Recovery

Recovery is bloody long and hard. I've gone from barely being able to climb the stairs at my house to running up them now. I'm now able to carry, not one but two, girls at the same time! I can plank too. Who would have thought? I sure as hell didn't, I even did it…

Journey to Motherhood

What does motherhood mean to you? Growing up, I had always known I wanted to have a family. I wanted my own children, and a husband to love on. Then I went to college - several times for multiple degrees or diplomas. I broke up with my high school sweetheart of nearly 6 years because…

A Day in the Life; Cancer, Recovery & More

My mornings can start anywhere between 7-9am, all depends on how the girls sleep. The odd morning I'm up between 5-7am as well. It's about half and half on who shares the first part of their morning with me by themselves. Some mornings it's Hailey and some it's Hadley. Depending on who is up first,…

Acceptance

What is acceptance? By definition: the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be in a group. Acceptance. What does it mean to you? I had a friend ask me tonight; what was it like going from pregnancy to being sick to being in recovery. I'm going to be blunt…

Recipe: Mushroom Barley Stew

Cook Time: 8 hours on low, 6 hours on high Serves: 6-8 1 pound Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced 2 carrots, sliced 1 rib celery, diced 1 onion, diced 1, 15-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 cup uncooked pearl barley 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon black pepper Day of:…

Recipe: Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn & Black Beans

Cook Time: 6-8hrs low, 5-6hrs high Serves: 6-8 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, thighs or breast (I recommend thighs, they don’t dry out as much in the slow cooker) 1 cup corn 1, 15-ounce can black beans 1 orange bell pepper, diced 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 1 onion, diced Juice from 2 limes 2…

Grateful Moments…

Every now and then I have these moments, moments of pure gratefulness. Moments where I'm happy my body fought for me, and I'm overwhelmed with the fight Wade had in him, for me. Tonight, for example, I had a grateful moment. Hailey was still awake and fiddling around, as Wade did bed time and she…

Life’s Unknowns

I wake up some mornings and look down at my stomach to see - my ileostomy bag (sometimes ready to explode) and the scar from my surgeries. I have a love/hate relationship with this scar. Some days it doesn't bother me, but days like today, when Hailey wakes up and crawls in bed with me…

Scars

Scars tell your story. They tell a story that you don't necessarily have to. People will guess, make their own assumptions, and wonder, but what most people won't do is ask. Scars also only tell your physical story. They don't tell the emotional or mental part of your story. People will also go to assume…

Positivity

I'm often asked, "How did you remain positive throughout your battle with cancer and everything else?" I'm here to tell you it wasn't easy. I'm here to tell you, I had and still have good and bad days. You will find what you need to fight for. I needed to fight to be here for…