U will know what 2 do when U unscramble "How daddy is doing".

For those of you who aren't movie buffs, the title of this blog probably makes no sense to you. For those of you who recognize it, I applaud you. :)

Lately my life has felt a like a riddle...like the Universe is trying to tell me something but I'm just too slow (or stubborn) to get it. After many weeks of feeling unsettled in my own skin and unhappy, I made the decision to discontinue the treatment I began back in December for my ovarian cysts. The side effects were just becoming too much to deal with. I called my doctor last week and we agreed not to move forward with my next shot in June. Despite not having a cyst rupture since January, I had a feeling that the treatment just wasn't the right road for me to be going down.

So, call it premonition...call it intuition...call it what you will...but I found it both frustrating AND humorous when I woke up early Monday morning to a cyst rupturing. What timing, eh?

It was as if the sign post on the side of the road had just told me to "Sing doo wah diddy". My damn riddle was solved.

So, guess I'm back where I started, but hopefully I'll be feeling more like myself again (within 90 days). Life...gotta love it.

Quotes for those I love

For Mom and Dad:"Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be." - David Bly

For my friends:
"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." - Aristotle

For my amazing sisters and brothers:
"Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family." - Virginia Satir

For my many adorable nieces and nephews:

"I love thee, I love but thee With a love that shall not die Till the sun grows cold And the stars grow old." - Willam Shakespeare

For those who have passed on:
"The guardian angels of life sometimes fly so high as to be beyond
our sight, but they are always looking down upon us." - Jean Paul Richter

For Fiona, Max and Cooper:
"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides." - David Viscott

For myself:"A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart." - Johann Wolfgang Goethe

My name in print

I have been awful about keeping up with my blog lately, mostly due to the many hours I have been putting in at work to complete the second issue of our magazine, Profiler. It's dedicated to health care fraud. (Not very exciting, I know.) But as Senior Editor, I'm learning A LOT about magazine production, copywriting, AP writing criteria, layout, etc. It's really fun and I have been able gain respect at work due to my writing talent. I was given the chance to write one of the main articles for our latest issue and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Here is the cover of the new magazine and the lead page for my article:

Back in the Pink

After a miserable few days of being down with the stomach flu, I am now back on my feet and feeling much better. My fever is gone and I can keep food down - No more makeshift bed on my bathroom floor!

Despite being sick, I've been working daily on wrapping up our magazine for work. We are scheduled to go to print at the end of this month. Hopefully life will then slow down a little bit and my body can build up some much-needed immunity.

I really want to say "THANK YOU" to my wonderful family and friends for being so supportive as I've battled through a couple tough months. I think I'm finally coming to terms with the huge decision I made a few months back regarding my cyst issues. It's been very hard to know that I'm basically electing to make myself infertile (possibly) at the same time both my little sisters are pregnant. The side-effects of my treatment have definitely turned my world upside down...memory loss, weight gain, headaches, hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings...UGH. It's hard enough to deal with the physical and emotional stuff going on without having to hear others talk about me being a 'hypochondriac'. But I'm sure if they were in my shoes, they wouldn't judge so harshly. Going through stuff like this definitely makes you realize who your friends are and who you can depend on. At 31, it's not easy to feel like a middle-aged, emotional wreck of a woman. So, bear with me and keep standing by...your support and love mean the world to me.

Corporate legalities

As many of you know, part of my job is working on the national magazine that my company began producing last year, Profiler Magazine. Our first issue was a big success and I gained attention for my part as 'Production Manager'. When it came time to begin working on our second issue a couple months ago, I was asked to write the lead article (which would include the cover of the magazine). I was SOOO excited and ready for the challenge. Well, I spent hours crafting a great story, but was told by our legal team yesterday that due to 'liability concerns', I can't have the cover and my story needs to be condensed to 1600 words (approx. 2 pages...rather than the original 5 I had written). Everyone agrees it is a great article and SHOULD be getting more attention, but we have to do what Corporate tells us to do. BOO!

I am really bummed out and frustrated. But on the bright side, I have been promoted to 'Senior Editor' of the magazine and I've done a great deal of writing and editing for our upcoming issue. So I will have some items to add to my writing portfolio. I guess my cover will come along someday...just not right now.

Asher's 1st Birthday Party!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MONKEY! I can't beleive my nephew, Asher, is already a year old! He is such a cool kid. Megan and Cody invited both sides of the family to a pizza place for lunch. All the kids had a great time running around and Asher got LOTS of attention...and presents! But, the cake wasn't quite his thing.

Catching up...

My apologies for taking so long to add pictures of Sophia and Ella. It was a great visit! The first morning I was there, I went to the hospital to meet Sophia. She is SO tiny, but perfect in every way. Tiffany looked great and was being so strong and positive despite having little Sophia in the NICU. Ella also turned 8 on the weekend I was there, so we got to do a big family dinner and then Courtney and I took Ella out for a day of fun. We went to Build-a-bear, ate lunch, did some shopping and then went bowling. I can't believe how quickly Ell is growing up! It seems like just yesterday that I was heading to Vancouver to meet her as a baby. She will be a great big sister to Sophia. I was able to spend a lot of time with Courtney and Cassie, which is always good for me. :) I love you, Brewsters...thanks for everything!