The Gist of Life

cancer

puppies & coffee make everything better

cancer

I got a new nephew yesterday! & when I say new nephew, I’m talking about my fluffy, furry, squishy, adorable Goldendoodle nephew, Frank 🙂 I mean, seriously, how can that little face not make you smile? And let me tell you, he’s even cuter in person 🙂 I spent my morning with my sis-in-law, [but…

after a scan 

cancer

Today, I write as Kaylee; not a cancer patient, someone on chemo, GIST fighter, etc… I am Kaylee. I am cancer free. I am a wife, a Vizsla mama, a teacher; I am just your average 28 year old, sitting in the sun, on my patio, listening to music, [trying to avoid a sunburn].  Today,…

t’was the night before Mayo

cancer

You know the feeling you got as a little kid when the night before Christmas rolled around? The excitement? The thoughts of dancing sugar plums? The wondrous ideas of what will be waiting for you under the tree the next morning? The little amount of sleep you’d get because your ears were perked to hear Santa?…

fearfully happy

cancer

Has happiness ever scared you? There was a point in my life, [two years ago to be exact], I was blissfully happy & content. I was so happy, in fact, that it completely terrified me. I was helping my best friend plan her wedding, had a trip to Vegas planned, & Tony and I were…

another kind of two year celebration 

cancer

Here I sit in paradise; I have the sun on my face & the ocean breeze has me wrapped in it’s arms. Our vacation has not disappointed & I can’t wait to share pictures when we return.  One of the main reasons Tony wanted me to come along on this trip was because the timeline…

happy 1st birthday gistoflife!

cancer

I have been blogging for a year! I can’t believe it! Tony didn’t believe I would last three months & here I am, a year later, with a beautifully designed blog & over a hundred posts. Amazing. To celebrate, I decided I would tell you a little story; a story on how & why this…

march 28th

cancer

March 28th is a day that I will never forget. It is not a day to be celebrated. It is not a day to wallow. It is, simply put, a day that will be forever ingrained into my memory. March 28th was the day I was given my cancer diagnosis. My very first post on this…

life to-do | a tattoo

cancer

Last night I completed one of my life to-dos: I got my first tattoo. It was amazing! I have been blogging about this life to-do for the past couple weeks, but I have wanted this tattoo for the past year. The design has changed over the year; however, the meaning has stayed the same. I…

change what you can, accept the rest

cancer, the in-between

Most of us have our issues: always late, picky eaters, over analyze, overweight, underweight, never stop worrying, etc… My issue is anxiety. Writing about my anxiety is personal, even though I won’t go quite as in-depth as I probably should; it is hard for me to admit I have a problem, that is at times, out…

dealin’

cancer

5 ways I improved my day:  1: A music bath listening to Bon Iver [would I really listen to anything else?] 2: Scolded & then played with Ace [i have a love/hate relationship with this little guy right now. We’re in the middle of some training techniques & it’s definitely a process] But the playing…

why did you come back?

cancer

It’s back. I don’t know why it decided to slowly creep back into my life, but the past two days, it’s made itself pretty comfortable. It’s made sleep impossible, it’s completely taken away my concentration, it takes the fun out of work, it portrays hills as mountains, & makes me a monster. I can’t relax…

day 13

cancer

Sometimes we all need a reminder. You are strong. You will get through. Days will be disease- free. Chemo pills will not be something you have to remember to take. You will not constantly get “how are you feeling?” in public. There are just a couple things that set me off, swirling down a hole…

oncology & fertility preservation

cancer

The big appointments came this week, so wordless Wednesday will have to wait. Oncology: CLEAR SCANS! The sleepless nights are over – at least for six months. I met with Dr. T again, and again she was amazing. She always knows what to say. We discussed unusual spikes she saw in my levels – my…

writing through it

cancer

Well, it’s that time of year. The time of year when my stomach starts turning into knots, I snap at people easily, & I don’t sleep. It’s the time of year Bon Iver is heard in my classroom, when I relax at home, and when I blog. It’s the time of year when I cry…

content

cancer, the in-between

Current life status: content. Current activity: sitting on the patio, listening to music, watching Ace pounce through dried leaves in the woods. Current background music: “maybe not” by cat power Current weather: 75 degrees, sunny, with a light, crisp breeze Current plans for the day: continue sunning myself, celebrating an engagement of a best friend,…