CHRISTMAS, DAVID'S BIRTHDAY & AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

So much has happened since Angela's birthday on Dec. 16 that it's hard to know where to begin with this post. So, let me start with the good news. From the time of Angela's visit to Duke on Sept. 8 until last week, she had been in a state of depression that she just wasn't able to shake. Well, in the last few days her mood and outlook have taken a remarkable turn for the better. David and I believe that this change in attitude is due to the new anti-depressant medicine she recently began taking.

Last Friday was David's birthday and he called me to take him to lunch, which is a practice we've held for years. Five minutes later he called back to tell me that Angela would be joining us, which shocked and thrilled both of us. Well, the weather that day was unseasonably warm and the three of us sat outdoors at Serrano's at the north gates of LSU. David and I were both so excited to see Angela out of the house and off the recliner where she's been spending nearly all of her waking moments since early September. It was such a great lunch.

After lunch, David suggested that we head across the street to Highland Coffees and the time we spent there was even better than lunch. Before the kids came along and, to a lesser degree, even afterwards, we've hung out together in coffee shops all over town; so this was like bringing back old times. Everything considered, Angela couldn't have given David a better birthday present than she did by joining us on Friday. It was really a special afternoon. That evening Steele and I went to their house for birthday cake, and again, you could still see the change in Angela's demeanor.

Angela's positive change in attitude has continued since Friday too. Today, for the first time in a long time, Angela went to physical therapy and that was followed by chemotherapy. Tomorrow she is scheduled to have an MRI.

I'm sure a lot of you who visit this page are wondering how Christmas was for the Flukers. I spent all day Christmas Eve with Angela and the kids and was there Christmas morning, as I am every year. So here's a Christmas update, beginning with Alex's birthday party on Dec. 20th.

Katherine was sick on the Saturday that Alex had his birthday party and I stayed with Kat and Angela so that David could attend the party with Christian and the Birthday Boy. David's sister and niece, Diane and Karlie, brought the boys to get a live Christmas tree after Alex's birthday party. That night they returned home and all of us, including Katherine, decorated the tree as Angela watched from her chair. Without question, their favorite part of decorating was throwing the icicles on the tree.

Christmas Eve evening, Angela's side of the family came over to the house to eat and exchange presents and on Christmas morning, Diane and Karlie came over to make breakfast. Between the toys Alex received for his birthday and the toys all three received on Christmas, there was hardly any room to move.

In closing, I should point out that Angela still doesn't have any short term memory. But, there is a very noticeable change in her attitude. Though she does have her down moments, those moment are much more rare now and she's smiling again... and we are all very thankful for that.