So Gil, what do you do to keep busy?

What do I do to keep busy, when the land of IF is relatively quiet? Well I'm so glad you asked! Yes indeed, all's been quiet lately on the IF front; I'm being a good little patient and taking my meds as directed, all with a goal of testing the TSH later in May before the May 27 appointment with the RE here in Ottawa. So while that moves right along, I'm doing a few personal things to keep busy. Let's see...

I have a girlfriend who is going to move in and occupy one of our spare rooms for a few months. Her lease is just about done and she's just reached the end of her rope with living with her thoughtless nephew. To help her save some cash, she's going to come to our home (for a low monthly fee) so she can save some money and be able to get into her own place by the end of the year. At least, that's the plan. I'm hoping it works for her. And hubby and I are glad to help of course, for the short term anyway. I need to have a key made for her this week so she can move some stuff in.

Yesterday, I booked a flight home for 10 days in May to see my family. I'll be able to spend Mother's Day WITH MY MOTHER. That's incredible. That simply never happens. I will be very grateful to have that opportunity, believe me. I'll also have an opportunity to see my aunt before she moves to Nova Scotia with her fiancé. Mom doesn't yet know that I'm going home to be with her, although she's been bugging me for months to arrange it. She's a bit down at the moment. Even though they're on vacation, apparently four of the five of them are smothered with colds (ick) and her entire vacation was coloured by the news that the neuropathy is worsening and is hereditary. So she needs a bit of a pick-me-up right now. I hope I can give that to her. I'll try her later today and let her know. She and I had a bit of a falling out when last we talked so I need to make sure that everything is good between us. My Mom is an incredible woman and I admire her and respect her opinion. But sometimes, I need to make my own decisions. In this case, I did just that. Yet she disagrees and became upset about it on the phone. She's allowed to disagree, but it won't change my decision. And I'll see the decision through and it will all work out fine. I can say that with absolute certainty.

My friend K is booked for surgery on her jaw in early May. Of course, no one is exactly sure how much cancer they'll find when they get in there or what sort of sections they will need to remove. We're trying to prepare her 10-year old daughter for the possibility that her mom might not have the same shaped face when she gets out of this. It's been hard on them both I know. Last week, I had a heart-to-heart with K about it all. (Side note: That's tough to do with an inquisitive 10-year old needing to hear every word!) We've read the literature. We know the stats. Her chances are not good. So she's faced with putting her house in order. She's made the decision to have her daughter come to me and my husband in the event of her death. She's also going to update her Will; I picked up a kit for her the other day to do that. Relatively simple in her case, as she has an old Will that was prepared by a lawyer so we can use it to prepare a new one and change the pertinent details, and get it notarized. It's weighing heavily on her mind though. And I know it scares her. It would scare anyone I think. My heart goes out to her.

And for my husband's 40th birthday, I organized a surprise party for him last Saturday. Now, obviously I couldn't tell you all about that because he reads this blog (*waves to hubby*) but for the past six weeks or so, I've been organizing, e-mailing people, on the phone with the bowling alley where we held the party, arranging transportation, ordering a cake and balloons, figuring out logistics for the kids, ordering food for all of us, etc. It went without a hitch. About 28 people showed up to wish hubby a happy 40th, and I think everyone had a good time. At least, they seemed to! We were at the bowling alley from 8:30 to 11:30 and we finally got the kids back to our house by midnight or so. And hubby was completely in the dark about everything! He didn't suspect a darn thing! He walked in there with a look on his face that said, "Oh my God; what the...?" He was pleased. And moreso, he was really happy with the new digital camera that I bought for him. That's good. I had debated a digital camera or a video camera. He agrees; the digital camera will get more use.

Sending lots of good wishes to all of you. I know I'm tardy with my kudos and thoughts to various people. I'll do that next time. Promise. So many things to think about...