I’m exhausted, we were up until 1am last night after graduation! The speeches were great, the choir sounded wonderful, the orchestra was perfect. It was just a really great night.

This morning we were all up early having coffee and doughnuts. Today the kids are lounging around the house stretched out on chairs and sofas watching television. Well, most of them anyway… Maggie is still sound asleep upstairs in the middle of my bed.

But, the point is a whole summer spans out before us and boy, do we have plans. First up, the graduation barbecue! Carne Asada tacos, fresh off the Santa Maria grill, home made salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, and queso fresco! Yummy!!!!

This summer will be the year we finally put in our pond and waterfall. Oh yes, it’s not nearly as exciting as an extravagant vacation but it will involve our family enjoying each other and working together, being creative, and ultimately the satisfaction of a job well done. Good grief that sounds corny as hell, doesn’t it?

But, that’s not the end of it… we recently acquired a DVD projector and plan to turn our backyard, at least for this summer, into the suburban version of a drive-in movie theater. After much debate the family has agreed that our first movie will be “The Great Outdoors” with John Candy and Dan Akroyd. I’m beyond stoked!!!!

Of course, now that graduation is over we move on to a bi-annual task – Ethan’s surveillance. It’s that time of year, blood work, CT Scans, and the appointment with the oncologist. Ahh, cancer the gift that keeps on giving. Most people don’t realize that this is an ongoing issue for at least 5 years, every six months. So things like birthdays and graduations seem to fall within a couple of weeks or just a few days of the process.

For Ethan it’s a reminder of things he’d prefer to forget, like a week spent with an NG tube rammed down his throat and a urinary catheter rammed up his… well, you get the point. And the months and months of physical recovery, dealing with nerve damage, and tears in his abdominal wall, on top of pretty much every side effect that can follow extensive abdominal surgery.

After over a year he has finally recovered enough that he can slowly start working out to regain his core strength, which is almost nonexistent now. Of course, one wrong twist, one serious strain in the wrong direction, or being pulled the wrong way can mean going back to specialized pain medication that directly effects his nerves to prevent the uncomfortable burning, aching, and stinging sensations that ripple through his abdomen. His workouts have to be slow and methodical but all in all – I’d have to say he is just hair or two away from being back at 100%

Recovery continues… milestones come and go, and life goes on.