another thrilling season!

Dancing With the Stars begins tomorrow night. I will be watching, I'm sure (or at least taping it). It is one of those shows that I wouldn't normally watch, but thanks to my parents I am hooked on it!

I started watching DWTS sometime in the fall of 2006. It was one of my parents' must-see shows. Mom and Dad lived with us almost the whole time I was going through chemo, from September 2006 until January 2007. They were here, working hard running the house, with few breaks. Sometimes my dad would drive home (they're about 250 miles north of us) for a week, leaving my mom here. Sometimes both my mom and dad would go home for a bit, because my mom really needed to rest. So my sister would fly in to take over. My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and childhood friend also flew in to help out. But mostly it was my mom and dad, running things for me....as they said, "taking care of everything so all you have to do is get better."

So I really can't complain that they got me hooked on Dancing With the Stars! They loved the show. Well, I think my mom liked it and my dad watched to keep her company. But they both had things to say about it, so maybe my dad secretly enjoyed it too!

It usually came on around the kids' bedtime, so we taped it on ReplayTV so we wouldn't miss anything. (Replay is kind of like Tivo.....we even watch live TV on Replay now, it is really something. But that's another post....)

The kids also learned to love the show. Little Frances would wake up the next morning and say "I want Dancing wif Stahhhs!" The girls would all dance along and would root for the cutest boy or the prettiest girl dancer.

The girls and I have watched every season since then, even though my parents have moved back to their home and resumed their normal before-Katie's-cancer life. I think of my parents every time I watch DTWS, and I've thanked them MANY times for getting me started with the show! But I also think of where I was over a year ago when I discovered the show: fiercely fighting my cancer and surrounded by the love of my family.

I realized that the other day, when I was telling John about the new bunch of celebrities that will be on this season (and he was smiling and nodding, that's nice dear), that it really is funny, what everyday things like a TV show can make you think of? Instead of despising the show and never wanting to see it again because it reminds me of my cancer, I look forward to each season because 1) I think of my parents and what they sacrificed to help me through a difficult time, and 2) I am grateful that I am around for another season, just happy to still be here!

So I'm not ashamed to say, I can't wait for tomorrow's dance!