Day 5- Sunday, the day of rest

Another good day so far, except of course that we are all getting anxious. Evan is ready to get out of his room, I am ready to see him and be in my room. The kids are ready tospend time with Daddy. But really we are doing better than I would have thought.

I have been standing at the door talking and asking questions. It should be ok for the distance we are apart and the length of time I'm there. I also let Haley stand around the corner and say hello to her Daddy today. She was happy about that, but I think it made Evan upset and frustrated. He's ready to see his kids!

And best friend Bethany came by to pick Haley up for and adventure and she too got to peek in and say hello to the patient. I think he really enjoyed seeing another adult besides me.

As a special bonus to anyone that might read this blog, here is a picture of the man being radioactive. Don't worry, I just stuck my camera in the door and snapped them really quick, so I should be fine!

As a note- he doesn't feel bad, he just likes laying in bed watching movies. And it happens to be cold in there (he likes it that way) so he's all covered up. Plus the more he rolls around in those sheets and comforter, the more excuse I have for getting all new bedding!

Day 4- Are you in there?

We both slept pretty well last night- despite being apart. I think Evan was asleep before 10. I finally got to sleep about 12:30. Going to sleep was the hard part. Butg I slept all night so that was good.
Today was a pretty good day. We had homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast (courtesy of Mary Lou Miller) and bacon. Evan watched a few movies, finished a Jonas Brothers puzzle (thanks Brian!) and ate a lot of tart candy. He did tell me he wished that he could hug me, so that was a little sad.
I on the other hand spent the entire day making sure every inch of our house was clean. I vacuumed base boards, through out anything that wasn't being used, organized closets and even cleaned the pantry. I am pretty proud of all that I got done and it made the day go by so much faster. Of course I am sad that I have no one to enjoy my clean house with. But that too shall pass.
And now its spaghetti eatin' time courtesy of Renee Chastain from church. Yum! And then hopefully the Olympics will get me through an otherwise boring evening. I have no more closets to clean except mine and it is in the quarantine zone!

Day 3 of Killin' the Cancer

As I type this, I am laying on our couch, alone. I am very sad as I know that I am not the only one feeling alone. And that is the hard part. How can you miss someone so much who is in the next room? It is simply love that makes it hurt. but we will get through, because this and the radiation will make it all better in the end.
On a much happier note, Evan is tolerating the treatment very well. I am so happy about that as I don't want him to feel bad and be lonely. He said that so far the only thing he has noticed is a sore throat which is totally normal for RAI treatment. Great news and an answer to everyone's prayers.
Here are a few other things that happened today that were unexpected, some good, some not so good:
1. We got to talk to a really cool doctor who basically answered every question under the sun and even went back to the beginning of this journey and explained what other doctors have not. I'm not saying other doctors were wrong, I'm just saying this guy went above and beyond. very cool.
2. We found out that Evan had a $7,000 dollar series of shots! Yes, you read that correctly, 3 zeros! And there is a good chance that insurance won't cover it all. So that was a surprise, but basically I could care less about the cost of anything, because Evan is priceless in my opinion. I am however worried about the sanity of drug companies!
3. Our cat, Abby Cat Kitty Furskins Bryant has gone to the vet for the week to live. And today, as I was driving home from the hospital, the vet called to say that she needed dental work. WTF? Dental work for a 12 year old cat who has never been outside?? Yes. To the tune of $185! Good grief- a cleaning at our dentist is only $70! But they bullied me into agreeing to have the work done by telling me that she might DIE from bad hygiene. REALLY? Part of me wanted to tell them to tell her to rest in peace. And the other part of me remembered how that crazy cat was our first born, has been through everything with us, and loves Evan more than anyone else. So she got a reprieve, unlike my wallet!
4. Mary Lou Miller made us chicken soup, fresh lemon cookies, beer bread and cinnamon rolls. The woman is an angel. And I think she might have a better recipe for curing cancer than the doctors.
5. And all of the people that love us continue to amaze me. Calls, cards, food and prayers are flooding our doors and I am overwhelmed with love.

So tonight I am thankful, as today was a good day. And in a way I am glad I am sad. It reminds me that I would do anything for him- my love and my world.

Die! Cancer Day #2

I am happy to update that every prayer said yesterday was totally answered and Thyrogen shot #1 was totally tolerated by Evan's body. And much to my surprise he said last night that he felt better than he had in days! PRAISE JESUS! I called him this morning just to make sure he still was ok and sure enough he was feelin' good. So happy I am- and I needed something to be happy about- another prayer answered.
And so we are t -1 days until radiation. Another shot today at 2:00 (pray that goes as well as yesterday) and then "the pill" tomorrow at 2:00. At that point- he will go into our bedroom and come out sometime next week when he gets the all clear. I will go ahead and tell you that I will be peeking in the door to see him. (If for some reason Dr. Wilson is reading this- sorry dude- I will take radiation exposure just to see my love.)
Did I mention I have ALOT to do to prepare for all of this? I'll make my list here for my own benefit and so that you too can experience the craziness right with me:
1. Move my clothes out into the gym closet. After all, I will need to be dressed ever day and since my closet is in the radiation zone, they have to be moved so I can get to them.
2. Move all of my bathroom stuff into the guest bathroom- as I probably should use shampoo and makeup next week.
3. Find Evan a chair to sit in so that he doesn't have to sit in bed all of the time.
4. Set up card table "seating area" so that he has a table to use.
5. Get mini-fridge in and stocked. (Don't worry Bee- Evan's parents got him one, so yours is safe!)
6. Buy a few last minute items to help him pass the time.
7. Get the cat packed and all of the forms filled out for her vacation at the vet.
And I have no idea what else I have forgotten. But it will all work out and it will be fine.
And I will miss him dearly, but I will remember that this is all for a reason- getting him HEALTHY- and that's all that is important right now.

Thyrogen Shot #1

And the journey begins.
Today is Thyrogen Shot #1 for Evan. I'm sure he loves that it will be in his butt!
Basically this shot is meant to make him hypothyroid so that when he receives the iodine 131 radiation, his thyroid cells (what are left) will be starving. The cells should then take up the radiation and DIE! So the shot is really important. But it is a necessary evil as it will probably make him feel pretty crappy for the next 2 days. I pray that it does not. But being someone that has hypothyroid issues, it pains me to know that he will be in this state for 2 whole days.
But he is strong and he will get through this part easily I'm sure. And especially if everyone keeps up the prayers. So thanks in advance for praying from 1:30 today until you can't anymore!

Here She Is..

The leader of my support staff and the best friend a girl could ask for-

Love you Bee Davis for being you and for being real.

You give me a source of strength that I would otherwise not have.

I would like to say that God got this one wrong

I put all of my hope and trust in God. And I always will. But I think that God just must have been having an off day when cancer entered the lives of the Bryants. It hurts and makes no sense. The most perfect man in the world does not need to get cancer. There are plenty of complete losers out there and for some reason Evan gets picked. The man with morals and values and love. The man who is a friend to all and still has every friend he ever met.
So I'll be honest, I'm pissed. And it will take a while to get over. But I GUARANTEE we are all going to come out on the other side of this kicking and screaming. Because I am not going to let anything happen to my love or my family.
So that's it. Todays rant.

Love is Sweet

Today I'm simply going to tell you why I love this picture. It might not seem like a very good picture, but it's a great picture really. Because it is us, and here is why..

1. This picture was taken on Tybee Island during vacation- we love vacation

2. We were at a greasy spoon breakfast joint- the perfect setting

3. We both got up and put clothes on and didn't care what we looked like- very us

4. We are both wearing our favorite hats, because that is what we do

5. I am making my teeth clinching camera smile and Evan looks like a professional smiler

6. We are together and that is how we like it best, together

I love Evan and I love us being us. This picture is us.

I got nothin'

My blog will probably suck for a while. I don't really have it in me to be funny or cute or creative right now. I just wanted to spend time with my family and love on my husband.
The diet will hopefully continue through all of this. Except that having a caffeine headache on top of everything else will probably make me drink a Coke or two. And eventually I will need a "real" drink which will not be on my diet.
The bedroom redo will be placed on hold as it is no longer even remotely important. And the finances of our household will all now be shifting to medical bills (which will be totally worth it).
I'll leave you with two thoughts: God is good and I put all of my faith in Him. And I love my husband more than life itself.

32 in 32- Day #1

I started the day by weighing myself to get my starting point. Oops- I probably should have gone easy on the meat, Japanese food, hot wings and junks that I ate this week. But it's all good. I'm ready to roll.
Here's what I ate today-
Breakfast- Fruit
Lunch- 1/4 turkey Subway
Dinner- Tomato soup, diced cheese, a few crackers, celery and carrots
Splurge- 23 mini chewy Sweetarts that I found out are only 50 calories for 23!
Lots of water- big deal for me!

So there you go. I put all this down mostly for my own benefit. And for accountability purposes of course.
I'm looking forward to doing well again tomorrow!

Master Bedroom Project- Strike 1

I received the much anticipated Martha Stewart bedding in the mail. Finally it was here. And I was so excited that I took it out of the bag immediately and put it on the bed. And immediately it came back off of the bed. It was HIDEOUS! Terrible quality, terrible colors. So not what I wanted or expected. And now it will have to make it's way back to the Macy's Formally Known as the Macy's at Shannon Mall.

I'm very disappointed to say the least. I think that the most disappointing part of all of it is that what we have on our bed currently came from Target and cost $89. And I love it and it is great quality. So when I decided it was getting dated and needed to be replaced, I wanted to go higher up on the shopping chain than Target, only to be disappointed by both Macy's and Martha Stewart. So guess what folks- I am going to go get my refund and I'm going to march myself in to Target and see what they have to offer. And I'll go from there.

Hopefully in a few days I'll have some new pictures to share of plan B, but as for now here are pictures of the current room and the failed plan A:

The current room:

Brown and gold- still love it

The failure of a pick on my part:

Here it is in it's box about to return to Macy's where someone will buy it on the clearance rack for their beach rental home:

32 in 32

I have been wanting to lose wait now for years. I am not happy at all with my weight, and frankly I just want to be healthier. So I am going to try a new campaign for my life:


"32 in 32". Basically, I want to lose 32 pounds in 32 weeks. Which is VERY reasonable since a pound a week is safe, healthy and doctor recommended.

In order to kick off my new campaign, I am going to eat here. Haha- I know it's a funny way to start a diet but Evan and I are celebrating my birthday together tonight. And I love that I will have the ultimate meat love fest before starting my new eating plan. I am also going to have wings for the Super Bowl and then I am done for a while.



Here's where you come in: any encouragemnt would be great, but most importantly- keeo me accountable please. Feel free to hurt my feelings if need be. But do what you must to show me that you love me by helping me attain my goal. Because it is what I want. And I can't do it on my own.



To help me remember what I am looking to achieve, here is the most unflattering picture of me. I was at my heaviest here:
And my hair was awful here as a side note!

Here are a few dates for my own benefit:
Halfway point- May 29th (right in time for summer)
Finish- September 18th (right in time for 12th anniversary)

Projects Around the House #1: Master Bedroom

I have decided that this year I am going to go room by room in our house and get each one exactly like I want it. My plan is to come up with a simple budget for each room, write down everything that I feel would make the room the best it could be, and execute the plan (staying within the budget of course!). I also hope to post before and after pictures and any ideas or cost savings I came across. So here is room #1: Master Bedroom.


I have already purchased the bedding and I got a fabulous deal! It is from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's. Originally priced at $229.99. Marked down to $99.99 and I got free shipping and 15% by using the internet! I saved so much that I went ahead and bought the pillows that come seperate (3 for $39.99). My total after tax and everything was $127 for good quality bedding!


Here's a quick picture:
I haven't figured out yet if the neutral color is more gold or taupe. If it is gold, we might not have to change the wall colors at all. If it is more of a taupe, we will probably go with a new wall color. Which is fine with me since our walls have been the same for 4 years. Paint would add about $40 to the cost of the project and some labor on our part. But not really a big deal since we enjoy painting.

As far as furniture goes, we NEED a dresser and two side tables. This is where the majority of the cost will occur in this room. I'm going to say that we could spend $750 and get what we need. We've been looking at Rooms To Go a little, but more effort will have to be put into getting reasonably priced quality furniture.

Finally, artwork and accessories are a must in here. It looks so bland and juvenile right now. So I'm going to give myself $150 to spend on this stuff.

So roughly, this room will cost $950 to complete. It might not all happen at once since we have to save up, but it will happen in time. I'll post before pictures soon!