Will You Accept My Challenge?

If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen this picture I posted yesterday

On October 16^th, Greenville Women’s League will host Bunco for Breast Cancer for the 11^th year. The money raised from this amazing event goes to Gardner’s for Hope Breast Cancer fund. G4H provides economic relief to breast cancer patients in Eastern NC. They purchase medications that insurance will not cover, provide gas cards to women that have to travel in order to receive treatment, along with little pick-me-ups to help these women through a difficult time such as massages or cleaning services. Gardener’s for Hope provided us with lawn care during my treatment. While that might not seem like much too some, it was once less thing Jonathan needed to worry about doing. It allowed him time to focus on me and Aiden.

As we enter into “Pinktober” there are many organizations that you can donate to (more on that in another post), I encourage you to do your research and understand where the money you are donating goes. I’m not asking you for a donation toward Bunco or G4H, what I am asking is for you to purchase a ticket for the event ($35) that can be given to a women that is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Even with insurance, treatment is expensive; we spent $10,000 out of pocket and my insurance covered 100% of my chemo treatments. Most patients don’t have the money for “extras” including a night out with friends. But, its things like this that can help keep their spirits up and help then feel normal. I have already received commitments from 3 people to purchase a ticket that can be donated. I challenge you to help me provide a night out for 10 women currently receiving treatment. Will you help me?

5 for Friday

High Five Friday is an idea that I have seen on several others blogs that I'm going to steal and start doing. It's a way to celebrate weekly achievements or successes that we sometimes miss out on because of our busy schedules. Plus it gives me something to blog about other than cancer!

I had plenty of highlights this week but I'm going to change this post up a little and do my first High 5 Friday on my current obsessions because these items are so fabulous they brightened up my week and hopefully you will love them too!

#1 Monogrammed Boot Socks

A monogram and a deal .... 2 of my favorite things. We all know I LOVE a monogram and will put it on just about anything. So while browsing Groopdealz this week, I came across these adorable boot socks. I cannot wait until it's cool enough to wear them! It's still in the low-mid 80's here in Eastern NC.

#2 Jersey Belle

If you know me, then you know I'm all about reality TV .... Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, Party Down South .... the more ridiculous the better. Married to Jonas kept me entertained during chemo and I'm not even a JoBro fan. My newest must watch is Jersey Belle. From Bravo.com, "The new docu-series follows outspoken New Jersey native and entertainment publicist Jaime Primak Sullivan as she navigates life in the upscale Southern suburb of Mountain Brook, Alabama. Surrounded by a fabulous group of girlfriends who want nothing more than to sculpt her into a Southern darling, Jaime tries to fit in to a world that is not ready for an unapologetic woman who likes to speak her mind..." If you haven't see it, you need to check it out! Part of the reason I like it so much is because I can relate. I'm a Jersey Girl at heart but do love my life in the South!

#3 Christmas Gift List App

There are several of these available on iTunes, I recommend checking them out to see what works best for you, but I downloaded The Christmas List to help keep me organized. Since I start my Christmas shopping early, I need to keep a list of what I bought and who I bought it for or I'd end up with multiple gifts for one person while skipping someone else. Having this app on my phone allows me to have my list available anytime I am shopping. I'm also able to make notes when little man starts rattling off everything he wants for Christmas. It helps you track what you spend and can be password protected if you have snooping eyes!

#4 New Bag

I've been looking for a functional cross body bag for a while, when I came across this one at Target, I fell in love! It's big enough to hold everything I need but not so big it's a pain to carry. The strap is long so the bag doesn't fall at an awkward spot since I'm so tall. Plus, Jonathan was supper excited it wasn't Coach and only cost $26.99! I went out of my comfort zone and bought the red one instead of the black or brown. 

#5 ECU vs UNC and the Pirate Crew

Tomorrow the Pirates play Carolina here in Greenville - we are coming off a win at VA Tech, the game is SOLD OUT, and (most of) the Pirate Crew will be here. The only way this weekend could be more perfect was if the entire Pirate Crew could make it. We haven't all been together since 2012 when everyone came to celebrate the end of my chemo treatments at the UTEP game. It's always a great time with this group and I'm so blessed to have them in my life! I hope ya'll had a great week and have a fabulous weekend!

People Are Counting On You

When I came across this video about a week ago, it really hit home. The story is about a mom that continues to plan her child’s birthday in the middle of her cancer diagnosis. When Aiden turned 3, I switched the day of my chemo so that the side effects of treatment would subside before his party. His birthday also ended up falling right in the 2-3 week window where my hair would begin to fall out; four days before his birthday, I shaved my head.

This story is pretty accurate in describing some of things that happen after a cancer diagnosis. In the struggle to find balance between being a cancer patient and being “normal”, I had lots of encouragement and support. I was praised for being strong and admired for the way I faced this new challenge. Some people were in disbelief that I could just carry on as normal as possible. But to me, there was never any other option … People Were Counting on Me.

I had a little boy that needed his mommy. He needed me there every morning when he woke up and to be there to tuck him in every night along with every little thing in between.

I had a husband, that lost his father to cancer 3 years earlier, that needed me to restore his faith.

I had parents that didn’t need to bury a child.

I had family that supported me from hundreds of miles away.

I had friends that needed me to complete our circle and to be their support system.

I had co-workers that needed to go back to doing their own jobs.

I had students that needed a teacher.

I had a God that had a bigger plan for me than I had for myself.

I had myself and I wasn’t willing to give up.

In the Blink of an Eye

It seems like just yesterday I was holding my sweet newborn in my arms and today I dropped him off for his first day of kindergarten.  When did he grow up?

There were a few times this summer  I think  we both were counting down the days for school to start. But when the alarm went off this morning, I think Aiden was more ready to give up our days together than I was. I was secretly happy that the storm we had last night woke him up because I was able to lay with him and snuggle for a few minutes while he fell back asleep. Even though I have a 12 month contract, I’ve been blessed to be able to teach my summer classes online giving me lots of flexibility to spend time with Aiden.  We were able to do some fun stuff this summer. Since I've been slack on updating the blog, here are a few pictures from our busy summer...

There was a point 2 years ago that I was worried I wouldn’t get to see Aiden start Kindergarten. I’ve been feeling good and my tests results have been clear. In November I will be half way to that 5 year mark and will have another CT and Bone Scan in December. There will always be a small part of me that knows how quickly everything can change.

Almost a year?!?!

I cannot believe it’s been almost a year since I have updated my blog. The intent to update is always there but finding the time to sit down and write isn’t. I started this blog to keep everyone updated on my journey through treatment and over the last year there hasn’t been much to update – thank goodness (more on that later)! While it’s been a busy 10 months in our house it’s also been fairly normal. We did have 3 major events in the past couple of months … Aiden started a new school, we visited Disney, and Greenville got snow! 

The transition to Aiden’s new school was difficult for ALL of us. At one point I even struggled with whether or not we made the right decision in moving schools. He had, and still has, a hard time with talking during non-talking times and staying in his seat. It also took some time for him to get used to taking a nap again. But, as the school year went on, he settled into the routine and we are 100% confident in the choice we made. Here are some pictures of his first day.

In January, we took a long weekend trip to Disney with my parents and had an absolute BLAST! I love Disney but nothing could prepare me for experiencing with Aiden. He was a little hesitant at first; all he wanted to do was swim in the hotel pool. I don’t think he really understood the magnitude of Disney until he stepped foot in the Magic Kingdom, after that he was in awe!!! His favorite ride was the Speedway but if he was tall enough for it, he was riding it. Lil man hung in there for Space Mountain, Mission Space, and Tower of Terror. He was asking about a return trip even before we left! Truth be told, I was secretly trying to figure out how I could talk Jonathan into going back as well. 

Winter tends to be somewhat mild here in Eastern NC, at most we get a dusting of snow. This winter was an exception .... we got snow, on several occasions.

The adjustment from “patient” to “survivor” has been a little harder than I thought. Some days the uncertainty of the future scares me. Earlier this month, my routine CT showed a small spot in my hip bone. My oncologist said she wasn’t too concerned but wanted to follow up with a bone scan. While the doctor was “very happy with the results” she also said we “weren’t completely out of the woods yet”. The bone scan didn’t show any other spots and they feel the spot is just degenerative bone, but they plan to follow up with another scan in 12 weeks to monitor it. I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on those results. Hopefully, I’ll manage to get a few more updates on life in general before then!

Viva Mexico

Enough about surgeries, recovery, and treatment … I just realized I never posted about our vacation last month! We spent 5 days at the Oasis Tulum in Mexico. It’s located just over an hour south of Cancun and is known for some of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico. Jonathan and I had been planning a “post-treatment” vacation since last fall and finally decided on this resort, we also decided that little man was going to go with us. I know some people thought we were crazy for taking a toddler to Mexico but you never know what tomorrow holds and I wanted to make sure I was able to share these memories and celebrate the last year with both of my boys. He did amazing and loved every minute of the trip. We feed the fish in the ocean, took a boat trip, saw the ruins, watched a fire show, swam, drank “smoothies”, ate ice cream almost every night, and saw all kinds of neat animals. Here are some pictures from our trip…