a slow, quiet weekend

I'm getting over the emotions of last week, but steeling myself for the emotions to come. Next Friday - less than a week from now - is my eighth surgery, when I get nipples. Another anesthesia, another set of sutures, another recovery. Hopefully this is my last surgery, and there will be nothing but sunshine after this.

I am very, very tired of having things looming over me, of having so much work ahead of me. I am hopeful that with this next surgery, I will feel the weight of them lifting from my shoulders. I am hopeful that I will feel that my future is the same as a normal person's: full of challenges, certainly, but not with looming doom (surgeries, chemos, trips to the hospital, pain).

I find myself a lot more tired than usual this week; last night I was in bed by 8:30pm. I think it takes a lot of energy to process this stuff, and I hope that's all it is, and not that I'm coming down with something.

Last night we had the Starkey-Burdett's over for dinner (and I discovered a new salmon recipe that is definitely a keeper), and enjoyed their easy company. Today, we went to the coffee shop, we went to Lincoln Park with the dogs (Max is visiting), and we are hanging out at home. I made a crock-pot dinner (a lemon chicken dish with lots of winter veggies) that will be ready when we're hungry, and the house smells like roasting chicken, citrus, and rosemary, which is quite pleasant.

Tomorrow we'll go to church - our third week in a row, something unprecedented in my previous decade - and we're having the Hisatomi's (and perhaps Marisa, too) over for dinner to celebrate Heather's birthday. I found a crabcake recipe in my Stephanie Inn cookbook (thanks, Mom & Dad S for that birthday present from a couple of years ago - it's perfect for special occassions) that I think I will use as the meal's centerpiece, and tomorrow Tessa and I will make a cake (Heather, Tessa, and I share a love of frosting - yummm) as well.

Now I think I'll go plant some bulbs; we have two packages of them in the garage, so it's time.

Quiet days. I was ready for some quiet. Not so much running around, hustle and bustle....just some peace and quiet, times shared with friends, times outdoors, time with family at home.