Pale is the new Tan

I vent about this all the time to my family, but I figured I would vent on my blog about it. Don't go to the tanning bed!!! In high school I started going tanning for special occasions and then I started going more often because I liked being tan. I kept tanning until I noticed quite a few freckles...moles that really looked weird, so I went to the dermatologist to have them look at. At that appointment I had 6 spots removed and almost all of them had precancerous cells in them. Since then I have had many more removed and many scars to show for it. I was told that going to the tanning bed is what has caused all these spots on my skin. (I had a long lecture from the dermatologist) I do have a family history of melanoma, but my lifestyle of going to the tanning bed has brought out those cells in my body even worse. The UV light in the tanning bed was much more intense than if I would have just laid outside with sunscreen on. I am writing about this because I had to go to the dermatologist yesterday for my 3 month check-up and she removed yet another spot on my back (hopefully everything comes back clear!!!) I don't want anyone to have to go through all this if it is something that can be stopped by simply just staying away from tanning beds. I did get some good news though at my doctors appointment, I now only have to go every 6 months instead of every 3 months, Yea!!!!

Our Vacation

Here are a few pictures from our vacation this year at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. Best vacation ever for relaxation!!!!! Our Swim-up Suites (best rooms ever!)

Yes, they had Guitar Hero in Mexico!

Speed Chess (only 2 secs per move)

Of course the guys had to go play golf
(We went to the spa on this day)

Our favorite spot!

Song of Praise

Well, I guess I will start at the beginning. We were set up by a mutual friend that as soon as she met Marcus she thought of me. What a great friend to set me up with such a wonderful guy! We started dating in April of 1997. We had not been dating for long when we both knew that we wanted to get married, we just had to wait. And waiting is what we did...a total of 7 years (that is what happens when you meet your soul mate in 10th grade). We both had our own plans and own goals and those soon merged and became one. We knew that we wanted to wait until one of us was out of college to get married. So, after Marcus graduated I knew it was coming, just not when or how???? He was very smooth to pull everything off. One day he asked if I wanted to go have lunch with him. What I didn't realize, it was a picnic lunch at the park. Even after we pull up at the park and he had a blanket for us to sit on, I still didn't snap to anything. We were married in June of 2004. I am truly blessed to have such a great husband that makes me laugh. We have had a great 4 years of marriage and I can't wait for what's to come!!!!!

Now back to those plans and goals. My personal goal was that I wanted to start a family when I was around 25. Don't ask me why, just sounded like a good age to me????? So shortly before my 25th birthday we decided to start trying for a family. Little did we know that it would be a little more difficult for us. In July 2007 on a Friday we got news that no one ever wants to get. There was a 90% chance that a tumor Marcus had was cancer. 90%, that is the percentage that we were told!!!! We had a trip to the beach planned for that weekend and decided to still go, it would be better to go rather than sit around the house and cry (that is how I handled the news). The hard thing was no one knew about our news just yet, so we had to act like nothing was wrong the entire weekend. After tons of bloodwork and more waiting (a little over a month) he had the surgery to find out if it was cancer. It was BENIGN!!!!! By everything that the doctor was telling us, we were ready to fight cancer. This was a huge blessing, no cancer, no radiation, nothing at all!!!! So now back to what we were doing before this huge detour. As each month went by we realized that this journey might be longer than we expected. After some time went by we decided that we might need to go and talk with a specialist. After many doctors and doctor appointments later we are still in the information gathering stage.

If you can remember early I said that I had my goals and my plans. That was my problem, they were not Gods goals and plans for my life. He knows what is best for my life and having a baby at 25...26... was not in His plans. "For 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 I can honestly say that through this journey God has given me a peace that I can not explain. I just want to continue my Song of Praise and thank God for what He is doing in our life along this journey!