Tingle, Tingle, Little Legs

Here's an update!!

Doing the Side Stroke Upriver

We are so boring.

Seriously.

Brother Isaac always used to make fun of me for it and I would just laugh, but now, it's getting serious.  Or, rather, more serious.  Basically, I work.  And basically, Isaac Jordan studies.  And eats Skittles from the five pound bag that Mom sent him...

My non-salon job is going better.  I don't feel that I'm probably the best sales person on the planet, but I do what they ask of me at 200% effort so nobody can say I don't try.  The biggest thing that amuses me about my job is the type of expectations people can place on a facial cream.  I was on the phone the other day with a lady for over an hour and a half discussing which skincare regimen would benefit her the most.  She wanted hydrating, lifting, tightening, firming, wrinkle-fixing, de-puffing, pore-shrinking, acne-curing, dark-circle-ridding magic.  I ended up telling her that if things are really headed that far south, the best product would probably be a face lift.  Creams and serums can only do so much.

Things are going along pretty well at Ken Paves Salon too.  We're having an event on Sunday, April 1st to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I figured since so many people went out of their way to help us when we needed it, the very least I can do is donate what I can and encourage others to do the same.  The relief that we felt once the financial burden lift during chemo was immense.  I didn't even realize how heavy it was until afterward.

Here's a flyer for the event, in case you hadn't seen it yet:

Mom and Jessica will be coming up for it, which will be really sweet.  They're going to be our greeters, welcoming people in with warmness and smiles and asking how they've become connected to the event.  We hope to do lots of makeovers for women who are currently in treatment or who have recently finished treatment.  There is something therapeutic about putting your makeup on every morning.  Especially after chemo.  It's kind of... stabilizing.  If that makes sense.  Like.... even though everything else in your world has been shaken, at least you can still take a shower and put your makeup on.

We'll also have wigs for women who have gone through treatment and lost their hair.  Ken was super sweet and has not only offered the wigs, but has given us full and complete support, which is awesome.  We're hoping to be able to raise over $5,000, and honestly, I'd be thrilled if we could hit $10,000.

I would probably cry.

Anyway... I've got to sign off for the night... I open tomorrow morning and I need to be rested so I can put 200% in all day again tomorrow!

Enjoy your life.  Every day is faster than the next and at some point, you run out of days.

Yuck

I feel like dealing with life after cancer has been WAY harder than dealing with life during cancer.  Sure, I pooped myself a few times, was constantly tired, made several trips to the ER, and felt like I was suicidal toward the end.  However, now that the drugs have worn off, I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that I was looking forward to things going "back to normal," when "normal" isn't what it used to be.

I hate going to church on Sunday because it reminds me that "normally" I would be spending time with my Iowa family and friends afterward.  I don't feel I'm very good at my sales job, because instead of doing something I love, I'm graded on how much stuff I can sell people.  I still have plenty of days where I feel I wouldn't mind if someone shot me or crashed into me and I died, but now I can't blame it on the drugs.  Now it's just me.

Once upon a time it felt like life was fairly simple and straightforward.  Now it's complex and confusing.

But... what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.  Right?

A Night At The Ball

Never in my life did I envision going to a ball.  For starters, I didn't think they existed anymore.  I equated balls with Cinderella, and Cinderella isn't real.  Therefore, balls aren't real, right?

Wrong.

A few months ago, Isaac was invited to attend the MOCF (Michigan Osteopathic College Foundation) Ball and he so sweetly asked me to come as his date.  I said yes.  This event would be an amazing networking opportunity for him, and we couldn't pass that up!

The event was last night and it was incredible, to say the least!  Here are some pictures!

The menu for the night.

Our ride to and from the event.  Around 20 of us from the MUC campus pitched in and rented a limo instead of all driving separately.

Before people were seated.  There were around 900 people in attendance!!

Some of Isaac's schoolmates enjoying their food.

Really sweet centerpieces!  One lucky person at each table got to take the flower arrangement home at the end of the night (but not the stand)!

The lobby at the hotel.  The car that Amy and I are standing in front of was given away in a raffle.  Tickets were $100 each and MOCF ended up making $70,000 by the end of the night from the raffle alone.

The school asked that we write thank you notes to the people who donated our tickets.  We ended up having even more to say thank you for, as Isaac won a trip to Cancun for us!  Looks like we'll finally be able to go on a honeymoon!!  Woohoo!!