Just for fun...

[VirginiaGirl]

It really is interesting to read about everyone and see that in spite of all the diverse backgrounds there are many commonalities, too! I am 41, and have just hit my 2 year survivor mark. My husband, Jim (who is 54), and I have been married for 10 years, and we have a blended family. My stepsons are 27, 21 & 19. They are all smart, handsome, loving young men. The oldest is staying with us for a few months and helping out, the other 2 are in Albuquerque and not sure where they'll be in a few months! Then we have a 9 year old girl together, who adores her older brothers and they adore her. How lucky could I get? This cancer journey has definitely brought us closer, and made my marriage so much stronger! Jim & I used to fantasize a lot about where we'd like to live, what we'd like to do in retirement - including buying & running a campground, living & boating by the water, etc. Now we don't talk about it much, life plans focus on month-to-month right now. Jim is an art therapist/teacher commuting 1 1/2 hrs each way, so he's trying to get a job closer to home for next school year even though it will mean a big paycut. I have worked in mental health the last 15 years, including with mentally ill women, as an in-home therapist, at the juvenile detention center, and for the last 6-7 years as the school social worker for the alternative high school for kids who've been long-term suspended or expelled from area school systems for drugs, weapons, fighting, etc. This has been my dream job, and I haven't been able to figure out what else I might want to do if the day comes to move on. Sometimes I think I'd like to be able to stay home, but then I go to work and talk to the students, and I get so completely out of myself and my own worries. It's definitely challenging, but I laugh A LOT! (Plus, I find out more local hangouts to put on my list of Places My Daughter Will Not Be Allowed To Go When She Gets Older!) My co-workers & boss have been phenomenally supportive, too, I wouldn't have made it without them. And, I'm very grateful for the support and valuable info I've received on this network from all you great people!
Blessings and Peace,