Hey everyone! It's an off chemo week here! We don't have any urgent news to share. BUT we thought we'd share some news about the last few days!
Q's 6th chemo treatment went pretty well. He didn't have incredibly severe side effects this time. He was able to work a healthy schedule. He perked up in the evenings. He ate some good meals. He felt pretty good pretty fast! Hooray. I bet it was the Over the Hill party. Or maybe the muscle relaxers... hmmm....
On Saturday our family hopped in the van and headed south to Citronelle, AL for a Turner Family Reunion. It was a long drive. 5 hours... until you factor in the potty stops and dinner at Cracker Barrel then it's more like seven... But all in all, the girls were pretty good for most of the trip. Sydney just doesn't enjoy extended time in her carseat. We arrived to Citronelle around 5:00 - we had time to explore some of the farm before dinner. We got to watch the cows move from one pasture to another, meet some pigs, see roosters in the TREES- new to me that roosters can fly and do fly into trees! We also got to pet some dogs, pick a cucumber, a Japanese persimmon, and some huge pears!
We had a great, home-cooked meal with the company of family we aren't terribly familiar with. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. The kids ran around and played together, and we took lots of pictures.
On Sunday morning we woke up and had a great pancake breakfast with Q's Uncle Herbert and Aunt Janice. We then headed back to the farm so Uncle Hilton could take Maddie to pick a watermelon. We took the VAN offroad- not just onto a dirt road, I mean into the grassy pasture and down a wooded path... until we hit a deep trench. Then we walked down the wooded path to the watermelon patch. Maddie helped Uncle Hilton thump the watermelons to check their ripeness. We picked THREE big ones and each girl got to hold a dwarf runt watermelon that would never ripen or mature. We got one yellow and two red watermelons. Did you know there were yellow watermelons? We saw a functional scarecrow... it was a lot of fun!
We hit the road back to Huntsville... and we stopped at Cracker Barrel again for the second time in JUST over 24 hours! But it was what Q wanted- no fast food... Chemo side effect. All in all it was a really fun weekend and we truly enjoyed the family time!
In the last post the "Banana Flips" were mentioned. I did some googling- as some of you did, too! I managed to locate the banana flips that Q fondly remembers from his childhood. I pulled up a product listing from Nickles Bakery, and there they were! Q immediately recognized the packaging. I used the "contact us" hyperlink. Here's what I wrote:
From: Carrie Turner
To: customerservice@nicklesbakery.com
Sent: 10-14-08 10:15 PM
Subject: Banana Flips
Hello,
I have an unusual request. My husband looks for Banana Flips every time we stop for gas at a convenience store. He has fond memories of scarfing them down on family road trips. We've had no luck in our neck of the woods. (The area of Huntsville, AL) My husband is now HALFWAY through chemo treatments for Stage 3 Colon Cancer. His oncologist is worried about Q's weight. He needs to pack some pounds on. SO... now seems as good a time as any to see if we can buy any quantity of Banana Flips and pay for shipping to us!
I know this sounds lame, but I SWEAR that it is ALL TRUE!
Thanks for any help you can offer us!
Carrie
Here's the first reply I received...
Carrie,
I am very sorry to hear about your husband. We typically do not ship our products. But I have forwarded your email onto our CEO.
Thanks for your interest in Nickle's Bakery Products,
Hope Kelly
Website Customer Service
And, the next day, I received this message...
Carrie,
Our CEO does want to help you out here. He has agreed to send you some banana flips at no cost to you. Please email me the address that you would like them shipped to. Please know that you and your husband are in our thoughts and prayers.
Hope Kelly
Website Customer Service
Isn't that cool? We were so excited. I am still trying to get the name and contact information of the CEO so I can send an appropriate "Thank-You" message his way! I am surprised that a company responded in such a personal way... very cool.
Anyway, TODAY we had a box of Banana Flips on our front porch! Q was thrilled. I ate one- I HAD to try these allegedly divine snacks. They were good. I would describe it as a Twinke with Banana cream filling. They are yummy. I just hope that Q thinks they are as good as he remembers.
This weekend Q is heading south AGAIN... This time there will be no tending to toddlers who have dropped their pacis and are tired of EVERY toy in the van... and who should REALLY be asleep, but just won't give in and close her eyes. No, this time Q is traveling to Orange Beach in style - in the Escalade with Frank, Johnny, and Lee... our neighbors and Q's golf buddies. All four of these guys have a Birthday in October... and they've dubbed themselves the "October Boyz." Last year the BOYZ just wanted gumbo... this year they upgraded to a long weekend of destination golf. They're calling it the "First Annual October Boyz" golf weekend. We'll see if their wives agree to let them go for a "Second Annual" one... It may be back to Gumbo... So they'll leave on Thursday and come back on Sunday. Q will have chemo on Monday, so I hope that his weekend is awesome!
Check out the Turner blog for the Family Reunion and Banana Flip pictures!
www.the-turner-family.blogspot.com
Thanks so much for the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes. You all giving us so much strength and comfort! Q is really glad that he's counting DOWN the chemo treatments now! 6 down... 6 to go!
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