Turkey, Mash Potatoes, and Chicken Fried Rice?

If you ever go to Benihana's restaurant pay the extra 2 dollars and get the chicken fried rice with your meal, you will thank me later.  Of course the Dulle's already know that and that's why our thanksgiving celebration was at Benihanas and it was chicken fried rice across the board.  After a hectic day of travel and multiple turkey dinners on Thursday we all spent the day and night on Friday together and had a great time.  It seems odd with the terrible year 2010 has been that we could be thankful, but I think I speak for all of us when I say that was the overwhelming feeling we all had last week.  I could go on and on about all that we are thankful for (most of the things are in the pictures that I've posted) but I think the biggest thing I am thankful for is time.

The reality is that none of us know how much time we have left, how many days or weeks or years we will get to see our loved ones.  It often seems like it will be infinite, that is certainly how I viewed it, until of course this year changed us.  But for the better I believe.  Every car ride, trip to the casino, or walk with the dog is special.  Every football or basketball game we watch is more exciting, every board game has more laughs.  Every phone call, or email, or blog comment means more, and the chicken fried rice has never tasted better.  Big Don will continue to fight for more time.

The next step in the fight is radiation.  Because he is doing well with the chemo the doctors have decided to start a targeted radiation treatment along with chemotherapy over the next five weeks.  He will go 5 days a week for the radiation and once a week for chemo.  The team will re-evaluate him after that to determine what the next step will be.  Our biggest hope is that someday this would be operable and they could remove the tumor, but they have given us hope that Big Don could continue to gain time even without surgery.  We are all aware of how tough Big Don and Kay are, so the next challenge seems more than manageable. 

As for now we really are trying to appreciate each day we have.  We continue to rack up phone bills, frequent flyer miles and odometers and love every second of it, well almost I don't like the turbulence.  I would be lying if I said that we don't have hard days, the fact is that this sucks.  Big Don however, is busy living, and we don't have time to sit around and pout, we have way too much to be thankful for.