour) and more...

I found a great mall with an Apple Store...Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood. I actually found some Star Wars cookie cutters at a William & Sonoma store...of course, I had to buy them. I'll have to make some and send some to the kids...Tucker did ask me to send him some M&M cookies sometime...he loves eating the dough (which of course, should be it's own food group itself)!

On Saturday, I drove down to Seattle and met up with William (former PAO). HE drove me around town showing me places to go and where not to go!

Here's the rundown of his favs:

Seattle Art Museum (only on the free nights)

Pioneer Square - only the bookstore

Belltown

Metro Market

Seattle Library - what a wonderful piece of architecture

For sushi - Yumi, Redfin, Wasabi or Blue C Sushi

For Italian - The Pink Door

Lola or Dahlia restaurants

For vino (which I love) - Sip or Purple

For concerts - The Gorge

For seafood - Ray's Boathouse

For cupcakes - Cupcake Royale - I've heard these are the best in town

Well, with nine months here in Seattle, I think I can spend as much time possible driving around and seeing the sites...eating the food...and meeting new friends.

We met up with some of William's friends at Serious Pie for dinner...it's a gourmet pizza place (I had the buffalo mozzarella and sauce - I ate the whole thing)! The house red was tasty and smooth. If you were visit, here's the link: 

http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=serious-pie

BTW, Tom Douglas runs the Lola and Dahlia places too...he's a big deal in Seattle.

After dinner, we went to a local bar for a few drinks then out dancing...it was fun and I think I was the oldest one there...but I could cut a rug!

Well, as you can probably notice, I didn't have my camera with me...next trip to Seattle!

More scooting to do...