Of Course…

Church was awesome yesterday.  He preached on our words and what a powerful tool they are.

How we need to watch our words as they reveal our thoughts and feelings and our feelings dictate our lives.

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning” ~ Philippians 2:14

He talked about this book “A Complaint Free World” and what would it be like if we didn’t complain, if we didn’t say, “of course, that happened to me – it always happens to me like this,” "of course there is traffic....there is always traffic," instead say, “OF COURSE that happened…God is watching out for me” “OF COURSE it worked out, He planned it” “OF COURSE life it great!”

It is all too easy to get caught up in what is not going our way, caught up in what we don’t have, in what we want, in talking about others who we think did us wrong or didn’t do what we think they should have…to get caught up in all that nonsense that doesn’t make us better – that doesn’t make the world better. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” ~Romans 15:13

Next time something happens and you SO want to complain and b*tch about it – try not.  Try looking at that situation as a learning tool and an opportunity to be a better person and look at the silver lining – there is a silver lining in EVERY situation…believe me, I know!

Land's End

So a few months back, Genae at Beyond the Bobbie Trap contact Land's End to tell them she wanted to help them redisgn their swimsuit -

especially for mastectomy patients. Fast forward, she asked some of us girls from BBTT to take part in the upcoming campaign for Land’s End.  Land’s End sent me a swimsuit, and Holly from Holly Anissa took pictures of me.

This is me showing my swimsuit confidence!

I am a 34 year-old Stage IV cancer “thriver.” Above cancer, I am a mommy, wife, artist, friend and so much more. I put God first, try my hardest to follow God’s directions and listen to my heart every step of the way. - Renee Sendelbach

Go check out Land's End for more survivors showing off their confidence!

Pictures from Art Bra

 









No, I wasn't the only one in show!! I know it might look like from these pictures!  I know some people aren't on FB, so I wanted to get some out there for them to see.
I will post more of the show this week!
It was a magical night.  I had a wonderful - I am already thinking of a bra for next year!!
I can't wait to find out how much they raised.

All out of words

“Mommy, how many long is 3 hours?”

“180 minutes”

“How long is 5 hours?”

“300 minutes”

“How long is infinity?”

“Forever”

“If you love Jesus, will you still die?”

“yes”

“My friend said you won’t die if you love Jesus?”

“they are wrong”

“Is God or infinity bigger?

“God is infinity”

“What is infinity plus one?”

“Infinity”

“Is God everywhere?”

“Yes”

“Even standing on top of our heads?”

“Sure, I guess that counts as everywhere”

“When do we get to go up to Oma and grandpa’s again?

“At the end of June…about 6 weeks”

“how many days?

“well a week has 7 days, so 6 times 7 is 42…42 days”

“what is God doing right now?”

“loving us”

“oh”

“baby, mommy is all out of words”

“well, you just said words, so you must not be all out”

He is 4.5 years old…what are our conversations going to be like when he is 7…full out math equations and philosophy discussions??

34…

34…when I was “younger” I looked at 34 as wow, old.  I now look at 34 and think so much more; blessed, family, love, happiness, adventures to come, memories to cherish, goals to reach, dreams to come true and oh so much more.

I just watched a movie called “You Bought a Zoo” and there was in a line in it that I think we all need to live by, “you only need to be courageous for 20 seconds.” If you blow it and make yourself look like a fool – only well, it is only 20 seconds.  BUT it might be magical, all your dreams could come true from that 20 seconds of courage…20 seconds of courage.

I feel with every birthday I get a little more courageous.  A little more me.  A little more ready to fully live.

In my 34^th year, I want to:

Stay cancer free

Love my family and friends as much as possible

Stay in the moment

Be brave and step out of my comfort zone with Embracing Life, Love & Art – send my stuff to people; go into shops to ask them to sell my stuff and much more!

Travel…a lot.  We are going to Florida in May, Michigan in June, Schlitterbahn in July, California in August, beach sometime in October and there is a Disney cruise talk going on with my mom!  We are planning a Virgin Isle trip with Eric’s family for next February…that is what I am talking about!

I REALLY want to get an RV and travel around and do craft shows.  I am still working on that!

Swim a mile straight (with a snorkel…I don’t care, I can’t get my stroke/breath down)

Read my bible daily…even it is only for one minute, I want to be able to say, “I have read my bible EVERYDAY since I turned 34” (I totally stole this idea from Eric!)

Paint everyday

From my 34^th year…I want to be able to look back on it when I am 90 years old and say, yeap, that was the year I really learned to live…bravely.

Truly…

“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)”

 

It always amazes me when I hear others talking about wanting to get on the drug I am on…the parp.  It truly amazes me when I think about all the plans God had laid out for me before... WAY before I knew what was going to happen…way before I was even born.  It truly amazes me that my first chemo stopped working right when it did, that the parp trial was open, that I got in with NO effort, that the trial was/is available right here in Austin, that they parp people emailed Dr. H to tell her they want me to have an endless parp supply and the endless things that were laid out for me before I ever even thought about cancer.

 

I had a PET scan yesterday and got my results today…”absolutely boring” is what she told me…I told her I will take boring and good-bye ANY day when we are reading scans.

 

6 months as “NED” No Evidence Of Disease as a triple negative stage IV person is kind of unheard of…and you know what I say to that…well, what does 10 years, then 20 years, then 50 years as a “NED Triple Negative Stage IV” look like?? – Oh, it looks like ME!!