An Amazing Ride!

Brrrr! We made it to the North Pole, or so it seems! It’s cold up here! I just hope we see Santa, he really needs to know what I want for Christmas this year! I have so many requests but only one outshines them all…NO not the hair, a healthy body! Lol! Hair would be a bonus though. However, I kinda like myself bald and I love the added time in my life! As for Mike, he thinks kissing a bald chic is the coolest thing! Killing two birds with one stone, showing his wife affection while rubbing his crystal ball! Lol!

Wow! I can’t believe its Friday! We have been so busy this week. Cleaning, ironing, packing! When you “miss” two weeks of your life, and only get a few days to catch up…it’s crazy! But I’m grateful I lived those days!! I feel worthy of my mommy/wife title!!

Aunt Emily, Uncle Mark, Daniel and Carlie all made it back to Boston safe. The kids had such a great time and Aunt Emily survived two weeks of Eva’s crazy life and mothering her own two kids! She is an amazing woman and I think God gave her all of my patience, I have none and she has abundance. They went to the park, to the mall, to the zoo, did crafts, played outside and much more…oh ya, school was in there too! Hmm, was anyone missing mommy, I know Mike was! Lol! He also worked so hard at home and at the office. This poor guy went to bed after midnight for two weeks!! He finally rested this past weekend but picked up the same pace Monday! I think it’s great the husbands see what us Bon Bon eating Mommies do day to day, we wear sweats for a reason. :>) SMILE!

The girls have been talking about my cancer a lot. Naturally they don’t understand it all but they are putting together what they do know. Elena gets so excited when she sees I can do the things I used to do every day! However, my occasional roller coaster of emotions may have them sending me to the “Crazy Mommy Farm!” Lol! One day the girls and I were eating dinner, Mike was still at work. We talked about their day and our trip to Michigan. We worked on our manners and talked about forming a belly rainbow. I always explain to my kids that the more colors you eat, the bigger the rainbow, thus it increases in height and you grow! Elena will do anything to grow, she dreams of acquiring my CEO Paharik title, putting me in my place!Haha! Well, I started reading (in some cases rereading, I was so sick the first time) my mail, my first card and gift was from Carl & Dottie’s (my in-laws) neighbor. She sent a beautiful Prayer Mass card and a Rosary that was blessed by the Pope! Yes, the Catholic Pope! I felt so blessed, for me, this was a sign God and a lot of angels are watching out for me, my face looked like a bald monkey peering from a rainforest! Then I opened a musical Hallmark card from my girlfriend Leslie, playing I Will Survive! Totally lifting me, I had the girls dancing in the chairs, we were all laughing. Definitely wore that card out! Then the monkey in the rainforest was back! Lol! My sister Teresa, who lives in Dallas sent me a scrapbook, she put some of my blog writings and your comments in there with pictures of “Eva and family before cancer.” As you can imagine, I was touched. The thoughtfulness, the time she spent and the words she wrote and has written to me had me crying. So I shared this with the girls who where already conspiring to call the Crazy Mommy Farm! Lol! But, before they could…I moved on to my girlfriend, Becky’s package, ironically she also lives in Dallas. Her package had many new shades of lipstick and lip gloss for my new look! I was cracking up! She also sent ME some play dough! I think that was for my boring clinic days! Lol! Needless to say,I cried, laughed, cried, laughed! I felt blessed; I had amazing hope all in 10 minutes! These are the times that cause my girls the greatest confusion! We’ll be ok as long as they never learn to call the Mommy Crazy Farm! Lol!

As if that wasn’t enough, Ms. Daina, the Director at the girls preschool gave me an envelope Tuesday, it said…”Please Open On Your Road Trip!” Literal me opened on our second half of the road trip!

We arrived in Cinci just after midnight, slept and we were back on the road at 8:30 AM! Everyone was so tired! At some point, it started snowing! It was so cool, there we where, singing along… yup,The Wheels on The Bus, haha, and many more when I thought about the “envelope.” So, I opened it! Keep in mind, Chemo Girl was driving! I had to, we were running late and my bald head and three children just may get me off a ticket! Lol! In the envelope was a kind note and a check. Our Preschool Family/Friends raised $6, ooo.00, yes, six-thousand dollars to help with our cancer related expenses!! I’ve since heard it was raised by the kids riding their little legs off in a “Bike- A- Thon!” How touching! Never did I imagine a check in the envelope, let alone the amount! “Generous” is an understatement! Forget crying, I bawled! My eyes filled with so many tears, the road and snowflakes now a vague impression of my memory. The rest of my trip I found myself listening to music, thinking of all of you and softly weeping. Financial Advisors have you saving for everything in the future but not cancer. Cancer can wipe you financially clean with no guarantee treatment will save your life. My leading fear as a mother. Think about it, most people insure the “breadwinner,” but when the non paid breadwinner’s life is lost, a HUGE cost is incurred for many years! A full-time nanny, education and services are all needed but all the savings are gone in an effort to save a life of a loved one. Something a mother or father could never live with. We hope to beat cancer and someday put the money back in to the Preschool community!

Again, we thank all of you for all your support through various means. Most of all for your friendship, support and prayers. Mike and I talk often about the support we have and how the outcome could never be positive without each of you, it takes a team to beat cancer and have the emotional strength to do so. We have that thanks to YOU!

We made it to Michigan with 30 minutes to spare! Seems to be the trend, the stress letting me know I am living! That’s get a big YAHOOO! :>) I am starting my blog of our day at the hospital and I will post it later!

The kids and I are going to see Aunt Sonia and her family later today. (Mike’s working late tonight) But first, we really are going to see if Santa is around the mall! Getting the fun in now, before we get our next wave of tumor killing drugs!