Christmas Update

My last blog post was April 13. I have tried every day since to gracefully accept the measure of health I can wrestle from a disease process that is for now being held at bay…by a pill a day. Those pills cost my insurance company over $500 a day. The math nearly brings me to my knees.
Thankfully, all my systems are within acceptable limits and the tumor in my spine is being kept stable by a daily 60mg dose of Cabometyx. When I run into friends I haven’t seen in a while, there’s a time warp to connect the sixty-five-old me to a fat profile that, when I last sported it, I was walking the halls of Hardaway High School. If you think that’s weird for you, you should feel it from this side.
Know this, Jill and I appreciate the constant love we feel from every channel of our lives. I never dreamed we’d still be at it ten years after my diagnosis. We are grateful for the gifts we’ve been given and for the legions of family and friends with whom we’ve shared our lives.
We had a perfect Christmas this year. The annual Christmas hayride happened for the first time in three years and I hope we made a few memories. Saturday, on the day of our hayride, a crisp, bluebird day was a perfect backdrop for our ride.
We got some good face time with all the boys and their significant others, our parents, siblings, some nieces and nephews and friends during the Christmas holiday. I think Jill and I had a personal best in the holiday decoration category. Unpacked it, put it up, took it down, packed it up. Back in the barn. Bam!
For the past couple of years, we got a unique perspective of the courtship of our son, Christopher, and his main squeeze, Kathryn Anderson, of the California Andersons. Some few months after they met, Kathryn joined our team at “Columbus and the Valley” and got to witness firsthand, a rare glimpse into what makes her tick that most “parents of the partner” would never get the chance to see.
We are thrilled that Kathryn and Christopher are engaged! Here’s what I’m more excited about: I’ve watched our son blossom with Kathryn at his side. She makes him happy and that makes me happy. She is compassionate about her causes, really smart, protective of her pack, competitive and so much fun to be around.
Having the great pleasure of working with Kathryn and getting to know her organically and we enter our new roles in each others’ lives. I could not be more excited about having Kathryn join our family.
That’s all I’ve got for now. That, and this big ol’ smile.