 Denise on the Grand Place |
 The Mannekin Pis |
 The Royal Palace |
 Parc Du Cinquantenaire |
 Milk Protest |
This morning I’m sitting in our room at the hotel in Brussels, just of the Grand Place and getting ready to start packing to leave and take the high speed train to Paris for the next 6 days. Denise and I have had an amazing time in Belgium so far. The people here are so nice and eager to help and the quality of the food here is simply “off the hook”. We’ve enjoyed the beer, chocolate, waffles and cheese among many other things. I’m not sure I’ve tasted better chocolate anywhere. Fortunately we’ve had good weather the entire time we’ve been here so far, so going outside and walking around this beautiful city has been very enjoyable. Denise and have always loved going into really old churches and there are so many very old churches here. We’ve gone into nearly all the ones we’ve come across and they’ve all been spectacular on a grand scale. The Cathedral of St. Michael is probably the biggest in Brussels, but the Notre Dame du Sablon is also another beautiful church we visited. We also walked up to the Avenue Louise, which is a very fancy shopping district near the Royal Palace with stores such as you might typically see on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
The meetings I attended on Wed-Fri went very well and I was able to network with a great number of other IT-types from the Springer family of companies. And at night we were treated to some great food at a few local restaurants. This city is very friendly to the person who likes to walk around, especially the area near the Grand Place. Everywhere you look, there’s some new amazing thing to see. All the streets are made of cobblestone and musicians are everywhere playing guitars, accordions, saxophones and other instruments. Yesterday we took a taxi to the Parc du Cinquantiare. A simply breathtaking park crowned with a very large Arc de Triomphe of it’s own. There seemed to be a demonstration or protest by dairy farmers about milk prices going on in the park, but it was all very peaceful.
Today we leave Brussels and head for Paris, and we’re both excited about what we’ll see there. We got some great travel advice from one of the other IT attendees about what to look for and to look out for while in Paris too.
Well, I’m sitting here at the kitchen table after getting up at 3:30am to be ready for the drive to the airport. I’m tired, ready and excited. Denise and I spent alot of yesterday packing and making sure we had everything we needed. We purchased some really nice and big suitcases a week or so ago, and they really are huge. Both of us were trying to find extra stuff to put in to keep the essentials from bouncing around. We made sure to pick up some power adapters too, since plugging U.S. devices into European power can be tricky. Fortunately most of our gadgets are capable of handing the 220 volt power in France and Belgium, it’s only important to have the proper adapter.
I checked with the TSA and I’m apparently able to bring my medicine on board the plane as long as I openly show it to the officers. We’ll see how that goes. I just know these long flights will be a challenge for keeping my mouth in good shape. And eating more solid food is going to be a blessing when presented with all the good French and Belgian food.
Denise’s parents are here too to watch the girls while we’re away and for the ride to the airport. Nice! The boys will be visiting the house later this week and spending the next week there, caring for Molly, Padme, the rabbits and the flowers on the piazza. I feel like we’ve thought of everything, but there’s that nagging feeling I haven’t. Oh well. Too late now. Gotta go!
I’m so excited about this trip to Europe next week! I have a business conference to attend in Brussels next week, and then I’ve taken some vacation time to extend our trip into the following week. Denise is coming with me, and boy do we deserve this getaway. We fly into Brussels on Monday night – Tuesday morning and I’m sure Denise will find ways to keep busy while I’m at the conference. We’ll take the high speed Thalys train to Paris the following Saturday and spend the rest of that week sightseeing in Paris and possibly outlying areas. This will be Denise’s first trip out of North America and she’s incredibly excited. Heck, I’m excited for her.
I’ve been gearing up for this trip for a while now, trying to get my mouth in shape not only for solid soft foods, but also for the cuisine we’re sure to enjoy in Belgium and France. I don’t think I’ll be enjoying any adult beverages yet, which is unfortunate, since some say the finest beers come from Belgium.
Overall I’m doing pretty well. I’ve been into the office twice now, and both times I felt pretty good all day long. The walk to and from the train station can be a bit tiring, but with an hour ride either way, I’ve got plenty of time to recharge. My tongue is still hurting with what feels like an open wound on the right side and it’s still affecting my speech a bit. But it hasn’t stopped me from eating. I can feel it’s still swollen from the radiation, along with my esophagus, but things are slowly getting better all the time. I no longer have issues with mucus, which is huge. Fighting the mucusitus daily was a real drag. My weight a few days ago was down just a bit to 188 lbs. Not too bad though. I can’t wait to really start taking in some calories each day, so some daily exercise would be possible without feeling light-headed.
Anyway, good news overall, and I’ll try to update the blog while I’m away. If I can’t, then I’ll post a bunch of stuff and photos when I return.
Au revoir!
Well, I’m happy to report I’m able to nibble on some solid foods finally. This is a big deal because it opens up my possible menu choices each day and I’ll be relying less and less on Ensure drinks and protein shakes. I had a bowl of cheerios a few times this week, and it’s pretty easy to eat, since the milk helps keep things moist. I’ve also had some more helpings of tortellini, ravioli and some small pieces of chicken. Yum!
My tongue is still pretty sore with what feels like an open gash along the right side, but I’m able to eat on the other side of my mouth until that heals.
My first day back at work on Wed went very well. I shocked a few people that weren’t prepared to see me and along with them and many others, I was greeted with hugs and smiles all day long. It’s nice to be back and feel connected once again. My lunch that day consisted of a few Ensure drinks and some pudding. Pretty boring, but it kept me energized throughout the day. The train ride there and back was so lovely along the bay too. I had missed that beautiful commute into work and was happy to again ride the train.
The Soloist
In other news, I had another band practice this week, which is always fun and invigorating. And I finished a book entitled “The Soloist”, which is the very same book that was turned into a movie last year starring Robert Downey Jr.and Jamie Foxx. It was a quick read and a great story about patience when dealing with mental illness. I’ll have to now see the movie and hasten to make the obligatory statement that the book was better then the movie.
Last week I took vacation time off so I could hang out with my visiting Aunt Nell and cousin Deirdre who were here from North Carolina and I have to say, a week off felt very nice. This week I’m back to work and digging back into my daily work routine. I’m feeling better every day and have started to nibble on some solid food here and there. So far I’ve been able to eat tortellini, ravioli and the meatballs from a Subway meatball sandwich. My mouth gets very nervous when food is entering, but other than some mild discomfort, I’m able to eat some new things, as long as I have my water bottle close at hand.
I’m still doing my swish and swallow routines, along with a baking soda and salt water rinse a few times per day. My face is clearing up, although I still have the remnants of the red rash on my cheeks and temples, but that’ll clear up soon hopefully. I still do not have much hair on the back of my head, but Denise tells me it’s starting to grow back slowly. I can’t grow a beard or full mustache yet either, but that will change as the months go by.
Grant's Graduation
The big news last week was that my oldest son Grant graduated high school. It’s unbelievable really, but he’s heading toward 19 years old and now ready for some college. I’m very proud of my boy and excited to see where this world after high school takes him.
The big news this week is I’m going to start going into the office on Wednesdays and work with my team at Key. I can’t wait to see them and start feeling like I’m no longer a remote and lonely employee. I’ll have to take my day’s food with me, along with my mouth care items, but I feel good enough to make the travel there and start my reintroduction to the folks at the office. My energy levels are good these days and the fatigue I was having has seemed to diminish.
I think now that the heavy stuff is now really behind me and things will only get better each day. The move into solid food is a real mental boost for me too.
