I have mentioned to several friends that waiting is the hardest part of Breast Cancer so far. Waiting for the mammogram. Waiting for the biopsy. Waiting for the pathology report. Waiting for the treatment plan. And now, waiting for surgery. I chose to look at this two week period as a gift. Not everyone gets the luxury of time when their life is about to change. I have two weeks to pester the dickens out of my family and friends!

In true “Kathy style,” I have gone into overdrive in organizing my house. My office would bring a tear to Martha Stewart’s eye. I have cleaned out my closet, and (gasp) even labeled the boxes on the shelves. I have done my fall pickup outside and created a list for Dean (our handyman) to do over the next month. I have arranged back-up snow removal in case I can’t do it. I have lists and lists of things to do or tell other people to do. And I have even purchased more than half my Christmas list AND wrapped them! When I walked to the door of our storage room this weekend, my husband said, “NO. Don’t even think about it. There is no way you can get that finished in time and you are going to leave me a big mess.” So I followed him out to his workshop on Monday to see what he was working on. He saw me glancing around and the wheels turning. “NO,” he says.

So I think my friends have gotten together to find some form of distraction. We had a delightful dinner with friends on Monday night and talked about travel and kids and normal things. On Tuesday, my friend Joanne treated me to an “All about me” day. We went to a spa and had our first ever facials. Trudie, my new best friend, did things to my face that put me in a state of bliss. She buffed, polished, steamed and toned me to the point my face is smoother than it was when I was nine years old. Joanne and I left the spa and all we could say was, “Oh man. We have to do that again.” We had lunch and I rounded out the afternoon with a nap. Once again, we met friends who drove 2 hours to have dinner with us, and we laughed and talked and had such a great time. I smiled at Gene and held his hand on the drive home and said, “I had such a great day.”

I feel strong. I feel the support of my friends and family. I can’t wait for my Mom to arrive on Saturday I feel ready for surgery. Bring it on! Shoot, I have to wait until Monday for surgery.