I've been slacking...

On updating this blog that is! I went back to Michigan for a quick visit and surprised my Mom by showing up at her surprise 60th birthday party! It was a surreal experience as she had no idea I was coming into town. The way it went down is I showed up just after the surprise happened and masqueraded as one of the catering guys... I had the chef hat on and everything ;) I carried one of the trays downstairs where the party was, found my Mom and asked her where she wanted the tray! She was of course shocked and overcome by emotion. It was a really nice moment (although I was a bit overwhelmed myself and the 30+ people gathered around to witness it!)

All in all, it was a great trip getting a chance to stay with both my Mom and Dad. I wish I had more time to see friends and family but looking forward to May when I return and can spend more time relaxing and catching up with everyone.

As for life back here in Seattle, I'm slowly getting my strength back and pretty much my life back. I went to the gym for the first time today and know I'll be feeling the pain tomorrow. Also glad to report that my appetite is almost all the way back and hoping that I can put on a few pounds. Finally, my hair is growing back in everywhere (some places more rapidly than others). It's been so long that I've had hair... When looking at my head in the mirror, it seems like the hair on the sides of my head is growing in much thicker than the top. Has the chemo and radiation accelerated my male pattern balding?! I've read that the hair will grow back at different textures/thickness/color. I really could care a less, at least I have hair coming in and my eyebrows are back! I'm thinking of growing a beard, or at least letting my face match the progress of my head. My rationalle is balance, or distraction! Whatever it is, it's easy maintenance like I've become accustomed to these last 15 months. I forgot what a pain in the ass is it to shave every day! One nice thing about being chemo bald was not having to worry about shaving ;) Not that I'm complaining though as I'd much rather have to shave than look sick like I have for so long...

So from here I'm going to start planning my road trip. I'm thinking of getting it started around the first of April. It's really exciting and daunting at the same time. I calculated the whole thing to be around 7000 miles, yikes! The nice thing is I can take all the time I want. I've got peep's scattered on my route so it'll be nice to take breaks and visit with some of them. I'll also have my trusty travel companion Chili with me to help keep me company. Not to mention, I'll have people meeting me at destinations (i.e. L.A., Austin) to join me for legs of the trip.

That's it for now... To all my fellow Hodge Warriors out there (and cancer survivors in general), I'm always rooting for you!!