Yesterday my grandpa was diagnosed with an extremely rare, and extremely advanced, form of stomach cancer. The epitome of the strongest, healthiest, and outdoorsiest 75 year old man on this planet, I expected to find him in somewhat diminished spirits when my sister and I headed out to Colbert for a little meeting regarding his diagnosis and potential treatment options. I think because I was initially devastated, I expected him to be. At one point I even imagined him reveling in ultimate despair, sobbing to himself on the floor. Ridiculous me. My initial and highly presumed assessment of his mental and emotional faculties became disproved almost instantly.
I presumed a somber mood would overcome the visit, and found my assumption grossly, and thankfully, incorrect.
At one point during the visit my sister and I are having a serious cancer conversation with a very optimistic grandpa Ladish when we notice him switch conversation topics suddenly and unconsciously, and rather than discussing the complexities of stomach cancer, we now find ourselves watching my grandma’s early 90’s Denise Austen exercise video, listening to my grandpa as he explains how great this video is and how grandma can do all the exercises really well. And he’s just plain excited about it, and my grandma is being adorable and kinda bopping to the video beat and moving her arms a bit, like she wants to work out but she just can’t right now because she’s chatting with her grand-daughters, and besides she’s not dressed properly. And all the while Theresa and I are doing our best not to collapse from not breathing because we are laughing so hard.
That’s why I adore my family. Because when someone you love gets cancer you think the next time you see them you might cry, or even be silent for awhile, so as to truly absorb the gravity of the situation, because isn’t that what families do when brusque reality comes knocking, bringing the unpleasant reminder of life’s inconstancy? Not my family. Don’t get me wrong. We cry, we hug, we sit silently (Sometimes. Ok, rarely). But most of the time we laugh. We laugh because life is serious enough without everyone walking around focusing on its solemnity, and because sometimes there isn’t anything else to be done. We laugh because most of us are pretty darn funny, thank you very much. But mostly we laugh because no matter the austerity of a particular situation, we know we have far more for which to be thankful than we do for which to be embittered.
So, cancer smancer.
If my grandpa decides to fight this then I remain confident that it will be the cancer that is high-tailing it out of his body, and not my grandpa high-tailing it out of this world. But no matter the outcome of the pending tests, decisions and surgeries, my family will remain intact. And my grandpa? He will remain amazing, and hilarious.
This week I have been:
Writing, editing, and organizing grant proposals, and preparing gargantuan-sized grant budgets feverishly, to meet deadlines both old and new.
Snuggling with my pug and enjoying any downtime I have been able to muster.
Writing! I’m so excited about three different stories I have in the works, and thanks to a recent prompt by Danny, I’ve been sitting down daily to translate my excitement into actual words on a page. (Not unlike snakes on a plane. Only → Read more...
This post inspired by my friend and partner in movie quote crime, Home Sweet Sarah.
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Some of the most memorable places I have stood, in no particular order:
On The Great Wall of China. Next to my sister as she took her wedding vows. In front of the Kremlin in Moscow. Next to my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Priest Lake. Specifically, my family’s Priest Lake dock spot. On Mt. Seorak, South Korea. Poolside for countless summers with friends, and cousins, and awesome(ly ridiculous) bikinis. At the base → Read more...
Full disclosure: I initially considered titling this post !!!!!!!!! but Wordpress started laughing at me, and threatened to throw spam.
At this point to say I cannot contain my already typically excessive exclaiming is to understate. HOW am I going to refrain from blurting out, “Hawaii! I’m going there!” from now until I leave at the beginning of September? Better yet, Maui! + getting to see my sister in TWO WEEKS = how am I going to sleep tonight? And the → Read more...
Originally aired: January 19, 2007. Watched by Kerri Anne: August 1, 2010. Courtesy of: Netflix Instant Watch. Because: a) I was in the mood for a lighthearted, kid-centric story; b) Netflix told me I would four stars enjoy it and saw fit to leave out crucial somber-tone-revealing plot points in their synopsis; c) Netflix is a lying liar face; d) ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Starring: A slew of great Spanish actors you’ve probably never heard of, most notably Ivana Baquero and Maribel Verdú. Protagonist’s → Read more...