Getting there...

Well, we are getting there...almost done. Radiation is going well so far - I haven't noticed any side effects at all yet, except that my skin on my chest and back is a little bit pinker than usual. I have more energy now than I have had in the last 7 months, but am still tired. I'm sure that part of it is being back at work and having 3 small children, so it's hard to know if any of it is from the radiation. My mornings are kind of crazy - I want to get all the kids dressed, fed, and the house picked up before the babysitter comes at 8 so I can make it to radiation by 8:30 (plus, I have to be showered and dressed and fed). So by the time I get home again, I am already sick of running around. Oh well, only 9 more days of this! I'm soo soo grateful to all of the ladies that are coming to watch my kids every morning....it is so helpful instead of bringing them somewhere....I would have to be up at 5 instead of 6!

Thanks for all of your prayers about going back to work...it has been going well and last weekend I took more of a normal assignment of patients and it went just fine. I had been worrying about nothing....it all came back to me the minute I walked back into the hospital. My coworkers are fabulous and I am grateful to have a job that I love. Physically, it was a little challenging as my body is not used to being up all night anymore or being on my feet for 12 hours, so after working this last Saturday night I was a little sore. But, that will get better soon too.

So on Monday I celebrated my 30th birthday...crazy how fast life flies by. Mike surprised (or tried to surprise) :) me with a large group of people at a restaurant called Firefly. It was a lot of fun and it was very thoughtful of Mike to plan it for me. I have been so blessed with a loving husband and awesome friends.

Something I have been challenging myself with lately is cherishing every moment of every day and living life to the fullest. I feel like this is how God would want us to live the life that He has blessed us with. Steven Curtis Chapman sang at a woman's retreat I went to last year, and his wife wrote a book about losing their daughter. In it, she talks about how looking back, she would have spent less time cleaning and stressing out about that stuff, and more time coloring, hugging, reading etc. (my friend Shelly actually read this at MOPS on Tuesday, and I have been thinking about this ever since that retreat! It's crazy how God works sometimes!) So, my challenge to myself is to not worry about non-important things throughout my day...things will eventually get done. But instead, I'm trying to spend more time coloring with Hannah, reading books with Collin, and rolling around on the floor with Micah etc. Because in the end, when I'm spending eternity with Jesus, I'm not going to wish I had finished all of the laundry/dishes everday. Easy to say, but difficult to do in our humanity and sin.

So, as I finish radiation and look forward to moving on with my life cancer free, I challenge all of you who are reading this to make the effort to see the blessings in your life everyday - the kingdom of God here on earth. Not just the big blessings, but the little ones too- children's giggles, the smell of coffee, a warm blanket on a cold snowy day, the taste of chocolate. (that's a big blessing for me... :)

Much love to you all!