End of February 2023 (1 Second Every Day)

 

Our Cancer Scare

 A few years ago Skylar had a lump suddenly appear on his chest, like right in the middle between his rib bones. It was such an odd lump that we initially thought he might have been hit in the chest somehow and it was a scar. He has played baseball and been hit in the chest, as well as karate and there's been many times where he was hit in the chest by random pop flies, or Bahng Mahng Ee during combat with Taekwondo. Skip ahead several years to now. He started complaining of the spot around Christmas last year, saying how it was hurting him sometimes when he was in the shower, or barely bumping it putting his clothes on. I told him to let us know immediately if it started hurting worse and last week it did. It was hurting him so much so that he would tear up at the pain. Jeff made at appointment at a dermatologist right away and this week they were able to get him in for an evaluation. 

During his evaluation we learned that the lump was actually a cyst that needed to be removed. Of course that was the easy part to understand, the hard part was that the tissue needed to be tested to make sure it wasn't cancerous. His evaluation took place the day before Valentine's Day, so the office iguana was all dressed for the holiday and it was a nice thing to see during our stressful time there.

His next appointment to remove the cyst took place 15 days later and Skylar was nervous and so were we. I hate to see my baby in any sort of pain and the anxiety we all had was pretty high. We knew this was a routine biopsy, but this was our first time going through something like this. Skylar brought the stuffed "Swells" dog that we all take to serious operations or procedures for comfort. It does help when something familiar is near you, or in your arms. I used the same thing during my breast surgery in 2020.

The dermatologist numbed the area and cut open the area and removed the mass in a matter of 10 minutes. He cauterized the area and sewed it up and quickly as he removed it. The mass was a lot larger than we all expected and I couldn't help but cry watching Skylar go through all of that. It still is a bit emotional for us. Next we wait on the results to see if there's any cancer cells. Our hearts are still heavy.

We are just glad the first part is done and we can focus on positive thoughts until the results come in. We decided that we are not going to react until we get the results. We have high hopes that it will be negative, so we are focusing on good things right now. The iguana in the office was all dressed for Saint Patrick's Day coming up, too. So again, that was a nice distraction for us again.

When we got home I had made Skylar's favorite apple pie and it was waiting on him to enjoy. Jeff and I also got him all his favorite foods and drinks and he will be taken care of 100%. He said his chest is sore and burns a little, but overall he is tired. He has been sleeping a lot and we make sure he is comfortable while he heals.

Valentine's Day 2023

 This year for Valentine's Day I got up early and made heart-shaped waffles and heart-shaped eggs for us. The waffle maker I used is from Dash and when I saw it online I knew immediately that I had to have it. We had snow on the ground and it made the day even better having a warm themed breakfast for thing in the morning. We started the fireplace and just enjoyed the day together. Everyone loved the heart-shaped waffles, which were blueberry, and the heart-shaped eggs. I also incorporated the Love Day breakfast with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. It was a perfect start to the day. Scroll to the end of this post to get one of these super cute waffle makers for yourself.

DASH heart-shaped waffle maker and other shapes here. 

♥♥♥♥♥Happy Valentine's Day! ♥♥♥♥♥

DASH Mini Waffle Maker

End of January 2023 (1 Second Every Day)

 

End of 2022 (1 Second Every Day)

End of December 2022 (1 Second Every Day)

 

Salem Holiday Lights

Riverfront Park in Salem puts on, yet another great holiday lights display this year. City of Salem Parks Operations personnel place random holiday displays around the park with more than 4,000 individual LED lights. We missed the previous ones, but this year we decided to make time for them. There was quite a lot this year and the displays were placed all along the river side and along Riverfront Park. We spent a couple of hours walking through all of the lights and had a great time enjoying the park alone. There were a few people leaving when we arrived, and when the rain started most of them had left. Even though it was raining, we had a great time.

 

Christmas (2022)

Our Christmas this year was great, especially since we got a few things that Skylar has been wanting. We drove up to Salem in the pouring rain, while Skylar was at work and got him the drone he has been eyeing for awhile. We also created quite a great meal and had a really nice, quiet holiday at home. I enjoy the holidays more when they are calm and quiet and not a lot of people coming and going. Christmas night we spent laying in the front room watching some Christmas classics and talking about what the holidays mean to us. It was perfect.

This plate has always been our Santa cookie plate. I received it as a gift from my Nana in 2003, the year that Skylar was born. I've used it ever since. It's a small piece of her that helps keep her memory alive during the holidays. There are other items that she gave me that I still use to this day. I hope she's looking down on us and proud of the people we've become.

Our house during the day...

Our house during the night...

This year's Christmas tree ornaments we've added to our collection. All four of these ornaments are from Macy's and I just love how their collection changes every year. I get to add some really amazing ones to the tree each December.