Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Part 2

Check out the fun new additions to the blog! Many thanks to Joe, my cousin! I feel like I've joined the 2011s now.

How many parts will be in this series? Well, at least 2 and probably 4 or 5. Maybe 6 just to make it an even number. I haven't decided yet. So it will be a surprise for all of us!

My 6 month post-chemo check up was Wednesday afternoon. I waited almost 3 hours to see my oncologist. It was frustrating, but I brought a Droid smartphone to help pass the time until it died.

The good news is that my oncologist isn't worried about me. She did a physical exam- always fun to have my feet in the stirrups. We went over my side effects and rated them. We decided on what tests I'll have at my next check-up in July. That was the extent of the appointment. My oncologist was having a bad day, or just a really long day. I'm not sure which, but she wasn't at her best. It was irritating, but after venting about it to my Mom and another friend, I decided to be understanding.

I was hoping my oncologist would say something positive about my weight loss. I've lost 8 pounds. I was hoping to get to ask her about glutathione and a couple other 'little' things. It's okay, though. I know I can call and talk to her nurse next week. I'm not losing weight so my oncologist can give me a high five. I'm losing weight for me, to improve my health. I'm sure my next appointment will have better communication.

Silly me, I got caught up in being disappointed in the whole experience that I missed the most important part. I'm fine! After the exam, she didn't express concern over anything she felt or saw. No scares, nothing to be concerned about at all. It was just a check-up. Whoohooooo!! Relief!! 


I am thankful that this successful post-cancer check-up can be a beacon of light to my fellow Survivors!!

I made those kale chips tonight. I love them. My almost 3 year old niece spit it out. I bet if I sprinkle on Parmesan cheese she'll eat them.

Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Part 1

Being a cancer Survivor inducted me into a new family. A family of Survivors. No matter what differences I have with another Survivor, we share a bond. It's often a silently understood bond. Perfect strangers who are Survivors are part of my family now, a part of me. We care for each other, pray for each other, and celebrate each victory no matter how small. We, also, hurt and cry together. As a result, many Survivors participate in Relay for Life. We Celebrate. We Remember. We Fight Back. We HOPE for a CURE. 

This is me at the Marco Island, Florida RFL in March of 2009. 

On Monday my friend, and Survivor-sister, found out that the breast cancer she beat over a year ago has returned in her lungs. Please send her and her husband your prayers and positive thoughts as they devise a treatment plan. Also, if you have any connection to MD Anderson that could help her get started with very quickly with treatment please email me. Fight like a girl, my beautiful friend!!

This is me in October of 2010.

Today I heard that one of my friend's Aunts just passed away due to cancer. 

Sadly, most of us have a connection to cancer. My hope is that these connections will uplift us, strengthen us, console us and bring us all to a cure very soon. We all go through cancer together in spirit. The tears, the waiting, the hopes, the fears, and the laughter. My heart hurts for my friends this week. 

Tomorrow is my 6 month post-chemo check up. I am hoping- and believing- that it will go very well, so I can shine hope onto my Survivor family and our large circle of loved ones. 

New Toys!

Three awesome things happened to me this weekend. I consider each of them a toy in some way or another.

First, my fresh issue of Clean Eating magazine arrived Friday. It rocks, but then again it always does. Here's why I love it so much! I started reading it after dinner, and that's how I started developing my menu for this week. I choose to whip up the Buffalo Chicken Salad and Spicy Tuna Melts this week. There are lots more recipes that I'll make in the near future from this issue, too. That's another post, though.

Also on my menu list for this week is kale chips. I'm excited about trying them! I was hoping to have time today to make them, but they'll have to wait until Wednesday night or Thursday.

Second awesome-ness was going to Whole Foods with my sister. I love that store, but I wish it wasn't SO crowded. I mean, I love that so many Memphians eat organic foods. Really I do, but I just wish the whole city didn't have to shop when I want to shop. I don't do well in crowds. I like my personal space to stay, well, personal. I don't want to feel rushed when I'm shopping. I like to stop and read the packages of 4 different kinds of organic rice without someone trying to reach around me or run over me with their basket. What Memphis REALLY needs is a Trader Joe's. Do you hear that, Memphians? Someone PLEASE open a TJ's here!!

Ahem. Excuse me. Back to the grocery shopping... I love to grocery shop, and yes I know that's kind of weird. I take great pleasure in seeing stuff like organic blue cheese (made in Wisconsin, Go Packers!), organic beans in a BPA-free cans, 6 different kinds of nitrate free bacon...I could go on and on and on and on. But I won't. You're welcome. We bought lots of yummy high quality food. (see below!) We, also, found a peanut butter cheesecake that looks delicious in the bakery, so we bought one. Mom, my sister and I shared it for dessert.

I choose the organic mini sweet peppers because they were cheaper than the organic bell peppers. Go figure!

Beautiful blue cheese, organic kale, pesticide free tomatoes and organic pink lady apples (my fave!). The blue cheese is going to do double duty this week. It goes on the Buffalo Chicken Salad, of course! And it also will go with the vegetable in the next picture.

Guess what these powerful anti-cancer roots are? 

Did you say beets? Hope so!

Here's what 3 heads of romaine lettuce and a red leaf lettuce look like while I'm chopping and cleaning.

The third awesome-ness was finding 2 pound thumb-hook weights at Target for only $13 a pair! I've needed heavier weights for a couple weeks now, but heavy dumbbells are expensive. I'd been eying these and these but they each are only 1 pound per hand.  I'd love to own more workout gear that says CATHE, but when I saw these at Target. I knew they must be mine! Sorry, Cathe! 

By buying this awesome new toy I have just about doubled my dumbbell increment selection! Oh, you want to see my dumbbells? Okay! My apologizes about the shadows...I'm just not a very good photographer. 

Before my new thumb-hook weights I had the following increments:

2

3

5

8

10

11

Now that I have this cool new toy I have these increments:

2

3

4

5

7

8

10

11

12 

13

I am very excited about my new increment choices! All these increments will surely help me reach my SINS challenge goals!