reflection

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Grand for a reason!

There are only three days left in our 2-week visit with our daughter and the grands. And - sad day - today's my last day off. I head back to the office tomorrow. 

We are having way too much fun with the kids. Gary took 5-year-old Titus out for breakfast one morning; Lydia, Lilly and I spent some time in Barnes & Noble – cruising the aisles, shopping for books, sitting in the café and reading.

Lilly and I gave each other pedicures, and she helped me try a new recipe for dinner one night – Chicken Rice Bowls. We brought a dozen books home from the library and we baked granola.

We've had fun making Lydia laugh, kissing her chubby cheeks, and rocking her to sleep. We've piled pillows on the living room floor, popped corn and watched repeat DVDs, laughing at the same silly places each time.  

Our house is carpeted with blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and toys. But to this grandma – whose grandkids live on the other side of the world in New Jersey – it is the most beautiful home interior décor possible.

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Friday, July 25, 2008

Mickey Mouse pancakes

Can't talk now 'cuz the grandkidlets are here! I have the day off. This morning for breakfast we made Mickey Mouse pancakes with blueberry eyes and a cantaloupe mouth.

(The kids think their grandma is marvelous because she can make Mickey Mouse pancakes ... don't tell them Mickey looks more like a bear than a mouse.)   We're getting ready to head out the door on a road trip - to the Dollar Store, to find a cool board game at Target, and have a picnic lunch at the park.

This is way too much fun! More grandkid updates later!

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Survivorship is all the rage

Gary shot photos and I handed out roses to cancer survivors as they crossed the finish line at  Tour des Chutes on Saturday. The Tour is a multi-distance cycling event founded by local cycling enthusiast and cancer survivor, Gary Bonacker. There were 900+ participants last year and rumor is, it passed the 1000 mark this year. The proceeds go to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation and our local survivorship program.

After the event, Gary and I hopped in the car and made a quick trip to Portland to pick up our daughter, Summer, and the grandkidlets -- 7-year-old Lilly, 5-year-old Titus, and 2-month old Lydia. (Don’t ask why, but Gary has called them “George” for as long as I can remember. When  Titus got off the plane, the first thing he said to his grandpa was, “Hi, George!”)

Gary finally got to meet Lydia – she’s at that age where funny noises from grandfathers produce smiles – and we’re absolutely enjoying having them here!

Survivorship thoughts: at Tour des Chutes, there were cancer survivors who finished in almost all the distances, including the 100-mile course. I love that. I love knowing that cancer doesn’t necessarily have to be a death sentence; it can be a manageable chronic disease. It’s been 3½ years since Gary’s diagnosis and I’m so grateful that he’s still here to tease his grandchildren.

Matthew Zachary, founder of I'm Too Young For This, puts it rather eloquently: “Survivorship is all the rage. Stupid Cancer. Survivors rule.”

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Follow your dreams

The envelope was stamped in Portland but had no return address. Inside was a note that read, “Follow your dreams.” And tucked in the folds of the note were ten crisp $20 bills.

What an incredible gift – that someone out there believes in our dreams enough to invest in them. We are humbled and grateful all at the same time.

The money will go into our fund for self-publishing a book about cancer heroes. Since last fall, I’ve interviewed between 25-30 survivors and caregivers from across the country that have done something purposeful as a result of cancer having touched their lives. The stories are all written; I’m collecting photos from everyone; and I’ve secured a graphic artist to design the front and back covers. This out-of-the-blue $200 will help pay for the printing.

It’s not the first time we’ve been given a totally unexpected gift. I can’t tell you how much it means to have family and friends believe in our impossible dreams of writing a book, of being out on the road with our cancer message, of building a retreat center some day.

We should all be so lucky as to imagine doing something impossible. And we should all be so lucky as to have other people in our lives who believe in the possibility of our dreams.

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Sunday, July 13, 2008

Birthday weekend

My birthday weekend is drawing to a close. (A birthday weekend is when the birthday girl gets to dictate all the fun activities for the weekend. Wait a minute ... I do that every weekend.)

Our plans for Friday night included dinner out, a walk along the river, and a Barnes & Noble shopping spree (one can never have too many books) ... and on Saturday, my actual birthday, we were going to dig out the office and transform it into a guest room in anticipation of our daughter and grandkids coming for a visit.

But Gary tweaked his neck on Friday – we’re talking a “pain reliever, heating pad, lying on the couch” sort-of tweaking. So I talked him into take-out dinner in, which meant we had to extend the birthday celebration, which led to the idea of a full weekend of doing whatever I wanted!

Gary's neck greatly improved by Saturday morning, so he took me out to breakfast and shopping for books. Then he started digging through office file cabinets while I hooked up the web cam and talked with the grandkids. Five-year-old Titus and I played several games – Checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe, Uno – via the New Jersey/Oregon connection while I sorted through old pay stubs and utility bills (what were we thinking by saving all this stuff?!).

Gary made breakfast this morning and we walked one of the trails close to town this afternoon. The little office is now officially a guest room ... and now that the dust has settled, I'd have to say it has been the perfect birthday weekend!

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Saturday, July 05, 2008

Only in America

Gary had to work yesterday, but in the late afternoon we went to the home of some friends who have 30 acres just east of town with mountain views, a large pond for swimming and boating, a volleyball net set up on a beautifully landscaped yard, and a fire pit for late evening conversations. They had invited several couples for a potluck picnic and to watch the fireworks that the City of Bend shoots off from the top of Pilot Butte, a small mountain that someone planted in the middle of our town.

I didn’t attend yesterday’s 4th of July pet parade this year. I had no grandchildren to take and it just wouldn’t be the same without them. Yes, you heard me right. Bend hosts an annual parade where everyone and their dog … or cat … or llama walks down the main street of town waving to their friends, pulling wagons that are filled with little kids holding hamster cages and bunny rabbits. No entry fees. Just show up with your live – or stuffed – animal.

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Unrelated goose incident

Gary has a reputation with our grandchildren of being a tease. Half the time when he tells them something, they’ll look at me with a smile and say, “Nuh-uh!”

I remember an interchange between Gary and our granddaughter, Lilly, who was four years old at the time. She had spotted some geese coming in for a landing and said rather excitedly, “Look, geese. Gooses!”

Gary tried to explain that one goose was “goose” and more than one was “geese.” But Lilly just looked at me and smiled, shaking her head and said, “Nuh-uh ... silly Grandpa!”

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June 2008

Geese

Road trip

Friday night date

Tough day on the job

Best dad

Confession

Light bulb moment

Homesick

Amazing volunteers

May 2008

Countdown

Extended family

Testing the limits

Trailblazers

The last lecture

Mother’s Day thoughts

Welcome to our world, Lydia

Personal touch

April 2008

Dispensing goodness

Cancer community – Part II

Cancer community

Barn door analogies

Homemade soup day

Mice and tumors

Waiting room magazines

Weekend date

First entry