Last Night Jared and I went to see Mary Poppins at ASU Gammage. We went with his sisters, parents and his brother and his wife. The musical put a fun and new spin to the beloved Disney movie "Mary Poppins". There are some familiar songs and many new ones to enjoy. "Supercalifragilisticexpialdious" was reinvented and is not only a fun number to listen to but the cast preformed a fun dance to it. That leaves the audience wanting to learn it. And the song "Step In Time" was amazing on the stage. The character Burt preforms a very magical dance that one is surely not to forget. I would highly recommend this musical to anyone. Kids will love it and parents will enjoy it as well. You will leave Gammage with a big smile on your face. I know that Jared and I were smiling all the way back home.
I should start off by saying I am grateful to the staff at the Mayo Clinic. They might make me crazy sometimes but they did save my life.
Going to the Mayo Clinic is not ( I repeat, it is NOT) like going to the regular doctors office. First I have to take an hour long trek to get to the Mayo Clinic. I have no idea why they think it is perfectly OK to say to a woman with two kids that do not start school until 8:45 am, Hey Mrs. Smart you have a 9 am appointment. Make sure you are there 15 min early to check in. My usual response is "???OK???". So I have to beg my parents or ask people in the neighborhood to help me out with my two so happy to be awake in the morning kids. When I arrive at the Mayo I have to drive into an underground parking lot that is dark and gets no cell reception. So as I go down to parking level 2, because parking level one is full of Cadillacs, my phone is chirping at me that it is not happy to be brought to this particular place. After parking my car I walk over to the elevators that are in the middle of the parking structure. I climb into the elevator and ride up to the Concourse level. It is from here that I exit and walk past an old lady that looks like she was born during the civil war playing the piano. I glance around and realize that I have entered an old age home. Walking with me to the set of elevators that takes me to any one of the four floors of the mayo is a little old lady with an air tank and she is pushing a wheel chair with another little old lady with an air tank. I blink in surprise, smile and turn my head think this can not be happening.
Go to any floor at the mayo and there will be a check in line set up and clusters of neatly lined chairs on either side of the the six to nine window check in counter. They smile and call me up. I tell them why I am there, who I am seeing and hand them the Schedule that they have sent me in the mail. They smile up at me, take the papers, nod, type in the computer, nod, look at my papers, nod and once more type on the computer. They then sign next to my appointment and wave me to the side of the room that they want me to sit at and wait my turn to be called back.
Turning around I notice that once again I am the youngest patient there. I smile at my fellow mayo patrons and find a place to sit. This is where the waiting begins. You read, play on the ipod, listen to the ipod, go to the bathroom, take a nap, stretch your legs, listen to the people talking on the cell phones that should not be using them as they try with little to no hope of ever hearing the person of the other end of the phone because there hearing ad just does not turn up that high.
Finally when my butt is asleep and I have finished my 230 page book that I started when I sat down my name is called. I stand up and walk over to the nurse that is holding my chart. She smiles and says "name and date of birth." To which I smile and give her the answers which is inquiring from me. We walk back to a scale, I am measured, weighed and given a blood pressure test. Now I know that this is standard for all doctors visits the height, weight and blood pressure, but I have to have it done for every doctor that I see. So if I see three doctors then I do this drill three times. One would think well there is no way that my height weight and blood pressure can change that much in one day. But I guess it can.
It is from here I am asked to follow her into a room. Where she hands me a gown and I am told that I am to change into it behind the curtain in the corner of the room. Make sure to have the opening in the from and only take everything off from the waist up. She smiles at me and I smile at her and she leaves. IT is from here that the second lets wait game plays. I talk to who ever has gone with me to this appointment or read, look at magazines that are from 2001. Then FINALLY the doctor comes takes about 30 mins to talk with us and then. IT is off to the next appointment.
I tell you this run down so you get the full understanding of the inner workings of the Mayo before we continue on the the meat of this blog.
On January 15th, I took my hour long trip into town to go to the Mayo Clinic for my Cancer screen test. It is a test that makes sure that you no longer have cancer. They take your blood check your bones and pat you on the back telling you they will get back to you with the results. So, I check in at the lower level I am asked to given them a veil of blood and then and to head over to the other side of the room for my bone scan. when that is done Jared and I leave. Having arrived at the mayo at 10am and leaving at 12pm. I now have to wait once again.
After a week long of biting my nails, pacing the floors and wondering what the doctors are going to see when they see my results, the day finally came for me to go back. So, Jared and I drove back to the mayo. We do the standard drill of waiting. waiting in the waiting room, now I see where it gets its name and then waiting it the patients room. When My Oncologist comes in he informs me that everything looks great!! He is so pleased from me. That I have the bones of a teenage. And the works that I have been Dying to hear "We found NO signs of Cancer." I swear it was like Haleigh!!Angles singing and the birds chirping.
He then talks to me about a study that they are doing. The Mayo is hoping that they have figured out a vaccine for breast cancer. I say that is so great. What does this have to do with me. He in forms me that I am a perfect match for the study. They could learn so much from me because my tumor was gone after the chemo treatment. He also tells me this study they hope will bring them one step closer to the cure. In this study once a month I will come in and they will run a bunch of blood test and scans and then I go back the next day and they put the protein that they know is found in breast cancer back into my body and hope that my body learns to attack it. He also tells me that this study will be a good way to make sure that my cancer does not come back.
So, the study last for six months. That means twelve trips to the mayo. BOY! OH BOY!!! After all the tests are done then they will check me every six months for the next two years. Which is good because that will mean that I will keep me that much closer to them until my five year mark and then I will not need to go back. I will be officially cured of my breast cancer.
There is my major part that I am doing to save second base, saving the tatas and just trying to make sure that no one else has to deal with breast cancer ever again.
Because you know what?...... cancer sucks!
Brit
Lexi is such a ham in front of the camera. She loves picture day and loves to look just right in her picture. 
So all in all. I think the pictures turned out really quiet cute. But more imortantly the kids liked how they looked.
It took Jared about two days from start to finish to make the piano really shine. I think that he did a wonderful job on making the piano look almost like new. We decided to spray paint it black. Jared added new felt on the wood where the keys and wood meet. This picture shows how great it looks now. If you ask me it doesn't even look like the same piano.
In the process of getting this diamond in the rough piano. We had asked Jared's parents to put our name in a drawing for his Grandmother's piano. We in our wildest dreams did not think that we were going to win it. Well, as Luck should have it we got the piano.
The piano is a 1909 Hoffman upright piano. The neat thing about this piano is that it belong to Jared's Grandmother Smart. It also has a piano bench that has been needled pointed by his Grandmother.
This piano needs a little bit of TLC. But I think in the end we are very lucky to have it in our home. When I am feeling up to it, I will be rearranging the family room to put the piano in its permanent place. 
(sorry mom that you look bad in the picture but is too funny not to show off.)
Tyler is next in line and an all around entertaining guy to be with. If you ever need a good laugh you can turn to Tyler. He knows the line to just about every movie and quotes them quiet frequently. My kids think he is super funny.
Here is a video that he did that just makes me laugh every time I watch it. Tyler made it for his Spanish class.
As I look at the rest of the kids on my side of the family, Cole and Blake are right at the tween age. There are excited for scouting and enjoying the actives of those fun years. I can not wait to see what they will be like. 
Our first day in Vegas was on Monday. We arrived at the Monte Carlo around noon and checked in. I unpacked our bags and from there we went over to the Mirage for Lunch. There is a great hamburger place that is call the BLT. Unfortunately the grill was done so we thought that we would go to the deli that was right next door that we heard was wonderful from my parents , but the wait was and hour long wait. So, instead we went to the Diablo that was at our Casino. The food was good not great. After that we walked up the strip to the Venetian to go and pick up our tickets. Instead of walking the very long hot walk back we took the monorail that runs up and down the strip. When we got back we all cleaned up and then went back out to a great Japanese restaurant.
I can not even begin to explain how excited I was to see this show. To start off the casino is amazing to look at. The theater is modeled after the 1858 French Opera house. That is where the Phantom of the Opera is suppose to take place. When we went to take our seats , we lucked out and were offered sixth row up from the stage and center. The seats were great. 
Because this is not a touring show. There are things that are very different. Lot # 666 or the chandelier actually gets put back together as it is going up into the ceiling. and as the show is going on it shakes when the Phantom is angry. There is also a part where the Phantom hangs from the Chandelier over the audiences head. And when the Chandelier falls it comes straight down stopping a foot above the audiences heads.
Also the neat thing about the theatre is that the side are fahioned after the opera house and they have people sitting in the boxes. The entire thing was just amazing.
All in all the trip was amazing. It was so nice to get away and spend sometime with Jared.
Lexi is starting the first grade this year. She is sad about leaving her old school. I on the other hand could not be any more excited than I am. No more uniforms, driving to separate schools, and to top it off Lexi rides the bus with Logan. My favorite part of this school year.
It seems like only yesterday they were both at home with me. WOW, time sure flies by. 
If you have never seen a cirque de sole show in person I would highly recommend going to at least one. Love was just amazing. The music was from the Beatles. The costumes the stage everything about the show was breath taking. I loved "LOVE"! When our trip was done I was sad to see us heading home.
I truly love my dad!!! He is my greatest supporter. He stood next to me while I struggled with cancer and when I felt sick and wanted to just sleep, he held my hand and kept me going. Everyone that meets him finds out that he is smart, funny and one of the kindest people that are out there. On this father's day I just wanted to publicly thank my dad for always being there for me and my little family.
I know that he cares a great deal for our family and works very hard to provide for us. He tries very hard to find time to play with the kids and spend time with me. He too was there standing next to me while I was battling cancer. And he stands next to me now as one of my best friends.
My father in law is the last dad that I would like to recognize this Father's Day.
Okay first off sorry about the bad picture. But he loves horses and spending time with them. He encourages the kids to learn how to take care of and ride them. He is fun to be with and a really great guy.
To these three Dads I say thanks for being there for me. You all are wonderful!!!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!
So, a few months ago a friend of mine told me that she wanted to get her CCW. (Conceled Carry Weapon )I had heard of Jared talking about what a great idea this was for me to do as well. I was able to brush it off with a that really doesn't sound like me but thanks anyway.
So, I am cancer free. But the kids were not buying it. We promised them when I was healthy and my treatment was all over we would get a new pet. While we went through chemo and sitting in the hospital I researched dogs. I thought that I wanted us to get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. But Jared was not so sure. So, I looked at multipoo, maltese and Cavaliers. I bought books and magazines I looked up all kinds of information I could on every breed. I decided that the Cavalier was what we were looking for. We wanted a dog that was calm that enjoyed just being with us. I wanted a dog that did not bark a lot and I also wanted a dog that enjoyed to just sit around and be with us. One day Jared and I went to go look at a breeder that had a bunch of puppies that were for sale. They were three weeks old. Jared and I thought they were okay. Sitting in a corner was a tri color Calvalier girl that was sweet and had not barked the entire time we had been in the house. The breeder told us that if we were interested that we could look at a 10 week old Cavalier that was a little girl that came from this tri. She brought out Sadie. We fell in love with her at once. We decided to get her. She never barks, she loves to just sit in our laps she has not had a single accident. She is a perfect little lady. The picture above is our little lady Sadie.
