Kids' Last Kalifornia Night

Brain cancer is...

 ...saying farewell to the Yoast Guillaumes.

Summer headed up the coast today to pick up her mom for a Colorado visit.
We celebrated with Zach one final evening with one of his favorites:  steamed duck at Thai.

Tomorrow morning he and his longtime friend, Steve, will take off in Zach's truck, rendezvousing with the women in Salt Lake City.

Zach, Marilyn, and Steve

Zach and Steve have been friends since fifth grade, when they played soccer together.  We have been friends with Marilyn, Steve's grandma, all those years too.  Lots of time for conversation on the soccer field!

We feel fortunate indeed for longtime friends and for several great days with Zach and Summer.

Fun Fact:  Summer drove away today, exactly one year to the day that she and Zach left for their Colorado home.  Good to know they come back sometimes!

Happy Anniversary, Tiana and Alex!

Brain cancer is...

 ...celebrating great teams.

Remember what we said a few days ago about one of our great hopes for our sons (after their good health)?  We hoped that they would be fortunate enough (if they desired) to find life mates who love life together with them as much as we have had the privilege to love life together?

Alex and Tiana found each other in college and then wed five years ago today.  We picked this wedding photo because, to us, it shows the type of team they built...are building...together. 

We'll put Taps on the books to celebrate together with them soon.  In the meantime, Darrell and I toasted them at Islands, where we as a family kicked off their wedding weekend...yesterday?...five years ago.

Cheers, Kids!

Hangin' with the Peeps

Brain cancer is...

 ...hangin' with some favorite peeps.

Above you see today's pic of Mousse.  Yes, he joined Zach and Summer on the trip west.  It's his first trip to California after he left post the 6/18 wedding.  He fell right back into his "life with the grandparents" routines, such as rising with Darrell and the sun for meatballs each morning and lying with his head on Andi's feet during computer time.

Mousse is one of our favorite peeps, and he happens to be the only one we snapped a pic of today.  We also visited Gordon and LuAnn and had happy hour with the Mayfields. So many peeps.

Huge accomplishment:  Zachary drove us in his truck to Glendora.  He faced the worst possible stick-driving conditions: Multi-lane California freeways with stop-and-go traffic for a full hour.

Self Indulgence:  Once your daughter-in-law has been your daughter-in-law for one year, it's okay to pull out the dusty baby pictures of her husband.  You know the photos:  The ones that formerly adorned the fridge in magnetic frames.

Summer picked this one for her fridge.  Lovin' our peeps.

Happy Friday, Team D, to you and your peeps! 

Celebrating a First Anniversay: Cheers to that!

Brain cancer is...

...raising many toasts for one of life's great events.

Today's solo endeavors ended with a shared Taps anniversary dinner to celebrate the Yoast Guillaumes' first anniversary.

We raised our glasses many times to celebrate Summer and Zach's first year of marriage.  Here's one toast:  Many years ago, after we as parents hoped that our children would be born healthy, we wished for them (if they desired) to find life mates.  Cheers to that!  Here's another toast:  Darrell was here to see the day.  Cheers to that!  Here's another:  Summer and Zach made it to Year Two.  Double cheers to that!

We enjoyed conversations about what they learned through this year together, far from everything familiar, and we compared reflections from our 35-years-married perspective.  Much was different, and much was the same.

On the way home, Zachary played Queen's You're My Best Friend (click here), which is Darrell and Andi's song.  It was their first time listening to the tune as married people.  It held as much truth for them as it does for us.

Cheers to that.  Here's to best friends!

Sushi California Style

Brain cancer is...

...at “our” sushi place.

Zach was first up for the manual transmission driving lesson today.  Success!

We celebrated with sushi at our place.

And guess what.  They are still here tomorrow!

Outlasting the Accoutrements

Brain cancer is...

 

...outlasting the accoutrements.

More than three years ago, waaaay back on Thursday, February 18, 2016, we blogged that Darrell used the free parking perk to meet with his radiologist.  (Click here for the ancient post, if you wish.)

Then, a few months later (but still nearly three years ago), we blogged about welcoming "The Professors" into our lives.  You may remember that "the professors" were the sleek new version of Optune batteries.  (Here's the post.)

Today we welcomed in a free parking pass that outlives more than one pass.  As you see (above), it doesn't expire until June 2021.  Way to outlast the free parking, Darrell!

And, sadly, today we also called Optune to tell them that the last professor, Professor Plum (above), died and needs to be replaced.  Way to fight the good fight, Professor Plum. We salute you.

Let's  just keep outliving our accoutrements, Team D.  Fight on!

Our New Truck

Brain cancer is...

 ...enjoying owning a truck...for about 10 minutes.

Darrell wanted you to see our sexy little Subaru Baja.  Our name is on the registration and on the insurance, so, yeah, it's ours.

But only for about 10 minutes. LuAnn actually bought a newer Subaru and graciously gave this one to Zach and Summer, who have lived a whole year with one car. 

Darrell and I own this truck just as long as it takes to transfer it to the Yoast Guillaumes.  They come this week.  Hurrah!  Summer hasn't been back to California since her wedding, a year ago yesterday.

Happy anniversary, kids!

Being with them again in Fullerton will definitely take the sting off handing over "our" truck.

Happy Monday, Team!

Retired People Don’t Care.

Brain cancer is...

....posting late.

Yesterday Darrell and Andi hosted the family retirement party.  The retirees were Greg, Gary, Darrell,  and Andi. Let’s just say that the party went until 3 a.m. and involved a lot of monkeys.

Party on, Team D!

Good Looking Gordon

Brain cancer is...

...hanging out with good looking Gordon. 

The math institute concluded today.  What a great group!  

We headed straight over to visit Gordon.  It may not be a mimosa pic, but Darrell and Dad still take a mighty fine photo!  Gordon continues to work on regaining strength.

Happy Friday, Everybody!

Happy Summer Solstice!

Solstice sunset compliments of Meridyth.

The Smileage Dial Is Rolling Fast

Brain cancer is...

 

...appreciating smiles everywhere.

Look at the fantastic smiles of these nine math-loving teachers, from our CMPF Institute.  We just happened to be eating lunch at the same food court, and they were sweet to say yes to a pic for the blog.  (Number 10 math-loving teacher took the photo.  Thirteen others ate elsewhere.)

Teachers:  You give us reasons every day to smile!

Elsewhere, Curt smiled his way through the day.  Here's his first pic:

Sure, he was on the way to work, but he commutes by scooter.  Definitely something to smile about!

And the Mayfield crowd wore big vacation smiles:

The smile in the middle?  It's on the face of Ed Hackbarth, an 86-year old person working behind the counter. Oh, and also, he's the founder of Del Taco.   Now there's a story you don't hear every day.

(Dear Mr. Hackbarth:  The Guillaumes love Del Taco.  Thanks for making us smile.)

High Smileage Day

Brain cancer is...

...racking up the high smileage points.

Darrell's still smiling (smileage) and getting in lots of miles (mileage).  The pictorial record of the day gives evidence of such.  (Disclaimer:  We make no claims for the beauty of these photos; we claim only that they are accurate.)

Before Darrell goes on his solo adventures, such as driving to Glendora to see Gordon, he drives me to the math institute.

He returns to pick me up for lunch together.  Today we spent lunch hour submitting CSUF paperwork.  After work, he picked me up again, and we sped off to the DMV with (gasp!) no appointment.

Still smiling!  Next we headed directly for the park to put in a few miles.

For our final smile, we had a tasting party from Ralph's deli.

The winners?  Broccoli salad and Italiano pasta salad.


High smileage Wednesday complete?  Check!

We hope you had cause to collect some smileage points today too, Team D.

Smiling and Singing, Six to Six

Brain cancer is...

 ...irrepressibly cheerful.

These days breakfast is early.  At shortly after 6:00 a.m., Darrell toasted his day with a Dew, White Castle burgers, and a smile:

After a big day, we ended our walk at the park at 6:00 p.m. Darrell was still smiling and he was singing the song of the day:

FYI, the song of the day is What the World needs now.

Darrell, what the world needs now is more smiles and songs of the day.  Never stop.

Double Teaming the Week

Brain cancer is...

...taking the week by storm. 

This week is the beginning of Andi’s summer projects, with the California Mathematics Project, Fullerton annual weeklong institute kicking things off.  

Darrell is taking the lead on all home-based responsibilities. Above you see him doing the morning  chauffeuring. 

One (good) day down! 

Hope you conquered your Monday too.

Happy Fathers Day!

Brain cancer is...

...happy to have another day as a father.

 Thank you, Darrell, for cherishing the two children we brought into the world...

...and for cherishing the two we had the absolute pleasure of joining later!

Dear dads and dadlike people everywhere and throughout time:  Thank you for every moment you have contributed to the children of the world.

Team D., hope your thoughts on this Fathers Day took you straight to many wonderful memories!

OK, one more photo of dads and dudes who love them:

Three Generations of Guillaume Men

Photo Notes:
1, 3:  Professional photos at Summer and Zachary's wedding 6/18
2:  Zach's family selfie at Stuart and Amanda's wedding 5/19

Focusing

Brain cancer is...

...focusing.

Today was good.  Lots going on.  Working hard to focus on priorities.

We hope your Saturday was a good one. 

G2 Parents Day

Brain cancer is...

 ..a parent too.

Usually when we post about Parents Day, it's regarding G1:  Generation One, with Gordon and LuAnn.  G2 is Generation Two, the descendants of G1.  Today G2 (Darrell and Andi) had Parents Day with G3 (Tiana and Alex).  Darrell and Andi were in Amsterdam for Mothers Day, and Fathers Day is this weekend.

It was great to be with them, as per usual.

We all made it to Friday, Team D!

From Snoring to Singing in Ten Seconds Flat

Brain cancer is...

  ...carving out happiness.

Darrell went from snoring to waking up and singing the song of the day (Feeling Groovy) in ten seconds this morning.  It impressed me greatly.

As you know from recent posts, our days are lately full with many priorities and lots of emotion.  So when Darrell woke up this morning singing the most ridiculously happy song, it reminded me that happiness isn't something that happens.  It's something people create. 

Sometimes it takes a heck of a lot more effort than other times, but today I'm reminded that it's possible to carve out some happiness in each day, including the first ten seconds of the morning...and a trip through the floral section at Ralph's. Check out the peonies above.  Who makes flowers this color?

We are wishing you, at minimum, ten seconds of happiness today, loved ones.

Hanging with the Parents

Brain cancer is...

 ...wrapping up a parent day.

Still no mimosas for Gordon BUT his recovery is going well and he will soon enter rehab.  We had lunch with LuAnn and visited her doctor.  We are proud of our parents for doing what it takes to optimize health.

Happy Hump Day!

(The lily, above, is in LuAnn's koi pond.  We were pleasantly surprised by how many things are still blooming.)

Happy About Our Teeth

Brain cancer is...

...happy about our teeth.

You know that saying, “We try to take one day at a time, but lately they are all ganging up on us”?

Yeah, that.

But there are always many things to smile about.  

For example, Today for the first time ever, we had dual dental appointments.  Check out these squeaky clean biters.

We hope you and your days are evenly matched. 

"Buy Both."

Brain cancer is...

 ...a model for spouses everywhere.

We love Target.  We go on dates there when we need a little retail therapy.  Target's perfect because it has great design at reasonable prices.  We had a Target date today.

I needed a soap dispenser, and I favored the one on the right.  But I wavered, also appreciating the one on the left.  Darrell said, "Buy both."

He is a wise one.   Listen and learn, all ye spouses seeking to please partners.

Happy Monday.

Seeking Our Summer Stride

Brain cancer is...

 ...pretty sure summer is here.

We thought we had waited long enough to walk today (3:30 pm) to escape the heat.  Nope.  You see the three of us feeling pretty wilted, above. We clearly need to find our summer stride.

Beowulf, in particular, has work to do.  He walks plenty at home, but it typically takes a few park walks before he builds up the stamina not to accept a "carry assist" a few times during the walk.  Also, he is currently a sticker magnet.  We learned early in the walk to keep him away from any dry plant matter because stickers and twigs just leapt into his long and silky locks.  We spent much time pulling out the brambles.

We'll try an early morning walk tomorrow and stick to cement paths in attempts to hit our summer stride.

Happy Summer Sunday, Loved Ones!

Parent Updates

We saw Gordon this morning.  His progress is accelerating to the point that he will probably be in a regular hospital room when we see him tomorrow...out of ICU!  We had lunch with LuAnn. It was good to catch up after a week.  Yay.

40 Months

Brain cancer is...

...40 months old today.

Congratulations, Big D.  Above you see Beowulf is here to celebrate with us. (He’s staying with us for  the week.  You know you’ll see more pics.)

We never take these monthly milestones for granted, but 40 is a bit of a plain number, a number that needs some serious research for appreciation.  Check it out.

To explore just how much time 40 months comprises, let’s use a human life trajectory for comparison.  Let’s say a baby was born the day that Darrell was diagnosed.  If Darrell hit the median survival for GBM, he would have left us when that baby was 15 months old. The baby would be wearing diapers, just getting great at walking, and using about five words.  

By 40 months (think 3 years, 4 months), that baby would no longer be a baby.  She wouldn’t even be a toddler anymore. She’d be a pre-schooler.  She’d be playing nicely with friends, hopping, counting, and riding a trike.  That’s the difference 25 months makes.  That’s how much can happen in 40 months.  That’s the gift we have been given. 

Happy 40 months Team D.  Happy Saturday.

Gordon update:  He was moved into a private room in the ICU today.  Upgrade!  Slowly he’s ditching the tubes.  More progress.

Time Passes...Thank Goodness!

Brain cancer is...

...so happily surprised by the passage of time.

Beth retired today.  Congratulations, all you hundreds of students of Beth, for lucking upon the gift of Mrs. Szabo’s teaching.

Above is the Acacia Middle School staff photo of 1984.  The upper circle is Beth.  The lower circle is Andi.  Beth and Andi met a couple months before this photo when we were both hired as first-year teachers and assigned to be partners.  The rest is history.  We have had so many professional—and with our spouses—entirely unprofessional adventures together. 

Recently we’ve been enjoying looking through 35 years of photos, remarking at changing styles in clothes and hair, at pregnant bellies and at kids growing up as we turn the pages of just a few albums.  How did time pass so quickly? How are we so fortunate to be here to marvel at the gift of years?

Tonight we celebrated with Beth and Geoff, and Curt and Barb, sharing the inside stories of lifetimes and looking forward to more...

...of the passage of time.

Gordon update: Slow progress is progress.

2019 Word of the Year Holding Strong

Brain cancer...

 ...satisfied with our choice for Word of the Year:  Perspective.

The allegory:  The lovely plant, above, is at the hospital entrance.  I have been taking photos of it daily since we started visiting Gordon in ICU.  Every day I've hit "delete," disappointed by each of my photos, unable to capture our appreciation of this plant's beauty.  Today I got the shot I wanted.  I got the photo by standing way to the side and kneeling down.  Not until I changed my perspective drastically could I capture the subject in a way that satisfied me.  

Recent events have us thinking about our Word of the Year, perspective.  It's holding strong in its usefulness in our attempts to make sense in our lives...in many ways.

Here's one way:  We realize how many medical people's perspectives we need to gain before we can form our own conclusions.  Every nurse and physician makes a slightly different contribution to our understanding of Gordon's case.

Here's another:  Going through this medical issue with Gordon post Darrell's diagnosis feels very different than our earlier experiences with medical issues for loved ones.  Life 2.0 has shifted our reactions to the hospital setting, our understandings of events, our roles, everything.

And one more:  Recent events (Gordon and beyond) are strongly underscoring for us the insight that everyone has a perspective, and none of us can fully understand that perspective, no matter how desperately we may wish to do so.  We need to operate with that insight as a baseline, and then watch, listen, and ask gentle questions to discover a little about how the world is for other people.  It's a humbling thing to remember.

Let's Close with Vicarious Fun.

Happy thoughts of future retirement seem to linger on the minds of many of our family and friends lately.  Tomorrow (Friday), as you go about your day, we invite you to bask in someone's last day ever at work.

Our great friend Beth retires tomorrow after 35 years of doing incredible work as a teacher.  Let's enjoy it with her, Team D.  Imagine how it feels to be setting the alarm and going to work for the very last time. Enjoy that last, well deserved day, Beth, and know that oh so many of us are sitting on your shoulder, enjoying it vicariously.  Ahhh!

Three More Reasons Everyone Needs a Darrell

Brain cancer is...

...highly skilled and multi-talented.

You've heard me say that my husband is my hero, and I know I'm not alone.  I've heard more than one of you say that Darrell's your hero too.  Today he reconfirmed his hero status with his many skills.

Above you that Darrell started the day by diagnosing a sprinkler failure.  I learned terms like "pipe union" and "seized pipe."

Later, he used this laptop...

...to diagnosis a "USB-to-VGA-Adapter problem" in the desktop machine.

Fortunately he had enough energy (and skill) to make a Caesar salad and grill...

...fillet mignon and potatoes for dinner.

Everyone needs a Darrell!

Even though we haven't walked and it's only 6:21, we hereby cease and desist all work-related activities.  After dinner on the patio, we plan to watch the final episode of Game of Thrones and call it a night.

Happy Wednesday, Team D!

(PS...Gordon update:  We saw Gordon this morning.  His recovery is progressing.  Hurrah.)

Great News on Gordon's Surgery

Brain cancer is...

 ...smiling.

This is Dr. Amad, Gordon's surgeon.

He's a specialist brought in from City of Hope.  You can probably glimpse his caring nature in this photo, and he is a person who is clearly passionate about his work.  He's very excited about intestines.

Before surgery, based on an imaging study, Dr. Amad predicted that the solution to Gordon's gastrointestinal problem might be straightforward.  He was correct, and the surgery took considerably less than an hour.  Dr. Amad confirmed that it was very good that the surgery was done today rather than tomorrow.  Thus Gordon had the best possible outcome.  Hurrah!

It's expected that recovery may take several days in the hospital. 

Many family members were there to see Gordon through today's procedure, and we all celebrated the good news together.  You were there too, Team D.  All of your caring thoughts and prayers were much appreciated.  Thank you for being with us. 

What a difference one day makes.

The Best We Can Do

Brain cancer is...

...dealing with life's struggles.

Today was a tough one, start to finish.  Sometimes the best we can do is deal with life's struggles.
Gordon will have surgery some time tomorrow.  We're glad we can be there. 

"The best things in life aren't things."

Brain cancer is...

 ...looking forward.

For this blog, it's a balancing act between protecting people's privacy and letting you know what's happening in Darrell's life.  We never mean to drag anyone into the spotlight with our decision to blog.  (Just know this is on our minds.)

Parents are holding steady. Gordon is still in the hospital, looking forward to progress.

As we left the hospital today, we saw a trinket in the gift shop window that said, "The best things in life aren't things."  True that.

Today we are so grateful for some of the "best things in life."  Most notably we're grateful to be members of families that pull together and care for each other.  We are grateful for our friendships and the absolute support that friends provide.  We are grateful for technology like smart phones and Apple watches.  We are grateful for good medical care and advancements in the field. 

We (like the birds, above) look forward to tomorrow and the promise it holds.

Parent Day with a Twist

Brain cancer is...

...grateful for our parents--yet again.

Both LuAnn and Gordon have experienced a couple health "blips" in the past week, but they are actively managing them. Yay Parents!

Gordon is in the hospital with some intestinal issues, but he's planning on being home soon...maybe even tomorrow.  In lieu of his weekly mimosa, then, today he enjoyed a refreshing IV drip.  Mimosas next week, Dad.

Lunch with LuAnn was at our favorite for Mexican food, Max's. 

Yay for Parents!

Today's new sights are from LuAnn's garden:

Chicory

LuAnn's new tenants:  Honey bees