GINGERBREAD HOUSES DECEMBER 2004
GINGERBREAD HOUSES DECEMBER 2003
The other thing that is interesting to compare is Kendrie herself. This time last year we were approx two months into treatment; she had just finished up induction and consolidation. She was off her 32-day steroid binge but still had the extra weight and bloating. And her hair was well on it’s way to falling out. What a difference a year makes, huh?
RANDOM THOUGHTS --- I wanted to share something that happened to me yesterday, a small thing that made an impact. I had gone to the elementary school to have lunch with Brayden, Kellen and Kendrie and was sitting in the lobby area waiting for their lunch time. My chair was to the side of the library door and while I was waiting, a boy, probably 9 or 10 years old, came out of the door and starting skipping (and I mean skipping; knees high and arms swinging!) across the commons area towards his classroom hallway. My first thought was --how cute and innocent it was to see a kid actually skipping in school. My second thought, being the pessimist that I am, was that if he noticed me sitting there, watching him, he would sure be embarrassed that I caught him, a mature and decorous third-grade student, skipping like a little kid in a daisy field. And sure enough, he turned his head, mid-skip, and made total eye contact with me. But instead of being embarrassed, he smiled the most cheerful smile I have ever seen, and kept right on skipping.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all so UN-self-conscious that we could skip when we indeed feel like skipping? And not be embarrassed if people see us? When was the last time I skipped? Will I throw my back out if I try it????? I think I’m going to make that one of my New Years Resolutions …. Skip when I feel like it, and if I don’t feel like it very often, then do something skip-worthy. And smile cheerfully at the people who see me. Maybe I’ll inspire some others to skip as well.
COMMENTS #1 --- Thanks to all of you who entered your favorite Christmas movies in the guestbook (if you haven’t already done so, please do!) It’s appears the winners are the sentimental favorites “A Christmas Story” (You’ll shoot your eye out!) “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street” with several newer releases, “Santa Clause” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “Elf” thrown in for good measure. Glad to see lots of other people have also discovered the wonderful “love, actually” which made my personal top three list. And winning the award for most unusual choice is “Die Hard” (her husband made her put it on the list since it takes place on Christmas Eve, ha!)
COMMENTS #2 --- So, our entire family was gathered around the tv tonight for the Big 12 Championship Game, watching the undefeated Oklahoma Sooners SPANK Colorado (not that I’m gloating or anything!) Brayden turns to me and asks, “Mom, why don’t any girls play football?” OK … here’s my thing … gender inequities aside, I *HATE* when people tell children they can be anything they want to be. Let’s be honest … they can’t. No matter how much someone might desire to be the next Clay Aiken, if they sing like a drowning cat in a water bucket, then I’m pretty sure there’s no Grammy in their future. My vertically-challenged daughter is not going to be a runway model, no matter how much she practices her catwalk stride and pouty, "don't hate me because I am so much more beautiful than you"-look. Just because you *want* to be President of the United States, doesn't mean you *can*. You can try, but there is no guarantee. Even the Constitution only grants you the right to *pursue* happiness. There is no sovereign right to claim anything you desire, despite the sense of entitlement so many people ………….. wait, sorry, got off on a tangent there.
So my point, and what I said to Brayden, in an attempt to be perfectly honest, was this, “Well, there are some girls who play in high school, and probably even college. But really, football is a very physical, tough game. Even these big, strong guys can get hurt because it’s so rough. So it’s not practical for girls, who are normally smaller, to play. The huge guys out there would squash them flat.” Reiterating, Brayden said, “So girls would have to be really, really big to play?” “Well, yeah” I said, “they’d have to be really strong and really, really big” And Kendrie, who was sitting next to me on the sofa, leaned over, patted my leg and said, “Mom, you could play.”
You know what? The steroid tantrum she threw at 8:30 when we wouldn’t let her have a slice of American Cheese before bed (no dairy due to chemo) didn’t bother me near as much tonight! Why should I care if she’s upset, anyway???? (rude little thing, ha!)
Hope your weekend is going well. We’ll check back in tomorrow and update the music again. Take care,
Kristie
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KENDRIE’S PERSPECTIVE:
WORST PART ABOUT HAVING CANCER TODAY: I am feeling a little run-down. I asked for Zofran again and laid around on the sofa for a while. And then tonight after my bath I laid down with my head in mom’s lap and my hair dried sticking straight up in the air! I thought it made me look like Elvis but my mom kept calling me Alfalfa (whoever the heck that is) and laughing at me! Stupid mom. First she couldn’t work the camera right last night to get my adorable snowman in the picture, and tonight she’s making fun of me.
BEST PART ABOUT HAVING CANCER TODAY: Well, there are only two more days of steroids this cycle, does that count???
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