Dare to Begin

In the past year, I've been living temporarily in many different places.  I went from my college apartment in Iowa City, to the U of I hospital for surgery, to LeMars in order to heal from surgery, to finding out I had Cancer, and then to settling in Omaha temporarily. From that point we went to multiple appointments with many of sleepless nights. Aaron and I made a trip to Mayo in Rochester and spent the drive home discussing the next step. Once we figured out a set-in-stone treatment plan, I moved to Arizona for seven weeks and returned to Omaha to rebuild my new lifestyle. When I had my lifestyle established in Omaha, Lodi and I hit the road at least once a week to take advantage of the ability to travel and go see loved ones. We made several trips to LeMars, Okoboji, Des Moines, and Kansas City.  So I've blogged in many places: in a chair at treatment in Arizona, on the boat in Okoboji, in the car on the way home from treatment in Omaha, and many places in between.  But what makes today special is that this is the first time I am blogging from my new apartment in Overland Park.

Last Friday was a memorable day, as we packed up all my belongings into a U-Haul, and hit the road for Kansas. It was the day that I left 668 S HWS Cleveland Blvd and adopted a new address of my very own.

 The weekend was beyond incredible. I was humbled and in an awe of gratitude to see it all unfold. It was extremely special to know that everyone was taking time away from their own busy schedules to help me feel settled for the first time in a long time. We all busted our butts in the heat to get everything accomplished. Between Target runs, meals on the go, trips up and down the stairs, and putting everything together - we did it. I never could have done it without the help of my parents, Jeremy, Aaron, and Lisa (my personal interior designer). It definitely took all of us to contribute to the big picture.

Saturday night we were welcomed with open arms into the new city by Molly and Toby Scott. They invited us over for a home cooked meal and good company, which is exactly what we needed for a little move-in break. I was greeted with a "KC" gift basket, complete with a some Royals and Chiefs gear, as well as a VERY useful map of the area. It was comforting for all of us to know that there was a little piece of family right down the road.      By Sunday morning, everything was finished and we were able to plop on the couch to take it all in, which was very rewarding.    Finally settled! Now it's time to..   Lisa created a super accommodating blending/juicing station    A beautiful housewarming gift from Pam.   Perhaps my favorite inspirational gift of all time from Aaron my freshman year of college during finals week to make my desk complete. 

Sunday morning I said my bittersweet goodbyes to the people I'd been with almost every day since my diagnosis and said hello to a whole new life that was just beginning. My mom decided to stay and help me get everything settled. Her and I have spent the past five days going to appointments, establishing all therapies, and exploring the new city together.    Perhaps the biggest blessing of all is that this new place accommodates my lifestyle in nearly every way imaginable.

There are many restaurants here with options that I can order straight off the menu without having to be "that girl" who orders just a basic salad. (Even though by now im use to being looked like a crazy person by servers).    The grocery stores here carry a wide variety of products to choose from. Which seems crazy to get excited about, but there weren't even this many options this affordable in Arizona!  

 I stocked up on some probiotic drinks and alkaline water. If you haven't tried KeVita, I highly recommend it!

We've spent the mornings together having cold-brew coffee, reading daily devotionals, and sharing good conversation.

Another side note recommendation pictured below:Chameleon brand cold brew coffee. It is brewed "low and slow" to create a much less acidic coffee and stored in glass bottles to prevent any leaching of chemicals. It tastes much better than any fancy Starbucks drink on the menu (no exaggeration there) when it's mixed with Orgain Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk + Protein, which makes the coffee extra creamy unlike regular almond milk, and liquid stevia

At night we've taken the time to unwind and soak up the time together. We celebrated National Ice Cream Day with some vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream... I know, I know. It's no Blue Bunny, but it is still delicious! Especially with only one gram of real sugar, and no white, processed or artificial sugars. It's pretty wonderful stuff!

On Tuesday, I had my first IV Vitamin C appointment here in Overland Park. The super positive note of the appointment is that we discovered it is only a three minute drive from my apartment, making treatment days a whole lot easier! Unfortunately, we had some difficulties with my port's blood return. Please say some prayers that it is functioning properly next week to (hopefully) avoid a trip to the ER.

Yesterday marked FOUR months Cancer free. (Yes, I still choose to acknowledge each month.. because why not?) With zero appointments or big things on the to-do list we decided to do a little celebrating by the pool and at Hot Country Nights in the Power & Light District.

This time together with my mom is something so surreal that I will forever cherish.

I am still continuing my Summer classes in order to start Chiropractic school in the fall. Also, I will soon be getting the results back from my CA profile test. While I am anxious, I'm also very hopeful and have complete Trust in the Lord. I know that whatever is in His plan for me next is exactly what I need to let happen. I continue to work on letting go of the desire to plan everything for myself, which has been incredibly freeing thus far.

  Thank you to everyone who has helped me start building the new. I have sheer and utter happiness for life and for the new journey of helping others ahead. God has already placed some new and wonderful people in my life just this week who are in search of help, lost in the face of a diagnosis, and do not know where to turn. Something that they don't even realize is that the conversations we've had have helped me just as much as it has helped them. Which is a beautiful, beautiful thing. And what's even more lovely is that I know this is only the beginning of what is to come.

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Extending my sincere gratitude and love,

Jessica Lynn