Getting Back to Normal

Hey Guys,

I hope you all had a great weekend! I was soooo excited to be feeling better for the weekend, because I had a lot to do!

Friday night, I went out with a group of people to have drinks and celebrate the end of my treatments - it was interesting because I invited a mixed group of people that didn't know each other (mixing my "worlds" for the sake of a celebration!) I had a few friends from high school and a few friends from the opera, as well as some friends-of-friends that I didn't know well (it's always great to meet new people!). I had planned on going to see the movie Precious with a few people, but when we got to the theater there were two big problems: first of all, it was opening night of Twilight (whoops), so it took FOREVER to find a parking spot.... and then the movie was sold out! I was really surprised, but then I remembered that Precious has been all over the place being backed by Oprah, so I guess I should have expected that the first weekend it might be hard to get a ticket! We ended up going to Hofbrauhaus briefly, but the live music was SO loud, and the only available tables were right by the speakers, so we ended up moving to Bar Louie (where we generally end up). I was really excited to be able to have a drink, and ordered something that I'd been eyeing on the menu for MONTHS but hadn't been able to order. It had all of my favorite things: champagne, strawberry liqueur, strawberry puree, and some other fruity vodka... how could I go wrong?? Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account that the chemo always changes my taste buds for a week or so and it tasted HORRIBLE! I was so disappointed... but I'm definitely going to try ordering it again once I'm back to normal, because I'm positive there's no way it's not delicious!

Saturday night was a ton of fun - I saw Brian in Blood Brothers again at my old high school, and had a great dinner with my mom, one of Brian's friends, and her mom... and then I went to the Opera Ball After-Party. I obviously don't have $250 to spend on a ticket to the actual ball, so it was really great to be able to have the opportunity to get to the after party and enjoy the ambiance and the ballroom with my friends. I got to see a bunch of people that I'd worked with (who I hadn't seen since the summer) and I also got to say hi to one of Brian's doctors (his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Crawford), who is a HUGE supporter of the arts in Cincinnati. I can't believe that I forgot about my camera, but somehow I did and ended up only taking a few pictures at the very start... I wish I'd taken more, because I got all dressed up, and my friends looked fantastic! Plus, the ballroom was so beautiful! The only downside was that the DJ wasn't so great, but towards the end of the night he started taking requests and playing much better music. The theme was "A Night at the Moulin Rouge," so we were kind of expecting lots of Edith Piaf and fun french music to dance to, but it was a lot of techno and club music, which is cool in that venue, but less cool when you actually want to dance and not just awkwardly jump around...

with Dr. Crawford

with Dina (Lauren's friend), Lauren (we worked together this summer), and Heather (a former opera employee)

Today was another fantastic day - it was my mom's birthday, so I got up early(ish) and made some breakfast - my first successful omelette (I was super proud that it actually turned out), and we had an AMAZING dinner at Carlo & Johnny's, a steakhouse here in Cincinnati. My dad ordered a really good bottle of wine, and I ate so much food! I told my mom I was glad that this is the week that the steroids really hit me, because I can keep eating and eating and not get full as fast as I normally do! Perfect timing for huge birthday dinners AND Thanksgiving!

I hope you guys have a fantastic holiday, and I'll be updating very soon! Most likely with Thanksgiving pictures...

Lots of Love,

Lauren