Friday Aug 17th

It has been 10 days since I last updated my blog. Crazy. I am totally slacking. I even missed buddy check 9 day. If you didn't do your self check, get on it!

I haven't been up to much lately. Just working and keeping track of my kiddos. Cody has decided that he likes to play inside Olivia's kitchen. The picture was too funny to pass up sharing...

Olivia broke out her pop beads the other day and made matching necklace, ring, and bracelet for her and mommy. Here is me with my curly, gelled up hair...

Lots of stuff going on with my support group Hope Lives! here in Fort Collins. This is the group that pays for breast cancer patients to be provided with 2 services per month during their treatments. I have used my services to have my house cleaned by merry maids. It has been wonderful to have that part of things taken care of when I wasn't feeling well. They do a big gala in October to raise money for these services to provide to women. They do a fashion show during the gala and use women in the group to model formal gowns and have asked me to be a part of the fashion show. I get to go and pick out a gown from a local merchant and then they do my hair and make up and have royal treatment the day of the event. The event will be Oct 6th at the Hilton in Fort Collins. It is a formal attire event and they have dinner, dancing, auctions, the fashion show, and I think they also have a poker thing of some kind going on. Jon will be my escort and be in the fashion show also. Tickets are $150/ person and it is a benefit to raise money for Hope Lives!. They also do corporate tables that seat 10 for $1600. If anyone is interested in going and supporting this or think your boss would want to purchase a corporate table to support this cause it would be fun to have some familiar faces there. I know they do a bunch of advertising for corporate table owners.

Hope Lives! also helps put out a local magazine called STYLE that promotes breast cancer awareness and local businesses. In their October issue for breast cancer awareness month they have a handful of clients that model for the magazine and tell their inspirational stories that I will be involved in. They take you to a fitting at a local small business merchant in Fort Collins and let you pick out an outfit and then the morning of the shoot they do your hair and make up for the photo shoot. Sounds like it will be a lot of fun. They do the shoot on Aug 27th, Olivia's first day of school. I was supposed to have my last herceptin treatment that day but pushed it back a few days so I could participate in this to the 30th. Which is the twins birthday. This is all kinda funny but last year on Olivia's first day of preschool was the day this whole process got started for me. I had to go in for my PETscan in the morning and then had surgery that afternoon to get my port placed. Now that my last treatment was moved to the twins birthday, this was also significant because the 30th was the day that I was officially diagnosed and got word from my doctor that the biopsy came back as cancer. I suppose it has come around full circle. I have a Dr. appointment on the 30th and will be talking to my oncologist about the process from here on out.

I am also hoping to participate in race for the cure this year, which is the day after the Hope Lives! gala, October 7th. I know everyone who participated last year said it was amazing and the news coverage was truly inspiring being able to see I 25 shut down and 65,000 people taking to the streets to raise money to fight breast cancer. If anyone is interested in doing this with me and my family, let me know. I think it should be something to remember!!

Olivia got her immunizations this past week for kindergarten. I made Jon take her because I am always a mess when she has to get shots. Or when any of the kids have to get shots for that matter. We thought she would have to have 4 but there is one they do in a combination so she really only had 3 shots. She had an allergic reaction to the DTaP one last time she had it and got the same reaction this time. A large red area on her leg and it was swollen, hard, and very hot to the touch. They told us to see if she developed a bad fever, but the fever never came, thank goodness. All and all she was a trooper and is now officially ready for kindergarten.

Jon only had to work his 40 hours this week so was off since yesterday. We took the jet ski out for the first time since Glendo and played yesterday afternoon. Today we took the kids to city park pool in Fort Collins and had a great time playing there until it started to lightning and we had to leave the pool. I am going out with some of my cancer chicks from chemo or that I have just met over the past year this evening to PF Changs and to a movie. I am excited to see them and be able to catch up and just hang out now that we are all healthy and either done or almost done with treatment.

We are still planning on going to my sister Toni's over labor day weekend in Salt Lake. My other sister Amy and her family from California are driving out as well and we are all going to hang out. I have an appointment to see the micro surgeon on that following Tuesday and hopefully be able to nail down a decision about what I want to do for reconstruction. The kids are all so excited to go and my sister suggested that we make a paper chain to count down the days. It has been fun for them to go and take a chain off every day. I also took some pictures of my hair so everyone could see how much it is growing. One of my friends I met at chemo suggested getting a straightening iron after I was complaining how curly and wavy it is. I did that last week, and actually like it much better.