Creating Spaces

You’re likely tired of my word for 2020, “Create”. Or maybe you’re not? This word seems to be swirling around in my head in most things I do lately.

It might in fact be my new favorite word.

I’ve recently been focused on creating spaces. While I am truly enjoying my new work space in my basement office (why didn’t I do that long ago?), I’m now working on spaces for playing and relaxing. I’m creating spaces that spark joy. Shout out to Marie Condo! Okay, that made me giggle a little bit.

I’m working on a few things in Effie, my travel trailer, and I’m super excited to share those soon! I’ve asked my mom to make me some new curtains (I should learn how to sew. She also made my first set but now I’ve changed my mind on the vibe I want.) for Effie and I’m headed over to my dads house later this week to work on my new dinette table. My current table is out of a vintage trailer but it wasn’t made for my trailer specifically and it just isn’t working out great. My new table will fit the space much better and will easily drop down and make into a bed. Mike said that if I got A/C that he would camp with me. Since I got the A/C I need to make sure he’s got a comfy bed! We have a lot of great campsites within an hour from us that are right on the lake and it would be so easy to get away for one night and enjoy my little home on wheels with the hubs. The curtains and the table should be done within the next few weeks. Such a happy and relaxing space.

The other space we’ve been working on?

Our 20 year old rotted deck went bye-bye in November.

Over the last three and a half months we’ve had fun watching the progress in our backyard. We had no time line for completion so when the weather cooperated, the men would work and we would watch. We watched with great anticipation as this new space came alive. We’d been talking about doing this for a long time.

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The three windows are now two doors.

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Last weekend things started to really come together. The inside of the new doors were painted on Friday. Saturday, Mike finished the mantel, put the final touches on the hearth and hung the TV.

I think the mantel turned out beautifully. He’s kinda crafty ya know.

I was super excited to fill this new space up, but we had not yet decided what furniture we wanted.

Last Sunday, we decided to hit up Costco just before they closed to look at the outdoor furniture. I was really wanting a big sectional piece so we could both lay down if we wanted, but Mike was feeling more couch/chair combo. We found a nice compromise considering you can basically lay down in the chair/ottoman, loaded it in the truck and brought it home. I’m really pleased with our choice.

I am so happy with the new space that we have created.

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I’ve had a fire almost every day or evening. I feel like we are visiting somewhere. It’s truly the best Staycation ever!

I’ve basically lived out here for the last week. Grilling dinner, working, reading, Yoga, lots of coffee and my first nap out there Sunday afternoon. I haven’t spent the night out there yet, but I have an entire Spring ahead of me to do just that!

In other daily news…..lots of stuff going on!

Monthly Self Breast Exam

I post on Instagram and Facebook a reminder each month to do a self breast exam. What I didn’t include in this most recent post was that for the third time since my double mastectomy, I found a lump.

It’s just so frustrating and admittedly scary. There is not a !00% guarantee that a mastectomy will remove all breast tissue, so it is important to continue to do self exams and do regular follow up appointments with the breast surgeon and oncologist, which I do.

If I discover I lump, I am to let them know, then we go from there. Each of the three times that I have found a lump, they do the exam, they feel the lump, then they schedule an ultrasound or a mammogram, or both.

My insides are a complete mess when this happens. I prepare myself for the doctor to tell me that the cancer is back. All three times, I have walked out of the door on the day of the ultrasound or mammogram knowing that my lump is either a cyst or fat necrosis, not cancer, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the fact it could come back. After conversations with many other cancer survivors (which is just an odd sentence to type) I’ve discovered many of us have those thoughts.

Please do your monthly self breast exam. Finding my cancer early was so important in my outcome and continuing to know my body and how it changes might make a difference for me in my future as well.

Below is my post for this month.

#feelitonthefirst………..(or second, whatever works for you!😊)
I just did my monthly self breast exam. Due to a risk of reoccurrence, this is still important even after a mastectomy. Have you made this a monthly practice? It’s such an important part of our self care. Women and men, please add this to the list of things you are doing to take care of yourself. Tell your family and friends to do the same. Find something unusual? Call your doctor. Have it checked out. Breast Cancer affects 1 in 8 women and is much more common in men than I ever knew. Don’t ignore any lumps, bumps, dimples or changes in skin color. I feel so fortunate to have found my cancer in its early stages through self breast exam. It’s admittedly scary to find anything unusual but had I ignored my discovery or avoided seeing the doctor due to fear, my outcome could have been very different. Pay attention to your body, know it well and be your own advocate. Hugs to all of you going through a recent diagnosis, treatment, reconstruction or trying to figure it all out post everything. Stay strong! Hugging every one of you!

WW Workshops

In two weeks, I will be adding two more WW Workshops to my schedule, which I am just super happy about. That makes 9 Workshops a week. My goal when I was hired was to have 10 a week, so I’m almost there! I love this job more and more every single week. I have met so many wonderful people.

Junior High Friends

Last week I went to dinner with a group of ladies from my Junior High School. Can you believe it? This was put together in a matter of days from a friend who had been running into a few people she hadn’t seen in a while. She put a date out there and everyone could make it! We had such a great time catching up!

Five of the ladies from the picture above are also in the picture below. This is our team softball picture from 8th grade. My pops is the coach on the left. This was such a fun season. I’m in the front row, third from the left. That hair!

Dallas Visit

Mike and I took a quick trip to Dallas this weekend. This was our first trip to visit our daughter Tess and her husband Manuel and stay at their house. No hotel. No air mattress. No couch. We stayed in the guest room at their house and it was such a nice weekend. We flew in Friday just in time to catch up at the house, then out for a nice dinner.

Saturday was a great lazy day enjoying their house. Manuel’s parents came over and spent the day. They showed up with enough BBQ to last the entire day. We chatted, enjoyed their deck, watched the KU/Texas Tech game (Sorry Texas), watched Knives Out (Have you watched it? Great movie!), then played a game of Poker. We had a 6:00 am flight back to KC Sunday morning, so it was a quick trip but we got a lot in. As much as we did the weekend actually felt very relaxed.

Okay, I have so much more to say but it will have to be another day.

Hugs to all!

“love the life you live, live the life you love”