iPhone Photo Dump

January 2, Henderson was off so we headed to Dallas to eat at Pecan Lodge.  It was rainy and nasty, but we still stood outside and in line for over an hour.  

Totally worth it.

Crossfit Ellis moved to a new location and had an open house.  Of course, I had to grab a pic of HK working out!

Enjoying a fire with my two fave men. 

One of my favorite meals - In-N-Out Burger

Henderson and I went to Grand Prairie one day and came back with a new car!  It was not really planned, but I am absolutely in love with my new Lexus RX.  We bought it used so we were able to get exactly what we wanted!

Cancer Free

My mom left Friday morning, December 19.  Of course, we missed having someone to cook and clean for us but it was also nice to have our house back to ourselves.  Henderson took off that Friday since I had an herceptin treatment and Dr. Blum would be discussing my path results and our next steps.





The path results showed that I had a 1.7cm tumor.  Dr. Grant did a lymph node dissection so 30 lymph nodes under my left arm were removed.  Only one lymph node had cancer!  Praise the Lord!!  Unfortunately, removing so many (approximately half) means that I need to be diligent about taking care of my arm to keep lymphedema at bay.  I'm not carrying a purse on my left arm anymore or pushing or pulling anything with my left arm. 




Unfortunately, just because I'm cancer free doesn't mean that this is over and I can go back to resuming my normal life.  In the beginning of December at the Breast Cancer Symposium, the final phase of the SOFT trial was presented.  They pulled out women under the age of 35 (which is quite unusual) and showed that with examestane and ovarian suppression, only 1 in 6 women had a recurrence within 5 years.  Perfect timing since I started my post-chemo medicines in December.  I've been doing ovarian suppression (injections of zoladex once every four weeks) since I started chemo so now I just take a pill every day. 









I will start radiation soon; we had to wait until the plastic surgeon cleared me.  Now the ball is in my court.  I'm ready to get another hurdle out of the way!!




My energy level is back to normal and I hope to get back to the gym soon.  Honestly, emotionally I have my ups and downs.  I'm tired of thinking about cancer but it's at the fore front of my mind constantly.  I'm so thankful to have such a great support system.




Henderson and I celebrated being cancer free that night with dinner drinks and appetizers at Common Table and then dinner at Amberjax.  I really love being able to eat whatever I want!!

Meal Planning

If you know me at all, you know I love a good meal plan.  I recently started using Plan to Eat to help with meal planning and I will never go back!  You can easily import recipes, add them to your calendar, and create a grocery list in a matter of minutes.  I hate creating a grocery list so this is amazing!  It also helps remind me of meals that we like so that I can keep making them.  This year we've made several new healthy-ish recipes.  Here are a few:

Grilled Tilapia with Avocado Lime Salsa
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tilapia Scampi
Chicken and Black Bean Green Chile Brown Rice Skillet
Mexican Quinoa
20-Minute Spicy Sriracha Shrimp and Zucchini Lo Mein

Hope you enjoy!!

New Year's Eve Fun

My last week off was the week of New Year's and I made sure to make the most of it!  New Year's Eve day I met my friend Sarah and her sweet new baby Dexter for lunch at one of my favorites - Cheesecake Factory!  I look completely awkward in this photo; it looks like I have no idea how to hold a baby... He is so precious and, of course, I loved catching up with Sarah!  

That night we went over to a friend's house to ring in the new year.  

Using some Christmas presents from Ellen - a wine chiller and casserole carrier.

We had such a fun night ringing in the new year with sweet friends.  One of our big resolutions this year is to spend more time with friends and this was the perfect way to start out the year!

Christmas in Mississippi

When my surgery was first scheduled, one of the nurses told me that I probably wouldn't get to go home for Christmas since it was only 3 weeks out from surgery, but my doctor said that I can sit in a car just like I can sit at home.  So we got to head east for the holiday!

I had to take a selfie to send to my friend Katie since I was wearing the Kendra Scott earrings she gave me for Christmas!

Headed to the 'sip!

Our Christmas Eve dinner - not much else was open!

We stopped in Kilmicheal and met Mama, Cheyenne, and Buffy's family to see the lights!

Christmas morning we opened presents, are breakfast, and sat around in our matching pj's!

Cheyenne surprised Mama with a mini horse and mini donkey!

Next years Christmas cards!

We had some of Allen's mama's gumbo and then the men decided to work outside for a little bit. They were building a barn for Mama!

Lauren came over to help us in the kitchen while we were preparing for dinner at Mawmaw's house. 

That night we headed to Mawmaw's for supper and gifts. 

Preston couldn't wait to open his gifts from us!  We got him a little tykes lawn mower (so he could help his daddy cut grass) and some clothes. Here he is modeling his new clothes later! 

I looked over at one point during the night and Brian had taken the platter if ham and added some cranberry sauce and was going to town on it!  He looked like he hadn't eaten in days with his hat, sitting on the floor eating good. 

Selfie with Christopher

We had such a great night being reunited with family. It was a little emotional for me as I haven't been at Mawmaw's for Christmas since we got married. And I haven't seen most of my family since Cheistmas last year. 

Friday, Henderson and I went to Starkville to visit Dr. Bailey and Mrs. Carolyn. It's always great to see them and Dr. Bailey made some awesome gumbo for lunch. We then headed into town to see how much Starkville has changed this year. The new stadium is incredible!  Can't wait until we are able to see the Dawgs play there!  We then met the family at the theater to see "Unbroken". Henderson and I read the book and absolutely loved it. I recommend it to everyone I see!  And we couldn't leave Starkville without a trip to Umi and Local Culture!  

Saturday, Mama had the family over for a fish fry for our last night.  Living far from family ensures that we do not take quality family time for granted. If you can make an easy weekend trip to see your family you don't know how good you've got it.  We're making it a point to visit more often this year.  Hopefully we get to!  

Sunday, on our way back to Texas we stopped in Ridgeland at Amerigo's for lunch with Daddy and Mimi.  Amerigo's is one of my favorite Jackson restaurants and, of course, I was excited to see Daddy and Mimi!  

After a delicious lunch and great company we got back on the road.  We listened to "Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn to pass the time.  We both really loved it!

So thankful for the time we had with my side of the family.  Of course, we wish we could see everyone but it just isn't feasible in a five day trip.  Already counting down the days to Christmas 2015!