Embracing with hair...

So, I pretty much have my buzz cut back.  Yay for that.  I know it's still super short and it seems like it's taking forever.  But, I'm happy with the length right and now, and honestly, I wouldn't mind keeping it this short.  It's sooooo darn easy.  

Just to give you some idea of how much it's grown during the past month, here are some pics.

Yowzers....now that's a close up...

Today is embrace the camera day at The Anderson Crew....because of course there needs to be a reason to post 3 pictures of myself monitoring my hair growth.  ;/

There is one thing about baldness:  it's neat.  ~Don Herold

Something to celebrate....

I finished my treatments 2 weeks ago today, my hair is growing back (so much so that I now suffer from bed head once again), and my doctor's visits are fewer.  Life is good.  Life is beautiful.  I am so very grateful.  

At the same time, I have been somewhat surprised at how emotionally difficult it's been on some days now that I've finished my treatments.  I expected to have some time where I was going to have to adjust, but, I have been surprised at how much I have to work at it.   

Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I like to have it all figured out and although I've been learning to take life with the one day at a time approach, my natural instinct goes against that.  I do, however, continue to move forward and it turns out that 

 having these various emotions following cancer treatments is quite common.  Here is one article that summed it up well.  

"So take time to acknowledge the fear, grief and loneliness 

you're feeling right now. Then take steps to understand why 

you feel these emotions and what you can do about them."

No, I'm not sitting home curled up on the couch with a box of 

tissues all day everyday.   I don't sit home all the time and feel bad for myself, but sometimes I have had to consciously choose how the day is going to go.  Part of that choice comes with acknowledging the feelings that I am having and moving on from there.  I'm a work in a progress, sorting through the various emotions that come with making a full recovery.  

I thought that by the end of treatments, I'd have emerged from my cocoon, but it turns out that the metamorphosis is taking slightly longer than expected.  

Last week I received this card in the mail from a friend....

  

Perfect timing....

And on the inside it says,

"And that's really something to celebrate."

"there is something to celebrate every single day of our lives.The next time you find yourself feeling down and grumbling, 'I’m having such a bad day!'think of one thing about that day to celebrate."

Turning 9....

Happy Birthday to a special 9 year old.  Even though you've been telling people you're nine for a couple of weeks, today is actually the official day for us to all wish you a Happy Birthday.  

I can't believe it was 9 years ago that your binkie was almost as big as your face ;)

 I hope you don't mind when we call you Seany Boy in another 9 years.  (It's your mom's fault; she started it.)

Hope your birthday and the year ahead is filled with fun and happiness.  

The way I see it, you should live everyday like it's your birthday. 
Paris Hilton 

Answers to FAQs...

Happy Election Day.  Did you get out and vote today?  I did this morning and the lines really weren't too bad at all.  Who did I vote for? Hmmmmm, I think I will keep that to myself.    However, I did want to answer a few other questions I am frequently asked these days.  

Q: "How are you feeling?"  

A:  Actually, I'm feeling pretty good for the most part.  I still don't have my stamina back in full, but I'm getting there.  I walk at least 5 days/week and that certainly helps with feeling good both mentally and physically.  I've also noticed that I have more clarity with my thinking lately-I'm slowly coming out of my chemo coma; three cheers for that!  My neck is a bit stiff and my skin continues to heal from radiation, but other than that I am doing well.  

Q:  "Why do you go to physical therapy?"

A:  I have been going to physical therapy for about 9 months now due to some lymphedema issues I have had since my surgery.  You see when you have lymph nodes under your arm removed, there is the chance of having trouble with drainage and swelling in your arm.  I'm in that percentile where I have some issues...small issues that are slowly getting better.  The infection I had during chemo set me back a bit, but things are almost back to where they were before...I'm so very grateful for that.

Q:  "Are you going to do reconstruction?"

A:  Well, I can't even consider reconstruction for at least 6 months because my skin has to heal.  I will definitely be scheduling some appointments to speak with the doctors and see what my options are and I will make a decision from there.  For now I'm enjoying the "freedom" from daily appointments.  

Any other questions, ask away. 

and if you haven't done so already...

A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. 
Bruce Lee 

The Storm...

And that's all I have to say today because that pretty much says it all.  (Thanks Shann for sharing it! xo)

It's Friday...

It's been about a month since I've done an Insta-Friday, so here's a boatload of pictures from my phone.  Happy Friday everyone.

 1. Fall in New England 2. Snake while we walk 3. E's Self-Portrait

4. Picture Day 5. Tyler doing his thing 6. Legos

7. A trim..ha! 8. Photos by Blue Lily 9. Me and E

10. Sleeping Beauty 11. One of my faves 12. Me monitoring the hair growth

 1. Little Miss the photographer 2. Climbing 3. Friends posing

4. Path 5. Climbing E 6. Standing

7. Fall Leaves 8. Swinging siblings 9. In the backyard

10. In the rearview 11. The cutest witch around 12. Party prep

1. Three kids and a dog 2. Three of my favorite kiddos 3. Breakfast 

4. Hair growth monitoring...again 5. Backstage 6. Dance alumni

7. Deer in the road 8. Cloud reflection 9. Handsome boy

10. Dancer's Bun 11. Talented relatives 12. Grateful Heart

I'm linking up with Jeannette at Life Rearranged

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it. 

Sai Baba 

Shouting from the summit...

Chris hugged me and I lost it.  Chris is one of the radiation therapists, and Tuesday, after my last treatment, she hugged me.  I wasn't really expecting it, she caught me off guard, and I cried.   So many emotions, mixed ones...the kinds you have to sift through to make any sense.  It's been a long 10 months with fighting the Big C as my full-time job.  It's now time to emerge from that routine and start a new one.  I'm not sure yet what this new routine looks like, but I'm going to do my best to let go of the old one and embrace my new found "freedom" with all that I have.  There is definitely some adjustment in going from being a full-time patient back to a "normal" person again (I use the term "normal" very loosely ;)

In my last post, I mentioned making a new To Do List, but for now my new list is very short and not too specific.

It's merely to take one day at a time and embrace it for what it is....

 Because with each new day and with each experience we have, whether it be good, bad or downright ugly....

 And right now, I'm so very grateful to have made it to the summit of the mountain and I'm looking forward to enjoying the view from the top.  The view is different as compared to before I became a mountain climber.  My body is different and I am different, but climbing the mountain has enabled me to learn things about myself and about others that I would have otherwise never known.  I am stronger for trekking through the bumps and curves and now I can shout to the world, "I did it!".  

 When I have reached a summit, I leave it with great reluctance, unless it is to reach for another, higher one. 

Gustav Mahler