Meaningful Beauty Creme de Serum

Who doesn't want to look younger? Who wouldn't love to feel beautiful and have radiant looking skin? I know I certainly would!

I just attended a twitter party for Meaningful Beauty Crème de Serum and learned so much! Meaningful Beauty has a whole array of skin care products that will surely leave you tempted to go and check it out! You can also get a preview of the products at

 (The following picture and description is credited to www.meaningfulbeauty.com )
http://www.meaningfulbeauty.com/products/products,default,pg.html

Crème de Sérum

This crème de la crème treatment takes a triple approach to combating the signs of aging with three powerful anti-aging ingredients: superantioxidant melon complex, anti-aging peptides and hyaluronic acid. Combining the power of a serum with the rich, moisturizing effects of a crème, this super-boost is designed to help protect, increase hydration and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Recap of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

I am so excited the new season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has arrived! First and foremost, I loved watching Lisa Vanderpump on Dancing With the Stars. The cattiness of the other wives about her supposed "fake" fainting spell does beg the question, "Did she really fake it?" Who are we to judge? I mean really, can you imagine everything that she does, plus having to learn all of those dance steps. I'd say her eye candy hunk of a partner would definitely leave her wanting more. I mean after all, her hubby has Brandy to gawk over.
I'm a little sad to see Adrienne go, but the new wife seems to be very forward about her opinions of the other ladies.
Kim Richards just isn't that entertaining. The producers must seem to think so since they've introduced her dog as a new cast member. Will Richards actually stay sober this season, or will she lapse to bring up the ratings?
In the same breath, are we tired of Kyle yet? I mean really, all she contributes to the show is her judgemental attitude towards the other women. And she wonders why no one likes her. I'm sorry, I just think she's a bit unforgettable and not that interesting.,
We can always rely on Brandy to bring on the drama, but I have to admit I'm beginning to love her take it or leave it attitude. I'm sorry, but I do feel there is a little bit of jealousy from the other wives. You have to give Brandy credit for making her presence known in this little clique of women.
I'm sure Yolanda has been through a lot with her disease, but why did they make such a big deal about having surgery to remove her port? I mean really, it's just a port. Kudos to her though for pushing through her disease and making it to the other side. Let's focus on her journey, rather than the flipping port.
Last but not least, Taylor has found a man. She seems to be genuinely happy, and instead of the drama surrounding her like in season's past, she has risen above it all!
What I like about some of these women is that they are their own person. They don't hide behind their husbands, well at least some of them don't and they do emulate empowerment if you can look past the drama!
Happy viewing!!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

I had the opportunity to participate and volunteer at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Kansas City, MO at Liberty Memorial this past Saturday. What an amazing event! Over 15,000 walkers supporting Making Strides. 1 out 2 women reach out to American Cancer Society for help! I was one of those women!

 

 

We had a beautiful crisp day and saw people in boas, bras, and pink beehive hairstyles. Anything goes at the Making Strides walk. I was blessed to stay warm in a cozy Under Armour hoodie, which I absolutely love.

 

 

I was able to share this event with my sister, Melanie and awesome staff from American Cancer Society! All in all it was a great day!!

 

 





Say Yes!

Jeff Probst use to preach on his talk show to "Say yes." Say yes to opportunities even if you're not so sure about them, or if you don't want to put yourself out there. I've been saying "yes" to invitations and putting myself out there that a few years ago, I probably wouldn't have.
A few months ago, the director of Hope Lodge in Kansas City, MO invited me to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk kick-off breakfast and then asked me if I would be a team leader. She thought I might be interested. I wasn't so sure about all of that, but in the end I said yes and put I myself out there. Granted, this is my first year doing this and I only have two or three people on my team, but I am so excited about this event. I can't wait to be around other women like me who have gone through what I have gone through! I can't wait to hear their stories and meet new people.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak to about 50 medical students at KCUMB and share my story with them to maybe help them become better doctors. I met another cancer survivor and the director of the Bloch Foundation in Kansas City, MO. Two really terrific women. I was extremely nervous considering I didn't really have anything prepared, but I was so glad I went. A big shout out to Sara Murphy for suggesting my name and to Lauren Harriet for getting me there!
Wendy Nielson, a fellow blogger had a fantastic idea to reach out to women living with breast cancer and decided to do a series for the month of October entitled, "Writing a New Story." I decided to reach out and answer her questions and the interview went beautifully. You can find me over at Wendy's Blog, http://wendy-nielsen.com/2013/10/18/leslie-jones/.
I guess for me saying yes is my new story. My self-image is changing, my thought process is changing all for the better I might add! So the next time you're asked do something and you're not so sure about it, just breathe and take the risk. You never know what is around the corner!
I'd love to hear from you about your say yes moments!!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCCY13PL?team_id=1465408&pg=team&fr_id=55853

Battle Goddess (My best friend lent this term to describe me, I love you Melanie Craig!!!)

 MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Living life the best way I know how. Backing down from the fight is not an option. I write to keep my story from fading into the shadows of a scan.

There wasn’t any time to react to the news I had just been given. There wasn’t any time to cry, or yell, or scream. There wasn’t time to curl up under your covers and pretend like this never happened to you.

“You have cancer.” Dr. M said.

“No, it’s just like last time, it’s just a clogged duct.” I replied.

“Are you sure?” I questioned.

Dr. M was the top breast cancer surgeon in her field. She absolutely knew what she was talking about. There was no mistake about it, I had breast cancer. I couldn’t run out of the room. I couldn’t leave and smoke a cigarette. I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t have anyone there with me, because I didn’t think I needed anyone there with me. It was just a check-up, maybe a biopsy because they weren’t sure it was cancer, but to be told you have cancer without any kind of testing is frightening to say the least.

“We need to run some tests.” Dr. M said. “Can you stay the rest of the day?”

“Yes.” I said. I knew if I had left that day, I wouldn’t have gone back. I knew my husband and family would want answers and Dr. M really didn’t give me the option to leave. She knew my personality. She knew I was scared.

“Is there anyone I can call for you?” Dr. M asked.

“No.” I said

Part of my story includes what I call my breast cancer statistics. I can’t say I don’t have any emotion over these numbers and medical terms, because I do. Even after three years, it’s difficult for me to look at this piece of paper.

Breast, left 11:00 12cm ftn with calcs, core biopsy:

Invasive mammary carcinoma, ductal type, nuclear grade 3, poorly diffentiated.

Lymph node, left axilla no calcs, core bipsy. Metastatic carcinoma with breast primary.

I had no comprehension of what was going to happen to me over the course of the next two years. There were certain points during chemotherapy that I wanted to give up. I wanted to die. I often thought to myself, why am I putting myself through this? What kind of quality of life is? Was this really what God had planned for me?

The breast cancer diagnosis was just the beginning though. My marriage was failing, I was separated from my kids, and I felt all alone. I only shared my true diagnosis with a few select people and I didn’t want my medical information broadcasted for everyone to know. I wanted it to be mine for just a little while. This was happening to me. God, I couldn’t even look my kids in the eye because I didn’t know how I was going to share this news with them.  I wasn’t confident that I was going to beat this when all the statistics said I wouldn’t.

There were people in my life who stood by me, like my dad, my aunt, and my best friend. There were people in my life who tried to manipulate me and were successful at it for a little while.

There really is hope. I have to believe that. I look for hope daily. Every three month check-up, I pray that my scans are clear. There are more positive days these days, then negative ones and for that I am grateful.

Getting fit after Breast Cancer

I suppose the next phase of my life is to get healthy and get into shape. I always knew exercise=positive mental attitude, but I never but much stock into that until I did it myself. I have thank you's for a couple of people I've met during my cancer journey and you know you are.
The first thank you is to the director of Hope Lodge. During my last stay there, she approached me as I was getting ready to leave and asked me if I'd be interested in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. I wasn't really sure about it at the time, but I knew I wanted to do something like this. There is something empowering about being around women who have had similar experiences as you're own. I wanted my story out there, and I wanted to make a difference.
Of course, my sister, Melanie, would say I'm being narcissistic, but at this point in my life, I'm allowed to be narcissistic. I'm allowed to think about just me and what I want out of my life. I'm allowed to want to share my story; the good, the bad, the evil and all the other emotions entangled with having breast cancer. Whenever she makes fun of me I just respond ever so casually, "Shut-up!"
How in the world was I going to be able to walk a three-five mile walk when I've been inactive for the past two years? Where was all that energy going to come from.
A month later, we learned that Genesis Health Club in Salina, KS was hosting a fitness challenge and from there the "Mom Squad" was born. Oh, did I happen to mention the final prize was a three-day trip to Las Vegas? Hell yeah. Why not? What better motivator than a trip to Las Vegas?
The moment of truth: the weigh in. I really didn't want to share this part, but I suppose full disclosure is what this is all about. My beginning weight: 188lbs. Every time I would have a check-up I seemed to gain at least ten pounds. When I was going through chemotherapy, I weighed 120lbs.  Let me tell you now, the weight doesn't stay off.
What's even more frustrating is when we work out together. I constantly catch myself checking out where she is on the treadmill. How fast she is going, how many calories she has lost etc. I have to keep reminding myself that my body isn't her body. Her body hasn't gone through what my body has gone through the last two years.
I can't walk at a 5 speed, 10 incline. I'm lucky to get above a 2.5 speed with a 4 incline. My doctor tells me that it will be months before I will be able to do more than that. I suppose I have to start somewhere though. I keep saying to myself, "Damn it, I want that trip to Vegas. How am I suppose to lose weight when I'm barely walking?"
The good news to date is that I've lost six pounds and she's lost seven pounds. I attempted Genesis' boot camp and made it through two stations and she managed to make it all the way through four. I am proud of her. Sometimes though I want to bitch slap her when she yells at me about buying pasta.
I just have to remind myself this is not only about the trip to Las Vegas. Exercising is life changing for me. I feel better about myself. I have more of a positive outlook on life, even when Melanie is yelling at me. (She doesn't always yell at me, I'm just making her out to be a royal pain in my ass.)
I will also have the energy and the motivation to complete the 3-5 mile Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at the end of October!

I sat in Level Lab 2 at Westwood Cancer Center, otherwise known as "The Clinic" awaiting to have blood drawn for my routine lab work. What makes this particular waiting room different from others is that 90 percent of these people have cancer, or waiting to be told they have cancer. Women and men with brave smiles conversing with their loved ones just to pass the time. You know that smile I'm talking about. The smile that says, "Yes I'm okay on the outside, but on the inside I'm full of fear, anger, elation, and a whole lot of other emotions that have yet to be assigned a name."
I had my three month check-up last week and came out with flying colors! You would have thought I would have been ecstatic, but I was full of anger and pain. Dr. Mcginness walked in the room and immediately knew something was wrong. As she was commenting on how much she loved my hair and my curls, I was trying to hold back the tears. For so long, I've sucked up the pain, I've sucked up the disappointment, but today I simply couldn't hold it in any longer. My oncologist, Dr. Sharma, told me I would have to wait until next March before I could get my reconstruction surgery.
Not only was I dealing with my self-confidence and my appearance, it was one more year of not having breasts, and being stuck in Kansas and apart from my family. My husband and I have had our share of marital issues and trying to rebuild a broken marriage. I have battled emotional demons that I'm finally getting a handle on, (no it is not bi-polar although I do have bi-polar tendencies) which has affected my marriage and my children and then to pile on the emotional trauma of having cancer it just never seems to end. In that appointment with Dr. M, everything snowballed on me all at once.
God love Dr. M though. She gave me a long hug and told and tried to make me feel better. "Look how far you've come in the last year." She said with a huge smile on her face. "Dr. Sharma is looking at the whole picture. She wants to give your body a chance to recover. You have been through so much with chemo, radiation, surgeries."
I completely understand all of that, but damn it's frustrating. I told my sister tonight that I have absolutely no sex drive. As I mentioned, my husband and I have had marital issues and I get that can also affect your sex drive, but I could really care less about it. I mean, a woman's breasts are a major physical attraction in men. I am so scared that without my breasts, it's just going to feel weird. When Dr. M asks me what's wrong, how was I suppose to explain all of this to her? She spent an hour with me though as I unloaded on her. Fortunately, I was her last appointment of the day.
However, that wasn't the only thing wrong. How fair is it that Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield may potentially deny me coverage because of a pre-existing condition so I am stuck with Medicaid? How fair is that Medicaid says that I can't make over $400/month or I won't be covered? How fair is it that without my Social Security I wouldn't be able to qualify for Medicaid? How fair is it that IF and that's a big IF that even if I did get covered by Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield, my medical expenses would bankrupt my husband and I? Conclusion? My husband and I would have to maintain separate residences so as not defraud Medicaid and we will potentially have to get a divorce to keep our finances separate.
Then, Dr. Sharma wants to put me on a bone medicine to keep the cancer from spreading to my bones. In order to do this though, I have to have my teeth extracted and get dentures which means six weeks of no teeth! Great. How the hell are you suppose to eat with no teeth? Come to find out this medicine she wants me to take isn't in pill form. I have to have it done intravenously. So now I have a whole new set of questions that didn't get answered. Is this chemo? Will I lose my hair? Will it make me sick? How often will I have to go back to Kansas City to get injected? (Mind you, these were questions that hadn't even crossed my mind. My sister came up with these.)
I am smiling a little more. I do have the future to look forward to. I can smile when I tell my kids how much I love them, and I can smile that I passed my three month check-up with flying colors. I can smile that I have a loving family and friends who support me and are there for me when I truly need them. And lastly, I can smile  with certainty that I will one day have my family together and our situation for now may be difficult, but we will get through!