Birthday Wish: Granted

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful news was given to my family today.

The day before my birthday, no less. God and his timing...

1. Dad's liver is functioning NORMAL, just like your's and mine.

2. His cancer markers went from 1,739 in May, to 24 in July and are NOW at 2.5!

3. ALL of the cancer has SHRUNK.

4. He won't have to be on chemo the rest of his life. He is eligible for surgery in about six months.

5. I don't really have a fifth point, but I would just like to add that GOD IS SO GOOD.

So many emotions went through me today. I smiled and cried with joy at the same time for this true miracle God blessed us with.

When his oncologist told my family that he might only have 90 days left in the beginning of May, we could have easily been planning his funeral right now. Now, he can plan his life.

As my mom put it and as I had worried about in an earlier blog post, "he'll be around for your graduation in December, to walk you down the aisle and to see his grandchildren." - that is the best present I could have ever received. I cry even as I type that sentence. God is so good.

We still have a long road until his is a cancer survivor, but the news today helped us get through all the heartache over the past three months.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever reads our story and has prayed for my family. Your support and blessings have not gone unnoticed.

Birthday List

If anyone wants to buy me a gift I'll take a pair of these in a size 8...

Please and thank you.

Anniversaries and Excursions

August 6, Taylor and I celebrated 5 years of making fun of each other and being best friends. How did we celebrate this wonderful occasion? By attending his cousin's rehearsal dinner, obviously. No, but really - it was such a wonderful night. I know that last sentence made it sound dreadful, but we weren't mad at all! It was such a beautiful night and they are such a great couple.

However, we took some pictures to commemorate the special occasion.

The next day, Tiffany and Reagan got married!

And many people enjoyed their photo booth and props.

(Taylor and Reagan's Aunt and Uncle)

We managed to get a few pictures with them out of the thousands they took that day.

Their wedding and events surrounding it was so beautiful! This is the only wedding I've been too where I felt I knew both the bride AND groom well. (Usually you are just friends with one of the other.) It was so neat to see two people who I know are so wonderful for one another marry each other.

The rehearsal dinner was such a cry fest (happy tears, of course), and I did my fair share. It's such a true blessing to see two Christian people promising a life-long commitment to one another. I hope I never forget to remember that with all the weddings I have/will attend.

Onto another adventure....

Just two days after the wedding, I left with two friends on a road trip through eight states: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Kansas. Whew.

Here's just a few pictures. I haven't uploaded them all, but here are a few that will do the trip justice. Note: We never took a picture with all three of us together...how unfortunate.

Stopping at a gas station while we were going the wrong way trying to get fro Flagstaff, Ariz. to Las Vegas. (We didn't know we were going the wrong way yet.)

Accidentally stopped at the Hoover Dam after going the wrong way... I desperately wanted something that said "Hoover" on it (obviously), but everything was ridiculously priced, or turned into a "dam" joke. No thanks.

THE BUFFET! And my seven desserts...

We went to the Wynn, which was supposed to be the best buffet in Las Vegas by some magazine, so we went with it. It was $35, but the food was so worth it! There was an ENTIRE ROOM of desserts being freshly made- creme brulee, cookies, tiramisu, fresh fruit, strawberry shortcake....paradise. All kinds of crab legs, prime rib, sushi, a pasta station and more that you could ask for.

Not to mention, the hour wait in line gave us some people watching time. There was a "person" we saw and tried to decipher his/her gender. We still have no clue.

After, we walked around Vegas a bunch to see all the hotels we'd only seen on movies and television.

We stayed at the Luxor - the pyramid shaped hotel. The hotel and staff were so great!

The next day we headed to Utah and happened to find a scenic lookout around sunset.

There are few things I rarely enjoy more than a good sunset or sunrise. Especially over something that resembles the Grand Canyon.

If I had to chronicle one of the best moments in my life, seeing the sun rise over the Grand Canyon is definitely in the top 5. It's just indescribably beautiful and I will always love the Grand Canyon forever because of that moment.

After Utah, we went to Colorado and stayed in Grand Junction, then Estes Park with Ashley!! I don't have those pictures uploaded, yet, but it was so wonderful to see her!

Now, I'm home, tired and have a to-do list for next week. School starts very soon and I have a lot accomplish before then. Trip home, buy books, apply for MY LAST LOAN EVER and finish MY LAST SEMESTER of school.

Yes.

Domesticated

Domesticated - v. - The act of being domestic. "Look at you being all domesticated and such," Taylor said.

Admittingly so, I go through phases of being domesticated. I'm not exactly sure how they come about, but when they happen it seems all I want to do is just craft, cook, beautify and clean (sometimes) things. This happened a few weeks ago, and T got a few nights of home-cooked meals and desserts out of it.

Exhibit A:

BBQ baked chicken, steamed broccoli and au gratin potatoes.

Exhibit B:

This isn't my recipe (I wish...), but Bakerella posted it and I'm in LOVE with the recipe. It's so easy and you literally just mix, pour and bake. Always a crowd pleaser.

I made this for Taylor the day he signed his full time contract with Northwestern Mutual! If you need financial help, help a girl out and use Taylor cause he's saving for something particular at the moment...cough.

Then, I made this little gem-

Meet Exhibit C:

The always appreciated fruit pizza.

This was a first attempt for me, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Fruit pizza's are also a really simple thing to make, I've found. Cookie dough, cream cheese/powdered sugar and fruit! Simple!

I served this when we had dinner with Taylor's family one night and they loved it! I'll admit, I was trying to impress them a little. His mom is such a wonderful cook, I feel the need to let them know from time-to-time that I'm capable of feeding their 6'5 boy. Though, I'll never fill her shoes I'm sure.

This week will be a busy, but much awaited week. This is my last week at my internship- but there might be some job prospects, so cross your fingers! Then, Reagan and Tiffany get married this weekend, which has been much awaited (I'll be doing the guestbook. Whoop!) and I'm sure it will be absolutely beautiful!