This is that time of year where every week, every day, makes me think of a year ago today. Last year at this time we were at the beginning of mom’s cancer journey. Some days were hopeful, some happy, some sad but all had an undercurrent of being scared shitless. The year anniversary of taking mom to the ER that first time. The year anniversary of mom’s first meeting of the evil Dr Schroeder. The year anniversary of that arrogant SOB sending her home from the hospital far too soon. And on and on. It sill feels so fresh. So raw.

Jenna came to Tucson mid-month, and her best friends threw her a baby shower at our house. It was a year from the day she came to visit mom before the surgery.  Jenna just received a huge promotion at Florida Hospital, at 6 1/2 months pregnant. She looks amazing and still goes to the gym after work. This young lady is driven! Her husband says he keeps moving her around the country for his job, and she always gets the better job. Cream rises to the top…. I just wish mom could see her grandchildren doing so well. Mom has missed so much…anticipating the arrival of a new baby to the family would have made her so happy. I can still see her eyes looking at me from her hospital bed at Handmaker when she could no longer talk. It still takes my breath away and not in a good way.

We are back in Florida for a few days. We had our new king size bed delivered. Thank god. That queen size was not cutting it. My genius idea this trip was to remove the wallpaper from the master bathroom and paint it. How did I not fully grasp what a monumental task that is? It took us five days of working on 1 bathroom. One more bathroom and the kitchen to go. We plan to just paint over the wallpaper in the guest bath, but we have to remove it in the kitchen before the new cabinets are installed. It is fun seeing it all come together. Exhausting, but fun.

We couldn’t  use our balcony this time, because the whole building is being repainted including the balcony floor. So our half of the building is first and then they’ll move on to the other side. I miss sitting out there in the morning and having my coffee and in the evening as the sun sinks down on the wrong side-lol! As my kids would say, white people problems.

Tyler was at home and Idgie spent her vacation with him. He considered coming along on this trip, but decided to tackle some projects at the house. Mickey’s old hobby room is Tyler’s bedroom, and after finally removing the airplanes from the ceiling and the uplifting war books from the shelves, we transformed the space. The walls are now a happy shade of Wedgwood blue, and all the trim and doors a bright white. Tyler also added some beautiful free form track lighting in the hallway and in his bedroom as well as adding light kits to all the fans so the house no longer looks so dark. I keep prodding him to shed more of the stuff in the house, and he still resists. It’s the little dance we do.

Some photos: