Another Good Year!

I was lucky enough to celebrate my 9th "Cancerversary" this past Saturday, the 19th of March. I remember like it was yesterday that I was told I had advanced breast cancer at the age of 34. WHAT.......ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It was 9 years ago today that I was undergoing a modified radical mastectomy. This was the first surgery in a line of many to come over that next year. Long and convoluted story short I have been one of the blessed ones and have been given a second chance to live my life. I have been able to do so much over the past 9 years and it saddens me to think I could have missed this time had I not survived. Having to consider one's mortality at 34 years old is a kick in the gut, but learning to live with an uninvited guest like cancer is adding insult to injury......That said I am proud to call myself a "Survivor". I do ponder whether my good fortune can be attributed to luck, determination, devine intervention or something unidentifiable. I will probably never know. I do know that I want another 9 years and regularly turn to my past to help me remain appreciative and humble.

Better Watch Out!!!!!!!

Older men scam

Women often receive warnings about protecting themselves at the mall and in
dark parking lots, etc. This is the first warning I have seen for men. I
wanted to pass it on in case you haven't heard about it.

A 'heads up' for those men who may be regular customers at Lowe's, Home
Depot, Costco, or even Wal-Mart. This one caught me totally by surprise.
Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping..
Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't
be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two nice-looking, college-aged girls will come over to your car or truck as
you are packing your purchases into your vehicle. They both start wiping
your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out
of their skimpy T-shirts. (It's impossible not to look).
When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' but instead ask for
a ride to McDonald's.

You agree and they climb into the vehicle. On the way, they start
undressing. Then one of them starts crawling all over you, while the other
one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen Mar. 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th,
24th, & 29th. Also Apr. 1st & 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th &
27th, and very likely again this upcoming weekend.

So tell your friends to be careful. What a horrible way to take advantage of
us older men. Warn your friends to be vigilant.

Wal-Mart has wallets on sale for $2.99 each. I found even cheaper ones for
$.99 at the dollar store and bought them out in three of their stores.

Also, you never get to eat at McDonald's. I've already lost 11 pounds just
running back and forth from Lowe's, to Home Depot, to Costco, Etc.

So please, send this on to all the older men that you know and warn them to
be on the lookout for this scam. (The best times are just before lunch and
around 4:30 in the afternoon.)


You can't be too careful, guys.

Chilean Fjords


Puerto Montt, Chile


Puerto Varas, Chile

Epic South America...

Living in South America has afforded us many opportunities for incredible travel. Ideally we would like to visit each country on the continent and when someone locates the elusive "Money Tree" please let me know. On this past trip we were able to visit lots of FABULOUS places. We flew out of Lima to the Brazil side of Iguazu Falls and landed in a city named Foz de Iguazu. We drove to our hotel just over the Argentinean boarder in Iguazu Falls. We spent a day or so exploring the falls and being in awe of the power of nature. Iguazu Falls dwarfs Niagra multiple times over. From there we moved on the Buenos Aires for a few days. We rented a 3 bedroom apartment in the Congreso neighborhood and it was great. What a beautiful city. I would love to book a Tango Tour there in the future and learn the dance the BA is famous for. We boarded a Holland American Cruise line in BA for a 12 day cruise. Along the way we visited the Falkland Islands (or Islas Malvinas if you ask an Argentinean), circled Cape Horn counterclockwise, Ushuaia, Patagonia, took in some Chilean fjords and glaciers, Punto Arenas, Puerto Montt, and Puerto Varas. The cruising crowd is decidedly older with an average age of about 80. There were about 1300 people on the cruise with a whopping 25 of those being kids. Most of these kids were Spanish speaking thus putting to test the Westcott Spanish. The kids were fantastic....they both hold their own easily. We docked in Valparaiso...boo hoo.....the life of luxury comes to an end. We rented cars in the port and drove towards Santiago through the Chilean wine country. We ended up at a very beautiful winery that served equally beautiful lunches and wine. After a splendid lunch we made our way to Santiago and spent two nights and days there exploring the city. Again a beautiful city with much more to see than we were able to accomplish. We had planned this trip for such a long time it is hard to believe it is over. Now it's time to plan the next one. Enjoy!


Iguazu Falls, Argentina


Buenos Aires

Life on the ship






Falkland Islands

Cape Horn & Ushuaia, Patagonia






Punta Arenas, Chile

I am Doing the Happy Dance....

Oh...how we have sufferred here in the southern hemisphere.....It was mid December when summer vacation began here south of the equator. In other words it has been 2.5 months of kids occupying couches, bean bags, computers, xbox stations and TV sets for hours on end. Eating everything in the fridge the day after the shopping is done, calling mom 5x a day to ask me what I am doing and inventing new ways to torment each other. I was hoping they would get bored at some point, however, they have proved very "hearty" in their ability to deal with the situation they have been dealt. I realize you northern hemisphere folks go through the same drill, but I think the farther one goes south the longer the summer vacation feels. But, just when you think the couch will never regain its shape as a result of too much lounge time the glorias month of March arrives. New uniforms check; school supplies check; new shoes check; backpacks organized check. Wednesday the 2nd will the equivelent of a big sigh of relief on the part of all the southern hemisphere parents who have been awaiting the arrival of the new school year. That said I still think Monday the 28th of February would have been more considerate start date on the part of the area schools. On Wednesday as I leave for work and my little ducklings head off for the first day of school I will give them a kiss goodbye and do a very subtle happy dance in honor of one of the greatest days of the year.

Great Marine Corp Ball

Had a suite at the Marriott (thanks Lynda) with and ocean view, 2 rooms etc. Totally fun night!

Fantastic Halloween Party- Casa Westcott

Better late than never! The Montgomery's, The Gamble's and us co-hosted a great Halloween party. Already planning for next year. Maybe we should have it somewhere else. Cleaning up while feeling a little rough is no fun.

A little story about stress during the holidays!

Just received this one from my friend Kim Carlson.....Awesome.....

Feeling a little stressed?????
>A Christmas Story for people having a bad day:

>When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not
produce toys as
>fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas
pressure.
>Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which
stressed Santa even more.
>When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them
were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven
knows where.
>Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards
cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
>Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a
shot of rum.
>When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all
the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped
the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the
kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all
the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the
door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas
tree.
>The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this
a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to
stick it?
>And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the
Christmas tree.
>Not a lot of people know this

Had To Post This

My MIL was recently made honest woman....I asked her, "Lynda what is going to be your first dance song"? She says, "It's a secret, but we love the show True Blood". Isn't this great? LOVE IT!

Mi Gargola....hecho por mano por Salley

We took advantage of a long weekend to visit the central Andean region of Huaraz. Beautiful mountains, rain (haven't seen that in forever), snow and the prettiest colored lagoon water I have ever seen. We hiked up to a very impressive lagoon at approx. 15,000 feet with all the accompanying high altitude side effects. All told it was a great trip, but a bit more acclimatization would have been nice. One other occurance of note would be the family that jumped out of a combi (van type taxi) with their very own sheep. You don't see that everyday. I highly recommend this trek.

We threw Gracie a "Peruvian Style" birthday party for her 11th bday this year. Lots of people, bouncy for the kids, lots of food, loud music, cotton candy machine. A good time was had by all. We'll see what next year brings....

Iquitos and the Peruvian Amazon

Connie and Dave joined us for a trip to Iquitos and the Amazon. Heath travels to Iquitos on a monthly basis and says this was the only time that it was cool. We actually wore jackets. That said, the jungle did not disappoint. Mosquitos, piraunas, monkeys, sloths, blow darts, native dances and big bugs.


Floating cities on the Amazon


A home along the Amazon


Betty the sloth


Piranha fishing is FUN! We ate this little guy for dinner. They come out of the water looking for a fight.


Amazonian school



Sitting on the trunk/roots of a huge Ceiba tree


Great trip....will probably make another short trip there....

We're Back

5 months between posts! Que horible.......I am constantly telling myself that I won't fall behind concerning such important as "Blogging". I promise, I promise and I promise to be better from now on. Lots have happened in these past months. Now I just need to tell you about it. Be ready...

8 Years Today

I never really thought I would be able to say that it had been 8 years since I was diagnosed with cancer. I remember March 19, 2002 like it was yesterday. I am sure some of you have heard this story and you are going to hear it again. Bear with me.....You know how you sometimes you have a vague feeling that something could go wrong? Maybe not for yourself, but just something out of the ordinary. Well....I remember going for my mammogram appointment that particular Tuesday morning thinking to myself, "I wonder what women do when they get told they have breast cancer". So...I follow the mammogram tech, Deidre, into the testing room. She says to me (in a somewhat nasty tone), "So where is this lump of yours"? I replied, “I have no idea, no one told me I had a lump". All the while I am thinking..."Why don't you look at the chart and figure it out for yourself". Anyway...squish away, both sides and off she goes. Now, I have been in the biz for long enough to know when things are headed south. Well we were headed south as Deidre reentered the room and said, "Ok sweetheart, we are going to need to take some more views". Did she just call me sweetheart? Crap....this can't be good. I knew right then that I was going to find out what a woman does when she is told she has breast cancer. The radiologist told me he thought I had breast cancer that day. I saw my surgeon the day after and had my mastectomy the following day. Whew....We joke (in a somewhat macabre manner) that Heath got his MD and Oncology specialty in those following 48 hours. I think I was almost catatonic at that point and without Heath I might not have made it through those first few days. One bonus though...I did get out of jury duty...just so happens that the one of the town judges lived next door and he excused me. Another bright spot in this whole ordeal was that I really found out how many people loved me and would do anything to make my life easier.
Fast forward 8 years and many adventures later and I think I am doing pretty well. I think my general attitude is pretty good, though of late I could probably be a little more gracious and a lot more thankful. The farther one gets away from a life changing event the harder it seems to channel the good lessons one learned from said event. Instead of New Year’s resolutions I am doing March Musings. This is the best time of year for me to sort myself out, pull up my boot straps and remember that I was one of the lucky ones. I have a plastic container that I kept all my cancer stuff in and on my “Cancer-versary” I look through it, do some boo-hoo’ing, and then pack it away for the next year. One last thing…..I remember asking someone why I had to be the one with breast cancer. She said to me, “It was your turn”. That was something I could understand and it got me through some very rough times.

You Know You Have Had These Thoughts...

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN GUILTY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS YOUR OWN AGE AND THINKING, SURELY I CAN'T LOOK THAT OLD.

WELL . . . YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONE.

MY NAME IS ALICE , AND I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW DENTIST.

I NOTICED HIS DDS DIPLOMA ON THE WALL, WHICH BORE HIS FULL NAME. SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK-HAIRED BOY WITH THE SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SOME 30-ODD YEARS AGO.

COULD HE BE THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK THEN?

UPON SEEING HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH THOUGHT.

THIS BALDING, GRAY-HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS WAY TOO OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE.

AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH, I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL ..

'YES. YES, I DID. I'M A MUSTANG,' HE GLEAMED WITH PRIDE.

WHEN DID YOU GRADUATE?' I ASKED.

HE ANSWERED, 'IN 1975. WHY DO YOU ASK?'

YOU WERE IN MY CLASS!', I EXCLAIMED.

HE LOOKED AT ME CLOSELY.

THEN, THAT UGLY, OLD, BALD, WRINKLED FACED, FAT-ASSED, GRAY-HAIRED, DECREPIT SON-OF-A-BITCH ASKED,

'WHAT DID YOU TEACH???

Cusco, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa with the Fam

It was a long time in the planning with a few ups and downs. The torrential rains of late January caused floods and mudslides to the point that Machu Picchu closed (for the very first time) and all of our train routes needed to be changed. Anyway, it all came together and we did southern Peru. We saw a ton, we drank more and we ate even more than that. We stimulated all of these economies with the amounts of money we spent. We took lots of pictures, did tons of talking, played some great cards and generally had an epic time. Muchas gracias a todo y hasta el proximo viaje.

Wow......pretty crazy.......earthquakes everywhere.....Haiti, Chili and Okinawa. I guess we left just in time. That said....we moved to Peru and it is definitely known for it's earthquakes.

What Would You Do?

"Of course I won't laugh," said the nurse.

"I'm a professional. In over twenty years I've never laughed at a patient." "Okay then, "said Fred, and he proceeded to drop his trousers. Revealing the tiniest 'man thingy' the nurse had ever seen. Length and width, it couldn't have been bigger than a AAA battery. Unable to control herself, the nurse started giggling, then fell to the floor laughing.

Ten minutes later she was able to struggle to her feet and regain her composure. "I am so sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over me. On my honour as a nurse and a lady, I promise it won't happen again. Now, tell me,what seems to be the problem? ...

"It's swollen," Fred replied.

She ran out of the room.....

Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Oh my......I didn't realize I hadn't blogged at all in December. Well....I am going to do my best to catch everyone up on the Westcott happenings.



Over Veteran's Day weekend we took a trip to Trujillo in northern Peru. We visited some very interesting pre-Inca ruins. This is the God of the Moche people. He was called the "Beheader God". Human sacrafices included beheading, skinning and bodily mutilation. Sounds like a bad deal to me.....



The four of us went for a hike up this HUGE sand hill next to Huaca Luna. It looked steep before we began and it looked really steep while we were climbing. We made it about half way up before we turned back. It was actually dangerous and not just a Sunday stroll. Note to self...don't wear Keens while hiking in sand as they fill up with sand with every step.



Parque Reserva with Mom and Dad while they visited for the Christmas holiday.



Peruvian hairless dog vs. llama......Pachacamac, Lima, Peru



My empleada, Fidela, and her daughter Kiara. She allows me to do very little and still have a clean house and food on the table. It's a good gig....I wonder if I could include them in my household goods shipment when we PCS next time.



Paracas, Peru for lunch....on our way to Ica, Peru for the weekend. Enjoyed watching a Peruvian duo playing guitars and pan flutes sing "My Way" by Frank Sinatra.



Tacama winery Ica, Peru. We stayed at Las Dunas Hotel and it was great. Very relaxing. I would recommend it. The kids and I got to take a horse ride for an hour out on the sand dunes. The horses actually ran......Ouch....



My new thing....lighted holiday blocks. Dad and I had a great time making them. They made some great gifts. Get ready for next year.



2009's Christmas tree



Heath with his new charcoal starter. Apparently Peruvian charcoal doesn't want to burn very easily.



A very nice Christmas dinner.

Thanks for the great visit Mom and Dad.....we miss you and the house is quiet (well kind of...Garth and Grace are still here). See you in February for the "Southern Peru Trek".