uncle!

Pathology reports came back for my mom today. We knew the chances that a lesser surgery would be sufficient were low, but it was still a letdown to find out exactly how much needs to take place. I knew that a more invasive surgery was going to be required. I just knew. I've known since the first visit with the oncologist. I knew before my mom told me the results today. Even though I knew, I didn't realize how much I was hoping for the best until my mom told me otherwise. This surgery will result in a long recovery. We don't know just how hard it will be yet, but we are going to need some help. This is where I cry "uncle!" Remember how I live an hour away? I'm going to be spending weekends in Bountiful, but I need help. Your prayers in our behalf will always be welcome. Anyone close by who wants to let Owen hang out is a blessing from Heaven. As far as we can tell, my mom will spend most of next week sleeping as she recovers.

As hard as getting the news today was, I can't help but be overwhelmed by all the blessings. My mom is being treated by one of the best doctors at one of the best hospitals with the best machines in the nation. All three of these are conveniently close to home. We have Netflix, which seems small, but goes a long way for keeping Owen entertained while my mom is resting. We have family lending support. My dad's parents came up on Saturday to help get kids ready for school in the mornings. My dad has a great job and has been able to take time off. We will make it through this, and be better for it. I just have to remind myself that, although circumstances are out of my control, I have to have the faith that it will all work out in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end. All is well. All is well.

round one

My mom had her first surgery this morning to take a large biopsy to determine how invasive the surgery on Thursday needs to be. We are hoping for a lesser surgery. The difference between the 2 is quite large, as is the recovery time. We could still use your prayers and brownies are always welcome (: P.S. Go here for the whole story

ice ice baby

First things first. If, unlike me, your Facebook news feed was not plastered with videos of students skating to class, go watch some Youtube videos. Seriously. Just go search "BYU students skate to class." Right now. Then come back. I have been cursing the snow lately, but I don't think I've ever wished for snow more than I did today. Here's the deal. It rained. Usually the rain melts the snow and I am one very happy girl. Today it froze upon hitting the snow, turning all sidewalks and driveways into ice skating rinks. I literally skated all the way across campus to my first class. When I got there, I got an email from the university. Surely they were canceling classes because they care for the safety of their students. Nope. "Please use caution due to the slippery conditions today." In my next class, I got another email. I thought they had to be canceling for sure. There had already been so many injuries. "We encourage teachers to be accommodating today." I slipped and skated to all my classes that day, and managed not to fall even once. Others were not so lucky. There were so many broken bones on campus. Someone split their face open and someone else broke their back and tailbone upon walking out of their apartment. There were something like 88 wrecks in Salt Lake this morning. By the way, my teachers were so not accommodating. Unannounced homework and a really sucky pop quiz. Just in case you were wondering.

You could say I was less than pleased to see this after I survived 5 classes.

Good thing I had these babies today.

the post i never wanted to write

Oh dear. I don't even know where to begin. I guess this story starts on December 18th, my mom and dad's anniversary. I've started my mission papers, so I had to have a TB test read that morning. Within 10 minutes of getting home, my mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It wasn't a surprise, we had been expecting the phone call for a few days, but the definitiveness of getting the diagnosis was still hard. My dad's parents had come to stay with us the day before, on their own anniversary. My parents and my grandparents went to dinner that night and my dad told them what we had learned that day. My 2 oldest brothers were told that night with hopes that they would be able to step up around the house so my sisters didn't have to know before the break from school. We had a Christmas party with my dad's family that Saturday, and because my dad had told his siblings earlier in the week, my parents told my sisters that morning so they wouldn't find out at the party. Before the diagnosis, there was a possibility that surgery could be done before the end of the year and the cancer would be gone. We hoped that one surgery would be enough and to get it done while we were catastrophic would have been a blessing. When the biopsies came back, it was suspected that a more invasive surgery would need to occur, one that required seeing a different doctor. My mom had a CT/Pet-scan on the 29th. The results from that test showed that the cancer is localized and hasn't spread. We still don't know what stage the cancer is, but the results of that test mean it is 1 or 2. My mom met with an oncologist yesterday. She decided that a 2-stage surgery would be best. The purpose of the first surgery is to gather a larger biopsy to determine what the second surgery will be. Depending on the biopsy results, my mom will either have a traditional hysterectomy or a radical hysterectomy 2 days after the first surgery. There is only about a 15% chance a traditional hysterectomy will be enough, but a radical hysterectomy is so much more invasive that it is worth doing a biopsy to see what surgery is needed. The surgeries are tentatively scheduled for the 15th and 17th. At this point, we don't think chemo or radiation will be necessary, but they are still possibilities. The purpose of this post was not to draw attention or cause unnecessary concern, but to inform and give more people the opportunity to pray for us. Really that's what we need right now--your prayers and possibly a plate of brownies if you have time (: We are very optimistic and are already seeing countless blessings. This is a slow-growing cancer and it was caught very early. It has been nice to have everyone home during this time with the break from school and work. We haven't been "keeping this a secret," but it is difficult to tell people. I'll try to keep everyone updated, especially regarding the surgeries coming up.

trials.

There are times in my life where I've felt like I've really been prepared way ahead of time for big events or big news. We got some big news today that will definitely result in some hard times coming up, but we can retrospectively see what has taken place to prepare our family for the adjustments coming our way. We could certainly use your prayers though.

nothing sweeter

I'm really loving this break. This is the first time in years that I haven't had any homework to do during a break. I have needed these mornings meant for sleeping in. And I get to be with kiddos all day everyday. I've decided to go on a mission for the LDS Church this spring. Girls serve for 18 months so, depending on when I leave, I won't be home next Christmas, and possibly the one after that. So I've been soaking this up because it's going to come fast. It will be hard to miss major events like Finley's baptisms and the babies that are on their way, but mostly it will be hard not to be a part of little everyday moments. It will be so worth it though. I will get to spend a year and a half completely devoted to sharing what has made me so happy. I will get to teach people that families can be together forever. I will get to teach people that there is no mistake too big and that it is never too late to change. And I can't think of anything sweeter or more rewarding.