Best Day Ever

In case there's one person left on the planet who hasn't seen the picture of me with my very own upcoming book, here it is.

I was euphoric when I got the package in the mail, and I kept thinking, "This is the best day ever!" So then I got to thinking about all of the best days I've had...getting married, having my girls, getting that first acceptance from a book publisher (okay, any acceptance, not just a first).

But you know what? I've had a day that trumped all of those hands down. Even trumped them all rolled into one.

The day I looked at the doctor and said, "So does that mean she's in remission?" and the doctor smiled and said, "Yes, it means she's in remission."

That was...wow. How to describe it? It was like:

winning the Super Bowl

going to France

having a book published

saving the world

discovering a long lost fortune

having the WEIGHT OF THE WORLD lifted off your shoulders

and yes, getting married, having babies, and getting books published

And it was all of those things rolled into one.

I remember the day so well, we were in the hospital, and knew we would be there for at least three more days. It had been a very long, very hard 8 weeks. The hospital room was the size of a walk-in closet, and I mean that literally. St. Jude's rooms aren't known for their size.

We'd had a full day of testing, and we'd been waiting eagerly and anxiously for the results. Our regular doctor had to go out of the country before the results were in, so one of the other oncologists brought us the news. I suddenly didn't mind everything we'd just gone through--not the loss of memory, loss of bodily function control, loss of walking ability, throwing up, tears, and pain. My little girl had done it. She'd beaten cancer.

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Just For Laughs

While preparing to upload some photos, I discovered that the camera had 83 photos waiting to be downloaded. Eighty-three?! I had no knowledge of this many pictures, and so I eagerly scrolled through them to see what I had missed. I laughed out loud as I saw what they were, and I thought I'd share them with you today, because really, who doesn't need a good laugh every once and a while?

Twin Unicorns dressed in matching garb (these are Emma and Ashlyn's shirts, BTW)

What turns out to be a very photogenic cat

Let's throw in a giraffe for good measure.

Said cat, looking decidedly irritated

Ha ha! Mom doesn't know we took the camera!

Hey Emma, take a picture of me brushing me teeth!

A really annoying game...

Hey Ashlyn, grab that slinky...

Yeah, that's the one.

More cat

...and more giraffe.

  

Don't forget a board game!  

For some reason, Emma felt compelled to photograph her port

 

Hmm, looks like Mom cleaned. Hurry, dump that basket of toys out.

     

...and yet more cat...

 

And we can't leave out the bubble wand.

Ah. Good times.

Where was I while this was going on, you ask? Well, as evidenced by the pictures I did NOT show you, I was sitting on the couch, buried deep within the realm of a story I was writing. At least, that is what I'm going to assume I was doing ; )

Awards Day

Ramblings of a Cancer Kid Mom has been given some awards! We happily accept the Tell Me About Yourself Award and the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award from Katrina DeLallo and Kelly Hashway.  Thanks ladies!

    


The rules of the awards are to pass along a few tidbits about myself that you may not already know. My life is an open book, I'm afraid, but I'll give it a try!

1. I prefer sweet over salty.
2. I don't actually like animals (sorry!).
3. I love the TV shows The Walking Dead and Drop Dead Diva.
4. My favorite food is Chinese food.
5. I like blogging--it's theraputic for me.
6. I prefer being alone to being with people, at least most of the time.
7. I always wanted four kids, at least I used to always want that ; ).


So that's all for me! I'll pass the awards along now!

Jill Williamson
Mikki Sadil
Allyn Stotz
Anita Bond
Rick Starkey
Heather Burch

The Kindness of Others

Look up. That's right, there at that countdown clock. Do you see the number "5" in the month column? Yay! We have less than 6 months left in this thing. CAN. NOT. WAIT.  :)

This journey has been long. There have been times I have felt alone. Left out. Sad. Down. Depressed.

Times when I thought  no one understood what I was going through. Angry that everyone didn't have to go through my struggles, and angry that they got to go on with their lives while mine was at a terrible standstill.

During these times something usually bopped me over the head (God, I presume) and reminded me to count my blessings. Okay, I should use present tense here. WHEN these times come, because they still do.

When I stop to count my blessings I'm always awed by the kindness of people. We have been richly blessed by our friends, family, and church family, and I want to make sure they all know it! Big thanks to each and every one of you who has prayed for us, offered us words of encouragement, sent gifts to us or our girls, or done a world of other good.

Recently a wonderful lady we go to church with brought us a gift (pic below). It came out of the blue, and reminded me of the kindness of others. Once again, it made me want to do more to help people who are hurting.

What about you? I encourage you to do something nice for someone today :)

As an aside, we've signed up once again for St. Jude's Give thanks. Walk. If you would like to help sponsor our walk you can click the link at the top of the page!

Keep Kids Connected

The wonderful people at our clinic recently introduced us to another fantastic charity called Keep Kids Connected.  Kids undergoing chemo have to spend so much time at the hospital away from friends, home, and things to do.  Through the donation of a NetBook to those who apply, Keep Kids Connected aims to bring entertainment to children with cancer everywhere.  Cool, right?

Who We Are:  Keep Kids Connected

What We Do: Keep Kids Connected was created to help keep kids connected to their family and friends while they are undergoing treatment for cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. The organization was inspired by Caitlyn Mortus (pictured left) who is, herself, a cancer survivor.

How To Apply: If you are or have a child with cancer, visit here to download and print the application!

How To Donate: They can't do it without the loving support of people like you and me.  You can spread the word by liking their Facebook page, or you can donate money to their cause.  Visit here to learn more!