21 Months OT!

It's the 29th, so you know what that means! One more month away from the end of treatment and closer to being officially cancer-free! Georgia's had a good week, despite her continued ankle trouble, which we'll discuss at her clinic appointment next week. It takes a lot to slow our girl down, as you know, and not even the TWO Snow/Ice/Texans-Can't-Drive-in-This Days we've had in the last week could do it! She still made it to Ann Richards on Saturday to lead tours for the Open House, as well as her regular Library Minion duties before and after school. She also got to visit the three high school pathway classes (like a concentrated elective or "major" for all four years of high school) to help her decide which one to choose: Biomedical Science, Engineering, or Media Technology. She enjoyed all three, and was torn between two, but when the Media Tech teacher said "If you like art and creative writing, you'll love this class." her choice was made! She'll be learning all aspects of filmmaking using the latest technology and will make short films and documentaries and even do some claymation - which she has a bit of experience in, if you'll recall ...

All in all, this first month of 2014 has been a little bumpy, but nothing that Georgia can't handle. We hope y'all are staying warm where you are! This crazy winter weather always creates blood supply shortages as regular donors can't make their standing appointments, so if you are able to donate this week - or any week - please contact your local blood center and give the gift of life. Thanks, y'all!

Best Foot Forward

Well, dang ... Remember last year at about this time, when Georgia was having ankle trouble and ended up in a boot? Well, the good news is: no boot. The bad news is: same pain, different ankle. Just like last spring, three days into PE this semester, her right ankle was hurting enough that it brought her to tears. And you know our girl is tough! So we got an X-ray after school Friday, and while there is no obvious fracture, there is still clear evidence of osteoperosis, which can cause multiple tiny fractures and severe pain. The recommendation was to stay off of it as much as possible for the next week or two and follow-up with bloodwork, which we'll be getting at her clinic appointment in a couple of weeks. She's also due for another bone density scan in March, and we'll visit with the endocrinologist then as well to determine if the supplements she's been taking for the past year are enough to right the ship. There are other options, but the main thing is to keep her pain-free! 

All that aside, Georgia is in great spirits and is looking forward to more of the fun that 8th grade has to offer! In May, she'll be participating in the Cotillion, which honors the Ann Richards girls who are moving on to the high school program next year - fancy dress, a presentation and dance, the whole nine yards. It's a wonderful tradition, and Georgia and her friends are beyond excited. She's also planning for a most awesome adventure: the Eighth Grade Trip to Washington, D.C.! They'll spend four days touring every site, museum, and monument they can get to, so we're going to have to resolve this ankle issue long before then. She's been fundraising for the trip since October and will be working a pancake breakfast next month, which should be interesting - I'm imagining an I Love Lucy-type episode!

In other school news, after 23 years, our beloved Parkside is moving to a new campus in the fall. And the best part? It's literally five minutes from our house! With the beautiful weather this weekend, we went over to hike around the 12-acre property, and we found the angel statue that keeps watch over it all. Georgia and Ivy both were very impressed and inspired by our visit, and we just can't say thank you enough for all of the support our Parkside community has given over the years. It is a magical place no matter where it is!

Have a great week, y'all!

Birthday Recap

December 30th is a special day around here for many reasons, but the best and most worthy of celebrating is Georgia's birthday! 14! And if you do the math there, you'll see that our girl entered this world in the waning hours of 1999 - she was almost The Millennium Baby! She was organized from the beginning, see, making it so that her age is the same as whatever year it is. 14 in 2014, and so on. Nice and neat.

This year, we began the Big Day the way we always begin birthdays - a tiny cake, candles, and serenades delivered to the Birthday Girl while she's still in bed. Always a hit, except for the flash of Mommy's camera first thing in the morning. Hence, no photos to post. : ) But there were birthday socks, too!

Next, we set off for a bit of shopping, followed by lunch at Torchy's Tacos, then downtown to catch the latest Hobbit movie at the Alamo Drafthouse.

After dinner at Frank & Angie's, we caught an Austin-themed light show at Mozart's - which also happens to have delicious hot chocolate!

Back at home, the traditional Birthday Scavenger Hunt unfolded, and Georgia was especially pleased with the items related to her new-found love of tea. It's a library worker thing, she tells me.

These Chucks with Stars were also well-received by our very own STAR:

And who doesn't want their very own Hobbit house?

We capped off the festivities with a rainbow tie-dye cake, made with love by Mommy and Daddy.

It was such a fun day. A wonderful day that we've always been thankful for and will always look forward to. We're also looking forward to big and exciting things happening for Georgia this year, so please stay tuned! And thank you, as always, for Keepin' Georgia on Your Mind!

Happy New Year!

Whew! We have had quite a time - all fun! - this holiday, and getting back to school and back to "the routine" this morning was a little rough. It didn't help matters that it was 20 degrees outside! But we soldiered on, and Georgia had a great First Day of the Last Semester of the Last Year of Middle School. We'll give a full recap of the birthday adventure and our plans for 2014 soon, but for now, Happy, Healthy New Year, y'all!