Through the storm, there is light.

Sounds ironic to post this today, especially since we are covered in blowing snow in April. No, that’s not a typo – I said blowing. And snow. In the same sentance. But, I am not talking about that kind of storm. I am talking about the “bad weather” that my mom has been facing for almost a year.

It was May 1st last year when she found out that there was something spotted on her mammogram. Days later, she received the diagnosis that no woman wants to hear – you have breast cancer. GULP. Cancer? That word hasn’t been spoken too often in our home and never did we think it would affect us directly. But it did. It has been a long road – full of many rain clouds, heavy storms, blowing wind, and sunny days full of twists and turns. Through her journey, we had unforgettable 7 day forecasts that predicted what the outcome could be, quickly followed by the possible unforeseeable cold front that could move in and totally change the outcome.

Until now.

The forecast given yesterday was warm, sunny, and clear. “She looks fantastic,” the nurse said. “Your scans were clear.” There has been no reoccurrence. This was a breath of fresh air for our family, especially for my mom. This check-up was probably the hardest that she has been through because it was so close to the 1-year mark. But she made it. She is in the clear!

We can pack away the umbrellas, store the rain boots and dance in whatever rain may come our way, because we are done.

Yes, she will still have check-ups (yearly now), and will continue to meet with her oncologist, and get her results the day of her mammogram for the next 4 years, but that’s all standard procedure.

It’s terrific news and even though we are facing this winter storm in April, our family can see the light. And it’s a great thing to see.

Prayers for Stellan

I have followed Stellan's story since before he was even born, like many other bloggers. He needs our prayers - this poor little baby is back in SVT, where your heart beats so rapidly it is in danger of stopping. His McMama is by his side, keeping us all updated. Be sure to check out her site for updates (www.mycharmingkids.com) and make sure to view the Stellan Name Gallery. You will see what I mean - prayers are coming in from all over the world!

Not Me Monday!

This will be my first installment of “Not Me Monday!” It’s really quite clever really, check it out at (www.mycharmingkids.net). I will try to post this each Sunday night for you Monday readers – this is your chance to check out what I haven’t been doing over the last week.

This week, I did not run out of checks, pay all of our bills by phone (with some additional fees), because I was too preoccupied to reorder our checks two weeks ago when I saw we were getting low. That would be ridiculous. I am always on top of the ball and things never slip my mind. Nope. Not me!

Because of my newfound interest in politics, I haven’t missed an important Presidential speech for the last year and a half. So I totally did not skip over the President’s speech last week to stay up watching movies with my sister until 11 p.m. and miss all of the information that I was waiting to hear, partly because I was annoyed our regular programming wasn’t on for the evening. Nope. Not me!

I did not jump for joy because of the snow that we received last Thursday because I knew that Parish had to go to bed early to get up and plow (at 2 a.m.) and I could actually get some cleaning done. No way would I have done that. And obviously, there was NO WAY that after I got our whole house cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, that it was a complete disaster on Saturday morning. Nope. Didn’t happen here.

On Friday night, P and I went to a Chamber Gala in the cities. I was excited for a fun night away, with great company and a delicious meal. You could imagine my surprise when I found out that the dinner option was steak and shrimp. I did not forget that that one – it was Lent (and took a few bites of my steak) and two – my allergies to shrimp before moving the shrimp to the side (after it was laying on top of my steak). I also did not have to give myself medicine for the hives I had on my face and arms when I got home. Nope. I wouldn’t forget those things.

P and I spent the weekend at Josh and Kris’s house – we were all planning on going to the Science Museum on Sunday. I most certainly did not wake up Sunday morning only to realize that I didn’t pack any undergarments. So I didn’t make my husband travel to the store to buy new underwear for me. Nope. Oh, and my husband definitely did not return from the store with granny panties for me to wear. Nope. Totally didn’t happen.

I wasn’t just as excited as a child is on Christmas when we all arrived at the Science museum. Nope. I didn’t run around (with our friend’s 3-year old) pulling every lever, turning every crank, and pushing every button in order to see how science works. Nope. After all, I am an adult. And I certainly didn’t step in front of other children so that I could experience it first. WHO does that in public? Not me.