August | 2012

This month:

My dad had his second bone morrow transplant.

I took Abby on a lot of evening walks.

I hosted a few girls night since I had the house to myself.

I went to our town's festival, Trails West, and saw Hunter Hayes perform.

I celebrated my uncle's birthday and his heaven birthday....5 days apart.

I bought a new lens.

I photographed my first wedding.

My dad was declared healthy enough to come home after being gone for an entire month getting treatment.

This month endured a lot of heartache.

This month celebrated a lot of triumphs.

This month was life.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | August 26, 2012

School

The last time I was in school...December 2011.  So glad to be done forever.  This is the first fall where I haven't got school shopping.  So weird.  But so thankful to have school and college done with.

Rule of Thirds

Balloons on uncle Bobby's heaven birthday.

Side Profile

Another archived photo.  This is one of my favorite photos from my 52 week project this year.

Small

The balloons we released on uncle Bobby's heaven birthday getting smaller and smaller.

Motion

The Weekend Lens

August Twentieth

Week 34

August 20, 2012

Dear Uncle Bobby,

 I can’t believe it has been one whole year since you left my life. 

One year.

It doesn’t seem possible.

I still look for you with your leg wrap when I see bike riders out on a nice night.

I still think I hear dad talking to you on the phone.  Do you know he talks to Nick the same way he talked to you?

I get caught off guard when I see someone who slightly resembles you when out shopping.

I miss hearing your deep voice.  Your laugh.

I miss having you as someone our family can lean on when dad is sick.

I miss your jokes and how you call Abby shithead, just like dad.

I see a car that looks like the one you had and I expect it to be you…but it’s not.

I still expect you to be at our house every few days just to hang out.

I still have your phone number stored in my phone because I can’t bring myself to delete it. 

If you were here today, you would have just celebrated your 51^st birthday 5 days ago. 

You would have laughed and enjoyed life with your family and friends.

You would have come over on a daily basis to watch the Tour de France back in July.

You would have brought dad magazines to read and coffee for me and mom from your favorite café, Hazels.

You would be fighting right along with us as dad continues his battle with cancer.  You fought for him as much as mom and I do.

You would be here.

With us.

I miss you Uncle Bobby.

Love your niece,

Megan

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | August 19, 2012

Forest

I don't live close to a forest so the leaves from a tree outside of my house would have to do.  I absolutely love how the light comes through the leaves.

Morning Light

Watching the sun rise while Abby does her thing in the morning.

Touch

It touches my heart to see how much love it out at my uncles grave.  His birthday was the 15th and his death date is tomorrow.  Miss him so much.

Newspaper

I didn't realize Hunter Hayes was coming to Trails West this year.  So excited!

Coffee or Tea

I finally found my Keurig coffee that I love so I've been drinking a lot of coffee this week.  So good.  And I got this mug yesterday while out shopping with mom.  (It is actually a light aqua, but you can't tell much in this photo.)  I love it and think I might have found my future dish collection.  :)

Girls Night

Week 33

August 12, 2012

Evening Walks

Week 32

August 6, 2012

Lately I’ve been taking Abby on evening walks.  And she loves it!  Poor thing wears herself out so fast because she runs in zigzags so she can sniff everything (and leave her mark everywhere.) 

She is at the point where anytime I take her outside to go potty, she marches down the driveway in a mission to find a new smell. 

Gosh, I love her.  

Gratitude

This story of my life has taken a dark, depressing road.   I feel that all I share are negative events, thoughts, etc.  And even though most of the things I’ve been dealing with are dark and negative, there are things that I am joyful for too.

-Abby’s fun, warm, loving personality.  That she loves to be around me and longs for car rides and belly rubs.

-That dad can get treatment fairly close to home and I can visit him.

-To feel life around me.  The warmth of the sun.  The gentle breeze.

-Short evening walks with Abby and watching her enjoy being outside, smelling new smells.

-A text message for a friend asking how I am doing.  And knowing it is ok to tell her the truth…the actual truth.

-The powerful meaning behind a song.  And blaring it in the car.

-Technology.  So I can communicate with mom and dad on an hourly daily basis.

-A fresh manicure.

-A job to give me something to do and people who understand.

-The sound of thunder as it rumbles past.

-The splatter of rain again my face.
-The meaning of a rainbow.

12of12 August

01.  Pizza, brownie batter, Disney movies, girl talk and giggles=girls night=good for my soul.  I had some of the girls over for a girls night on Saturday.  We didn't got to bed until about 2 in the morning.  I'm quite surprised we all made it that late.  Notice Abby had to get in on the fun too?!
02.  You're up! You're up! You're up!
03.  Details.  Fighting every single day.
04.  Filled up the car with gas before heading to KC.
05.  Hello Kansas City.
06.  Dad was at the cancer center for 4 hours getting 4 bags of potassium.  Last bag!
07.  Home away from home.
08.  (Shhh.... don't tell dad I added this photo in the mix, he wouldn't be too happy.)  Don't be too fooled by seeing dad up walking.  He is still really sick and feels like shit.  He is wearing the hat to cover up his newly bald head, the bag is holding medicine that connects to his body and administers anti-nausea medicine every few minutes.  
09.  Late lunch with mom at Applebees.
10.  We went shopping for dad and ended up finding other things.  I got my first pair of Toms shoes and some new lick stick.  It was also the first time I've been in a real legitimate mall in 3-4 years.  (We have a lot strip malls where we live.)
11.  Getting back to the cancer center and me getting ready to head back home.
12.  Sunset on the way home.


Read dad's story here.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | August 12, 2012

Mobile

On her beloved car rides.

(follow me on instagram @trulymegs)

Hanging By a Thread

I had a major break down at the beginning of this month.  I have been through way too many trials in the last 2 years of my life.

Collage

A collage of my Wednesday Thursday night.  After I took these photos, my friend called and asked me if I wanted to go classroom shopping.  She is going to be a kindergarten teacher this year!

Always Look on the Bright Side

Home

I love home and the people who I share it with.

Realization

Week 31

August 3, 2012

(Photo taken August 6, 2012)

I think this past year proves how strong of a person I am.  I have endured a lot of hardships and yet I still maintain a positive, cheerful outlook.  (Don’t ask me how.) 

But there is only so much a person can handle. 

And I finally ripped at the seams.

I wandered through each moment numb.  Not really knowing the impact of what was going on around me.  I was a ticking time bomb.  In any given moment I might explode.

And then it happened…

Everything just came crashing down on me. 

Realization.

Realization of a life with cancer.  It breaks my heart seeing what my dad has to go through.  But more than that—I absolutely hate that cancer is a part of our lives.  I just wish it didn’t exist.  I wish it would just go away and never come back.  I wish that it never happened.

Realization of the people I have lost.  While I have a good sized family, I am only close to a handful of people.  And all but one of those people is gone from my life forever.  Only living through memories and photos and stories.

July Photo A Day

Day 183 | Pet sitting and window watching

Day 184 | To-Do List

Day 185 | Snoozing

Day 186 | Happy 4th of July!

Day 187 | Sofa day and naps

Day 188 | Abby turns 11!

Day 189 | Garage sale find, guess I'll be getting my workout on.

Day 190 | Decorating the basement

Day 191 | Best part of Monday....My guilty pleasure.

Day 192 | Crafting.  Project 1 of 10 done on my 101 in 1001.

Day 193 | Evening cuddles

Day 194 | Attempting my 12of12 from the sofa

Day 195 | Another day on the sofa with lots of fluids.  Being sick bites...

Day 196 | First real food in 3 days

Day 197 | Eating watermelon

Day 198 | Someone brought me baby so we can play

Day 199 | Fresh air

Day 200 | Gift from a friend!

Day 201 | Grandma went to live in heaven

Day 202 | New Silpada catalog

Day 203 | Photos of grandma

Day 204 | Stripes

Day 205 | Grandma and Grandpa are together again

Day 206 | Hanging out with this one

Day 207 | Lots of work email was waiting for me after my days off for bereavement/

Day 208 | Clouds

Day 209 | Work

Day 210 | Play Watching

Day 211 | Car Riding

Day 212 | Yummy, my favorite!

Day 213 | Always by my side

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | August 5, 2012

Going Back in Time

My favorite picture of me and my daddy.

He had his second bone morrow stem cell transplant 3 days ago...

Something Just For Me

Ate half the bag...don't judge.

Best Part of My Day

Coming home to this sweet face!

Night and Day

Look Up

July | 2012

This month...

Wow, this month did a number on our family...again.

We celebrated the 4th of July with wonderful friends.

My sweet baby girl turned 11 on the 6th.

My grandma passed away on the 19th.  (We are playing bingo just 13 days before.)

Had a wonderful time with family as we gathered in celebration of our last grandparent passing (on this side of the family.)

Dad had numerous test done before he starts the chemo and transplant. (Which happened today, if you were wondering.  Above is the last photo of him before the transplant.)

Yep.

That pretty much sums it up.

On to August!

It is going to be another doozy, but I have some fun things planned!

Trying to make it worthwhile.