A Glimpse Into My Grown-Up Daughter

Want to see all my posts?  Put your email address here to become a subscriber!

Enter your email address:

An Inspirational Cancer Story Involving a Newlywed, a Doctor's Wife, and a Birdhouse

Being married to a doctor sounds glamorous, but trust me, it isn't all it's cracked up to be.   My husband and I have been together since college and it's been a very long road.

However, compared to my friend Colleen, my road seems like a short cul-de-sac.  Colleen met her husband in college, and after college her husband moved to Omaha for medical school.  She didn't know a soul there, but she wanted to be with him, so she enrolled in nursing school.  Just when she was getting to know Omaha, they had to move again for residency.  Colleen packed again and followed her husband to another city where she didn't know anyone.  Things were going well until she started feeling sick.  First, she got sore gums and didn't think much of it.  Then she started feeling really tired, but again tried to ignore it.  Eventually her gums started bleeding every time she brushed her teeth.  Her parents finally convinced her to get blood work done and she was out running errands when she got the results back.  The nurse on the other end of the phone told her she needed to go to the Emergency Room immediately.  Colleen was confused.

"I can't go now," she told the nurse.  "I'm just getting ready to walk into the grocery store." 

The nurse replied, "Colleen, you don't understand.  You need to drop what you're doing.  You are in serious danger.  Minutes will make a difference."

Collen was diagnosed with leukemia and her levels were so dangerous when she got that call, that the doctors told her she was incredibly lucky that she got there when she did.  She began fighting for her life in a strange city, without her friends or her family.  She spent lots of time in the hospital and at home, where she was quarantined and couldn't leave the house for fear of contracting a cold or worse.  While she was stuck at home alone, she watched lots of TV and read books, but that got old fast.  Eventually she started to just look out the windows and she noticed all the different birds.  She bought a book and she became an avid bird watcher, and found that it was a very soothing way to pass the time.

Colleen battled through and when I met her, she had a full head of hair and a vivacious smile.  I didn't even know she'd had cancer, because by this point, she'd been in remission for several months.  Since she was a nurse at the hospital, my husband knew story and when he told me that she'd just gotten over cancer, I didn't believe him.  This wonderful, energetic person didn't seem at all like a cancer patient to me, but it was true.  She had lived through chemo, being quarantined to her house, and losing her hair as a twenty five year old newlywed.  Yet she isn't bitter.  On the contrary, she has flourished.  She never complains about what she went through and she inspires me daily to look around and appreciate what I have.  She has one year left here, before they will move yet again for her husband to complete his fellowship and will finally be done with all his training.  She has made a full recovery and is 100% healthy today.

Colleen has become one of my dearest friends and my kids absolutely adore her.  They talk about her constantly and Munchkin Girl told me one time, "Mommy, it's so nice of you to share your friends with me."  Little Buddy definitely has a crush on her and every time he pulls out his pretend phone, I hear him saying, "Hi Coyeen.  Coming soon?"

As a tribute to her, my kids painted a bird house for her.  She isn't stuck at home anymore, but she still loves birds, and my kids love her, so I thought it was very appropriate.  I bought a few birdhouses from Hobby Lobby for just a few dollars.  Then I gave them some paint and let them go to work!  Munchkin Girl is nearly four and she was very particular about the way she wanted it painted.



I have written this story in connection with a project that was started by Mary Anne from a blog called, Mama Smiles.  Mary Ann was diagnosed with cancer at age 22 months.  She bounced back and is living a wonderful life with her husband and kids and this has inspired her to give back.  She has formed a group of power bloggers to write about how cancer has touched their lives and all stories will be compiled for a book, which will be available to purchase.  All proceeds will go toward Cancer Research.  You can also donate below by clicking on the link.  Thank you for your support!!



14 May Mama Smiles
15 May Artsy Craftsy Mom
           Rainbows Within Reach
16 May B. Inspired, Mama!
17 May Rainy Day Mum
           Imagination Soup
18 May Inspiration Laboratories
19 May Experimenting Mom
20 May Mama Mia’s Heart2Heart 
21 May NurtureStore   
           Mama Smiles
22 May Living Montessori Now
23 May Mess for Less
24 May Having Fun at Home and CraftoArt
25 May Outlaw Mom
26 May Angelique Felix and Sense of Wonder
27 May Sun Hats and Wellie Boots
28 May Duck Duck Octopus
29 May Smiling like Sunshine
30 May Mommy with Selective Memory
31 May One Perfect Day
1 June The Educators’ Spin On It
2 June Kids Stuff World
3 June Rainy Day Mum
4 June Teach Preschool
5 June Dirt and Boogers
6 June Creative Connections for Kids and The Golden Gleam
7 June Montessori Tidbits
8 June Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
9 June The Iowa Farmer’s Wife
10 June Scribble Doodle and Draw
11 June Learn with Play
12 June Kitchen Counter Chronicles
13 June CRAYON Freckles
14 June Glittering Muffins
15 June Wise Owl Factory
16 June Crafty Maa
18 June Lessons Learnt Journal
20 June Growing a Jeweled Rose
21 June Growing Play
23 June JDaniel4′s Mom








Did you enjoy my post?  Don't forget to vote for me by clicking the banner below.  You can also enter your email address below to receive all my updates!  I really appreciate your support!!


Want to see all my posts?  Put your email address here to become a subscriber!

Enter your email address:

What is Your Favorite Thing to Do Outside? (I asked my daughter)

Pin It


It was raining the other day when I walked the kids into school.  It ended up thundering throughout the day and when I picked Munchkin Girl up from school she said, "Mommy...why are there boomers?  I was scared of the boomers today...they were so loud!"

Austin Ironman: It was the Best of Trips, it was the WORST of trips.

Saturday was the long-awaited Ironman race for my darling Hubby.  I was thrilled to go because we were finally going to visit my very best friend and we were so excited to let our kids play together.  (She has a daughter just a little younger than Munchkin Girl).  However, things did not quite go as planned and to an outsider, this trip would probably be considered a monumental disaster...Consider the evidence:

• The day before we left, Munchkin Girl and I came down with terrible colds.  We were both hacking away all night and literally didn't fall asleep until 3:30am the first night.  She woke up every 15 minutes with painful couging that made her cry and sob in agony.  I had no medicine for her cough and was helpless all night.
• Hubby flew down two days later for the Ironman and Frontier LOST his bag.  This bag contained dozens of items to do the Ironman, such as shoes, clothes, etc.  He briefly considered running naked but decided that was a poor option.  On the other hand, we'd already spent thousands of dollars to come to, and he'd spent hundreds of hours training for the grueling 6 hour race.  In the end, he bought all new stuff and did it anyway, which was a huge expense for us and quite a fiasco to drive all around Austin in search of the correct gear.
• After the race, we drove almost 2 hours to San Antonio to take the three kids to Sea World.  They were so excited to go.  To our dismay Sea World is closed during the week.  Who knew?  It was like a Vacation moment...I swear I almost pulled a Chevy Chase and demanded they get Wally World/Sea World open for us.  We ended up going to the San Antonio zoo, which I don't recommend.  If you've ever been there, you know why.  I won't go into detail.  On the way home, we got stuck in traffic and it took us another three hours to get home.  The kids weren't thrilled at all to be stuck in dead-stopped traffic for three hours.
• Lastly, my parents were taking care of the dogs and they got into a teensy fight with a skunk.  All I can say is Yuck.

Amazingly, I still consider it to be a FANASTIC trip.  People always say that during adversity that you find your true friends.  I always knew my friend was a true friend, but this trip brought that out in new and incredible ways.  Consider the evidence:

• We show up sick.  If I'm being honest, I wouldn't have been that thrilled to have sick house-guests.  We had medicine everywhere and we were both coughing constantly.  Not my friend.  She opened her house happily to her germ-challenged friends.  I quote, "I don't care if I get sick.  I'm just happy you're here."  She wasn't just saying it.  She meant it.  It's pretty nice to have someone care that much about you.
• In trying to figure out where everyone would sleep, she literally offerd to sleep on her screened porch if needed.  Again, she meant it.  She would have literally slept outside.  Luckily, we didn't need to take her up on this offer, but she still gave Little Buddy the nursery and put her own daughter to sleep in the Pack and Play in the Master closet.  Her poor little girl didn't even get to nap most days because my Little Buddy was sleeping in her bed, but she did it happily. 
• Before I came, she loaded up on my favorite cereal.  I was so happy.  I love my Quaker Oat Squares.
• After the bag came up missing, she and her husband changed all our plans, dropped everything, and tried to help us find it and her husband spent the entire day helping Hubby at the airport, checking in at the race, and eventually at the bike stores buying all new stuff. 

There are dozens of other ways she was awesome and the best hostess ever, but I can't type forever.  Research shows that women who have supportive best friends have better marriages, are happier, and live more fulfilling lives.  If that's true, then I'm set for life.  I hope all women have a best friend like mine.

The other good news is that our little girls got a jumpstart on being BFFs.  They took every opportunity over the 5 day trip to hold hands.  This went well of course until Little Buddy decided to tackle them and ruin the moment.  Oh well, probably won't be the last time that'll happen.