Thoughts and Feelings

So the first chemo treatment happened at the beginning of October.

Then, the BEST thing that happened in October was the wedding of Elle and Craig. Elle is our niece, and Craig is the love of her life who also has excellent comedic timing.

The above is my favorite picture from the wedding festivities, simply because the bride, Elle, worked the camera like a boss, and the groom, Craig, timed his break in photo protocol perfectly and proved that he belongs in our family. George responded that he would never wash that spot again. 

The bride was beautiful. So was the groom. And so was the groom's sister, who was his best person.

My favorite moment of the ceremony. Craig just
kept saying, "I love you," over and over.

Elle's mother was beautiful and walked her down the aisle. The groom's parents, Cindy and Kirk, were beautiful. 

And since it was Elle, there had to be a costume change before the reception/dinner. Certainly, dancing in her gown would have been impossible. Check out Craig's green velvet smoking jacket and Elle's red shoes. Oh, my. 

My own little family looked beautiful, too. 

George also captured my new profile pic for social media.
Don't get used to the hair, though. It didn't last long.

The whole wedding experience was delightful from beginning to end. We could not be happier for Elle and Craig, who are as made for each other as two humans can be. 

A wedding sure lifts the spirits. 

Almost as soon as we got back, my hair started letting go. So now hats are my jam.

I texted some friends to meet me at the mall to look for a hat just before the shearing. Three women showed up, and they made it more than fine...it was fun. 

The hair shaving bothered me more than I thought it would. My husband was a peach about it (see what I did there?), and he even took all the shorn hair out to the woods by our house so the animals can use it...and so I wouldn't have to look at it. But I've adjusted...as much as a person can under the circumstances. 

And people have sent me some amazing hats and scarves, so it's fine. 

It's amazing how often those words cross my lips. 

It's fine. 

Because there's precious little choice in the matter. And I'm surrounded by not just one but several communities of support. My little family, with George as a rock and warm place to land. My church and book club friends. My extended family in multiple states. The stamping community, which has come through with so many lovely cards and well wishes on social media. The support I and my family has received has been truly heaven sent.

An abundance of blessings. 

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,

Susan

People Are Awesome

So we had our Stephen Ministry meeting last Tuesday, and this happened.

Back: Sally, Anna, Stephanie, Vicki, Tina Y., Lois, and Linda
Front: Zandra, Mariel, me, Patti
Missing: Tina S. and Dorothy

These awesome ladies conspired for over a month to put this beautiful quilt together. Each square is unique, with contributions from each of them as well as from the awesome pastor and his awesome wife Kim R., who had breast cancer last year. The back of the quilt is comfy flannel, and the front includes a butterfly in memory of the Karen of Karen's Card Shop, who was a Stephen Minister. What awesome and precious friends I have, and I thank my God on every remembrance of them. 

And yes, I wear socks with my Birkenstocks in fall, winter, and spring. Best. Shoes. Ever. For my feet, at least.

The Cancer Care Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center has awesome people. Brenda, Cindy, Emily, Dee, and Jennifer are awesome, as are Dr. Bentley (surgery), Dr. Bukhari (chemo), and Dr. Hristov (radiation). I thank my God on every remembrance of them.

After I signed the consent to chemo, my awesome SIL Angela and BIL Mike sent me these. I thank my God on every remembrance of them.

Another awesome friend named Kim P. is designing t-shirts for our pink-out at church at the end of the month. She let me pick the design. I thank my God on every remembrance of her.

Chemo starts Tuesday, Oct. 4. I'm still wrapping my head around that. And speaking of wrapping my head, my awesome mom and sister are mailing me a box of silk scarves, and another awesome Tina, Tina S., is getting me comfy hats from an awesome friend of hers who went through this mess a year ago. I thank my God on every remembrance of them.

And the awesome cards. They are still coming, and I love each and every one. Thank you, awesome readers. I thank my God on every remembrance of you.

Surely I've missed acknowledging someone, but please know that I appreciate every prayer, every good thought, every email, and every kindness coming my way. 

People are awesome. 

Mercy, grace, peace, and love, 

Susan