At Last...

Let's back up a few months and start at the very beginning. When this whole diagnosis thing took off, Dan asked me to make a wish list. What things (lord knows I love me my things) did I think would cheer me up? The very first thing was this chair. I'd seen it in a catalog (I also lurve me my catalogs) many years ago and had never forgotten it. It looked huge, plush, and luxurious and right up my alley. Instead of a chair and ottoman (where, because of my long torso, my tush always seems to fall through the crack - no pun intended), the chaise extends the seat to the foot rest so you are comfy all over.

However, this particular chaise was a bit on the pricey side. Dan told me not to worry, I would get my chaise. I, of course, laughed him off. Little did I know (Dan enjoys surprises), he secretly contacted lots of my friends and family to tell them about the first item on my wish list and asked for any takers on making my wish come true.

Dude - I don't know where to start, but approximately 5 minutes later, he told me to call the company and order the chair. Between the car troubles, the dog getting sick, Judah throwing a fit at the thought of separating from me, and oh yeah, the whole cancer thing (multiple biopsies, waiting for results, etc.), it really seemed like nothing was going our way. Needless to say, I was thrilled to get going on something positive! **Start chaise timeline near the end of June (Diagnosis Day was June 17). Then the lady at the company told me it would be 6-8 weeks for delivery. Explaining my predicament, I asked if it was possible to speed up the delivery. She said she would write a note in the order, but there were no guarantees.

A few weeks later, I get a shipping notification in my email! Imagine my delight to find out the chaise was already on its way! I clicked on the UPS tracking link and watched it travel from Missouri to Ohio... Each day, I would exlaim with glee, "My chair is in Missouri!" "My chair is in Ohio!"

Until one day, I felt like it seemed too easy. I mean, yes it was possible for a custom chair to be made so quickly (after all, they do it on HGTV all the time), but for lil' ol' me? I checked the shipping notification email again and noticed the weight of the item being shipped. Instead of it being 500 lbs (like a large piece of furniture is supposed to weigh), it read: 0.1 lbs. Hmm. Delving deeper, I could see that what was being shipped was not my beloved chair, but merely a swatch of the fabric with which it was being upholstered. A freaking SWATCH!

So, I sheepishly confessed to my family that instead of my chair being in Missouri, it was a scrap of chenille traveling cross country to be with me. At least we had ourselves a good laugh about it. "My swatch is in Ohio." "My swatch is in Pennsylvania." Rats.

When, eventually, the swatch arrived (7/1/2010), we all took turns sitting on it. Aaah, very comfy.

Fast forward another month or so, a few treatment cycles later, and I finally called the company to see what the hold up was. I have cancer, for pete's sake, can't you hurry this thing up? At this rate, by the time it gets here, I'll be back at work and have no time to lay in it!

Wouldn't you know, it arrived just last week (along with the latest People magazine - love you girls), while we were at the beach!

Dan worked like a dog to rearrange our bedroom furniture thus completing the 2 story layout of the Wellness Center, so we could come home to utter bedroom perfection. Luckily, we have a bangin' air conditioner in our room, so I don't have to freeze everyone out of the first floor anymore. The TV is now repositioned so that we can see it from both our bed AND the chaise. And just this morning, my mom came over with a DVD player, so I can watch all my netflix videos (thank you O'Brien/Diamonds!) from the comfort of my repose chaise I. Now we're talkin.

The best thing about this chair (aside from the fact that it was only possible because of the love and generosity of the most amazing people I know) is that Judah can squeeze in right next to me for snuggles and books at bedtime.


Although "thank you" doesn't seem nearly adequate, that's all I've got for now. To everyone who had a part in this and all of the (occasionally frivolous) wish list requests, equaling total relaxation having come to fruition: thank you thank you thank you. Please know you have contributed to a big part of my recovery - not just because I have this chair, but because I really do feel so loved.

xxoo