Home Grown Tomatoes

A few years ago I attempted container gardening. I'm not sure what inspired me to take on that particular challenge especially given that I am not known for my green thumb, quite the opposite in fact. Nevertheless, I had fanciful visions of being the perfect southern woman: wearing funny hats, growing vegetables in the dirt, and sipping lemonade on my front porch. I was going to provide my family with wholesome fresh vegetables that I would expertly prepare and offer at the dinner table; thus proving my love and worth to the world. Surely, I had some untapped inherent talent that would allow me to simply will life to spring forth and ripen into sweet deliciousness. I am from the South after all.

Thank goodness mothers aren't measured by their vegetable growing abilities.  If memory serves, we ended up with 3 or 4 tiny tomatoes, a couple of eggplants, and a handful of peppers. Sadly, my delusions of grandeur had dissolved and harsh reality took hold - my thumbs are all black - gardening is work. Hard work.

This week the boys and I are vacationing at Grandma's house. Grandma is not like me. Grandma does have super powers. She doesn't garden -  she grows. Seriously, plants just grow at her house. By the time others are contemplating planting, she is making sandwiches with her very own ripe and juicy tomatoes. As Boy 1 put it last night, "I think she is Mother Nature in disguise."

Today, I had had my first home grown tomato of the season and all is right with the world.

Thank you Grandma!

You have cancer - Just kidding!

Long story short:

On Easter of 2013 I went into the hospital with severe left flank pain and blood in my urine. A week later I had an MRI that revealed an 8.5 cm mass in my left kidney. I was told I had cancer and a radical nephrectomy was scheduled. I had my left kidney removed via hand assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy on May 9th and was released from the hospital on Mothers Day. When it was all said and done the tumor was actually over 10 cm. and it wasn't cancer after all. I had a rare (only ~ 200 cases worldwide)  benign tumor -mixed epithelial and stromal tumor(MEST) of the kidney. I also have 2 small masses in my remaining kidney that will be watched closely. That's it, the end. Ultrasounds yearly. I don't fit the  "typical" profile of a person with MEST and the docs have no idea how/why I got it! Will the spots in my other kidney be the same thing? Maybe. Maybe not. That's why we will check every year for the rest of forever...

It was the craziest emotional roller coaster I have ever been on! A month before school was out I was told, "You have cancer" and I lived with that. WE lived with that! Because a cancer diagnosis doesn't affect just you, it affects the whole family. Then the day after my last final for the semester I had surgery. Then, "Oops! That's rare, you don't have cancer. Have a nice day." It was the best news I've ever gotten!

I have the best family! We are strong, we are supportive, together we can conquer anything! My guys are amazing! And I have awesome friends, who I know I can count on!

Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot out there about MEST. For instance there are no % or statistics on whether or not it could show up in my other kidney . And given that it is so rare there really isn't anyone to talk to that has had it. So, if  you have had MEST please don't hesitate to contact me!

Think I'll start blogging again aka Reasons and/or excuses for why I haven't blogged in forever

Here goes it:

My last blog was in August of 2011 after that....

• School started
• I got busy...really busy
• Stuff happened
• More stuff happened
• Caffeinated Opinions - My best friend ,other than The Brain, and the whole reason I started blogging in the first place - died unexpectedly.

That last one is what really got me... that was a year ago this Sunday... The crazy boy either up and died or thinks he's Huck Finn.

I couldn't say this then because it would have been in poor taste, so Ill say it now, “DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.” -Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

I hope you beat the traffic Ben - We miss you!

I think I'm going to start blogging again...It's been a crazy year!