Weekend recap......

The goal of this weekend was to rest and eat healthy.

Saturday morning we had an appointment with a local naturalist who someone else we know with a very similar cancer had gone to. She was great, and gave us some additional book recommendations for healthy eating. She was impressed with the steps Kevin had already taken as far as health. She also recommended a couple vitamins and essential oils. 

I've been interested in the oils for a while but wondered if they really helped. We set up our diffuser when we got home and have used it basically all weekend. The frankenscince was recommended for brain cancer so we got that along with a couple others in the starter kit. We used the lavender around bedtime and it was amazing. We both slept like babies. 

Kevin will start with reflexology once he completes this next round of chemo. I'm excited that he was so into all the natural things he can be doing along with the chemo. 

We also had a little birthday party since my parents will be gone this week. We plan on really celebrating in a couple of weeks. But I loved the early birthday gifts from my mom and dad. I'd been eyeing these bracelets for a while. 

Sunday afternoon was my sororities alumni tea at the sorority house. During this they do a senior ceremony for all graduating seniors who will be going alum. It's hard to believe 10 years ago I went alum. That's right, 10 years ago. Alpha Phi was one of the best decisions I ever made. I met some of my life long friend because of it. It's always good to see my sisters, especially my bestie. 

Pray for Kevin this week. He has blood work done tomorrow and will find out Tuesday if he can start chemo this week. We are praying that his count will be exactly were it needs to be. 

We're thankful for another blessed week, bring on Monday!

Five on Friday Fun.....

TGIF! This week actually went by really fast and here is a run down of the week. 

1. Kevin got a new wedding ring from James Avery. No, he didn't lose his other one it just became a pain. It was always a little big and it was made from tungsten so it was super heavy. He's lost weight with all his healthy eating so it became even bigger on him. We found a very pretty silver one at James Avery and he loves it. He's got the other ring in the bedroom so he can switch them out as he says. 

2. I've mentioned it before but I work for the best company. I love my coworkers, my boss and it's based on Christian values. Every year our company goes all out for employee appreciation. Our owner is the most giving woman you will ever meet. This year we had a week filled with fun, food, and sweet gifts. We even had sumo wrestling today in the parking lot. Seriously. I'm so very thankful for my job and coworkers. 

3. Kevin got a new xbox one game called kinect sports rivals and we've been playing it nonstop. The bowling is so much fun. It's like Wii bowling without the sticks. We also look like idiots bowling in our living room. Seriously, we look like crazy people. 

4. I'm obsessed with Miranda Lamberts new song Automatic. Everyone knows how much I love Miranda. But really, this is my new favorite song. It makes my heart happy. You can hear it here: Automatic

5. Next Wednesday I turn 32. My thirties have already been some of the best and most challenging days of my life. I know Gods got big things planned for us this year.  It seems like just yesterday I was having a clown and Cinderella birthday cake. My mom asks me every year if I want clown or a piñata for my birthday party. She clearly wouldn't have made it in today's children's birthday party world with Pinterest. A bowling party was my favorite birthday, with my 80s side ponytail of course. If I could only swing a side ponytail at 32...

The pity party is over....

Today I had a pity party for myself. I even shed a few tears. But being upset doesn't fix ANYTHING, it just makes my mascara run and gives me dark circles. And the older I am the harder those are to cover up. 

It started when Kevin's doctor called and said his white blood cells fell this week and he has to wait a week to do chemo. He's been fighting off sinus issue since Thursday and didn't sleep at all Sunday night before his blood work on Monday. They said that's the culprit. It wasn't abnormally low, just not high enough were he can do chemo this week. So now he starts chemo next week, on my birthday. That's actually a happy thing, I know the chemo is fighting off those nasty cells so i don't care what day he gets to start. Just finding out the news he wouldn't start this week upset me and I started to spiral down from there. I became my own Debbie downer. I hate that. 

But I have a million and one reasons not to be upset. Far more good things in our lives verses the bad. So the pity party has officially ended. 

Good things that happened today:

1) it was my mother in laws bday, so we celebrated tonight with dinner

2) i had a red velvet sprinkles cupcake at work for employee appreciation (calories don't count during a pity party)

3) my sweet parents sent me flowers to celebrate my birthday

So moral of the story, don't be a Debbie downer. Take life one day at a time and count your blessings. And if you do have a pity party, eat a sprinkles cupcake. Life looks a lot better after a cupcake. 

Pray Kevin's allergies and sinus issues end and that his white blood count goes up so he continues his monthly chemo next week. God is good all the time, even on a hard day. Never forget that. 

Three day weekends.....

We had a three day weekend full of food, family and friends. Thursday night I had the house to myself while Kevin was at the lake with his brother. I was able to clean and catch up on my Bravo shows without Kevin trying to change the station. 

Kevin said I had to be careful posting photos of him fishing. He didn't want me to give away his "secret" spots. I assured him he has nothing to worry about and  that nobody reading my blog is fishing any tournaments or fishing period. 

Friday I had an appointment in Dallas and Kevin came with me. Afterwards we ran a couple errands in Dallas, along with 5 million other people. Traffic was awful all day. As soon as we got back to Denton it was time for Kevin's family Easter egg hunt. 

Kevin helped Pierson eat a couple pieces of his findings. They rode the golf cart, looked at Paw Paws garden and played with cars. We had fun, but come 9 pm, I was ready for bed. 

Saturday we had a couple of chores to do around the house, and went to visit with my parents for a while. It was such a nice day to be outside. We went to Pierson's t-ball game in the afternoon. He did so good and even wore uncle Kevin's sunglasses one lap around the bases. 

We went to the grocery store but since my kitchen was clean we decided to eat out. I think doing dishes are the worst chore. I hate dirty dishes left in the sink so I feel Iike we do dishes 2 or 3 times a day. Kevin says it's the OCD part of me. 

After dinner Kevin said let's get frozen yogurt. You don't have to ask me twice. 

Notice my strawberry yogurt has sprinkles and a few mini Reece's cups. I mean it is a holiday weekend, right? 

Easter we always go to church with my parents. We love their pastor Buddy. Even though we aren't members they've prayed for us, sent us a prayer-o-gram and called throughout Kevin's treatment. His message was perfect for Easter, reminding us of what Jesus did for us on the cross. 

After church we went to lunch at my parents house with the family. Easter isn't Easter unless you have a big ass ham. 

This is going to be a busy week. Kevin's starts chemo on Wednesday. He's ready to get started and check this one off his list. They told us this round should be a little easier since the first one shocked his system. This time next weekend it will be behind him. 

Hope you had a Happy Easter with family and friends! 

Our Love Story

I really thought that I'd written our love story on the blog, but after having the new blog design added and looking back over old post I realized I never did.

It all began at the church were Kevin and I grew up. This is also the same church where grandfather had gone to school as a child which is walking distance from the land he lived on as a child (the current land my father and uncle own today, where we live). Kevin's mom was my mission friends teacher and she would always bring Kevin and his brother Jeff with her on Sunday night. I always had a huge crush on Kevin, even as a little girl. When I was in elementary I colored a picture of a bride and groom which I labeled "Kevin and Kati" and I gave it to my mother in law. Little did I know she kept it. She gave it to me years later after Kevin proposed.

Back to the story, as time went on pretty much everyone in Denton County or maybe even Texas knew I liked Kevin. When I was in high school we started talking (I mean clearly things were serious, or at least they were for me) and Kevin took me to my junior prom. Kevin was 21 at the time and his world was much different than mine. He lived on his own, worked and his life revolved around fishing. The talking ended and I was pretty devastated, but never gave the idea up of us being together.

Prom 1999

Kevin and I in 1996

My senior year came and went. His brother Jeff took me to my senior prom. Jeff was the big brother I never had, so when I didn't have a date that year he was sweet enough to take me. That's right, I went to prom with my husband and brother in law. We even have the pictures to prove it.

Prom with Jeff in 2000. 

Anyway, after high school I went off to college, joined the best sorority and pretty much had the time of my life. I dated, had boyfriends but they were never Kevin. I thought about him often and always hoped to run into him. Durning college I gained some unwanted weight, as all college students do. But I wasn't comfortable in my own skin. As I started my masters program I got an invite to Jeff's wedding. I had met his fiancée Jane and we totally hit it off. I really liked her but I was terrified to go to their wedding. I wanted to go and be there for their big day but also not gonna lie, to see Kevin. I hated all my clothes and went shopping for a new dress. I made my best friend come with me but told her we were leaving as soon as it was over and not going to the reception. There were to many chances for Kevin to see me there and I wasn't ready. Clearly I wasn't thinking, because hello, he was going to see me at the wedding.

We went to the wedding and it was beautiful. I starred at Kevin the entire time and when we left I talked about him for the next 8 hours straight. Jenna probably wanted to glue my mouth shut, but as a true friend she listened to every word.

Time went on and Jane and I started working out. I lost all the weight that made me uncomfortable and I was at a happy place in life. School was great and I felt great. I asked Jane for Kevin's number, and I hung onto it for a while. The first week of December in 2005 I got a call from Kevin's mom. His grandmother had been really ill and had died. She was trying to get a hold of the pastor and couldn't. She asked if we could call him for her. My mom and I were making bourbon balls (as normal southern baptist do) and we stopped everything. We went directly over to Ginny's house to be with the family. I've always loved this family, Kevin's grandmother was an amazing lady. You walked in her house and she wanted to feed you. She was always on the go and loved being a part of her grand kids lives. Kevin's family like my family all lives next door to each other. Ginny had three girls and one son, and they all live on the same street named after the family. Kevin is one of 9 grandchildren. I've known his family ever since I can remember. I remember swimming in my mother in laws panties when I was 5 in her hot tub with a girl from church. So there was a long history there.

We hugged the family and prayed before heading out the door. As I was walking out Kevin walked in and gave me the biggest hug of my life. We didn't talk, and I left with my parents. When we got into the car my mom said, who was that you hugged. I told her it was Kevin and she said she didn't recognize him. Time went by and we started texting. Nothing major, just small texts. One day when Kevin text me he asked if I wanted to hang out, clearly my answer was yes. We had our first date on December 15, 2006 and were engaged on December 30, 2006. When he asked my parents if he could marry me, he told them he knew all along it would be me.  He proposed on the steps of the church where we met and where we married. We went to show my grandmother after and I will never forget her words of encouragement she shared with us. She knew Kevin's grandparents very well. Kevin's grandfather Pawpaw was actually going to purchase the land where we live now. But when he found out my grandfather wanted to buy the land where he grew up he called him up and offered him the opportunity to buy it. It's funny how things work out. The land my father and uncle own actually backs up to Kevin's family's land. That's how close we are, and always have been. Our love story was years in the making and continues to grow. God picked Kevin for me, and I can actually say I've loved Kevin my entire life.

Our wedding November 17, 2007

Kevin and I in the Greenhouses. 

My sister in law and I at my wedding. Hilarious. 

Milkshakes, spray paint and a sunny weekend.....

On Saturday I had the opportunity to meet up with on of my favorite bloggers and do the March of Dimes walk. I'm not gonna lie, I almost chickened-out. But I'm so thankful I didn't. She is the real deal folks, and has such a big heart for others.

If you don't follow Megan's blog you should, she is is pretty stinkin cute and has two adorable kiddos. Skinny Meg 

I also had the opportunity to meet a couple of other sweet ladies too. Such a fun day supporting a great cause. It was so amazing to see all the little babies there who had been helped because of the medical advancements made. 

Kevin being the sweet hubby he is drove me down to White Rock on Saturday morning. We planned on going to Bass Pro in Mequite after but we decided to go for burgers at Hopdoddy's Burger Bar in Park Cites because we were both starving. We decided to split a shake but skip the fries. After all I had just walked 5 miles, but the guy that took our order thought other wise. Next thing I knew we both had shakes. 

They were delicious, but we both felt so sick afterwards. Kevin has eaten so healthy and avoided sugar while doing chemo but every now and then he has to live a little and indulge in carmel goodness. After we were stuffed silly we headed over to Central Market for our weekly shopping trip. You know the rule, never go to the grocery store hungry. Well there should be another one, never go to the store stuffed. Nothing looked good, even the items on our list. But we still ended up with everything we need for the week. 

This is my all time favorite Central Market find. 

We hungout with my parents in my dad's new wood shop Saturday evening. I keep adding new projects to his list. Between my mom and me we've given him a full time job of wood working. 

Sunday we finally got around to sanding and painting this old tin shelf I got last year in Tom Bean. I couldn't decide what to do with it or what color to paint it so we left it rusting away in the garage. I'd been complaining about needing another end table and Kevin mentioned that. I'm so glad he did. One more coat and it will be perfect. 

Kevin goes Thursday for his follow up appointment with the Nurse  practitioner. Then he starts his next round of chemo on April 23rd after Easter. He's ready to get this next one under his belt. He's felt so good since the last treatment, we are so thankful. I see many fishing trips in his near future. 

Five on Friday

Today's Friday and here's what I know......

1. Here is my pallet makeup brush holder I made earlier this week. I love. Love. Love it. 

2. The pallet piece brings me to the second item. While it was easy to make I had a run in with wood stain, ALL OVER my legs. Today at lunch I went for a pedi. The lady doing my nails kept trying to ask me what was wrong with my legs. Bless her heart, she didn't know what wood stain was. 

3. Yesterday was national sibling day. I celebrated by sharing this lovely memory. Pretty sure my sister uses the same amount of hair spray and teasing as she did in 1988. I guess we do live in Texas. Love our 80's outfits. 

4. Kevin was at the lake tonight so I took the opportunity to use my sunless tanner. This is amazing and doesn't streak. And with the nifty mitt your hands don't get dirty. 

5. Kevin just sent me this picture. He's been at the lake all afternoon with his buddies. First time he's taken his boat out in a long time. This picture makes me smile. 

Happy weekend! 

Weekend projects with my favorite electrician.....

A couple of weeks ago I saw a lamp in a restaurant that I LOVED. I pointed it out to Kevin and told him how I'd love to have one like it but I knew it was expensive. He looked at my like I was nuts and he went on to explain he could make it easy and cheap. You don't have to tell me twice. 

I found the perfect mason jar and burlap lamp shade for the first lamp. For the second lamp I found a rusty lantern from Hobby Lobby. And even better it was all half price. 

I let Kevin grab the electrical material at Home Depot. I'm not even going to pretend to know all the parts he got, but it was very affordable. 

Kevin started on the burlap lamp and it took him about 15 mins. 

It was just what I wanted and fits perfectly next to our bed. 

The lantern lamp took a little longer, but a total of 45 mins from start to finish including installation. 

I wanted an old time bulb, in both lamps but since you can only see it in the lantern lamp I picked up just one. That's was really the only pricey item that wasn't on sale. 

I found a couple of other cute lamp ideas on Pinterest that Kevin said he would help me with. His honey do list is starting to grow. 

We have one more project we're working on this rainy weekend. It includes a pallet, stain and mason jars. If I don't screw it up I'll share a picture later this week. Kevin's kind of taken over that project so I'm not sure I will have the opportunity to screw it up. 

Kevin's had a great week and has felt so good. It took him a day to get over the chemo but since then he's been going strong. Just like he felt back in November which makes my heart to happy. We truly have been blessed through his surgery, radiation, chemo and healing. Thank you again for all your prayers. 

We've been talking about planning a getaway this summer before or after a round of chemo. We might do Beavers Bend since it's one of our favorite spots but are open to suggestions. 

Happy Sunday!