Another long day of driving. Sadly, reaching the Midwest became rather abruptly obvious as the scenery changed from tree covered mountains that hid civilization to flat farmland. Then quickly morphed into the summer scenery of road construction. Every direction on our navigation system showed the depressing orange lines.
However, I’m thankful we made it back home safely to some very excited pups.
And just like that, my daughter is a Mrs. and I gained a son. The wedding was a lovely affair and my daughter was incredibly happy. There were a few tearful moments, like when I helped her with her dress and it was just the two of us for a moment. She looked so beautiful.
And when Noah started tearing up when he first saw her.
And when Emma gave a touching toast to her sister and Noah.
I’m so thankful that my daughter found such a wonderful partner, and their day was a beautiful start to their life together.
It was a long day, but it was good. My girls and I had breakfast together, and it was great to have a little mother-daughter time. Poor Brianna was exhausted though. She’s been hustling all week getting things ready for the wedding. We encouraged her to take a nap, which she did after lunch.
This evening we headed over to the wedding venue—Noah’s parent’s house. Brianna had sent me a picture of the yard they were using for the ceremony. What she failed to mention was that their property was quite a bit larger than in the picture and set rather deep in the woods. The ceremony is going to take place in a grassy circle surrounded by trees. The reception is going to be in the backyard that has an amazing garden area.
We had a quick ceremony run-through and then ate a yummy dinner of homemade lasagna. I was happy to finally meet Noah’s parents (who are as lovely in person as I expected) and see Brianna and Noah with their friends. It’s going to be a wonderful wedding.
Fifteen hours in the car, but I’m thankful to report that we made it to North Carolina. I was able to see my daughters briefly before they had to run off with the bridal party. We have a date for breakfast in the morning though, just the three of us.
I was reminded on the trip down how beautiful some states are, especially North Carolina, which is hilly and lush. Plus we went over numerous bridges, all of the same design. The trip may have been long, but I’m thankful it was lovely.
Yay! It’s the end of my work week and I’m thankful I got everything done I needed to get done. At least I think I did. Fingers crossed. I also feel pretty prepared for our early morning road trip tomorrow. I have the house cleaned and all the wedding stuff packed, along with our clothes and road trip treats. Mmmm…treats.
The pups are very concerned that packing happened. They know we are going to be leaving, which makes me feel bad. They wouldn’t leave my side tonight. And Barley started limping today on the leg that first had surgery. We are hoping he just strained it, but that’s a worry we don’t need on the way out the door. Luckily my sister and brother-in-law are staying with them while we’re gone, so we don’t have to board them anywhere. Hopefully a lot of lounging around the house is all he needs.
I’m thankful to be ready to go, even though I’m not thrilled about the long road trip. I’m bringing Tylenol and a massage roller for my legs, which are still not quite back to normal. But it will be good. It’s gonna be a good trip.
I’m thankful for getting some stuff done tonight. I’m thankful for good tummy tea since my stomach has been bothering me all day. . And I’m thankful for a new stack of magazines for our road trip.
I saw my surgeon today. He’s hoping to get my surgery scheduled in the next few weeks, but I have to meet with my plastic surgeon again first. Apparently, I need to meet with both of them within 30 days of surgery. We discussed how the surgery will work between him and the plastic surgeon, recovery time, and what to expect with the scars. He said he won’t have to take anymore lymph nodes, which is good. He also said I could call with any more questions, and he’s get back to me even if it was outside his normal office hours, which I really appreciated.
I met with my ENT today as well. The nose spray he prescribed me has started working but not 100%. He says I should also take my Flonase. Hopefully that will take care of it.
I’m thankful that things are starting to progress again. At least I know that my surgery should happen in July as long as there are no difficulties getting schedules coordinated. While I’m not necessarily looking forward to surgery, I am looking forward to the light at the end of this tunnel.
I’m always sad on Sunday night knowing the weekend is over. Is that a sign that I need a more fulfilling job?
At least I got something done today. My future son-in-law designed a logo for their upcoming wedding, so I offered to put it on some glassware for their wedding party, and I worked on it today. I’m thankful to be able to help out this way since I haven’t been able to do much from afar for the wedding plans.
Today is the day my mom, younger sister Jen and my brother-in-law Jim came to town. Jim’s family lives in the same town and his sister was throwing a graduation party, so they stopped by for lunch. Then mom stayed with us while they went to the party. Since they’ve gotten their COVID vaccinations, we were finally able to visit inside. And HUG! I’m so grateful to see them and visit normally again.
I’m terrible at taking pictures of people when we are together, but I did get a picture of this massive cake mom made for us. Folks, it’s a 3-layer chocolate, peanut butter, and cheesecake monster, and I swear it weighed 20 pounds before we cut into it. It’s delicious and I’m prepared to gain weight over it.
And while she didn’t come with, my older sister Tammy sent along a tote filled with snacks for our upcoming road trip for my daughter’s wedding. She and my nieces included sweet cards as well. How perfect is this bag?! I’m lucky to have such a supportive family. I’ll start dieting when all my cancer stuff is over.
I’m glad it’s the weekend again! And I’m thankful I got the house cleaning done tonight that I wanted to. In fact, I even had time to relax a bit and read again. It’s been great to feel like reading again. In fact, I think I’ve been a lot less fatigued these days, which is wonderful, and my rash is FINALLY going away. Small steps!
melissagratitude 