Patrick and I went to Ann’s for a lovely and yummy dinner tonight. I’m thankful for the relaxing time after another long day. And for the leftover pumpkin cake that I’m going to eat for breakfast tomorrow.

It was a typical spring day in the Midwest—rain and snow. It’s only tolerable knowing that the grass will be greener because of it, and the dreary weather won’t last too long.

I am super thankful about my massage after work today though. He found spots I didn’t even know hurt. But he did loosen up my tight shoulder quite a bit. Even more than usual. I think it helped relieve some of the swelling in my hand. Fingers crossed that lasts.

It felt like an April fools joke today because I had so many computer issues at work. It kept shutting itself down. I wish it had been funny.

I’m thankful, though, that my sister stopped by after work on her way through town. We went out for drinks and dinner. Then just hung out at home. We haven’t seen each other in a while, so it was good to catch up.

I’m thankful for a lovely Easter.

I listened to a great Easter message while I was cleaning this morning. It talked about how there seems to be so much bad news lately that it’s difficult to remember what Easter really means. It struck a chord for sure, and it was good. Good news. Ha.

We had Ann over for early dinner (late lunch?) which was also good. Patrick smoked a ham and made a beet salad and potatoes. I made deviled eggs and that lemon meringue pie. They were both ok. Not as good as Ann’s lemon cookies she brought.

The pups also had a good day. Barley liked his new toy, and Cooper enjoyed the brief sunshine.

Im thankful for a good Saturday. After cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry, Patrick and I went on a hike with some miniature goats. They were so cute! Like little dogs in clogs. They just followed along with everyone, stopping every time a fresh patch of grass came along.

Then I made a lemon meringue pie this afternoon for tomorrow. It turned out looking good. We might need to try it later.

We had the day off work. Yay! We went to breakfast and then ran errands. Individually. I’m thankful for a nice day, getting some things crossed off my list, and playing with clay for a bit. I gave the dogs a bath, washed bedding, and found a birthday present. Patrick spent most of the day searching for Easter menu ingredients. You know, typical day.

So…I went to my doctor’s appointment with my list of questions and promptly left them in the car once we got there. Patrick offered to run back out for them, but they called me in early. Thankfully, by the time we were done, I had remembered them all.

My biggest concern has been repeatedly cutting into my damaged skin. It’s the area that now has a lot of scar tissue that my surgeon is going to try to remove. He said the fact that my replaced skin is healthy means the risk is low. He also reminded me that the fat transfer he will do can help rejuvenate the radiated skin.

Besides removing scar tissue, he plans to make both sides more symmetrical and clean up the scars from my last surgery. He said during the diep flap, the primary concern is make sure the transplanted skin and tissue survives, so the incisions are tighter and less fine. This follow up surgery can focus on the cosmetic side of things. Maybe I’ll look more normal after all.

I’m thankful to have my concerns alleviated enough to feel good about going ahead with the surgery. And I’m thankful I took the day off work to enjoy the rest of the day with Patrick.

My dog calendar was perfect today after yesterday’s stress. I’m thankful I got done what I needed to at work so I can take off tomorrow. I see my surgeon for my pre-surgery appointment, and I have my list of questions ready.

I’m not sure what I have today. It’s been a tough week, and it’s only Tuesday. This afternoon I heard about a previous colleague who passed away from cancer this week. It’s so sad. There’s too much sadness. I’m sustaining myself on cute animal pictures, wine, and chocolate.

So many people at work are off this due to Spring Break schedules with their kids that today was blessedly quiet. I have lots to do in the next couple of days, so I’m thankful I got a couple big items knocked out today.

I’m also thankful for meeting with a former colleague and friend for drinks after work and getting an update on our friend who had surgery on his brain tumor last week. He’s moving slowly but doing well, considering. As you can imagine, he and his wife are still processing their crisis. Next week they will meet with his surgery team to find out next steps. I pray it’s not cancer and can be managed without horrible cancer treatments.