Love You Through It

To all my friends and family who were there to love me through the most challenging time in my life…  Especially to you, Mom & Dad… Thank you.

I’m Gonna Love You Through It–Martina McBride

Must Be A Mom Thing

I’ve been pondering the meaning of life.. ahem I mean these stickers I’m seeing everywhere on people’s vehicles.  Well let’s be honest they are found on mom vans & SUV’s everywhere!  You have to know what I’m talking about… you know, the stick figure family stickers? 

Maybe its just me but I don’t get them. I mean yes they can be cute but what is the point?  Do you need to justify to the world why you are driving a big ass car sucking up all that so expensive gas you are always complaining about?  Or maybe its to prove to the other drivers on the road why you deserve to drive like an idiot while racing to soccer practice or ballet?  More likely it’s just an odd status symbol of sorts among the mom crowd and to be in, you NEED these.  

I repeat, I just don’t get them.

To me they are like a big shiny beacon saying “Follow me home!  I have 2 kids you can prey on!” 

Yes, I am the cynic. I can’t help it… I’ve actually had someone stalk me, leave notes on my car {when I hadn’t been aware they even knew which car I drove} and live in fear that they had followed me home without me ever knowing.  Literally.  I know these are just pictures but some go so far as to include the family names… seriously people?! Do you not watch Criminal Minds??

My apologies to those of you out there in mommy-land who indeed own these adorable sticker thingies.  I still love you!  I’m just calling it like I see it… and being I’m in the non-mommy phase in life I see these as a crazy overboard soccer mom status thing.  I do, however, find the particular set of stickers on the left hilarious for all of you single mommies out there!

Hey There Cupcake

My mom, aunt and cousin were down visiting for the weekend and it was non-stop action from the moment they arrived.  We hit the town - or should I say the mountains - and I gained a few nuggets of knowledge along the way…

1. You are never too young to own a gun…
2. An extra quart of oil won’t hurt… but 2?  That just might require some extra attention.
3. ASAP stands for “As Southern As Possible” and..
4. “The South” is the place where tea is sweet and accents are sweeter, summer starts in April, Mac & Cheese is a vegetable, front porches are wide and words are long, pecan pie is a staple, y’all is the only proper noun, chicken is fried and biscuits come with gravy, everything is darlin’, and someone’s heart is always being blessed.
5. Bad Southern accents with a hint of Canadian/Minnesotan are very quickly acquired by my family members.  I’m curious to know if the accents left as quickly as they came on?
6. Shopping is always more fun with a group, however, the Wal-Mart chip aisle can be dangerous
7. The Crazy Cupcake Peanut Butter Dream cupcakes require a “moment.”  Seriously. They are omgtodieforscrumptious!
8. Even I can hike the AT {Appalachian Trail for those not local} although it may have only been a quarter of a mile stretch up the mountain.
9. You never lose the ability to squeeze into a tiny kitchen to make breakfast for the bunch!  And.. to fry an egg without mastering the art of flipping it, just push the bacon grease over the top. It works just mahvelous dahling!
10. That sometimes the only ones who can understand are family and they can make you laugh like no one else can.  Love you ladies!

Happy {Early} Valentine’s Day

I had a surprise waiting for me when I got home tonight…

Happy Valentine’s Day from my mom & dad! 

Weekend Education

While on a recent trip to my soon to be new hometown, I made several discoveries about myself and the many cities between Michigan and Tennessee.

• Ohioans are either very healthy… or very not!  I counted about a bazillion hospitals and medical centers while traveling through this very LoOoOoOn state.
• Sweet tea is my new very bestest friend.
• The Cumberland Mountain area of Virginia is amazingly beautiful when its snowing… but also amazingly scary. Plummeting down tiny, winding, slippery roads is definitely not my idea of a party.
• I am truly a creature of habit – I sat in the same seat for more than 30 hours this weekend.
• Back to Ohio… we passed through a small town that had many houses covered in Christmas lights.  As we passed through the center of town one home in particular stood out – the funeral home.  It was the most decorated building for miles!
• While in Kentucky eating breakfast at McD’s, we met a man who told us he had a daughter who is 38 as well as two others by two other women.  His first wife was 14 when he married her (he was 21 at the time).  He then proceeded to tell me to look him up if I needed anything after I moved and that he was “in the book.”
• …Then he asked if I had a boyfriend.  When I said no he said, “Shoot, if Ah had a girl as pretty as you, Ah’d put a cowbell on ‘Er so Ah’d always know where she was!” True story.
• My mom is hopeless when it comes to sports.  When driving through Cincinnati she asked if the Bears play there.  When I said no the Bengals do, she looked puzzled so I said,  “You know like Bengal Tigers?”  To which she said “So they don’t have a football team?” I guess at least she knows the (Detroit) Tigers don’t play football?
• In Tennessee it seems the motto “If it’s flat we will build it” rang true – even if getting to “it” was nearly impossible. One apartment we looked at had my mom fearing we were driving off a cliff instead of down the driveway.

The trip was truly memorable and also very productive!  I now have a place to live and finally feel like this is all really happening.  I promise after the big move to include many, many pictures of my new abode and state!

And speaking of Christmas lights… take a look at what a town did for one little boy…

Donate to St. Jude’s this holiday

To Mom & Dad

I know I've said “thank you” countless times over the past months… It just never feels like enough.

How can I begin thank you for being there for me through everything?

I know at times all of this was just as hard for you to take in as it was for me. I know I have given you information overload with all my research and been frustrated when I couldn’t explain all I had read.

You were there to visit when others weren’t. There to go with me to support groups and Dr appointments, there to listen even I didn’t know what to say, there to listen to and calm my fears, there to remember the things I forgot.

You did my laundry, got my groceries, cleaned my house, dropped off my mail, took out the trash, cleaned up after the “kids”… called the doctors back, relayed information when I couldn’t, recognized when I was past my limits before I totally crashed, and risked radiation exposure to drive me to and from treatment.

You were with me when I laughed, cried, worried…

So “Thank You” mom and dad… I don’t think I will ever be able to adequately express how very much you both mean to me.