San Francisco Travel Log. :)

Right now things are doing fine for me. I am finally feeling good enough physically and mentally to make a post on my San Francisco trip with Jan and Dennis. I have had a rough week this week mentally because I was misled and somewhat betrayed by my doc up here in Idaho. My mom asked the docs what they thought about a Fentanyl transdermal patch, a patch that goes on my skin and delivers a pain killer drug through my skin. They said that I would be clear minded, I would be able to go to school, and be more active because I would have a pain medication on board at all times. Well, what they didn't tell me is that I wouldn't be able to drive. So. . .how was I supposed to get to school? How was I supposed to do whatever I wanted? All the fentanyl patch did for me was make me tired all the time, more nauseated, clouded my mind, and took away my freedom of driving. In short, yesterday, I figured, "Yeah, the patch helped my pain, but I can not live happily with out the freedom to go where I want, when I want." I now think I understand how Grandma Hale feels about getting her driving privilage taken away from her. Sigh. That is why my posts have been short this week. I have been depressed and now I have decided NO MORE FENTANYL!! Not yet anyway. . .

Now for my trip to San Francisco. We had a total blast!!! Although seeing San Francisco in less than 1 1/2 days is completely impossible! Den said that San Francisco is eye candy (meaning the sight of it makes you want to see more, have more, and is very pleasing to see). I totally agree with him. Our two day adventure was too short and left me really exhausted, but knowing it was totally worth the price.

Jan and Dennis came and picked us up at our house Thursday. We had lunch, cleaned up, packed and hit the road. We traveled five and a half hours to Winnemucca, Nevada where we stretched out legs. We were there for 45 minutes to an hour. Then we hit the road again continuing on to Reno, Nevada which took about two and a half hours. It was late when we got there and we hadn't eaten. Den got on the internet and found J.J's Pie Company that came recommended and would be open. When we got there we all decided that it looked like a bar and that we didn't want to go in. Then Dennis read that it is one of the few places in Reno that was non smoking and that sealed the deal of going there. That place had really good pizza. It was one of the many inspired choices of our trip. lol After dinner at 11:00 at night, we found our hotel and went to bed. No gambling for me because it was too late. :( Good for me though. I didn't spend any money on gambling through our whole trip. I would have in Winnemucca, but I didn't have a one dollar bill. I just had two 20s and a ten and I wasn't about to put a big bill in there because I would have used it all. lol Our totally travel time on thursday was about eight hours of Driving!!! Crazy!!!

The next morning, Friday, we left Reno around 8:30/9:00 am and traveled to San Francisco!! It was about three and a half or four hours of taveling. I slept most of the way because I didn't sleep well the night before. I would wake up periodically and I was awake as we past Lake Tahoe, went by Donner's Pass, went through my first State Boarder Patrol (the California Border Patrol, they don't want anyone to bring fruit into the state contaminating their high grade produce and will confiscate any that they find, lol), and went over my first toll bridge (the Bay Bridge that takes traffic to San Francisco). After that I was awake and excited!!!

Our first stop was San Francisco's Chinatown which was totally fun. Very few people spoke English and I wish I had known some form of Chinese to help us out. lol. Jan and Dennis wanted to take us to Dim Sum. Dim sum is a brunch where the waitresses (who only speak very little english) bring around small dishes and offer them to you. There are about 8 servings on each plate. Joie and I decided that it was best to not know what was in the stuff we were eating. lol All of it looked okay, but still a little scary. Most of the items were rolled into a ball and either steamed or fried. So we never really could see what was inside the dish. lol

After Dim sum, at noon, we walked around Chinatown and gathered up some Chinatown paraphernalia. lol We spent quite a bit of time there which is amazing because the streets were INSANE!!! There were some pretty good hikes up those streets. lol It really wore me, Mom, and Dad out. :) After Chinatown we went down Lombard Street. A street that switchbacks about 9 times in a quarter of a mile! I don't know how many feet it descends in the quarter of a mile, but everything I find says it is a 27% grade (which I could calculate, but my brain doesn't want to know how, lol)

After Lombard Street, we went across the Golden Gate Bridge and took some time to enjoy the view of San Francisco from the other side of the bay. After which we went to the hotel to freshen up for the play "Wicked", which is Aunt Cheryl's favorite play and now I know why! It was awesome and fun! It is the prequel to the "Wizard of Oz" and gives the background of the Wicked Witch of the West and East and the Good Witch Glenda. I was exhausted from our day and also hurting from the non stop action so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I wanted, but it was fun. It was the best play I have ever seen and it had great messages. After the play, we went to the hotel. I hadn't finished my classes, but I only had the final tests to do. My chemistry test was due Saturday at noon and we had plans for early in the morning so I HAD to take my test Friday night or else I wouldn't have had time to take it. Therefore I was up until three o'clock in the morning taking my test!!

Saturday started early! Well, for me anyway. It was 9:00 am when we left the hotel. We then boogied down to the peir to catch a boat to Alcatraz! It was very educational. We took an audio tour of the prison which talked about the various sections of the prison, some of the escapes, why a person was incarcerated there, what happened when they got there, what life was like there as a prisoner, what life was like as a family living on Alcatraz, and some of the rules and regulations the prisoners were to follow. It was very interesting to see and hear the creative things people did to try to escape from Alcatraz only to fail. The prison was heavily guarded so anyone trying to escape was easily detained. Those that got past the security still had to deal with the water in the bay that is freezing and has tons of currents, some of which take you back to Alcatraz. lol

After walking around Alcatraz for about three hours and buying stuff there, we got back on a boat to head for shore. Then we ate at Hard Rock Cafe and bought more San Francisco paraphernalia at the Cafe. lol After that though it was about 3:00 pm and we were late in leaving for home so we weren't able to take a trolley ride, visit Fisherman's Wharf, or visit Ghirardelli Square. Dad really wishes we had had time to go to Ghirardelli Square so that we could get some really good Chocolate. YUMMY!! But I was pretty much toasted and ready to go and I didn't want Jan and Dennis to get to their house any later. They dropped us off and then continued to Salt Lake!! Crazy!! They wanted to be home for Cameron's homecoming (Lisa and Todd's missionary that got home last week). Anyway, we climbed back into James' Suburban and started the trek home.

We stopped in Winnemucca to eat and by the time we got done eating I was hurting pretty bad and had a low grade fever of 101.4 F. I talked Mom into not calling the Doctors here in Boise on the grounds that we were in the middle of nowhere so there were no hospitals around and that my temperature was going down. Right after we discovered my temp I took it again and got 100.7 F. Mom and I compromised that if the temperature went back up or persisted too long she was going to call the doctors. Also, since I was hurting, Dad, Joie, Dennis, and Jan made a place for me to lay down in the middle of the Suburban. They layed down the first back seat and Mom and I layed down together. Joie got in the front with Dad who was driving, and Jan and Dennis sat in the second back seat. Jan finally gave Dennis the seat and laid on the back of the seat and the luggage that came up even to the back of the seat. lol It gave me flash backs of us kids cramming into the van. lol Mom had me take some pills that helped with the pain and I layed on my tummy which was the most comfortable position for my hips. My lower back still hurt, but it didn't hurt as bad as my hips so it was fine. Mom continually checked my temperature throughout the ride home to make sure I was okay. I was so tired and exhausted and I hurt a lot until the pain meds started to kick in. I slept until we got home.

We got home at about 4:30 am Sunday morning after ELEVEN AND A HALF HOURS of driving, plus the time spent at the stop in Winnemucca along the way, which added about an hour or hour and a half. I was so sore! I learned that walking around for long periods of time and then sitting in a car for about 13 hours is not a good idea. My muscles were stuck in a partially flexed position and so it hurt to flex them and it hurt to stretch them. After Dad, Joie, Mom, Dennis, and Jan unloaded the car, Jan and Dennis left our house at about five in the morning and drove all the way to their house in Bountiful!! so for them it was a total of about 16 or 17 HOURS OF DRIVING for them!! I felt bad that they had to do that.

After they left, I went to bed and didn't wake up until about four pm. That is when I became alert and seriously started studying for my Criminal Justice test. I was so tired and the fact that I was on pain pills and Fentanol didn't help me stay awake!! After eating dinner with the fam, I came up to my room and read and studied like crazy. I had to have my criminal justice test taken by midnight Sunday night. I spent every minute from 5:30 pm until 11:30 pm studying. lol I left only 20-25 minutes to take my test, which was a risky move but paid off in the end. I ended up finishing this semester with an A in Chemistry and a B in Criminal Justice and the feeling of excitement at finishing this summer semester!!!

I don't think I will be taking classes next Fall because I need some time to relax, be school worry free, and I also don't want to miss any school when we leave for Vancouver. It is a risky move. I am always happy when I am in school, getting to know other people. I am so excited about the Vancouver trip!! Joie and I recieved our passports in the mail this week and that was exciting!!! Next on my list of things to tackle is planning the Vancouver trip. :)

Overall on this trip, I learned a lot about San Francisco. I learned a lot about accepting charity from others. And I learned that I am special and I need to realize that more often and treat myself as such. I need to believe that I am special and disregard other people that treat me other wise. I have been told that I am special often lately and I can't believe that I still have a hard time acknowledging that to myself.

I had a ton of fun on the trip and it was totally worth the price of pain and exhaustion I had in exchange. :) Personally, I think it could have been far worse. I didn't have any bloody noses or anything serious to warrant wasted time for a trip to the hospital. I think that I should have hurt worse and been more exhausted. In short, I want to thank Heavenly Father. I believe, with all my heart, that he watched over me and the family while we were in San Fran. I was truely blessed by Him and also by the acts and words of Dennis and Jan James. They are awesome people who live the laws and ordinances of the gospel. They were and are willing to do anything for me or to help me with anything I need or want. They taught me that specialness isn't from how I am treated, but from how I feel about myself, how I treat myself, and from the fact that I am a daughter of a Father in Heaven who loves me. I am thankful for Jan and Dennis. I am also thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and suffered for my sins, trials, and sorrows of my heart along with all of those of every spirit child of our Father in Heaven. That was a great trial for Him and I am glad that he weathered it so well. It is one of the great blessings given us by a Father who loves us.

For more of my pictures visit my profile on Facebook. I posted all of them there

My Sister's Keeper.

I went to see that this afternoon with my friend Tracy. It is really good and a good tear jerker. If you go TAKE TISSUES! It has a good message and is the typical portrayal of a family going through the cancer struggle. It gives a viewpoint of every family member involved. I recommend it.

Sorry Everyone.

I know I promised more on California, but I want to do it when I am happy and that just isn't the groove I'm in of late. But I saw this and . . . I don't know. Well. . . here.
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." (Tyrol, Austria)

San Francisco from Alcatraz

It is too late to say everything I wanted to say. Writing a letter to Jordan takes precedence to a good entry for my blog. I will try and post tomorrow with pictures from our trip to San Fran.

jenna lee

Late Night in San Fransisco!!

This will be short because I should soooo be asleep. I just wanted to post a little something to keep me in the habit and to make sure today is accounted for. :)

It was a great day. I hurt, but it was a great day. A day full of firsts (first toll booth, first check station for entering a state, first time in SF, first time in a "China Town" first time eating things and not wanting to know what I just ate, first time seeing Wicked, first time going down CRAZY streets, etc.). I am up this late because I am crazy for one and I had to take my chemistry final before noon tomorrow and we have more activities planned for tomorrow (Alcatraz and the Fisherman's Wharf) and so I needed to get it done tonight.

I am so excited and grateful to be here. I am so grateful for Jan and Dennis! They are awesome! They have given me an awesome culture shock by showing me around San Fransisco and it has been wonderful to spend some time with them. Some of my favorite memories from my teenage years are of family get togethers at their home with the Walker relatives. I love going and hearing stories about my dad and when he was growing up and stories about his parents. Since I never got to meet them I have an interest for getting to know them through others and it has been an adventure. Like today, for example, I learned that my grandma loved pickled pigs feet and she always kept a jar of them in the fridge. That is disgusting, but interesting all at the same time. lol

Crap. I really need to go I wake up in 4 hours. :( It is going to be a long, BUT FUN DAY!!! I will try to remember to post some pictures when I have some time. Love you all!

Jenna Lee

Just a Few Thoughts About Summer

I have been reading what other people have posted on their blogs about things they have done this summer which sparked a few thoughts of my own.

I was reading Tami and Tony's blog and Tami was talking about how the best thing about summer is a nice juicy piece of watermelon. I got to looking through my pictures tonight as I was winding down to go to sleep and found a picture from an email I had received about watermelon art. This was my favorite from the email so I saved it. Some people might say, "What a waste of watermelon!" But I say, "Holy crap!! How do people come up with these ideas? And how do they make it look so beautiful?!

Another thing I want to share is a picture that I borrowed from Candice and Brent's blog. It is the coolest thing I have seen for the Fourth of July and really creative. I just wanted to share their art and creativity because it is really awesome!

A Pretty Good Day After an Aweful Morning

This morning around 5:00am I woke up in a ton of pain. I had tried to stay off of Fentanyl patches because I don't like to be medicated, but that was a big mistake. Only I didn't realize it until five o'clock. I woke up and my whole right leg from my hip all the way to my ankle was throbbing with jabs of sharp pains. It was horrible. After the week that I have had, I was through. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I was in too much pain and I couldn't just ignore it.

Don't get me wrong about my week. It was great having Justin and Jerrod here, but I was chronically tired and I haven't been able to breath deeply for about a week and a half. That counts yawning, sneezing, laughing, crying, etc. Plus, I am very disappointed in the limited energy that I have. It really sucks.

It has been really difficult and I was through. I was past through. I was ready to call up Dr. Randall and tell him to take my leg off because it was good for nothing, but hurting! I told Mom that I didn't know if I could take 10 more weeks like this last one. 10 weeks is when Jordan comes home. A friend reminded me tonight that I can if it is God's will. He will help me through it if it is to be. Anyway, Mom medicated me pretty good, Luna snuggled into me, and I slept in 'til around 12:30pm. I felt better and so I dedicated myself to writing my stupid paper for criminal justice. I had decided that since I was feeling better, I had better take advantage of the opportunity and just do it. So that is what I did. I got 6 pages done and I have 2 more to go.

You know. The paper isn't all that stupid, it is just frustrating for me because it is slow work. But it was really interesting to read and write about the reasons our forefathers wanted to make sure we had certain writes. Why it was important to them. It was really cool especially since today is the 4th of July. It made me realize what they went through and that I really don't think about the freedoms that I have that have been fought over since the dawn of our country. I really take them for granted.

It is a shame that in our country there are too many people like me who are not passionate about freedoms and just sit around while our country goes to pot. Our Forefathers must be rolling in their grave! They gave us a great gift and we have just let it be trashed and then sit complaining it is trashed, but don't do anything about it. It is even more of a shame that we as a country make fun of or disregard those that are passionate and want to do something to turn this country around. It just astounded me and made me a little ashamed of my idleness, not that I have much energy to do something about it. But I wondered how many had those same thoughts as we celebrated our country's birthday today?

After my six pages Mom, Dad, Joie and I went to go eat and see the fireworks that Horseshoe Bend put on. They were pretty good. The pictures don't do them justice. I wanted to make a video, but then my camera died. SAD! Anyway here are a few. Happy Birthday U.S. of A. and may we treat you better this year than we did the last!

Oh and this Fourth of July totally beat last years Fourth of July. Last year I was in the hospital for my bone marrow transplant. It was a pretty memorable night. :)

It Is Really Hard To Post Something When I Did Nothing

Today was not a great day. I have been exhausted so much that I sleep at the wrong times!! I fell asleep last night around 1:30am, but then I slept until 1:30pm. It was horrible. The sleeping was fine, but it was the last day Jerrod and Justin were here and what did I do? I slept. They played games all morning with Mom and Joie. I really regret it and I feel horrible. I hate me. I hate that I have to sleep so much because I am exhausted! I hate it!!! I tried to read for my criminal justice test that is tomorrow and I couldn't focus because I was so tired so there was no other choice, but to sleep and see if that would help me focus some other time. I really don't want to ask my professor for another continuance because I haven't handed in the last thing I asked for a continuance on (my paper, which still isn't done)!!! I just feel like I am in a downward spiral when it comes to school so I am THRILLED that it ends next week. I have my last test in Criminal Justice the following Monday, but still a week is a week. I am even more THRILLED that I am going to San Fransisco with Jan and Dennis for that weekend. I will be celebrating NO MORE SCHOOL!!! It will be nice. I'm sure after awhile I will start to miss it again, but next time I am signing up for ON CAMPUS CLASSES!! No more of this online stuff. I can't handle the stress of it anymore. I did well with it in my pre-cancer life, but not anymore.

Anyway, I need to get to bed. I still have 2 chapters to read before I take my test tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Jenna Lee

A Very Long Day

(I fell asleep yesterday night while writting this, but I wanted to post it before I posted tonight. This is not all I wanted to say, but it will do.)

So I finally went to bed last night at around 7:30am this morning (I know this because I heard Joie leaving for work) and woke up around 11:30am. I am crazy! And I am stupid because here it is 1:45am and I am still up!! I will never learn. I am tired though so I am going to try to make it short, but you know how well that has gone for me in the past. :)

Anyways, after I got my body in the "it's okay to move without me screaming at you" stage my day was okay. I got quite a few things done. I enlisted Jerrod's help for my last experiment in Chemistry and even tried to do a little bit of homework. The experiment was kinda fun because it was one where you could actually see the reaction. In this one two liquids made a solid. This homework is hard and I wish Grandpa Hale was alive to explain it too me. I am learning about different types of fuels and their chemical structures. It would be interesting, but I am too busy trying not to freak out because I am so behind in school. I still haven't turned in my paper for Criminal Justice, but after I fail the test this Friday, I am going to try and tackle it this weekend. After loosing a weekend because I was laid up has really screwed me up!!!

Blah, Blah, Blah. I so should be asleep!! My body is all screwed up!!!

The picture has nothing to do with this entry. It is just beautiful and a sense of peace for me.

Well. I am glad to report that the pains I experienced have lessened and that I am able to move around and get things done for my classes. The mobility kicked in at about eight o'clock tonight. Before then i was a little sluggish and right now. . . I don't know I just think my brain has fried!! Otherwise what would I be doing awake at this time of . . . day. . . when I haven't even been to sleep. I REALLY need to work on that. I was doing fairly well until this weekend when I got put on a lot of pain meds that made me sleep, for which I was thankful for.

Anyway, I recieved chemo on Monday and that has seemed to help lessen the pain along with a fentanoyl patch. I hope that it continues to go this way and the pain continues to lessen so hopefully I won't have to wear a patch and I can go back to Tylenol for just basic acheyness.

So now that I have found my feet after being knocked off of them by last weekends wave, I realized that I am still in school! Today almost freaked when I found out how much I have to do in Chemistry, along with my paper that my professor is generous and is letting me turn it in late, and I found out that I have a test on Friday over three chapters I haven't even looked at! So needless to say, I am trying not to freak out.

Plus, Jerrod and Justin came up to spend most of the week with us and I feel horrible. I am not feeling great physically (although I'm getting a little better), but now I am swamped with homework and I really, really want to make sure that they have a good trip. I was so surprised and happy with they came. I just wish I was done with school, so that I could relax while I played. Sigh, oh well. It will all turn out. Maybe not how I want it to, but it will turn out as it should. Good morning y'all!!