Kicking cancer's ass - day 1898

"No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch."
-Leo Dworken

What texture are you grateful for?

I'm grateful for the softness of a cat's fur. 

I have always been a cat person.  Maybe because I'm a little bit of an independent loner so I can relate to them.  ha ha  I also love a good back rub. 

I loved my cats.  Pumpkin and Shadow were the sweetest, most loyal cats ever (unless you ask my Hubby!).  I'll never forget the day Shadow died.  I knew she was going to the vet and not coming back, so I sat all morning with her on my lap and I just kept petting her.  That feeling of stroking her frail little body will forever be with me.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1897

“Peace has victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

What holiday are you grateful for?

I am grateful for today - Veterans Day.

I'm proud to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I'm proud of my dad, an immigrant who served our country in Viet Nam and then became a United States citizen.

I'm proud of my stepson who served in the army, including a year in Korea.

I'm proud of my friend's husbands who have dedicated their lives to serving our country.

I'm proud to be an American.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1896

"He stared at his hot chocolate like it held the secret to the universe."
— Lilith Saintcrow

What taste are you grateful for today?

Considering I spent 16 hours at the softball fields in frigid weather (it was 33 degrees when I got there this morning), I am incredibly grateful for the taste of hot chocolate.

Not only is it delicious, it warms you up from the inside like a hug.

Apparently a lot of people feel the same way.....we sold 500 cups of hot chocolate at the concession stand!

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1895

"America is another name for opportunity."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

What place are you grateful for?

I'm grateful for this wonderfully diverse, beautifully scenic country that I live in.

America is not without its problems.
We are a nation divided by politics, by race, by finances, by just about everything.  We have homeless veterans and abused children and mass shootings.

But those problems are everywhere.  No nation is immune to the ugliness of human nature.

What makes America the incredible country that it is is the pride and patriotism of its people.  Go to any small town on July 4th and you will be overwhelmed with red, white and blue.  Play "God Bless the USA" and I dare you not to sing along.  Watch our nation come together when a natural disaster befalls our people..... or any other country.

Americans are great.  As Willie Nelson said, "To me,  America is freedom".

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1894

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
– George R.R. Martin

What book are you most grateful for?

I'm just grateful for books.  Plural. 
Reading brings me joy. 

For a long time I wasn't able to read as much as I used to.  The devastation cancer brings to your life is so overwhelming, it's hard to find pleasure in anything.  Add in chemo brain which makes it very difficult to concentrate, and reading goes by the wayside.

I'm happy to say that I am back to my book devouring phase.  I have read almost one hundred books this year, and 25 of them were 5 star reads.  That makes for one happy book lover!

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1893

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."
~Helen Keller

What memory are you grateful for?

I am grateful for each and every one of the memories I shared with my BFF.  Even now, nine months after her passing, I have a hard time believing she's gone.  I often pick up the phone to text her, or share something with her on Facebook. 

I miss my Trudester.

The one memory I am most grateful for is the one pictured below.  It was a last minute decision and a physically and emotionally draining trip, but I am SO GLAD that I went to see her before she died.  Those few days with her are so precious to me.  Seeing firsthand that she was at peace sets my mind at ease.  Having her sing Happy Birthday to me touches my heart.

Never in a million years did I think when we met in seventh grade that she and I would share this awful journey of cancer.  We shared a lot.. almost everything.... but I never would have wanted this for either of us. 

The quote above is true.  She walked in darkness, and I walked in darkness.  But we did it together.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1892

If there's a heaven for me, I'm sure it has a beach attached to it.      
~Jimmy Buffett

What in nature are you grateful for?

I'm with Jimmy..... my happy place is by the ocean.  I don't care if it's freezing on a beach in Maine, soaking up the sun along the south Atlantic or strolling along the rainy coast in the Pacific Northwest (not that I've ever done that, but I'm sure I'd love it).....

I love the ocean.  I love the sounds of the waves.  I love the shells and the sparkling sand and boats and lighthouses.  I'm not crazy about sand in my bathing suit, but you take the good with the bad.

There is no place more soothing to me in nature than the beach.  I'm grateful for all of the vacations I've had at the ocean.  Cape Cod, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia... pick a place along the east coast and I've probably been there.

Unfortunately I live in the middle of west Texas...... no ocean here.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1891

“Without music, life would be a mistake”
― Friedrich Nietzsche.

What sound are you grateful for today?

This is so easy.  Music. 

I love blaring country music in my car.
I love concerts.
I love listening to music while I fall asleep.
I love the fact that my children love to make music in band.
I love the Pure Gold marching band performing "It Is Well"

I just love music, in all its various shapes and forms.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1890

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”
-Ernestine Ulmer

What food are you most grateful for?

Dessert. 
There.  I said it.
Yes it's bad for you.  Yes it's partly why I have twenty (or maybe thirty or forty) extra pounds on my frame.

I.Don't.Care.

I have a sweet tooth.  My husband has a sweet tooth.  My children have even bigger ones.

Sugar is my weakness, and I'm not afraid to admit it. 
It makes you fat.  It can cause cancer (so they say).  It can rot your teeth.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

You know what?  Giving in to my sweet tooth cravings makes me happy.  A piece of chocolate, a popsicle, gummy bears, cupcakes, muffins, Reese's peanut butter cups (is there a more perfect candy???).....I'm not too picky.

But if I had to narrow it down, there are two simple answers.  Apple pie and brownies. 

Because YUM.

I need to go bake something now.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1889

"Brown eyes are just brown eyes, until you love someone with brown eyes."

What color are you grateful for?

This is easy:  brown.  Not only is it a lovely earth tone, rich and warm, it is the eye color of my three favorite people. 

I'm the oddball in our family with green eyes.  Even though K's are lighter, both of our children inherited Hubby's beautiful brown eyes. 

Know what else is brown?  CHOCOLATE!

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1888

Stop now. Enjoy the moment. It’s now or never.
~Maxime Lagacé 

What technology are you grateful for?

I probably write almost this same exact post every year, but for me the answer is simple:  the internet.

My life would be vastly different without the internet. 
Without the internet:

~I would never have met my husband. 💗
~I would never have met my "online" friends.... the ones who shared the joys of pregnancy with me, the challenges of motherhood with me and the ones who have helped me survive breast cancer.  💛
~I would not find it as easy to keep in touch with family and friends I don't get to see often.  💚
~I would not see my UPS driver every day  😄
~I would not have this amazing outlet to share my words.

I can't imagine a life without the chat room (remember those) where I met my hubby over eighteen years ago.
I can't imagine a life without my Babycenter friends, without my Bellas and without my KCA sisters.
I can't imagine going through breast cancer without the unlimited knowledge available online at my fingertips.
I can't imagine a world without the convenience of online banking, online shopping, online travel sites, etc.
I can't imagine trying to help my children through thirteen years of school without Google. 

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1887

In all things, give thanks.
    ~1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today is November first, which brings my annual 30 days of gratitude posts.

What smell are you grateful for today?

I wouldn't say I'm "grateful" for any certain smell very often.  Of course there are good smells (bacon, coffee, popcorn, Christmas trees) and there are bad smells (skunk, dead anything, rotten anything).  What smell stands out to me today?

Spaghetti and meatballs.

Because it's delicious?  Yes.  But more, because it means I cooked.  Preparing a meal for my family is something I like to do and wish I did more often.... but busy schedules and low energy often stand in my way. 

Five years ago the idea of cooking a meal (while going through chemo) was a pipe dream. 

Walking in the door tonight with the smell of spaghetii sauce on the stove reminds me that I'm still here, I'm still me, and I'm still loving taking care of my family.