Now for the List!

Since I’m out of my routine and haven’t been blogging daily, I have a lot to get off of my chest. This blog post will be all over the place, so bare with me, just read, and remember that I am crazy right now.

 

Surgery Planning

If you know me well enough (in person or here on the blog), you know I like a list.

I like a “to do” list.

I like a “meals for the week” list.

I like a “grocery” list.

I like a “random things we need” list.

I like a “projects around the house” list.

I’ve been known to do something that wasn’t on one of my list, then write it on a list and cross it off! 

Hey! Don’t knock it til you try it! Such a sense of accomplishment!

That feeling when I cross every item off of my list, then admire it, then throw it away? Ahhhhhhhh.

Pretty much every night before I go to bed, I make a list of what I want to accomplish the following day.

Now I have a list of “list I need to make”. That’s right. I have a list of the list that I need to make.

I gave this fabulous/annoying trait to my daughter Tess. She is the one that told me that I needed to make a list of the list that I need before surgery. No joke. I thought is was genius!

Over the weekend, Tess was telling me all about her surgery list that she has made for me over the last two weeks.

She has a list of clothes I need to buy….comfy with buttons or zipper fronts.

She has a list of easy meal ideas and a Pinterest page with easy recipes for friends wanting to bring dinner over.

She has a list of things for me to make ahead of time and freeze.

She has a list of Netflix movies for me to watch.

She has a list of Pod Cast for me to listen to.

She has a list of things that I need to move to lower racks and lower shelves so I can get to them with ease. (apparently reaching up is difficult)

She has been on  Breast Cancer.org  and The American Cancer Society reading up on what mom needs to do pre-surgery and post-surgery to prepare. Tess has done more preparing for my surgery than I have! I love that kid.

I have had some great advice from friends who have had the same surgery, so I have some great resources for info!

One suggestion was to buy this particular post op camisole with built in cups for your drainage tubes and bags. Bought it! it was 70 bucks, so I hope it’s awesome!

I am also on the list for the Healing Chair. Check out the Kansas City Facebook page for the Healing Chair. This is a great link if you know someone in the Kansas City Area or the St. Louis area getting ready to have a mastectomy. This is a non-profit group that started in St. Louis and is now in Kansas City. They have 30 plus chairs now in just the Kansas City area, and they are delivered to women a day or two before surgery. They say the chair is great for sleeping in on the first few nights post op. When you are done with the chair, it is then passed on to another breast cancer mastectomy patient. 

I am so glad that one of my friends told me about this! I don’t know this for certain, but I think it is an electric lift chair? It looks like a recliner and I think that it will lift up to your body as you stand if front of it. When it is lifted, you lean back into the chair and lower it. I think. No matter how it actually works, I have read that the patients that use are forever grateful!

The chair comes with a journal that you share your story in, then pass on to the next person. I am so happy to be on that list!

 

Kate and Shelby

These two must really be exhausted. If you are not up to date, their house flooded over two weeks ago and they (along with their four children) had to move in with us while the house gets put back together.

Anne (our daughter that lives in Oklahoma) had her baby on Saturday morning and I just know that it was killing Kate to not be there in Oklahoma with Anne. They are very close sisters and have been next door neighbors for about two years. Their kids (obviously cousins) were able to play together all the time and Anne and Kate had each other to get together with at any given moment. That all changed a few months ago when Anne and Cortney moved to Oklahoma and I know that not being able to see each other every day has been tough on Anne and Kate and the kids.

Mike (the hubs) and Kate were able to drive down to Oklahoma on Sunday for a quick day visit while the kids and Shelby stayed here. Mike and Kate were on the road by 6:30 am and were back home around 10:00 pm. (I think it was 10:00? I took Tess and Manuel to the airport and was home and in bed before 8:30 pm! I was exhausted from all of the HAPPY!!) 

Kate and Shelby are in one bedroom here along with the baby and as much as they can fit in that room. I know that they must both be going crazy living out of bags and not having a place to put everything, but I swear you wouldn’t know it. Shelby has a great sense of humor and I think Kate is just going through the motions of what needs to be done day to day and trying to appreciate Shelby’s humor (seriously, the guy cracks me up!). They are really doing an amazing job as are the kids. I could not be more proud of how all of them are handling the whole situation.

It’s good to be able to bond with the whole family.

Sunday while Mike and Kate were gone, Shelby and the kids and Tess and Manuel and I enjoyed a nice morning on the deck. The weather was perfect and I didn’t want our morning to end.

 

These two give the best morning hugs.

 

The dry wall should be done today and I believe we get to start painting tonight or tomorrow. After we paint, it’s new trim and carpet! The carpet is scheduled for the 22nd, then hopefully we can find them furniture and get them moved back into their home.

Just a reminder, each room in the house looked like this last week.

 

Me and My Emotions

We have a roller coaster of things going on here and it has truly been a great distraction for me to not think about the fact that I have breast cancer. Engagements, babies, planning for Kate and Shelby, trying to fit in some socializing and working my WW meetings.

I could not be happier for these two goofballs. I’ll take “Happy” any day of the week!

This is them the day after the proposal at a wedding of a friend.

So cute!!

 

This is me the day after the proposal.

We went to yet another funeral for a friend/co-worker of Mike’s.

The church was the same church where I married my first husband. We have a million churches here, so really we end up here? There are many bad memories associated with that part of my life and being at the church was tough. I wanted to only think about the family and the funeral but I was struggling a bit. 

 

Mike’s best friend also works with him and he and his wife (we have become great friends and I love her to pieces!) were at the funeral, so we went to lunch together after the funeral and that helped get my head back to a happy place, not to be disrespectful of the family we were there to mourn with. Did I mention a lot of emotions??

When Mike and I got home from our lunch, we went to my friend/neighbors house. She had some close friends over. I love these ladies. They have all been friends for years and have welcomed me in to their little circle. I’ve blogged about two of them in the recent months. Would you believe that three women in this picture (including myself in that three) have cancer?

One friend has lung cancer and she has just finished chemo and radiation like a trooper! I’ve never met anyone so strong!

Another friend in this picture is currently fighting colon cancer. She has chemo every other week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. She’s a fighter too and oh so strong. She will finish her chemo in November.

I feel honored to be friends with them and they are a great source of strength for me right now. They are actually the first two people that I told that I had breast cancer. They knew that I was waiting on biopsy results. I had casually told them at a Friday night Happy Hour that I really didn’t want to join their little cancer club that they had going, but I guess if I was going to have to join the club, I was lucky to have them to lean on.

This was Saturday night. Truly love these girls.

 

On Sunday, we enjoyed a quiet morning on the deck which I’ve already told you about. it was nice, happy and quiet.

I mowed the lawn and Tess and I took a nice long walk.

 

This was the first day that I’ve had this many steps, but it sure felt good!

 

This came in the mail……

I freaked out for a millisecond…..only to discover it was just to verify my information. I’m certain a summons is coming soon!

 

After a nice morning, a walk and checking the mail,  I took Tess and Manuel to the airport. Sad and happy all at the same time.

I was in bed and asleep early Sunday night and slept a solid 12 hours! I think my brain is just tired.

I’ve still been eating pretty well, but not three meals a day, and no pictures, and making too many excuses for a beer or a glass of wine.

On Tuesday I didn’t have breakfast or lunch, and at 1:30 I found this in the freezer. Tess had bought it and forgot about it.

I sat on the deck and ate the entire thing.

13 SmartPoints

 

 

Tucker

Okay, this last hair cut is AWFUL!!!

Doesn’t matter. I love this dog.

 

This is big news. Tucker came here five years ago when Tess was in college. He had been neglected and all this little guy wanted was to cuddle and be loved. Long story short, Tucker belongs to Tess.

I love him dearly and I have never met a dog that loved all animals and all people the way that Tucker does. The plan has always been for Tucker to live with Tess when she established a life after college.

That time has come.

On Friday, I am driving to Oklahoma to meet my new grand baby and taking Tucker with me.

Tess and Manuel are driving from Dallas to Oklahoma and meeting me there to also meet the new grand baby, Kingston, and to take Tucker home to Dallas.

It’s bitter sweet, but after surgery it will be nice to know that I don’t have to worry about him jumping up on me and really, it’s time for him to go live with his mom.

Okay, you are now up to date.

Next post is all of my surgery fears. I have a ton!

 
2017 Goals
Make time each week to Meal Plan
Drink 100 ounces of water each day
Exercise 5 days a week
Eat three meals and one snack daily
FOUR 100 Mile Walking Challenges this year! (This goal has changed a little now that I have this fabulous Fitbit.)

“love the life you live, live the life you love”