Category Archives: Just For Fun

My Living Bucket List…

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Skydiving, Rocky Mountain Climbing…. Maybe at least one will come true…. 😉 Most of mine have to do with vacationing and traveling… because it’s what I feel we’ve missed out on most… time & family & friends… 

If anything I’ve learned from this journey is to focus on ONLY what is important… taking the little accomplishments and rejoicing over them…  Embrace the people who are there for you on every level.  Life is honestly too short not to be doing what you love or aspiring to try to do the things you hoped to achieve in your life. Photography was always at the top of that list for me…. however, having taken a step back…. I do realize it’s important to me in the grand scheme, it’s what has paid the bills, it’s what has fulfilled me…. but it’s also robbed me of a lot… mostly, TIME. I have no choice at this point but to step back and honestly I think that is the best thing that could have ever happened to our family. This is my living bucket list…

1. Move to the beach… with my entire family. Make a new beginning… 

2.  Go on a real honeymoon… many moons later…

3. Always keep close the people who love me… and spend as much time with them as I possibly can.

4. Learn how to ballroom dance… with my husband. 

5. Watch my children grow up to be successful, have babies and be happy. I want to be a Grandma half as good as my Mother.

6. Ride horses on the beach… in the water… any beach would be fine.. I am not at all picky… 

7. Go to Las Vegas and see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in concert… & maybe catch a UFC fight for my husband… 

8. Go for a night of Karaoke with my whole family.. 

9.  Take a cross country vacation and see so many things I’ve missed in my life… 

10. Be healthy and fit, simplify our lives and live happy. Live an active lifestyle…. 

Things to look forward to.. Party!

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I have some great news… they agreed to let my next chemo be delayed for one day… til the 23rd, so that I can hopefully attend the fundraiser all our friends are planning for us…. Exactly 21 days away!!! Eeek!!!

My friends are keeping everything very secretive, so many surprises are in store… but I do know that it’s probably a great idea to reserve your tickets.. so I’ll post the link here… for you to reserve your tickets…

https://itrulycare.com/events/pink-is-the-new-black-fundraiser-for-dawn-gaddy

On January 21, my best friend arrives… and then I’ve got another very special surprise in store…. a photog that has taken the Charlotte market by storm… has decided to do a glam shoot for me. I’m unaware of any of the details…. so it should be interesting…. but I sure hope I feel beautiful because these days…. I haven’t felt so hot lately… If anyone can make cancer look amazing, it’s this photog…

I’ll have a day to play on the 22nd with my BFF and family…. Then the 23rd, I’ll have chemo….. The 24th in the morning I’ll have to have my Neulasta shot…. and then I imagine I’ll go get glammed up for the party….. I’m beyond excited…. I pray I’m in good enough shape to enjoy myself!!! I am just so grateful I’ll have an opportunity to be there….

Yesterday, we took a few pics…. after I had been already drugged up with Benadryl… and my cocktail of choice…. 😉 Only 4 more to go….

Always freezing… lol

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I’m looking forward to not shaving…. I’m looking forward to losing all my peach fuzz on my face…. a few stray whiskers that come with being 40+…. I’m looking forward to a new set of boobs…. 1. lets pray that chemo and mastectomy clear my margins… so maybe I don’t need radiation (unlikely, but I’ll be hopeful)… 2. I’ll most likely get a tummy tuck and/or a leg lift to make enough skin for them to work….  3.Once my hair grows back… I lose my puffy….. I’m thin from my new lifestyle…. which I will NEVER stop because I will NEVER allow my body to fail me like this again….. I could very well be one smoking 41/42 year old…… 😉 This is definitely something to look forward to…. Here’s to hoping!!!

After chemo yesterday… I feel like I’ve been steam trained…. nothing new…. nausea, my legs feel like elephants…. foggy headed…. but…. I’m 1/3 complete…. and closer to my goal…. being cancer free!!! ❤

I continue to thank all of the people in my life who are loving me and supporting me through this….. I’m so incredibly loved…. it’s so amazing… Love you all!

Happenings…

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Yesterday I was so excited about my photos…. I forgot to post about some other things that happened….

Lady Di as we now lovingly call her…. Diane Esposito, my friend that has been helping me with my fundraiser…  she’s helped me through so much…. Well she’s just been bombarded with a lot of stuff on her plate…. besides me. So, she had an especially hard week… and it had drained her. So yesterday I used the excuse that my step daughter was in town and wanted to meet her…. which she really did…. BUT, Tillie and Marc Defang of Marc Defang New York really wanted to surprise her with HER VERY OWN personalized shoes… and since her husband Vinny is the Carolina Panther’s local DJ…. hers were themed Carolina Panthers… and oh my goodness… Marc did an amazing job…. Here are a few of the highlights of her new shoes…. Both Tillie & Diane have become such AMAZING friends to me…. I seriously love them both…. I was so glad I was well enough to be a part of this…. I’m so sorry for the set up Diane… I promise you can trust me…. ❤ Thank you Brianna from Briannastar Photography for taking these photos!!!

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As we were leaving, Tillie said… “You are just so happy… you’re glowing”…. then they asked me… “you sure you’re not pregnant?” No, No, NO!!! But…. I said… I am…. I am SO happy!!! How can I not be… 1. This has put everything into perspective…. just how important the REAL and true things are… my family, my friends…. it really has. 2. My marriage…. my husband has been truly amazing and makes me feel so loved and adored and he rubs my fuzzy head all the time….. 3. I’m surrounded by all these people who are constantly letting me know how much I’m loved…. in so many different ways…. So on the way home I told Brianna…. How can I NOT be happy? She said… yeah, I mean it really sucks…. but you really are blessed. I am….

So after that, Bri and I met my friend Sharon and her daughter Amber at Crossroads Grill for lunch… it was such a nice time. I am thoroughly enjoying something I haven’t had in a LONG, LONG time….. TIME. Time to take the time….. It feels so amazingly wonderful….. I’m so glad we made the time for lunch…

Then we went to Wal-Mart…. My brother and sister in law gave me a gift card and I went to Wal-Mart and used it on scarves and accessories…. ❤ We had so much fun…. BUT, the one thing I commented to Bri when walking through Wal-Mart…. “Everyone is looking at me”…. I’d commented on my Facebook the other day…. that I had been smiling at people… and the ones in wheelchairs that you wonder… why are they in wheelchairs… I made a special effort to smile at that lady and she smiled back and it was so heartwarming….. BUT, yesterday I felt so vulnerable. I walked in with my bald head…. and at times I forgot that I had it…. but other times people look at you and it was so uncomfortable and odd feeling. Vulnerable is the only word that I can think of….. I’m sure I’ll get used to it… my head will get balder….. and I will have no choice… But, it was different.

Then we rushed home to do my photos and the response… has been the most views on my blog so far…. I’m so humbled by that. The comments of support…. just WOW! My Mom said… don’t put them on your blog…. lol I don’t ALWAYS do what my Mamma says…. 🙂 I love you Mom!!! I hope and pray…. that other women will embrace cancer. Don’t allow it to force pity on yourself… Take your moments of strength and make those moments shining moments…. Those photos…. are exactly what I hope to do for other women when I am well….. I want women to feel empowered, I want to call it the Sunshine Project.... and really make those women feel beautiful. Embrace their chemo rash…. Yes, it’s all over my face and body and it’s NOT attractive….. and allow their skin to show…. Those will probably be the last photos of myself with my own breasts….. This spring, mine will be gone…. and I will be flat chested for months…. before I can even think about reconstruction….. I want women to feel beautiful… and I hope that my bravery will inspire them to be brave. I love you Brianna for doing this for me… and maybe you’ll come up with your own project…..

Yesterday was an amazing and emotional day!!! ❤