take THAT c-word!

Just want to give a shout out to my mom for kicking some major JASMINE @$$!

Today was the first day of the rest of her life after finishing:

back surgery with 5 spinal fusions

1 bone marrow biopsy

3 rounds of chemo {R-CHOP}

2 PET scans

22 days of radiation

…but who's counting!

Look what she got today

Can't wait to see them when they all bloom!

We are beyond blessed that the {miserable} list is as short as it is though!  I know many are not as "lucky" as we have been… prayers and thoughts go out for those that have traveled this path before, those who have "won" it, those that "lost" the battle, those who are still on it, and those just beginning… 

We have an official WEDNESDAY'S FAVORITE THING!!

BABs and I had a BALL this past weekend spending our Costco rebate check!  No one will go thirsty at the pre-wedding bon fire, we got a super awesome Keurig, and a SodaStream {as seen above}.  I still got $9 in change!  We broke it out tonight and made some homeade diet grapefruit soda {or Fresca}.  I drank a whole liter of it… and then we added 9 flavors to our BB&B registry!  We aren't kidding folks!  We want soda flavors as a wedding present!  Then I read a blog where you can buy liquid caffeine and add it to your soda for a little boost!!  Might be trying that sooner than later!

Speaking of wedding… thirty-one days!

Except for one more run to Kinko's and a frantic first day when I get to Florida I am pretty much "done"!  Super looking forward to my "girls' weekend" in A-town this weekend!  WOOT WOOT!

Feel free to leave any last minute wedding advice in the comment section!  

seh-bun-dee days!!

Ahhh… at my favorite place on earth!  BMB!  Getting down to the wire here with the wedding countdown.  This is our last trip before we arrive for the wedding weekend.  BABs and I met with our photographer for lunch today for a walk through of the photo schedule.  Tomorrow we are going to head to "church at the Rave" and say hi to Pastor Eric.  "Pre" wrap-up meeting on Tuesday with our wedding coordinator!  I had to pretend that I didn't see a sample example of the "day of wedding schedule." As organized as I am, I didn't think even about "when the florist needs to start decorating," "when the caterers need to start cooking," "when the bartenders need to start chilling the beer… or bring ice!" {all all of that is on a schedule}  It's going to be enough to know where I have to be and when much less coordinating all of the vendors!  Like I said… I am just going to pretend I didn't see it :)

thank.God.for.CW!!

I got to FINALLY use my new Garmin today too {one of the Christmas presents that was about to get dusty}!  BABs and I went for a "quick" 3.5K walk today and I was able to download the whole thing online!  It.is.awesome!  You can see for yourself HERE.  What I did learn is that walking 4 mph in real life is much more difficult than on a treadmill.  I SWEAR it felt about the same… but Garmie didn't think so!  I was also able to start accumulating {stealing} the FREE visitor map guides for the "goodie buckets."  I figure, 5 here, 7 there… we'll get enough eventually!  {Even though they are FREE I am pretty sure that is not an invitation to walk off with 60 at a time} :)

Then there is the "wedding diet" WHILE on vacation!  And I don't even like saying "I'm on a diet!"  {disclaimer} I am COMPLETELY "content" with the way I currently look… but know that I don't always feel great after I overindulge and under stress that happens more often than not.  I know have some "room for improvement" and am lucky to have BABs playing along with me!  {# for # he is kicking my butt… don't you hate it that guys can do that?}  Serioualy though… I just had my cholesterol checked and to my surprise it was not "perfect."  The numbers that were very VERY slightly "off" are linked to dietary indiscretions and not enough exercise.  {note to self… don't have your cholesterol checked the week after you get back from New Orleans}  I have discovered that I can survive on MUCH less food than I was eating before… and that post-french-fry-cheese-dip guilt is gone!  Also now that the gosh awful shoulder pain is currently resolved I working on my fitness too!  As I brag about how "good" this diet is going, I look up to talk dinner plans… and BABs says "I want tater tots" and it kinda sounded like this...

"I WANT TATER TOTS" :)

Chicken, Salad, and Spray Ranch is what will be on the menu tonight!

{a.k.a. TWFT}

P.I.T.A. {neck}.

I am sad… Sad Sad Sad… and I REALLY don't like blogging about sad stuff but this blog can't nap anymore.  {Last time I had an "ugly" post I was pissed at the Target guy for not letting me go over the STUPID six.item.limit in the dressing room while bathing suit shopping.}

I have an active trigger point causing a pain in my shoulder/neck that is nearly indescribable.  My guess is that everything I have been "carrying" on my shoulders the past 3 months FINALLY said "you are done".  I am thinking this is my body's way of giving 2011 a big EFF-U.  The knot in my left shoulder is the size of a golf ball and has inhibited me from using 54% of my Christmas presents and jump starting the "KCB bridal fitness plan"!  I was told today "that little sucker is pretty stubborn… one of the tightest knots I have ever seen… you are not going to like me for what I am doing to you now later tonight"

I have been on 4 different muscle relaxers, received narcotics in my "stocking", then was prescribed my own since "you shouldn't steal drugs from your "cancer-ridden mother" {-says Dr. Mac}, anti-inflammatories, cortisone shots, electric stimulation, 3 massages, 19 days of prayers…. and can only manage to get myself "stoned" enough to sleep for 4 hours at a time until the meds wear off and I wake up in tears.  Needless to say this is not how I wanted to start twenty-twelve.

~I want to blog about how BLESSED we are that mom was declared JASMINE FREE on December 29th and then went to Olde Towne to CELEBRATE! {which is ironically the restauarnt we were at when I knew "something wasn't right" with mom; where dad and I ate as she was transferred from the OR to the neuroICU after her back surgery on no sleep for nearly 48 hours; and where you can see us RADIATING with happiness as seen below one week ago today!}

~I want to tell everyone what a wonderful Christmas break I had organizing and cleaning my house as I prepare to turn my guest room in to a "man cave!"

organizing is a turn ON for me!

~I want to go on and on about the new position I will be starting at work after I get married! {If you work at Kaiser and are reading this… just wait until the 10th to ask me about it}

~I want to discuss how funny it is to compare NYE 2005-6 with NYE 2011-12!

2005-2006
biggest concern: Jana devastated that I may {or may not} have thrown up all over my pretty red silk dress… NOT the $88 cab ride home, 2… I repeat TWO miles from park tavern!!}

2010-2011
biggest concern: Dick Clark remembering how to count down from 20 AND staying awake past 11:15!

~I want to state that this year I will {again} NOT read Atlas Shrugged, NOT stop bitting my nails, and TRY to keep flossing every Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday {and after eating ribs and/or corn on the cob!}

~I want to share that I am excited to finally WANT to exercise {again} with Insanity {a few select DVDs}; P90X {yoga, ab ripper X, & core synergistics}; DIY groupStep, groupRide, groupPower, and groupCentergy; run with my new SHOES, GARMIE, and LULU clothes.  …but I effing CAN NOT with my shoulder in its current condition! {side note: funny how you do nothing but make excuses for months on why you will wait until 'next Monday' to 'start'… 9 Mondays later I am laid up on Percocet and a heating pad}

~I want to tell everyone how truly truly truly extatic I am to be marrying my best friend in 2 and a half months {he brought me flowers yesterday} and the checklist is gettin' done!!

~i want to be so happy that in 7 days I will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the night I took SEVENTEEN shots {i.e. the reason I will not drink jagermeister or anything blue}.  & hopefully NOT be frozen in my house again eating 4 month old "'irth 'ay" cake!

Happy 21 to ME!!

…but here I am... sad and not feeling good for the 5th day in a row :(  crying because there is NOTHING that makes me feel better {even blogging hurts}.  So maybe a glass of Pinot Noir will do the trick and take the edge off {or will make me cry more}  Who knows?… I am willing to give it at try!!

This week's favorite thing: The ESTROGEN BOWL: New episode of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice

seventy seven & one hundred

it's hard to believe it was just 77 days ago that our world turned upside down!  yesterday marked a milestone!  we finished the third treatment of "round-up."  mom has been nothing less than a complete ROCKSTAR.  i am so incredibly proud and amazed by how my parents have dealt with all of this!  i could not be more blessed.

we celebrated yesterday by watching "the Help."

mom and i were going to see this movie opening weekend back in august…  she called me on that tuesday night and said "i don't think i can go to the movies this weekend because my back hurts too much to sit up for 2 hours…"  little did we know then what that really meant.  so i thought it would be a wonderful early Christmas present!

it was not NEAR as good as the book… and mom and i chatted, and made dinner, and looked at jewelry, and gave about 50% of our attention to the movie!  {and now i can tell BABs where i get my "i can't sit still for a movie" from}

it was a favorite favorite favorite Wednesday if you ask me!

in 100 days my world will change again!  ...and my last name!

i am looking forward to it more than ever.  each day "something" gets checked off {or gets closer to being checked off} the "to do" list

our 2 to 1 mentors have been amazing tools to show us that this day is SOOOO much more than flowers, favors, and signature drinks!

it is seriously impossible to think i could barely breath ~75 days ago

and now our wedding day will be here before we know it!

a couple quickies…

this cute little man made his appearance to the world VERY early yesterday

Cole Alexander Williams, born at 2:16 am, 8 lb 3 oz, 19.5 in long

i can not wait to kiss his little cheeks and hug his momma's neck

and please lift up my aunt and uncle carol and buddy.  last weekend {after the SEC game} uncle Bud got an emergency helicopter ride to pensacola when they found a baseball size aneurysm in his belly AFTER a dislocated shoulder!  all are well now but seriously… can we have a teensy little break!

these will be some of the most blessed holidays EVER!

wednesday's FAVORITE thing: powerAde ZERO

it's been a while since i have had a favorite thing AND the energy to blog about it on WEDNESDAY! {well just barely enough energy}

58 cents!  for 32 oz!

don't hold it past me to pick up another 32*32 before i head to NOLA {fun work trip ahead} this weekend and the sale is gone again for another 3 months!

a few random things to leave you with this evening:

BABs and i started our 2 to 1 premarital mentoring program and they encouraged us to read a Psalm a night.  with 115 days until our wedding, and 150 Psalms, we are on a role!  4 days in and 8 Psalms down.  it is a very nice 5-7 minutes of reflection to wind down a long busy day with each other!  i can not wait to get to some of my favorites: 13, 23, 40, 51, 86, 119…

i also wanted to send a shout out to my "soul sista" whose husband was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma {"kudzu"} just over a year ago. he has been in remission and his follow up, follow up PET scan was clean as a whistle {they found out this past Monday}.  she is the one i stole the jasmine & round-up idea from, except they call it kudzu & juice!  she was probably one of the first people i poured my heart and soul of concerns out to when we found out about mom's jasmine!  i thought "if she can have a 3 month old baby, a husband with kudzu, and caboodles of other less than ideal circumstances happen to her and CONTINUE to smile {and be funny} and shine {and be BEAUTIFUL} and praise God… i need to know what is in her wheaties."  sure enough… it is faith in good old J.C.!  so just add a dash of that and… no… everything won't just magically be alright… it will still be a little a lot crappy BUT you will have the strength to get through whatEVER it is!  eat those wheaties!

p.s.  she also gave me a shout out on her blog and since then i noticed that maybe 5-7 MORE people have read my blog this week :) 

that makes me happy {and slightly more conscientious of typos!}

and we're back

well that sucked!  the headache decided to go away {finally} and i was able to get the tree up and decorated!  bittersweet this being the last Christmas in my very own condo but looking forward to the new-bowers' first Christmas next year!  

i have plans for a post dedicated to the Christmas decor all to itself so stay tuned!

Thanksgiving was wonderful!  i have been full for about 5 days now.  just ate or tossed out the last of the leftovers {with the exception of my first cheesecake!}  i was happy to get permission to "make it again!" considering REAL baking {ah-hem… not out of a box} is a new to me.  

i was lucky to organize one family Thanksgiving pic at my parents after brunch!

mom is blonde {again} and beautiful {as always} and i am trying to remind her how much "more fun" we have!!  after a dose of mom's milk punch, sausage and rice casserole,  a nap, some football, and a raid of grama jo's jewelry {pronounced "jew-rea-uhl"} box, i left Thanksgiving 1.0 with a small hangover and a new strand of pearls!  the gluttony continued {T-Day 2.0} with turkey, dressing, mashed taters, etc. at the bowers!

worked black friday… not my favorite thing but not the end of the world either

speaking of favorite things… Christmas came early!  

baby got an iPhone!  i feel like such a big girl now. i was seriously living in the dark ages with a phone that would basically just call people!  {remember when they did that?}  THEN as i was downloading aps… pinterest was recommended as a MUST have ap for any bride-to-be's phone!  ...now i received my invitation and registered MONTHS ago but just didn't really "get it."  well Saturday i finally "got it"!  3 football games later i have 10 boards, DIY ideas that will never get done, too many recipes to try, and enough motivational "get your butt in shape" quotes to keep the 3 lbs i found this past week from hanging around too long!!


on that note i am going to hit the sack!  busy work ahead to get ready to be in NOLA for a whole week and MISS the SEC championship game :(

wft: no seaweed

this was probably one of the top 2 prettiest days in "heaven" i have ever had.  the only thing keeping it from the #1 spot was the fact that this picture was taken on the day we were leaving

{sad face}

BABs and i have been on a roller coaster of emotions and surprises lately and this scene in my opinion was "the calm after the storm." the beach we left behind on monday pretty much tied a pretty little bow on {dare i say it} things turning around for us.  

friday we met the man that will marry us and his wife at an adorable little bistro in baytowne.  it was a wonderfully comfortable encounter and we are looking forward to getting to know PE {pastor eric} and his lovely wife {darlene} over the next {less than} 5 months!  we went to their church on sunday {in a movie theater}, they gave us halloween fangs AND danced to thriller! 

as we were enjoying a post-pizza-vino we noticed an event posted on facebook by our favorite grilled cheese sandwich "restaurant". the halloweener derby saturday morning.  you would not believe how much fun 2 cat people could have at a dachshund race! we even saw a wiener dog in a wheelchair kick some derby bootie too!


{POST VIDEO HERE}


congrats to "tater" the 2011 champion

post derby we headed over to what i will refer to as plan A, aka what used to be our reception site!  {click  HERE for the pre-kitchen-explosion photos}

we looked at plan B and plan C, {even considered plan D for a minute}.  we will have to make some minor adjustments from plan A, but will still be willing to give the wedding of the year a run for its money {ok… so that was a joke… i really meant THIS wedding}


sunday was a complete FUNDAY!  church, getting pretty, and engagement photos!!  my MUA/hair-stylist was the one that "introduced" us to PE and she was just a doll!  we headed to seaside for the photo shoot and met our photographer by my favorite purple wall… {stay tuned for an entire post dedicated to the ePhotos}

see "favorite thing" photo above to understand how hard it was to leave monday!  but even after 96ish hours of wedding planning v2.0 we had to get back to work, ready for round-up #1 {of 3} and the jasmine beat down!


JASMINE UPDATE:  round-up #1 went well today!  and after tolerating a bone marrow biopsy {bmb} like a rock*star, my mother is a BAMF in my book!  she is sleeping like a baby right now and i am looking forward to spending the day with her tomorrow watching TERRIBLE television and homeade manis!


we want to THANK EVERYONE for the prayers, cards, well wishes, and delicious food!  after confirming from the BMB that this jasmine is nowhere else to be found... we can wonder how? or understand that God is looking over us, protecting us, and hearing our prayers!

the giving tree and (t)WFT

once again i count my blessings.  what crazy weather we have had this year.  this was the site at my house prior to coming home from the gym this evening!  luckily there was no major damage!  my 'neighbor' lost a gutter… and even if my car had been in its spot we would still be in okay shape.  

thanks to my neighbors we were able to clear a path to the front door!  

after the clean up (in the pouring rain) and a warm shower i ended up eating cheese and pretzel M&Ms for dinner.  i will designate pretzel M&Ms this Week's Favorite Thing.

this Week’s Favorite Thing (WFT): moms

see how i did that?  i can still use WFT but if I miss a wednesday deadline (or if blogger is down for 2 days) it can still work!  so this past weekend was Mother’s Day.  i had the pleasure of taking my wonderful mom to the Georgia Aquarium.  my camera is not fantastic but i tried to get some fishy shots!  is it bad that all i wanted to eat was sushi and crab legs when we left?

instead of seafood though, we ended up on an amazing patio at fellini’s for pizza.

it was a glorious day: the view, the weather, the pizza, the diet coke with a splash of root beer, the company!  pizza must have been the theme for mother’s day this year... when asked where my mother-in-law-to-be wanted to go to dinner... all she wanted was pizza too!  i ended up with a salad for that one!

WFT: morgan taylor mccranie

Morgan Taylor McCranie

4/13/2011

8 lbs 8 oz

21.5 inches

little baby Mac is my favorite thing this week.  she came in to this world wednesday (as other regularly scheduled favorite things). since i was not able to get to NH until this evening to hug on the little cutie (and get a quick pic) i figured it would be quite alright to post it a day late!  it is so amazing to see my friends become moms!  i remember growing up thinking that these days were make believe and ages away.  i am not on the page to make it a reality just yet... but super thrilled to take a little (actually pretty huge) step in that direction as i get ready to be a wife!  

today also forces me to pay attention to the circle of life!  as one dear friend brings a new life in to this world, another sadly says goodbye to her last grandparent.  those days came and went for me several years ago… no one likes to see friends and 'family' hurting.  i missed the blessing of having 4 generations in the same room on my side.  all i know is that since i am taking my mother's maiden name back in just over 11 months, i can only think my dear grama is up there tinkering with things to leave her  mark on my future!

WFT: not that exciting

when i woke up this morning i honestly did not think a simple anesthetic oral gel would be what stand out beyond my REAL favorite thing this week… but that will be postponed for another wednesday.

it has been a long day and i have a canker sore under the back of my tongue so one of the simple things in life made me feel better.  

and i am really hungry but it hurts to eat or drink :(  i can not even focus on work, reading, or tv due to the annoyance in the back of my mouth.  

unfortunately i had to turn one of the things i thought was a favorite in to a "never again" item.  since 'real' food hurts to eat, i thought a smoothie would be a great supplement for lunch… how bad can Smoothie King be?  i have been drinking the cranberry supreme for about 15 years and loving every minute of it.  why TODAY did i actually decide to take a look at the nutritional content?  

calories and carbs: a gazillion

protein and actual nutritional value: 6

we will be changing the flavor of "my favorite smoothie" and if it ends up being fabulous, maybe it will end up on WFT.  

WFT: justin bieber's sweatshirt

is it hot in here? because i might have Bieber Fever!

technically it was my favorite thing starting Tuesday but that is not how i play this game!  it has been a great week and i shout it out on wednesday!  besides signing the contract to officially release our wedding date, i had a wonderful day at work, and i received a gift from a dear family friend who works directly with the biebers.  apparently our little teeny bopper pop star has to purge his closet every once and a while too.  it is nice to be indirectly 'related' to the bieber's personal organizer!  this particular sweatshirt was chosen from a dozen hand-me-down hoodies on their way to the goodwill.  a few reasons i selected this purple d'eglingue hoodie! i mean it is purple.  represents peace and guitars… and most significantly, it did NOT have the tags on it (unlike several other donations) which means beebs may have actually worn it.  so go ahead and make fun of the 30 year old in the teenager's sweatshirt… i just have 3 words to leave you with: baby baby baby...

WFT: the wedding book

i read this cover to cover (when i should have been studying for a diabetes exam…)

having not made many decisions for my big day (yet), this big book has helped me feel like the wedding planning process is not as difficult as some have made out to be.  bb and i have had a wonderful day #1 at the beach as we start to make this thing happen.  (pictures to come tomorrow).  the weather has been perfect and we wish we could just bottle this day up and pour it out when we need it (next March 10th or 24th!)    stay tuned as the planning continues!  and i recommend this book to anyone getting ready to make their little girl dreams come true!

WFT: MacBook Pro

i have converted!  

today i received my newest favorite thing...

exciting yet so overwhelming at the same time.  thanks to my slightly more mature friend who realized 6 months after purchasing the 13" computer she really needed a bigger screen!  this definitely tops all hand-me-downs.  i don't even know where to start... do up upload my old files to this computer? blog more? read the book "converting to apple for dummies"?  luckily i am marrying a computer genius so he can learn me all i need to know :)