Hello! Thank you for stopping by, friend!
Before I tell you a little about me, I have a couple of questions for YOU.
Have you ever felt that you are a little more complex than you would like to be at times and wonder why?
Do you feel like you or your family are always having “one more thing” added to your plate, or one more diagnosis, or one more situation that no one else around you can really relate to or understand?
Do you often feel that you are “different” and wonder why you were made the way you were?
If you answered yes to even one of these, then you my friend have come to the right place! I think we will be able to become great friends! You are SO wonderfully complex (and that is a good thing!) You were created in His image, on purpose…for purpose!
If you also feel kind of funny talking about yourself I think we could be kindred spirits too!
But here I go….I will do my best at telling you a little bit about myself.
My name is Angie and I am the voice behind this little page. I have come to realize but still have to remind myself at times that I, like you, am SO Wonderfully Complex and I am thankful to be. Please read HERE to find out the story behind the naming of this blog! To start, I am a child of God, a Jesus follower who is so in need of and thankful for his grace and forgiveness that I am freely given. I am 40 and have never been so excited to be! Yes, you read that right! I am 40 and proud to be and will be just as excited for each birthday to come that I am blessed with! Each birthday is a gift, just go HERE to read a little post on turning 40 and why it is such a gift to me!
I have been married to the love of my life for over 19 years and since then we have been given the gifts of two more loves, a 13-year-old “teen” daughter (pray for me, please!) and a 6-year-old son. My family is my home, my world. I am happiest when I am with them no matter what we are doing. That to say my love language is quality time!
I am an Empath. I have fought hard to try not to be one at times, but I just can’t change that and I am learning to embrace it and realize that it is part of my wonderfully complexness and how I was made. I am also an introvert trying to live in an extroverted world! It is definitely hard at times! Can I get an Amen from other introverts?!?
I am an INFJ if you are familiar with the Meyers Briggs personality types which INFJ happens to be the rarest of the 16 different types (why am I not surprised?!?)….and I am a golden retriever if you are familiar with the (Lion, Otter, Beaver, Golden Retriever types!) That to say I love learning about personalities. Just another thing that shows how each and every one of us are unique even if we do have some similarities.
We are also a gluten-free family…half of us alteast! My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease 5 years ago and ever since my diagnosis I have also gone gluten-free.
So, what diagnosis you ask?
In 2016 my world was completely shaken and turned upside down. At only 37 years old I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive type of breast cancer. Stage 3c Inflammatory Breast cancer that was also HER2+. I also have a CHEK2 gene mutation that I now know increased my risk of getting breast cancer to over 40% and it also increases my risk for other cancers as well. Even though I am still currently in treatment and battle daily with side effects and pain, I am thankful to say I have been NEAD (no evidence of active disease/remission) for a little over two years now! Only God knows if I will be able to stay NEAD but I am praying, hoping and believing for many, MANY more years!
Now for some happy and fun stuff!
I had to get that last paragraph out of the way, because whether I wanted it or not, it is part of my story and a part of our life. However, I am choosing to be so much more than a cancer diagnosis and my hope is this blog will allow me to share and get back to the things I do love and enjoy all while still trusting in God and also continuing to learn to love myself and the diagnosis’ I have been given!
My Family! I think I already told you that but I just love them so much I wanted to add it again!
Disney! Oh, how I love Disney! Those who know me well can attest to that! I don’t just love to go there I truly love it all! The rides, the treats, the characters, the Disney magic! The lines, the heat, the crowds…things I typically don’t like…I love at Disney just because I am there!
We were blessed to get to go Christmas 2018! My parents joined us and we were celebrating 18 months of NEAD/remission! You better believe I got an “I’m Celebrating” button!!
Traveling! My hope one day is to blog about a lot of travel! I love seeing the world. I love seeing how other people live. I love seeing Gods creation! As a family we love going anywhere and especially love a good road trip!!! I grew up driving all over the USA for family vacations. It is one of my most favorite memories and began my love for travel. I wanted to share it and make those memories with my family and I hope they have the same wonderful memories that I have!
Decorating and crafts! I actually graduated with an Interior Design major even though I only used it a year or two before I went into teaching! I love to decorate on a budget and help others decorate, pick out paint, you name it, that brings me joy!
Sunsets! I love sunsets. I could sit out on the front porch every night just watching them if I could.
Fashion! Especially shoes and purses. I will admit I have some issues with impulsiveness when it comes to shoes and purses! A girl can never have too many purses and shoes, right?!?
Sports! I love sports…not really to play but to watch! I am a huge fan of almost any sport….football, baseball and basketball top the list though! Most weekends or weeknights (depending on the season) you better believe there is some type of sports game coming from our TV! And when I get a chance to go to any type of sports game you better believe I jump on that opportunity!
Bargains, Sales and Budgets! I am a math and numbers girl to begin with. I love a great sale and I have always been very conscious of budgets and spending. 13+ years ago we decided that I would stay home when I found out I was pregnant with McKenna. Going from a two income family to one and adding a baby is hard when we had a double income for more than 6 years! Then adding another child and now more medical bills than you can probably imagine, we still try to stay on a budget and watch our spending. We try to find the best possible ways to spend all while still enjoying life and the days we are given. A cancer diagnosis will definitely teach you to “live like you are dying” but we still have to be responsible too because bills and expenses don’t die! Finding a good sale or a good value makes me happy and I am happy to share with others what I find!
Health! Even before my cancer diagnosis, I was into natural things and health. I have now learned that there are many holistic, vegan, essential oils users, natural minded woman that still get breast cancer or any cancer for that matter. I have met many sadly. Cancer does not discriminate. Even though this did not stop me from getting cancer in the first place I still feel that living as healthy and balanced as we can without going crazy is still the best choice.
That is a little bit about me!
Thank you for taking the time to read this and joining me on this journey. I am an imperfect human with many faults and flaws but I have learned and grown a lot the past two years. I am learning more every day and my hope is to share what I have learned from both my successes and failures and that the Glory of God will be seen. My hope and prayer with this blog is that I can help strengthen the faith of others and help them see and know how loved and perfectly created they are!