Nancy and I went to Dorrance on Friday evening to ‘help’ with preparations for Mom’s birthday party. I wasn’t much help to my family members because I was still battling chemo side effects from my treatment on Tuesday. Even though I could not decorate any cup cakes for the party, I did enjoy watching Anna as she decorated her face with a cup cake! I want to give a big ‘shout out’ to Susan, Deb, Nancy, Kelly, Sharon, Aunt Joan and all who helped get ready for the party. I like to think that if I wasn’t experiencing chemo brain, nausea and fatigue, that I would have been a great help to the party. As it was, I was pretty much worthless in contributing to the work on Friday and Saturday. I know some of you are thinking that my level of help has nothing to do with chemotherapy side effects!!
We had a GREAT party for Mom on Saturday because of all the family and friends who celebrated with us!! We wanted to honor Mom on an amazing 80 years of living life to its fullest and I think we succeeded. Mom is a very active woman who likes to surround herself with lots of activity and excitement. A lot of her daily activity is focused on serving and doing for others. I can’t think of a better role model for me on how to embrace life and to live it with enthusiasm and gusto. Thanks Mom for being such a powerful influence in my life!
FOMK – Friends of Mary Kay – made a big appearance at the party on Saturday! My cousins Diann and Ken Goodyear and my Aunt Joan surprised me with caps with a creative design of FOMK on them. It really touched my heart to see so many wearing the caps at Mom’s birthday party. Thank you to Diann, Ken, and Aunt Joan for giving me a little extra inspiration to overcome this battle against cancer. I have said it before and I will say it again, the generosity and kindness of my family and friends has been overwhelming during this cancer journey.
The day on Saturday ended with a trip in Mick and Colleen’s motor home to Wilson Lake to watch the fireworks display. It was a beautiful Kansas evening – more like late May than early July weather – with temperatures in the 70’s and clear skies. We parked on a hilltop on the south side of the lake
and had a impressive view of the lake and prairie. Not only did I enjoy fireworks display, I also enjoyed the spectacular view of the stars that night. They were so bright and there seemed to be a gazillion stars that were visible to the naked eye. My sister Debbie gave me a special gift while we were watching the stars – she named my very own star for me as we sat there. She said all I have to do to make it official is to give her $75 and she will make a certificate for me for the entire world to see! Isn’t that special of her? As you can see from the picture, Kevin and Sharon chose the stargazing perch on top of the motor home so that they could point out my personal star to the group.
The wonderful weekend ended with a trip to Beloit to celebrate Hallie’s baptism. Matt and Lori had a great meal of bacon-wrapped pork loin with all the fixings and homemade ice cream for dessert. I do my best to show up anytime there is a free meal to be had!! Anna loves to rub my bald head and as you can see from the photo of Anna, Hallie and Garrett, she likes to rub Hallie’s bald head as well. That’s all for now.
Love to all,
Mary Kay
No comments:
Post a Comment