Back To Reality

Hi Friends!

I’ve missed telling you stories about my crazy life J   I’ve been out of cyber world for a couple of weeks for good reason.  I’ve been enjoying a NORMAL (somewhat) life with my family!  I haven’t been this happy in a long time.  We had three weeks away from M.D. Anderson while we’ve been praying that the radiation is doing its job.  During that time we have moved into a home next door to my in-laws and have been enjoying doing normal things like going out to lunch, laying in bed (watching ESPN) and talking about the day.  It’s the little things in life that I now cherish. 

Andrew’s parents bought the house next door to them around the time Andrew got sick.  The intent was for us to move in and rent it from them.  Once we got the house inspected we realized it was going to need some work.  Let me tell you though, the house is a dream.  Everyday I wake up and can’t believe I live in this beautiful, really old home with original hardwood floors and shabby chic appeal.  I have a pink office with French doors and 3 floor to ceiling windows.  The whole house is full of these beautiful windows so we have constant sunlight streaming into our home.  I am so grateful.  It took us around 5 months to get the house in a condition for us to move into.  Along the way we had so much help from Andrew’s parents, his sister and brother in law, his aunt and uncle and the Cuero community.  The house is truly a labor of love.  Having our own space and feeling somewhat normal has rejuvenated my spirits and has inspired me to dream again. 

The last couple of weeks were wonderful because Andrew was feeling good enough to do a lot of the things he has been wanting to do, but hasn’t had the energy to complete.  He worked on his Ellie project, his book “A Gray Faith” , his real estate ventures and so many other projects that he loves.  I enjoyed seeing him passionate again.  I’ve always connected with Andrew because we are such big dreamers and I hadn’t connected with him in that way for a while since he felt so sick. 

Another big blessing was that Andrew, Ellie and me got to spend good quality time as a family.  We took Ellie to the mall to get a pic with the Easter Bunny which she was terrified of, but made for such great memories.  We’ve had dance parties in the morning to Justin Bieber songs (ok maybe Andrew sat this one out but El and I were tearing the dance floor up).  We snuggled and watched Dora the Explorer before bedtime every night.  We cooked together (ok mostly Andrew cooked but I told him he did a great job J ).  A few weeks ago I remember going to a restaurant and watching families eat together and talk and it made me sad because I realized this experience has changed my life and that our lives aren’t normal and maybe I missed normal.  

Well, we are back at M.D. Anderson today feeling a little anxious about the results, but also feeling hopeful and rejuvenated by the normalcy of the past few weeks.  I long for Andrew to live and for us to experience our dreams and Ellie’s dreams come to fruition.  I’m grateful for the wonderful days God has given us and I’m thankful God taught me how to appreciate life in a whole new way through this experience.  I pray that through our story you will try and connect more deeply with others, share your love more freely and inhale the beauty and gift of each new day.  I love you with all my heart! Blessings.

P.S. I have so many thank yous to send out and I’m working on it one day at a time.  I want to say thank you so much to the Kenny Can Foundation for their generous donation to our family.  We are beyond grateful.  Please check out their wonderful website and help get the word out so they can help other families like ours. Thank you all so much.

www.KennyCan.org