Daniel and I adopted Bro 11 months ago today from our county shelter. We have had a wonderful almost year with him and the whole family has  just fallen head over heels. 

We’ve also become acutely aware of the overcrowding at the shelter and although we were sure we were a one dog family our heartstrings were constantly tugged by the need and sheer number of pets who needed homes in our town. So after lots of thought and a family meeting about the meaning of fostering, we decided today to head to the shelter and see if we could help out by fostering a puppy or two for this summer. Well, that didn’t exactly work out and instead we met and fell in love with Sophie. She came home with us after meeting the kids and Bro. 

Sophie is another Border Terrier mix. She’s estimated to be 10 months old. She was very insecure and nervous at the shelter. She’s done great with the people in the family and with lots of patience from Bro, she is warming up in spades toward him. She has floppy ears and a long long monkey tail. She seems very sweet. She was spayed yesterday so we look forward to getting to know her personality as she feels better physically and more secure in our home. She’s here to stay! 

Her name is still under debate. We may change it to Lil Sis to match Lil Bro, but for today she is still Sophie. 🙂  

My favorite moment today after trying on a new pair of jeans that arrived in the mail.

Abby: “Mom, are those jeans supposed to be torn? Cause they don’t really look like mom jeans. They look like um, young jeans. But I like them!”

I am currently on a plane heading to Philadelphia for a meeting being sponsored by Glaxosmithkline (GSK) for a group of melanoma bloggers and non profit representatives. We will be comparing notes on what methods of communication are best working for us, what we feel is needed and how GSK can help us spread awareness of melanoma. Also the hope in current treatments and trials as well as prevention.

One of the most exciting parts of this trip for me will be meeting some of the people who are in my online support group while we are all in Philly. I am so excited to meet Jen and Steve Martin from A Bump in the Road.  Erin from Melanoma and the City will be there. T.J. Sharpe who writes a blog Patient One for Philly.com will be there as well as Rich McDonald from Hotel Melanoma.

We have some time planned for sightseeing as well. I am not the only one in our group who hasn’t been to Pennsylvania before.

For now, my flight has just left Tucson and is headed to Dallas. I was up too late and too early and am hoping to rest, although my super fancy germ mask (I swear, I should have sharpied “I’m on chemo on it not carrying some dangerous pathogen!”) and being right a super loud row behind the engines in a middle seat may keep me up this leg. Time to read my favorite magazine, Edible Baja Arizona!

Today is Melanoma Monday, a day to focus on raising awareness of melanoma. My friend and fellow warrior Timna from Respect the Rays made this wonderful awareness video. It’s worth the two minutes and 14 seconds to watch it. Pass it on and make sure you respect the rays! My profile picture on Facebook and Twitter have gone black in honor of my friends who I’ve lost and my fellow warriors.

I had my oncologist appointment and treatment yesterday. Everything is smaller and disappearing! Yay! He compared my armpit tumor from a year ago and said it was smaller than a baseball, larger than a golf ball a year ago. New scans show it reduced to a few pieces, largest is marble sized. Really fabulous news!
We also had parent/teacher conferences and both my children have worked very hard to achieve being on the principal’s honor roll. Then the Wildcats won a very hard-fought victory last night! Amazing game and fabulous day!
Thank you all for the continued prayers!

Hello Team Mela-no-mas!

First, let me thank you SO much for the incredible outpouring of support this shows us. I had a fantastic appointment with my oncologist yesterday in which he described my current status as being “phenomenal.” So, tomorrow is a day to celebrate how FAR we have come!

Location: The University of Arizona Cancer Center – North Campus (Parking lot is south of Allen Road)

The Melanoma Walk festivities run from 2-6pm.

2pm-3:30 Arrive and check in on the south side of the building (along Allen Road)

2-3:40pm There are booths inside and out with sun safety information and lots of freebies! Make sure to grab your weight in sunscreen samples! 😉

3:3:30 Look nearby the registration for a Team Mela-NO-MAS setup handing out tees. Look for gray tees and a Team Mela-NO-MAS! sign.

3:40 Team photo at Gazebo Area outside the Diamond Pavilion Entrance (west side of the building)

4pm Time to warm up and walk! Don’t forget to cross the finish line and grab your swag bag!

After you finish the walk, there will be Chick-fil-a sandwiches, cheese pizza (for those who don’t eat meat) as well as Eegees available! They also usually have a nice raffle and awards for the highest fundraisers at the end of the walk.

If you can’t find us or have question, please feel free to call Daniel or Martha. Of course, please remember your sun protection! We are so honored to have you walk with us. If you take photos, please share them with us! marthabishop@gmail.com, bishless@gmail.com, send to our cell numbers, or on FB!

Huge thanks to BeachFleischman for their generous support over the past couple years and for sponsoring our team shirts this year. We’re immensely grateful!

Again, we are so honored to have you join us!

With much hope,

Martha