Category: regular

It’s been and up and down day. 

I may have mentioned a while back that I was having some issues with an enlarged lymph node. Well, today I saw the ENT doctor (ear, nose, and throat) and he gave me the results of my CAT Scan. It wasn’t what I was expecting. It was a sucker-punch. 

I canceled the follow up appointment last week because I was swamped and didn’t want to drive all the way to Fullerton. The Harmon was the one that prompted me to go and take care of it…citing that I deserved “peace of mind before Christmas.” The office wouldn’t give me the results over the phone, so I drove down to OC today. I grabbed a Peet’s latte while I waited and expected an “everything was clean, have a Merry Christmas” speech from the Doctor. I was wrong. 

I’m not one to downplay the advice of doctors. I’ve seen several of them in the last year…ah, bionic ankle. But, for this issue the doctor was certain my nodes were enlarged because I was sick and there would be nothing for the CAT scan to detect by they time I had it. Not so much. 

My nodes are still enlarged. To the size of 2.8mm. The “normal, we don’t need to worry about it” size it 1.5mm. He showed me the scan…it was creepy. I have two silver dollars on either side of my throat. But, you can’t feel them. Which is even more creepy.

He want’s to operate and remove them since they are so large, but he’s hesitant. He doesn’t want to “slice open a pretty young lady.” Psh, dude have you seen my bionic ankle? We agreed to take this process slow, but I think he doesn’t want to scare me while I start googling the “C” word. My blood test results are normal, and I don’t have any strange symptoms. 

So, I’ll get ANOTHER ultrasound after the holidays and we’ll go from there. Merry Christmas to me! Maybe I’ll get a NEW set of scars for my 26th birthday…then maybe a neck tat to make it awesome. 

I’m not taking this lightly, but I’m not taking it heavily either. I don’t want to freak out and worry my grumpy pants off all through the holidays. I already cried when I told Momma-son…and pretty much the whole drive to work. I’m done. No more tears. I could use some more hugs though. 

Which brings me to the UP part of today. Hugs. 

The Harmon has been very supportive of this whole node situation. So he inquired about my results when I returned to the office today. I was running around so I sent him a text with the verdict. He met me outside as I was walking into the building and gave me a hug. How many bosses give you a hug when you get shitty news from the doctor? Mine does. 

I wasn’t able to get a hug from Momma-son today, or Manfriend (yet) but the Harmon gave me one when I needed it. 

That makes me think about everything I have to be thankful for. I was a little late to the party for “Thankful Thanksgiving” so I’m going to get on board, now. 

Things I’m Thankful For:

My Health – Yes, even now when I don’t know what it’s doing. I realized over the past year with my numerous doctor visits and surgeries that I was lucky. I didn’t fall and land in a coma. I wasn’t in a horrible car crash. I didn’t have cancer. I had a bionic ankle. I would be ok. And I still WILL be ok. 

People that Love me – Momma-son, Papa, Little Brother, Manfriend, my “Family” of friends, Gurlfriends. I have love and support all over the place. 

Community – The show provided me a job, a boss, and a chance to get my life back with my bionic ankle. The Harmon hired me on crutches and changed my life for the better. 

Faith – I can’t see the wind, but I know it’s there by the effects is causes. That’s faith. I can’t see what’s going on in my body, I don’t know what the outcome will be. But I have faith that it’s going to be ok. I’ve always lived by the idea that what’s meant to be will happen when it’s the right time. I don’t think we live life by chance. There’s a bigger purpose, and a much bigger meaning to it all. It’s perfect timing, for the right time. 

Future – Growing up I was so fearful of the future and the unknown. I didn’t like not knowing where I would be and what to expect. I’ve learned to love the future and enjoy the ride…bionic ankel included. 

Here’s to the ride, and wherever it’s taking me.

As I’ve mentioned before it’s a rare thing for Manfriend and I to have date nights. He’s often working late on Fridays, and our weekends are packed with errands, laundry, and social gatherings. 

But this weekend…we set a record! 

On Friday after work I called Manfriend to find that he was heading home from Lancaster early! We decided to take advantage of the rare Friday night freedom and grab a drink at The Hollywood Way which is a short walk from my place. 

I enjoyed the Sam Adams Seasonal Winter Brew, and Manfriend had a Jack and Coke. 

Saturday we grabbed breakfast, and headed to the laundromat. I know I’ve ranted about my laundry woes before…but Saturday was especially insane. It was packed and loud and crazy. I was not digging it. There’s another (brand NEW) laundromat that’s been “COMING SOON” for weeks and I die a little each time I drive by and it’s still “COMING SOON.” Please open, and save me. 

Manfriend received several gift cards as a ‘Thank You’ on one of his last shows to McCormick and Schmick’s. So we decided to use those babies! We had a wonderful dinner. 

We decided to order a bottle of our current favorite red wine:

It’s super yummy. I think it has something to do with the name ;)

I ordered Lobster Bisque:

Soup doesn’t look pretty when you take a photo of it. I don’t know how Campbell’s does it. 

Then, for an entree I had Stuffed Atlantic Salmon. It was stuffed with Crab and Brie:

It was so super rich, but very good.

Pardon the photos, it was dark in the restaurant, and I attempted to make them better but it was a fail. 

After breakfast on Sunday Manfriend and I prayed a big prayer…”Dear Jesus, please help us to survive Christmas shopping today, find a parking spot, and not punch any babies in the face. Amen.”

And it worked! We made it out alive! I completed almost all of the remaning items on my list, and Manfriend made a decent dent in his too. It’s hard to shop for each other when we’re together, so we both have to do that…but we made progress! 

Sunday evening we had tickets to The Nutcracker at the Alex Theater in Glendale. The show was preformed by the Red Chair Children’s Production Company. We grabbed dinner before the show at Olive Garden – which is something we almost never get to do (the one at Empire Center is always so busy). We walked across the street to grab Starbucks before the 6:30pm show and enjoyed the December weather. 

Manfriend’s close friends are very involved with Red Chair. All three of their daughters were preforming, and even Dad was in the show! Mom is a founding member of the Company, and was backstage keeping the show rolling.

Manfriend had never seen The Nutcracker, and he really enjoyed the show. I took a music appreciation class in college and studied Tchaikovsky at length so it was fun to see the music come to life. Whenever I see ballet I am amazed at how easy they make it look. Watching them balance on their feet made my ankle hurt…I couldn’t even imagine dancing like that. I also realize my bionic ankle would be a career ender for any dancer. 

Another weekend down, and another one closer to Christmas.

Tonight is the Biggest Loser Finale! Manfriend and I are having a gift wrapping party and you know what we’ll be watching :)

Happy Tuesday!