bittersweet symphony

may 2011

May in the Marquette household ( and I think I can speak for the other Marquette households) is known as: crazy insane busy are you kidding me another concert will it ever end birthdays oh and 3 parades month. And the other marquette households might add more words such as: tests, state regulations, anniversary, retreats, homework, report cards, dress rehearsal, recital, costumes...

This May will be a little different.  It gets to be a month of recovery for me. My surgery is over and it went well and my sweet doctor called me with the test results today.  Everything is normal, average, fine. The cancer is gone and didn't spread.  So this May I find myself at rest.  (Let me say it's kinda of hard staying busy at doing nothing). But thanks to my amazing husband and amazing in laws I get to rest and heal and take my time.

I have a few lists and beautification household projects (thank you missy). But right now I am enjoying the quiet. Sitting with the windows open tonight at the dinner table.  Eating leftovers of wonderful meals brought by wonderful people.   Brady is already asleep (he fell asleep at 6:00 after one too many time outs). Eddie and Riley are outside enjoying the weather. Eddie was teaching Riley the fine art of catch. Eddie is such a patient father.  And then off to ride bikes. Oh and yesterday? Riley thought it was time to take off the training wheels and learn to ride a 2 wheeler. After about 30 minutes- eddie called me from the parking lot where they were riding (I am thinking okay how many band aids do I need?) instead I heard: Do you want to see your son riding a bike with no training wheels? So at 6.5 years old Riley is riding a 2 wheeler. And he rides FAST.

FAST that is where the time is going. This month Brady will also be 4. And he just knows Santa will come on his birthday and bring him a monster truck. He is still figuring out how the holidays work.  Other cousins will be 10, 5 and 7. How did this happen? I am hoping to take this may to catch up on some little details so I don't forget.

I want to breathe in the fresh spring air and breathe out the worry, the stress, the aniexty.  I need to talk to Sue again about that breath prayer. If you were in my sunday school class - right now your are remembering craig's funny response - well I have cold...

So hopefully I will be here more with pictures and memories and the goings on (and of course coupon deals! ) I have thought about taking this blog down - the pressure to post sometimes is too much. But then I figured - it's my journal of our lives right now. So I am going to leave it. But what I am stepping back from: Rachel Marquette Photography. I am hanging up the camera for a year or maybe more. I just want to focus on my family. I am just not feeling in my heart right now. And there are so many talented photogs out there - if you need one check out missy or marie - coming soon to a zip code near you...:)

I hope you got to enjoy the sunshine today!

 

10 on tuesday

1. Out with the old, in with the new. Happy New Year!  I am looking forward to 2011 and all the possibilities. Hoping this 10 on tuesday will explain my lack of blogging...

2. The last 3 months of 2010 were full of  stressful, wonderful, difficult, take your breath away moments.  The biggest moment :To make a long story short - I was diagnosed with stage 1a1 cervical cancer- but it's gone. I didn't know I had it, until I had outpatient surgery to remove all those bad cells in November.  So the next plan of action - a partial hysterectomy in 6 months.  This brought on so many bittersweet emotions. We were done with having kids, but when that option is taken away from you, it makes your heart heavy. And suddenly everyone around you is having babies.  My wonderful doctor called me the day before thanksgiving break to give me the results of my surgery and diagnosis and a brief next step. I went into the thanksgiving holiday with a full heavy heart.

3. The next biggest moment: While away at our traditional thanksgiving getaway in Hocking Hills with wonderful friends, our dear friend JD called home to talk to his parents, only to receive the devastating news that his father suddenly passed away hours before from a major heart attack.  JD is the only child of Big Joe and Helen. And Big Joe was simply a gentle, kind man that took care of his family. He will be missed.

4.  I spent the first week of December in a blur. Just wanting to hibernate with my little family. But it didn't last long, thank goodness, with the holidays right around the corner, it forced me to move and cross things off my list. But I wasn't fast enough - I was out shopping on Christmas Eve morning at 6:30 am to finish up.  My christmas card barely made it out in the mail.

5. We no longer have carpet in our kitchen! In it's place - 4 inch all wood planks of birch or maple. I love wood floors. Now I can't wait to tear the carpet out of the whole house- but don't tell Eddie.  No more paneling, nice walls covered in drywall and paint. New windows and beautiful white trim with shelves on top.  Eddie amazes me with his home improvement skills. 

6. We did the Polar Express this year with the D'Amicos. When we pulled in the train station - Riley's response when he figured out where we were - is this for real? I hope he still believes a couple more years. I don't want him to lose the magic and wonder. Brady was happy to see Santa.

7.  I was surprised with my very own Kitchen Aid Stand mixer on Christmas morning. (Thanks to call from my mother in law to my husband months before - you need to buy your wife this - and she used a coupon and got a rebate!! yeah!!)  Now it's official, I am really a grown up.

8. So glad that my sister missy started me on this wellness journey. Working out is good. And even better we can do it together. Everything is better with friends. I love you girl!!

9. My word for 2011: Breathe.   Breathe in life, friends, family. Breathe out: negativity, bad thoughts and stress. I need to remember to breathe. Sit up straight, inhale and exhale. Notice what it brings to my body, listen to my body.  I might have to make a post it note at work - so I remember to breathe - work is one of my biggest stresses right now. You know you are stressed if you upload the same pictures to 2 different photo sites (because they keep sending you coupon codes) and don't realize it until you receive double prints in the mail!! Breathe. Just breathe.

10.  I thought about shutting my blog down, but realized this is the closest record I have of my life right now, details I don't want to forget. I had to get this 1st post out of the way with all that heavy stuff. Sorry for being so blunt. (PSA: Ladies, don't skip your annual gyno appointment. If you notice anything or just don't feel something is right - call your doctor today!)  

Now that I have gotten past this post, I hope you will come back and read more.  Lighter subjects: pictures of the boys, kitchen pictures, Riley stories, Brady is potty trained! coupons deals (recent deal: 7 loaves of Roman meal bread for $1.00 at giant eagle) and other stuff...