Hey Larry,
Wow it certainly sounds like you are cracking on really well. I completely understand about feeling emotional, you've been through the ringer. It's such a huge life changing event. Can you see if you are able to have counselling to help you manage your emotions?
Take your time with foods, you have plenty of time. Your wife sounds amazing, I hope you can experiment with your smoothies and shakes. I've been adding fruit and mixing the different flavours of ensure (chocolate and banana blended with frozen banana and some cocoa powder is very tasty, as is adding banana to the banana ensure and adding powdered peanut butter to help thicken it up)
Getting exercise, even on days when you want to curl up and hide, is really cruicial. Even gentle stretching will help. Massaging your scars will help too, I found it's helped me accept what I've been through, although I still have dark times (I'm seeing my Dr tomorrow to refer me for counselling)
You are doing so well though. I'm jealous of no feeding tube, but I know I might need it with my radiotherapy as mouth sores/ulcers are coming!
I'm in the UK, so some things are a bit different here, but not too much. Still same surgeries, similar treatments, just the meds have different names really.
I'm looking forward to reading your progress