Let's Do the Time Warp Again!

There's an app called Timehop all the cool kids on Facebook are using. I haven't tried it out yet. Because, let's face it... I'm not exactly what you'd call an early adopter. {Sorry marketing and business folks out there.} I mean, it took Apple three versions of the iPad before I considered giving it a whirl. And even after its awesomeness, five versions of the iPhone before I'd jump on the bandwagon. So I haven't actually experienced Timehop first-hand, but the gist of it seems to be the app chooses a Facebook post of yours from this exact day sometime in your history. The results are often hilariously out of context. Or strangely prophetic. That's part one of my inspiration for this post. 

Part two is considerably less whimsical...but equally Facebook related. Today I was reminded of a friend on Facebook who, like so many, kindly and graciously reached out to me during treatment. What was unique about the message from this highschool acquaintance was her mom was in the midst of the very same treatment for the very same diagnosis at the time. The reminder came to me today in the form of a post about her mother's recent passing. Ironically, it appeared in my feed immediately below a post of an article about Vinnie. {The real irony is that my feed has been scrubbed clean of most all cancer-related pages and groups...but one slips through every now and again.}

I refuse to say this friend's mom lost her battle, as that is one of the many, many cancer-isms I've come to barely tolerate.  While I appreciate its attempt to soften the blow - much kinder and gentler than hearing of someone who died from cancer - it suggests some sort of shortcoming or weakness or failure on the part of the diagnosed. Language in general is powerful. The language of cancer is complicated. And ill-fitting. Like wearing a shoe one-size too small. And on the wrong foot.

So while labels like survivor feel misplaced, other labels like graduate student have grown quite comfortable. But times they are a-changing. And that label has changed a bit, too. And while Timehop seems like it would make for a fun meander down memory lane, this - to me - feels much more like a  time warp. So put your hands on your hips...

• On or about May 2nd 2012 I was just wrapping up with my old position, had had a marathon day of imaging-imaging-and-more-imaging, and we met with the medical oncologist for the first time.

This year I celebrated my last day ever of graduate school.

• On or about May 10th two years ago I was just getting some good news back from the genetic counselor. And whining about how ouch-y my new mediport still was.

This year...I went to P.R.O.M.!

• Two years ago I was in full on research mode.

This year wasn't actually all that different. As I sat for - and passed! - the Licensed Graduate Social Worker exam.

And was published as a university student success story.

• And last, but definitely not least, on or about May 17th 2012 we were in count down to chemo mode. This year...

...I finally made my way across that stage. Master's degree in hand!

     

Never Been Kissed

*Disclaimer: Graduation week is upon you. Be prepared for the mostly excited and only partly procrastinating nature of impending blog posts!

To briefly bring everyone up-to-speed, ALL of my MSW course work is finally finito! Actually has been for over a week. I know, I know! I'm as surprised as you are by the utter lack of blog posts composed in procrastination of actual, real writing. But somehow we made it happen y'all. 

Fear not, though. In true graduate student fashion, I'm taking the super-big-long-scary licensing exam tomorrow. Which, of course, is exactly why there's an absolute urgency to write to you all. 'Cause study breaks are an absolute must! And in honor of that, here are some highlights of what cancer-free (hey, this is still a cancer blog, isn't it?), post-grad school life looks like...

Last day of grad school ever...

...and celebratory drinks with some of my favorite MSWs!

Cornhole...

...fire pits...

...and (dinosaur) birthday cake with the best family and friends on the planet.

And P.R.O.M.

That's right. Full on, twenties- (and in my case, thirties-) somethings, Josie Grossie - Never Been Kissed, prom.

With my favorite prom date.

And pandas.

Because when your Mom says she wants to see the baby panda for Mother's Day...

 

...you make it happen! Kudos to Bao Bao and her tree-climbing skills. Can your 9 month-old do that???

Happy Mother's Day! Now get back to work!

 

I mentioned in my last post that our third wedding anniversary came and went in December. And that we did a little early celebrating because I had an amazing opportunity to do some traveling. What I didn't mention was what sort of token of affection we chose to share with each other. 

Let me preface this by saying Rob is super thoughtful and wonderfully creative when it comes to gift-exchanging. He is seriously the most romantic person I know. I, on the other hand, only just remembered at about 4 o'clock today that it's been exactly 7 years since our first date. Fortunately, what I lack in romance he completely makes up for. And then some. 

But back to the gift exchanging. So this year rather than the traditional anniversary-type presents, we decided to gift each other a house project. I know, I know! It might as well be a new vacuum cleaner, right? Wrong! (Although I did get a new hardwood floor cleaner for Christmas. And I love the heck out of that thing.) You know that spot in your home where stuff and junk have the gravitational pull of the sun? It just collects there. And multiplies! For us it was the third bedroom. After two and a half years I fondly nicknamed it "Purgatory". Because 75% of the things in there were only on what would end up being a temporary layover on their way to Goodwill. We'd bounced around several ideas of what to do with the room over the last couple years. Everything from a home gym to a massive walk-in closet. But this year we finally decided on its destiny. And I think we chose pretty wisely. But I'll let you be the judge...

 Whaddya think? This room (and that gray chair) has quickly taken up competition for favorite spot in the house. And it's only fitting that today - on the 7th anniversary of our first date - that we finally put the finishing pieces of this project into place. And, no, your eyes do not deceive you. That in fact is an empty diploma frame on the wall. But not empty for long!

Graduation in t-minus 40 days!

So...I guess it's been a minute

But in my defense, I did climb a frickin' volcano. 

Y'all are just going to have to take my word for it that no news is absolutely, positively good news. And by good news I mean, either our days are so filled with new and exciting adventures that I never find the time to sit and write about them. Or, the life a cancer-ass-kicking-grad-student is so full of the mundane that honestly I think I just fell asleep in the middle of that sentence. Either way. The last six week-ish have been a little bit of A... and a little bit of B.

Weeeee...skated our way through my 33rd birthday.

Celebrated Round 1 of Christmas with these fine folks. Whaddyou lookin' at, kid?

And Christmas: Part Deux with All. These. People. Who are these people? And why are there so many of them???

Our 3rd wedding anniversary was a little bit country, a little rock'n'roll, and about 4 days early. Why? you ask. Because on our actual anniversary, I was here...

...studying abroad with the University of Virginia...

...and ringing in the New Year with my favorite UVA nurses.

We studied emergency management and disaster response. And I promise you, it was purely educational.

Really, really educational when we climbed this.

And this.

To get here.

Where is "here"? you ask. Here is 4,000 feet above sea level at the top of Mount Liamuiga. Oh, you read that right. That's a frickin' volcano. And in honor of World Cancer Day today, how's that for telling cancer to suck it?!?

To check out the rest of my disaster preparing, beach going, volcano climbing adventures...

click HERE, HERE, and HERE.