What a difference a day makes

At least weatherwise.

I live in the Chicago area where we joke that if you don't like the weather to just wait 15 minutes and it will change. Yesterday, was beautiful! It was sunny and warm and bright and fitting for one of the most important days in the Christian faith. Today, it was cold, rainy, snowy and miserable. No, that wasn't a typo. It was both rainy and snowy. Only here..

Our Easter was very very nice. The kids and I went to church. The choir sounded great! The band played on. The priest was lively and the whole church smelled like lilies and hyacinth. Afterwards, we went to my sisters for dinner. It is nice not to have to cook and our traditional Easter meal, roast lamb, is really the only meat that I have eaten all year. I savored every bit of it. I am a vegetarian for health purposes but truth be told, if I ever acheive a 100% remission, I'm celebrating with a huge, greasy cheeseburger and fries. Maybe I'll even throw in a vanilla milkshake. Of all the ice cream flavors I could have chosen, natural vanilla is one of my favorites. Most of my choices are simple and unadorned. I don't know if I could ever get used to opulence and luxury. I chose a simple house. I drive a simple car with no frills except the A/C. I decorate very classically. I dress in jeans and tees that bear no special label. I have never owned a pair of Guess jeans or Calvin Klein and I would never blow 300 plus on a Gucci bag.

Miss Emily turned 5 yesterday. She was born the day after Easter 2004 and was a bright spot in a month that needed a few bright spots. My mothers birthday was APril 7. My mom passed away April 17, 1985. My grandfather passed away April 29, 2003. For my grandmother, April brought back many bad memories. Now, we have something to celebrate in Emily. From the tiny little thing that she was, to this very cute and precocious little girl, the transformation is amazing. This birthday also signified a big step for her. From now on, she will be spending every other weekend with her father, overnight. Her first overnight was Saturday and as I knew it was coming, I was prepared to miss her a little but not be worried. She did well but was quite angry with me that I wasn't home when she called to check in. I took the opportunity to get her bunny gifts and birthday gift. I bought her a TV/DVD for her room. Emily has slept in my room since birth. Last year, I figured it was time to move her into her own space therefore, I made it a priority to finish both Cassie's new room and Emily's. Much to my dismay, Emily refused to sleep in her room even though we bribed her with princess sheets! I have been preparing her for the past few months for the transition and had been telling her every day that at 5 years old, it was time to cut an apron string and start sleeping in her own room. Her behavioral therapist and I both thought the TV would help her. Since Emily's hero these days is Spongebob Squarepants, putting in a SB DVD helped IMMENSELY. Now, she's excited that she can watch on her OWN TV and spent her first night in her room last night. This is a big step for her and for me. Though I feel a little guilty, it has become apparent to me that I need my own space, a sanctuary. Emily needs her own room too and I hope she will come to appreciate it as time goes by. She was quite excited. On another note, it was darn near impossible to find a plain old TV that wasn't High Def and expensive. Thank GOd for Wal-Mart! They had a cute pink basic television with a matching DVD player that was perfect for her.

It's day 5 on the poser pills that are supposed to be Brivanib. They don't fool me. Sometimes, I swear they even taste like Smarties. I battoned down the hatches on the nutrition and decided that I'll do some cleansing juices and add a few more items to the diet to kick cancer butt during these next 6 weeks. It certainly couldn't hurt.