Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Playing Catch Up...I knew I would

So it's been a long time. A looooong time. I am disappointed.
Alright enough of that, I will just catch up!
Since my last blog my husband and I made an emergency trip home to San Diego, I have turned 21, and we had a 4th of July explosion party on the pier.

As for the emergency trip home, my mother in law was having surgery. She has colon cancer and they removed her whole colon, and uterus, and polyps from her liver. She did remarkably well after such an intense surgery and she continues to do so. Now she has chemo ahead and we are all hopeful for her remission. It's exhausting, watching not only someone go through cancer but watching how it affects their loved ones. The concerns, the fears, the what-ifs? It's all overwhelming. It's a role as his wife I wasn't expecting to have to play so early in our marriage. I mean I helped take care of my very sick grandmother who had breast cancer that went on to be lung cancer and liver cancer. I got up close and personal with hospitals,(to this day I don't handle them well at all), the ICU, I felt that grief, mourned the loss, all at only 14. But she was my grandmother, not my Mom. So I pray, a lot. We pray together. It's definitely brought us closer. He says I'm amazing, comforting, helpful, but I worry still. It's hard for me too, I love her too. But I know it's harder for him. God is good however, through it all. So we wait.

Ah yes. I am 21 now. June 2oth It was a nice day. I woke up to Ty's arms wrapped around me, he was kissing my face and telling the birthday girl to wake up, calling me an old lady. I love him.
Then he offered to take me to the mall to pick a present. YES. As I was getting ready I listened to the "Play list of My 21st Birthday Morning" It goes as follows:

1. Tiny Dancer By: Elton John (2 times in a row)
2. Mr. Tambourine Man By: Bob Dylan
3. Chimes of Freedom By:Bob Dylan
4. Free Fallin By: Tom Petty
5. Born To Fight By:Tracy Chapman
6. Electric Feel By: MGMT
7. Kids By: MGMT
8. We Live For Love By: Pat Benatar
9. Hair Down By: Cold War Kids
10. Passing The Hat By: Cold War Kids

It was a perfect play list, that was created as I listened. Music I truly love. We then proceeded to lunch at Steak n Shake with a couple of buddies, then to the liquor store on base where I bought myself my own alcohol. From there, on to the mall! Ty bought me two dresses I picked and surprised me with a book series I had started reading earlier that month. Two dresses and eight books. What a man! He sure knows how to make me happy. I choose Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner. While we waited to be seated we went to the bar and I had a "fancy" lemonade. Quite tasty. Dinner was yummy and then we headed back home. Now on the street we live on there is a bar and an Irish pub and grill. Both very close, so we walked. First to the Green Iguana, it was a brief stay which included a shot of vodka. Then we walked down to The Wooden Door. We ended up running into some people we had met a few weeks before and hung out with at our apartments. Two couples, who are unbelievably cool. They helped make it a true 21st celebration. I got lots of fancy birthday drinks and paid for nothing. We had a great time.
Not only was it my first birthday without my family, without the traditional family dinner, it was my 21st. So throughout the day I had passing feelings of longing. Wishing I had my closest and dearest friends to celebrate, wishing I could have a hug from my mom as she tells me how glad she is I was born, wishing I could hear my dad recite the details of my birth, wishing I could take goofy pictures with my brother. But what I got wasn't half bad, not bad at all. =)