“We Are Family”

You know the song “we are family” That song alone sums up my last 5 days. What a whirlwind, yet amazing trip to Florida for my cousins wedding. It was perfect! I had some quality time with many family members. The wedding was beautiful in many ways and the time with my extended family was filled with many many laughs! That’s one thing I love about spending time with my family…I laugh a ton! Laughter is therapeutic and so needed. If you know me well, you know it doesn’t take much to make me laugh. I sure did share in a lot of laughs this weekend…I wish I could do it all over again!

There were so many highlights of the weekend, it’s hard to touch on just a few, but here goes:

1. Father-daughter dance – there was not a dry eye in the place! It was great that she chose “Old Time Rock & Roll” to keep the emotion upbeat. The entire family was then invited to join in which made it very special. Of course I found myself missing my dad during that moment because he would’ve danced and enjoyed it so much, just as his twin brother did.

2. Toasts – my cousin Erin nailed it with her speech! I don’t get much time with Erin and enjoyed getting to hang with her and meet her fiancé. Kelly followed with a brief yet funny toast to the newlyweds

3. Cousins! Every minute I get with my cousins is a a blast. The youngest of my first cousins (Matt Dixon) said something to me that I will never forget. It was very heartfelt and I may miss-quote. The gist was him calling me brave and the toughest of the family. He felt that what I’m going thru sucks but maybe it was meant to happen to me (in the family) so I could show them all how to handle a rough situation…to teach them as my younger cousins that shit happens and we all can conquer what we’re dealt. Well, it was something like that? Regardless it was sweet and meaningful to me. The icing on the cake was when I busted out my wigs. Yes, I brought them all because I knew my fam would get a kick out of it and we could have a wig session together. Again, gotta have fun with this ride or it will make me nuts. The wig part of the evening was hilarious.

4. Uncle Tom – seeing my dads twin have the time of his life with his family was amazing. I’m so thankful Aunt Brenda got him there. Its amazing how his state of mind seems so much clearer when he’s surrounded by the family. He danced, smiled and knew what was up! On a “normal” day he’s very forgetful and dimentia seems to set in. The mind is a crazy thing.

5. The Masters – I picked Tiger Woods to win. Both in my pool and in my heart. I really wanted to see a comeback, an inspiration for the ages. He Did It!! And I watched the entire thing beachside with my brother…a few cousins popped in throughout as well. Sunday Funday was fab Masters-Style!

6. Time – simply spoken, these experiences can’t be written and are priceless. Don’t give up time with your loved ones! Create memories! Spend more time laughing! Make your time on earth priceless as much as you can!

Now I’m home and back to reality. The fun is over and the countdown is back on for the next 11 Thursdays of chemo. I’m dreading it & hope it flys by. My “chemo buddy” for tomorrow is Maria & I’m excited about that. I want her to see what I’m doing, plus it will give us some time together. Not necessarily the best way to launch Easter Break, but whatev.

With that I bid you farewell and Happy Easter!! ? ?