Saturday 1-1-11

I am starting this blog entry on Friday night, just a few minutes before the New Year. I am watching the festivities at Times Square on TV and will take a picture to mark the occasion. Terry has already gone to bed so it is just me and the cats that will officially ring in the New Year.

The ball has now dropped and it is officially 2011. I hope all of you had a wonderful celebration tonight and I wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year. After such a tumultuous 2010, I can't help but wonder what this new year will bring to the Gaudi family and our friends. In retrospect, I have a great deal to be happy about starting with the fact that I am still alive! About this time last year my doctor called and told me that I had esophageal cancer. I was later told that I only had a 15% chance of living two years. Now, thanks to a wonderful team of doctors, the support of my wife (and the countless times she drove me to and from Charleston and stayed by my side through a great deal of trial and tribulation), I have now been told that I am cancer free and my chances of living five more years is now 60%! I also want to thank all of you for your prayers and encouragement. For the last 50 years or so, I have not been one that put much belief in prayer, but something certainly worked and I have become a believer.

For the last 71 years, I have not taken very good care of my body and I was told that being overweight and heavy drinking are the two leading causes of esophageal cancer. I am now happy to report that I have lost over 100 pounds and now weigh about what I did when I graduated from high school. I have also been alcohol free for over 12 months and am a proud member of AA - a wonderful organization! I have been exercising regularly and feel better than I have in a long time, despite the fact that I have to keep going back to Charleston to have my esophagus 'stretched' from time to time because the scar tissue tends to restrict my ability to swallow. However, I have been told that this too will eventually pass.

So, all in all, I have a great deal to be thankful for and I am looking forward to living for many more years. I'm not sure how my wife, Terry, put up with me during all our years of marriage (42 as of December 28, 2010) but I sure am thankful that she did and I love her. She has been a very good wife and mother. I am also proud of my daughter, Tana, and my son, Scott. They are great kids and I love them dearly. Tana was with us during Christmas and has now returned to Los Angeles. We will meet Scott in Miami on Sunday and go on a cruise as mentioned in my previous blog. I am looking forward to some warm weather!

Yesterday I visited with my friend, Frank Brown, who is 98 years young. I am enclosing a picture that was taken by his son Frank, who is also my friend. Last night, (New Year's Eve) I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and I had the company of two good looking girls, Terry and Melinda. We had a wonderful meal and I got home in time to watch the South Carolina football team get beat up on by the Seminoles of Florida. Oh well, we did have a winning season and won the SEC East. One more victory would have been nice but we have a good team coming back next year. Also, my Alma Mater, the University of Illinois, had a good season as well, for a change.

So that's it for about a week or so. I will finish this up tomorrow with some pictures. I couldn't end without a few pictures of the cats who could care less about New Years. Also, I took a picture this morning of the first sign of a flower poking up through the mulch. Spring must be just around the corner!

Please don't fill up my email in-box while I am gone, but comments on this blog will be appreciated.

Happy New Year everyone!
Bernie