Last summer while still in the middle of chemo, I went with a friend to watch "Julie and Julia." It was a lovely film based on 2 books that we had both read. Watching Meryl Streep's "Julia Child" performance was so beautiful -- the character sat outside in the French countryside eating french cheeses and drinking a glass of french wine and experiencing the joie de vivre of France. As I was in the middle of chemo, I was jealous of that relaxed and open enjoyment of life -- and of that french wine and cheese that she could so freely eat and drink. Chemo rules on what you can eat are not always a lot of fun -- and fancy cheese and wine and both on the "verboten" list.

Flash forward a few months, and Lisa and I have decided to throw a French Julia Child party so that we can pretend to be in the french countryside and enjoying that Julia Child joie. I can now eat the food and drink the wine. It's not the french countryside, but it will still be a chance to think about how far I've come in the past few months and enjoy a bit of life.

On the menu:

Julia's recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon. Peas. Potatoes. Some kind of french dessert. French wine. French cheese.

Several good friends will be coming to share the evening with us, with the the kids safely ensconced with a babysitter at another house. Saturday should be a good evening! We're calling it our Julia Child party!