Let's see how far we've come!!

Wow. I can't believe it's been over two months since my last blog entry!! Yikes! Guess that's what being a busy mom of two will do to ya! I am so happy to say it's been a phenomenal two months. I got to watch my team go to the Super Bowl (sad that they didn't actually WIN, but exciting nonetheless!), witness my two little boys continue to grow into incredible young men, spend lots of time loving my big boy (AKA hubby), attend an absolutely phenomenal wedding of two people I love so much, party a little too hard at said wedding :), continue to build my training base and watch my strength and distance grow - up to 5 miles on long runs, 3 days a week of ab ripper X, increased strength/endurance in the gym, etc., lose 10 more pounds for a total of 20 pounds since January, fit into a size I never in a million years imagined I'd be in, and even get complimented by my plastic surgeon on my "hot stomach"! Woooo-hoooo! What a ride! I've been loving every minute of life; realizing how lucky I am that I am able to do all these things, and having a blast doing things I never thought I could do - like I've always wanted to be skinny, and having decided that I am willing to make the sacrifices it takes to get there (finally!) am super psyched that I am making this dream come true!! How fun. In other news from the exciting category, I am starting to grow hair!! For the first time in 6 months, my hair is almost longer than my husband's!! Any of you that know my husband know how hilarious this is - he buzzes his hair at pretty much a 1, so very short!! But still, it's coming. I'm hoping that by summertime I'll be ready for some color on my very short hair, followed by a public debut just in time for summer tri/racing season! I'm also making progress in the reconstruction department - after a meeting with my plastic surgeon yesterday, there is some debate as to whether I will need to have one or two more surgeries this spring/summer; there may be a problem with the tissue expanders I have in right now which may force us to do another surgery prior to the "exchange" surgery when I get the permanent new girls. But the good news is that the plastic surgeon thinks I have a great chance for an "awesome result" which of course is what I'm looking for long term, so I will do what it takes to get his best work. Brian and I are both looking forward to the public debut of the new girls, and new, much improved stomach (thank you P90X) in a bikini!

I also raced in my first post-baby, post-cancer race - a 3K snowshoe race at the Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer event in Frisco. To be honest, (and a little bit inappropriate, I know) I was a bit leary of the event at first - I tend to not enjoy the "weepy" environment of some breast cancer events. I'm a different kind of cancer girl, the kind that wears "don't mess with me, I kicked cancer's ass" T-shirts, not the kind that likes to sit around and get all nostalgic about it. So being the kind of girl that enjoys doing things that make me feel like a bad-ass (natural childbirth, getting a tattoo and belly button piercing by age 18, keeping the belly button piercing through two pregnancies, running, biking, swimming and lifting throughout chemo, I could keep going...) I decided the night prior to the Romp event to recruit my good friend Renee (with me in third photo) to run the race with me. Just to prove a point. Of course she wanted to race, being awesome Renee, and we had an absolute blast doing it. One of the best parts was crossing the finish line and hearing my friends screaming my name, knowing how proud of me they were, and how proud of myself I was. I felt like it was giving cancer the finger, saying you can't tell me what to do cancer, screw you. It did for me just what all races do - make me feel powerful, strong, in control of something awesome, like the bad-ass I like to pretend I am. :) My good friend Gina's (with me in second photo) husband took some great pictures at the race too - thanks Andy! I encourage you all to go out and do something that makes you feel alive - like a bad-ass - or just happy. You never know what's around every corner in your life, so take advantage of the time you have here, and do what you've always wanted to do - be a "skinny girl", run a race, volunteer your time, give to others, whatever makes you feel good. Because that's what it's all about...

Ending with two awesome quotes:

“The difference between great people and everyone else
is that great people create their lives actively,
while everyone else is created by their lives,
passively waiting to see where life takes them next.
The difference between the two
is the difference between living fully and just existing.”

Michael E. Gerber

"Crawling is acceptable. Falling is acceptable. Puking is acceptable. Tears are acceptable. Pain is acceptable. But quitting, well, quitting is entirely unacceptable."

My good friend Sonja's (of Race for the Cure/head shaving fame) coach, Chuckie

Love always, Amy