Settebello

PHEW!

What a week last week was.

My blogging has suffered.

I know you've ALL been holding your breath!

(ha ha)

Monday was Lab Tests and Dr Visits and Settebello Fundraiser
night.

Tuesday was Kyle's port surgery (which total time up
at Huntsman was 4 1/2 hours start to finish....it was a long
day).

Wednesday, we took a deep breath and Thursday we jumped
right back into chemo.

Friday was Kyle's half work day and half exhausted day.

I took a nap from sheer exhaustion and ...

Saturday was the day we got to take Sr. Pictures for a family
friend, clean the house day, go a movie with your husband
who can sit still for two hours on his chemo weekend and
out to dinner night with friends.

We had a full schedule, but it was a good week.

The fundraiser, at Settebello, put together by owner
Michael Brooks and old pal Jennifer Townsend was a smashing
success.

The thing about cancer is the constant roller coaster ride
you seem to find yourself on.

Emotional roller coaster that is.

Kyle and I said it seems to either be the "highest high"
or the "lowest low" with not a bunch of "level in the 
middle stuff."

It gets exhausting just riding the emotional highs and lows
of this disease.

Sometimes swinging from high to low and back again all in the
same day.

Settebello night was the highest of highs.

Literally.

You always go into these things a little nervous and think
"Geez, what if no one shows up?"

Kyle went down to Settebello for lunch with the ladies from
work and got to see some ward friends, work friends and old
friends who were there to support him.

We headed down as a family at about 5 pm and spent the night
there until closing time at 10.

We were met by family, friends, co-workers, old mission companions, old high school friends and a slew of people from
both the past and present.

It was TRULY WONDERFUL to see so many people who made time
in their day to come out and support our family. 

It was humbling.  It was joyful.  It filled our buckets with
enough good energy to start another 9 week journey through
chemo.

We hugged and laughed and shared stories and caught up.

We ate and laughed some more and took pictures and felt loved.

We basked in the glory of simply being surrounded by love
and people who care.  

We said over and over, more than ANY monetary donation (which was GREAT!! Don't get me wrong!), but the BIGGEST "donation" to 
us was the love and friendship that QUITE LITERALLY filled
our souls with goodness and hope and courage and joy and 
happiness and peace and all things GOOD.

Good, from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes.

We tingled with the good energy that was buzzing around us.

It was a pleasure to meet Michael Brooks, the owner of 
Settebello and thank him for the goodness and kindness of 
this act.

(How in the world do you EVER thank someone for doing this for
your family anyway?)

But Thank You Michael and Thank You Settebello and Thank
You Jennifer Townsend for giving Kyle and I and the kids a night
that will remain in our hearts FOREVER as a night filled
with goodness and joy and happiness in a journey that often
feels heavy and tiresome and sad.

I've looked at these pictures dozens of times and just smiled.

From ear to ear.

Kyle has too.

Thank you for this night!

Thank you oh thank you oh thank you!

We will always treasure it, in our hearts and memories as
a good good good good night.

I won't take the time to tag who everyone is in all these
pictures...except for Michael and Jennifer who are in a few
half way down this huge pile 'o pictures.

Just FYI Settebello (and Michael)--all of our friends who had
never ventured downtown to eat here ALL said it was seriously
the BEST pizza they have ever had.  We hope for YOUR sake,
and for your goodness and kindness to US, that they will all
venture back ...over and over and over!)

We know WE will be back.

Thank you again to ALL of you who took a minute of two
out of your VERY busy lives to bless our lives that night.

You will never know how much it meant to our family.

Thank you!

 Michael Brooks and Jennifer Townsend