It's gonna be a beautiful weekend!

                                               Audrey and Mimi

 

It's Friday evening and the sun is shining, the grill is lit and the three little girls got invited to spend the night at Bryan and Kristin's new apartment in Lafayette. Bryan and Kristin moved out on Wednesday (they were living in the outdoor kitchen/apartment in very CLOSE quarters.) They will now have room to breathe and little Evie will be all set up in her very own nursery. She is due to arrive on the 27th!!  We are so excited about her arrival. Audrey will have to learn to share the LOVE. They are all heading to the Festival International tomorrow for great music, culture, food and fun. 

Tonight is the first night Ricky and I have been alone in months!! I take that back, Momo just walked over and said where is everyone?  So much for the alone time... That's okay! So she is sitting with us on the back patio enjoying the perfect weather and the pending sunset. 

This coming Saturday we will all participate in the MARCH OF DIMES  WALK  in Elle's memory. And in the evening we will repeat last year's Appetizer cook-off called 

                                                 ELLE'S KITCHEN.  

This year we will include a dessert category. Last year Maddie took the grand prize as  Grand Champion Chef with her CRAWFISH BEIGNETS with Boudreaux sauce! Everyone is scheming to top her recipe this year! I will post the winning recipes for all of you to enjoy!  I think it's significantly neat that as we remember Elle in this special way, we prepare to welcome her sister Evie into this world! 

Hope everybody has a great weekend. 

So glad I'm getting back up to par!

So much is happening at this time of the year! The twins will be "graduating" from the eighth grade at Rayne Catholic and Ben will be graduating from Rayne High. Little Evie Boudreaux is due to arrive in the next few days. Wow, am I grateful to be feeling better, in order to keep up with all this action.
My radiation is going okay, a little monotonous, going everyday at 8 a.m., but I am not having any complications, so I am glad about that. I still find it hard to fathom that during the entire school year, I have been so wrapped up in the treatment of this cancer. And as I type this, I can't fight the tears that stream down my face, facing the reality of what I've missed and had hoped to be a much bigger part of for my kids during the school year. But in God's plan, they had to help me. When I look at all they did and all they sacrificed, I am so amazed. Even now, with my need for radiation everyday, they still don't have ALL of me, because I am not able to plan or participate in anything that is at the same time as radiation. We are continually learning the value of PATIENCE!!!
Meanwhile, we have started walking daily and seriously revamped our eating habits, We "JUICE" often in my JACK LALANNE JUICER!

And I have started a serious regimen of my herbal supplementing. My hair is growing a little everyday... It is soooo gray! The stress and the chemo really helped it get VERY GRAY, VERY QUICKLY!!! Now I will really look like Aunt Evelyn! (That's a good thing, Aunt EV!!) I may wear it gray for a little while, I figured I earned it and maybe it will represent the wisdom that comes with the experience. But there is a tube of MATRIX SOCOLOR calling my name!!!

My friend Jenny, is nearing the end of her radiation. I will try to have lunch with her this week. Once the kids are out of school, it will be hard to meet up. Please continue to also lift Jenny in prayer, as this whole experience has taken a toll on our  emotions! 

Yesterday, after our walk, I planted a few flowers and  vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers) Am looking forward to the fruits of my labor! 

Life is generally good with a few bouts of mild depression, only in small increments! Sometimes my thoughts of the future, leave me anxious or even doubtful, but through prayer I can rise back to the GOOD STUFF and live only for the this very moment!!! Sometimes that is a challenge, but it is the only "TIME" that matters!

Please know that, daily, I remember all of you who have prayed for me, in my prayers. You continue to lift me to a place with God that I have desired for so long! 

My Foot Detox Experience!

The other day, Sheila, my sister, invited me to go with her and a friend to have a Detox Foot bath. I was not at all skeptical about doing something like this, because I am so engaged in natural ways to help my body heal. The whole idea is to use ionized water to detoxify the body. It couldn't be any worse than poisoning my body with the chemo or exposing my breast to 33 consecutive days of radiation. I am at a peaceful place with all of my medical decisions and it feels good to be back on track from a natural approach.
We all went together and Sheila and Jenny went first. The water starts out clear and as you soak the toxins that are excreted from your body change the coloration of the water, each person's unique issues creates a different result. The pictures I included clearly show how different each of our end results were. I could even smell the toxic smell of my chemo in the water. In the pictures my foot bath is the one that turned dark brown, Sheila's turned dark green and Jenny's was kinda orange. Mine was significant of liver detoxing. Weird, huh?
I have decided to invest in the detox foot bath system and offer it as a service in the salon. I will continue to detox after my radiation is complete. I have started a wide range of immune building supplements and am getting stronger everyday! Just a little tired now and then.
Radiation is going okay, painless in a physical sense. I haven't posted pictures of my radiation sessions because they would be R rated. I thought having 8 babies would've broken me of any modesty issues, but exposing my breast everyday for 33 days is certainly not that much fun. But we gotta do what we gotta do! This too, shall pass!
P.S. Don't get too grossed out with the detox pictures! I should get the footbath gizmo in in a few days, if anyone is interested!

The "Son" is out!!!

It's late Easter afternoon and all the older kids have gone on and it's just me and Ricky and Haley and Maddie left behind. Layni went on back with Blair and Glen so she wouldn't miss her friend's birthday party tomorrow! The storm has stopped and the sun is shining off and on, dancing between the clouds,  just like it has been with me for the past few months. I sat out on the edge of the dock looking out at the awesome beauty in the landscape around me and once again thanked God for the opportunity to spend such memorable times out here. The memories are treasures I can take along with me for ever and a day! 

One in particular, for this weekend, is the fun that we had sitting around the grill, watching the sunset, while Ricky grilled up his specialty burgers and broke out into a TOBY KEITH KARAOKE! Oh my God, I laughed so hard! One of the things that attracted me to Ricky as a teenager was his sense of humor and on rare occasions, with the help of a few Miller Lites, he can surprise us all and make us laugh! I saw a Naturopathic Holistic Specialist this week who told me to watch funny movies to make me laugh often! Who needs movies, when you have Ricky? Have attached the video of his award winning,  entertaining performance. Skippy, if you watch this, I think you will realize how lonesome he is for you! He mentions Skippy THREE times in the video! 

I am so glad the "Son" is out again!

Rise up!!!

On Thursday, Haley and Maddie, participated in their school's passion play. It was so well done. They and their classmates did a great job. I was extremely touched!
It's been a great weekend so far, although I think its about to rain on my parade!! Literally! We are all at Toldeo Bend with the exception of Bryan and Kristin:( Had just a little work to do, and then just enjoy the setting with my family. This was Audrey's first travel experience. She is being very good, while she awaits the arrival of the Easter bunny. The weather yesterday was great, today, kinda cloudy and windy. It's probably gonna rain, but we have enjoyed our time being together. Check out Audrey and Mimi's matching camo shirts!! And Ricky's Ginormaous fish!
Have seen so many butterflies this weekend,  reminding me of my ongoing transformation. Am marveling in the glory of what we celebrate tomorrow, while giving thanks that our Good Lord, suffered for us, for me, and His Resurrection gives me hope for each new day! I, too, must rise up and greet each day as a new blessing and strive to continue to grasp my purpose in every day! What does God want from me? Easter Blessings to all of you.

What a beautiful Sunday!

Yesterday we took Audrey for her first visit to LaFonda's ... We did a girl's day out and she was so good and never peeped through lunch or shopping! We must train her early how to do the girl thing!

Today, for the first time since I've had Chemo, I ventured out to Walmart WIGLESS!!  I put on my baseball cap and headed out, warning Layni that some people might look twice when they saw me. It was easier than I thought it would be. Having my hair begin to grow back (only about a quarter of an inch)   makes me feel encouraged and hopeful. People did, in fact, take second looks at me,  just like I have always done whenever I would see bald women, always wondering what "their story" was. Today,  I look at ALL people, even those unscathed by cancer and wonder what their story is! We all have a story, don't we?... it doesn't have to be cancer!! 

The rest of the day was so normal...I cooked lunch!!! I worked in my yard and planted flowers, the sunshine was awesome! There was MUCH to smile about! As the sun begins to set, I am sitting on the back patio (something I used to do all the time) admiring the view, the big tree in the distance and the way the sun is shining on the fields behind the house. It is glorious! God's promises are unfolding, as we will see in His passion this week. I trust in His Resurrection! 

My first radiation is tomorrow. A new page in this book of life! Please Pray! Have a blessed Holy Week!

The Port is Gone!!

Today, bright and early, I had my surgery to remove my mediport. The nurse in the picture with me is Jill, Dr. Breaux's PA. She is definitely a BRIGHT LIGHT for me in this journey. She was a sweet, reassuring voice for me from the very beginning of all this. Today once again, she encouraged me and joined with me in my joy of moving forward! I have encountered some really great nurses along the way. I have been well taken care of. The after effects of this surgery are very similar to a trip to La Fonda. Like 4 GOOD margaritas, but not so good once they start to wear off!! Will sleep it off this afternoon!

Today I have included a picture of Bryan and Kristin, taken a couple Sunday's ago while we flew kites in the backyard. Little Evie is due to arrive at the end of this month. We are so excited and looking forward to the blessing of another little baby in the family. Life is good! Counting blessings everyday!

Radiation begins on Monday.