We got over 9 inches of snow at our house in Monroe and we got to take a couple amazing walks!

Today is January 22nd. Exactly four months ago, on September 22nd, Nick went in for an exploratory surgery at Evergreen Hospital and the doctor's found a lot more than a burst appendix. Exactly two months later, on November 22nd, we were in Omaha and Dr. Loggie removed the cancer cells he could see and proceeded with intreperitoneal heated chemotherapy.

The last four months have been some of the rockiest and so many wonderful people have been surrounding us to make sure we get through it. I really feel like my faith in God and in people has been renewed. We really want to stress that we are SO appreciative of all the help that we have received; the prayers, positive thoughts and financial support has been such a major blessing and we just couldn't be more thankful. I wish there was a way that we could thank each individual person for their help, but with so many letters, cards and notes coming to us, we just don't have a way. Please DO know that we really do appreciate all the time spent and the money to help us with medical costs. Each and every message of love has brought warmth to our hearts and we are so blessed to have so many caring people in our lives.

Life is finally moving along here at the Magnotti house... Nick is starting back at work tomorrow and we are very excited to get back to 'normal.' He wont be going back to the 50 or so hours he was putting in before but will try to get in 36 hours a week (so that we can firmly hold onto his Medical Benefits).  I've slowly gotten back to work full time at Thinkspace and enjoy working from home most Fridays. Our little rascal puppy, Odinn, is growing up fast and is already 8 months old. We missed out on a lot of his training while being out of state for Nick's treatments so it was tough at first because he wasn't on the best schedule. Now that things are settling down and going back to a routine, he is getting much better with his training and becoming a great little sidekick for Rucky!

Cancer sucks. Everything has passed in such a whirlwind that sometimes it feels like it was all just a dream. And, sometimes, the reality of what we are facing and did face becomes all too real. Very soon, we will be planning our third trip out to Omaha for follow up tests and appointments. Sometimes, it scares me stiff to think that Nick's cancer will never actually go away. Sometimes I imagine the conversations I will have to have with my future kids, about why daddy needs to go to the doctor so often and about why his stomach looks the way that it does. Sometimes it just makes me really angry. But most of the time, it just reminds me that you never know how long you will have with those that you love.