Racin' for the Cure, Proms, and Moms, All in the Same Weekend!

It's a little disturbing when you can't remember things that happened only a few days ago, but I must admit every time I write this blog I need to look at my calendar to try to figure out what I did. I see from Friday's square that Kate had piano lessons before school, and now I can remember taking her. And remembering that reminds me that my mom and my sister came and picked up laundry on Friday, and that my mother-in-law came and picked up Tadman while they were at my house, and that while all of them were here Melissa McOmber stopped by with some lunch from project day (that was nice!) and then I remember that after they all left I went to project day and talked with Melinda and Karla and Jamie and had a lovely piece of angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Impressive to remember all of that just from having "piano lesson" on my calendar, huh?
My kids were busy and excited for the weekend and going all directions when I got home. Kate wanted to play with friends, Hunter was off to basketball practice, and Rachel and Parker and I went to Target to get a few beauty items in preparation for Rachel's prom date on Saturday. The end of the weeks and weekends are still the best for me treatment wise. I luckily had the energy to be shopping with Rachel in the evening even though I had been up since early in the morning taking Kate.
Then early Saturday I was up again to get ready for the Race for the Cure to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Rachel was off to a quartet competition, Hunter and Greg to basketball, Tadman with grandma still, and Kate, Parker and I to the race. My sister and her husband Kelly picked us up and efficiently dropped finished laundry off when they came. Also going to the race--my sister's 4 kids still at home, her married daughter with her husband, Dave, and grandma. When we got down to Park Center Boulevard, the race site, 15,000 other people were there ready to participate as well. My mom with my sister and some of the kids as companions did the one mile course, while my kids, Heather's husband, and Shannon and Dave did the 5 k course. It was quite a unique experience walking with so many people. At the start it was almost impossible to move, but after we'd passed the half-way point and were on the way back to the start the pace picked up considerably. What a great group was assembled to walk! There were people with pink kitty hats and false pink eyelashes, people with long pink tutus, pink mohawks, and lots and lots of people with tiaras. Many people brought kids in strollers and on scooters, cheerleaders cheered the walkers and runners, and boy scouts distributed water. It was an upbeat and festive environment to be sure.
Soon after the start I ran into my friends, the Noklebys, and their 5 children, and Parker and Kate and I were lucky enough to walk the rest of the way with them. Their kids were great. Their sons Beret and Carston both held my hands for a good part of the walk. Carston helped me start conversations with other participants by telling them I had cancer, and they kept me engaged and entertained so I completely forgot my chemo feet were hurting. Thank you, Beret and Carston, for taking such great care of me during that race! I was so proud of Kate for walking at a good pace for the whole course, even though she woke up extra early on a Saturday, and even though she knew she had a late afternoon soccer game.
Once the finish line was crossed there were all kinds of treats and give-aways. There were bagels, Popsicles, and milkshakes, scarves and bags, and grooming kits. And what a beautiful morning for the event!
Shannon and Dave were there waiting to show us around the promotion tents and take us home after the race. We even got the opportunity to see their honeymoon town home over in the Vista area. They have painted and decorated and it's a great first home for them to share together and I'm so happy they are so comfortably situated! Thank you, Shannon for getting us signed up for the race and encouraging us to participate. It was a really good experience and I know my kids will remember it, too. I really liked seeing all the families walking together for a mom or grandma with cancer. I so enjoyed it, and hope we will get a rain check on those Icebergs another day!
I missed Hunter's first basketball game for the race (he won!), but was able to make it to most of the second. After making it close for the first couple of quarters, they ended up pulling away and winning by double digits over Capital, so they will enter next Saturday's tournament undefeated and rolling and I will be excited to be there!
Kate and I had to leave a little before the end of Hunter's game to get to her soccer game. It seems Kate wasn't the only kid on her team who had and early morning and a busy day. Kate played goalie the first half and got shot on over and over again and got very little support from the other girls. They just weren't running at all, weren't getting any shots on goal, and were almost chatting more than playing throughout the game. Thank goodness for end of game snacks and tunnels. Sometimes they are the only things that make those soccer games worthwhile!
After soccer we had to hurry home to help Rachel finish dressing for prom, get Parker to a birthday party, and Hunter to a basketball party. So much for that Saturday night date I was looking forward to! Rachel had her makeup all done and looked stunning. I was able to sew a tiny rip in the seam of her dress and help her curl her hair, then wait with her while she wondered where her date could be. Luckily he did come eventually! They missed their dinner reservations, but Rachel is such an adaptable date she had just as much fun eating at Sonic afterwards. I will put pictures on the blog when they become available.
Greg and I settled for Thai food at home while our kids spent the evening partying.
Now I'm up-to-date because I made it to Sunday. That's today! Since it was Mother's Day Greg brought me a huge breakfast in bed. The kids like that tradition 'cause they end up with breakfast too. Kate presented me with a lovely ceramic tile she painted for me at school. Then at church I was treated to a lovely tribute from my daughter Rachel who spoke in sacrament meeting about what she'd learned from me. It was better than any gift she could have given me to hear how much she loves and admires me. The feeling is mutual--there's no one I'd rather have as my oldest daughter. She's intelligent, thoughtful, artistic, well versed, kind, charitable, and beautiful to name just a few of her attributes. Church started out great and stayed that way. I am enjoying it more than ever since my diagnosis. I think it's because I feel closer and more united with my church family than I ever have before, so now church is like a weekly family reunion--and that's a good thing because I like family reunions.
We topped off a great Sabbath by visiting both grandmas in their own homes. I feel so lucky we live so close so it's possible to see them both today. We are so grateful to them for raising us and continuing to love and support us as adults. You are never too old to need your mom!
In conclusion tonight, I am thankful for my incredibly full, rich life surrounded by a large family, lots of friends, a ward family, and a strong community. I'm grateful that people like me more than they used to, and ignore my faults because they are focused on meeting my needs. If cancer has helped my children see the value of what I have chosen to do with my life, it's worth it! If cancer has forever transformed me and truly made me love and appreciate those around me more completely and unconditionally, it's worth it! If it inspires my brother to call me, like it did last night, that's a pretty cool side effect. It will never be fun, but thanks to a remarkable support group, it may just be worth it!