i burned my hand the other night. i was making bacon bleu cheese burgers. now my thumb looks like a piece of bacon. it is a little hard to type. i missed a couple days of work with the pain and blisters. typing is my livlihood. When my fingers don't work, i don't work.. it is that simple. well i peck away at this blog. just checking in. by the way, the burgers were incredible... i think we are grilling out veggies tonight... i'll be back to makin bacon before ya know it! maybe i'll post some pictures on my website soon.

hey everyone. i am back in the USA! megan and i traveled to 4 great cities in 10 short days. we flew to paris, france and stayed 2 nights in Le Hotel Notre Dame. our view from the balcony framed the Notre Dame Cathedral magnificently. We then traveled by train to Brussels, Belgium for 1 full day of fun. The next train took us about 3 hours to Amsterdam, Holland. The city of Amsterdamn is filled with some of the most interesting architecture, canals, bicycles, weather and way of life of any place i have traveled. Our next train led to Berlin, Germany. We experienced what remains of the Berlin Wall and had the chance to get an inside look and some important architectual aspects of Berlin.

I had to catch a plane back to the USA, however Megan if continuing her studies abroad with her University peers. She is currently in Austria and heads to Budapest soon. So I am sitting here at my computer working on sorting and cleaning up all of the digital photos I brought back. I had an incredible amount of fun learning about the different cultures and seeing many things that you only read about or see on tv. I encourage everyone to travel more. Get your head from out of your shell and see the world. I feel like traveling makes me more culturally aware and sensitive to world issues. It may have a similar effect for you.

i'm back... i know it has been a while since i have posted. frankly, i have been so busy i have neglected my website. i am going to make an effort to post more often. first i want to say that i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas and that the new year brings you much joy. megan and i spent the holiday with our families and enjoyed the time together. i have transitioned into a new position with the state of ky. i am now working as a network engineer at the commonwealth office of technology in frankfort. i am excited about the new position and i think it is a great move for my career. megan has one more semester left of graduate school. she worked very hard and earned a 4.0 last semester. we will be traveling to europe in late february/early march. the purpose of the trip is academic, however we hope to gain some pleasure from it. we have both traveled abroad before when we were in high school. i am looking forward to experiencing some new countries this time.

my health has been maintaining itself. i travel back to nashville on january 10 for a check-up with my orthopedic oncologist. i must assume all is well. while i occasionally have some lower back flare-ups, etc, my pain is usually at a manageable level. my stomach has refrained from digesting itself. with the proper meds i am maintaining decent gastrointestinal health and have put back on all of the weight i lost plus a little more. as for new years resolutions, megan and i are committing to the most popular - better diet and exercise.

that is about i have for now. talk to you all soon....

The last few days brought more good news. My CT scans and X-rays looked great and showed no evidence of disease. My doctors are happy with my progress to date. It is always a sigh of relief to get the all clear. I am scheduled to return to Vandy in six months and UK in 4 months for more follow-ups. I was surprised to see that I have gained back all of the weight I lost. Right now I am weighing in at 169 lbs. I am going to make an effort to keep working out and building a strong lean body.

In other news, I am glad summer is here and I am able to enjoy the sunny days. Megan and I have been grilling out quite a bit. We enjoy cooking good food and veggies on the grill and eating with friends. I am looking forward to the 4th of July this year. We do not have any solid plans for the long weekend, but I am sure we will enjoy some great time with friends and family. Beating cancer has heightened our senses and made these times more meaningful to us. We have learned to enjoy the little and fine things in life that often go ignored, unnoticed or taken for granted. I encourage everyone to go outside on a sunny day and breathe the fresh air. Feel the sun on your face and be thankful to be alive! Remember to live everyday to the fullest and often tell the people close to you how you feel about them.

Thanks again to everyone out there who has been so supportive! Celebrate freedom and have a safe and happy holiday!

blog is back... i am finally running my own server again and can bring back my blog and photo galleries. i have been doing well healthwise lately. i have been focused on shifting my career path and finding new employment. i just received a job offer from the state earlier this week. it looks like things are going to work out. i am excited to move on with my career and have been working to build up my own company, Shaw Consulting LLC. i have been providing IT solutions and web hosting for several years.

megan is busy with school. the semester is almost over so it is crunch time for her. in case you didn't know she is getting her masters in interior design historic preservation.

we still have 2 bad, stinky weiner dogs. little gidget is about to chew up everything in our house. if she wasn't so cute she'd be lookin for a new home...

i just wanted to give everyone an update. take care and i'll talk to you soon.

its been almost 2 months since my last post.... life is moving on these days.... my new years's wish was granted on dec. 30th when i got the "all clear" of detectable cancer cells. i say detectable because i believe that we all have cancer cells in our body. radiation creates mutant genes and the toxins of our environment poison us. i prob have fewer cancer cells right now than most people. after all the killer chemicals i ingested.... anyway right now i am wondering if the chemo didn't make my stomach permanently weak. i had a little stint in the ER the other night. not very pleseant. when i get like that i just want to be unconscious. i go back to GI doctor on wed. to get results from my scope tests. i don't think they are gonna find much. i thik i just need to stop eating junk food and nourish my body instead poking in garbage. i think i'll join the class action lawsuits against the fast food chains... if i won i'd go eat a burger to celebrate... hehe..

our dogs are getting bigger. gidget has multiplied by 2 in the last 2 months and olive is packing it on from all the treats and grubbing puppy food. she's about to go on some weight control formula soon. even our dogs eat like crap. haha. i think we are going to join the YMCA soon. i really want to start working out and getting my leg strong. i have been cutting down on the pain pills and i suddenly have become a grumpy bastard. the pain is never-ending.. like someone tapping you on the back of your head all day. my knee cracks and pops when i flex it. i just wanna inject some WD-40. i think it will eventually get some better... it's just going to take time and exercise on my part. i think the pain pills may be a contributing factor to the stomach issues.

so i guess i am doing great considering those complaints.. hehe.. i'm glad to be alive. that's what matters right now.

megan and i just got a new puppy. she is a 10 week old black and tan miniature dachshund weighing in at a hefty 2 lbs. she suffered a brief identity crisis. we named her "sushi" for a couple days and then decided that we liked the name"gidget" better. so that is what stuck. little gidget. she is pretty well potty trained (heads for the puppy pad) and sleeps in a kennel with olive at night with minimal whining. she is a little rascal. be sure to check out the pictures on my main website. well, that's all for now...