Two weeks today I was just coming out of surgery!  Even I am surprised at how good my recovery is going.  I looked outside this afternoon and thought to myself this is what winter should look like.  A bright, sunny, beautiful Alberta day!  If every winter day were like today I could almost come to love winter.  Picture perfect.  I decided today I was going to extend my walk.  I have been walking but so far the walks have been quite short.  Today I bundled up,  much to Boomers' total delight and we headed out.  I started out with the goal of going down the ravine to Rabbit Hill but by the time I got there I decided to go all the way to the tennis courts.  Did "the hill" on the way back and was amazed at how easy it was.  Definitely not a "brisk" pace but I loved every minute of it.  Ran into Jan and Clint doing their X-Country ski loop and thought to myself "I want to do that or go snow shoeing before the end of winter!  It's now on my list!  Thanks Jan!!!

Kelli was over yesterday and pulled my staples.  I think there were about thirty of them.  Felt so good to get them out and almost overnight the incisions look improved.  Tomorrow I have my first coffee date with my friend Marian.  Getting back on my feet is foremost in my mind as we are booked to go to Mexico with Jenifer and Gary in 25 sleeps!!!  Ole!!!!

 We have no plans for New Years this year!  I don't think we've ever had no plans at all.  I will miss seeing in the New Year with my cousin as this has become a huge tradition for us over the years.  We were booked to go to Whitefish where Trish and Gerry own a place but after thinking about it we decided the drive down and staying in a hotel were stresses I don't really need right now.  I know everyone would have loved to go skiing and I honestly would have been happy to veg but at the point we made this decision I really didn't know how I would be doing at that point in time.  Better to cancel.   There will be other chances to go.  So together Bill and I will give 2012 a good swift kick out the door and will welcome 2013 with hopeful hearts.  That is not to say by any stretch of the imagination 2012 was all bad.  It was chalk full of wonderful things intertwined with the challenges we had to face.  I am reading a book called "Thank You Power", a gift from my friend Rae.  It is such a good reminder to give thanks for all that is good in your life.  Basically the book stresses that if you want to be happy it is important to focus on what you've got-not what you've not.  "Reflect on your present blessings-of which every man has many-not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." (Charles Dickens)  So when I look back on 2012 I shall certainly remember my misfortunes but I will focus on the joys of the year.  A year where we welcomed Lindsey to our family, a year where Kelli was able to return to Calgary to do the majority of her electives thanks to her understanding program director and her supportive boyfriend, a trip to Mexico (feeding tube and all) to be at Geoff and Lindsey's beautiful wedding along with more than a hundred wonderful friends and family members, a fabulous trip to the Grand Canyon with friends Stu and Barb Patrick and Brian and Brenda Lenzin, another trip to Hawaii where we had some of the most amazing experiences of a lifetime including snorkelling with dolphins, manta rays and turtles and had time to spend with both Kelli and Mike and Maureen and Duane, Mike securing a job in Calgary and Kelli and Mike moving back to Calgary, Kelli completing her residency despite the challenges of being by my side throughout the year,  Geoff and Lindsey taking the trip of a lifetime to see the Seven Wonders of the World, Kelli being selected for the R3 Emergency Medicine Program, both Kelli and Geoff buying their FIRST new cars, and through all this I managed to have an esophajectomy (the biggest surgery the Foothills performs), 15 rounds of Chemotherapy where I did not, despite being told I would lose my hair, 5 weeks of radiation, numerous scans and a liver resection!  Phew.....I need to go have a nap after writing all that down.  It is a little overwhelming when you see it all on paper.  I know I say this over and over but I will continue to say it for the rest of my life.  None of these things would have been possible without the amazing support I have received from each and every friend and family member who has chosen to take this journey with me.  Some in big big ways, others in smaller, but still very meaningful ways.  You all mean the world to me.  A friend posted something on Facebook today that I loved.......I don't remember exactly how she said it but the gist of it was this.  "Christmas is not about the wrapped gifts under the tree.....it is about the arms that wrap themselves around you."  That statement really struck me!  I have had many arms wrapped around me.  I have had people believe in me and that in itself has given me such strength.  When I was first diagnosed, my friend Edie told me she'd bet on me if they told me I had NO chance of survival!   2012 may have been a challenging year but it has also been a year where I have learned much about myself, much about my family and friends and much about the power of believing in miracles.