Kicking cancer's ass - day 1951

"I was born with a reading list I will never finish."

~Maud Casey

My cancer diagnosis changed so many things about me, including my ability to enjoy books.  For several years, with my time being consumed by being sick and exhausted from doctor appointments, treatment and surgeries, I just didn't have the energy to read a book.  Even after life returned into my new normal I had a hard time concentrating.  Chemo brain is real, folks.

This is the first year that I've been able to take the time to enjoy books again.  Right before Christmas I realized I had read 96 books, and I told Hubby I wanted to make it to 100.  Needless to say, for the past ten days I have been a reading machine.  Not only did I reach that goal, but I surpassed it!  I'm currently at 104 books with two days left in the year to still read.  😀

My reading stats on Goodreads clearly show when I was mired down in cancer world.  While I'm not even at fifty percent of the books I read at my busiest in 2009, I'm clearly on my way back to being a voracious reader.....a fact that makes me happy, but Hubby not so much!  ha ha

Kicking cancer's ass - day 1945

 

I'm a little baffled by the fact that I'm almost at two THOUSAND days of kicking cancer's ass.  That is the ultimate Christmas miracle and there isn't a single day that I take it for granted.

This is my sixth Christmas since I was diagnosed with cancer.  Five years ago I was recovering from 16 weeks of chemo.  Four years ago I was recovering from reconstruction surgery.  Three years ago I was recovering from yet another surgery.  Two years ago Hubby was recovering from neck surgery.  Last year was probably the most uneventful Christmas we'd had in a long time.... until this year.

Life is.... pretty much normal.  We are busy.  The kids have a ton of activities.  Hubby and I are busy at work.  We watch football.  I read books.  He watches murder mysteries.  We go out to eat and spend time with friends and complain about how tired we are.  It.Is.FANTASTIC.

This was the first time in years that we didn't go to church for Christmas Eve.  I miss it, but I am truly enjoying our family weekend. 

Yesterday I cooked a ham dinner for the Burleson family Christmas, with Hubby's dad, brother, sister-in-law and nephew.  Last night we brought K back out to hang out with her friend P, and we stayed and visited for a while.  Lots of stories, lots of laughs.

Today, as we always do, we celebrated a Norwegian Little Christmas by opening our stockings this morning.  We visited the cemetary to bring flowers to Hubby's mom (today is her birthday) and his brother.

Our friends invited our family to join theirs for Christmas Eve dinner at Bonzai (Japanese hibachi).  Then we went to look at Christmas lights downtown before coming home to open new Christmas pjs.

There is nothing glamorous about my life and I am perfectly happy with that.  I'm looking forward to a quiet, cozy Christmas Eve at home, and more of the same for Christmas day.

I'm so grateful to be here, alive and well, one thousand nine hundred and forty days after that awful day.  I hope everyone fighting the beast is able to take one day to celebrate life.... their life and the birth of Jesus.  Life isn't always easy, but it is worth it. 

Every day is a gift.  Merry Christmas to everyone I love.