The Band...

Hello All,

As you can tell from Kari's recent postings, we have been pretty busy.  The kids are back today.  It is good to have them home. 

I wanted post something from last weekend.  SMITTYVISION had its annual reunion show as headliners for Edgebrook Fest on the North Side on Chicago last weekend.  For those who don't know, I used to play bass guitar for a group called SMITTYVISION.  Lead by Craig "Smitty" Smith, we had a pretty good run through the Chicago bar scene.  Without a lot of trying, we played a lot of great shows in some pretty great clubs.  Most notably, we were the house band for Goose Island for a few years. 

The original line up of Smitty on lead vocals and guitar, Paul Mulchrone on drums, Big John Sanner on accordion and keyboard and me on bass started playing together in late 2001.  Not long after, we were joined by Dr. John Flaherty on lead guitar. 

The core group of Smitty, Dr. John, Paul and me remained the same through 2007, when Smitty moved back to the simple life in Michigan.  Over that time, we were joined by Joel Barr on keyboards and saxophone and occasionally John Ling on violin. 

I'll be the first to tell you that I am no great musician.  I get by.  The rest of these guys, however are top notch.  All seasoned, intuitive and professional, these were the finest musicians that I have ever played with.  We had a great time but didn't mess around.  We knew what we needed to do and everyone was ready.  There was a chemistry that would have been impossible to replicate, even if we tried. 

We get together a few times each year to play, usually once around Christmas and once for Edgebrook Fest.  Even in these long absences, things completely click when we get on stage. 

Here are a few highlights from the show last weekend.  There was very little prep for this.  The recording is descent, not great.  Please take a listen to the tracks.  Feel free to down load them and pass them around. 

On stage, you will hear:

Smitty on rhythm guitar, electric guitar and lead vocals
Dr. John Flaherty on lead electric guitar
Paul Mulchrone on drums
Big John Sanner on keyboards and backing vocals
Joel Barr on saxophone, backing vocals and miscellaneous percussion
Me on bass

At the end of the day, we all love the blues.  This is one of our favorite tunes.  Sometimes it came out as a bullet in 3 minutes.  More often, this is a 10 minute solo fest.  This is Early in the Morning, a traditional blues song. 

Dr. John is the consummate musician with very broad tastes.  He would usually come into rehearsal with some new, obscure CD full of music.  Usually, we would all listen in rapture, sometimes not.  He always had lots of suggestions for new songs for us to perform.  About 5% of those actually made it to the stage.  Here is our rendition of Bruce Hornsby's The Way It Is.  This was driven and coached by Dr. John. 

This is one of our infamous crowd pleasers.  Big John, Paul, Smitty and I tried to make this one work in the early weeks of us coming together.  Smitty was playing slide guitar on an old resonator in our first attempts.  Dr. John joined the group and this one fell into place.  Here is our version of Lucinda William's Can't Let Go. 

Here's another oldie but a goodie.  This was more inspired by the Sheryl Crow version than the Guns 'n Roses version.  We wanted to keep it straight and light through the second chorus, then let it get heavy.  Here's our version of Sweet Child 'O Mine. 

Let it never be said that we didn't play a diverse set.  We covered everything from blues to rock to country to reggae.  Here is our cover of I Shot the Sheriff.  Again, another of our favorites.  We usually played this one more for us than for the audience. 

This track is a great example of how we used to end most shows.  You can't beat the Doobie Brothers lead into Muddy Waters.  Here is Long Train Runnin' and Mojo. 

Many thanks to Smitty, Dr. John Flaherty, Paul Mulchrone, Big John Sanner and Joel Barr.  Also, a hearty thanks to Pat Lyons for organizing Edgebrook Fest and for playing harmonica for the last few tunes.  He keeps asking us to come back so we'll keep playing. 

Last one... simple but fun.  Here's the Steve Miller Band's The Joker.

Checking In....

Hello everyone!

I had round three of chemo yesterday, thank you to my friend Jen who volunteered to take me yesterday and again next week.  I am happy to have so much support.  So far, so good with side effects.  The meds I am on seem to be controlling the nausea pretty well.  I have another heart scan this morning to make sure that everything is ok with my heart after a few treatments.  So far, my hair has hung in as well.  They say 1-3 weeks after starting chemo you will lose your hair, so I am guessing it will be this week.  We'll see.  I am ready with some scarves and my friend Lori is making me some great soft hats as my head is so small (think children's department) I am having trouble finding hats. 

Wondering where some updates of the kids are? Me too!  James left Sat with Mama Lynn and Papa Ned to go to Lakeside Resorts in Michigan to meet up with everyone for a week of swimming, canoeing and playing with his cousins.  Jay got to see him on Tuesday night as he had to go to Indiana for work and it wasn't too far from Lakeside so he drove on and stopped to say hi to everyone.  Katie left on Wednesday afternoon with Uncle Greg and Uncle Marc to meet up with everyone else as well.  They will be coming home on Sat afternoon and while we miss them, we are so thankful for the family that we have to be so generous as to take our kids on vacation with them so they didn't have to miss out on the fun. 

A wonderful night

Last night I was truly honored to attend a wonderful event in my honor.  !3 of the most beautiful people held a fundraiser for me that was stunning.  I saw so many friends and family, and was so touched b everyone's generosity and well wishes.  Thank you to those that planned the event, my family that pitched in and helped out at the end of the event, to all that came, and all that have done so much for me and my family. 

With such a large space, and so many people (more than 150) not everyone (including some very important people I love) was able to hear the words I had to say at such a touching event, so below is the text...

While I was thinking about tonight I was wishing we were all here celebrating my husband’s company, my birthday or my parents recent 35th wedding anniversary, rather than my battle, but in a way we are celebrating all those things because tonight we are celebrating life.


When faced with the battle I am in now, life is scary. Life is uncertain. But just as much as I was scared and uncertain when I was first diagnosed, I am now even more positive and sure that through the help of all of you, I am going to be ok. This next year will be hard, with long weeks of chemo, then radiation, and two more surgeries, but by this time next year, I will be healing and be ok. I truly believe that.



I thank you all for supporting me tonight and throughout this upcoming journey. The meals you make, the rides and childcare you give my children, the cards, letters, emails and more have meant so much to me. My parents and my husband have been rocks of support. I especially want to thank my mom who is living with us during the week in order to take such good care of me and my kids, and my dad for holding us all up. I thank my husband for being the wonderful supporting and caring man that he is to me and our children. I cannot repay you all, but I can pay it forward.

This battle, this disease, has given me a lot of things, but one I truly didn’t expect. You. The ability to stand in front of a room full of people who love and care about me so much is humbling. I thank you for being here tonight, for supporting me and just being the wonderful people that you are. May God bless you.


My sister in law took a picture of me and her last night, it is posted below.  It shows my new short hair.  Thank you to my Aunt Nancy for giving me such a great look and my mom for teaching me how to style short hair.  My hair has never been this short since I was born, but I am liking it.  So far, I haven't noticed much falling out, but am ok with it when it does. 

Jimmy Valvano...

Okay... I saw this video years ago, long before Kari had cancer.  Jimmy V is a guy that just bleeds passion and energy. 

Watching this again now, it takes on a whole new meaning of fighting, strength and living life.  You have to appreciate these words:

To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.

Watch this...

James' Flat Stanley is Coming Home...

Okay Folks,

We sent James’ Flat Stanley off to LA to hang out with a friend of mine from high school. He is a producer for film and TV. For the few of you who have met Pat Doody, he’s a very creative guy and well connected in the industry. He has written, directed and produced a bunch of content for TV and film. You can check him out at here.

Anyway, from the looks of the pictures, Flat Stanley had a pretty good time. He hung out at the beach, played a little soccer, toured LA and got a chance to meet some stars including Paula Abdul and Kari’s favorite, Kathy Griffin. He may have to spend a little time in detox. I wonder if he got a tattoo?

Yes, that is Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, George Lopez and Kathy Griffin. 

Enjoy!

Jay

This is the old ER set. 

Another Oak Park native..

Coming home...

Bugs!

Rob, Audrey and the twins gave James a insect vacuum for his birthday. This is a clever thing with these clear plastic pods and a vacuum that lets you suck up bugs and capture them. The pods seal in the bugs and have magnifying glasses so that you can examine them. After a few unsuccessful attemps chasing insects through the courtyard, James was able to snag a fly. Here it is.

Dueling Birthday Parties...

With everything else going on in our lives, the summer has been pretty full. Katie's birthday is July 6th and James' is August 21st. To make things easier for us and everyone else, we consolidated the parties into one mega-fest at the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor in Forest Park. The kids had a great time. Thanks to all who helped make this fun and for all those who came to celebrate with us. Katie was a little out of sorts for the party. It was close to nap time. James and Great Grandpa drawing... The Brown Cow used to be an old movie theatre. The party room is where the audience used to sit. James... Cousin Beckett and Grandma Lynn... Games! Cakes! Happy Birthday to James... Make a Wish Katie...

Sweatin'...

James and I had an afternoon to play together. When I asked him where he wanted to go, he said the Conservatory. While not the ideal place to hang out on a sweltering Chicago summer day, it really is a nice place and I like to go there as much as I can. James likes to watch the fish, run along the paths and play in the kids area. If you haven't even been there it is certainly worth the trip, especially considering that it is free. You can check it out here. It has about a dozen different climates. Most are hot and humid. Again, not much relief from the heat. Here are some of the highlights.

Friday....

I am so touched that Friday some dear friends are having a fundraiser for me.  The details are below, I really hope that some of you can come, as it will be a wonderful time. They have planned great food and drink, included in your ticket price, and there are great raffle prizes and more.  I am planning on being there as long as I can as I will have my second treatment the day before....
On July 23rd, Friends of Kari Harris are holding a fundraising event to assist with the medical expenses the Harris family will accrue as a result of her diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer. Kari is a dear friend who provides countless hours of service and commitment to our neighborhood and community. She is always willing to offer creative ideas, a helping hand, and an organizing force to any venture that benefits others. Her generous and compassionate nature motivates us to help her during this very difficult time.

Kari is a devoted wife and mother of two small children who thrive on her energy, attention, and love. On behalf of Kari, we are writing to invite you to our fundraiser which will be held at the Oak Park Art League on July 23rd from 7-10pm. Please join us for some appetizers, wine, beer and pop as we celebrate Life. The cost for the evening is $30 per person. . Additionally we will have a split the pot raffle, raffle baskets, a silent auction and a grand raffle with a chance to win a week in Orlando, Florida. How can you help? There are many ways you can help:

Attend this party on July 23- contact Lori Zalewski 773-745-9044 or 1747 N. New England, Chicago, IL 60707 or lazalew@comcast.net

Donate food or beverages - contact Peggy Lau 708-445-2767 or mac03chi@yahoo.com
Donate raffle or silent auction prizes or buy a ticket for the grand raffle - contact Marlene Panebianco at 708-848-3828 or marlene117@att.net

Donate baked goods to our bake sale which will be held at the fundraiser. Contact Michelle Dal Pino at mad68@comcast.net or 630-832-4277.
Contribute directly to an account set up at the Community Bank of Oak Park/River Forest for the Harris family. Checks can be made out to Team 4 Harris and mailed to

Community Bank of Oak Park/River
Forest 1001 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60301


We hope you can join us for a fun filled evening!
Friends of Kari Harris

A few random pictures and videos...

Hello to all. We hope that you are keeping cool... Here are a few random things from the past week. First, it has been hot here if you haven't noticed. We had a little sprinkling of rain and I saw something really interesting. Check this out. James thought that this was really cool. Anyway, Kari was working on the computer in the office and James picked up her iPhone and head phones. Evidentaly he likes Michael Jackson. There is a park a few blocks away from our house. James and I used to walk there practically every night when he was Katie's age. He called it the park with the green, green grass. Katie, James and I walked there a few nights ago. They had cut a few trees down. Here are the kids on the stump. Finally, there is an old mansion on the property of the part with the green, green grass. The kids like to play on the front porch and the side steps. Here is Katie dancing and singing.

One down...

Hello everyone:

I had my first chemo treatment on Thursday the 15th.  So far, so good.  I started out getting blood drawn to test levels to make sure that I was healthy enough for chemo.  Then I met with my oncologist.  Then I went back to the chemo lab.  I had a wonderful nurse who was very kind to me. I had great company, my mom, and there was lots to read and do while I was treated.  They even gave me a sandwich and something to drink!  This drug trial that I am participating in had 4 "arms" that I could be randomized into- God was looking out for me and I got into the arm that I think is perfect for me.  It takes longer, but it is more aggressive and more evenly dosed which will hopefully make it easier to tolerate.  This is what my weekly schedule looks like:
Thursday- chemo day.  I go to the hospital and get blood drawn from my port.  I wait an hour and then I see the oncologist, then I get clearance and go to the chemo lab.  I get a cocktail of antibiotics, anti-nausea and benedryl pushed into my port.  Then I get Adriamycin (the chemo drug) pushed into my port.  The whole process takes about 2 hours, and hen I go home.   Once home I then take an anti-nausea (zofran) pill a half hour before bed, and then I take 2 cytoxin (a chemo drug in pill form) before bed.
Friday and Saturday- I take zofran half hour before breakfast, then another at 3 pm.  Sometime in the afternoon I give myself an injection of neupogen (a drug that helps my white cells stay up).  Then an antinausia (zofran) pill a half hour before bed, and then I take 2 cytoxin (a chemo drug in pill form) before bed.
Sunday and Monday- same as Friday or Saturday, but I also take an antibiotic each day.
Tuesday and Wednesday- same as Friday and Saturday.

Good thing I have a calendar with all this written down.  It is a lot but hopefully I will be able to tolerate this a bit better.

As for my treatment schedule, this is what the plan is:
I have 14 more weeks of Chemo following the schedule above, then I get two weeks off (last week of Oct and first week of Nov- just in time to go to vegas for SEMA- luckily I won't stick out in the crowd too much with my bald head and port, as it is vegas...)
Then, the second week of November I start another 13 weeks of chemo on a different schedule.  This will take me through February.  After that I will have 4-6 weeks of radiation.  Finally, I will have two more surgeries.  I anticipate being done July 2011.  Again, I have a long road ahead of me, but with support from wonderful friends and family, I will be be just fine.  I really feel this week that God has told me that I just need to get through this year, and I will be ok. I truly believe that.

On a family note, I am looking forward to the combined birhtday party tomorrow afternoon for James and Katie!!!!  Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor here we come!!!!

Go! Stop!

Hi everyone.

Thank you for your well wishes for today.  I had my port put in bright and early, at 7am this morning.  Jay took me and waited until he couldn't be with me any more, then he waited until I was done.  My mom came once James got to school and was waiting for me when I got out.  I was "awake" the whole time, but I was numbed and kind of drifting off, but not really asleep.  After it was over, we decided there was enough time to go back home before my chemo appt at noon.  Once home, I was trying to relax but started to not feel well from the meds.  Then I got sick.  Then I decided I wasn't going to chemo, but with a pushing pep talk from my dad, I went.  However, once I got there, Dr. Albain thought that I shouldn't start chemo today as she would not be able to distinguish what was side effects from chemo, or from the port meds.  SO... now I am starting chemo on Thursday.  Thursday will be my chemo day, unless it is a holiday or my counts aren't high enough.  I got randomized to the most aggresive chemo "arm" in the study I am in.  I will be having chemo every week, on Thursday, starting the 15th. for the 15 weeks.    There is more treatments following the 15 weeks of chemo, but I am not focusing on that right now.  I am just going to focus on being healthy and keeping on track with my treatments as they are all important, and should not be missed. 

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive in this journey so far.  It means the world to me.  You are all helping me through this so much.  Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go, please continue to help me. 

The Birdie Babies!

We have bird babies!  James and Katie love to watch them and they just keep saying, "They're so cute!"  Then Katie says, "My birdies!" 

This was a picture a few days before, when one egg had hatched...

class of uncertainty

I’ve been to a lot of classes in my life thus far, but today I went to one that I never thought I’d attend- chemo class. And once again, I’m the youngest in there by a good 12-15 years. I think that is probably the hardest thing to deal with throughout this process. I’m ok (surprisingly) with the bilateral mastectomy so far. I don’t want cancerous tissue in my body, and the expanders and padding will make me look just fine. I will be honest in that the swimsuit thing bothers me, as I like going to the beach and the pool, but since I can’t swim this summer anyway, I am not going to deal with that mentally right now. I have a problem with the fact that at age 33; I am dealing with breast cancer. I think it would be easier to deal with at the age of 53 or 63 as my kids would be much older; they would be through their formative childhood years and have wonderful lives of their own. I would have had the chance to travel and spend time with my husband and just experience life. Instead, in the middle of chaos of two children under five, a husband that works 80 hours a week to create a successful business, living in a house that we never intended on raising two children in, and keeping it all together, I have to figure out how I’m getting to treatments, getting my kids to school, childcare for Katie and still trying to keep some sort of a normal family routine. So far, everyone has been so helpful and willing to participate. My wonderful mom has been practically living with us since this started, and there is still so much time to go. Jay has been doing a great job of taking care of the kids and putting them to bed, and there are so many wonderful friends who have been helping out with meals, childcare and rides. I know I am fortunate to have so much help, but I worry that we can’t keep this pace up for 8-10 more months. I have a lot of chemo treatments ahead of me and then radiation follows. I am praying for strength and the ability to just try to take it one day at a time. That’s not easy for a planner like me. I am having a hard enough time not being able to plan anything until the 13th, when I find out what my chemo treatment schedule will be. I also worry about cancer reoccurrence. The odds that they gave me for being cancer free in 10 years are great, if I was playing the lottery or betting in Vegas. When you are talking about your life, nothing under 90% is comforting in my opinion. Class today answered a lot of questions, but it couldn’t answer my biggest questions: when I complete treatment, will that be the end of cancer in my body? Will I be able to see my grandchildren? Take trips with my husband? Return to normal? Will I even remember what normal is, or was, when this is all over? I know no one has a guarantee on a long life, but it is hard when something life-threatening is staring you in the face to keep it all together sometimes. I am nervous about starting chemo on Tuesday, but I know the treatments will make me better, I will know more Tuesday, and I have to remember that not everyone is the same, and the side effects from chemo that I am worrying about, just may not happen to me. One day at a time, and sometimes, one hour at a time. Please continue to keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers.

More from Katie's Birthday Party...

Okay Folks,

Here are a few more video's from Katie's birthday party.

This is the obligatory singing of Happy Birthday...



James "gave" Katie a mechanical puppy for her birthday.  He picked it our himself at the cracker barrel last week.  Katie was absolutely fascinated with it. All of the boys are playing around her but I was trying to catch how tender she was being with the dog. No, we are not going to get a real dog for her.



Enjoy!

Jay

Katie's Birthday Video, Part 1...

I think that this cake was more of a thrill for Kari than Katie.

Katie's Birthday- A 2 Year Retrospective...

Well, we have a two year-old girl as of today. We are very fortunate to have and very proud of our happy little Katie. Before we get into the exciting details of the day, here's a look back. Introducing Katherine Marie Harris on July 6, 2008. Look out... here's Daddy with the big camera and the fancy lights... ...and here's her first birthday... So, Katie had a very busy day. It started out with Kari, Gradma Diane and Papa Bede at the Garfield Park Conservatory. She loves to watch the fish there. Then, she was whisked home to receive her tiera... ...have dinner with the family, open presents and have cake. One of her favorite gifts was a set of bottles for her baby. Here she is debating milk or juice. Then we unveiled the coolest Barbie cake ever. Nothing is better than cake... I have some videos from today that I am uploading to YouTube. Watch for them later tonight. Happy Birthday Katie!!!

Happy 4th of July...

Greetings to all, We hope that you had a great long weekend and were able to celebrate Independence Day with friends and family. Kari has a long week coming up so we took the chance to get away to the Lodge with the kids, her parents, Rob, Audrey and the twins. The weather was perfect so we took every chance to be outside. This includes a little camping for James and me. We did this first last September. James and I pitched the tent together, made a campfire and roasted our own dinner. Those were the best Oscar Mayer's that I ever had. Based on this success, we did it again this weekend, not one night but two. James slept very well in the tent, even with all of the fireworks. This also made accommodations in the Lodge a little easier for Rob, Audrey and the twins. James also had plenty of time to perfect his biking. One of Katie's favorite past times is feeding the ducks when we go into town. We intentionally save bread and goldfish crackers for the occasion. The ducks in Saugatuck are very well fed but never pass up on a stale treat. After Katie over served the ducks, we took a ride on the chain ferry. Saugatuck is filled with unique old kitch (see my post on the abandoned Cold-War Era RADAR station). This includes a college-student powered dredge that carries passengers across the channel from downtown to the beach. Click here to learn more. James' Flat Stanley joins us on most of our adventures now. Here are the two of them together on the Lake Michigan side of the chain ferry. We dawdled a little too long on the Lake side. The line for the return trip was very long and full of people trying to get back in time for the 4th of July parade. We had a few minutes to catch some picture on a bench as we waited. We made it back to town with just enough time to meet up with the rest of the family to catch the parade. Saugatuck is certainly small town Americana with a flamboyant side. Needless to say the Halloween parade is not for kids nor the faint of heart. Likewise, their Labor Day parade consisted of a few politicians and a tractor. It was about 8 minutes, all in. I was pleasantly surprised with their 4th of July parade. Here's the family after the fact. Lastly, I wanted to pass on the video of the kids heading to the fireworks last night. I missed the part when all of them were lined up in a straight line. This is good. Take Care, Jay