Happy Anniversary!!!!

Today's the day! One year ago today I was diagnosed with cancer. What a year it has been!!! I am so excited to be almost done with everything. I am so ready to move on. I was reading this morning from a journal I started a few days after my diagnosis. I wrote, "I believe God could just take this cancer if He desires. If not, I will trust Him to take me on this journey. I believe He will guide me, strengthen me, and heal me." The journal entry goes on to say how much peace I felt at that very moment. I get so excited when I think of the testimony I now have and the amazing life God has given me! God has brought me through this experience and I have learned so much. Thank you to all of you who have gone on this journey with me. We can celebrate this day together!!

As many of you may know, Ella had a seizure last Tuesday. She is doing just fine now. It was very scary because she stopped breathing. I was by myself visiting my parents. We had to go by ambulance to the children's hospital in Augusta. Everyone took such good care of us. We don't know what caused the seizure. We have a few more doctors appointments and an EEG in the next few weeks. It didn't stop her one bit. In fact, she has started saying more new words and making sentences that actually make sense. We are just believing it is a one time incident.

Everything else is going great. Joel will be on a normal schedule for 6 weeks while he goes through training for the next level of management. We are planning a trip to the Atlanta zoo and the aquarium in a few weeks. Ella is so excited to finally see a panda!

We received a package in the mail from Wayne and April (Joel's parents). They had sent Ella a gorgeous dress for the fall. She of course had to put it on immediately. They also included some Irish Rovers CD's. I recorded this quick video of Ella showing her true Irish roots. Hope you enjoy!!

Long time....no see

Yes...we are all doing well. I know it's been too long and I am going down in history as the worst blogger ever. I have found it difficult to have a second to spare chasing Ella around all day. We have had so much to do these past few weeks. Ella is growing so much and she looks like a little girl now. Joel and I have a blast playing with her. She has started talking in complete sentences and you never know what she is going to say. She is very much into playing with play dough, coloring, stickers, and oh yes...the jewelry obsession. The other day we went to the mall and she HAD to wear a bracelet on both arms, a huge necklace, her sunglasses, and of course her pink tutu. I think we might have a little "diva" on our hands!

My hair has grown so much that I actually have a hairstyle now. It is SOOOO curly. I am enjoying how easy it is to fix, although the amount of product I have to use is steadily increasing because I have to control the poof!
We were able to take a trip to Washington a few weeks ago for Joel's sister's wedding. We stayed a few extra days to hang out with the family and see some friends. We had wonderful time. I will admit that flying into Portland, OR and seeing the beautiful landscape made me miss it....a little. Ella had a great time playing with her cousin Isabel and "Papa and Mimi." We were able to spend a day at the zoo in Portland with our friends Milan and Miriam. We got to introduce Ella to their son and had a wonderful time just catching up.
The day before we left, Joel, Ella, Wayne, April (Joel's mom and dad), and myself we able to take a trip to the beach. Ella was so confused when I was putting layers of clothes on her and telling her we were going to the beach. She just kept saying "No Mama, No!" But sand is sand no matter what coast you're on and we've got a little beach bum on our hands!
Since being back, life has continued as normal. I have officially completed all of my reconstructive surgery and LOVE the results. Joel has received another promotion with Lowes and we couldn't be happier. God continues to amaze us!!

On October 4th, Joel and I will be walking in the "Walk for Life." The walk is a local fund raiser for the women and men who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the Columbia area. All the money raised stays local and I saw the benefit first hand last year when I was diagnosed. It is an easy 3 mile walk through downtown Columbia and takes about 3 hours for the walk and festivities. If anyone local is interested in joining with us, please let us know.

Until next time....whenever that may be.......

Great Summer Days

Life around the Van Hamme household has been very busy the past month. I know many of you check to see how we're doing and you probably thought we fell off the face of the earth. We didn't and we're back better than ever. I'll catch you up as quick as I can:

• My surgery sites are healing great and I am so happy with the end result. My plastic surgeon is a miracle worker. My infusions are still going well. I really don't like the Tamoxifen but I'm just dealing with it. The side effects are rough (especially the weight gain). My hair is growing so fast (as you'll see in the pics) and I love it. I think I might turn out to be a short hair girl after this.
• Grandpa Herb (Joel's grandpa) came for a visit at the beginning of the month. He took a train to see us, so Ella loved that. Now every time she sees a picture of a train she says "Papa." We had a wonderful visit and are so grateful to have such amazing grandparents. Ella really did like him a lot and we're excited that we get to see him again in just a short month.

• Joel and I celebrated our 7th anniversary on June 23rd. I surprised him with a trip to Atlanta to see the Seattle Mariners play the Atlanta Braves. The Mariners only play the Braves every 4 years and it just happened to be the weekend of our anniversary. We had great seats on the third row and proudly wore our Seattle Mariners hats. We were of course only 2 of the 4 Mariners fans there. The Braves won in the last inning but it was still a great game. We stayed at the awesome Marriott Marquis on the 41st floor. The view was amazing. Joel and I got some much needed rest and Ella had a great time spending the night with my mom and dad.

• Ella is growing so fast. She says a new word or two every day. Her favorite word is still Joel and now we are "Daddy Joel" and "Mama Joel." It's so cute. We snapped a pic of Ella in her first tool belt. I wonder who bought this toy?

• We are trying to get out of the house more now that we can, so we signed Ella up for a swim class. She did great. She kicker her feet, blew bubbles in the water, and even went under water without much fuss. Her favorite trick was to float on her back. She would just relax her head on my shoulder and almost fall asleep. We did learn that she has no fear so I know we are in for some very exciting times!

• The best thing we have done this summer is start taking Ella to the "Little Gym." She gets to play with other kids her age and learn fun things like forward rolls and walking on the balance beam. She absolutely loves it. Her favorite thing to do is dance. In fact, she starts dancing when we pull up in the parking lot. Joel recorded a little video of her dance moves. Enjoy!!!
  
  

Too Long

So sorry to all of you. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Things have been wonderful and life really is back to normal. Work has been very busy and I have enjoyed getting back to what I love. Ella's adding more words to her vocabulary everyday. Her newest additions are "grandaddy," "yes," "water," and my personal favorite "Joel." She says it all the time and it is the cutest (Joel doesn't think so). It is so amazing how quickly they grow.

I wanted to make sure I blogged today because I will be having my last reconstructive surgery Friday morning. They will just sedate me and the procedure should be pretty quick. In six weeks they will do the tattooing procedure and I will be DONE and looking great!!!! Thanks for your prayers.

Life in Bloom

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103: 2-5

Even though I try not to think about the idea of a cancer recurrence, sometimes I do. I try to get it out of my mind as soon as possible. Fighting cancer is not only a physical battle but it is also a battle within the mind. I am continuing to discover the balance of knowing I had cancer yet living my life to the fullest everyday. Some days are more difficult then others. I am following all the steps advised by my doctor to prevent cancer in addition to many lifestyle changes. However, I know that my peace can simply be found in above the words of my loving God. He can and has healed my disease. The best part is that is He has blessed my life with so many wonderful things.

Life is really getting back to normal. We are figuring out a little routine with my going back to work. Ella is still a little mad about it and not sleeping very well for Joel when I'm gone. Hopefully she will begin to accept it and start sleeping better. We've been doing a ton of work in our yard and we also FINALLY bought a grill. We broke it in with some great chicken last night. Now all we have left is to get a little grass to grow and we'll be done. My surgery restrictions end on Friday and all will be well because I can vacuum again.

My rose bush is really blooming and my hair is growing like crazy so I thought we should take a picture together. My hair is actually coming in with a lot of blonde and it's not curly. I will not know what to do with straight hair!!!


Oh, I received several questions about my secret to soft towels from the clothesline. Check out the following link for more info: http://www.mysticwondersinc.com/. When you use the laundry ball you don't have to use any laundry detergent. I hang the clothes on the line and when they are dry I put them in the dryer for about 15-20 minutes with the dryer balls. The clothes come out of the laundry very soft and smelling so clean. I love it!