Where in the world is Brian?

Maybe you are wondering where in the world is Brian?  He's here - he wakes up at the crack of dawn, makes his pot of coffee, goes surfing if there's waves, comes home before I even wake up and starts working on the house.  Since mom and Gram have been here they spend their mornings helping Bri with the painting, the yard, cleaning, organizing...anything that needs to get done.  They all break for lunch, then Bri starts working some more.  His new favorite toy is a chainsaw...yes, to my dismay Brian now has a gas powered weapon and unlimited poor unsuspecting trees.  Brian is having a good time tromping around in the jungle carving out pathways for the light to reach the ground again.  Today he built a surfboard rack for his mini quiver now that he has room in his freshly cleaned out, painted and re-organized garage.  I mean totally re-organized.  Bri and his mom basically took EVERYTHING out of the garage, painted it, sorted through the junk, and put it all back.  Some of you have seen the state of the garage, so you know how massive an undertaking that was!!

He seems happy.  He always has time to stop and give me a kiss and tell me how beautiful I am.  I think he's a nut - I look like an escaped monkey from the zoo...but he's my nut, and if I'm beautiful to him then that's all that matters.  Not for one moment do I ever take for granted how lucky I am to have landed this guy.  There are days that I look in the mirror with my patchy bald head, flaky skin from the meds, puffy eyes, no eyelashes, discolored lips...I don't even bother with make-up.  I'm too much of a train wreck for some powder to make a difference...and I turn around and he's standing there with a sly grin and a "wow, you are the hottest wife ever!"  I tell him he's crazy, but I look in his eyes and I know he means what he says, and I know he's not just looking at what you can see in a mirror.  It makes me feel good, and it helps me hold my head up high and walk out into public without feeling insecure.  I know people are giving me the side-eye, but of course they are.  Brian Manny's wife just walked by!

So for those of you who know Bri - he's just being Bri.  I don't think this whole cancer thing has thrown him for a loop at all.  He just charges forward and does what needs to get done like he always has.  He has put so much of his energy into making this home comfortable for us to live in, and he's happy to be putting his hard labor into a place that he gets to actually live in rather than just work and leave.  There is still so much to be done, but it has been completely transformed since he got here 3 months ago.

He means to write, he also means to answer his phone - but the boy is so focused on work that by the time he stops for the day he has his Coors Light, his TV, some dinner, and then bed by 8:30...and always time for hugs and kisses for me.

love,
nise