Mel's 30th Birthday!

Last Friday, Sept 18th we got to celebrate Mel's 30th Birthday with her. This is not just any birthday it was MELODY's Cancer-free 30th Birthday. I can remember her 29th birthday when there was not too much to celebrate except dinner and cookies. Last year she was getting ready to head to another chemo session, bald, beautiful, and full of worries. This year she was 30, fabulous, cancer-free, full of life, and excited for the next 60 years of life.


Mel really wanted to go eat at one of her favorite places...Maria's which is a quaint Mexican place downtown. Kev and I had never been there. It was good! Then Mel wanted to go to Ernie Biggs which is a Piano Bar. None of us had been their either. We had a wonderful night. The piano bar was interesting to say the least. I was amazed that two pianos could play together. The craziest part for me was that people would make a request and IMMEDIATELY the musicians would start playing the songs and they would know ALL the words. I can never remember all the words to a song...I end up making them up or humming. It was cool. I asked Kevin how those musicians could do this and his answer was...while we were studying biology these people were studying music and songs. I guess he was right! They were good. After the show we went to a coffee bar for coffee and chocolate fondue. It was a wonderful birthday party. Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for allowing Z to come sleep over with his best buddy! We had a night out!

Mel and Hil...I figured this was our 18th birthday that we have spent together....12 years old was the first one. Gosh I wish I had a picture of that!

Kevin and I at Maria's Mexican
Mel and Wasson at Maria's
This is Hilary and Tyler....good friends of Mel & Wassons...and ours too. It was the six of us!
Funny story....this was our waitress at Ernie Biggs....she just so happened to be from the small town that I grew up in. Her sister, Kiersten was my BEST friend in kindergarten. We both looked at each other and knew we knew each other but it took us a second to realize it. Courtney was about 3 or 4 when we moved. She is a gem! I had to get a picture of us to show her sister on facebook.
Another funny story...this is another old friend of ours...Jessica. I went to school with Jessica from 2nd grade to senior year of Highschool. We re-connected on Facebook about a year ago when she was expecting her first baby. While we were at Ernie Biggs Melody said, "Hey I think that is Jessica". I said lets see. So I got on my iphone, went to my FB application, and asked her if she was at Ernie Biggs. Within minutes she replied that she was in the window for a birthday party. Just like that we reunited. Again I HAD to get a picture. Thanks to the modern world of technology!

Pray for Mel!

Well today is Mel's big day. Today is the day that Melody has her breasts reconstruction surgery. Today marks the end of long journey. June 12th 2008 was a nightmare day for Mel...the day she found out she had breast cancer. The past six and a half months have been full of doctors visits, surgeries, chemotherapy, a lot of tears, stress, hair loss, pain, and fear. Today, December 29th marks the end of all of it.





We all know that God healed Mel of the cancer. He took away the cancer cells, He provided her with the best of the best physicians and nurses, He eased her mind that she beat this awful disease, He provided a wonderful husband, parents, in-laws, and numerous friends that have helped Mel fight and win this battle. GOD IS SO GOOD! I thank God daily for healing and taking care of my best friend. Today is just a bump in the road compared to what Mel has already been though. However I believe that with your prayers she can have a speedy recovery and be back to "normal" very soon. Please say a prayer for Mel's surgery today and all of the other men, women, and children that are fighting cancer. I can't wait to have my best friend back!

Mel, we love you, we are praying for you, and we are SO proud of you.

Road trip to Chemo therapy!

I have been gone for a while but I am back. Get ready for a blog update daily because I have a lot to post. I have several events I want to blog about but this one today has first priority.

I am up in St. Louis at Siteman Cancer Center with my best friend Melody and a new friend Doreen. First let me tell you about how I got here...it goes back 2 years ago. The week after I had Zachary I had several doctors visits. Because I could not drive I had to have help getting Z to the pediatrician. Of course Kevin took me to some of them and my in-laws took me to one. But I can clearly remember a week after Z was born I needed a driver to get me to a check up for Z. I called Mel. To recap she was at home with a 12 week old but she insisted that she drive out to our house, pick Z and I up and take us to the doctor. It does not seem like a big deal but it was a HUGE deal to me. She dropped everything to get us to where we needed to be. I never knew how I was going to repay her. Today I finally got too. About 6 weeks ago she asked me if I would accompany her to her 5th chemo treatment in St. Louis. I said of course. My in-laws & Kevin realized the importance of this trip and took care of everything for Z.

We headed up the highway yesterday to get settled in the hospital hotel to be ready for a full day of doctors visits & chemo therapy. Above I mentioned a new friend Doreen. She is a breast cancer survivor that Mel met at her church. Doreen is also a nurse so it was perfect for her to come along on the trip too. I met Doreen for the first time yesterday but feel like I have known her forever. Talk about an inspiration. Doreen knows exactly how Mel feels and what she needs. She also is an inspiration to me. A mommy of 3, a wife, a Christian women, a Cancer survivor...Doreen is all of that. What a trooper! The three of us were out on a road trip to Chemo. Once we arrived in St. Louis, we hit a few stores at the Galleria, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and then we enjoyed one another's company at a wonderful restaurant Asia for dinner. It was great. The best part of being with these inspiration women was that we celebrated life, our faiths, and our motherhood.

Lunch at the Galleria Cheesecake Factory ....Doreen, Melody, and me Getting ready for a good night of friends, food, and fun!
Look at the hottie with the blond hair!
Mel and Hil
Hil and Doreen

Two CANCER surviors! What an inspiration!

Today we got up early to have a healthy breakfast and to mentally prepare Mel for her treatment. We were fortunate enough to meet her amazing oncologist, Dr. Ellis and his team. Mel wanted Doreen and I in the exam room to hear all the information he was giving her. While I was sitting in this room I got overwhelmed by emotion. I realized that I was sitting in a room with TWO breast cancer survivors and that God healed these remarkable women. Dr. Ellis also overwhelmed me because he was the epitome of what an excellent physician is. He acted like Mel was the only patient in his practice. He listened to her, he answered all of our questions, he offered HOPE, and he was highly educated.

After Mel's appointment, we had coffee while waiting for her Chemo treatment to begin. Currently, Mel is back in the chemo area. Doreen and I are taking turns to be with her. Due to the toxicity of the chemo drug Mel could have a reaction so I wanted Doreen with her the first hour or so since she is a nurse and would know what to do if Mel started to experience any side effects. Please pray for Mel that she will not have any side effects. The oncologist said this drug usually causes severe bone pain.

Mel is doing AWESOME! She is on the downward slope of chemo treatments. This is #5 or 8 treatments. Only 3 more to go. She continues to be a beacon of HOPE for me and for everyone around her. I never imagined I would have to go down this road with Mel but it has taught both of us A LOT of things. She reminds me daily that I need to live life to the fullest, that I need to rely on God for everything, and that no matter what I have to stay positive. You GO MEL!

I wanted to send a shout out to Kevin, Karen, and Marv for taking care of my baby boy so that I could come up here. This entire trip has been inspirational and good for me. Thank you !

For Mel

Yesterday was Melody's 3rd Chemo Treatment...only 5 more to go. As you all know Melody continues to be an inspiration to all for. Even though Melody is going through one of the worst times of her life she continues to smile, laugh, and give all the glory to God. This is amazing. I know that on the days following chemo Mel feels terrible and sometimes wants to disappear. So today I am going to post her some photos to smile about. Hopefully, these photos will cheer her up just a bit. I found these when I was organizing my photos.

Murder Mystery Dinner. Mel, Wasson (as Surelock Holmes), Tommy, & a peek of Jason Hill (aka Jungle Boy)

Just the girls...Freshman Year LPA Mel & Hil 1994 I thought we looked good?

8th Grade Dance at Hickory Hills (What are we doing with our hands?)

Getting ready to go to McCarty's for Murder Mystery Dinner

Mel and Hil in movie theatre booth Freshman Year
Please note the thickness in my eyebrows...scary! Why didn't someone tell us?







If you want to read Mel's blog about her breast cancer story click here.

A good night!

I had to share this photo of Z. Tonight I dropped Z off at my Aunt Kelli & Uncle Kelley's house while I went up to the hospital to see Mel. My Uncle has a motorcycle. When we walked up to their house Z spotted it and began saying "By-ke By-ke". He was so excited to see a bike. When I returned from the hospital we put Z on the bike. He LOVED IT! Thanks Kelli & Kelley for watching him while I went to see Mel! I appreciate it. He is still making a motorcycle noise and is saying "By-ke".

As for the update on Mel tonight....SHE IS DOING FABULOUS! I mean FABULOUS! I was so impressed with her color, her alertness, her lack of bandages and medical stuff, and most of all her positive attitude. She was doing great. She was beaming ear to ear that the cancer was gone!!! Of course she does have pain but that is what her morphine pump is for. She thanks God over and over for such a great day. Thank you again for your prayers, support, and e-mails. This has been a great day. A day that the Lord made. I will rejoice and be glad.

Pray for MEL

Tonight I am asking for a lot of prayers for my friend Melody. She is supposed to check in the hospital early tomorrow for her double mastectomy. There are a lot of specifics that you can pray for....(in no particular order)
* Pray for Melody that she can relax tonight and get a good night of rest.
* Pray for her husband, parents, and in-laws while they wait in the surgical waiting area tomorrow morning.
* Pray for her two year old Charley that she will be okay and understanding that her mommy cannot pick her up for a couple weeks.
* Pray for her surgeon & plastic surgeon that they will be able to remove all the cancer and that they will do their very best in putting her back together again.
* Pray for good news that the cancer is still contained to the tumor and that it is not in the lymph nodes or bloodstream.
* Pray for her nurses & caregivers.
* Pray that she gets a private room.

Any time you get a free moment please remember her in your thoughts and prayers. It's going to be a big day. I know that God is going to take good care of her and at the end of tomorrow she will be CANCER FREE. Thanks in advance for your prayers. If you would like to read Mel's story click HERE.

Bye Bye Boobies!

This past week I hosted a party. It was not a birthday party, an anniversary party, or a party like I have ever been to before. It was a party celebrating life. It was a party showing love, support, and friendship. It was a Bon Voyage to Mel's Boobies party. You might wonder what it was. Well, as you know, my best friend Mel has breast cancer and will be having a double mastectomy this week. When she was first diagnosed she mentioned having a going away party for her boobies. So we did just that. We all got together in honor of Melody at a restaurant downtown. Here are some pictures of the party. If you want to see more click here to view Mel's photos.
Bon Voyage to Mel's Boobies Party Pictures

Cupcakes for the party

The guys at the party


This is what I have learned since Mel was diagnosed. Appreciate your family, appreciate your friends, appreciate your hair, appreciate your body (even if you would rather have that runway model physique), appreciate your church, and most of all appreciate your life and all that God has given you.

One bad month....

I hate to be a downer but this month has been a very difficult and sad one for my family. First my uncle died, then a patient of Kevin's passed away from a car accident and now this. This blog is supposed to be happy, fun, and about our family...but I guess since it is life then it will be both the good and the bad.

On Thursday, my best friend of 17 years, Melody got the news that no one ever wants to receive. She was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer. Whew...did I really just type that? Can a 28 year old mommy really have cancer? I don't know why God dealt these cards to Mel, but I do know that God does not give you anything that you cannot handle.

This spring Mel and I went to a bible study on the book of James. At the time Mel and I were not going through any trials. So we did not rely heavily on the scripture verses to much. At this time, I am going back into my notes and clinging to the word that James writes.

James says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develop perseverance". James 1:2

I have to make myself have JOY about this ordeal. Mel has to make herself have JOY, knowing that her faith will be stronger and that some how this HUGE TRIAL will bring her closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. Mel is a very strong, determined, and faithful woman. I know she can beat this. It's just going to be a difficult journey for her, her husband Ryan, her 2 year old daughter, and her family. I wanted to put a link on my blog directly to her site about journey. Click here to view it.

Please say a prayer for Mel and her family.

Mel and Hil pregnant together


Mel and baby Charley


Mel with her parents and daughter


Mel and Hil at Women's Retreat


Hot Springs Annual trip: Mel, Ryan, Hil, and Kev