A Few of My Favorite (Pinterest) Things

If you know me, you know my obsession with Pinterest. I am on it daily. In fact, I'm on it right now as I'm typing this. So. Many. Amazing. Ideas. I've written about it before on my blog: here.

I want to post a few of my favorite pins from Pinterest that I've ACTUALLY tried and LOVE! Everything from recipes, DIY crafts, fashion finds, and more :)

1. I was obsessed with this wreath when I first saw it. Burlap, flowers, my initial. Duh, of course I'm going to replicate it.

You can find the link to the pin HERE. I redid it with my own initial (and without the numbers because I couldn't find any that I loved enough to purchase):

I'm pretty happy with my craftiness :) HERE is my original blog post about how to make it yourself.

2. Apparently, this is the best way to make asparagus. HERE is the link to the pin.

And you know what? Pinterest was right. It is. Sprinkle (lightly) in olive oil, add parmasean cheese, salt and pepper, and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes! Seriously SO good. I've also made green beans this same way and was also thrilled with the results. 

3. This "lose weight" drink. Okay, so it didn't make me shed a ton of pounds, but I'm okay with that. It tastes amazing, is easy to make, and actually does curve my hunger. You can find the link for the pin HERE.

Water, cucumbers, lemons, and mint leaves. Never would have put those together if it weren't for Pinterest :)

4. This easy way to make your home smell exactly like Williams-Sonoma. It is true. I did it tonight for the first time, and I never want to leave my apartment. Find the link to the pin HERE.

5. This easy way to create your own mercury glass with just some water and Krylon spray paint. It actually works. I've tried it on some glass cups and am super happy with the results! I will be doing a blog tutorial soon. Until then, HERE is the link on pinterest.

6. Lastly, I saw this pretty necklace on pinterest and knew I wanted one for myself. Anyone who knows me, knows I love hearts. I don't know why, but I just do. I doodle them when I'm on the phone, at meetings...I sign my name with a heart before it (or an xoxo). So when I saw this, I had to find it. And thanks to this pinterest link HERE, I found it on Etsy!

I wear it almost every day. So dainty and pretty. I love great fashion finds that last for a long time :)

Is anyone else having luck with great finds on Pinterest?

xoxo

Cancer Blessings

Disclaimer: This post was written on October 14 (a month ago) and has been held back from posting because I was waiting on my mother to send me pictures. Way to go, MOM! ;)

Two posts ago, I wrote about some cancer frustrations. It was a "vent" post. Those frustrations still stand, of course. But I've learned to let them go (especially about the friends that have not contacted our family once since finding out about my mom's diagnosis - I get that not everyone is comfortable with cancer, but these are friends that have had cancer diagnosis' in their families multiple times. No excuses.).

But despite some of those frustrations, the blessings far outweigh anything negative. Far surpassing any negativity is the fact that we are so surrounded with love.

My Aunt Mindy has been an angel sent from God during this whole process. She cooks meals for my family once a week, and the meals are big enough to feed everyone for days. If only I was actually home in IL to partake in them! She is an amazing cook, and her love and support is evident through every bite of her home-cooked meals. She and my Uncle Don did a Cancer Support walk with us on October 7 in Homewood, IL. My family was so happy to have them by our side. Here is a picture pre-race:

I was home for a week in October since we have fall break at our middle school in AZ. So the walk with my family kicked off my week with my fam!

During that week home, we planned a 50th birthday celebration for my mom! We planned it in ... 4 days. Yes, you read that right. A huge 50th birthday party planned in just 4 days time! My dad and I could not have done it without the help of my wonderful Aunt Mistee, who graciously hosted it at her home. Every single person that we invited, showed up. This is when you know you are surrounded with love: when you give people 4 days notice of a birthday party, and they all show up just to hug the birthday girl. Seriously, how lucky is my mom?!

Here is my beautiful momma with my Aunt Mistee and Uncle Dan (the hosts):

Here is a family picture:

And here is my favorite picture of the night...my mom surrounded by all the people that have taken her to her chemotherapy treatments. (Except for my Aunt Diane, Aunt Teri, Aunt Toni, and cousin Brook that all live in other states - and her friend Kathy that left the party right before we took a picture. But they are there in spirit):

Friends that have been in my mom's life for 20+ years. Friends that are newer. In-laws. Siblings. Her children and her husband. Yes, if there is one thing that is certain about having cancer, it is that it gives you SO much to be thankful for. So so much.

When my week home with my family was done with, I flew back to AZ with tears welling up in my eyes that I had to say goodbye to my family yet again. But the next day, October 14, I shared a truly beautiful day with my loves in AZ. I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and raised $950 for cancer research!

Walking with me was my dear friend, Lauren, and her husband Michael (not pictured because he was running while we were walking), my cousin Pete, and his girlfriend, Melissa.

Cancer sucks. But it's blessings do not.

xoxo

Crafting Sundays

Remember back in July when I blogged about turning junk into beauty? Well, 3 months later, I finally got around to it! At least, one craft.

Remember in that July blog, this picture:

That grey metal frame is actually a mirror! I got it at a garage sale for $3. The grey frame is actually tin, and is a little weathered and rusty. Which immediately drew me to it. Very antiquey looking...me likey :)

I have enough mirrors in my apartment, but what I really wanted was an ever-changing menu chalkboard in my kitchen! So I went to work with my handy-dandy tools...

First thing to do was to pop out the mirror. Whoever put this together slapped some putty glue in the corners of the mirror to hold it in place. Great idea, but I didn't want it there anymore. So it was a bit of a challenge. I used a retractable blade knife to get under the putty glue and scrape it out. Took me about 10 minutes, and a few small cuts here and there on my fingers. Yikes.

I was trying to think of what I would put in place of the mirror to paint with the chalkboard spray-paint, when I read the spray bottle and realized you could actually spray-paint glass and mirrors! Perfect. Saved me money. I cleaned the mirror with windex, let it air dry for a bit, then went to work on spray painting with the chalk-board paint. I sprayed 3 coats and let dry for about 6 hours (you definitely don't need to let it dry that long, but I had never spray painted on glass/mirror before and it seemed like a slippery surface compared to wood or drywall, so I wanted to be sure it wouldn't ruin when I wrote on it).

After the mirror/new chalk-board dried, I set it carefully back in the tin frame, and needed something to hold it tightly in place. I don't have putty glue, but I have TONS of hot glue sticks! I love my trusty hot glue gun. We've been through a lot together. Woodworking crafts, fabric fixer-ups, basket making, Christmas decorations...oh the list goes on. The mirror fits snugly in the frame, so I just needed to make sure it wouldn't fall back into the wall when I wrote on it. I hot glued all around the frame, 2 layers of hot glue. Waited for it to dry and...

Had to prepare to hang it! The only thing there is to hang it from is this dinky little hook. It makes me a little nervous since the mirror is a bit heavy, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will hold. I decided to nail the wall in 2 places: where the hook is, and where the mirror ends/frame begins. To measure how far apart it was, I just used some tape, cut it the length, and put it on the wall where I wanted it hung up...

Voila! Now to hammer in some nails and hang it up!

Looks good, right?! This is hanging right when you walk into the kitchen, next to my laundry room door.

Don't know why the picture turned out so blurry, but I still love my new little menu board :)

Perfect for meal planning and preparing to grocery shop ahead of time.

Right now I'm in the middle of another project: framing tree branches (idea from this link on pinterest)! So a tutorial blog will be coming soon!

xoxo

Cancer Normalcy?

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. With the start of the school year, helping my dear friend get ready for her wedding (1 week from today!), and travelling back to Chicago for Labor Day, my life has been lived out of my classroom and suitcases. And here I am, finally, with a Saturday to myself. Although, I do have a list to accomplish...I can blog first though :)

Forewarning: this is going to be a bit lengthy. I haven't discussed any of this with others yet, so it is a bit raw and honest.

The past few days I've been thinking about just how "normal" this cancer journey has been for my family. Of course things have changed in our lives; but it all has been for the better.

~I was already super close with my family, but we now have a strengthened bond that will never tear us apart.
~I already had faith that God was in control, but now I have placed my whole future in his hands.
~I already knew that we had amazing friends and family, but I now know that the people stepping up to walk this journey with my mom are some of the strongest, most beautiful and wonderful people this earth has seen.
~I already knew that cancer was a killer, but now I know that it CAN and WILL be defeated.

There are 2 things I still struggle with, however. First, is the stares towards my mom when she is out in public with just a scarf around her head. More than 12 million people in the United States have survived cancer (source), so chances are that everyone knows SOMEONE that has been through this journey. So...why should a bald woman surprise them? Maybe it's me just being biased, but my mom is way more beautiful without hair. Why? Because of the symbol of it. It symbolizes her strength, courage, and hope. I feel like, instead of staring, how about you do one of these other options:

1. Walk up to her and ask her how she's doing. OR
2. Smile at her. OR
3. Say a silent prayer to yourself for her future and health.

I hate seeing the look of uncomfortableness on her face when she notices someone is just in a deadlock stare. She doesn't deserve that. No cancer patient does. Frustration #1.

The second thing I struggle with is where some of my friends have gone? I have several friends that I have not heard one word from since I told them about my mom's diagnosis 5 months ago. These were childhood friends. Not a call to see how mom is doing? Not a card? Not even contacting my mom in some way? I wish I had answers for that one. Are they one of those people that is just uncomfortable with this kind of stuff and doesn't know how to reach out? Okay. I can deal with that. The phone works both ways, I guess I can pick up the phone and call them. But what do I say? "Hey, haven't heard from you since my mom was diagnosed. Mind if I update you about all the shitty stuff going on?" Awkward. I'd rather pick up the phone and call my mom to talk to her for hours on end! Are they just not the kind of friends I thought they were? Hurtful, but I guess in the long run, it will be okay because I've learned who my real, amazing friends are. And I do have quite a few of them that have been so supportive and my strength at times.

Despite those two things I just can't wrap my head around (and sometimes I do let them get to me), things really are normal for my family. My mom is still a huge goof-ball and finds the humor in everything she does. My dad and brother are still nerds that trick my mom into watching something Sci-Fi in the evenings, I'm still super busy with teaching and maintaining some kind of normalcy on the other side of the country from my family, and we're all still bugging my dad for a dog (after mom beats cancer though).

I know this post seems a little about "me," when my mom is the one with cancer, but like I've said before in my blog, my blog is mine about her cancer journey. She has her own blog that you can read here. As a care-giver, I experience my own emotions, struggles, joys, and frustrations. My every thought consumes my mother and her health. But a good piece of advice was given to me early on in my mom's battle: "Don't forget to take care of yourself." And that advice was given to my by my mother, of course.

I found this on pinterest about a month ago, and have since printed it out. It now sits on my desk at my apartment, and I look at it to remind me that our family would not have been dealt this crappy hand in life unless God thought we could win it. And my family loves games. This is just normal for us. Game on, cancer.

xoxo

Birthday Blessings

Yesterday was happy 25th to ME! :)

I'm not old at all. But as the years go by (heck, as the DAYS go by), I start to see the changes in myself that I never thought possible, nor ever entertained the idea of. I always thought I knew who I was, but the gal I am today is a far cry from the old-me.

Here are five of the most important things I've learned up until the ripe, young age of 25:

1. I can juggle many things in life, more than I thought I ever could - as long as I'm positive about it all.

2. Life has become much more fun ever since I just let go of my fears, insecurities, and negativity. Saying "yes" has lead to much more rewarding moments and greater memories than saying "no" ever did.

3. I am in control of who I let into my life. If I continue to let someone in even though they hurt me or are negative, then I shouldn't complain about them.

4. Sometimes you have to let go of someone you love. When you've given all you have to someone, and it's still not enough, you need to just let go. It will, by far, be one of the hardest things you ever will do in life, and the scars will always be there, but one day you will heal. And when you're healed, you're heart will finally be ready to love again, and the wait will be worth it.

5. Always be grateful for the small things in life. Doing so makes even the darkest of days bearable.


My birthday was seriously so amazing this year. To kick it off, I got a great package of gifts in the mail from my family, then some of my students sang "happy birthday" to me on Friday. I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers at work (also from the fam). Saturday (my actual birthday), I slept in until 11, skyped with my beautiful momma, relaxed around my apartment, went shopping, then got pampered at DryBar with Erin to go out for the night. My cousin Jim, his wife Erin, and my friends Lauren, Michael, Amanda and her boyfriend Carlos helped me ring in 25 years of life with dinner and a champagne bar afterwards. I got amazingly thoughtful presents and cards.

But the best gift I received was Sunday morning as I checked my mailbox (which I of course hadn't checked in almost 2 weeks...whoops!), and saw that I had a slew of birthday cards from family and friends from all over the country. I didn't even get through opening half of them before I started crying. The fact that so many people had taken time out of their busy lives to actually write a card and mail it meant the world to me.

After several really bad dates, I did start wondering when I would find "the one" or just any good guy. I started thinking "when will my life be complete?" But after an amazing 25th birthday surrounded by loved ones (in person and through cards), my mind has totally changed. When I got about half way through the cards, I cried happy tears because it hit me that my life already is complete. My family, my friends, a rewarding job, a place to call home, food on my table...oh the list could go on. I am so abundantly blessed. I don't think at 25 years old, many people today can say that. My life is good, and anything or anyone else that comes into my life is just an extra cherry on top!

Thank you to all for the birthday wishes, blessings, and love. I have a feeling this is going to be an amazingly wonderful year!

xoxo

Turning junk into beauty...on my own!

While I've been back in Illinois for the summer, I've been stock-piling up on things to get all crafty with! Summer is the perfect time for teachers to do things for themselves, and already a few weeks in, and I have the longest "to do" list I think I've ever made. But I'm excited for ALL of it! It also doesn't hurt that even though I'm almost 25 years old, I still have the talent of batting my eyelashes oh-so-perfectly at my dad, and he'll still fork over some cash for me to purchase my craft supplies. Shhh...don't tell him to read this blog entry ;)

So, I've collecting scraps, junk, knick-knacks, and just plain old crap - to turn into little gems of beauty :)

Here is my pile of shit-to-do:

Paint and distress large frame. Then paint a canvas to go inside.
Clean rust off of tin frame. Take mirror out and replace with chalk board.
Make fall wreath.
Create paper crafts from old books.
Bachelorette party games.
Frames for learning objectives for my classroom.
Sew my first quilt.
Sew a new maxi dress.

Yeah. I told you. Crap. But beautiful crap.

Stay on the look-out for blog entries of each project I do. I'll try and do tutorials for most of them!

xoxo

Pinterest Coveting

To say Pinterest is an obsession of mine, would be an understatement. So much on there to love. DIY ideas, inspiration for home decorating, tutorials on hair and nails, style, etc etc etc...L.O.V.E. love.

I've found some things recently that I'm coveting. And as soon as that summer school paycheck comes in...I might be splurging on some recent loves I found:

iPhone case and money/card holder...inspiration found here

Chanel lipstick "Coco Shine #56"...Pinterest inspiration found here

Striped maxi dress with a cut-out in the back. Super breezy and adorbs for summer. Pinterest inspiration found here

Herb cutters. This seriously would save me SO much time in the kitchen! I hate chopping. Pinterest inspiration found here

These shoes from Bebe. Obsessed. Pinterest inspiration found here

Frayed bikini - in teal. I would be outside every single day if I owned this. Every. Day. Pinterest inspiration found here

Debating getting my first tattoo. I love Infinity signs, and I'm always working on hope and a prayer, so I found this picture on Pinterest and have been debating going for it! ...Pinterest inspiration found here

Anyone else obsessing with Pinterest? Have you found anything I should be re-pinning? :)

xoxo

G.I. Jane(t)

My mom decided to not wait until the chemotherapy took her hair. She decided to be in control. She knew she was going to lose it anyways, as the A/C drug causes hair loss in every person that has done that therapy. She knows that cancer does not define her, it does not control her life, it does not take away her happiness, hope, faith, strength, or will to live a full life. She knows that it didn't take her breast either. It took over her breast, but it was HER choice to take away the breast. Not cancer's.

My mom knows that cancer is not in control. She knows that God is in control, and here on earth, she has the means and tools to carry out God's plan, which is to never let evil win.

So here we are, just our little family of 4, gathering together to take control, and support our very own G.I. Janet.

I could explain the "shaving event," but my mom did it oh so perfectly and beautifully on her own blog. So please click HERE to read it.

I truly, honestly believe that she looks way sexier without hair (is that inappropriate to say of my mother? Too bad, it's true.) I think she looks tough. So badass. She beat cancer to the punch with this one. Remember that G.I. Jane movie with Demi Moore? The one where she just kicks guys asses? Well, in my real world, cancer is the guys in that movie, and my mom, Janet, is G.I. Jane. I call her that and she rolls her eyes at me. Oh well, I love her, and I love her new look, not only because it shows her immense strength, but because it shows that the chemo is working, and she is closer to defeating cancer.

We will conquer cancer. We will kick it's ass. We will continue to surround our G.I. Janet with love and prayer. We will continue to do good, because despite all the bad going on in life, it's the GOOD that will prevail. And our G.I. Janet is good. So so good. :)

So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.  ~1 Peter 4:19

Sedona Getaway!

My first full year of teaching is complete! To celebrate, my wonderful friend/cousin's wife/adopted big sister, Erin, planned a little Sedona getaway for the two of us and it was amazeballs!!! I'll share our vacation through the wonder of Instagram.

Pulling into Sedona immediately put me at peace...

As soon as we checked into our hotel, we of course had to window shop!

We found fancy sunglasses...

And gypsy bras...

And mustache's...which I quickly learned that if I ever grew a mustache, I'd look like a spitting image of my dad. Scary!

Erin did buy a new hat, and it looks fab on her ...

And we bought matching "hope" bracelets. We both are working on a lot of hope in our lives right now...

Then we went for a mini-wine tasting...

And topped it off with delicious pink coctails at the Cowboy Corral (pretty sure we were the only ones at the bar with pink drinks, but we rocked it)...

We tried to go to dinner at the Elota Cafe, but they were closed :(

So we took a picture in the parking lot instead...

We ended up going to The Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tah-lock-ah-pock-ee), which we just walked around saying how nice it was to be at the Talackalacklackalacka (pronounced Tah-lock-ah-lock-ah-lock-ah-lock-ah).

It truly is beautiful there...

We walked around with our drinks, even though we weren't really allowed to. So the bartender kept his eyes on us...

We ate a delicious Mexican meal, and headed back to the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa to do some hot tubbing and further drinking, where we put our new toys to use: silly straw glasses. Greatest picture of my existence...

The next morning, we woke up, had a yummy breakfast, and started our relaxation and detox by massages and hot tubbing at the spa...

It was pure bliss. Total relaxation and relief of stress. I was in heaven.

After checking out of the awesome Sedona Rouge, we went on a little search for enlightenment...

This path led to the Stupa, which is a Buddhist prayer center tucked away in the Sedona mountains. Erin and I are devout Catholics, but with all the struggles in life lately, a little extra prayer can't hurt, right? It truly was peaceful and made us focused on our prayers for hope...

We walked around a few times, saying our prayers, took some pictures of the little Buddha...

And then discovered this little guy as we were leaving. I like him... :)

We ended our trip with (of course) some delicious food. I love me some burgers and guacamole!

It was the most perfect little getaway. I have the greatest friend/cousin's wife/adopted big sister ever. She knows how to let go and live life. I have learned a lot from her for that. I cannot wait until my next little adventure with her. And I can't wait to visit Sedona again!

xoxo

p.s. If anyone can figure out who the heck Karl Jones is, and why on earth he is banned from the Stupa, I'll bake you some cookies :)

Fighting like a girl

Fair warning: this is going to be a lengthy blog post. A lot has been going on lately, and the time has come to share. When I started this blog, I vowed that I wasn't going to hold anything back. From crafts, to thoughts and feelings...from my faith to current things I love...I'm open to sharing anything that is on my mind and I feel worthy of sharing.

This is worthy of sharing. Finally.

On March 20 of this year, my mom discovered a lump in her left breast while doing a self-exam (ladies, start doing this NOW). After going to the doctor, many tests and calls later, on April 10, 2012, the doctors confirmed what we had been praying they wouldn't: my mom has breast cancer. Many tests later...on May 4, my mother had a single, simple mastectomy.

Words cannot describe the mixed emotions that come with finding out one of your loved ones has been diagnosed with cancer, and is undergoing a major surgery. Fear, anger, sadness, worried, hope, trust, ultimate love, and unfailing faith.

I've never known anyone personally that had breast cancer. I know people that know someone in their family that had/have breast cancer - but never anyone that I was directly linked to. So the first time, it's my mom. The amazingly wonderful woman that gave me life. My best friend, my biggest fan and supporter, the reason that I am where I am in life. My mom.

Now, I'm not going to explain her whole journey and everything that she's been dealing with, because that's her show. And she has her own blog dedicated to chronicling her cancer journey. You can check it out at:
www.graceembraced.wordpress.com

My blog is mine. And I'm a new caregiver. So this is going to be from a caregiver's view. And with my mom's blessing, I'm going to share it with the internet. Here it goes...

When my mom first called me and told me she had found a lump, the first thing that came to mind was anger. For a couple of reasons. One, she didn't tell me for 4 days. I was pissed she held it from me for so long. We tell each other everything, and I talk to her 3x a day, every day. Why did she not tell me? Two, I live in Arizona. She lives in Illinois. I was pissed at the world for leading me out to AZ for a job, when now all I wanted was to be back in IL with my family, just hugging my momma.

As the days passed on, the anxiety grew. When are we getting answers? Couldn't the cancer be spreading as we sit here and wait for test results to be in? I was fortunate to go back home for Easter, the weekend before she had tests done that would confirm if it was Cancer or not. I felt her lump that weekend. I had to. I had to know what it felt like so that I knew what I should be concerned about with my own breasts, and so I knew what exactly was in my mom, hurting her. It definitely felt like something that should NOT be in a woman. I put on a smile for my mom, and told her how I was confident it was nothing, and that God would not allow us to go through something he didn't think we could handle. But on the inside, I could feel my heart sink down into my stomach. What if it wasn't just nothing? What if it was something? What if it was something that she caught too late? What if it was something that took my mom away from me? I'm not even 25. There is still so much in my life I need my mom for. These thoughts swirled through my head, but I kept that smile plastered on my face, and just cuddled up in bed with my mom to watch one of our fave movies, Martian Child. (go rent it. you'll love it.)

Later that week, when it was confirmed that it was, in fact, a cancerous tumor, I knew something inside me changed. My faith changed, my hope changed, my attitude towards life changed, my idea of my mom changed, my everything changed. I felt more committed - to a lot of things. Committed to trusting in God's plan, committed to calling my mom every single second I could just to hear her voice, committed to learning everything I possibly could about her type of breast cancer, treatments, my role as a caregiver, committed to giving support to my dad and my brother that are actually with my mom everyday.

24 days after being diagnosed with breast cancer, my mom had a mastectomy.

I will never be able to imagine the thoughts that went through my mothers head on that day, and these days that have followed. I can only understand that as a woman, it pains you to look in the mirror and see that your body is permanently different. You have lost a body part. Something that was once there, something that gives women power over men (yeah, I said it - you all know its true...), something that nourishes your children, something that makes you feel empowered - is gone.

It all has happened so fast. In just a month and a half, my mom has gone from being healthy, to having a serious life-threatening disease, and losing a breast. How does this happen? How do you live with something like this? Knowing that the person that means the most to you in life, has something wrong that you have no control over fixing? There is no way for me to take her pain away, no way for me to cure her, no way for me to give her a breast back.

The feelings are overwhelming sometimes. But I've found that the strength of our family unit is so much stronger than I ever thought they were. My brother is a rock. So steady and calm under all this stress. Just a constant reassuring presence that all will be okay. My dad is so in love with my mom. He doesn't care if she has 2 breasts or not. He doesn't care if she loses her hair when it comes time for chemo this summer. He just wants to love her every second of every day and relish in the fact that he married an amazingly strong woman. My mom IS strong. And brave. I am so proud of her and know that if I could be 1/4 of the person she is, then I will accomplish something in life.

Although she's strong, she still is mourning the loss of her breast. When I saw the scar this past weekend, I wasn't afraid or sad like I thought I would be. I was so happy, thrilled, and excited for her. You could visibly see the tumor in her breast before. It looked unhealthy and dangerous - and it was. But now it's gone. The scar is BEAUTIFUL. The scar is a perfect symbol of who my mom is: strong, brave, courageous, tough, trusting, tumor-free, a BADASS, and a GIRL. She is unbelievable. I am in awe with the woman my mom is. I have never been more proud of someone in my life.

She still has a long way to go. Some of her lymph nodes had cancerous tumors in them, so we are waiting (again) for more test results, but there will for sure be chemo this summer, and radiation next year after more medicine. But I know in my heart that all will be okay. Of course there is still that small little speck of a thought in the very back in my mind: "what if everything doesn't end up okay?" But I shove that tiny little thought deep into the dark corners of my mind and tell it to not come out, because it's not going to happen. My mom is a fighter. A fighter for all that is true and right in this world, and I know God has big plans for her down here on earth still.

So here goes this journey. I promise I'll try to keep things light-hearted on here, but I hope you understand if sometimes it isn't. I am already drafting my blog post for the day that the doctors declare my mom is CANCER-FREE! :)

Until then, this is for my mom - the toughest chick I know, and my best friend. I love you always and forever.

xoxo

Faith will move mountains

A lot has been going on in life lately. Things that I'm not ready to post publicly yet, but in due time, I will. Until then, let me just share this: the power of prayer has never been more visible in my life until recently. Some big stuff going on with my family, and all I can do from out here in AZ is pray. Pray a lot.

So I bought myself this little book at Barnes & Noble:

And have been writing down some of my favorite prayers in it. At night, I sit down, say some prayers, or reflect on some verses that give me what I need to keep the faith, and keep hope. And then I say the rosary.

Big obstacles in life. Obstacles that feel like we will never overcome them. But with some powerful prayers going on out there, hopefully our faith can move mountains.

"He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  -Matthew 17:20


xoxo