Turning 13 (and 51)

 Dear Noah and Dylan,

Uncle Joe and I invited ourselves over yesterday for a poolside birthday dinner. We got hit by another downpour and ended up spending most of the time in the pool house but we played Guesstures which is always fun until the aunt wins. You are getting better at losing, at least you're not crying and sulking like not all that long ago! Of course, I suck at winning, rubbing it in like there's no tomorrow. We had already given you a lighted palm tree for the pool room for your birthdays but we gave you cards with a printout of your college savings that I've been contributing to since your 2nd birthday, instead of buying a lot of gifts since you both have plenty of crap at both houses!!! Since I have no idea whether or not I'll be here for another one of your birthdays given my shitty prognosis (and I mean that in every sense of the word shitty) I put in enough for the next six birthdays so it will have more time to accumulate interest. I hope it will help out a little when that time comes!

I was noticing the stares we got from Katie, Frida and Carlos while we were playing Guesstures. I suppose it must look quite strange to them. They can anticipate most human behaviors by now, but not all the weird things each of us were doing trying to act out random words. Everyone except Dylan enjoyed the vanilla birthday cake (he is not a cake guy, sorry Dylan! Should have got ice-cream cake!) I requested you blow out the candles Covid style so you had to flap your hands over the flames to put them out. Here's hoping to another good year for the three of you! 

Two weeks ago we went to Battis Farm again, only this time with your Uncle Don. Had a great time floating and listening to Uncle Don's reggae music. Thanks for the Scarecrow presentation that your dad forced you poor guys into performing....what he won't do for a chuckle!! I thought Grandpa Kudym was a clown but you two are in for some "adventures" which hopefully won't include him showing up at your senior prom in a gorilla suit or something like that. Sigh...  And just for clarification, the scarecrow idea was from an entry I wrote in my Caring Bridge journal where i update family and friends on my treatments, progress, etc. I made some reference to tornados that were predicted somewhere not too far away and the possible threat to us, and mentioned something about my three uncles, your dad, Uncle Don, Uncle Joe like in Wizard of Oz, speculating that your dad would be the scarecrow, Uncle Joe the tin man and Uncle Don, the lion. (I think it's the opposite with those two, as does Uncle Joe...he thought he was more like the lion, looking for courage) 

I'm typing this at the cancer center in Danvers since I brought my computer. There's a lot of wating time between my blood work appointment and the chemo appointment so I have to sit in the waiting area with all the other masked patients. Today i'm sitting across the youngest patient i've ever seen here. He is a young man that looks to be about 16. I am hopeful that neither of you will be diagnosed with cancer or a life threatening illness until you have at least have had long full lives to live like I have. I will not live as long as some, but I have lived longer than many so for that I do feel fortunate. 

I love you both. Happy 13rd birthday!

Love, Auntie Kim