We'll take it

Today's field trip was to just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. I drove down there this afternoon at the request of my mom, to check out/photograph the cabin she'd booked for when my family comes to visit this summer. The place was PERFECT; close to the park but tucked far enough back to be quiet, with enough space for me, too, if scheduling allows at work and I can join them (Crossing fingers. All of them.) It was enough to get me pumped, even though the visit is still weeks away and I still have no idea as to when I'll meet up with them and where [insert anticipatory happy dance here].

As I was driving away from the mountain, it occurred to me when I'd last been there. It was a year ago, almost exactly. I was just finishing up college, and was pretty shaky as to whether or not I had chosen the right job for the following job for the next fall; whether I was ready to or even could become an RN (boards were still to come), whether I was cut out for this whole real world adult thing. My mom, who along with my dad, two sisters, and our neighbors were in town to watch me graduate, had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and at that point, we weren't even sure what stage her cancer was at, let alone what her treatment plan was or how intense it would be. Not to steal any thunder from Mom (I think we can all agree that she had a Bigger Thing to overcome between the two of us), but we both survived.

The cabin manager looked at me a little strangely today as I tried to explain that, no, I wasn't shopping around for a place for the family to stay; we planned on keeping our reservation, we were just all very excited. This will be the post-chemo/radiation/"year of shit" my mom warned me was coming when she told me she had cancer...vacation, and the mere fact that we've all made it to this point healthily and in one piece is something to celebrate. The cool cabin in the woods is just an added bonus.

I acknowledge that life isn't going to be perfect from now on; Mom will have follow up for years, and who knows how long it's going to take for me to feel like a confident experienced nurse. Still, it's always a pleasant surprise when those "Wow. We've gotten this far." moments hit. At the very least, they put things in perspective.