My Friend Bernie

Today I found out my friend Bernie passed away on Monday.

One of the best things I did when I got diagnosed with cancer, and started my treatments, was sign up for the Well-Fit program at the University of Waterloo. It was a safe haven for me in every way...it was sterile, everyone else there knew (through their own experiences) what I was going through, and it got me out of the house on days when I didn't want to get off the couch or see anyone. It just felt good to be with people who understood the whole diagnosis/treatment process...and to exercise and be active in some way was great too!

But the greatest part was the wonderful people I met. The staff at Well-Fit are awesome, for sure, but it was my fellow survivors who gave me so much. They understood, they supported, they made me smile and believe too. One of my favourites was my friend Bernie. He had a huge smile on his face every day. We rode our stationary bikes side by side and talked about our cancers, our oncologists, our families and what we did for a living and for fun. Bernie was a big Disney World fan and when he found out I was going last summer, he couldn't tell me enough about what I had to do and see while I was there. He told me where to go to meet Mickey!!

My thoughts are with Bernie's wife Sheila and his family. I feel so blessed for having met such a wonderful, positive man. I thank him for helping me stay positive during such a difficult time and for always having a hug ready. I am definitely better for having known him. God bless, Bernie.

xoxoxxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Countdown to Hunger Games...the Movie!

I cannot wait!  I have finished the Hunger Games Trilogy and on Wednesday I'm going to see the movie with a couple of girlfriends!  I cannot wait!!  I loved this book, and of course I know the book is always better than the movie...but I just hear so many great things and I think the book lends itself to become a great movie!!  Wahoo!

Did I mention I cannot wait??!!

Tonight I saw Jupiter, Venus and Mars!  Did you look at the sky tonight?  There were two super bright stars near the moon...only they weren't stars!  Venus was the one closest to the moon and Jupiter was just below.  Mars was in a different part of the sky and had kind of an orange tinge to it.  Beautiful!!

I'm lucky to have an amateur astronomer on our street!  He had his telescope out and let us take a closer look.  We could see the four moons around Jupiter and this cluster of stars called Pleiades that sort of looks like a tiny dipper.  While we were waiting our turn to look through the telescope, we were checking out the North Star, Orion and the Big Dipper.  So cool!

And to top it all off, while we were outside star gazing we saw a shooting star!  So perfect I just had to make a wish!!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Happy Anniversary to Me!!

Wahoo!!  I love these one year anniversaries!!  The end of last week marked one year since I finished up my radiation treatments.

Yep, one year ago today I was nursing my radiation burns and feeling grateful and proud to be DONE!!

Today, with a full year behind me, I am doubly grateful and feeling like time is on my side!!  As I'm sure you all know, the more time I can put between me and my diagnosis and treatments, the more the risk of a recurrence drops!!  Winning!!

So what have I been up to?  Well, Matt and I have been to a few symphonies lately, and it's made me think about my high school music teacher, Mr. Ted Kennedy. I took music all through high school and it was definitely my favourite class.  The clarinet was my main instrument (played in the studio band) and the alto sax was my second instrument (played in the stage band).  Man I loved those days!  When Matt and I went to see Bolero, it was lovely to hear those woodwinds featured!!  And it made me wonder why we never played it in high school (I think me and my friend Sheryl would have loved to give it a go!!)!  Then just a week and a half ago, Matt and I went to listen to the music of John Williams.  Yes, you know who John Williams is!!  He wrote the music for some of the best movies of all time...all six Star Wars movies, all the Harry Potter movies, the Indiana Jones movies, Jaws, Superman, ET, Close Encounters (the list goes on and on...).  It was a fabulous concert and again it made me think about Mr. Kennedy and the fun we had in music and band.  He always picked great popular pieces and I know we played a few pieces from John Williams' collection.   So I found myself wondering why I haven't played any instruments since high school...

Well...I do have my whole life ahead of me...maybe I should take up a brand new one...wonder how Matt feels about the drums!!

On a more serious 'note', as I put this treatment free year behind me, I have been reflecting on how lucky I am to have so many amazing people in my life.  I thank you all for the love and support that not only got me through my treatments but continues to show itself to me today!  It feels great to be feeling more and more like myself every day and I know the loving has made all the difference.  Thank you.

xoxoxoxxoxoxo