stupid migraine

so i had big plans today to catch up on the b.l.o.g. (from months of overdue pictures and events) AND decorate the christmas tree AND do some laundry AND some spring cleaning (it is 60-something degrees out) AND update the phone numbers on my new iPhone (exciting purchase and new favorite thing) AND talk about my new obsession with pinterest (i finally "get it")… but instead spent 2 hours with an ice pack on the invisible daggar sticking out of my left eye!  boo… stupid migraine!  will try again tomorrow.

could not be more true…. thank you mandisa

Hey, heard you were up all night
Thinking about how your world ain't right
And you wonder if things will ever get better
And you're asking why is it always raining on you
When all you want is just a little good news
Instead of standing there stuck out in the weather

Oh, don't hang your head
It's gonna end
God's right there
Even if it's hard to see Him
I promise you that He still cares

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
And things can only get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger
Gonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger
Believe me, this is gonna make you ...

Try and do the best you can
Hold on and let Him hold your hand
And go on and fall into the arms of Jesus
Oh, lift your head it's gonna end
God's right there
Even when you just can't feel Him
I promise you that He still cares

'Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
In time it's gonna get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger

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!

in 12,960,000 seconds...

we will dance and laugh and cry and celebrate and rejoice and live and love!!  i'll be in white, mom in pink, BABs in a light khaki (just like i like my coffee) suit, EVERYONE will be sporting their "CANCER SUCKS" lime green bracelets…

…and fingers crossed i will still get to end up on a boat

theknot.com emailed me this week to remind me that i needed to order bridesmaid dresses {5 out of 6 ain't bad so far} and send in the order for wedding invitations {since i should have had the proof from last month}.  luckily i fell behind on schedule!  what the email did not ask me to do was decide on a "new" reception site which would change the flowers, decor, menu, seating arrangements, and color scheme that was pretty much set!!  
{please be prepared for a reception music montage of "we didn't start the fire" "burning down the house" "baby you can light my fire" and from one of BAB's favorite bands, KISS, "heaven is on fire"}  


"When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" Isaiah 43: 2b-3


wedding schmedding…. today we were blessed with a miracle!

MIRACLES=Wednesday's Favorite Thing

Mom's PET scan and spinal tap came back clean as a whistle;  and by whistle, i mean the only "bad" spot seen was where we found the initial "patch of Jasmine" in her back.  we went from a guestimated stage IV lymphoma that was miraculously downgraded to stage I.  silly Jasmine… thinking it can mess with the dobbinators!  so we are looking at 3 cycles of "round up" instead of 6-8.  hoping to be done with this nonsense by the end of 2012!  this doesn't give you angels and prayer warriors permission to erase mom's name off the list just yet… we still have some ugly "round up" to get through… but we are finally finally FINALLY seeing a glimpse of sunlight behind this dark cloud that has been following us around for 3 weeks.  

i was also reminded today of some funny memories with friends from previous "cocktail parties of the south".  a long time tradition for the UGA/UF game in jacksonville that started over 10 years ago (for us) with 25 best friends crashing some brave parents' home to sleep under dining room tables and on kitchen floors next to a running dishwasher… who said trampolines and lawn chairs couldnt be "beds" either?  
once we graduated to renting a house that would actually sleep 25 we still enjoyed acting like absolute college kids.  never ever have i laughed so hard at a game of "battle of the sexes" and thought of simple cooking techniques {blanching} in such inappropriate ways… followed by a midnight snack of oreo cookies with a mini snickers in the middle dipped in neapolitan ice cream.  i will miss the GA/FL weekend this year but look forward to heading to BMB friday morning for a 'relaxing' wedding planning 2.0 weekend!

if this isn't funny to you then i am sorry… if it makes you tinkle in your big girl {or boy} panties a little then you're welcome! {i may or may not be implying that happend during the filming of this video} 

sunday-funday 10.23.11

we got twinkies at church...

i found an ePhoto outfit for under $100 at the mall

the falcons won and UGA moved up in the ranking without even playing

quote of the day from me to BABs: "thank you baby for letting me drink more than i should've at a one-year-old's birthday party and driving me home.  i love you"

did i say LAUGH?

"blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." luke 6:21

i would like to thank everyone out there for the thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement over the past couple of weeks.  there have been many sleepless night and tears, but as of this morning i feel a whole lot better about almost everything.  

we found out wednesday that mom has a form of non-hodgkin's lymphoma.  i have had to "google with caution," and push my pharmacy knowledge of cancer and chemo to the side.  it is hard to filter around the good, the bad, and the ugly associated with this 'thing' we shall refer to as "Jasmine".  

<<DISCLAIMER>> 

this is not a 'cancer' blog… therefore we don't need that word scattered all over the place.  

just like the Jasmine that is 'attacking' the stairs and deck to our porch at the Beach Blossom, we will attack mom's Jasmine with FDA approved Round-Up.  in my opinion there is about to be a major Jasmine beat down!  


it has been such a blessing to be surrounded by the love of my life {i think he is still going to marry me even after seeing my ugly cry… SUPER ugly}, the best girlfriends in the world {by the way i totally cried all over that homemade mac-n-cheese for girl's dinner too}, and an amazing family.  last time i checked: back surgery, PET scan, wig shopping and 6-8 cycles of round-up are not on the "how to plan a wedding in 12 months" to do list.  i guess that just makes me special!  


so ON the wedding front… in 1 week we will have our toes back in the sand, be drinking those yummy whippetts for lunch, sharing a bottle of wine with the pastor we FINALLY found to marry us {how cool is that… totally his idea}, and awkwardly posing for the engagement photo shoot!  {oh yeah… watching football GO DAWGS!}  then we can swing by the reception site and see what is left from the blazing fire that destroyed over half of it at about 2 am this morning…. "what was that?  did you just tell me my reception site burned up?"  REALLY?  i did say we would continue to laugh!

ironically the first thing i did was send up a big old hallelujah praise to my Jesus!  no doubt in my mind He is showing his presence in my life and reminding me i am nothing without Him.  

we will round-up, we will rebuild, we will have a beautiful wedding!  boogity boogity boogity AMEN.

wednesday's least favorite thing: the c-word

what do you do the morning of the day you find out not IF your mom has cancer... but what kind of cancer she has?
work a few hours as if my entire world isn't going to change in the next 4 hours?
think about how beautiful she will be in her pink dress on my wedding day in just short 5 months?
continue to be relieved that the pain that has been cursing her for the past 4 months is finally gone?

we are all being very optimistic!  i am trying NOT to think of the probability, prognosis, staging, statistics, and measures that i studied for years and discuss with patients on a regular basis...  but also can't help it!

we will continue to live!
we will continue to laugh!
we will continue to love!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Rom 8:28