Day 4

Surprise "Anniversary Salbutes" from Ms Irma. (I love that he thought of this!)

Yoga on the veranda with the kids (yes the boys too!!)

Homemade zucchini and regular lasagna with "mood music" (thanks Keilah) and candles.

I love celebrating our Anniversary together as a family

14 Years and Counting

Happy 14th Anniversary My Love!

"As soon as I saw you I knew a grand adventure was about to begin." A.A Milne

Day 3

#beautifullife Day 3

Spanish Lookout for PIZZA!! 

Watched (and laughed hysterically at) a street sweeper and it's ridiculous self created dust storm!  Seriously, the guy had to stand up to get out of his own dirt!  Reminded me of Charlie Browns friend Pig-Pen!  Haha!

The kids watched the World Cup with some friends at the #ywambelmopan studio. (Thankfully I received a lovely note on the kitchen counter informing me of their whereabouts.)

Day 2

Now, may I remind you that #beautifullife has nothing to do with comparing our activities with the neighbor down the street or the BFF on Facebook. It's all about loving your life now and taking advantage of the time you have together.

Our #beautifullife Summer Vacation Edition Day 2 was perfectly ... "Andrews".

After going to church together we came home and I made the traditional Belizean Lunch: Rice & Beans with stewed chicken and coleslaw. (I didn't take a picture of this because I'm trying to cut down on the food pics!)

Then we watched a nail biting World Cup game between USA and Portugal. (Did you know they take water breaks in soccer?! Who knew!)

Beautiful Life - Summer Vacation Edition

Day 1

Bought a brand new lawn mower for Fathers Day surprise gift. (This was not as easy as it sounds people!) The 4 of us trying to load and unload it into our Toyota Corolla trunk was a sight to see! Hahaha, wish I had a video camera, too many belly laughs!

Mow the lawn together (in between World Cup games). We each took 5 minute turns (even me!) and got the yard done in one day. Thankfully my man finished the last piece for us cause THAT MOWER IS HEAVY and we got tired. :)

Beautiful Life- Summer Vacation Edition

Ok so I have an AMAZING friend, fellow Cancer Mom who inspires me with (what I call) her "Beautiful Life". She's so real and positive, curious and funny. She's truly amazing.

You see in the midst of the fear, trauma, confusion, stress and overall craziness of walking through cancer with our child we still know that we are moms. They are kids. Fun is fun. Life is life, no matter what it looks like today. The fact is, we have Today and we are not guaranteed a tomorrow.

I don't know if walking through a life threatening sickness with a child amplifies this knowledge or not, but I do know that I've learned to take advantage of the time I have with my family. It could have been taken away but... it wasn't.

Today, I have another opportunity to share LIFE with my husband and kids, to experience the beauty, joy, peace and excitement of the moments. Sure, sometimes in the hospital it was extremely difficult to find the positive, it was extremely difficult to find joy. I guess in those times we just held on to each other and cried it out then started fresh again with a gratefulness that we were walking through it together.

So, now that summer vacation is here and my kids are home from school (allllll day long) and in honor of my Cancer Mom friend, I have taken up the challenge to live a "Beautiful Life - Summer Vacation Edition". I won't compete and compare my life with others, rather I'll find the beauty in my daily life experiences and help highlight those with my kids. We will do it together and be awe struck by the little miracles, thankful for the small things, and conscious of our valuable time together.

Haha, there may be days this summer where I'd rather curl up in a ball and cry for lack of entertainment ideas! However, like those long days in the hospital I'll just stop, take a few breaths and find the joy in being together. THAT alone is a reason to celebrate! Here's to Summer Vacation 2014, go experience it together!

First Time Walker

For the first time ever, I participated in the Annual Cancer Awareness Walk with The Cancer Society of Belmopan this morning.  I can't explain the emotions swirling in my head leading up to the event and even now that it's be over for 2 hours.  

I'll never be able to say "who" I walked for, although certainly Judah is at the top of my list.  How can I walk for just 1 when I've know and fought beside so many young warriors?  The tears that streamed down my face during the first 10 minutes of the walk were shed publicly.  No sunglasses to shelter behind, no tissue to gently blot them away, there was no hiding them.  Cancer is the same way, when it's there it's there.  It makes you see different, it makes you walk different and it changes you.  I am a different mom than I was 4 years ago.

Cancer hit my son and I don't believe the waves of emotions will ever be calm again, I've seen too much of cancers destruction, I've witnessed too much of the pain and I've stood beside too many who have given their all to fight back.  Warriors, survivors, moms and dads, family, friends, doctors, nurses, researchers, funders, supporters and activists... You have all fought with everything in you.  I stand in awe of your strength today, in awe of your drive to "find a cure".  

Please don't give up, PLEASE.

It may have only been 5 miles that I walked today BUT

I walked with you

I walked for you

and I walked beside you.

I will continue to do so until my final breath because I now believe that awareness CAN lead to a cure.

All my love fellow warriors, all my love...,

Sara