NEEDTOBREATHE Makes Everything Better

Two days ago Mommy and I awoke with colds. Daddy had been sick with one and just when he was on the end of his, then we each manage to wake on the same day with colds. Poor Chris has to do everything around here, which I hate, but he never complains and he takes very good care of "his girls."
So I thought since I have nothing better to do at the moment I would write a blog post about something or other.
Since I've been sick I've mostly stayed in bed the whole time either on my lap-top trying to figure out what to do or watching stuff on Netflix or watching "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" on HULU and if I'm not doing that I'm just laying here listening to my favorite band, NEEDTOBREATHE, on my iPod touch. The past two nights I'd leave it on my bed and have it playing all night. If you have not heard of them or just haven't heard them, you must, because they are awesome beyond awesome. Like, seriously, all four of the dudes are just so dang cool. Indeed, right now, they're still playing whilst I'm writing this and drinking some honey vanilla chamomile tea that Chris made for me. Plus, I just got 3 of their ringtones on my phone. I was just thinking about giving you a list of my favorite songs by them, but after making a playlist on my iPod, it turns out I apparently have 42 (I have 53 on my pod) favorite songs by them, so that might take awhile. We'll just suffice it to say that they're awesome and you need to purchase all of their CD's (4).
I actually told my cashier at the grocery store the other night about them and another favorite band that Chris and I like called Young The Giant.

I would share some of my favorite NEEDTOBREATHE videos but alas, embedding them has been disabled. And for some reason embedding Young The Giant videos didn't work.

NEEDTOBREATHE

Bo Rinehart, Joe Stillwell, Bear Rinehart, Seth Bolt

Young The Giant

Sameer Gadhia (the lead singer) is standing in the front and he's the only one I know, so it's him and the other dudes. I know their names, just not who's who.

Now I believe I will end this post and blow my nose and then watch something. You, however, need to go to youtube.com and find some NEEDTOBREATHE and Young The Giant videos and listen to them and then purchase both bands' CD's, because they're awesome and because I'm sick and I told you to do it.

Grace be with you.

Random

For awhile now I've been meaning to write a blog post and even knew what to write, but waited so long that now I have 2 things to share so thought I would put them in the same post even if they are quite different.

On January 22nd, Chris and I spent the day with Tommy. He picked us up and we went on a nice long drive where he showed us a route that he takes in his job as a truck driver. We stopped and got lunch at Dairy Queen (yeah, we're a wild crew) and ate it in the car in a lonely parking lot and that was nice. When we were on our way to his place we stopped at the store and Tommy went in and got a couple frozen pizzas and chips.
At his place, we all just kinda relaxed and Chris and I watched him play Skyrim (Xbox360 game) for a little while while the two of them talked about it and I listened, enjoying having my brothers all to myself.
We then started watching the extended version of "The Fellowship of The Ring" on his Blu-ray and halfway through it Tommy threw the pizza in the oven.
Now, whilst watching it, Chris and I learned that Gandalf is Tommy's Grandfather, though we are not sure how he is not OURS, but Tommy knows what he's talking about and we find it best not to ask questions. Of course whilst watching it, Tommy and I had our own commentary throughout the movie which Chris found rather enjoyable. That was probably Chris' and my favorite time with Tommy. It was so much fun and rather funny while watching the movie, we laughed and talked about the movie more than we actually just watched it. I love my brothers so much and love spending time with them, they truly are 2 of my very best friends.
It's funny, when I was younger I used to wish I had sisters too, but now that I'm older, I can't imagine having sisters as well because I love my brothers so much and we are so close that it doesn't bother me not having any other siblings. They're such a blessing to me and mean the world to me. They're always taking care of me and protecting me and we just love spending time together, even if they're playing a game or something and I'm just listening to them talk, I love it. I am so thankful God gave them to me.


Now onto my other news:
I am cancer free!!! On February 8th, I had a CT scan and a PET scan. Mommy and I were there for several hours. The good part about it is after the PET scan, they give you a little box of chocolates, which is always welcome to me, I'd never complain about getting chocolates, indeed, I encourage it.
On February 13th, we would get the results. We wanted all of my family to be there, so because one of our cars isn't working right now and Daddy had his when he went to work, Tommy came and picked us up. Of course, we had an enjoyable time on our way there and while we were there. A few minutes after Mommy signed me in and we were sitting in the waiting room Daddy called and said he was on his way. He met us there and all 5 of us went back to the little (quite little) room together. The 4 of them had to squeeze in together on their chairs and then my Radiologist walked in so now it was really crowded. He told us the scans looked great, and we all were so happy! We also had a lot of laughs in there because he's funny too.
So, we are all just rejoicing and praising the Lord for the healing He has done in me! He is so good!


I still have my little Christmas tree up in my room, it's white with pink ornaments and pink lights that make it look pink. Still trying to figure out if I should take it down now (I was leaving it up for Valentine's Day as well, since it's pink) or do what my Memaw thinks I should do and leave it up all year.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, Chris got a Dwight Schrute (from "The Office") bobblehead and I got Hayley Westenra's new CD "Paradiso" and Celtic Thunder's CD "Storm." I love Hayley's and just finished listening to Celtic Thunder's and like 9 of the 15 songs. I'll write reviews for those CD's sometime or other.

Hope you all are well.

Grace be with you.

Only By The Grace of God

On January 16th, I turned 22.
Only by the grace of God did I live to see this Birthday.

2011:

July 12th I had surgery to remove a tumor.
Only by the grace of God was the tumor in an area that was easily accessible.

July 15th I was diagnosed with Lymphoma.
Only by the grace of God were there no more tumors.

In late July/early August I had surgery to have the port put in. I felt terrible after the surgery and got sick a few times.
Only by the grace of God did I get through it.

The day after the port was put in we started chemotherapy. That was also a terrible day/night.
Only by the grace of God did all of us get through it.

The 2nd chemotherapy treatment was brutal. I was up sick all night long. When I was 1 hour away from having to have an IV put in me at the Cancer Center or going to the hospital, God made it stop. I felt terrible all night long and did not sleep at all until after sunrise.
Only by the grace of God did I get through that terrible, terrible night. And only by the grace of God did my family get through it as well.

The 3rd chemotherapy treatment, I was having a lot of myoclonic seizures for some reason (I fell because of one of them and all the nurses came rushing over to me to make sure I was ok). That was a terrible day.
Only by the grace of God did we get through it.

Chemotherapy was brutal.
Only by the grace of God did I only have to have 3 treatments.

About a month after the last treatment we started radiation.
Only by the grace of God was it just 17 days.

I have been blessed with the most wonderful Dr.s, nurses, surgeons, Oncologist, Radiologist, and the most wonderful little group of people to do the radiology.
Only by the grace of God was I blessed with so many wonderful people to take care of me.

Only by the grace of God was I blessed to be one of the less than 1% chance of having a tumor in an area where I could feel it.

Only by the grace of God am I sitting here today- writing this - cancer free - given another birthday.

I had SO many people praying for me. People I don't even know, who didn't even know me but for being put on so many Church prayer lists.
Only by the grace of God...

And so, I am alive, I am cancer free, I've met wonderful people along this journey, I'm a year older, I have been blessed in so many ways.
Only by the grace of God.

Would I have ever wanted this to happen? No.

Do I wish it wouldn't have happened? No.
Because of going through this, I have even more compassion for those going through all of the treatments and everything. I have a better understanding of it and when I see others that are going through the treatments, I know their pain, what they're going through, I feel it with them, I can comfort them better than I could have before going through it myself.

I believe I've changed through all of this. When we first found out, I don't think I had ever felt so close to God as I did then. He got us through all of this. We've been blessed in so many ways. He healed me. He is merciful.
I honestly don't know how people can go through this without God. He has been my Rock, my Strength, my everything. I would've been terrified going through this without knowing He was carrying me...but I knew He was-and that's what gave me hope, faith, what kept me going, kept me strong. He was feeling what I was feeling, He wept when I...when all of us...wept. There is no way, no way at all, we could've gotten through this if it wasn't for His grace, His comfort, the peace only He can give.
My family can sympathize with the families of cancer patients, I can sympathize with the patients themselves.

I am thankful to God for this life He has given me and I pray it will be used to glorify and honor Him in any way possible.

Tonight we threw away the big red folder that was filled with the information we needed as I was going through chemotherapy with every hope and prayer to never ever see a folder like that again. I have a couple scans next month, though at times I worry that maybe something will be there, I have to have faith and hope and trust in God that it will be ok. My Oncologist believes it will not return and he's been doing this for a long time so has seen many cancers and knows what they're like.
God's will be done.

Grace be with you.