We’ll folks. We’re officially at the end. I say “we”, because ya’ll have been on this damn journey with me.
I didn’t cry when I was first diagnosed (probably because I was in shock) but I almost cried in my doctor’s office a couple weeks ago when he said he wanted me to do another month of chemo. That meant I wasn’t going to be done before my big bash. The venue was booked, people had travel arrangements, invites were sent out and it was too late to postpone. But I quickly got over it because after almost 3 years, what’s another 21 days?
Speaking of celebration – on October 1st we did just that. My “No Mo Chemo” Party was everything I could have asked for and more. It was very surreal. I knew that so many friends and family were flying in to celebrate but it didn’t hit me until 100 of my favorite people were all in the same place to celebrate me.
Since there were so many people from various aspects of my life I had everyone wear a name tag with their name and how they knew me. This helped spark conversations / break the ice. One of my favorite things from the night was watching my friends become friends. I’ve lived in many different places thus meeting tons of people but have been very selective with who I pour energy into so I’ve created a life filled with top-notch friends. And it was beautiful to be surrounded by them all on this glorious evening.
We had delicious food trucks, a super talented live musician, a gorgeous view and sunset, glitter tattoos and face jewels, and a grooving dance floor with an epic playlist. On top if it all, people went all out with their outfits. I suggested “Disco/NYE” attire because I wanted a lot of sparkles and there sure were lots of sparkles. It was one of the best nights of my life.
I had disco-afied all the centerpiece vases. It took me hours and hours but they turned out so cute. I also made giant disco balls out of hula hoops. I wanted a neon sign but they were several hundred dollars so I attempted to DIY one but I didn’t like the way it turned out – it would have been funny (to me at least) because it said “Staying Alive” – a little double entandre. 😉
I felt like I needed to give a speech, even though I hate public speaking. I barely got 5 words in before crying my eyes out, which I knew was going to happen but was trying not to. It was ok because everyone else was crying too. But it was happy tears, because I FREAKING DID IT, I kicked cancer’s ass. Basically the gist of the speech was, “holy cow – I didn’t die, that was rough, but ya’ll made it a little more bearable and I could never thank you enough. But let’s boogie the night away!”
There’s a tradition in the cancer world where you get to ring “the bell” when you’ve finished treatment so I gave all the guests a mini bell to ring on Oct. 21 with me as I ring “the bell” since they’ve all been on this journey with me. For those that couldn’t make it to the party, if you have a bell at home, I encourage you to ring that thing TOMORROW because in the wise words of Elle Woods, “WE DID IT”!
Trips & Salsa 