Surgery details

Surgery will be Tuesday May 26th am. I have to be there at 6am so I think my surgery is around 8. It will be a double masectomy. Dr. Long and Dr. Mickel will be my surgeons. I should have to stay in the hospital for about 2 to 3 days. I'll post an update about my lymph node results after the surgery when I can. I have heard I will have to live in my recliner for about 2 months. We'll see, but I am preparing for it just in case. Thank you to the person who invented TIVO. I love you man. LOL Yeah I am addicted, but that is a good thing during a time like this.

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Tons going on tomorrw.

Dr. Mickel preop appt 9:30 am

Dr. Long preop appt 10:30am do ya think I can make it????? They think I can. We'll see.

Errands: Just Like You shop, bank, human resources at work, shopping for button up pajamas and shirt for after surgery, preregister StFrancis downtown for surgery, preregister StFrancis north for injections (6 radioactive ones needed for surgery), call Shae about injections, clean car, clean house, and whatever else I am forgeting.

Please pray for my grandmother so she will get well quick and I can go spend time with her before surgery, my family as they travel down here for surgery, my sanity as I try my hardest to prepare for the unknown, that all goes well during and after surgery, and all of the other people out their fighting cancer.

Love you guys super much,

Brandi

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New chapter in this book called life.

Well..... I have a difficult journey ahead of me, but you all know me. I am a very strong and stubborn person. I guess being stubborn is a good thing right now. I will not let the ball get dropped on my care. I will do it in a nice way though. You all know that. I will keep my OCD journal documenting all the details of my care down to the exact time I must take whichever medication. Brooke and Jarrett only know I will be having surgery. I feel like if I say the word cancer Brooke will have a hard time understanding that I am ok and will be ok. Jarrett is worried about me and I guess I need to find a book to read to him so he'll understand I'm ok. Brooke acts like it is a routine thing to have surgery. It probably is to her since I've had an absolute ton of them. LOL. I'm not sure how Ashley is taking it. My parents told her and she was very quiet when I talked to her the other day. She is old enough to understand the severity of cancer and I hope all of the good news is helping her. Cheer will be a good thing to keep her mind off me and my problems. She should have no guilt over moving b/c it makes me feel good to know she is being taken care of and has found some really great friends up there. I would not change a thing about her moving. Don't get me wrong I miss her, but I am totally at peace with the situation b/c it is a good thing. I meet Monday with one of my doctors about a prophalactic masectomy on the other side and my main surgeon Tuesday to schedule my surgery. I have trouble understanding how mine is contained since it covers 3/4 of one side, but I am accepting the GREATTTTTT news. I am just trying to make arrangements right now b/c you know life stops at my house when Momma stops. HaHa. I am organizing our finances, cleaning the house b/c I figure I'll have visitors, planning the kids lives for the next few weeks so it will be easier for hubby to follow their schedule if it is mapped out and written down. I am alot better now that I met with the surgeon. I can at least talk about it without crying. At first I took it really hard, but it is getting easier to accept and talk about. That is why I have been communicating by email alot b/c in person is way too hard. I did have a rough evening last night, but that is my fault b/c I watched the season finale of my favorite show Grey's anatomy. Yeah I couldn't miss that even if it did upset me a little. I lovvvvveeeee that show. All in all life is great!!!! And God is great. I find myself trusting his decisions in my life b/c I see he is the one helping me through this. He is the one who told me to find it. He is the one who told me not to wait 2 weeks for an appt and to not put it off. He is the one who kept trying to get me to prepare my hubby even when I didn't think it would be anything. When he speaks to me I feel total peace about whatever the situation may be. I have never really felt this before and do not know how to explain it in words. I just know it feels great. Love you all and thank you soooo much for praying for me and my family.

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Happy Mother's Day

This is the photo vase I made for all of the mother's in my life along with myself. I just love the roses and I will cherish this vase forever.

Jarrett & Sydney

Ashley

Brooke

Here is a copy of the card they gave me. Jarrett drew me a racecar (it kinda looks like a pink bra. LOL). Brooke drew me a photo of herself.

Brooke also painted me a phot on a tile. I absolutely loveeeeee it!!!! Brooke took after my heart. She loves crafts about as much as me. She will be a fellow scrapper in the very near future. The nest time I work on a page I'll include her so she can work on one herself.

My biopsy is tomarrow. I am scared to death. I'll let ya know tomarrow how it went.

I did get lots of extra hugs and kisses from the kids. And I also got to see Ashley this weekend which was a nice suprise. This weekend was a great weekend!!!!

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Fun Crafts with the kids!!!

Jarrett painted these. Aren't you proud. I have the N still drying b/c I painted stripes on it. Jarrett painted the base coat red and I painted blue stripes. These are hanging on Jarrett's wall.
These are in Brooke's room. She painted the pink and green B's and I put glitter on each B. I bought fabric to do the E with. It is green with pink flowers and white polkadots. I will work on it tomarrow night.

Here is the scrapbook page I made with my girl scout mom's at the Mom's night out thing at my house. This is hanging also in Brooke's room.

Here is the dresser Ashley and I painted. It is very heavy duty wood and hopefully will withstand an 8 yr old girl. This is in Brooke's room. She just loves her new room!!!! I still have to put the pulls on 2 drawers b/c the crews are too long. I will work on that this week as well.

Here is Brooke enjoying her new bed and comforter set. She loves the colors pink and green and so far keeps her room clean. Yeahhhhhhh!!!! And I really mean Yeahhhhhh!!!!!

I also made this years mother's day presents and I can't post that yet so my mom and grandmother doesn' t see them. I'll post them next week. I even made myself one like I always do.

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Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sales

This is me and Anna-Katherine (one of my Daisies) at our Build A Bear booth sale. The girls loved this booth sale. The mom's not so much since they had to purchase something afterwards. Super Sorry Parents!!! Lol.

Here is sweet Katie R. She is also one of my Daisies.Here is Anna-Katherine agiain having a blast with her friends. Anna-K, Katie, & Danielle are all friends. They joined my troop at about the same time.

Here's our very successfull group. The girls did a great job selling cookies and had fun at the same time. Not one asked to go look at the store until afterwards which I am impressed.

Here is another booth sale group. This one involves Morgan, Abbie, Brooke, Morgan's mom and myself. The other little girl in the picture and the lady clown was a nice suprise. It really did help make the girls really happy. There are only so many ignorings and "No's" little girls can take. And top it off I had a major tooth ache and had to have an emergency dental appt which happened with no numbing shot. Yeah I was not doing well. Thank goodness Morgan's mom was there to help me.

I have a few more pictures of the Walmart booth sale, but they are on Ashley's camera. I will load them later.

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Relay 4 Life 2009

Morgan, Brooke, Myself, Morgan's Mom, Dad, & older sister helped at the luminarie booth. The girls did a great job. They stressed a little when the bags broke b/c of the wet sand, but they learned how to problem solve the situation and it turned out great. They really had a great time. They were typical young girls and they wanted to be out enjoying the activities, but they finished their jobs and then got to have a good time. Good going girls!!!! And thank you so much Morgan's mom for helping me by keeping Jarrett and Brooke while I walked the survivor walk and talked to the news people. And if you all saw me I am soooo sorry. My mind went blank and I didn't know how to answer their questions. If I could have just talked that would have been better. You guys all know I love to talk. HaHa.
Brooke getting her face painted.

Jarrett playing the duck game. He won the hat at the balloon popping game. We played every game we came across and bought everything that was fairly cheap so they could help out everyone's earnings for a very good cause.

Jarrett blowing bubbles on the field.

Brooke meeting new friends. Jason and I met new friends as well. We had a blast. I thnk even Jason enjoyed it. We ate on the field and let the kids go to town playing with other kids. Jarrett doesn't understand he's not quite as old as the bigger boys and he tried to tackle anyone with a football in their hands. Needless to say they were swatting him off like a little fly. He had fun though.

P.s Next year I am going to join a team and stay the night. I can't wait!!!! Too bad my employer doesn't have a team. I'll just join a friends team. A few of my friends were there supporting their school's teams. The turn out for the cancer study was awesome!!!! I think this year was better than last year!!!! My favorite was the eskimo's snow cone thing you could pour your own syrup. That was awesome!!!! I loved it all really. Next year everyone is going to have to try hard to go. It is a blast!!!!!

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