Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a big day.

I've entered that age-range where women start feeling uncomfortable giving out their age. As a matter-of-fact, mine started a little early - on my 25th birthday to be exact. We had recently moved to a new city; I had very few friends and none that was I very close to. My husband was busy working on his Master's degree and doing research at the hospital. I had taken a lousy job to relocate with this driven husband of mine - lousy in both position and pay. We had been trying for a while to get pregnant and it wasn't working out. All in all I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I literally spent that evening watching Smallville and eating Taco Bell (don't feel too bad - I love them both). I wallowed in self-pity and decided that 25 was the new 65 and my life was pretty much over.


And I dreaded every birthday thereafter.
.
.
.
.
.

Then in the summer of 2010, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

I was 31 years old, and my children were 5 and 2.

And all of a sudden 31 seemed incredibly young ...

and more than anything I wanted to be 32...

and 42...

and 62...

On my 32nd birthday, I was halfway through six months of intense chemotherapy and awaiting my mid-point scans to see if the treatments were working.

And once again all I wished was to be 33.
.
.
.
...to be there when my kids turned 3, 6, 8, 12, 18...
.
.
.
Just a short while later, the results of those scans arrived. My liver, which had been previously covered with more than a dozen 2 cm lesions was essentially clear, and the two large lumps in my right breast were practically gone.

We were (happily) shaking our heads in disbelief; my prognosis was incredible.

No.

Make that miraculous.

Now, 15 months after my diagnosis

[following 6 months of chemo, a bilateral mastectomy,
7 weeks of radiation, priesthood blessings,
and endless fasting, faith and prayers
by family and friends]

the Lord has spared my life,

and I am cancer-free.



So, tomorrow is gonna be a good day --

'cause you see, my wish is coming true...



I'll be 33.





[May 19, 2010 - last family photo before my diagnosis]

[December 14, 2010 - last day of chemo - and yes, that's a wig and those eyebrows are all pencil - ]

[February 20, 2011 - first sprouts of hair returning - I call it my "G.I. Jane" look]





[September 13, 2011 - enjoying the moment with my babies]

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Three and two pennies

When I was three years old, my family lived in an apartment complex. I spent many days playing with my fellow three-year-old neighbors, Sara and Amanda. One had an older brother, one was an only child, and I had a little sister who was less than a year old.

One day we were playing in the back behind my apartment while my mother was folding laundry just inside when she heard the following conversation:

Sara: I'm gonna be the daddy because I'm three and three-quarters.

Me: I'll be the mommy 'cause I'm three and two pennies.

Sara: And you [to Amanda] can be the baby, 'cause you're just three.

Apparently we all found these explanations suitable because my mom says we continued to play as agreed.

A five-generation photo: Me, at about age 2, then from left to right: my dad, my dad's dad (my granddad), my dad's dad's mom (my great-grandmother, who we called, "Big Mama"), and her dad (my great-great-grandfather, who we called, "Big Daddy").

My kindergarten school photo.

Me at my little sister. I'm just guessing that we're about 4 and 1 in this picture. It's B.C. (as in "Before Chad", my younger brother who is about 6 years younger than me).

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My own daughter is currently in kindergarten. I recently pulled out some of my kindergarten coloring and worksheets that my mom saved. When I showed them to her, she said, "You did a really good job, mom." I beamed with pride.

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Hello, World!

I was born in September '78 at 6:56 p.m. in Goldsboro. I was my parents' firstborn arriving just a little over a year after they were married.

I weighed 9 lbs. 10 oz. and was approximately 4 weeks overdue (something they would never allow to happen these days). My mother claims that as soon as they laid me on her chest I lifted my head and looked right at her. I guess that makes sense since I was essentially already a month old!

Of course my parents did not know until delivery whether I would be a boy or a girl, so they had chosen names for both. If I were a boy they were going to name me "Jeremy."

Mom wanted to name me "Amy" because that's what she'd named all her dolls when she was younger. Thankfully my dad saved me and suggested "Aubrey" because of a woman he knew during his years serving as a missionary in South Africa. So after much baby-name-book searching and discussion, they settled on "Aubrey Renee."

Other than often being called "Audrey," I love having a unique name. And I gave my own children names that meant something to me and their father.

On my blessing day, with (left to right)
my maternal grandfather, my dad and my mother's uncle.

A four-generation photo (left to right):
my dad's grandmother, my dad, and my dad's mom

On my blessing day.
My mother saved this dress and my daughter wore it on the day she was blessed.
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**This post is part of a 12-week series I am doing with Mommy's Piggy Tales chronicling my personal history from Birth through High School. I will be posting and linking up each Thursday for the next 12 weeks. For those who are interested, I am also using this as my Individual Worth value project for Personal Progress.**

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For Bridget - Kaden Only

Here are a couple of shots of just Kaden. (Such a cutie!) - this one with Evan laying in front of him is my fave. I didn't edit these much but if you'd like to use them I can clean them up before I email you the files.

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For Bridget

Here are my fave shots. I can convert any of them to black and white or crop to a different size or change the highlights/shadows. Just let me know what you're looking for.

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Young Women's Activity

So even though I haven't been posting, I have still been taking photos. This week the young women in our ward had some fun playing water softball and just enjoying some slip 'n slides. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

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Campfire

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