This Body is Bullshit

I haven’t written since January, and it’s not because nothing’s been happening—it’s because everything has.
Somewhere in there, I went to a drag brunch with girlfriends. So fun, ridiculous, loving exactly what it should be. The next weekend we followed that up with a full JC Penney photoshoot for Donna’s birthday, because obviously that’s what grown women in their 50s should be doing. The poor kid taking the pictures had absolutely no idea what to do with us. We were awesome. Duh! The pictures? Amazing. SO good. Then dinner after.
Then Puerto Vallarta with Natalie… and honestly, I don’t even know how to summarize that without underselling it. It was AMAZING. Great resort, boat cruise to Yelapa, fruity cocktails, sun, matching pajamas, a pirate cruise, and a Freddie Mercury impersonator who was so good, it was so fun. Every trip we take, we somehow get closer, which feels impossible at this point.
Then we celebrated my cousin Jennifer’s 60th birthday with Aunt Susie and Maggie. We shopped in Andersonville, had dinner at Bar Roma, and laughed so hard we were crying—mostly because of these absolutely horrifying wax lips my aunt brought. It was a great day for us ladies to get together
And then… I turned 50.

Which somehow turned into like a three-week event. My husband threw me the most incredible party. My friends showed up. The decorations were awesome. The guest list was perfect. I’ve had dinners, lunches, brunches, a full day in the city with Grace. I did puppy yoga, tried aerial hammock, and I now I own roller skates.
Fifty is… kind of awesome!
In between all that, real life kept doing its thing.
My girlfriend’s daughter got married—beautiful wedding, great venue, and then out of nowhere they brought in Portillo’s and Rainbow Cone after dinner during dancing!
We met with elder attorneys. Kathy and I are trying to figure out what the next steps look like for my dad, which is… overwhelming. I stayed with him for a week so she could get a bit of a break. We’re now looking into adult daycare because she needs help, and I just can’t be there as much as she needs.

I still check on him. Spend time with him. Our favorite “date” is going for ice cream—well, frozen custard, because apparently his palate is too refined for regular ice cream.
Sometimes he’s sweet and feels like my child.
Sometimes he’s an angry asshole.
Both can be true.
I’ve become the one who can usually talk him off the ledge when he’s really confused or agitated. By that point, Kathy is completely tapped out, and I don’t blame her. This disease is brutal. I’ve been doing a ton of research on FTD, and there is barely any information out there. It’s frustrating and scary, and now I find myself wanting to spread awareness because people just don’t understand how hard it is.
Somewhere in there, we did our taxes—shocker, we owe again.
St. Patrick’s Day came and went—my favorite day—and I barely celebrated. We got out for a couple hours, but that was about it. Felt weird.
And then there’s my Uncle Brad… who has been THROUGH IT.
He was out fishing with his dog, slipped, hit his head, likely knocked himself out, and woke up in the water, unable to get out. I cannot even imagine that level of terror. His dog, Stump, jumped in and helped him get to the side. No one was around. He somehow made it to the hospital with a broken collarbone and a massive knot on his head.
Stump is officially a hero.
And because that wasn’t enough, Uncle Brad then had to deal with some… let’s just say very unpleasant medical procedures that no man wants to experience. We’ll leave it at that. Thankfully everything is benign, and he’s on the mend—but seriously, give the guy a break. All of this after recovering from sinus surgery. Like… what??
On the health front for me, I had my quarterly Zoladex implant and my first Zometa infusion for bone loss. It actually went well. Shockingly.
I haven’t been to Pilates in months, but I’m starting back tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes.
Matt’s birthday is this week—we’re doing pizza with his mom on his actual birthday, then massages at the spa for the two of us the next day, which I am very much looking forward to.

Work has been insane. Like, lose-sleep insane for a bit there. I got pulled into some executive-level drama that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with, but thankfully that seems to have settled. The good news is I’m back overseeing my Melrose Park buildings, and I could not be happier about that.
So yeah.
That’s why I haven’t been writing.
Not because I didn’t have anything to say—
but because I’ve been too busy living it.