Today my mom woke up and decided to finally take the leap and call our go to hair dresser and close family friend Donna...it was time to shave the hair off and pull out the wig collection!!! However, once my mom, my aunt, and myself were seated in the salon and all of us singing our hearts out to a new country cd I had made, Donna began to snip away. What we found out, much to our surprise, was that Ariel's hair was still slightly in tact, and she opted for a shorter do instead of going all out with the buzz. Maybe in a week or two, maybe not.
We also met Shelley at the Encinitas flea market and shopped around for a bit, buying some gorgeous jewelry and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air on the coast. This afternoon merged into this evening and Polly's family came over for dinner, which is just finishing up at the moment. I was sitting at the dinner table looking at my mom, watching her sit back and take in her surroundings, looking at her family in a way I've never seen her do before.
She seems a bit more quiet, observant, careful and thoughtful, and did a great job eating her very delicious corn and grilled shrimp. Since I have become mother Ali, I am constantly checking to see if she can eat just "one more bite," fill up her glass of sparkling water or vitamin water "one more time." I'm certain at this point my nagging is almost unbearable, but it all comes from a place of love.
I would say all in all my mom is really trying to take it easy. She has begun to come around (for the most part) and accept the fact that staying home and relaxed is the absolute, very best thing for right now. She must heal, and as this next chemo treatment comes around on Thursday, we pray the healing will begin to kick into high gear. The more harsh the chemo treatment, the more often she receives it, the more quickly her new tumors will supposedly begin to shrink and she can enjoy living a more pain free life.
It is interesting how my perspective changes as I see my family and my daily life through the eyes of my mom. I can feel her compassion, hear her strength, sense her positive attitude, and only attempt to emulate her courage. Mom, we love you. Thank you for spending the day with your sister and your daughters, we certainly cherish every single moment spent together, whether we are shopping, bickering, laughing, crying, listening, gossiping like a bunch of old hens, or singing at the top of our lungs to the latest country music.
I look forward to another wonderful, happy and healthy day tomorrow...and to all of you out there, your comments on the last blog were overwhelmingly kind and heartfelt. Every day that passes is made better due to the expressions from your hearts. Thank you again.
xoxo
Ali
It was a typical Saturday, and we were on our way to the beach. Must to our dismay, it was overcast and chilly. Out of the blue, my mom suggested that we go check out the dogs at Helen Woodward Animal Shelter. We have been thinking about getting a new dog for a while now, but just haven't found the perfect one yet...until yesterday!!! Bailey is so mellow, so adorable, loving, cuddly, and of course, kept me up the entire night howling her little puppy howl. 
