Real Talk

Dearest Friend,  Thank you. Thank you for opening up to me about your struggles, your insecurities, your marriage and your life. Thank you for teaching me what vulnerability really means. Thank you for being transparent in a world where so many of us, including myself, are afraid of being authentic and strive to present ourselves as though we are happier and better off than we really are.  We only met a little over a year ago. We have no real history or longevity between us. In some ways, that made it easier for me to open up to you when I began what would become the most difficult and life altering time in my life. You live over an hour away. If...

I knew I was pregnant on my twenty-seventh birthday. I had wanted a baby for so long, though, that I didn't want to spoil my birthday if I took a test and it was negative. So the day after my birthday, I took a test and sure enough two pink lines confirmed what I already knew. My friend was one of the first people that I told about the pregnancy. I was in her van, and we pulled over onto the side of the road so she could give me a hug and then we, well, squealed together with excitement. I was a little queasy for a few days, and then it stopped. I thought I had just gotten lucky...

It's dinner time, and the decision has been made to order takeout. What a relief, right? One less thing for this tired mama to worry about. But, wait. They want me to tell them what I want to order and from where. Yeah, I can't do that, and here's why. 1. 50% of my time away from work is spent coordinating the food in my family. I am in charge of creating the menu, making the lists, choosing which fruits and vegetables that I want to rot in the bottom drawers of the fridge, etc. I have officially depleted my food-related decision making capabilities for the week. 2. I just spent two hours scouring apps for coupons and setting my Target...

Disclosure :: our Breast Cancer Awareness series is sponsored by Baton Rouge General.  My Mom Has Breast Cancer and I Feel Helpless This is one of those posts that you dread writing - because you know you're going to have to unpack a lot of the feelings you're uncomfortable feeling because there's someone else out there that will relate. It's also a pretty selfish perspective so putting it ON THE INTERNET feels a little raw and gross but YOU'LL KNOW that I know so ... we'll all agree to start there. My parents have been married for 43 years. They've lived in the same house for 39 of them. Not super-big on change, my folks. Last year, their house flooded with almost six...

Disclosure :: our Breast Cancer Awareness series is sponsored by Baton Rouge General.  Hidden Scar Surgery {Changing the Lives of Breast Cancer Patients} Body image is something women struggle with all their lives - which is why a breast cancer diagnosis is so devastating. Breasts are symbolic of beauty, fertility, motherhood, femininity. For some women, the thought of losing them is inconceivable. Surgical scarring can make recovery even more difficult.  A new procedure called “hidden scar surgery” is changing the lives of breast cancer patients, and Baton Rouge General is one of the first hospitals to offer it. Dr. Everett Bonner, surgical oncologist and Chair of the hospital’s Breast Committee, is one of just a handful of physicians qualified to perform the...