“Live in each season as it passes:  breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” ~Henry David Thoreau

It seemed the perfect quote to begin this blog, considering the incredibly beautiful July we’re enjoying right now!  I’ve been taking the dogs for walks after dinner, and each night I’m amazed by the beauty of the season:  fireflies lighting up the sky, baby deer grazing in yards and ducking under fence posts, owls hooting in the distance, the smell of grilling food and cut grass wafting through the air.  Other neighbors are out riding horses, walking their dogs, swimming in their pools, chatting with friends.  I’m so thankful that we have four seasons here in Virginia, and each one is distinctive.  I’m not sure whether Thoreau meant this phrase to apply more to the “seasons” in life, such as childhood, young adulthood, middle age, old age, or whether he referred to the seasons themselves, but I’ll pretend that it means both.  :)  In either case, it’s good advice.

I’m enjoying the All-Star Game right now, wishing I were in the stadium eating a hot dog and cheering on the American League.  Well, technically, I’m not that hungry ’cause I was spoiled today, eating out for both lunch and dinner!  It was an all-Italian day…yummy!  But I think the delicious Italian food is one of the reasons I weight twenty more pounds now than I did last year at this time.  Yup, I had my check-up today, and I weigh 141 pounds right now.  We looked through my history and discovered that last July I weighed 121 pounds, although that was a bit underweight for me.  Still, twenty pounds is quite a bit to pack on!!!  :)  I can’t blame the steroids anymore.  It’s time to up the exercise!

My counts are still good; they’re about the same they were last month.  Dr. Orloff had them test my hormone levels at my last visit, and he was quite perplexed to discover that I’m not in early menopause as a result of the amount of chemo I’ve had over the past years….wonderful news!!  It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll be able to have children, but it is a possibility, which gives me great hope.

In other news, I got to hang out with my buddy Jack!!!  It felt so good to hug him (and boy does he give good hugs!).  I look forward to getting to know him again.  Now that he’s almost two, his personality is really starting to shine through.  I love this age!

I also met up with some of my teammates from Team in Training this weekend.  My former coach, Jacque, shaved her head to raise money for members of the walk team.  She raised over $4,000, and gave $250 to 17 participants (they drew names out of a hat).  The really cool thing was that she did it after they trained Saturday AM, and everyone took turns snipping or shaving, so the whole team felt like they were part of it.  A New York Times photographer was on hand to get some shots and interview Jacque.  It turns out that she has a beautifully-shaped head and perfect features to pull off the bald look.  See photos below.  :)  That money will be really helpful to the participants as they work toward their fundraising goals, and ultimately, it will make a difference in the lives of blood cancer patients who benefit from the research and services done by The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Jacque, I look forward to training with you next year!  I think I’ll be ready to do the Nike Women’s Marathon in the fall of 2010.  Anyone interested in joining me?  Just so you know, we (the walk team) have way more fun than the run team!  They’re so serious, but we pair fun and exercise!!

Speaking of fun and exercise, I signed up for a belly dancing class!!  It lasts several weeks, and I can’t wait to give it a go!  I’m sure I’ll have some good stories to share with you once the class starts.

In job/career news, I called Vienna Women’s Center yesterday to talk about meeting with a career coach, however I haven’t heard back from them yet.  I’ll keep you posted.  I also left a message with Catholic Charities regarding a volunteer position that sounded like a lot of fun.  I would volunteer eight Saturdays a year to help Spanish-speakers apply for citizenship.  Any other Spanish-speakers out there interested in joining me?  Paulina?  Paloma?  Henry?  Kristi?  The more I think about a career, the more I realize that I don’t want it to center around what I’ve studied for so many years, Spanish.  I would love to be able to use it at work, but I don’t want to teach it, and I don’t want to spend all my time translating or interpreting.  On one hand, I’m discouraged by the fact that I spent so many years focusing on the Spanish language and culture.  On the other hand, I think about all I learned and how it’s shaped my experiences, and I realize I studied exactly what I wanted to study, whether or not it directly applies to any future job position.  I really hope Vienna Women’s Center can help give me some guidance on how to best move forward in my job search.  I’m very intimidated.  I keep reminding myself of that wonderful quote by Edward Everett Hale:  “I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something, and I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can”.  Plus, I kicked cancer’s butt twice…I can do anything!!

OK, this has been another long one.  Enjoy the pics!!  And don’t forget to savor all the beautiful summer moments.  :)  Here’s one more quote to inspire:

“That beautiful season the Summer!

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;

and the landscape

Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lots of love

Julie