That "harmless" little killer.

I could have been like my Dad.

Laid back. Always calm. Always cool. Never worried.

My dad has such a calm spirit about him. In fact, I can only remember two times in all of my life that I have ever seen my dad angry. One of those times is when my brother and I proceeded to pillow fight while my grandparents were over after my dad told us not to. The other, was an instance where I put a fork covered in peanut butter in the dishwasher. It makes me laugh to think about it, now ... and even then, he wasn't really all that mad.

And worried? Well, to tell you the truth, I've never seen my dad worried. Not once. Not in the slightest. Everything that happens has some kind of logical answer, will fix itself, or isn't really a reason to worry in the first place. I love this about my dad. I know he is level headed and that if I need to talk to someone about a stressful situation, he's my guy.

But I'm not like my dad.

I'm like my mom. And bless her heart, she stresses. But before I elaborate on that, I feel like I need to explain why.

You see, my mom is selfless. She is a people pleaser. She wants everyone to be happy. I can't even tell you how many Holiday Meals have been spent with everyone at the table enjoying their food while my mom was running around the kitchen making sure that everyone's drinks were filled and their plates were full. She is giving. She is thoughtful and considerate. She would spare her comfort so that everyone else could have theirs. She has always been that way. Not that my dad isn't a giving and selfless man, because he is. But he just does it in a different way. My mom stresses. And she hurts when other people hurt. Which, I got from her as well. Which means she worries herself sick when one of her children has an illness, or she hasn't heard from a friend in a while. And she hates for people to be upset with her. It tears her up inside, all the while, pretending like it really doesn't bother her.

I'm like my mom.

And today, as I was driving home from work, I was thinking about stress. Not because I am feeling it right now so much, but because my Relays are about to begin... and every year, I try to make everything work out perfectly and make everyone happy and figure out where that extra $40,000 is going to show up from in order to make my goal, to the point that I break myself down physically and emotionally. I let myself get so busy that I almost forget to take care of things in my personal life, like paying bills or going grocery shopping.

But this year,

I refuse to stress.

Not because I am going to work less or not try as hard. No way. I'm still giving my 100% to my job. I'm blessed to have this job. In fact, the other day I was asked by a medical professional what I do for a living and quietly waited for my answer like it was going to be lame. But when I told her that I worked for the American Cancer Society her face lit up, and her eyes got big, and she said - "Wow. That's great. What a fantastic job to have." Yep, I'm lucky to have my job, and it won't be because I slack off that I don't stress this year. But because I refuse to stress. It's a choice. It's not something that my circumstances or those around me make me do. I choose to stress. It's me. And with all of the illnesses that can be brought on by stress, and thinking about how many years I can take away from the length of my life just by stressing, not to mention the happy moments I take away in the WIDTH of my life .... I'm not doing it.

I refuse.

I'm going to think of my dad. I'm going to strive for his calm spirit. Knowing that you can only do in a day, what you can do in a day. And I'm going to pray for wisdom and patience and say one of my favorite verses over and over again in my head.

Philippians 4:6-7.

And I've already started fighting back against stress this year, so I am ready!

Here are some things I am doing to make sure that my body and soul reacts accordingly to my most stressful time of the year:

Eating Healthy.

The truth is that what we eat can help us cope with stress. Unhealthy eating puts stress on your body as it contributes to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other health conditions. When your body is stressed, your emotional state becomes increasingly fragile as well. I've made a decision. It started because of medical reasons, but I'm making it my lifestyle because of health and personal reasons (not religious or political reasons)- I'm officially a Vegan. And it's great. I feel wonderful. Do I miss milk, you might ask? Not so much. Because blueberry Special K cereal in a bowl of vanilla soy milk... is Yum.

Exercising.

Exercise releases chemicals in your brain that help promote feelings of well being. Physical activity can provide you with an outlet for frustration and stress. Even a brisk 30 minute walk in the morning can make you feel ready for the day! I start my day off with either Zumba, 30 Day Shred, or just walking and some weights. You might have to wake up earlier to fit it in, but it is well worth a stress-free day all day!

Getting good sleep QUALITY.

I always thought it was how MUCH sleep you get that mattered, but that's not entirely true. Poor sleep quality increases ragged emotional states and can lead to increased stress. Working to relax before bed time can improve the quality of your sleep.

and lastly... just a few little tricks that help me relax...

like -being more aware of my breathing and taking deeper breaths, listening to my favorite music, taking bubble baths, laughing with my co-workers (thanks Ashley and Karla!), reading before bed,

and last but certainly not least -

Remembering to be like my dad. :)

So let the Relays begin!!

[And stress AND cancer can both EAT MY DUST. ]

Move Over, Jillian!

Ok. So I have a secret that I want to share with all of my lady friends out there. Especially the ones that are the "rollercoaster weight gainers". Yep. I'm talking to you. I used to be one of you.

I remember what it was like trying to diet. I alternated between 3 very unsuccessful techniques and it never got me anywhere.

Unsuccessful Diet #1 : The Starve 'Til I Pig Out Diet

You know, it's the one where you barely eat anything all day. And right around bed time after you have felt good about yourself all day, you realize... "Wait a minute. What's that I feel? Hunger?" So what do you do? You sneak into the kitchen at 10 or 11 oclock at night and stuff your face with cheetos puffs and those irresistable frosted suger cookies from Wal-Mart. A month of doing that every night, and you're wondering why you haven't lost any weight.

I've been there.

Unsuccessful Diet #2: The Burn Out Quick Diet

This is the one where you decide you aren't going to eat anything but salad and tuna fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sure, it goes great for about 2 weeks and then you start to feel it, the burn out. Your tastebuds crave something different. And who do you end up going back to? Uh huh. That's right. Those cheetos and cookies again. Or maybe you are one of those that curls up on the couch with a big bowl of ice cream. My bowl? Filled with velveeta shells and cheese. Hits the spot every time!

Unsuccessful Diet #3: The Work Out Will Work It Out Diet

If you even want to call this one a diet. It goes more like this: I'm going to work out hard every day and then I can eat whatever I want! That should work, right? Huh. WRONG. Believe me, I've tried it. Infact, I tried it with Ms. Michaels' 30 Day Shred video and continued to eat my stuffed crust pizza and coke floats. After 30 days? Well, I looked more curdled than shredded, if THAT tells you anything. It definitely doesn't work if you don't eat right while you are working out.

So why am I telling you all this you might ask??

Because I have found the PERFECT diet.

It was by accident, really. But it works. In fact, I've lost a total of 23 lbs so far since the week before Thanksgiving. This one isn't anything special that you have to purchase off of the internet. And NO, your food doesn't come packaged in the mail. The best part about it, is that you don't even have to TRY to lose weight. It just magically happens. This one is called the:

My Gall Bladder Quit Functioning So I Can't Eat Squat Diet.

Sounds good, right?! I should go National with this.

I can see it now.....

{This is what my book cover will look like.}

Juuuuuusssst Kidding.

But if you've got the will power to stick with it, I suggest you try it if you really have given up on losing those few extra pounds. It works. Not only is this diet for losing weight apparently, but it will make you healthier than you have ever been in no time. I have more energy, and feel better than I have ever felt in my life! I wish I would've started eating like this a LONG time ago.

Most diets have lists of things you CAN'T eat. Well, this one is a little different. In fact, it is so strict, it's just easier to list the things you CAN eat:

Fresh Fruits

Fresh Vegetables

Walnuts

Soy Cheese

Wheat tortillas or pizza crust

Salmon

And the only thing you can drink, and I mean ONLY thing, is water. No tea, no coffee, no hot chocolate in the cold, cold winter. :( I've missed that...

I know it sounds blah, but it's really not so bad! I've got some great recipies (like veggie pizza and fish tacos) and would love to share them! Just email me : tbluhm19@gmail.com.

From one woman to another that knows how hard it is to lose weight, I just thought I would share something that I KNOW works! No strings attached. I think that if my gall bladder did start working properly again, I might even stay as close as I can to being on this diet because I feel so healthy.

So there it is. Easy as pi...uh... broccoli. Easy as broccoli.

Move it or lose it, Jillian.

Or, just Lose It.

I open my lungs...

...to breathe in forgiveness & love.

Tomorrow will be an emotional day for me.

At 8:30am Adam will be taken to surgery and I will be in the waiting room with so much support, and so many people that love us.

Because of all of the amazing people that I have in my life, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about them. From the very moment that we announced that Adam had a mass in his neck and would have to have surgery, we have had nothing but constant love shown to us.
Love that I truly can not describe.

We have been given a drawing from a 6 and a 3 year old, and a note from them that said - "get better Adam". Those kinds of things are irreplaceable. It went on our refrigerator immediately.

We have been given a homemade book of encouragement with Bible verses, poems, and pictures from a sweet lady from our church congregation. On the front is a picture of sheep and the title says- "Ewe" are Loved.

I have had a friend that I haven't seen in years, offer to get me a massage because she knew how much stress I have been under lately. It really gives me hope that people who are considerate and kind are still out there. They are my friends. I really am blessed.

We have had more cards, phone calls, facebook messages, and texts than I ever expected. We have people praying for us across the state.

We have a preacher that took the time to read scripture with us, and pray with us, and even got emotional doing so. We were so moved with the fact that he has such a loving heart that cares so much for us and our well being. And his wife is coming to wait with me in the hospital tomorrow. She has been so uplifting and comforting through all of this. We love them both so much.

And we have tons of people, and I mean tons that plan on being at the hospital for Adam tomorrow. My parents, Aunt, and brother all took off of work to make sure that they get there before Adam goes in for surgery so that they can give him a hug and some words of encouragement to help him relax. We have friends from our congregation coming, friends of mine from work want to bring me lunch, friends from Athens that we haven't seen in a while and so many more people that told us that they wish they could be there, but just could not get away.


Everyone who has taken the time to call Adam just to say - "Hey, you are in my prayers, and I love you." Everyone who has written on his facebook and everyone who has written on my blog.

You ALL mean the world to us.

As time goes on and our memories fade, we will forget the presents that we were given on Holidays, the scores of games that we played, the funny things that the pets did that made us laugh, but we will never ever forget the love that was shown to us in times of need.

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you.

Update on Adam

First of all, I just want to thank EVERYONE who has written or called us this last week. There are so many of you who are very precious to us, who have prayed for us and also who plan on coming to the hospital on the day of Adam's surgery. That means a lot to him.

He will be having surgery on October 28th to have this mass removed. The second doctor had the same opinion as the first one that we went to see. They say that there is a very good chance of this being cancer because of Adam's age and because it is SO RARE in males.

The doctor said that the average mass size that he has seen is 2 centimeters in diameter and Adam's mass has grown to be 8 centimeters in diameter. I'm frustrated that we have to wait so long to do the surgery, but that was as soon as the surgeon could get him in. We will not know until the day before - what time the surgery will be, but I will update my FB status, and on here so that everyone can be sure and say a little prayer at the time of surgery.

Again, thank you everyone who has had us in your thoughts. This has been incredibly stressful for both of us, but Adam is staying strong. He came into the room with me on Saturday and said with a smirk - "Hey, if they do find cancer, that means I'm a survivor, doesn't it?"
Being a survivor is HUGE when it comes to cancer patients and I have learned that through my job. I definitely think that it is one of those incredible blessings that I work for the American Cancer Society if this does turn out to be thyroid cancer, because like one of my volunteers told me - "God put you in the right place to make all the connections you need!!"

This just drives it home even more with me that my job has incredible value. I hope that one day when my children ask me what I did for a living I can say -

I helped find the cure for cancer.

I'll keep everyone posted on my sweet husband... keep praying! :)

Orange you glad it's Tuesday?

I am. Here are the Top 5 things I am currently really excited about:

5. HE IS WE



This band is really awesome, but you can't find them on Mixpod or I-tunes. The girl singer has an amazing voice and I really like a lot of the lyrics. Now, just to figure out how to get them on my i-pod.... www.purevolume.com/HEISWE

4. ZUMBA



The gym that I am working out at with a couple of my friends from work has ZUMBA classes, for Free! Zumba is a mix of Latin rhythms and dance moves to create an amazing fitness program. I can't wait to get started! I heard that it is really fun and you really burn fat quickly!

3. The Finale of America's Got Talent

I really hope that Barbara Padilla wins the whole thing. She not only has a voice that is out of this world, but she seems like an amazing person. A cancer survivor, a mother, and an all around classy woman in my opinion. Oh, and she's from Houston, TX! Go Barbara!

Watch Her Here.

2. Softball Team

We are getting to play on our Church Congregations softball team starting this Thursday! I haven't played since High School, but I know that it will be a blast. Plus, I'm married to a True baseball player, so even if I'm not so good, at least he'll keep the Bluhms above water! :)

1. Getting to see my old friends!

At the end of this month I'm meeting up with friends, some that I haven't seen since 3rd grade. I'm so excited to see all of them and to see where life has taken them. They are all such sweet girls and I've missed having a close friendship all of these years so hopefully we can all catch up and I know there will be some very funny memories discussed on this night.


Have a great Tuesday everyone! :)

Dear Bathroom Scale...

Dear Bathroom Scale,

You are no longer my friend. There are two fundamental rules to being my friend and well... you've officially messed things up.
First, you have been saying unkind things to me lately. I mean, hello!?!... I visit with you every morning. I invest time in our relationship. I'm quite considerate of you. I work out and watch what I eat... kind of. All I need is a few words of encouragement. A few I tell you ... is that too much to ask? But no, during our last month of visits you just kept being rude and flashing numbers that quite simply bum me out.
Second, you can't seem to keep a secret to save your life. Those two brownies I ate yesterday .. okay, maybe more than two ... but I asked you to keep that a secret. But nooooo, missy prissy, you just had to tell the whole bathroom this morning about the upward movement of the numbers. I really wanted to like you. But, alas, I think we must break up. I'm moving on to bigger and better things.
No, wait, not bigger ... smaller and better things.
Yes, and if I ever find them, maybe we can be friends again. From now on, instead of standing on you, I will stand on the truth of God.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! -Psalm 139: 13-17

I subscribe to the "Proverbs 31 Woman" magazine and yesterday this month's came in the mail. This was the first article in it, written by Lysa TerKeurst, and I thought it was the cutest thing, so I wanted to share it with all of you!

Have a beautiful Tuesday! :)

Dr. Do-Little. Literally.

Thank you everyone who has called or written to check on Adam. Since his last visit with the Dr. we have found out,... well... squat ....about his heart condition. It has been over a week now and the Dr. has not called Adam back to tell him the results of his thyroid test or to even check up on his heart. All he told him at the visit was to take it easy as far as physical labor for a while and to not drink much caffeine. (And so Adam leaves and immediately goes to the corner store for a Coke. He's good at listening to Dr.'s orders.) So, we are wondering if the Dr. has forgotten about Adam's poor heart all together or if Adam went to Dr. Do Little's office by mistake. Again, when we hear something, we will update everyone.

If I only had a .... Heart?

Today Adam is going to the Doctor to see what is wrong with his heart. Lately it has been skipping beats and making him short of breath. It has really been scaring us, because his mother also has a similar condition and she has to take medication for the problem. I've been trying to take care of him in every way that I can by taking away his third or fourth glass of coke or cup of coffee. It's not an easy task! Getting caffeine away from Adam is like taking steak from a tiger! Ggrrr!! Down kitty! :)

We ask for your prayers today as he goes in for a check up and we find out what is wrong. Hopefully, it will be something minor like stress, or too much caffeine. Whatever comes our way we are determined that we are going to learn patience and trust through all of this. God values our trust in Him. And how do we develop trust? By spending time in His presence, through reading His word, through worship, and through prayer. Jesus told the disciples, " Look at the birds...they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet yet your Heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26)

In this worrisome time in our lives, Adam and I have decided that we are handing our worries over to God. We are going to rely wholeheartedly on the Lord to take care of him and his precious heart. I will keep all of you updated on what the tests have told us.