Christmas Pajamas -- A Look Back
12 years ago
Tis the Season!
Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. My 2nd is the 4th of July - and that's only because I love summer so much. Thanksgiving comes in at a close 3rd. Christmas is always a time of joy, togetherness, and love and I like that. Christmas with my side of the family is always spent eating ridiculously good food, and I'm talking every single night. We always have lasagna on Christmas Eve, and my Mom's is just out of this world. My Dad's birthday is December 22nd, and we're having shrimp and grits that night. Yum! We'll eat at my brother's house one night as well, and he can throw down on a grill like it's nobody's business - he should enter those cook-offs on the Food Network! Like I have said before, we like to eat, drink and be merry when we're together - and this year won't be any different! We always play a certain song called 'Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen during this time of year, and we quote "Christmas Vacation" at least once every hour. We sit outside in the freezing cold, listen to the Christmas mix on my ipod, and build a raging fire every night. It's also a time when we get to see some old friends. A lot of my high school buddies still live in North Augusta, and a ton of the people who moved away always fly home for Christmas. I am betting we'll all meet up one night and go out - there was one year that I believe around 40 people showed up. It was a complete high school reunion, fun times!
We'll be in North Augusta for a little over a week, then Ben and I are going to work just a couple of days the following week. Then we are going to head down to Hilton Head, SC with Kristen and Matt to spend New Years Eve weekend. Abbie and Steve are planning on making an apperance too, and it's always a good time when the 6 of us get together. I can't wait!
Don't forget to cheer on the Cocks as we play UConn in our bowl game on Jan. 2nd! Go Cocks!!!!!!
I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Love to all,
Kerri
ps...check out the link below that...it's the cutest Christmas card ever.
Elf Yourself!
Yall have to do this...
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/x9L9clC1UdvqxQL2keSI
Go to elfyourself.com and make your own! I've laughed at it so many times!
Love to all!
Kerri
Change is good...
Ben and I went to a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society awards show last night...it was great! Those people are so awesome, and it felt good to be recognized. Well, all I really got was a piece of paper, but whatever - it still felt good!
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, I love Fridays! (at 5 of course) We have my company Christmas dinner tomorrow. Of course, we'll be watching the SEC Championship game too, ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!
Love to all!
KJS
One year and good hair!
I have had a tough time with my hair over the last year. This time last year it was getting pretty thin, and I know I was so blessed that I didn't lose all of it. Well the only thing with not losing all of it is that you have to deal with the new, weird hair that starts growing in after chemo. It was kinked, blah, nasty hair. But, it filled in very quickly and slowly started to get back to the old texture it was. I got most of that nasty old hair cut off last night. It FINALLY looks healthy again, and I am so happy! It's amazing what little things can make you happy, and a good haircut certainly does.
I took this pic just now in my office, the lighting is terrible and my blackberry doesn't take good pics but at least you can see what I'm talking about.
YAY!
Love to all!
Kerri
Thankful in so many ways...
Hey there!
I was so rushed for time last week I didn't get around to writing on my blog. I know it's past Thanksgiving, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to say how unbelievably thankful I am for so many things.
The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.
-- Henry Ward Beecher
I am thankful for...
God. I thank Him for bringing me through such a dark time in my life, and for answering all of our prayers.
My Health. It wasn't easy, but I got through a cancer diagnosis and now reside on the "other side" thanks to modern medicine and the good Lord above. I've been in remission ONE YEAR on Wednesday, and that is something to be thankful for!
Life. I love my life, and am thankful for the many blessings I have received. Life is good!
My Husband. I will always be thankful for you Ben, I love you more than you'll ever know.
My Family. Thank you to my Husband, Mom, Dad, Brother, Brandy, Lauren, Phillips, Mrs. Linda, Mr. Steve, Kristen, Matt, Stephanie, Mike, Braden and Sydney for being the best family a girl could ask for. You all make life worth LIVING. I love you all very much.
My Friends. You know who you are! There are too many of you to name - I love you all - you all make life FUN.
Good Times. Anyone who knows me knows I like to have a good time, and after last year - I appreciate the good times more than ever.
Good Food. I am honestly thankful for good food, it makes me happy.
My House. Ben and I have been so blessed with a beautiful and comforting home, and I am very thankful for that!
My Cat. How could I leave out my furry child? Gracie, thanks for always being my personal heater.
My Job. Not everyone in this country can say this right now, but I really am thankful that I am employed and can honestly say I love what I do.
The Gamecocks. They put a beat down on Clemson this past Saturday, and it put a HUGE smile on my face. It really did mean a lot, and it may seem trivial to some of you - but a years worth of bragging rights is something to be thankful for in my book. ;)
I hope all of you had an awesome Thanksgiving! I would like to thank my in-laws for their hospitality and for a wonderful time in Charlotte! We enjoyed it so much!
Now, who's ready for Christmas? I AM!!!! Our house is decorated, and I'm halfway done with buying Christmas gifts. Not too shabby!
Love to all!
Kerri
I love weekends!
Long time no post! I've been too busy celebrating! :)
This past weekend we traveled to North Augusta and Columbia. Friday night we got to hang out with my family, and we had a great time just sitting around the fire and talking. It's so nice to be able to see them on Friday nights before the football games! We woke up early Saturday morning and headed up to Columbia. It was such a beautiful day - it was perfect for tailgating! Here are some pictures:
Me and the hubs!
The ONLY reason I put this up is so my Brother could look at it...he paints cars for a living and this is by far the craziest paint job I've ever seen! Makes you want to GAG!
Ben and Matt in their "Intergrity" Shirts. USC honored our service men and women during halftime, and all of our players wore jerseys with camo numbers and the words Integrity, Service, Commitment, Courage, and Duty in place of their names. It was so awesome!
Kristen and I tailgating!
Our beautiful stadium...I love Williams Brice! As you can see, we were in the shade - thank goodness!
Ben and I in the stadium, thank you Chris and Laura Herron - we love those seats!
How beautiful is that? The entire halftime show was awesome, and everyone was moved to tears. At the end of the show, 3 F-16's came roaring overhead - it gave us all chills!
We had a great time hanging out with everyone, and the game was a BLAST...up until the end of the 3rd quarter. I won't even get started, because we were all so upset...we outplayed Tebow, and we should have won. It was pretty rough - but we got over it and went out anyways. We always have a great time in Columbia, and this was the last game we will be able to attend this season. See you next year Carolina, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BEAT CLEMSUX!
Love to all!
Kerri
CLEAN!!!
MY SCAN WAS CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN! HoooooOOOOOOooooooOoOoOray!
Let me start by saying that waiting for scan results is a form or torture that no one should have to endure. I called my oncology office yesterday morning at 9:03 am - they open at 9. The receptionist told me to call her back at 3 pm if I hadn't heard anything. I get the run-around and am forced to leave a message on the nurses station voicemail. Right then and there, I start to tense up and get that terrible feeling in my stomach. So, a few hours pass - no call. Every time my cell phone rang yesterday I literally felt like I was going to throw up. I HATE feeling like that. I takes a lot of energy to deal with that kind of anxiety. When you have to wait that long, your mind starts playing tricks on you and goes into dark places. You starts to wonder if they aren't calling you back for a reason. Needless to say, I didn't get a thing done at work yesterday. Not one thing. Thank goodness I have a job where I can just close my office door and sit there if I want to. Thank goodness I work with people who will leave me alone if they sense something isn't right. Anyways, somehow the time passes and it's getting closer to 3 pm. I call at 2:58. I get the same receptionist and she's like "no one has called you back yet? they should be shot!" And I definitely agree with that statement. So, she tells me she is taking matters into her own hands. I finally get a call back from my onc's nurse practitioner at 3:49 pm. She immediately says "it's clean" and the thousand pound weight lifts from my shoulders. I say "do you even understand what I've been going through all day?" and she's like "but you're always so calm Kerri".....WELL NOT WHEN I'M WAITING ON SCAN RESULTS!!!!!! UGH! What the heck? So anyways, she continues to tell me that my remaining scar tissue has shrunk a little bit, which is even better news. That means it is completely dead tissue. YAY! She then goes on to say that my TSH levels (Thyroid) are high. That means my thyroid is probably about to go out, and I'll need to go on medication for that. That's probably why I've been so tired lately. Good ole radiation really did a number on my upper back and neck huh? First the l'hermittes sign and now my thyroid. Awesome. BUT, I will take it! I will take that any day of the week...if I am cured forever and have to deal with a few minor health issues here and there - WHO CARES?
So, I'm out of the woods for now. I have a follow up appt with my onc Friday afternoon to discuss when the next scan will be - and I'm praying for him to move them back to every 6 months. That would ROCK!
Ben took me out for dinner and drinks last night, and I needed it SO BADLY - my nerves were shredded by 5 pm yesterday. I still tired today, I'm just worn out from all that stress yesterday. Now let's hope I can catch up at work!
Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. I had so many calls, texts, emails, and facebook messages yesterday it was just crazy. I thought yall had forgotten about little ole me - well I guess not. Thanks for making me feel loved!
It is tough to define true happiness, but I felt it yesterday - and it feels good. Thank you God for this tremendous blessing.
Love to all!
Kerri
Happy Halloween!
Hey all!
Well, I'm dressed up as a witch today. I LOVE Halloween, and don't really remember one where I didn't dress up in something. I told my creative team at work that I was going to wear my trusty witch outfit, and they all decided to be witches with me. Worked out great for me, I didn't have to buy a thing! Check out the pics below. Please look at the guy to my left in first one, his name is Darrell and he is supposedly white trash. A dude dressed as a pregnant chick complete with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, noxzema on his face, and a miller high life 22 oz beer is hilarious. Oh, and a Pink Floyd shirt. HA! LOVE IT! The 2nd pic is the creative team here, we're all witches, cute! We're the "creative coven" today. :)
I hope all of you have an awesome weekend! Ben and I are so excited that we have absolutely nothing to do this weekend - finally. We've been traveling all over the place for months. By the way - I LOVE Baltimore, we had so much fun. The crab up there is just insane. We probably had too much fun, but hey - that's what weddings are for right?
We plan on sitting on the couch all day tomorrow, cooking and watching football. It doesn't get much better than that!
GOOOOOO COCKS, beat those stinkin' Vols!
Have a spooktacular Halloween!
Love to all,
Kerri
PS - please pray for me this weekend, my next scan is Monday morning at 8:30 am...
USC-Alabama Game!
Fun Times!
Ben, Matt, Kristen and I are flying out to Baltimore today at 4 for Mike Riismandel's wedding on Friday - we are so excited! I've never been to Baltimore before, and I LOVE going to new places. It's where my hubby Ben grew up and I can't wait to see his hometown. I'll post pics of the wedding next week!
Hope all of you are having a great week, I'm off to eat nothing but authentic Maryland blue crab for 3 days. YES!
Love to all,
Kerri
TONS of stuff...
There a bunch of stuff here, and finally some pictures!
So we've been busy traveling to watch the GAMECOCKS play football, and we are lookin' good this year! Number 22 in the rankings right now...YES! Here's some pics of tailgating at it's finest!
On to the next topic...
Here is a pic of all of us when Brett and Monica came to visit...good times!
Light the Night was this past weekend in downtown Atlanta! My entire side of the family came up to walk with me...thank yall so much for coming up to support me! The entire state of Georgia raised over 1.7 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I raised just under $2800...how awesome is that? Thank you so much to all who donated to my page, you are all so wonderful!
And last but definitely not least...My Mom brought me a gift this past weekend, and I wondered just what it could be. I began to open it, and it's a beautiful framed hummingbird picture - THAT SHE TOOK HERSELF. It took her several months to get this one shot of the hummingbird, and I'm not quite sure how she did it - it is SO HARD to get a shot like this! It really meant a lot, so thank you Mom - you are the best. I LOVE THIS PICTURE!
Here is the inscription on it:
Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. Hummingbirds open our eyes to the wonder of the world and inspire us to open our hearts to loved ones and friends. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and to savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.
I love that! Thanks again Mom, love you!
It's scanxiety time again...I can't believe how fast this one came around. I just got word that my next scan is November 2nd at 8:30 am - holy buckets I'm nervous, please start praying for me!!! Thank goodness we have A LOT going on between now and then!
We are off to Alabama this weekend with Ben's parents, Kristen and Matt to watch the USC - Alabama game Saturday night! I hope we don't freeze, it's a low of 42 Saturday night, brrrrrr! Wish us luck, we're gonna need it! It's on at 7:45 pm Sat, GOOOOOOO COCKS!
I'll post more pics next week!
Love to all,
Kerri
Inspiration
I've been inspired...
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
I love that!!!
She then goes on to say how thankful she is of the little things right now, like the leaves turning and how happy a dog is when it is walked - how awesome is that?
Check out her blog:
http://www.canceroptimism.blogspot.com/
Here's to you Grace - kick this cancer to the curb, and may I suggest you write a book? I love your writing.
Hope all of you are well! I'll post some pics soon, been so slammed lately!
Love to all,
Kerri
busy busy BUSY!!!!!!!!!
Hey all!
WOW...the last week and a half has been insanely busy. I need a vacation...seriously! Work has been crazy lately. I was going on about my business last week at work when my boss called us into a meeting unexpectedly. He went on to tell us that my division is basically done with, and that we are merging into one business unit. They let two guys go that I have worked with for almost two years, and two other guys from the other division as well. These guys were awesome employees. It just goes to show you that you ARE NOT SAFE. No one is. It's scary. I could have easily lost my job. But, they kept me and two other guys. THANK YOU GOD! I am now part of the "design team" here and I guess that's ok - well it's gonna have to be ok. They moved me out of my massive office with a window, to one a quarter of the size that faces customer service. Oh joy. But I need to get over being so spoiled. At least I have a job, and I am so unbelievable blessed that I was spared.
We had company in town last weekend from Baltimore. Brett Johnson, and his fiancee Monica came to visit and we had a great time! We watched football and showed them around the city on Saturday in the pouring rain...but we didn't care, it was a blast! It was good to see Brett and meet Monica!
This week Ben has several car sales, and I've been adjusting to my new position and the added responsibility that has come along with it. I am headed to Columbia this weekend to hang out with my bf from college Kristie and go to the Carolina game! Ben has to work, please pray that he has a successful car sale this weekend!
One last, but very important note - I would like to ask you to please pray for my online forum friend Alison Humphries. This is sad stuff...but her daughter Adrienne lost her battle with Hodgkin's yesterday. She was only 22. She has been battling this disease since she was 9, and had multiple relapses. They removed her from the vent yesterday morning. I cannot fathom how devastated their family must be. It isn't fair. Adrienne fought with all she could - she fought it for 13 years. May God bless you Adrienne, fly with the angels!
Sigh. Cancer sucks.
Love to all,
Kerri
Wetlanta!
Greetings from Wetlanta!
I'm sure you've seen the Atlanta floods all over the news lately - well to our relief, our home is untouched. Our home is the highest in the neighborhood, and I honestly did not see any flooding in our area this week. It's the surrounding areas that got hit HARD. I think we got about 12 inches at our house over the past week, it could be more though because my gauge only holds 6 inches and it filled up in no time. I thought my flowers were going to drown! Well, others weren't so lucky. Ben and I did not realize how bad it was until we watched the news Monday night. Oh my goodness...some of the photos rival Katrina. When I saw people in boats, and kids having to stay overnight at schools because their parents could not get to them - I realized the severity of this flood. I feel so sad for the people that lost family members, that is so awful. I have never seen 85 and 285 shut down because of water before! Here are some pics of Atlanta below...
We hope the rain stays away this weekend, there is no reason to add insult to injury! Those poor people that lost everything in their homes and don't have flood insurance, oh my gosh what do you do?
Hope all of you are having a great week - the sun is finally shining over Atlanta, thank you God!
Love to all,
Kerri
Pray for Ethan Zohn
Let's all say a little prayer for Ethan!
Pray for Ethan Zohn
Light the Night 2009
Hey all! I have begun to raise funds for the Light the Night Walk in Atlanta on October 10, 2009. Please help me out if you can, it's tax deductible!
I'm halfway there, YAY! Here's the link:
Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day - we sure did! Thanks to my family for coming up to spend the weekend with us. It was filled with beautiful weather, football, yard games, grilling out, trout fishing and shopping - FUN!!! :) We also got to see my in-laws briefly last night, and that was nice too! Hope you all have a great week.
Love to all!
Kerri
Here comes the rooster...
C...A...R...O...L...I...N...A GOOOOOOOOOOO COCKS!
Kickoff is at 7 pm tonight on ESPN. I'm so excited I can't even work!
D-Day
You dropped the bomb on me...baby, you dropped the bomb on me! It felt like an atomic bomb had been dropped on me exactly one year ago. Today is the anniversary of my own personal D-DAY, or diagnosis day.
I was diagnosed with the big "C" ...Cancer on September 2, 2008. The memory of that day is so remarkably vivid, it's like it just happened. But it didn't just happen. It happened a long time ago - and that feels good to say. The memory of it is hard to think about...that infamous phone call at work...those horrible days until we knew what I would be facing. I know all of you have tried to imagine the horror that comes with that kind of news. You may think you know, but you have no idea. Before that, I sometimes acted invincible. Nothing could ever hurt me. Nothing could ever be wrong with me. And that is immaturity at its finest. Yes, things do go wrong and yes, things will happen to you. It's just a matter of time. Struggles are a fact of life. It just comes in different forms. One persons cancer may be another persons financial ruin. The thing that you have to come to terms with is that the experience will shape who you are, whether you know it or not. I sometimes have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the only thing people think about now when they think of me...is that I had cancer. That sucks. Would you ever want that word associated with your name? Heck no. Would you ever want people to not know how to act around you? Heck no. But, then there comes the fact that I did beat it...that I did so well with treatment...that I didn't let it break me. And I hope people also think about that when they think of me.
Over the past several weeks, I've been thinking about everything I had to do to be in remission. Surgeries, blood draws, chemo, more blood draws, more chemo, radiation (I could still spit fire about that), more blood draws, surgery again, etc etc etc....ugh, not fun. So now comes the fun of major "scanxiety" every time I go for a scan. Not only does cancer affect you immediately, but you've got to put up with blood draws and scans for 5 YEARS after that. I have to put up with the thoughts that it could come back...and it won't, but I'm just saying. That's why they scan you. I also think about the millions of emotions that I have gone through in a years time, wow. It really has opened my eyes to so much...and has helped to prioritize my life. I now know what is important and who is important.
I consider myself lucky in many ways...I'm lucky that I caught it early...I'm lucky that I sailed through chemo...I'm BEYOND lucky that I'm in remission and have had 2 clean scans...I'm lucky that I can look back a year later and say "wow, what a scary ride" and still be sitting in the same office where I was diagnosed. I thank the good Lord above for keeping me sane, keeping my body strong and putting my mind at ease. I could not have done it alone, and for that I thank my husband, parents, siblings, in-laws, and friends for being there for me. You are all a gift from God. I also thank everyone who reads this blog...thanks for being interested in what I have to say.
Cancer...you messed with the wrong chick. And to all of you who are just starting on your journey through cancer, the waiting really is the hardest part...after that, it's easier than you think it's going to be.
To echo back to my first post on here almost one year ago...you have all been so good to me.
Love you all!
Kerri
4,776 Visits
Since September 23, 2008, I have had 4,776 visits to my blog! CHECK IT OUT! It's probably a little more than that because I didn't even know Google Analytics existed until November...but I think that's crazy!!! I need to start putting ads on here, heck I might even make a little cash!
Hope all of you are well! D-day is upon us...
And so is GAMECOCK FOOTBALL!
Love to all,
Kerri
Happy Birthday STEPHEN!
Today is my brothers 37th birthday, and in honor of him - I thought I'd post of few pictures of him back in the day...ok not really - I really got online and made these and I AM DYING LAUGHING!!!! I got you good this time STEPHEN!!!
HAPPY THIRTY "HEAVENTH" BIRTHDAY STEPHEN! I LOVE YOU!
Love, your "seester"
Kerri
Birthday Trip to MIAMI!
Hey all!
This past weekend Ben and I went to Miami to celebrate my 29th birthday. We had SO MUCH FUN! Miami is a beautiful place, and H - O - T but thankfully we had beautiful weather the entire time. We spent most of our time on the beach and at the pool. Friday night we went out to dinner to La Terazza, and italian place near our hotel. It was awesome! Saturday was my birthday so we woke up and headed straight out to the beach. We had a perfect set-up and the water is just gorgeous. I had no idea it would be that beautiful. We ate lunch by the pool, and headed up to get ready around 4. We were in South Beach by 6, and just began to walk down Ocean Drive. There are so many cool places, and we literally enjoyed people watching...there are some interesting people down there. Someone at work said that I'd better make sure my spanish was good and wallet was fat - and man was he right! Talk about expensive...we ordered two beers at one place and it was $17. I almost choked. Oh well, what can ya do? We still had a great time after we got over the sticker shock. South Beach is FUN FUN FUN...maybe a little too much fun. ;)
Thank you Ben for this trip, you are SO SWEET! I love you, and had so much fun - can we do this again next year? ;)
Hope all of you are well - and thanks so much to all of you for the birthday calls, gifts and cards! Love you all!
Kerri
ps...am I really 29 or did I just dream that?
Happy Birthday Ben and Matt!
This past weekend, Ben, Matt, Kristen and I traveled to Charlotte to celebrate Ben and Matt's birthday weekend! We got to spend time with my in-laws, Ben's sister and her husband, Steph and Mike and our nephew Braden and niece Sydney. We went to the pool all day on Saturday, and the boys cooked a rib feast Saturday night. It was such a great weekend!
We hope you had a great 31st birthday Ben and Matt - we love yall!
I would also like to wish my Mother-in-law a Happy Birthday tomorrow...hope your day is wonderful Mrs. Linda!
BAT Sandwiches
I'm in a great mood today because it's Friday, so I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes with yall. Last night, Ben and I made BAT sandwiches, or Bacon, Avocado and Tomato sandwiches. Seriously, it is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer.
2 slices wheat bread, lightly toasted
3 slices crisp bacon
Avocado, sliced thin - as much as you like
2 slices of a peeled home grown 'mater
Light mayo, salt and pepper
Assemble, and eat with onion rings or a salad.
OMG this is THE BEST sandwich ever. Try it out!
Hope all of you have a fantastic weekend!
Love to all,
Kerri
Prayer Requests!
How's everyone's week going? Mine is good, busy...but good.
I have a couple of prayer requests for you all. My Mother-in-law has been in the hospital for several days now, and will probably be in there until Sunday. She fell in the bath tub about a week ago and pulled her hamstring badly and since she is on coumadin for her heart, the pulled muscle began to bleed into her leg. It is very painful and they finally have her pain under control. They are watching her closely, and have to get her blood regulated enough to be able to leave. So, she is stuck in the hospital and that can't be any fun. Stephanie is going to spend some time with her so hopefully that will lift her spirits. We hope you get outta there soon Mrs. Linda!!
Also, my sister-in-law Brandy had to have two shots in her back on Monday and they have turned out to be very painful for her.
So please pray that both of them get better very soon. We are thinking of you both!
Love to all!
Kerri
Gap Give and Get Coupon!
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Gap have paired up again to offer an amazing coupon! 5% of your purchase will be donated to the LLS Society and it is also good at the outlets...check out the link below!
30% OFF COUPON TO GAP, BANANA REPUBLIC & OLD NAVY!
It's for 4 days only and starts tomorrow, so GET SHOPPING!
Love to all,
Kerri
5 Months Out
Hey all!
First and foremost: I would like to thank God for bringing me to where I am today - and for giving me the strength to bounce back from cancer and treatment so quickly. Thank you for blessing me with renewed health!
Today marks 5 months since I finished treatment. I can't believe my one year mark is approaching since "D-DAY" or in other words, diagnosis day - that's crazy! September 2, 2008 is a day I will never forget, but we'll cross that bridge when it gets here. For now, I just wanted to give you all an update on how I'm doing. In one word...FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!! I'm 100% back to my old self. A few things are forever changed in me, that's just part of a cancer diagnosis. But, I feel like a million bucks on most days - and I find that some days I have so much energy that I can barely sit in my chair to work. Now of course this depends on how well I sleep, but on most nights I sleep like a baby. I have been going to the gym 3 times a week for an hour each time, and that is a huge help. I feel so much better now that I work out on a consistent basis. My Lhermitte's Sign is getting better, but I can still feel it. Now if I can just get these last 4 pounds off!
Ben and I have been grilling out A LOT lately, and really just hanging out at our house. We hang out with Kristen and Matt a lot, and also our neighbors Bernie and Jody because they live right next door. We had everyone over this past Saturday night for a "rib off" between the boys. Well, we think they all won. They all had such different flavors and textures - but were all really good. Ben's had a rich smoky flavor, Matt's had an asian sweet-hot taste, and Jody's had a nice barbecue flavor to them. All were really good. So, it was a tie. We had fried green tomatoes, squash casserole, homemade cole slaw, freshly picked boiled corn, and bread. It was a rib feast for sure. YUM! We all played ladder ball after dinner and just had a great time. Here's a pic of Ben and Matt before the rib off started - it makes me laugh, look at those faces! HA!
I have also been enjoying my hummingbirds. I only have 3 so far this year, but hopefully I'll get a few more in August. Here is a picture of my ruby-throated hummer, isn't he beautiful? He's a feisty one - he dive bombs the other ones when they try to get nectar, it's funny! I love them!
Our summer has been a blast so far, and we've still got a month to go! Next month is going to be busy, there are so many family members including Ben and myself that have birthdays in August. It's a great month!
We are headed to the lake this weekend for an oyster roast - we are so excited! I hope all of you are having a fun summer so far - love to all!
Kerri
PS - see below right, I now have a "follower" section...please sign up!
The Santora-Hagy Wedding Weekend!
For the 4th, we went to my family's lake house to spend the weekend. The weather was beautiful, and we actually got to go see fireworks on the boat this year! We have tons of water! The 4th is always a great time and we enjoyed spending the long weekend with my fam. We made a mexican feast Friday night, and had the traditional chicken quarters Sat night. So good! We sat around and sang "Salty Dog" as we do every year and had a blast. The 4th is probably my second favorite holiday besides Christmas!
This past weekend Ben and I traveled down to Jekyll Island, GA for the Santora-Hagy wedding. Jenny Santora is the older sister of my best friend from college, Kristie. We got to the Jekyll Island Club around 3 on Friday and from there on out Ben and I had an absolute blast. Friday night was a "pirate" themed rehearsal dinner - it was SO MUCH FUN! A boat picked us up and took us to Sea Jay's not far from our resort. They served low country boil and everything was wonderful. Saturday we took a walk on the beach, hung out at the pool, and went and ate oysters at the "Rah Bar" right on the pier. This was one of the most beautiful and fun weddings we have ever attended. I will let the pictures speak for me. Thank you to the Santora's and Hagy's for such a fun weekend, we won't forget this one! Congratulations Jenny and Chris, hope you have a fabulous honeymoon!
Love to all!
Kerri
Way to go DEBBIE!
Remember my post about Debbie Markowski running the Seattle Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon a while back? Well, this past weekend she finished the race! She even put her status on facebook as "this one's for you Kerri" - WOW, she's just the sweetest person. She has raised over $3000 bucks to date, and is still trying to reach her goal of $4300. She ran 13.1 miles with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training group. Here are a few pics! That's Debbie in the middle! Love the purple boas by the way...
Thank you again for running in my honor! I really hope to meet you soon.
Here's her website again:
CONGRATULATIONS DEBBIE, YOU ROCK!
CLEAN SCAN! And a tribute...
Hey everyone! Just got news that my scan was CLEAN! No change from last time...YES YES YES! I could go do cartwheels right now! Good grief I am glad they called me back because I literally could not work this morning. I just sat here lost in anxiety land, not fun. BUT, now I am ECSTATIC! Thank you Lord for this answered prayer!
The scan went well Monday morning. They got the IV in the first time (in the crease of my arm which I HATE) but it wasn't too bad. Ben and I were back home by 9 am. I didn't have to go into work until after lunch so Ben and I stopped to get some breakfast. We got home and I looked over at the window in the kitchen and what do I see? A HUMMINGBIRD! I couldn't believe it! I have been waiting on my hummingbirds to show up since March. It literally made my day. I'm not sure why, but my hummingbirds always seem to show up on "scan" day. Last time my first one showed up, it was on the day that I had the first CT scan before my diagnosis. That awful, awful day. That was the day I went in for a CT, got home and then they called me right back. That was the day I got the news that I most likely had cancer. And as soon as I walked in the door after the terrible news, tears streaming down my face - there was that hummingbird. For some reason, that made me feel better. I knew everything would be alright when I saw it. Some of you may think I am weird for being that way, but that's just me. So, when I saw the new hummingbird on Monday, once again - I knew everything was going to be alright. They always show up when I need them the most.
This past weekend I went to the lake house to hang out with the fam. Talk about HOT! Wow, it was 101 degrees on Saturday. You could barely stand to be in the sun, and the shade wasn't much better. We had a great time though! We had Low Country Boil on Saturday and you just can't beat that on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I was glad I got to hang out with my Brother and Dad on Father's Day for a little while. Poor Ben had to work, but it turned out to be a successful weekend for him thank goodness! We missed you Ben! No more car sales until the fall, yay!
SO, I would like to end this blog post with a tribute. My parents beloved black lab TJ was put to sleep last week. They decided it was time for her to go because she just couldn't get around anymore, and the heat may have killed her this past weekend. TJ hasn't been in good shape for two years now, she was blind, had arthritis, and when they finally weighed her - she was a hefty 118 pounds. This dog meant a lot to my family. She came into the world when I was a junior in high school, and she was a puppy whose mother was my brother's old dog Andy. From the beginning, my Dad trained this dog to do tricks - she was so smart! We called her the ultimate "lake dog" because she ran and played from the minute she got to the lake house until my Dad loaded her in the back of the truck to come home. She loved a rock - we used to all have to take turns throwing rocks for her to go fetch. We would get tired of throwing rocks because this dog did not quit - we could throw them in the pitch black darkness and she would find it every time. We named TJ for the markings on her chest. She had a white "T" and we added J for Johnson and the name stuck. She was a happy dog, always so sweet and never mean to anyone. We love you and will miss you TJ - dogs like you are hard to find.
It's Electric! Boogie Woogie Woogie
Since I have been going to the gym for about two months, I have been getting this extremely odd sensation when I begin working out and all the way through my workouts - but it's only when I look down. I thought it would go away, but just last week - I was running on the treadmill when I looked down and I literally almost went flying off of it! I have discovered that I have a rare side effect from radiation called Lhermitte's Sign and it occurs after radiation to the cervical spine area. It feels like electric currents shooting down my spine and all the way down both legs. It's CRAZY! You know when you hit your funny bone really hard that tingly sensation you get? Well that's why it feels like on the lower half of my body. If I look down really hard, I almost fall over. It kind of freaks me out a little bit now that I know this is from radiation. I did some research this morning, and there isn't a thing I can do about it. It will subside, but it could be months or years. I am hoping it's months!
Hope yall are having a good week! Tonight at the gym when I feel this, I may just bust out the Electric Slide! HA!
Love to all,
Kerri
My next scan is coming up...
Ah, yes wonder when the "scanxiety" will kick in - it hasn't yet - thank goodness! I haven't really had to worry about one yet, so this will be new territory for me. I can already feel my chest start to tighten just thinking about it. PRAYERS PLEASE!!!!!! I need you all to pray for:
1. That the scar tissue is shrinking
2. That this beast never, ever returns
3. That my hair grows faster
OK, maybe not #3 - but this hair thing is starting to really bug me! It's growing super fast, just not fast enough for me! It's a little over 2 inches long now - keep in mind that I still have "old" hair, and this new hair is growing in like crazy. It sticks straight up on top of my head, really down my part line. Some of it pokes through the old hair! I can't do a thing with it. My new name for it is my "quarter mullet" since I have short and long hair. HA!
I have been feeling like my old self these past few weeks. I thought it would take me days to get over this last beach trip because I didn't sleep that much, but I was fine by Tuesday! I am impressed with how fast I have rebounded. I have been working out 3 times a week trying to get my self back into shape. I can tell it's working. I couldn't take a deep breath for a while after chemo, but it's definitely getting better. I just went to mush sitting on the couch for 6 months - and the steroids I was on made me eat everything in sight. I have never experienced hunger like that before! I put on about 6 pounds, which isn't that much - but for me it is. I have never gained weight, and some things don't fit like they used to. I have read that weight gained during chemo is a beast to get off, but eventually it does just fall off. Some others on my lymphoma forum packed on 50+ pounds, so I guess I did pretty good.
Anyways, just thought I would let you all know about the next scan, PLEASE pray for me.
Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the beginning of summer!
Love to all,
Kerri
Mom and Dad's Anni and Charleston Trip!
Congratulations!
I love yall and hope you have a wonderful day!
This past weekend I went on a trip to Charleston with 10 of my best girl friends - it was SO MUCH FUN! We stayed at Wild Dunes in Charleston, SC and the weather was absolutely beautiful. We had great company and awesome food. It was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. We are already planning one for next year because we all LOVED hanging out all weekend. Can't wait ladies!
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