Hold on tight, here comes some "deep thoughts from Katie!"

Chris went home from chemo last night feeling really good. A little tired, but that didn't stop him from taking the kids to Kyle's baseball game.  This was extra nice for me as I got to enjoy a romantic homemade (delicious, kb!) dinner for 1. I even got a run in.  I HAD to get a run in after the large amount of chicken bora bora that I consumed. So good!  Kyle came home bursting to tell me that 1) he is the best hitter on his team (so modest, and a little bit of an exaggerator!) and 2) that a girl on his team has a crush on him. How could she resist my sweet, funny little toe-head?!?  Grace, I totally get it!

Today is a big day for Cameron and I-last brownie meeting of the year.  I have to admit, I was pretty much forced into helping to lead her troop this year.  1 did brownies for only 1 year when I was little and I never really considered myself a brownie-type girl, Whatever that means!! But cam really wanted to do it and she needed a troop leader. So, 3 of us came together and here we are on the verge of the last meeting of the year!  I can say now that I had NO real idea of what being a troop co-leader would entail or all the great things that Girl Scouts promotes.  Cameron and her friends have learned a lot about hardwork, teamwork, sales, cooperation, volunteering, giving back, money management, yoga, pottery, bird classification, etc. Most importantly, she is in a group with 11 other smart and fun little girls that she gets to traverse through the rest of her schooling with. I'm so happy that she will have that support!  I tell you all this for a purpose. This whole health scare has made me to stop and appreciate every little part of my life so much more. Brownies is just one example. Stick with me and I'll eventually explain what I mean.

About the time Chris was diagnosed, I received a book from a friend (thanks, jill,) entitled the Happiness Project.  It is a great book and one I will surely pick up again soon. I have to tell you that when I first got the book and started reading, it struck me in deeper ways than I'm sure the author intended. I didn't read too much before I became overwhelmed by the content.  All of you who have read this book are probably laughing as you read this because I'm SURE I missed the point. What I read was basically that you need to get your life in order in an attempt to be happy. I also read that having your life in "order" helps get you through harder, more stressful times. This is when I panicked(for lack of a better word). I had been cleaning, purging, organizing the house for weeks.  Chris  and I had finally decided to finish our 2 bonus bedrooms and bathroom. I started volunteering at the school more, and meeting more people. I made new friends. And then.... Chris got cancer.  I now look back at all the things I did to bring order to my life as a little nudge from God to have things in place, because a storm was coming.  Now that my house had less extra junk and there was a designated spot for everything we did keep, cleaning was easier. The kids can help. Family can help. Now that the bonus rooms are done, friends and family have a place to stay. Brandon and Brent got to come and stay the Saturday before the start of chemo to distract Chris and lift his spirits. (It meant a lot, guys!). If we need help overnight, family has a place to stay. We met some great people during the building process. The poor builder even ended up being the one to talk me off the ledge the morning we got bad news.  And the new friends I made and the relationships that we strengthened-these people have made all the difference!! They have put together meal donation lists( Megan), donated warm home cooked meals to my family when they were likely to have gotten only cereal or fast food from me(too many friends to mention), rides and play dates for my kids(you know who you are!), texts, cards, phone calls to check in (all of you).  I'm sure I'm missing a lot of what you all have done and I've strayed away from giving shout outs in my blog posts because I'm sure to miss things. I'm sure I have!  But all you all have done has been noticed and appreciated more than you will ever know!

 This brings me back to brownies... I told you I'd bring it full circle:)  Being a brownie co-leader has been an unexpected gift!  I met great girls with great parents who I may not have otherwise gotten to know. And the meetings were a FUN distraction.  But most importantly, I gained some great friends who have meant so much to me through this process. And the sad thing is, that we may never have gotten to know each other well enough to be friends if it hadn't been for brownies.  Melissa, kiersten, and katrina-thank you!  At the beginning of the year, my intention as far as Girl Scouts was concerned was one and done! I think I changed my mind...

This brownie diatribe is just one small example of a change in perspective that this cancer diagnosis has afforded me. Cancer sucks! It sucks when it strikes anyone. It sucks more when it hits the one you love most in the world. But for me, this difficult experience has also given me and my family lots of gifts.

Thank you