Sensory Overload

Pumpkins and pink items. Everywhere I go there they are. Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin coffee, pop tarts, bagels, waffles, oatmeal, marshmallow, beer, potato chips and even vodka. Virtually anything you could imagine now available in pumpkin flavor or scent, most for a limited time of course. People everywhere are gorging themselves all in the name of the season.

When not bombarded with all things orange and pumpkin, my eyes are overwhelmed with all things pink. Walks and rallies, sports events at all levels and all products imaginable marketed in pink for Breast Cancer awareness month. Watching football this week is giving me a bit of a headache with the pink shoes, gloves and towels flying around. Don’t misunderstand, I think it is wonderful that everyone is raising money to hopefully one day put an end to Breast Cancer. But let’s be honest here, would the NFL be repainting lines in bright pink if it was not profitable?

All hype aside, maybe you do not have the extra money to buy that cute pink whatever. Maybe things are too tight to send anything in the envelope this time around. What you could do is something much more impactful, maybe pick up a phone and call a woman who you love and ask if they have had a mammogram recently. This week I shared my own bilateral prophylactic mastectomy story with 3 of the women I work with. Two of those women have breast cancer in their own families. I encouraged them to be proactive talk to their doctors and possibly get tested for the BRCA gene. I wasn’t even wearing anything pink.

Garden fresh

If it was not for the allergies that the girls and I suffer from, Spring would be my favorite season! Trees blooming, birds chirping and time to plant the garden!

After weeks of prepping, planning and expanding the garden the plants went in on Sunday. We have come a long way since the first time we tried to grow some things. A few tomato plants in pots just 4 years ago to the largest garden to date this year. We will be growing tomatoes of course, both large and cherry,tons of cherry! We eat them like fruit all summer long). We also have both red and green bell, jalapeño and long hot peppers, cucumbers, strawberries and a first this year an attempt at watermelon.

It has really been a team effort this year. Frank bought soil for us that we needed for the expansion. The girls both took turns with both the hoe and rake getting out the weeds. On Sunday when it came time to plant, the girls were so excited. Every year we say that it is “our” garden but of course I do most of the work. Last year they did a wonderful job during the summer harvesting since I was still recovering from the bilateral prophylactic mastectomy.

This year it truly is “our” garden. Megan and Madison both did a great job planting. They took their time placing young, fragile plants into perfectly dug holes. Two days later things look great. The plants look healthy and already seem to be growing. I look forward to watching the garden flourish and to the satisfaction it will provide to my girls. It should be a fun summer of gardening and fresh veggies!

Happy (yet strange) anniversary

I just received a “happy anniversary” note from WordPress. It made me think for a minute. Indeed it was a year ago that I started this blog to help clear my mind and prepare for surgery.

One year ago the decision was made. A decision to remove a part of my body that I believed would become dangerous. My mind was set on a decision that would change my life forever.

One year ago is important in my history because it changed me as a person, I put into print what was swirling through my mind setting the course for what would happen over the next many months. It was not always easy but ever second was worth it!

One year ago I made the smartest decision in my life! The pathology report several months later proved, had I not made this decision, well nothing is 100% but lobular carcinoma in situ sets forth a dangerous course which would never have been found via mammogram.

One year ago seems like a lifetime ago. I wonder what the next year will hold?