Back to life, back to reality...

So Friday, when we found out about my brother having cancer, I took several hours and cried my eyes out for not being there. And then I thought to myself -"What the heck are you doing here? Go home!" So I hurried and scatterbrainly (is that a word? Oh well.) packed myself a bag, grabbed Piper and a toy and was on my way. Probably not the safest way to head home, but I wanted to be there. And fast. So I was home until Sunday. (Thanks mom!) It was so wonderful to spend family time, but also made me more sad for not being there more often. I hate missing things with family. Even if it's a simple as a movie date, or a dinner or a birthday party, if I'm not there I just feel like I'm missing precious moments that I'm so lucky to have. So obviously missing things like Dr.'s appointments, and just dropping in to bring my brother a Route 44 grape slush (his favorite Sonic drink) are especially hard on my heart. Living in Amarillo has suddenly become all the more real that I'm not in Oklahoma anymore. I can't just be there in 20 minutes. It's so great we're only four hours away, but that's still two tanks of gas - it's close enough, but still so far away. It's times like these that make me so excited for Dylan and I to work in Oklahoma again. I'm ready to not miss moments like this.

Today Jason had his first appointment with the pediatric oncologist, he'll most likely start chemo as early as next week. Please if you would, say a little prayer for him. I'm not sure how it will be next week, but I know the power of prayer in numbers. I just pray for his doctors as well as him. I pray that he heals quickly and that the effects of the chemo will be something he can handle. Thank you for your kind words and support. I can't tell you enough how much it makes my heart smile.

Also, my mom set up a CaringBridge website on behalf of my brother. She will keep everyone up to date on all the outcomes of the appointments and things like that. If you're interested feel free to stop by here and leave them a sweet comment. :) I know it would make them happy.

Onnnnn a lighter note, (& because I hate posts without pictures...) Piper is by far the BEST car rider I've ever seen in my whole life. She loves car rides and they just put her straight to sleep! She will just cuddle or curl up and be out like a light for as long as you need her to be. She is so wonderful. :)

Cancer.

Yesterday, July 2nd, we found out my 17 year old baby brother has cancer.

Quite a large pill to swallow, huh?

It's been a huge eye opener to me. In my family alone, cancer is no stranger. My Grandmother and Aunt had breast cancer, and are now survivors. My Mother in law had breast cancer, and is now a survivor. It is only a matter of time before I add my sweet brother to my list of heroes.

He will be a cancer survivor as well. I know it.

He has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Which is a fairly common form of cancer in the lymph nodes. Although, the form he has is rare. Only 5% of the people who are diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma have what he has. They caught it early. He will beat this.

We won't find out what his treatment will be until early next week. He will have several tests done and will meet with a pediatric oncologist on Tues. I ask that any of you that read my blog please pray for my brother & our family. I know that God is going to carry him through this and do amazing things for Jason. I know in the Bible it says that when two or more people come together before the Lord that He will answer. Thank you in advance for lifting up my family in your prayers.

I don't know what the future holds for us, but I have this sense of peace over me. I know he's going to be okay. I know God doesn't give us things we can't handle. As much as I'd love to question why, I just can't. I'm trusting that God knows what he's doing far better than I ever could. I know that Jason will do what is necessary to beat this. I also know that even though this is a huge deal, there are far more difficult things that people have to deal with every day. Today I pray for all the families out there that are struggling with similar (if not worse) situations.



"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

23... Oh geez...

So, yesterday was my birthday. I had already celebrated with my family a couple of weeks ago when I was home for a wedding, so I knew it wouldn't be anything special.
I got lots of calls, text messages, cards, emails and facebook/twitter comments that truly made my day. I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I mean it's my first birthday being married, so being the crazy planner I am, I built up all of these expectations. Little did I know, we wouldn't be seeing our family, Dylan would have to work 12 hours, and we would be poor stuck in a strange new place we call home. Ha!
But wouldn't you know God had better plans in store for me. It completely surpassed my expectations. Dylan and I got breakfast before he left for work, I packed his lunch/dinner and he gave me my present. He got me a beautiful ring. He sang to me and had me blow out the flame from our fire flicker candle lighter thing {classy, I know} but, we didn't have a cake or candles for that matter! Ha! The rest of the day I just hung out around the apartment with Piper and did some cleaning & window shopping and headed to Ruby Tequilas to meet two of my friends from Dylan's news station. They have been so wonderful to have here. Amarillo wouldn't be nearly as fun without them. I thought we were just going to go have dinner together so I wouldn't have to eat by myself, but they both showed up with a gift for me :) So sweet. I couldn't believe it. Megan got me a World Market gift card, which I LOVE World Market. Little did she know World Market is my favorite thing about living in Texas! I'm thinking a nice apothecary jar might be in my future! And Maxine got me not only a trifle bowl but four mini bowls that are so great! I couldn't believe she remembered that I wanted one! I've been wanting one for so long to make cute banana pudding, or dirt, or a pretty salad - anything really! Then Megan bought my dinner and we headed back to my apartment to watch RHONJ. We do this almost every Monday, I just love it! It's so good to have good girlfriends. It was such a great night! Thank you all for making it so special! Dylan and I are both off work tomorrow so we've got a belated birthday date planned to do dinner and a movie. I can't wait! I'm hoping this 23rd year of mine will be a good one! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Toy Story 1&2...

Is anyone as excited as I am to see Toy Story 3?! I am so pumped! I would've seen it by now, but Dylan and I have wanted to watch the first 2 again to refresh our memories. Clearly we weren't the only ones with this idea, seeing as how NetFlix has such a long wait on TS1&2. So last night Dylan and I ran to Target to grab a couple of things. While we were walking around the store, we walked right by the DVD section. On sale were the DVD's of TS 1&2! We bought them, without a second thought, and watched both of them last night. I love that the 1st Toy Story was made like 15 years ago and is just as great today as it was then. I loved it. I can't wait to see the 3rd! Hopefully we can fit it in sometime this weekend!

Yum-O!

Ina's Shrimp Scampi Linguine Recipe:

Ingredients

* Vegetable oil
* Kosher salt
* 3/4 pound linguine
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
* 1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1/2 lemon, zest grated
* 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
* 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
* 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

This is absolutely delicious, and SO easy. It's my new summer go to recipe, thanks to Erin at Blue Eyed Bride. Enjoy!

iPhone iOS 4...

Let me just show you my latest obsession.
This is my home screen of my phone. I'm not sure if any of you remember this post but, Dylan accidentally shattered my iPhone in April. So I bought a new one and renewed my contract, then 30 days later I find out that there will be an even newer one, to which I am not eligible for upgrade. Major bummer. Or so I thought... but thanks to the wonderful people at Apple, they have created the iOS 4 update for our phones, so mine is now practically as great as the new one will be. I am in love. It works like my brain, only now I can see it in my hand. Categorized just the way I like it. No new phone needed for this girl. My heart is happy.

Weekend Madness...

Tomorrow night we'll hit I-40E toward OKC for two days! I couldn't be more excited! My brother is having surgery in the morning (feel free to say a little prayer for him). We have lots to do, as usual. It's hardly a vacation...this time on our agenda we plan on doing breakfast with my family to (early) celebrate my birthday. (Since I won't see my family for that) Spend time with my brother of course, and go to one of Dylan's good friend's weddings & partake in a broadcasting reunion with a bunch of his friends from undergrad. Oh and I have a full order of mugs to paint from McNellie's. Ugh. It's going to be a quick two days. Poor Dylan for having to use his "days off" driving & running around crazy. I'm ready to go back to Oklahoma for a second. I miss my family, and just being in Oklahoma in general. I see a Super Target Run in my future. I hate that there isn't ever enough time to see everyone or everything. Is it bad that sometimes I want to just go there in secret so I don't hurt anyone's feelings? Ha. Not to sound selfish, but it's true. I miss my friends dearly. I wish Dylan and I could both go home for like a week and then we could see everyone and not feel so scatter brained. Tomorrow I have a fun day planned of sunning and nail painting, laundry, packing and thrifting. I'll keep you posted on my fab finds. Happy Friday everyone!