Today is Saturday, December 31st…the final day of 2011. I have to say that while I am not big on wishing time away, I am happy to see 2011 end.
The year was filled with some wonderful activities, events, and weather (yes, Irene and Historic October Snowstorm, I”m talking about you!). But, it was also filled with 10 months of anticipation for this major surgery. I am grateful to have it all over and done with, with great results to boot!
If you have been a diligent reader of this blog (and if not, I’m not judging you), you will know that I planned this surgery with exact precision. I didn’t want to be in the hospital or incapacitated at home during Halloween (which, if you live in Connecticut, you know never actually happened this year). My kids love Halloween and I didn’t want them saying, “Well, last year Mommy couldn’t go out with us.” I’m pretty certain they would have remembered that more than the surgery itself. The other reason I planned the surgery for the first week in November was so I would be able to go on vacation with my family during the Holiday break. If I had pushed it later in the year, I am not sure I would have felt as up to traveling.
A breathtaking sunrise in Boca Raton, FL
Well, I was able to accomplish everything. We just came back from a great week in Boca Raton, Florida. The weather was perfect, unseasonably warm I was told. But, it was nice to have a vacation and not think about my surgery or my recovery while I was away.
We spent some quality time with my father. We took him and the kids to the Miami Seaquarium. At times, I wasn’t sure who was having more fun, my son or my father. It was great to watch Eli playing with a dolphin and my father smiling ear to ear.
We celebrated the seventh night of Chanukah with my Tapper cousins, Jay and Jill, and their spouses Dani and David and their kids, Sammi, Avery, Alex, Jonah, and Chloe. It was so wonderful to have all the Tapper cousins and our fathers (Al and Charlie) together.
I also had a chance to connect with two breathe friends, Carolyn and Sherilyn. We went for a sunrise walk on the beach. It was worth getting up at 5:45 a.m. during my vacation to see them and the beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic. And last but not least, we visited with my dear high school friend Bonnie and her family. All in all, it was a great family vacation.
And did I mention that I caught a fish, “this big” with my bare hands at sunrise?
Now that I am home and ushering in the new year, I am thrilled that I accomplished my 2011 goals. Here they are, for the record:
1. Have prophylactic double mastectomy with reconstruction – ✓
2. Recovery uneventfully and, if I’m lucky, quickly – ✓
3. Be able to get back to my regular physical activities – ✓, save for swimming
4. Be able to take a family vacation during the Holiday Break – ✓
5. Significantly reduce my risk of getting breast cancer and live life to the fullest with my amazing husband and two wonderful children – ✓!!!
I wish everyone a happy and HEALTHY new year. I hope you meet all of your goals for 2012.
I am taking a little break from this blog for now. I will post sporadically from now until I cross the finish line of my first triathlon of 2012! Thank you for reading and being my virtual support during these last few months. It has meant the world to me. As we all continue to live our busy, chaotic lives, I leave you with this one thought that I hope you will take with you into the new year:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.