My Journey… My Detour!

Richard and I were finally able to go on our European Cruise. We spent 14 days in Europe and 11 days on the Celebrity Reflection. Orginally, we were supposed to take the cruise in September, but Hurricane Irma made sure that didn’t happen. We were dissappointed, but we dealt with it. I feel like it was a test to always have faith that everything happens for a reason. When we were first planning our cruise it was meant to be a “last hurrah”. A way for me to check something off my bucketlist and spend some quality time with the hubby. We didn’t find out the great news about being NED (No Evidence of Disease) until January. That’s when the cruise turned into a “celebrate life” vacation. Richard and I were able to enjoy our trip with such joy. Yes, at the end of the day I am still a cancer patient. I still experience side effects from chemo, radiation and all the meds. The imporatnt thing to remember is that I am a survivor and I am thriving.

Richard and I were one of the youngest couples on the cruise. Celebrity is known for catering to the “more mature crowd”. But we still had a blast. I know some of those older people were looking at me with envy. Obviously, not knowing my story. They just saw a young couple having fun. They would look at us envious of our youth. But honestly, I was looking at them with such envy. They have lived long lives. Whether they were good or bad, I am not sure… the point is they have lived. They have experienced watching their children grow up, graduate college, get married, and they have become grandparents. I don’t know what my future holds and I don’t know if I will live long enough to experience all those milestones. All I know is that I am living for today. I don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow. I try to live and make memories for today. That is what Richard and I did on this cruise. We made some great memories. Rome was amazing. We saw everything there is to see. The food in Spain was excellent. I indulged in a lot of paella, sangria and tapas. I saw Monkeys in Gibraltor. We rode a scooter in Ibiza, and I visited the Vatican. I lite a candle in every church in Rome and made sure to Thank God for all my blessings. I prayed for my boys and I gave thanks for my life. I am excited to create a photo album with all of our pictures.

We missed our boys like crazy. It was my first time not being with them on Mother’s Day. However, it was so important for Richard and I to have that time for ourselves. It was beautiful to reconnect with the love of my life. We didn’t have to worry about being parents and could focus on us. I also ate like a beast. I didn’t worry about my diet. I drank wine and ate some amazing desserts. I was trying to gain weight for my upcoming surgery. I will be having fat grafting next week. It’s basically lypo. They will take the fat from my belly and use it to reconstruct my breast. I have NEVER wanted lypo and I don’t know how or why people would do all of this to their body on purpose. I am not looking forward to the recovery, but I am looking forward to feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I was proud of myself for wearing a bikini on the cruise. I was able to find the perfet bikini. One that covered my chest and scars. I just don’t want to wear my “chicken cutlets” anymore. They are not the most comfort things to wear.

So after an amazing two weeks we came back to find our house a mess. We have been fighting with the insurance company since September, because Hurricane Irma also caused some leaks in our roof. While we were gone there was nonstop rain and we have 5 leaks in our roof. Our front door is a mess, the boy’s bathroom, our office and our garage. We had 15 industrial fans in our house this week drying up the mess. They were so loud and our house was in shambles. This week has not been fun. They have to come back next week to cut holes in the dry wall since we have mold already. I guess that always happens. You come back from vacation to some drama. But I still have to keep my head up. Even with such a crazy week. I was still blessed with some great news. I had a PET scan this week and I am happy to report that I am still NED. Yah baby!! Thank you father God for giving me another chance at life. So for those of you out there stressing over the little things, let it go. Life is too short. There are some of us struggling everyday to live. Don’t take anything for granted. Take some time to dance and laugh. Laugh at yourself, and smile like your heart is on fire. Let people see your joy and don’t be ashamed to be happy.