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I thought I would look back & see what I wrote last Thanksgiving - thats one of the nice things about having a blog - its like a permanent thought record.  Little scary sometimes, but I have found myself often referring back to a particular part of my experience or a particular date to see what I was thinking.  Here is what I posted a year ago: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012 Thankful Sitting in sunny Jupiter at my brothers beautiful home, surrounded by an incredible family with a big ass turkey roasting away in the oven. I want to wish each of you a very happy and grateful day. Here is my list of things top of mind for me today. -I'm thankful I had cancer -I'm thankful I no longer have cancer -I'm thankful for modern medicine -I'm thankful for my adoring & supportive family -I'm thankful for technology -I'm thankful for my ...

So much for my promise to write more regularly huh.  Yikes, its been over two weeks since I last wrote a word. I did finish our Paris photo book -  http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZM2bVy3bM27iY . Its been a whirlwind since we got back - traveling a lot for the end of the year.  With all the craziness going on in my office, I've learned its better to be on the road!  It stinks for the family but it does allow me to keep my sanity.  Luckily I have about 10 trips in the next 3 months! Hard to believe next week is Thanksgiving.  Kendall's mom comes on Tuesday so we will enjoy having her for a few days.  I think Emilia & I are going to brave the Black Friday madness next Friday, just for the experience. Our puppies are getting bigger & bigger.  We are hoping to go see them & pick our boy next weekend.  He should be ready to come home a week or so before Christmas.  We keep telling Jessie to enjoy her last...

FIFTY miles is how far we walked while in Paris.  Yes, FIFTY MILES.  From Friday morning thru Thursday when we got on the plane we walked that far.  Emilia was a trooper & I think the mileage helped offset the indulgences in chocolate croissants, baguettes, crepes & the like! The flight home was awesome - we went from Paris to Cincinatti (who knew they had international flights there!).  The plane was brand new & less than half full so we could stretch out.  And customs was a breeze with not much traffic there. We were home by 5.00 but of course that was midnight for us.  Still feeling a little tired tonight, but overall we are doing just fine. Busy weekend of course - catch up from being gone last weekend & there's a football game Sunday so I lose a day of the weekend.  Hoping for another Titans win which will help make the playoffs seem even more possible! I got some beautiful flowers from my Mom & Dad today - just because...

Bonjour!  Emilia & I have been enjoying an amazing time in Paris.  Unfortunately today was Monday which meant work started & play stopped, but it didn't keep us from having a wonderful time.  On Thursday we flew from Nashville to Paris thru Atlanta.  Plane was packed & we didn't get much sleep but that didn't slow us down in the least!    On Friday, we took a shower when we got to the hotel & then headed out to start our adventures. First stop was the Lock Bridge over the Seine, then we took a bus tour (Emilia slept thru most of that & I admit to nodding off a time or two) that gave us a good overview of the city. We went to dinner that night & finally crashed pretty early.  Saturday we were up & at 'em early, walking from Place de la Concorde all the way down Champs Elysees (stopping for delicious croissants & cafe) to the Arc de Triumph.  Climbed up that bad boy all the way...

Yep, thats right, another good report from the doctors!  I spent most of Tuesday at Vanderbilt, had a CT scan with that icky contrast, a PET scan with that awful radioactive "isotope" (what is an isotope anyway??) & then saw Dr Keedy. I won't lie, its stressful.  The day before - especially the night before - and during the tests is freakin awful.  I hate it.  I really do.  I wish I had no idea what a PET scan was & that there weren't 30 CT scans in my electronic records at Vanderbilt.  As I was sitting in the waiting room letting the radioactive isotopes work their way thru my body & generally feeling sorry for myself for how much time I have spent in that damn place, I got this quote on my email... Free Daily Quote- October 29, 2013 "Your journey has molded you for your greater good. It was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you have lost time. It took each and every situation that you have encountered to bring you ...

I saw a link on Huffington Post thru my Twitter feed today. It caught my attention because it called out two subjects close to my heart - one I hate (f-ing cancer) and one I love (photography).  If you're feeling brave, go to www.mywifesfightwithbreastcancer.com and look at the photos this man took. If you aren't moved to tears I would be shocked. What strikes me personally about these images is that many of them are so familiar. Some days it seems like yesterday I was in the chemo chair or the hospital.  Other days it seems like it never happened.  The photos he took remind me to live every day to the fullest because I am so lucky to still be here. I spent the week in the Keys entertaining customers. Many were at our event last October in the Keys when I was still bald. I'm constantly struck by comparisons in time.  Last year this time I looked like a cancer patient - bald, pale, fragile. Now, nobody can tell I had cancer.  What I take away from this is that ...

Had a very poignant moment this morning as I sat in the car with my 8th grader outside one of Nashville's best high schools. Emilia signed up to attend a preview day at Father Ryan High School & we were chatting as we waited for the clock to turn to 8.30 so she could get out & go in (of course you cant be first!).  So is asked if she was nervous - she's pretty stoic so it's hard to tell sometimes.  To my surprise she said, yes, she was a bit nervous. So we laughed and I tried to diffuse it as best I could. We watched a few other kids get out & go in & next thing I knew she was off. As I drove away I was struck by how privileged we are. Sure we work really hard for our way of life, we work really hard to have a happy, nurturing, encouraging household & family & we work really hard to be good parents. But man are we lucky to have kids who are not only naturally intelligent but who also work hard and do their best everyday. Emilias hard work thru scho...

So, I've taken quite the break from blogging over the past year, but for some reason I feel compelled to start writing again.  Perhaps enough time has passed that I don't associate blog with cancer in my mind.  Perhaps I miss dumping my thoughts, worries, concerns, and dreams onto "paper" every day or two. Perhaps I miss the comments from my friends and family who read what I write. Perhaps its time for me to open a new chapter - in life and in my blog? So, the year anniversary passed - strange - I didn't feel a flood of emotion as I expected.  It was kind of like yeah, well, its been a year.  I took that day off, got a massage, and took care of some errands.  Got a lot of really nice comments on Facebook. What really punctuated the year for me was finishing the Nashville Women's Half Marathon.  I started training in May & walked almost 200 miles in the process.  The event was last Saturday morning - it was beautiful at the start and hot as...

It really doesn't seem possible that tomorrow marks one year of being cancer free. I wish I had some words of deep wisdom to share, but I don't. Mostly these days are just like my days were pre cancer. I go to work, love my kids, treasure my husband, enjoy my friends. Same things everybody does...  I am struck, though, how quickly life can return to normal. Just as I was struck when I was diagnosed by how quickly life can become not normal. I definitely have a deeper appreciation today for the routine things in life -- haircuts, eyebrows, exercise, healthy checkups, parent teacher meetings, vacations, & the like. I will post tomorrow with some then & now pictures & some more thoughts, plus an update on what The Musgrove Family is up to.... Hug your family tonight!!

If I'm honest with myself, I've always wanted to complete a half marathon.  Mind you, I have no goal whatsoever to run even one step of it, but something about finishing the 13 miles seems like such a monumental accomplishment.  So, its time.  Thanks to a do-able training plan from my friend Kimberly and some very great friends who have committed to walk this journey with me, today I signed up for the Nashville Women's Half Marathon on September 28th.  I'm a lot scared and a little giddy - maybe thats from too much iced coffee today.  I hope its all I imagine it to be.  The most nerve-wracking part of the sign up was estimating my finishing time...  Oooh thats hard.  I put 4:30.  Walking for four and a half hours seems crazy and nearly impossible but with the right company and the right attitude, I know I can do it.  After all, 42 chemo treatments seemed crazy and impossible. If you're in Nashville (or even if you're not) and you'...

It's been a crazy, stressful week in many ways. Housing market recovery is a wonderful thing but it sure creates a bunch of new headaches we haven't had to deal with in our business for years. That and having three jobs have me feeling a bit under the gun.  But I wouldn't trade this for how I felt a year ago. No way.  I have been in Washington DC most of this week at a "Marketing Leadership" meeting. Pretty cool actually - I was asked to be a member of this group made up of CMOs from leading building products manufacturers. Nice honor & it was really helpful to hear what challenges our peers face.  So being in Washington is always a treat because its a beautiful and grand city, but also because my roommate from West Point lives here!  We had drinks last night and lunch today. Here we are this afternoon. I decided we look every day of our 42 years. Especially me. Hard to believe we have been friends more than half our lives - thru school, drama, graduation, dep...

Well I guess you know my life is back to normal when I don't have time to post for a month. The girls & I spent a great week at Dad & Maryann's house for spring break. Mike & Cara brought their two girls over so I had all four of them for the week. It was great fun except when everybody got the stomach flu. Yes all of us. Ugh. Other than that we swam, went to the beach, went on a wildlife tour, visited the house where I grew up, went shopping, EB & I dove, we rode the jet boats. Not very restful but a lot of fun. Since that week it's been super busy here. Work is kicking my butt & I rarely have time to exercise which is very discouraging. Doing my best to eat right but not as successfully as I'd like. Kendall & I took a lovely long weekend in the San Juan Islands in Washington state. I had to be in Seattle for work so we took advantage of that. It was a perfect long weekend. We relaxed, had massages, ate great food, drank delicious wine, s...

Gosh do I have a lot to live for this birthday. It's good to be 42! Sure is a hell of a lot better than how I felt when I turned 41. Now that a year has passed since starting chemo (I finished the first full round a year ago!), I find my memories framed in a context of where I was in my treatment. Further reinforcement that this will always be part of me. The girls & I are on our way to Florida to spend spring break with my dad & Maryann. We ran into our good friends in the airport so I got a treat to spend a couple hours with Mindy & the girls get to sit with Kyra on the plane. Aren't they cute! My brother is brave enough to leave his girls with me for the week so I know we will have a wild & crazy time together. Things are good, been traveling a lot which makes the gym tough. I gave myself a couple days break from "no sugar" for my birthday but back at it Monday! Leg swelling is there for sure but I'm managing it thru diet, exercise, ther...

Oh yes I did, get my hair highlighted PINK this weekend.  I love it - its so fun.  I think my stylist thought I was maybe off my rocker but she had a blast doing it. Emilia also got her hair colored for the first time.  Gulp.  She got an auburn color in the front which fades to a rich dark brown in the back.  And about 4" cut off.  Not blonde anymore....

This weekend Emilia & I got our cake making skills back out to make a baby shower cake.  What do you think? Other than that, life is pretty good.  Its great not to be a cancer patient anymore.  Traveling a lot this week & next then headed to Papa & Mimis for Spring Break on the 23rd.  Can't wait to spend the week with the girls, their grandparents & their cousins.  Should be a lot of fun. We are about ready to start the laundry room!  Will sign the contract this week with demolition slated for May 6th!  Woohoo.

The best four words a cancer survivor can hear! I heard them twice today - on my chest X-ray report and my pelvis MRI report. Three more months til I go back thru the emotional wringer! Thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts. Clearly they work!!

Seems like I'm long overdue from a nice newsy update, doesn't it?  Or maybe folks are happy I'm writing so infrequently now.  I am not really sure.  Regardless, here goes. The last week was a whirlwind, spent in the cold upper Midwest. Amber, Lorraine & I took 2 groups of customers snowmobiling in the U.P. of Michigan last week.  It was a wild travel week with delays, lost luggage, long van rides, changing airlines mid-stream, flight cancellations, etc.  I was pretty happy to be home on Friday night, albeit 5 hours later than I expected!  I missed my little girls and Kendall but it was an exhilarating, fun, challenging week.  On Tuesday we snowmobiled for about 9 or 10 hours - over 125 miles on the beautiful trails in Michigan.  I had no idea it was such a huge hobby up there.  I can see why - its thrilling, challenging, a great workout, a great way to explore.  The group of customers we took were all from the Southeast so for...