No Leukemia!

I wanted to entitle this post "A Haunting in Missouri" but was afraid people would click on it to actually read about a haunting, and then would get mad at me cause it's not about a haunting... but I'm sure I don't care too much about what people think... noooo, not at all.

Well I have great news. We got the results back from the crazy long day last Tuesday and Nathan is still 100% leukemia-free. Now we have planned a party to celebrate Sept 28. It is called "One Year of Kicking Cancer in the FACE" Party. Not that we in any way feel strongly about it.... :) You can come if you are in Spring-town on the 28! I have to admit, I didn't want to make any solid plans until we heard back from the biopsy results. Perhaps it's a little superstitious, but I'm just so aware of how quickly and easily the rug can get pulled out from under you, and it hurts to have your heart set on one thing and to not be able to do it. It's so hard to believe it's been a year... and I can't believe it's only been a year. Time ceased making any kind of sense a while back.  But it's slowly making it's way back... I can see bits of "normal" here and there. Nathan takes out the trash sometimes, and sometimes he gets me a drink, and I see the "I feel like crap but I'm putting on a brave face" face a lot less. (Granted they did just lower his prednisone dosage, so this has been a bit of a rougher week.) Having that port out... it means a lot to the both of us.... I think I'm nearly as excited as he is that he can now reach above his head with his right arm. Being able to just hop in the shower... You just don't know what it's like until you can't... I don't even know what it's like, I just have an idea. There are just lots and lots of little things that I'm treasuring in my heart everyday.

In the meantime I'm trying to enjoy fall as much as I can, as I missed it last year. I'm contemplating Pumpkin Harvest Cupcakes from "The Cup" (pumpkin cake and cinnamon butter cream....mmmmmmm). I'm admiring Nathan's newest fashion love (a dark brown jacket we got him last weekend). I'm planning a Corn Maze Trip for some point in the next month or so. I'm ready to see those leaves turn colors and to feel the bite in the air. Perhaps I will even begin thinking of fabulous costume ideas soon. You know how I love a good costume... well, perhaps you don't, but let me tell you. I *LOVE* costumes. Seriously. Things I love in life: Nathan, family and friends, costumes, reading, and rainbows. That pretty much sums it all up. One of the reasons I'm excited to have kids is all of the adorable costumes I can create... Plus then we can do FAMILY costumes! (I would like to reiterate how perfect my husband is for me. It's so nice that he loves me enough to let me dress him up every year.)

Last year on Halloween my aunt, Dawn, was visiting and we were in the hospital and we got on the elevator and there was a nurse dressed up in the old school nursing outfit... Like all white, hair bun, pointy hat with a red cross on it. old school... I wanted to ask if she was in costume or if that was normal attire, but I didn't want to insult her, like if she was about to get pinned (I think that's what they call it when you become an official nurse) and was paying homage to the long and venerable history of nursing. But seriously how great would it have been if she wasn't a nurse and just worked in billing or something... Anyway, Dawn  was having all the same thoughts as I was, so we couldn't look at each other as we rode the elevator and as soon as we got off and the doors closed we started talking about it... we decided we much preferred to think that she was not in fact a nurse... But the truth is still a mystery... was it a costume, a nod to tradition, or a time warp inside that elevator... it haunts me, still.

Today, I bought toilet paper just because it was Susan G Komen for the Cure, toilet paper. I figure there are worse reasons to buy things. And there were no stupid bears on the package. Then I bought Kleenexes in boxes that weren't those horrendous marble-y designs that they haven't changed for 10 years. And then I bought "marble loaf cake" and thought of you, Amber. So to sum up: Curing cancer is a good advertising slogan, and marblelization belongs in cake, not tissue box design.

Ok I guess I'm not really that haunted.

P.S. Gleeee! *squeal* *Muppet panic* *run into glass door and knock myself out* *wake up* *stand up and furtively look around* *fix hair and act like I meant to do that, while hoping no one noticed*