Busy Weekends

After working a couple more weeks I am definitely capable of working 3 days in the office and 2 days at home with lots of organization to keep me on task. The days at home are crucial for keeping me rested and allowing for relaxation so I am not feeling over stressed.
Other than working, I have been keeping busy on the weekends. The weekend of Jan 31st and Feb 1st I spent time with family playing games, attending a baby shower and watching the Super Bowl. I actually didn't suck at Scrabble like I thought I would and held up with my cousin Mark, who usually wins. This was also my first baby shower, which really is not my thing, but still nice to see the family. On Sunday I woke up feeling tired but figured I would enjoy watching the game with my cousins. Overall the weekend was a bit too much activity but lots of fun.
Then on February 4th Amoret and Rettke flew in and we drove up to Houghton for Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival, a 9 hr drive we started at 9 pm. That was a true test on me, but we did it in one night and arrived in Houghton at 6 am. Both Rettke and Amoret drove and took naps with me staying awake navigating and talking the whole way up. We had a lot of fun all weekend walking around seeing statues, going out to eat, watching hockey, and going to the bars. The bars were rough, since I am no longer drinking and people kept saying go get a drink. I saw a lot of people I knew and had a rough time telling them that I had cancer and even got to the point that I didn't want to tell some of them. Their reactions were surprising, most of them didn't believe it and then commented on how strong I was and I would fight through this. Just hearing the confidence in people's reaction reminded me of how strong I can be and need to be through this.
The best part of the weekend with Amoret, Rettke, Kelly, Jen and Cory was the time I was able to spend with my close friends and hear their thoughts on what I am going through and their faith in me to get through all this. It was nice to be able to talk with them one on one like when we lived together. They really refreshed me and got me ready to fight through radiation. I also realized that it is important to keep in touch with my close friends and see them as much as I can. I also got a chance to finally break down about having cancer with the people around that I needed to help me pull right out of it.
This past weekend, February 14 and 15, I spent out at my Aunt Janice's and Uncle Tom's house keeping busy. Uncle Tom picked me up and installed a shelf for me, prior to taking me out to his house. We spent Saturday afternoon preparing for the card making gathering my Aunt Janice had put together for Sunday with family. Saturday evening we stayed up late talking about the family and what I had in front of me with treatment. On Sunday we got all prepped for the party, baking cookies and getting lunch together. Family showed up and the party didn't stop until 6 pm, when I was exhausted and ready to head home. Sunday night I noticed I had pushed myself too hard for too long and felt a cold coming on, mostly likely from being worn out so I am taking it easy this week.
I am fortunate to have a very loving, supportive family that wants to help me in any way they can and are working with me to help me. I am very grateful for all the supportive people I have around these days. I am noticing just how much a positive attitude and desire to be helpful lifts my spirit and keeps me positive. I believe that surrounding myself with happy, supportive, helpful, positive people that I can talk to is keeping me strong to fight through my cancer.