JAMs Jams. Pure. Real. Fresh.

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...