I ran into someone in the grocery store today (Hi, Cheryl!) who reminded me that there are quite a few folks in our corner who get their information primarily through the blog. And, since I hadn’t updated in a while…

Well, we’re still here. The thing is, life just isn’t all that interesting. (Ok, we did get a dog – I’ll talk about her in a minute) but the cancer stuff, just isn’t that exciting. We live most of our days somewhere between, “awesome” and “completely shitty.” But, that’s most of us, right? Everyone’s walking around with their stuff on any given day. Ours just seems a little scarier on the surface because “cancer” comes with a lot of personal history, and what we know from TV, and it’s just icky.

Preston had his 29th (we think) round of chemo this morning. He’s still on Avastin (y’all, have I ever told you that it is $25,000 a dose?! Hooray for insurance! I did the math – it’s a 15 minute infusion, that means it cost $28 PER SECOND of the dose. But, I digress.)

He’s also on Xeloda. It’s a pill form of chemo that he takes for 14 days straight then gets a week off. It isn’t great. It cause a lot of problems in his hands and feet. As you know, he’s a trooper. He bounces back quickly. He took out 12 trees from our backyard on Sunday. (who does that?)

Scans in March. Until then, we just continue to exist in this messy middle. (Again, don’t we all??)

Conor’s doing exceptionally well in school. He adores kindergarten, Mandarin immersion, his school, his new friends, walking home with Grandaddy and doing homework with Granna. We really just can’t ask for more on that front. The transition has been lovely and he is thriving. It’s a little weird when he answers our questions in Chinese and we have NO IDEA what he’s saying, but we’re adjusting. And it’s cool.

We got a dog, which is completely insane. Her name is Luna and she is amazing. She’s a pal for Conor, good company for P when he works at home, and an exercise buddy for me. She gives sloppy, sneaky kisses and mostly likes to snuggle. The cats tolerate her but have mostly maintained their positions as big sisters (and all the violence and hissing that implies). We think she’s some sort of hound/retriever mix, but she’s pretty little – should top out around 30 pounds. She’s asleep next to me now – she’s snoring a little bit.

I’ve been waking up earlier – about 6 am – because mornings were feeling too chaotic. I’ve found that of all of my self-care strategies I’ve implemented over the last 2 1/2 years, this is one of the most dramatic in terms of how it has made me feel. I get up, take a nice long walk with Luna, come back, make the coffee, Conor’s lunch, etc. It gives me time to breathe – an hour I clawed back just for myself that doesn’t take away time with my sweet boys. Absolutely and without question worth the loss of that little bit of sleep.

What else? Work’s great for both me and P. Conor started Tae Kwon Do and loves it. I mean, it’s just pretty regular.

Of course, we have moments – well, I can’t really speak for anyone else, but I do. Arthur Morehead, an acquaintance from Charlotte that runs in the same foundation circles I work in, was diagnosed with colon cancer around the same time Preston was. He passed away last Friday.

I took the afternoon off. (I also had a cold, but I think I would have powered through – just didn’t have the motivation). I watched Fixer Upper (y’all, I LOVE these people even though it’s ridiculous and she likes fruit in bowls and subway tile too much) and lounged with the dog. I took a nice long walk with her this morning.

I could do a whole, “Every day is a gift!” thing here, but I’ll spare you. But I do just wander through life mostly OK and BAM – Mario Lopez. (Side note – he did a cameo on Brooklyn 99. I CANNOT ESCAPE AC SLATER.)

Chip and Johanna are about to do a reveal, so I’d better tune back in to the TV. Hug your people, (and dogs and cats) friends.