The Mid-Point

We're home from our third whirlwind trip to SoCal and Jana is officially half way through her chemotherapy. The cancer news this past few weeks has been good as Jana’s oncologist excitedly noted a significant reduction in the size of the tumor. Her physical examination will be followed by an ultrasound sometime before the next chemo treatment on March 12^th. This trip began much like the last one arriving Wednesday afternoon and spending a wonderful evening with the family talking, laughing, and of course, eating (our favorite form of entertainment).

Jana planned a casual dinner for us at Wurstkuche, a hotdog place (according to Jana) in Venice Beach. Wurstkuche, a purveyor of exotic grilled sausages (according to the menu), is certainly not your typical “hotdog” place (think Der Wienerschnitzel)…there is nothing ordinary about it. They serve over twenty different kinds of sausages, including a few classics (Bratwurst, Hot Italian, Vegetarian Mexican Chipotle…these don’t sound very classic to me), several gourmet (Mango Jalapeno, Filipino Maharlika, Austin Blues), and about eight exotics (Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeno Peppers, Pheasant with herbs de Provence). I’ve only named a few. The other choices are equally unique. Besides sausages, they serve Belgian Fries and Belgian and German beers. That’s it! If you want a burger, you’ve come to the wrong place. We all played it safe and stuck with a classic dog topped with caramelized onions and sauerkraut (Jana chose sweet and spicy peppers for her vegetarian dog). We loved the place and will definitely be returning. I’m hoping to muster up courage to try one of the exotics…maybe Duck & Bacon with Jalapeno Peppers or Buffalo, Beef & Pork with Chipotle Peppers. I think I’ll avoid the rattlesnake. I’ve included a few pictures from our evening.

While Verne and Lauren are looking pretty sweet in the picture, I assure you they were being very, very naughty. Each table included about five quart-size containers of different mustards with bands around the top to differentiate them. You guessed it…they decided to switch the bands.

Raelin made the two-hour drive from her home in Fontana to spend Thursday with Jana (and the rest of us). We drove together to the Santa Monica Oncology Center and were pleased to find that Jana was scheduled for the room with an ocean view. We chose a spacious end cubicle and all piled in (as we had the past two treatments) and were promptly met by a cranky nurse who refused to begin Jana’s treatment until we left. All but one, that is. She pointed out to us that there was one guest chair and the rest of us would have to stay in the waiting room. To make a long story short...we protested, but to no avail and we finally retreated to a private little nook on the first floor. The treatment was more difficult for Jana than the previous ones and she slept through much of it, so it all worked out for the best as she was able to rest and we got to catch up with Raelin. This picture was taken before we were thrown out!

On the way home from the treatment, we stopped by RiteAid to pick up a couple of meds for Jana. The girls began sharing memories of living in Campbell, Verne as Mr. Mom, and Thrifty ice cream cones after school. Before long we were all sitting in the sun and enjoying a Thrifty cone while we waited for the prescriptions to be filled. The happy stories (to hear the girls talk, some of their best childhood memories are from the three years Verne spent as Mr. Mom…what does that say about me?) and ice cream were just what Jana needed. 

Three down, three to go!