What I've been up to
I haven't written in about six weeks! There's been a lot of life in these last six weeks too. I think that I did a lot of blogging in October and that had me taking a good close-up look at my life. A lot. And I needed to take a step back. I think there is such a thing as too much self examination.
I took another day trip to Lake Tahoe with my friend Olivia before I returned to work. Remember we went right after I learned I'd need a second surgery? It was nice to visit again in cooler weather, and in better health.
I went back to work on November 5 after seven weeks off. I think my superiors would have understood if I wanted to take it slow, but I wanted to go back full time. At this point I had not gotten any disability money, so I was hurting financially. I was told that EDD in California switched over to an electronic system right when I filed my claim, so I should expect delays. I wasn't expecting a seven week delay because when I had claims this summer, I always received payments after 14 days. So I needed to work.
I had a lot of fear about returning to work because I was afraid my arm and shoulder would hurt. My sleep was all messed up and I was going to bed at 3am and waking up after noon, so I was afraid I would be exhausted and unable to do a full week of work.
I returned to work on a Monday, having taken off a total 15 weeks in the past six months. So imagine my surprise when on that Friday I was promoted to a management position! I was so pleased. It was the first good news I'd gotten in a while. I'd been with the company for 16 months. I've worked really hard and I feel so lucky to have found something that perfectly fits my biggest strength, which is proofreading. The promotion came about because a position opened up, so the timing was good.
Fortunately I wasn't really sore at all when I returned to work. I do computer work and typing, which I really thought would hurt my shoulder. Glad I was wrong. My sleep straightened out too.
I went to Yosemite with a girlfriend about two weeks after I returned to work. It was such a great trip. I've come out of this cancer experience with a renewed desire to travel and see new places. Sometimes it feels like a mission, seriously. Like I don't want to spend my life waking up and going to work just so I can pay the rent. So visiting Yosemite for a rainy November weekend was so special.
Thanksgiving was fast approaching, and everything got so busy all of a sudden. My brother, his fiance and their four month old daughter were coming to visit, and it was such an exciting time. It was an exhausting week of going all over the state to visit both sides of our family. I got to spend quality time with my sister-in-law and with my niece. It was awesome. Here are pictures.
My brother and his daughter, my mom, and my other brother and his son.
My dad and I.
All of us kids and grandkids, and my dad and stepmom.
I'm in heaven, with my niece and nephew.
My niece Elynor is named after my 92 year old grandma Elynor. Here they are together. My grandma is one of those people who has lived an amazing life and has countless stories and experiences to share. When I think of her, I think of her as a fighter, someone who refuses to be knocked down by the challenges of life. She's just plain awesome.
So that was a full week of visiting and traveling. It was so fun. I felt completely content. It was really good.
I took another day trip to Lake Tahoe with my friend Olivia before I returned to work. Remember we went right after I learned I'd need a second surgery? It was nice to visit again in cooler weather, and in better health.
I went back to work on November 5 after seven weeks off. I think my superiors would have understood if I wanted to take it slow, but I wanted to go back full time. At this point I had not gotten any disability money, so I was hurting financially. I was told that EDD in California switched over to an electronic system right when I filed my claim, so I should expect delays. I wasn't expecting a seven week delay because when I had claims this summer, I always received payments after 14 days. So I needed to work.
I had a lot of fear about returning to work because I was afraid my arm and shoulder would hurt. My sleep was all messed up and I was going to bed at 3am and waking up after noon, so I was afraid I would be exhausted and unable to do a full week of work.
I returned to work on a Monday, having taken off a total 15 weeks in the past six months. So imagine my surprise when on that Friday I was promoted to a management position! I was so pleased. It was the first good news I'd gotten in a while. I'd been with the company for 16 months. I've worked really hard and I feel so lucky to have found something that perfectly fits my biggest strength, which is proofreading. The promotion came about because a position opened up, so the timing was good.
Fortunately I wasn't really sore at all when I returned to work. I do computer work and typing, which I really thought would hurt my shoulder. Glad I was wrong. My sleep straightened out too.
I went to Yosemite with a girlfriend about two weeks after I returned to work. It was such a great trip. I've come out of this cancer experience with a renewed desire to travel and see new places. Sometimes it feels like a mission, seriously. Like I don't want to spend my life waking up and going to work just so I can pay the rent. So visiting Yosemite for a rainy November weekend was so special.
Thanksgiving was fast approaching, and everything got so busy all of a sudden. My brother, his fiance and their four month old daughter were coming to visit, and it was such an exciting time. It was an exhausting week of going all over the state to visit both sides of our family. I got to spend quality time with my sister-in-law and with my niece. It was awesome. Here are pictures.
My brother and his daughter, my mom, and my other brother and his son.
My dad and I.
All of us kids and grandkids, and my dad and stepmom.
I'm in heaven, with my niece and nephew.
My niece Elynor is named after my 92 year old grandma Elynor. Here they are together. My grandma is one of those people who has lived an amazing life and has countless stories and experiences to share. When I think of her, I think of her as a fighter, someone who refuses to be knocked down by the challenges of life. She's just plain awesome.
So that was a full week of visiting and traveling. It was so fun. I felt completely content. It was really good.
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