TGIWB

Thank goodness its Winter Break!!!!

I plan on spending my break with a whole lot of nothing. Maybe some wedding planning. But other than that, I don't want to do anything much at all.

Update to all, we did get a really great wedding band. The Appling Road Band is playing at our wedding and then recently played at the Home Extreme Makeover Augusta party with Ty Pennington and the gang!!!!

Mom recently had another surgery to help fix her mastectomy. Her mastectomy had fat necrosis and dead tissue in it from where it never latched. She went back under on Tuesday to have this fixed. Well by Thursday I had heard she is coming home. Well much to any of our surprise she had to go back under the knife to make sure the blood was flowing to the new muscle/tissue. She is still in the hospital as they never closed her up. We are waiting and praying each day that she makes it home. It just stinks to be at the Holidays and having to be in the Hospital. But don't you fret, Lou has her a baby Christmas Tree in the room. Just no stocking lol!!!!! All my blogger readers keep her in your thoughts and prayers so we can get her home FAST!!!!

P.S. John is home for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

Woman, her husband took the journey to recovery together....

Today is the day where Oprah starts calling our house to interview Mom after her local celebrity status.... just kidding. Today really is the day that the pink North Augusta Today came out with articles featuring different local breast cancer survivors. The article was great, we got a copy last night, just a few typographical errors. For instance, Mom went through this in 2009 and entered into remission this year (2010). And also her stage three tumor, is actually one step away from being the most advanced stage. Enjoy the article below and let me know what you think :) Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Everyone!

Lou Ann Sink found a lump in her breast just a month before her scheduled mammogram in 2001. She immediately called her doctor, who performed a scan and reassured her that the tumor was most likely not cancerous. However, Sink received a call from her doctor after a few days telling her that she did have breast cancer.

"We were really shocked and surprised," she said. "There's so much more publicity about breast cancer now, but you still never think it's going to happen to you." Although any cancer can be terrifying, Sink was fortunate that her tumor was in stage three, which is one of the less advanced stages. Some of her lymph nodes were also cancerous, however, which made it necessary for her to undergo a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. The treatment was effective, and she achieved remission in summer 2002.

The process was difficult, she admitted. "I was determined to keep going, though," she said.
Her main source of support was her husband, Donnie. He was devastated when he heard the news of his wife's cancer, he said. "That day of knowing, of finding out, was just going from the top to the bottom," Donnie Sink said.

The Sinks' advice to families of women with breast cancer is to pace themselves through the difficult days of diagnosis and treatment. "Take it one step, one day at a time," she said. "I knew it was going to be a journey, but I decided that we could get through it." Donnie also said that positive thinking is important to making it through the ordeal. "I think Lou Ann's positive attitude and faith in God is what got her through this," he said. "She was a trooper."

The most important thing, they agreed, was to support each other. "You can't make it through this alone," she said.

I love WEEKENDS

After the week I had, I am glad it is the weekend....

Nothing bad happened but it was just either boring, uneventful, emotional, etc. I only subbed one day this week and only worked at the Gap 2 days (Sunday Night Shift [6p-12a] and Thursday Night). Oh yeah, back to why I was asking for prayers and great thoughts on Thursday from Wednesday's post, I got a phone call Monday for an interview at a school in Aiken County School District - Area 5. That is out towards the Savannah River Site. A teacher is having to resign because she is having to go back home to help take care of her parents who are not doing well. As I def. feel bad for her - it was another time for me to interview. I will hear back from them by Monday they said.

This weekend as I have previously blogged I am with John down in Charleston. We have had a great weekend so far as I am blogging and watching the Clemson game. Hopefully they will win. We have had a great Friday and so far a great Saturday. I am so lucky to be with someone who really does understand and is actually there for me and overall a GREAT guy :)

Hope all my friends & readers are having a great and blessed weekend! Also, Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This week I'll share the article that was written about my mom.

The North Augusta Today was looking for people to interview in the North Augusta area who have are breast cancer survivors.

Well I emailed them & without knowing it my Dad also emailed them. Ha! So they called the house on Wednesday and met at our house on Thursday. The journalist with the NA Today interviewed and took a picture of my mom. I am excited to see the interview in the paper, as I missed her "big debut of celebrity status" since I had to work Thursday night!

Things to Look Forward to....

With all the dullness in my life outside of working at the Gap & subbing.... I do have some events to look forward to.

October 8 - Mom, Dad, Kyle, and I are going to see John's Berkeley Stags play in the homecoming game against Battery Creek.

November 15 - Me, Erin, Mom & Dad are going to see Lady Antebellum at the James Brown Arena :)

Well its not that many events as I was hoping to blog about but I felt that I needed to blog. Also, keep your fingers crossed for me and say an extra little prayer for me tomorrow as I have something going on that may head me in the direction of being more busy.... maybe a job?

Commencement

commencement [n]: the ceremony of conferring degrees or granting diplomas at the end of the academic year

The day I have been waiting for finally came after 2 years of waiting and working hard to earn my Masters in Curriculum & Instruction with Educational Technology.

I have gained so much knowledge during my additional two years at Winthrop, but it was not just the knowledge but also my growth as a professional educator.

Graduation day was Thursday, May 6, 2010, and flew by just like these past two years have. John came to support me as well as my family.

The Macfeat Ladies (Amber, Brittany, Me, and Mary) before we took the plung and graduated :)

In addition, this has been a busy week with graduation, visiting with family, and traveling home for John's graduation from Augusta State University. John attended Augusta State University the past year and a half to obtain his Masters of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in History. His commencement exercises were on Saturday at the James Brown Arena.

Now, we are both done with our Masters Degrees and eagerly searching, awaiting, and praying hard for God to help us finally get to put to practice what we have learned via having teaching jobs.

With 3 weeks left at Winthrop, it is kind of bittersweet. I will definitely miss my memories I have made as well as the memories Winthrop have left for me.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it." - William Arthur Ward

Masters Graduates of Augusta State University & Winthrop University - Class of 2010

Blooper

Happy Easter

Dad & I on Easter Sunday

Mom & I on Easter Sunday

Mom, Dad & I on Easter Sunday