I am (hardly) the picture image of serenity.

Sleep has yet to come to me so I write. Last night was no exception to my nightmare rule. This one was full of kidnapping, pigs, trains and images far more lethal than those 3 combined.

It's been during these 6 months that I have hoped relentlessly for a darkroom. But to no avail. My minor in college was photography. It started out being English, but as it turns out, I absolutely hate to write. Photograhy I chanced upon by pure accident. At the time, Matt was taking video courses for his major. It was recommended that he also take a still photography class. So I took it with him. I've always been interested in photography. Just ask my poor family, who, much to their disliking, have been the subjects. I try to get them at the most inopportune times...like eating at Thanksgiving. This consistently makes for a better picture. These are the times you want to remember. Not the posed, which are fine, but not always as meaningful.

Anyhow, we took the most basic of classes. It entailed how to operate a manual camera, develop your own film and print your own negatives. I loved it! It was the most fascinating subject I had learned. There's nothing like being in a darkroom. The repetition and rhythm of developing a print is serene and calming. For me, it was like baking. It becomes routine and your mind is free to wander. However, being there had the opposite effect. My mind wandered so much that after a while it was gloriously clear. And that's what I liked about it. It was my addiction.

Matt and I were sometimes there for hours upon hours. The sound of the music our lab instructor liked and the movement of the water, the red lighting, the smell of the chemicals...all these elements bring a goofy smile to my face. Our darkroom was similar to this:

And as it turns out...it was something I was actually good at. I've tried many things growing up...karate, dance/ballet, gymnastics, soccer (to which my mom signed me up, but I refused to play). I quit all of these things. I'm not coordinated enough for physical activity. I can still deal out a good (pardon the language) ass-kicking, but that's not due to karate, but to having an older brother who used to like to practice his karate on me. But photography is different. I had a knack for it, as they say. I entered several prints in the State Fair and actually won on a couple of them. 1st and 3rd place on some black and whites and 2nd place on a colored. That might not sound like much until you hear that the State Fair's creative arts competition is one of the largest in the US. Feel free to be impressed...now. :) So I ventured from black and white to the most advanced color.

Anyhow...thought I'd let my dream for a darkroom be known. One day I shall have one to call my own. Yes...one day.

Turkeys have heart attacks (so now you really can't feel bad for eating them).

I have absolutely nothing to write about today. I have 5 more treatments and then I'm done!! That means it'll end on December 3rd. Wow. Hard to believe. 6 months of my life devoted to beating this and now it's almost over.

Since there's nothing looming on the horizon to write about (no break-ins and whatnot), I thought I'd post some more fun facts. Apparently some of you didn't think my last fun facts were "fun". I did, but I also have a pretty warped sense of humor. My sister-in-law, Melony, sends us a "Did you know?" every morning. These are usually random trivia facts. Today I'm stealing her idea and posting about the coolest Thanksgiving facts. One of them is the title to this blog. Well...the heart attack part anyway. So...let's relieve the suspense and learn about Thanksgiving, shall we???

*

The traditional cornucopia was a curved goat's horn filled to brim with fruits and grains. According to Greek legend, Amalthea (a goat) broke one of her horns and offered it to Greek God Zeus as a sign of reverence. As a sign of gratitude, Zeus later set the goat's image in the sky also known as constellation Capricorn. Cornucopia is the most common symbol of a harvest festival. A Horn shaped container, it is filled with abundance of the Earth's harvest. It is also known as the 'horn of plenty’.

*

It was not until 1941, that congress declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It was declared to be the fourth Thursday in November.

*
The first known thanksgiving feast or festival in North America was celebrated by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado and the people he called "Tejas" (members of the Hasinai group of Caddo-speaking Native Americans).

*
Here's one of those funny Thanksgiving facts: Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.

*
Turducken, a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, is becoming more popular in Thanksgiving (originated in Louisiana). A turducken is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are filled with, at the very least, a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture (although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird).

*
Fossil evidence shows that turkeys roamed the Americas 10 million years ago.

*
91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

*
There are regional differences as to the "stuffing" (or "dressing") traditionally served with the turkey. Southerners generally make theirs from cornbread, while in other parts of the country white bread is the base. One or several of the following may be added: oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, celery and/or other vegetables, sausage or the turkey's giblets.

*
Thomas Jefferson thought the concept of Thanksgiving was "the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard."

*
Every President since Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day. But in 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November to lengthen the holiday shopping season. This upset people.

*
Fifty percent of Americans put the stuffing inside the Turkey.

*
The North American holiday season (generally the Christmas shopping season in the U.S.) traditionally begins when Thanksgiving ends, on "Black Friday" (the day after Thanksgiving); this tradition has held forth since at least the 1930s.

*
On the West Coast of the US, Dungeness crab is common as an alternate main dish instead of turkey, as crab season starts in early November.

*
Corn is one of the popular symbols of thanksgiving. It came in many varieties and colors - red, white, yellow and blue. Some Americans considered blue and white corn sacred. The oldest corns date 7000 years back and were grown in Mexico.

*
Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.

*
Several people wanted to have an official day of thanksgiving, including George Washington, who proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789. Several people did not want it including President Thomas Jefferson.

*
Here's one of the most unbelievable Thanksgivng facts: The Guinness Book of Records states that the greatest dressed weight recorded for a turkey is 39.09 kg (86 lbs), at the annual "heaviest turkey" competition held in London, England on December 12, 1989.

*
The first Thanksgiving was not a feast, but rather a time when Native Americans helped Pilgrims by bringing them food and helping them build off the land.

*
More than 40 million green bean casseroles are served on Thanksgiving.

*
Turkey is the traditional dish for the Thanksgiving feast. In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations. There is no official reason or declaration for the use of turkey. They just happened to be the most plentiful meat available at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, starting the tradition.

*
Twenty percent of cranberries eaten are eaten on Thanksgiving.

*
The preliminary estimate of the number of turkeys raised in the United States in 2005 is 256 million. That’s down 3 percent from 2004. The turkeys produced in 2004 weighed 7.3 billion pounds altogether and were valued at $3.1 billion.

*
Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.

*
Columbus thought that the land he discovered was connected to India, where peacocks are found in considerable number. And he believed turkeys were a type of peacock (they’re actually a type of pheasant). So he named them “tuka”, which is "peacock" in the Tamil language of India.

*
The 'wishbone' of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.

*
The cranberry is a symbol and a modern diet staple of thanksgiving. Originally called crane berry, it derived its name from its pink blossoms and drooping head, which reminded the Pilgrims of a crane.

*
The Plymouth Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians for the First Thanksgiving.

*
The different nicknames for Thanksgiving Day: “Turkey Day” (after the traditional Thanksgiving dinner), “T-Day” (an abbreviation of either “Thanksgiving Day” or “Turkey Day”), “Macy’s Day (this is exclusive to New York City – it is a reference to the Macy’s Day Parade), “Yanksgiving” (Canadians sometimes call the Thanksgiving in the US as “Yanksgiving” to distinguish it from the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday.)

*
The First Thanksgiving lasted for three days.

*
Contrary to popular belief, Native Americans did not eat cranberries. They did, however, find them extremely useful for dying fabric and decorating pottery.

*
The Native Americans wore deerskin and fur, not blankets.

*
A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.

*

Turkeys are first documented over two thousand years ago in Central America and Mexico.

*

In October of 1777 all 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time; however it was a one-time affair commemorating a victory over the British at Saratoga.

*
There are three places in the United States named after the holiday’s traditional main course — Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, La.; and Turkey, N.C. There are also nine townships around the country named “Turkey,” with three in Kansas.

*

Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday in 1827 and succeeded.

*
Wild turkeys, while technically the same species as domesticated turkeys, have a very different taste from farm-raised turkeys. Almost all of the meat is "dark" (even the breasts) with a more intense turkey flavor. Older heritage breeds also differ in flavor.

Really??

Sorry for the brief hiatus.

Radiation is still okay. I didn't have it on Monday because something was wrong with the machine. As of today, I have 6 treatments left. I have Thanksgiving off and the day before or after as well (I think) so I should be done the first week of December. My symptoms are still the same. Sore throat, red skin, blah, blah, blah.

Now I have good news and bad news. I'll hit you with the bad news first. Ever feel like you can't catch a break?? That pretty much sums up this year. In the past couple of weeks, both our van and Matt's car have been broken into. Music equipment was stolen from the van. And last night on his way home from work, someone smashed the driver's side window of Matt's car. He stopped briefly at a gas station in Irving and when he came back out, he found glass all over the pavement. His backpack, a jacket and $20 were taken. Bad things --and people--seem to follow us everywhere. I used to have such faith in people. It seems to get worse the older I get. Not sure if I should attribute that to wisdom or cynicism. I'll say wisdom.

Ready for the good news? My hair is growing back! I haven't lost it all (yet), but it's still coming out at an alarming rate. I thought it might stop after chemo. They say the chemo is out of your body in 2-3 weeks and hair will start to regrow after 4-6 weeks. I've been done with chemo for 6 weeks this past Friday. My doctor's are amazed that I haven't lost it all (or rather, didn't lose it all during treatment). That's another odd I've beaten. But unfortunately, I think the hair follicles are damaged enough to where I'll lose the hair regardless of whether the chemo is out of my body. I went in and had Jilly cut my hair shorter than before. She added some layers in the back and it now hides the thinness more than before. I'll take a picture of my new 'do sometime later.

I have a picture of the amount of hair I lose and will post it later, too. People ask about it and I tell them I'm still losing it. Then they tell me they lose their hair, too. I understand that...don't get me wrong. I know everyone loses a certain amount of hair a day...I did, too, before this. But it's not the same. You don't see the hair on my pillow when I get up in the morning or the hair that I lose in the shower or the hair all over the bathroom floor or in my brush or on my clothes. It's not the same as the hair you lose. I apologize for the bitter undertone of this rant, but I also didn't come this far to lose my hair NOW. I'm a little frustrated.

I hate to end this on a bad note. That's completely out of my norm. So I'll tell you this: my cousin Jeff and his girlfriend, Stephanie, are coming for Thanksgiving. I can't wait! We have so much fun when they come to visit. If you knew Jeff, you'd know why. He has the best sense of humor and you can't help but laugh when in his presence. My other cousin (and Jeff's sister) Shelley and her husband, Eric, are coming to visit for Christmas. I decided shortly after my diagnosis to get another tattoo to celebrate being cancer free. I was pretty determined to fight and beat this thing back then. So...I've convinced poor Shelley to get one too. And what better time than when she's visiting for Christmas?? I'm about this far away from convincing my mom to get one:
We shall see as the time gets closer.

Hope everyone's weekend is wonderful. Go Cowboys!

Dreams and sleep, sleep and dreams.

I don't have much to report in the way of radiation side effects (just a constant sore throat, itching at radiation site, fatigue), so I thought today I would just...write.

For the past couple of months, I've had horrible nightmares. I first remember this starting around May. It happened every night. But not the same nightmare over and over. It was always different. And real. They weren't the kind that you wake up and remember and then feel stupid for being frightened by them. When I say "real", I mean REAL. Stuff that could actually happen. I was unnerved enough by them, that I would avoid the places in them--for fear it might be a premonition of events to happen.

Have I mention that I'm very superstitious? I do things that would seem silly to most people, but make perfect sense to me. For instance, I changed shampoos right after chemo. Then I thought my hair was falling out faster, so I switched back. Somehow the Cowboys seem to lose when I watch it with other people, but win when I don't. So I usually end up watching it alone. Stuff like that.

Back to the dreams...I once had a dream about Target, guns and this specific pink purse. I was telling it to my mom the day after. We stayed away from Target for a couple of days...just in case. One day after work, we decided to go and look around. We have one just down the street from our school, so we do that randomly...not for anything in particular, just to walk aimlessly and browse with a cup of coffee. This Target is set up differently from the ones I'm used to. The purses are right in the front of the store. We walk in and right there hanging in the front is the pink purse. Same exact one. Sent chills down my spine. If not for my mom being there, I'd have turned and walked out.

Shortly after chemo started, sleep evaded me. What little sleep I did get was still plagued with these nightmares. I was happy and a little relieved to not be sleeping so often, despite the fact that I whined and complained about how tired I was. But lately sleep has been different. I've slept so soundly that I don't remember my dreams as often. Being sleep deprived for 4 months is helping with that, I'm sure. The nightmares still creep in there, though. But not every night, as before. I view it as a small victory.

Friday night, Mom and I went to the Neiman Marcus lighting in downtown Dallas. Yes, we realize it's a little early for Christmas lights, but the weather was perfect (windy and cold!) and we had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures from it:

That's it for now, folks. Thanks for reading!

Things can only get better...

In my last post, I mentioned that I had a cold. That is getting better...my morning, however, did not. I had one of those mornings/days where things could only get better. And they did, in fact. For the most part. This is how it started out:

Last night I was backing out of the garage with Matt to meet his family for dinner. I got a wee bit close to the side of the garage with the mirror. He gasped in horror, then promptly apologized, saying, "I guess you're more used to doing this since you do it everyday." Thanks for the well-timed jinx. Can you see where this is going? Backing out this morning, I hit the mirror on the side of the garage. Yeah. It only knocked off the cover to the mirror, so I popped it back on...thinking I was smarter than the car. Wrong. Driving down the highway I notice the mirror dangling by the wires. My car is new. Have I mentioned that? Yep...a new Volvo s40. I've owned it for about 9 months. I actually found my Hodgkin's lump on the day we bought our car. More precisely, at the dealership. Anyhow...

When I got to school, I slipped and fell. The combination of the rain, the wet tile, and my black ballerina-type shoes didn't quite mesh well together. I fell in the hallway. On my bottom. In front of 2 students. Well...I say my bottom, but my swollen, bruised thigh might disagree. It's about the size of a...a...um...well, I'm kinda at a loss here. It's pretty big. Let's just say that. Bruised and swollen enough you could see the "bulge" through my pants. (Ha! Sorry...I just reread that sentence and that's not exactly how I meant that to come out. But I'm leaving it 'cause it's funny...) The 2 students were stunned and quick to make sure I wasn't hurt. Nope...just my thigh and my pride. Nothing big.

Had radiation to top it all off. That's going swimmingly, I might add. It took a little longer yesterday because they did more x-rays. They'll do that every 5-7 treatments to make sure everything is still in the right place. I'm just now starting to get a sore throat. The previous one must have been the result of my cold. I'm tired, like usual. The actual radiation and, more importantly, going everyday is starting to take it's toll on me. And I was just starting to catch up on my 3 months lack of sleep. This has the opposite effect, it seems. I can sleep, at least, but so soundly that I feel groggy all day. I see the doctor tomorrow. I'll see him at least once a week. This isn't going to be my radiation oncologist, though. He's out of town for a few weeks, so I'll see the fill-in doctor.

Enough whining...here's the something "fun" I promised in the last post. The following is a list of "notable cases" (as Wiki puts it) of Hodgkin's disease, pulled straight from Wiki itself:

Gerald Finzi, English composer. Died of the disease in 1956 aged 55.

Luke Menard, American Idol Season 7 contestant. Diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.

Mark Fields Former NFL player forced to retire in 2004 from the disease.

Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder, was diagnosed and treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1983.

The actor Richard Harris died of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2002 after filming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as main character Albus Dumbledore.

Former NHL star Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in January 1993. Even after taking 2 months off, Lemieux ended up winning the scoring title that year.

Lynden David Hall died of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006.

Barry Watson, an actor who gained fame in the television series 7th Heaven, had successfully treated Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Roger Patterson, who filmed the Patterson-Gimlin film what he claimed to be Bigfoot in Northern California in 1967. Died of Hodkin's disease in 1972.

Delta Goodrem, Australian singer, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in July 2003.

Former head of NBC Entertainment, Brandon Tartikoff, died in 1997 after a 25 year battle with Hodgkin's disease.

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) was diagnosed with Phase IVB Hodgkin's Disease in 2005, underwent 5 months of chemotherapy, and received a clean bill of health. On April 15 2008, he announced that his Hodgkin's had returned.

British actor Roger Tonge who played the disabled Sandy Richardson in the cult British soap opera Crossroads in the 1960s and 1970s died of Hodgkin's Disease in 1981 at the age of 35.

Alese Coco One of the most notable non-celebrities to have Hodgkin's disease. Known worldwide as a torch bearer for Hodgkin's research. Died at 23 years old.

WWE wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper was announced to have been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006.

John Millington Synge, the Irish author best known for the play The Playboy of the Western World, died in 1909 from the disease.

Dinu Lipatti, the Romanian pianist, died of Hodgkin's disease in 1950, 33 years old.

Wayne Shelford, aka 'Buck' Shelford, former All Black rugby player for New Zealand.

Elizabeth Madox Roberts, a noted Kentucky poet and novelist, died from Hodgkin's in 1941.

Joy Hester, a noted Australian artist, died from Hodgkin's in 1960.

Emma Lazarus, Jewish American poetess, writer of the New Colossus, died of Hodgkin's disease on 19 November 1887.

Martin Fry, vocalist with ABC, was treated for Hodgkin's Disease in 1985/86.

Journalist Giles Smith describes his bout with Hodgkin's in his memoir Lost in Music; he refers to the fact that Martin Fry (above) had the same condition.

James Whitham, motorcycle racer, was treated for Hodgkin's Disease in 1995/96.

Glen Goins, singer and guitarist for Parliament Funkadelic died from Hodgkin's Disease in 1978.

Alexander Litvinov, a Russian rock poet and musician, died from Hodgkin's Disease in 1999.

Jamie Tape AFL Footballer

Freida Riley, an American schoolteacher who inspired the Rocket Boys, died of Hodgkin's Disease in 1969 at the age of 31. The movie October Sky was made in honor of her and the Rocket boys.

Jane Austen, one of the most famous authors of English literature, died in 1817 aged 41. Previously it has been thought she died of Addison's disease; however, more recently speculation has suggested that it may have been Hodgkin's disease instead.

Seumas McNally, a computer game programmer and president of Longbow Digital Arts, died on March 21, 2000; he was diagnosed with the disease three years earlier.

Famous American writer Dale Carnegie died of Hodgkin's disease in 1955.

Michael Cuccione, member of the spoof boy band, 2ge+her, was treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1994/95. He died from complications related to his treatment in 2001.

Knut Schreiner of Turbonegro was diagnosed with the disease in March of 2008.

Martyn Bennett One of Scotland's most talented musicians died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2005. He was 33 years old.

There is also a list of "cultural references" on Wiki, if you're interested. Hope you enjoyed reading that.

Thanks for reading!

I got knocked down, but I'll get up.

I didn't intend to write anything tonight (because I honestly don't feel like it), but now that I'm sitting here...

Radiation is going well (or as well as something that's injuring and destroying my cells could be going...). I haven't really experienced any side effects. I say "haven't really" because I have a cold right now and it's hard to tell what the sore throat is a result from. But in turn, I do have a sexy, throaty voice right now (if you're into that nasally, hoarse-sounding kinda thing). ;)

I was actually a little freaked out the other day...a gland on the side of my throat (where the jaw bone meets under the earlobe) is swollen and tender. I freaked because the first thing I thought of was another swollen lymph node. Of course it wasn't. My radiation oncologist checked it before my treatment yesterday and told me he didn't feel any swollen lymph nodes. Yea! This was just another gland associated with having a sore throat. He prescribed an antibiotic to help, though.

Back to the side effects...I'm having a reaction to wearing the mask. No, not psychological--at least any more. It's irritating the side of my neck. Apparently the mask and my "ivory white skin" (another compliment from the nurses) don't agree with each other. It should go away after treatment. Speaking of the horrid mask, it is getting easier to wear. It still sucks and I still get anxious thinking about it, but once I'm in there, it's okay. The radiation process is taking a shorter amount of time, so I end up having to wear the mask about 10 minutes. I actually caught a glimpse of myself in the radiation machine while on the table. The machine has a type of mirror on it that happens to be directly overhead when they move the table back. I know I was kidding about the whole Pinhead thing at first, but whoa...not joking now. I look as atrocious as it feels. And I'm still half-naked.

Alright...I went back to proofread this and realize how disorganized this is. I've jumped from one subject to the next. Why stop now!

We went to Chuck E. Cheese's again tonight for another school fundraiser. This time I made sure to invite my brother, Bryan. For reference, read comments here. So Mom, Matt, Bryan, Melony and I were all there tonight. We ate, played games, won tickets. Matt actually won 256 tickets on a game. So we were able to buy 3 Sweetart packs instead of just 1. Apparently gas isn't the only thing that went up in price.

Okay. Enough rambling for one night. I have something fun and interesting I intend on posting in the future. Ha! Take a stab at guessing what that's going to be. I dare you.

Thanks and goodnight.

By the way, the title to this blog is a Joey Ramone song. He died of lymphoma in 2001 after having it for 7 years.

I won an award!

I started my radiation today. I was so nervous about it all day. Not about the radiation, per se, but about that stupid (and some other choice words) mask. I've worn it a couple of times, yes, but just the idea of putting it on terrifies me. My palms sweat, my face turns red. It's absolutely dreadful. Here's the radiation process:

I sign in at the front, like usual, but instead of waiting in the waiting room, I'm given a code to open the door to the radiation section. I change into a gown and wait. Debra came to get me. I lay on the table and she and Richard get ready to work. I'm re-introduced to Richard (smile) and he remembers me by my "cool tattoo". Uh-huh. I did, however, win 2 awards while there: the coolest tattoo award and the cutest patient award. I tell you what...if they're going to compliment me every time I go, I'm not opposed to going everyday. :) Anyhow, I've posted it before, but here's the radiation machine again:

Once I'm on the table, they fit the mask on. I did ask Debra if she could cut the eye holes a little bigger. She said no problem, but I told her if it's a pain, not to worry about it. Well, Richard said it was and I lost a point for that. I said they were harsh, but he assured me my points will start over tomorrow. After cutting the eyes a tad bigger, the mask is back on and the panicking begins. It doesn't take quite as long to calm down this time. There's music playing in the background and if I can concentrate on that, I'm okay. They move me around to line me up with the lasers. I'm given another mark right under my collar bone. No tattoo this time...just Sharpie. I'm not allowed to do any of the moving...they do it all. I am putty in their hands. A direct quote from them. A little tug to this side on my hips, a little push to the other side on my shoulder. By the time they're done, I'm like a contortionist. They did the radiation to the front and came in to tell me they were halfway done. The machine is flipped around and I'm given radiation to my back. This whole process takes about 10 minutes. Not too long.

Matt gave me the strategy of trying to think of something else when the mask is on to calm me down. Today, however, it took so long to think about what I wanted to think about, they were already done! Once the radiation was done and the mask was off, I went to wait to see the doctor. He came in and talked to me briefly. When he left, I was done and free to leave. And the whole thing happens again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. 1 down, 19 more to go!

Over the weekend, Mom and I went to the Light the Night in Frisco for fun. The weather was beautiful and we had a lot of fun (and I got some much needed exercise!) Pictures are, of course, posted. You can't see it in the pictures, but the shirt I have on says "survivor" on the back. I got it at the last walk. Not quite a "survivor" yet, but getting close!

Must go to bed now. Have to get up early tomorrow and try to vote. I'm praying that the lines aren't too long.

Thanks and goodnight!