Lady K’s Blog Spot

SHE DID IT!

After six LONG weeks, my mother graduated from her first phase of treatment! #IWillTakeThisWin

The staff at the center were all so warm, welcoming, kind, and just down right AWESOME! In true me fashion, I had to do something special for them. Not quite Oprah, “You get a car! You get a car!” But it was the best way I know to bring joy to a group of people…Fannie May! I boxed up some mint meltaways and pixies for the radiologist (kindest Doc ever), and then the team of people that took the load off of this scary journey. I wasn’t able to go in, but my mom happily delivered the joy to the team and let‘s just say…yeah, there were tears. I welcome these tears, though, because they were those of joy, love, and happiness! #PraiseGod

I couldn’t do for the team and not the one who had to put on her big girl panties every day and walk inside there like the warrior she is…mom got her box of pixies too. And while she gave the, “ohhh, nooo,” it was said with the meaning of “I have been doing good eating and you go and sit my biggest weakness in front of my face and I don’t have to share…how dare you!” Haha! YEP! She deserves it! #WarriorsGetWhateverTheHellTheyWant

Next phase is the 4 week break. Good! Cuz everyone can use it! Then, there will be an MRI and chemo sprints. It will be 5 days of higher dose chemo and then 3 weeks of nothing. Rinse and repeat. I have no preconceived thoughts for how this will go. My mom has proven that she can take it…no matter what. We have God helping in this fight, so when the time comes…LEGGO! #AintNoFightTooBig

So, for right now, I am going to continue to praise Him as He brought us all through this journey with only minor scrapes and bruises. I have no doubt in my mind that the continued journey will be the same. AND, if it isn’t, He’s got us! #CoveredByTheManUpstairs #Grace #Mercy

Now, let me go treat my dog on self to a pixie! #Yep! #IGotSomeToo

Well, it’s almost that time…time to close the chapter on a segment of my life and begin a new one.

For starters, Happy Birthday to my dad! He doesn’t celebrate his birthday, nor does he want anyone else to. So, the least I can do is wish him well!

Today is the last Monday my mom will go to her “spa.” Ever since one joke before radiation started, these radiation days were dubbed “spa” days. My mom is 5 weeks and 1 day into a 6 week chemo and radiation regimen. She has taken each day like the warrior she is and on Friday, she is done with part 1 of the treatment plan.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for carrying us during this time. Thank you for you strength, support, consistency, and most importantly, your love! It is because of you I was able to support my mom in every way I could and she was able to get up each day to fight for what You said is hers. Please continue to keep us as we enter part 2 of treatment. The road won’t be an easy one, but with You, it will be one we get through.
Amen

I just had to take some time to give honor and glory to the One who made today, and every other day for that matter, possible!

Today has a different look and feel to it. The sun is shining a little brighter. I am looking forward to what’s next. I have a feeling nothing, but good things are in store!

#Leggo

Today was my first day of work after a year and 3 months hiatus!

It didn’t start off the way I imagined. I ended up getting COVID tested. I had to make sure I was good to go in this last leg of my mom’s chemo and radiation. By God’s grace, the result was negative! Ok, now I can be less anxious each day being in the car with my mom. #Shfew

I started my first work day around noon. I had orientation with IT to give me the lay of the land. I met some of my new team and had some 1-1 time with my boss. There was A LOT of information shared. There’s work to be done, that’s for sure! Guess that’s why I’m here, huh?

If I’m being honest, it was all surreal still. I was running in autopilot most of the day, but I made it through.

Let’s see what this new chapter holds…

I ran a couple of errands yesterday. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining and all you had to do was crack the window in the car and you were comfortable. #LoveThoseDays

During my journey, I came across a nice lady. She started off our conversation with a compliment…”Your hair is beautiful!” To which I replied, “Oh, thank you!” HA! You thought that was the end of the conversation!!!! She continued…”Now, did your hair come out like that or did you have to do something to get it to look like that?” #BuzzKill #ThisIsNoLongerACompliment #NowItsADiscussion #OrALesson

I politely responded, “I just wash, blow dry, and flat iron.” You thought the conversation was over…NOPE! She then says, “Now, I see that is all the craze with going natural. I think afros are so cute. Is that more work than an afro?” #Flatline With my polite face on…still…I responded, “Afros still take a lot of work too.” I couldn’t tell you what all she said after that, but I was happy the conversation had finally come to an end. #LessonOver

Ok…let’s discuss. I had an exchange with a nice lady today. True. Was she just curious? Sure. Did she mean any harm? Doubt it. So, then what’s the big deal? Well, it’s more than just the questions. Is my hair that much of an anomaly? Do you not see a lot of people who look like me? Are you surprised that my hair looks the way it does? Should it not? Why? And it isn’t always just the questions that get to me…it’s the look. It’s the look you’d give a unicorn if you saw one in person. After some time, you get sick of the look and of the feeling that you have to constantly explain parts of you that just are the way they are. #SuperFrustrating

I didn’t walk away angry…just a little shocked and annoyed. One day, I’d love the conversation to just stop after the compliment. #CulturallyAware

After almost 15 months, your girl has herself a job…J…O…B!

When I tell you God has been moving in my life, HE has been cleaning house and making room. I cannot tell you how many applications I have filled out and resumes I have submitted. I knew that one day I would work again, but it had been the furthest from my mind as of late…no surprise why.

I was contacted by a former mentor of mine, just to catch up on life. This was about 2 weeks ago. At the end of the conversation, she asked if I was interested in a job she was hiring for. #Uhhhhh…YES!! There was a shift in my life ever since that day. The world looked a little different. The wind hit me a little different. The sun shined a little brighter. My head hung a little higher. I guess you can say I had a change in my perspective as I had wrote off restarting my career because roles were scarce and the thought of focusing on my career seemed a bit selfish considering everything going on. #ButGod

After several conversations with my mentor turned boss, I was officially offered the position today. I accepted…emotionally…but accepted nonetheless. This acceptance was more than a job, more than a career re-start, more than a pay check. This felt life changing! I know that sounds crazy and don’t get me wrong, I am blessed even in the midst of my storms, but the light at the end of a dark tunnel could be seen today. #HeIsAlwaysRightOnTime

Today was a good day…no, a GREAT DAY! Time to prep so I can show them what I’m made of! March 15th is RIGHT around the corner!

#IGotThis #ThankYouJesus

Day 9 of 30…WE GOT THIS!

Yesterday was a full day! My mom had her follow-up with her boob surgeon and we didn’t get the best of news. While the papilloma removed was benign, it was also atypical. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that word along this journey and it was never good. Apparently, this atypical means my mom has a greater chance of getting breast cancer. #TheDevilIsALie #HeDon’tKnowMYGod

Let me just point out a few things:
– My childhood was atypical, but I am here to tell the story.
– I switched colleges because I didn’t feel at home; some might’ve called that atypical, but I still finished…graduated Summa Cum Laude too!
– I am the most random thinker. I mean, I think of stuff that no one else even considers…atypical…but it has allowed me to move out of the way of so many speeding trains AND bring a sense of creativity to whatever I do.
– Thing 1’s math test scores were atypical for a child her age when she was in 3rd grade. My child has been in Gifted Education for Math ever since. She’s gearing up for an Algebra placement test for SIXTH GRADE!
– Thing 2 did not hit a lot of milestones “on time” and her behaviors are often seen as atypical…but trust and believe that child is intelligent and wise beyond her years. She is the most out-of-the-box thinker in the house. If you need anyone to fit a square peg into a round hole, it’s Thing 2! She has that GIFT!

So, what I need the Doctors, masses, tumors, etc of the world to know…atypical is what we do! And if you think for one second that good will not come from this, you are sadly mistaken. God didn’t make this family typical for a reason, so watch us WORK! #AllPraisesGoToHim #WeGotThis #CuzHeGotUs

I will say, though…admittedly, I felt all the feels after hearing the news. But I told my mom, we can’t allow ourselves to be stuck in that possibility. Today, the only cancer we are fighting is the cells Arnold left behind…THAT’S IT! Tomorrow’s uncertainty is not our worry today! #IFinallyGetItLord #WhyWorryWhenIHaveYou

Fast Forward to today. The girls have been playing this song on repeat. And then, it’s on a singing game that we just bought over the weekend. It goes a little something like this:
Always had high, high hopes for a living
Didn’t know how but I always had a feeling
I was gonna be that one in a million
Always had high, high hopes

When I tell you this song (High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco, by the way) spoke to my soul on today…I was ready to break out in a praise dance. I was driving, so instead, I sang my little heart out and felt the spirit move in me. Listening to the words gave me so much affirmation that when the odds are stacked against us, we always prevail. We are atypical by design, so if anyone was going to step out of this storm better than we stepped in…IT’S US! This song is also further proof that it doesn’t take a Christian or Gospel song to bring out the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is everywhere! #Atypical? #IThinkNot I got too many HIGH HOPES!

It has been a little bit since I posted about Thing 2’s shenanigans. Not that there were no shenanigans, but I have not had the time to post about it…until today!

So, yesterday was a big day. My mom had her first radiation session. For the first session, the Doctor took x-rays. In addition, my mom met with the Nutritionist and Social Worker. So, the first session took a little longer that it would on a normal day. My father and I had a good talk in the car about what the next 6 weeks will look like and his health. See, he has been forgetting about his priority #1…himself. I told him, you won’t be any good to her (my mom) if you are not okay yourself! I am sure that statement went in one ear and out the other, but I did my part in saying it! #OldPeople! #MEN!

I had to take the rest of the day to relax on the couch. I have these days sometimes where I need to let the rest of the world be, and I need to just be too. It was nice. I didn’t want to skimp on my workout, though, so I made sure I carved out time for it.

Working out with my BFF is always a good time. We have to improvise, living in different states and all. FaceTime has been our go to and we have been going strong for at least a couple of months now. The girls typically join in and even give us some new workouts (Thing 1 just wants to hear me say Uncle and Thing 2 just wants me to break something!). My mom even participates and when she’s able, gets her workout in too. Yesterday, we had a new guest…the hubby! I guess he finally got sick of me whipping this body back into a decent shape he had to catch up! #ICrackMyselfUp #ActuallyItsJustHisDoctorsOrders

We made it through the arm workout and had moved to abs. Thing 2 decided to paint instead of working out, so she was sitting in the kitchen messing up my table. I must’ve looked up from my nice, cushy yoga mat about to continue hitting these abs up and saw what I thought were ketchup stains splattered across the ceiling…right…above…the table…

I rose up, abs all tight and locked from the workout, and looked to get all of the questions in my head answered. #How? Why? #When? #HowDidINotHear? #WasAnyoneGoingToSayAnything? I see Thing 2 coming back from the bathroom with a red substance dripping from her hair, down the side of her face…just dangling! Turns out, she couldn’t get the tube of red glitter glue opened and SQUEEEEEEEZED!

My husband must’ve got up, mad, and all I heard was “Thing 2, you ain’t gone say anything or get anybody?” Thing 2, “I was trying to clean it off of me.” I did what any intelligent, responsible, strict, no-nonsense, clean-up-behind-yourself parent would do in this situation…I looked at the ceiling and looked back at my kid and I LMFAOd! Like, hurt the abs even more, bust a gut, almost shart, OMG it hurts laugh! The hubby and I pride ourselves on having a united front against these kids when it comes to discipline. But the Lord knew I needed this, so the hubby just had to excuse me. I have this very moment a time or two per year. It’s what I call, My Mother of the Year Moment! #Hey #NobodyGotHurt #ExceptTheCeiling #TurnsOutItDoesntHaveFeelings

These kids give me LIFE! I birthed them, but somehow they managed to give me the life I never knew I wanted AND NEEDED! #MyPurpose #MyLoves #MyPoorCeiling

What a great end to such a big day!

Just a side note, the wall did pretty much come clean…with a few specks of glitter left behind for the memories. #LeaveYourTrail #MakeYourMark #2021Memories

So, I realized I mentioned A LOT yesterday! I would be remiss, though, if I didn’t mention the hard work that went into making yesterday a wonderful Love Day!

For starters, I had been eyeing a few t-shirts I wanted to make for the hubby for Love Day! It all started when my hubby told me the Player 1 – Player 2 matching sweatshirt he got for Love Day many moons ago was too small. #Growth Sooooo, the light bulb went off. I made a few creations that were very well received…

The girls made something special for him too…

Then, the hubby got me something I did not expect and it was beautiful…

The best part of the day was the chocolate, though. I mean, whatever Portillo’s puts in their cake has got to be illegal!

It was a great day!

Soooooooo…it’s been quite a while since I’ve spent some time on my blog. Let me catch you up on what all has happened since my last post.

First, my mom had her boob surgery. She did amazing! I was worried about the hospital experience here with COVID and the procedure being outpatient. Not to mention the anxiety associated with her going under for yet, another surgery. I am happy to report everything went off without a hitch. My mom got her volume to calm her down and some good ole fentanyl when she was all done. Most of the nurses were exceptional! Which reminds me, I need to submit a review for those ladies because they made our day! Now, back to most. Y’all know there’s always one. Well, this one came to the door with her mask under her nose. You read that right! I SAID…a nurse…came to the room door with her mask…UNDER her nose! The Lord told me to shut my trap and so maybe she had some underlying condition??? Yeah, let’s roll with that one. Oh…OHHHHHHHHHH…I forgot about the doctor. This man walked into the room before the surgery with his thermal underwear showing. I mean, he had a pager hanging off his butt cheek and all his thermal glory showing. The Lord had to tell me to shut my trap again. He had to tell my mom the same because the look on her face said everything that my mind was thinking! #IHopeSomebodyToldHim #DidntHeFeelADraft. #GuessThemSomeGoodThermals

Anywho, after the surgery my mom was still HIGH! Like, so high you think you smoked it too! Conversations started on one topic, but ended elsewhere. It was quite the entertainment. She still doesn’t remember much of what happened after, but boy do I wish I captured it on video.

The doctor called a few days after the surgery. It is just like the original biopsy showed, a non-cancerous papilloma. #HealthyBoobsForTheWin

Let’s go back, though…the day right after the surgery, my mom met with her Radiologist about the upcoming radiation plan for Operation Keep Arnold Out! It wasn’t ideal to go right after having any surgery, but it was super important to try and get the ball rolling. So, she went…slowly, but surely.

The Radiologist is probably one of the best doctor’s we have come across during this entire process. He put my mom at ease, answered all of her questions, and told her if she needed him to repeat anything at all due to her memory setbacks he would be more than happy to repeat himself. We truly felt like family and for that, I am grateful. #LoveHimAlready #KeepUsingHimLord

In addition to discussing the plan, my mom got fitted for her Mike Myers mask. Yep…MIKE…MYERS! What I learned while on this journey, radiation requires precision. The machine is set to run it’s course at each visit and the patient must be in the exact same position each time. The mask helps them do that. So, after my mom makes it through all of this, she will have a fun parting gift! And her birthday is on Halloween too… #OhThisIsGoingToBeFun #HalloweenThemeAnyone? During this appointment, my mom also got her potential start date for her first radiation treatment, 2/15. #IshJustGotReal

Fast forward to today…Love Day! We had a wonderful day! We got to see my brother’s new house, spend some quality time as a family, and have our usual heart-shaped deep dish pizza from Giordano’s AND our heart-shaped chocolate cake from Portillo’s. Boy were they DEEELICIOUS! It was all bittersweet, though. Because my mom starts radiation tomorrow, that meant her first chemo pill started tonight. I FaceTimed with my mom to make sure she ate dinner on time, then again to make sure she took the anti-nausea pill and again after that to make sure she took the chemo pill as directed. I held it together until it hit me that my mom was officially on chemo. And as we were hanging up she said, “We Got This!” When I hung up from our FaceTime call I lost it! I had to get it out. I know that God has us, but I still feel all the feels. I pray my mom tolerates both the chemo and radiation well. It will pain me to see her suffer any more than she already has. #LordHearMyPrayer

Tomorrow will be great! I claim it! #InTheNameOfJesus

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Pastor Furnick preached another good one today! Consider me full…spiritually! #IStillRequireBreakfast

Pastor Furnick spoke into my strong-willed kid today. You guessed it…Thing 2! His sermon was about Jesus being the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He preached that what we need in between in our lives are Beta blessings: “Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, but I need a Beta blessing to get me through everything in between.” #PraiseGod He also said that we are in beta versions of ourselves. Every day, we are making revisions so that we can be what He has called us to be. #WorkInProgress

Pastor then went on to ask, How many of y’all have a strong-willed child right now? Some will call it stubborn. I couldn’t get my hand up fast enough. #MeMeMEEEEEE #IDoIDoIDo I have been writing about this child’s shenanigans, so you know I have me one of them! But what I didn’t consider, is that my child is in her beta version too. #WeAreAllWorksInProgress

What Pastor said next about my strong-willed and stubborn child spoke to my soul. He said, that strong-willed, stubbornness will pretty soon grow to be BOLDNESS! Right now, she is just in beta! #SpeakIt

While I knew there was no mistake in the way God created Thing 2, I did often wonder how I was to parent this beta version of her. Every day, there is a new strain of strong-willed and stubbornness that the punishments of yesterday just don’t work for. That is where I had to realize that this is where my beta self grows. This is where I grow just a little more each day to match her growth. She and I will grow together so that I can be the best beta version of myself that will help her turn that stubbornness into boldness. #IGetItNow

None of this means it will be easy, but Pastor gave one last little nugget to set me on the right path. He closed with, “pray to be blessed, but obey to be blessed.” I have prayed all kinds of prayers over Thing 2 (oooooooohweeeeee), but have I truly done what He said I should do? Was I even listening when He told me? Or was I so caught up in the moment or what she did that I didn’t even notice He was trying to guide me? #Pray&Obey #GotIt

I’ve got work to do!