#83 - Don't Like Being Blah With Jenni

My big sister flew from Oregon to spend a week and and she left yesterday. When she arrived last Saturday I was feeling pretty perky, which is how I like to be when we're together. Over the years we've united for fun, but also to team up, helping my mom who had Alzheimer's. 

We're a good team. We get a lot done and we laugh our way through it. But we weren't a team, this time.  She was coming to help me.

But we did have fun for few days when I felt well.  And I can say she teamed up with me when we went to chemo. She put on a scarf and some festive beads.  We passed time with silly games and talked and gabbed.

​Food!

And Jenni fattened me with lots of her cooking. Chicken pot pie and stir fry, Tom-Kha-Gai Thai soup, enchiladas and yummy mac-n-cheese from scratch.  We were a team again, because she cooked and I ate.  

​What a treat and so many leftovers!

Before and After

Early in the visit we went to lunch and posed with the Sugar Land Selfie-Girls statue.  We shopped at Costco and bought a printer and she used her tech skills to get me all set up.

When I felt worse the third day after chemo, we floated in the pool and worked on puzzles.

Day 4
That was my "worst day" and I expected it.  I felt just like I look, in this rocking chair photo... the same rocker that now sits upstairs in our game room.  

I wasn't feeling great, but Jenni was leaving the next day and she'd come up with the plan to recreate the old photo pose... even though it was obvious we might have a bit of a problem squeezing in the old chair! 

We tried. Don grabbed Jenni's Nikon and we attempted a few shots.  I was feeling pretty sluggish, so thank goodness I wasn't having to recreate a leaping pose! But even a resting pose was insanely hard to pull off.  It was exhausting... and funny.

The chemo blah in me wanted to say, "Forget it. This won't work."  But I wanted to be a good sport. I can't begin to tell you the number of requests I've made of my sister during our child and adult years.  Jenni has always gone beyond the call of duty to go along with my fun... as in this list below of  50 things I wanted her to do with me, for my 50th birthday!

http://www.tributewebdesign.com/beth/list.html
​
Day 6

I was feeling a little more lively by Saturday.  I was well enough to once again push Jenni to do something silly with me.  We painted the Styrofoam head that holds my goofy looking half wig.  Then we headed to the airport. 

Jenni's been gone a day now. I'm starting to feel better and I'm fussing over all that I wish we could have done together, that would have been more fun for her.  

But her goal wasn't fun, she came to help.  I'll remember how she she stepped in, helping with everything from cooking to foot rubs. But when I see this fine work of art (yet to be named) I will be reminded that yes, we did have some good laughs as well.  

And now it's all about the future.  I'm looking forward to giddy times ahead, when we are both healthy and game!  Thanks Jennifer!