Compliment to contest

I'm not sure if I have written about this yet, but I think I at least mentioned it at one point... But I am going to rehash the story anyway for my own self serving reasons. In case you read no further, please vote for me.

The story starts with all the emotions that go along with hair-loss due to chemo therapy. I was feeling like GI Jane with nothing to prove and an insatiable appetite in the morning. It was a Friday, so when the boys said they were going to breakfast and to get hair cuts and asked if I wanted to come along I  said, "OK." (laughing out loud now at the humor in the fact that I had just shaved all my hair off and was choosing to go into a barber shop)

For the record, Sean is waaaaaaaaay more picky about where he gets his hair cut than I am. His favorite place, Rex's Barber Shop, still charges $7 a haircut and I would be willing to bet that the interior decor has not changed since the 50s. The kind of place where they actually use a straight razor to clean up. I am 100% certain that they will never ask if he would like a glass of red or white, but if he was having a particularly bad day someone might have a bottle of Jack Plague to pass him.... I digress, Rex's is in Dearborn Heights, and since the boys were missing their regular Friday routine breakfast was at Leon's in Dearborn.

Breakfast was uncomfortable for me, it was the first time I went out in public with a scarf on my head. Dearborn has a large Muslim population and seeing a woman with her head covered isn't strange, but I am not Muslim and I have no idea how to wear a hijab (perhaps I was feeling a bit silly too, why doesn't this woman know how to wear her scarf properly? Like there is some right way for a cancer patient to wear a scarf--or be bald-- and not be obvious). I was beyond self-conscious and felt as though every person was staring at me. I knew that they weren't, but it sure did feel like it.

As we were leaving there was a woman who stopped me, she literally grabbed my arm and stopped me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "You are beautiful. I would like to give you a makeover." It felt great to hear that from a complete stranger. I am a huge fan of giving strangers compliments, but I have never experienced receiving the right one at the exact right moment. Sometimes, God sends people to the exact right moments in your life and all you can do is thank Him.

It turns out that the woman is named Sharon Parker and she is a Mary Kay consultant. We exchanged numbers and when she called me I was still riding the compliment high and agreed to the makeover. Secretly, I was worried that I was going to lose my eyebrows at any moment. Being more tomboy than glitter-girl, I have no idea how to use makeup for everyday things and figured that THIS had to be the right person to show me. I confessed to Sharon my lack of proper glitter-girl training, and that I have no intention of ever wearing makeup as a daily routine. She was understanding and immediately started asking questions about how my treatments make my skin feel.

We decided to do a "night out" look so that I could get all dressed up to celebrate halfway (or whatever I decide to celebrate next). Elizabeth was home that day due to a teacher work day, so I let her play makeover with us. IT WAS SO FUN!!!!!! We tried lots of stuff, picked everything sparkly/shiny/pink/purple or with names like Fancy Nancy, and giggled a lot.

Shameless plug: If you do not have a Mary Kay lady, or just want to check out what they have nowadays her website is www.marykay.com/sharonparker. I ended up getting moisturizer (w/SPF so my head doesn't burn) and the pampered hands lotion in peach (thank God that smell wasn't ruined by chemo). My face is no longer flaky and my hands feel better. AND while I am mentioning direct sales, I am going to make a June Thirty-One order, if you want something let me know!

Before we started Sharon mentioned that there was a contest going on for before and after shots, so we took them. I debated about whether or not to submit my photos for a while. After looking at the website and the rewards, I felt that I had to do it. $2,500 shopping spree and $5,000 to the charity of my choice are two good reasons to play the cancer card. So I did it!!!! (I am the dork that read the fine print to see how these prizes are awarded--turns out I can split the charitable donation between 2 organizations!!!!).  Now I need you to spread the word! Below is the link to vote, you can vote 5 times a day from now until June 15th. Thank you in advance for your support here and belatedly for the countless "you're beautiful"s that you have given me. Trust that every one of them is appreciated.

Mary Kay Makeover. Get Beautiful. Give Back.

A view from the top of the hill

You know the feeling that you have when you are sitting at the top of the first hill on a roller coaster? And, yes, I am aware that my question is a personal one, what do you feel right in that moment, right before the train takes off? Me, I feel a sense of anxiety, childlike-glee, a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty around me, and relief in a matter of moments. That is exactly how my weekend and most of the week have felt.

The Sturgeon household started its first week of Mom's Slowing Down with Easter Vacation. Since I was feeling pretty good (as in having normal moments that could be sustained briefly), we decided to hype up the Marshmallow Drop we read about on the flashing sign at the park entrance near the house. Sadly it took plenty of selling to the kids, but moms and dads were ready to see this for themselves. SO with family rallied, and poor planning on my part for what my health needs would be for this event. (water, who needs it?, chair/blanket? I am not going to get that tired.) We were ready for thousands of marshmallows to be dropped from a helicopter. (My poorly shot video should dissuade you from thinking "thousands of marshmallows" is as big as you think. BUT they did do it 3 times, ages 4 and under, 5-7, 8 and up.)

I hope that my pictures will work right (as in not overlap), but it seems to be escaping me!!!!!!!

What the heck has Aunt Nicole
gotten us to do now.....

Catching up, we have lots to do!!!!

Yeah, I picked mine up from under a
dirty boot and ate it anyway! So?

Cousins!!!! Oh, I mean Captains!!!

Cousins!!!! Oh, I mean Cuties!!!!!

Collective Awwwwwwwwe..... 

The Green Eyed Monster that is jealousy.

Easter weekend had lots of fun, even with a day on the couch thrown in for a good reminder. Easter the Bunny had fun and so did the kids! Plus, I took another leap, no I will call it a release of responsibility, and completely enjoyed letting the Thill Family do Easter dinner. It was wonderful as always! Well, except for Uncle Kevin's latest sabotage of the bits of good manners my children possess. If you thought the pooping stuff out shows from Christmas were funny, then this will crack you up. BUT if you have your own Uncle Kevin, this will crack you up and then you will nod your head with the knowledge that this is going to bite me in the ass at the worst possible moment.... mooning. Yes, they have both unsolicitedly dropped trou' and made some snarky remark. (which, for those who haven't heard my personal favorite unlearnable moment, is a step up from throwing frozen/semi-frozen/maybe-cold dog turds at each other one Christmas). So audience participation #1 what have you done to break bad habits? comment below (and not FB so I can keep the suggestions tied to the post) Please! 

This post is about this week's roller coaster ride from the station to the top of the first hill. I have to say that I am grateful that I have the knowledge that there will be sunny days that I get to enjoy. On Tuesday, I shirked nearly every real responsibility that I had set up for myself, made the trek to the park with the kids, my mom met us there after her bike ride, and we blasted off Rocket Balloons for an hour then played on the playground. Of course reality of how far I can actually push "good days" is starting to sink in. BUT IT WAS SO FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Relief from the oh-woe-is-me has been a true effort in Push Past. Push Past the idea that I can't enjoy life as I fight to get better. Some times it takes a cocktail and day in the freezing cold and snow with a best friend to make you realize that moving forward is allowed to be FUN. (see pic of two goofballs who are at the Tiger's game bundled up) So for that, Julie is hereby my Head Cheerleader. :) For her efforts to keep me from spending a fortune at the ballpark, she also gets a badge as an honorary Burke. (however, I still spent a fortune on Tigers stuff at JCPenny--I just got three times the amount of stuff!!)

Distraction came in the form of new invitations to BzzCampaigns. I got my most recent package--Kids Claratin. So far I have given it to them twice, and it seems to do what it says. Jake's runny nose got some relief and his eyes seemed to perk up. Eliz, not so sure she is an allergy case yet.... If you have kids with allergies I have some coupons to pass out ($3 off). Audience participation #2, let me know you will use them and I will send to as many as I can! AND I got a second invite which is more of a challenge. Live Below the Line is apparently an effort to see if you can live off $1.50 for food and drink from May 7-11th. I have accepted, and I don't think organic juicing fits into that budget. BUT it is something to consider in a broader picture, and I am going to ponder it. If you aren't a BzzAgent yet, and you like to get free stuff, tell people what you think about free stuff, like to give people discounts on the free stuff that you try, and don't mind filling out survey's now and then, I suggest I quick trip to www.bzzagent.com. Let me know if you have heard of Live Below the Line, or if you are thinking about challenging yourself/family.

We had a playdate and got to take a short walk. Couldn't pass up the opportunity for this photo opp! (next time we will convince Jakey's buddy to get in there too!)

And finally Chemo day was here again, treatment #2 down, 6 more to go! For my non-math friends, this makes my chemotherapy 25% done!!!!!

This time I had two chemo buddies, my mom and Elizabeth. At the last minute, she decided (really it more like insisted) that she wanted to join us, so we packed a bag of fun for her and were off to a long appointment. When the nurse poked into Pete-the-Port, I warned Elizabeth I might cry and asked if i could borrow Eeyore for a bit. I think she was a little nervous herself, so she didn't hand him over. She did however give me her furry jacket and said that it feels just like Eeyore and is more like my blanky (problem solver or self-serving doesn't matter because I am the one who has more than once given her jacket as a lovey to keep the peace). She also decided that the IV-pole is named Lumiere. It apparently reminds her of the candelabra from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.


This week I will be tackling diet and exercise. This is where the real participation is requested. I am planning for a high fiber, low fat concept. I am not very good at sticking to anything strict so, I guess my real request is for favorite recipes that fit this style. If you have the desire, links to cancer diet plans. AND if there is a nutritionist out there looking for a challenge: Our real need right now is a month plan/sketch that will keep my innards moving (I spared you the nightmare of that story for now), fights breast cancer, lowers cholesterol, tames ulcerative colitis, and is still kid friendly....

(and if that isn't up your alley and you have been dying to share some cancer/breast cancer related site or information with me with me please do!!!)