Tag: blessings

Treasure each day, because you don’t know how many you’re going to be given

There was a reason we didn’t start chemo this week. It was because we needed to be together this Thanksgiving as a family. It truly was one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve had in my life. Woody and I started off the day by making a big breakfast for the boys’ and Uncle Ron came over to join us. I then headed out for a good 5 mile run. It was fabulous. The sun was shining, people were out and about, and it made me feel so happy. I came home, showered and got the boys’ ready to head over to the Kotalik’s for our Thanksgiving feast. Karen, of course outdid herself. The food was to die for and the company could not have been better. I am so lucky to call them family. We spent a lot of time outside playing football and basketball. Ronan was entertained by Karen’s youngest daughter, Olivia, who is such a doll with Ronan. She adores him and is so good to him. It was sweet to watch. I got to spend some time with Liz, who I call my soul sister. She is almost 21, and is a huge part of my heart. We sat and caught up for a long time. She will be coming to New York as well and is so excited. I am so lucky and blessed to have the Kotaliks… Mimi Kay has the best friends.

We took the time on our drive over today and each said what we were thankful for. I said I was thankful for this moment in time, for my boys and Woody, and our amazing support system.Woody said he was thankful for being together and how proud he is of Liam, Quinn, and Ronan who are growing up to be such amazing boys. Quinn was thankful for our family. Liam was thankful for Christmas to be the next holiday and for each other. Ronan was thankful for Star Wars:) So cute.

Liam and Quinn are in a Fantasy Football league this year and as of now, they are the number one team. If they win, they win 600 dollars. Craziness! Tonight, we were talking about what they would do with the money if they won and Quinn goes, “Maybe we could donate it to Ronan’s Foundation.” I wanted to melt on the floor right then and there. He is so thoughtful and kind. What a big thing for a 7-year-old to think of. It made me so proud of him.

I am thankful for so many things everyday. I still get sad about what we are going through; but we are getting through this one day at a time and counting our blessings. We finding so many little things that make our lives happy. I am trying my hardest to stay positive and I mostly get sad for Ronan, Liam, and Quinn. It’s hard to watch your babies worlds change at such a fast pace. You can’t ignore the pain in their eyes…. but we have a lot of talks about our feelings and I think that helps. I talked to Quinn tonight about what he is scared about. He said he was scared that he was going to get cancer too. I assured him that he will not, and neither will Liam. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, what do I know…. if it can happen to Ronan, it can happen to anyone. He felt better after I promised him he was not going to get it. I know he sits and thinks about these things and it’s my job to fish it out of him so we can talk about it. I feel like I’m doing a good job with that and so is Woody. I can’t do this alone. I thought for a long time that I could and it was easy to try to tackle everything by myself. But I missed my best friend too much. I need Woody and I need us to be a team. We are again; and things have gotten so much easier. I couldn’t ask for a better man to go through this with. Once again, I am beyond blessed.

I’ve been thinking all day about all the beautiful things in our life. The fact that we have 3 boys is a miracle in itself. Those 3 boys, are everything to us. I am thankful that after being with Wood for 11 years that he is still my best friend and the man I love. Some people never know that feeling. I am thankful that Woody still looks at me like the 21 year old girl he met 11 years ago. He still loves and adores me and treats me like I am his princess. I am thankful that we are still each others true loves. I am so thankful for Woody’s parents and I don’t know how we would manage going through this without them. I am thankful for all of my family. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss them. I am thankful for all of my friends. They are the truest and purest souls put on this planet. They would not be in my life if they were not. I know for a fact, that I would not be able to get through this without them. I am thankful for the pure kindness of strangers. I had no idea how beautiful people can really be…. without having agendas. I am thankful for everyday that I get to look into Ronan’s beautiful blue eyes and how he loves to kiss the spot on the back of my neck and I do the same to him. We call it our sugar spot. I love it when he lets me give him “sugar.” The days that he smiles and is happy mean everything to me. His good days make all the bad days go away. I never knew I could love so deeply in my life. I am so full of love for my family that I feel like I could burst.

It is our love that is going to get us through this. This little boy is not going anywhere. When I was running the other night I looked up at the sky and prayed and prayed for Ronan to beat this. He belongs with us forever.

P.S. To my Liz Kotalik. I love you like a sister. I am so proud of you and the amazing woman you have become. Soul sisters forever and ever. My heart belongs to you.

Have I mentioned how much I love music? It feeds my soul. Cheers to The Pretenders tonight. Love you all. Sweet dreams and all the blessings in the world.

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
‘Cause I’ve seen the dark side too

When the night falls on you
You don’t know what to do
Nothin’ you confess, could make me love you less

I’ll stand by you, I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

So, if you’re mad, get mad
Don’t hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now

Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
Well I’m a lot like you

When you’re standing at the crossroads
And don’t know which path to choose
Let me come along
‘Cause even if you’re wrong

I’ll stand by you, I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

And when, when the night falls on you, baby
You’re feelin’ all alone
You won’t be on your own

I’ll stand by you, I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you

I’ll stand by you, I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Yeah

Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you

I’ll stand by you
No, no, no, no, no
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you

Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast

I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland. A little lost, scared, curious, brave, hopeful, determined, a champion, a dreamer and strong. A little like the Mad Hatter too. Crazy, funny, smart, and zany. And the White Queen, confident, gracious, and sassy. I relate to so many of these characters in this movie. I feel like I am Alice, living a crazy dream, and I just can’t wake up. I haven’t cried in a few days, which is rare. I hope all of these drugs are not numbing me too much. I want to feel things… but I also don’t want to feel too much or else I won’t be able to function. These past few days I have been looking at Ronan and just feeling happy and extremely lucky to be able to spend so much time with him. His spirits have been great. He is so feisty and has been cracking me up. Last night, Liam and Quinn were in the shower and Ronan kept running in there and throwing things on them. I was trying to get him to stop but he of course was not listening. I did my pretend Woody call, which is sometimes what I do when Woody is not here, and sometimes it works and Ronan stops the naughty things he is doing. Last night when all that was happening, I yelled out, “Woooooody!” Ronan looked me dead in the eye and goes, “Woody’s not here.” I died laughing. Liam and Quinn were hysterical with laughter. It was so funny and smart of him. He has so much mischief and fire inside of him. It keeps me on my toes and I love every second of it. He is so strong and brave. He is my hero.

So, since we won’t be in the hospital for Thanksgiving, we will be spending it with our dear friends, The Kotaliks and Mimi and Papa. It is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever. We have so many things to be thankful for this year. Just to be able to be together as a family is a huge blessing. We will hopefully start his chemo on Monday. Woody is devastated that we have had a little set back but Ronan’s body needs to fully recover from the last round to start this next round. I have faith that everything happens for a reason and it will all work out. It just has to; we have come too far with all of this.

My mom and Jim will be coming out on the 1st of December for a visit. My mom is so nervous because of the way I flipped out on her the last time she was here. I keep reassuring her that I will be fine this time…. I’m on medication for crying out loud and I know that is helping. We are surprising the boys’ and not telling them that Papa Jim is coming too. They will be so thrilled. It will be nice to have both my mom and Jim here. I have a very special bond with my step-dad… I love him to pieces and feel so lucky that my mom married him when I was 13. He is the greatest man.

That’s all for tonight. Looking forward to a very peaceful weekend with some very special friends coming into town for a visit on Saturday. I am so excited about that. It has been much too long since I have seen this dear friend of mine. Planning on a fun Saturday night and taking her and a few other girls to Chelsea’s Kitchen for dinner. It is going to be a very special evening to say the least.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all tomorrow if I don’t get to check in. I am thankful, always, everyday for all of the blessings in my life. Love to you all, my friends.

xoxo

A change of plans

Ronan’s counts are not high enough to start chemo this week. What does this mean?? It means a lot… his surgery date will now have to be changed, as well as our flight out to New York. Trying not to stress too much… everything happens for a reason, right?? We will now get to spend Thanksgiving together as a family at our dear friends’, The Kotaliks. We will go back into the clinic on Monday to have his levels checked again. They have to be up…. we need to get his chemo started as soon as possible. I am going to relax and try to stay calm about this. Things will work out. I am going to take this as a very good sign that we were meant to all be together on Thanksgiving and I am very thankful for that alone.

On a good note, Ronan has gained 2 pounds this week! That is huge for such a little guy:) Mama has been feeding him well!!

Have a beautiful and blessed turkey day!! xoxo

P.S. I heart Tina Fey and this made me laugh.

We live in a beautiful world

What a beautiful day. Today was filled with such beauty I almost don’t even know where to start. First, I just want to say that our prayers of finding a private plane to get us to and from New York City have been answered. I can’t believe all of the responses I got today from people who were more than willing to help us out. We can now breathe a big sigh of relief thanks to some very special people. Also, I got a call from somebody that I don’t even know today, whom I am just calling, S. She offered to let our family use their jet to get us to NYC and was so gracious and happy to help. We have decided to go with a bigger corporation, but I just want to say a special thank you to this family for stepping up and offering to help us. They don’t want to be recognized in any way… and that right there speaks volumes about the type of people they are. S, I cannot wait for the day I get to meet you and give you the biggest hug in the world. You are an angel and I will never forget your kindness and generosity that came from the truest place of all; your heart. So, thank you again; You and your family will forever have a special place in my heart.

I spent the day at home with Ronan and I actually got to cook dinner. That in itself was such a treat. I have always loved to cook and I was so excited to spend the day doing so. Ronan helped me add the ingredients to my beef stew; and loved every second of helping me. Woody was so happy to have a meal that I had cooked myself. He even told me he thinks it was one of the best things I have ever made. That made my night. After Wood came home and we sat and had dinner I put on my running shoes and headed out in the dark, cold night. Oh my goodness. I am so happy that running has found it’s way back into my heart. Geez, all it took was my little guy getting cancer. Sad but true. After I ran the NYC marathon a couple of years ago I started up the “I hate running club.” I have been a member of this club ever since completing that marathon. Well, now I am happy to say, I no longer belong to this club. Before all of this, I would have never ran in the dark alone. Now, I don’t care at all. It’s like I have nothing to be afraid of because all of those fears that I had before were so silly. I know what real fear is now and it is so much bigger than running in the dark. I blasted my music, ran so hard and so fast for a good hour. My calves burned, my chest burned, and it felt good. I thought of so many things during my run. I kept telling myself, every time my feet hit the pavement, it was one step closer to getting Ronan well. I pictured so many of my family and friends on Thanksgiving…. and imagined them all being happy and thankful this year. I know you all are going to be thankful for so much more than normal. I am happy to be able to give that gift to you. It makes me happy to think of all of you and all the beauty you have in your lives. It gives me peace. I thought a lot about New York and getting that fucking tumor out of Ronan’s abdomen. I can’t wait to just get it out of him. I am going to ask for it too. Call me crazy, but I want to see that thing. I am obsessed. I hope the doctors will agree; not sure if it’s something they will be o.k. with but I am going to ask. I thought a lot about all of the medication I am on now. I would like to say a big fat thank you for the inventors of Zoloft, Xanex, and Clonazepam. I never thought I would be one of those “people,” but I am and I am not ashamed. I am thankful that about a month after being in all of this, that I knew I needed help when I found myself locked in Ronan’s dark closest rocking back and fourth crying my eyes out. I am thankful that I was brave enough to admit that I needed something to help me get though this. So thank you, Zoloft for keeping me more steady and even keeled. I can now actually go into a grocery store and not flip out. I have not taken the Xanex yet…. saving that for when I really need it. And Mr. Clonazepam. I can finally sleep at night; peacefully. Before Mr. Clonazepam, I was lucky to get 2-3 hours of sleep a night. That in itself was enough to make me crazy. Sleep deprivation can really mess with your mind. I feel a little bit like the old Maya. A girl who used to be crazy strong and could have ruled the world. I need her back to get Ronan through this, and if it takes being on this stuff for a while, then so be it.

Ronan is going to beat this. There is no doubt in my mind. Tonight, he was jumping off of the ladder to Liam and Quinn’s bunk bed onto the ground into a pile of pillows below. And your telling me this kid has stage 4 cancer? It’s crazy to me. Nothing can stop him and his spirit. He must have told me 50 times today how much he loves me. We had a great, fun day together. Tomorrow, we will go to the clinic to have his levels checked. Praying that he can start his chemo tomorrow. It’s time to get this show on the road, people!

Sweet dreams to you all my dear friends. Please never forget how beautiful this life is; even during what seems like the darkest hours. I am so thankful for all of you<3

This is from my sweet friend, Jen… beautiful song and beautiful lyrics. Thanks baby.
Rascal Flatts – I Won’t Let Go Lyrics

It’s like a storm
That cuts a path
It’s breaks your will
It feels like that

You think your lost
But your not lost on your own
Your not alone
I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you’ve done all you can do
If you can’t cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I wont let go

It hurts my heart
To see you cry
I know it’s dark
This part of life
Oh it finds us all
And we’re too small
To stop the rain
Oh but when it rains

I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you’ve done all you can do
And you can’t cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight

And I wont let you fall
Don’t be afraid to fall
I’m right here to catch you
I wont let you down
It wont get you down
Your gonna make it
Yea I know you can make it

Cause I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you’ve done all you can do
And you can’t cope
And I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I wont let go
Oh I’m gonna hold you
And I wont let go
Wont let you go
No I wont