I have always been lucky to have great friends and family. Many are close, others far away. I have friends that I've known since grade school up to present day friends. Whether through HS, college, the kids, yoga, book club or artist friends, I am hearing from a lot of you.  A few friends knew I had the dr's appointments for the bloating and stomach pain, so when I got this awful ovarian cancer diagnosis [still can't believe it!] there was no hiding under a rock [and that turned out to be a good thing.]  Instinctually, I probably would have kept this to myself and processed it in my own time and eventually shared the news. Turns out that would have been the totally wrong thing to do. This gaggle of girls that I call friends [and family-they are interchangeable] have rallied around me and made me feel so very loved that it has brought me many tears; these are tears of joy to hear from all of you, to know that I have a special place in your heart and for you to take time out of your busy days to send me a card, text, call, take me to lunch or dinner, make me dinner, bring me dinner, send me a plant, a hat, a paint by numbers or a dress! I could go on and on at all the nice things these friends are continually doing for me.

Yes, I am very lucky and if it took getting cancer to open myself up to feeling it, well that is a damn shame on me, but really friends, this part does feel really good and I thank you for your love. I am about to go into my second round of chemo on July 10th and I have been warned it is going to be harder and the side effects are cumulative. So if you text me next week and I don't get back to you right away, do not worry, I am good. I am going to just thank you right now for thinking of me! There is no need to send me stuff, I do appreciate it but sending love is enough for me ❤️

[side note to my guy friends, the ones who have been texting me and giving me bear hugs when they see me, I def count you in my gang, it just didn't sound as good in the title, but you know I love you too!]