It's a wonderful day...

  We've had a great day at Volunteer park with our friends Jef and Kris.  Silas was, of course, the only naked person out of the several hundred folks there.  My dear gay people abounded.  I'm assuming the folks that I took pics of were gay ... you'll see the pics.  You'll get it.  Kevin took it upon himself to make himself as sassy as possible and hike his man-panties up his rear and pose like some of these fantastic guys ... in their American flag speedos.  Pics will follow.

  Today is Fathers Day.  My dad is a badass.  Mine is much cooler than yours.  He's an amazingly supportive, loving, and hysterically funny man.  I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I am that my dad is one of my best friends and biggest fans.  For a father and daughter to be so close ... no contingencies ... is amazing.  My dad has made me feel at ease in my most scary situations.  My dad has made me laugh my balls off (yes, I have them) when it was probably more appropriate to cry.  Think cancer.  I, in turn, found a way to make him laugh when I knew he was quietly crying on the other end of the phone.  He taught me a great lesson.  Shake it off.  Find some light in the dark.  It's there ... IT'S ALWAYS THERE.  My dad is someone that I could call and tell ANYTHING and he would not judge me.  He would find a way to help me choose whatever path that leads to happiness.  And that's why I'm so thankful for my father.  He is a wonderful human being.  He's one of the great saviors of my life.

  Speaking of great saviors, it's Mama's birthday.  Happy birthday you crazy lady.  Mama is in Charleston.  She's staying with my sister-cousin and soul mate Angi and her family.  They've been eating and drinking WAY too much, from what I hear.  I'm so glad that she's enjoying herself and with family on her 35th birthday.  She's gonna come and visit us again in July, I think.  Thank God.  Kevin's got a hankering for some good soul-food.

  For those of you that don't like your parents, I'll whore mine out for $1,000.00 an hour.  Don't EVEN try to barter with me.  They're worth much, much more than that!  Plus, they don't judge you too terribly much.  So, that's refreshing as a child.

  Oh, and you might want to stock up on some wine and scotch.

  Lastly, I'd like to give a shout out to my husband.  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, BABY!  Kevin has been such an amazingly supportive person to me.  He got me knocked up with that precious child of ours.   Our child is brilliant.  I know you think yours is ... but, Michael Jackson thinks he's white.  Need I say more?

   Kevin took it upon himself to go to all of these support groups during my treatment that even I didn't think he needed to go to.  He went to chemo with me and bought the older (metastatic) ladies lunches and flowers.  Margo, one of the ladies that I got chemo with, died last year. Margo was a beautiful African-American woman that was raising her own great-grandchildren. She and Kevin ADORED one another.  Kevin bought her a rose one day while she and I were hooked up to machines.  She beamed.  She had never been given a flower!    

  Before sweet Margo passed, I asked my oncologist if it was okay if I went to see her in hospice, as she suddenly went down hill quickly.  He told me that he didn't think that it would be good for my moral to see her in the state that she was in and that she probably wouldn't even know me anyway.  I'm not one to take orders.  So, I went to see her.  It was bizarre to see this woman, someone that was dying from the same disease that I am fighting, laying in a hospice bed and barely "there."  She wasn't really lucid.  She turned when I came into the room and held her hand.  She "looked" at me, but really wasn't looking at me.  Then, she closed her eyes again.  I grabbed a book that was in front of her and told her I'd read to her.  NO LUCK.  The damned thing was a hymn book.  That's when I said, "Um, I don't think that I should sing these hymns to you, honey.  If I do, they're gonna drag our asses outta here and put us out on the sidewalk.  Imagine you and me out there.  Me pushing you around in this hospital bed trying to find parallel parking!"   A smile.  She smiled.  She was getting it.  But, the smile was small and faded quickly.  Then, I said, "your boyfriend sends his love.  You KNOW who I'm talking about.  I'm beginning to get a bit jealous.  You got anything you want to tell me about you and my husband?"  Her head turned to face me.  I said, "Margo, do you remember the rose that Kevin brought you on Valentine's day?"  She looked up at me and beamed.  She wasn't even supposed to open her eyes, much less remember me or Kevin or any of our experiences together.  She beamed!  She loved him.  He was so good to her.  On this woman's death bed, one of the few things that was still there was her memory of my husband buying her a rose.  I'm proud of that.   We miss you Margo.

  Kevin is so good to me.  He adores me.  I've never said that before.  But, I now know, it's true.  I don't necessarily think that I deserve that.  But, lucky me!  We're buds.  He is great with Silas.  He ABSOLUTELY ADORES my family.  He and I are always the wackiest couple wherever we go.  Humor will save the world ... and it makes our home-life a ball.  We are a damned cool couple.  He's a damned cool father.

  Happy Father's day Kevin/Daddy.  We love you!