Divorced Moms: My Christmas Wish List. May Love & Cancer Cures Be Under My Tree

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and what better time than make my own Christmas Wish List. Hey, why not me, right? Here goes, my latest via Divorced Moms.

My Christmas Wish List. May Love & Cancer Cures Be Under My Tree
by Lizzy Smith                     

December 24, 2014

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Dear Santa,

I know my children have bamboozled you with their wants. But so far, I've been silent. I've been a very good girl this past year. I've worked hard, survived a lot, and have tried to be really nice to everyone around me. What I want most is for the world to be a better place. That seems like a broad request, but I've narrowed it down to just eight things I want, most of them not costing a thing.

1. A cure for cancer
Cancer kills and destroys everything in its path, except the spirit of us resilient survivors. I ask that the medical community continues making progress towards finding better treatments and cures. And I pray even harder that cancer warriors participate in clinical trials, because that's the only way progress is ever made.

2. Early cancer screenings to increase
When it comes to cancer, early detection is key. It gives us our best odds of beating it and surviving. As such, this past year, I've had full on cancer screenings and I want others to do the same. I lead by example and this year, I got...
-A mammogram. It's an easy exam and painless. If one is over 40 or has a history of breast cancer, she should talk to her doctor but I highly recommend getting one.
-A pap smear and exam
-A colonoscopy. I'm not yet 50 and I don't have a family history of colon cancer, but since I beat the odds by getting multiple myeloma, I figured that I can't be too cautious. Plus my friend, Mandy, died of colon cancer just six months ago at the age of 44. Her advice was to get a colonoscopy. So I did. I gotta say, it was easy-peasy. The worst part was the prep-- 24 hours of swallowing laxatives and drinking icky stuff. For the exam itself, they give me a little IV cocktail, I took a nap, and when I woke, it was over. Painless.
-A skin cancer screening. Every inch of my body was examined for any worrisome signs.
-A complete blood work panel to review for any signs of trouble.
So far, all clear! I want everyone to heed my advice to get cancer screenings, age appropriate, and be aware of changes to her body.

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How to stay stylish during the holidays!

My latest on Divorced Moms! With a few smart options, no matter where you're going, you can be stylish. I love the holidays and I love dressing up. So fun.

What To Wear? 3 Outfits To Get You Through The Holidays In Style
by Lizzy Smith                     

December 01, 2014

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The holidays means lots of opportunities to get out and about. From the company Holiday party, to your child's choir performance, to church Christmas gatherings, to your friends' cookie exchange, to New Year's Eve... But the Big Question is always what to wear. But with a three outfits in your closet, you'll be stylish at every event.

Dressy

For events that are dressier, like a company holiday party or New Years Eve gala, the LBD is an essential wardrobe staple. You can literally wear it during any time of year and at a variety of functions. So if you don't have a great black dress yet, spending the money on one is a good investment. I just bought this dress at White House Black  (www.whitehouseblackmarket.com) for just $130. It's really fun and festive, and a little unexpected with the fringe.
 
Another fun option is a black flair skirt with a party top. My cousin just purchased this skirt at Express (www.express.com) on sale for $39.95.

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This girl is on fire

It's true. I'm on fire! Literally. Burning and melting in hot flashes.

My myeloma treatments sent me into early menopause, which is typical for pretty much all women who go through chemo. And the hot flashes are intense and I hate them.

They seem to be ebbing significantly from the time I first started getting them about six months ago. Back then, I'd get them throughout the night. I'd wake up in the morning naked. During the day, I'd sometimes get them every few hours. It would be this feeling of intense heat, followed by an almost physical burning sensation, and sometimes I'd feel like I was going to pass out. One evening, William and I were sitting on the couch watching TV and I literally had to move over to the chair because the heat from my body was so intense, and adding the heat of an additional body next to mine, was pure misery. The only good news is that even in the midst of a hot flash, no one can tell by looking at me. I don't turning red and there sweat doesn't run down my face. This means I can suffer in silence.

I refuse any medications I'm not required to take so hormone replacements and the like are out of the question. I figure that if I can make it through tandem stem cell transplants without being hospitalized, I can handle the hot flashes. I suppose I can say I'm even grateful for the hot flashes. I'm alive to experience them.

Sad news: My good friend Emmy's brother died yesterday. He was just 44 years old. He was on a swim team and was doing laps, felt chest pain, got out of the pool and collapsed. He died of a massive heart attack. I'm so shocked and sad. I really liked Dennis. When I moved to Washington, DC and didn't know anyone, I stayed in his house for 10 days until my roommate, Becky, got back from Europe and we got our own apartment. He was stylish, fashionable, funny, and kind. He showed me how to navigate the extremely confusing Washington, DC highways, roads, and traffic. He took me to Trax to go dancing in Southeast DC. We had talks about religion. May he rest in peace. We never know when it's our time to depart this life and head to the next one. It's a powerful reminder to enjoy each day, treat others with love and respect, and be ready to meet our maker. Life is short.

I love Christmas. It's such a joyous time of year. Hectic and exhausting and expensive, true. On Thursday, William and I went to Abravenel Hall and saw Kurt Bestor perform with a symphony and vocalists. It was incredible. We ate dinner at my favorite Asian restaurant, Sapo. And then we stayed the night at our favorite place in Salt Lake, The Armstrong Mansion. It was snowing like crazy. 

The girls just started the Christmas break. To kick off the start of it, we went to the movies. William and Morgan went to see The Hobbit (which I wanted all of us to see together, but Siena just wouldn't do it). So I took Siena to see Frozen instead, which we loved. Very interesting. No boys rescued these two sisters-- they did it on their own.

...And then afterwards, Santa and his elf showed up at the house unexpectedly.

...And we baked cookies. Lots and lots and lots of cookies. Tomorrow, it's time to start taking them to neighbors and friends before I start eating them all.

Three more days 'til the real Santa is here. Merry Christmas!

Getting in the Spirit of Christmas

Morgan spoke in church today in front of the entire congregation (about 500 people). She did a fantastic job and I loved her topic and the talk itself. I'd like to share with you.

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love hanging out with my family, decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping presents, and taking a break from school to do fun things, like going skiing or sledding, seeing a movie, and sleeping in. It’s also the only time of year that my mom buys stuff like salami and pecan pie and lets us eat it.

But the true meaning of Christmas is often times lost among buying and wrapping and running around. So how can we feel the true spirit of Christmas?

To me, Christmas is about three things:

1.     It is a celebration of Christ’s birth.

 

I am reminded of the real meaning of Christmas by going to Temple Square and seeing the lights and the nativity scenes. When we went to Temple Square a few weeks ago, it was beautiful and I felt the spirit of Christmas everywhere I looked. There was Christmas music playing and it felt very spiritual.

I am also reminded of Christ’s birth by listening to Christmas songs. My favorites include Oh Holy Night and Away in a Manger.  I sing in my school’s chorus and I love singing many of those songs.

 

I also love many of the Christmas movies, like A Christmas Carol. Last year, we saw A Christmas Carol at the Hale Theatre. My family also takes us to see The Nutcracker ballet every year, and a few weeks ago, we saw Handel’s Messiah at the symphony.

All of these activities takes us out of the shopping malls and into a more spiritual place where I celebrate Christ’s birth.

 

2.     The second way we can get into the spirit of Christmas is by spending quality time with our families.

With our break from school, it is a great time to spend it with the people we are closest to. In addition to my family, our friends are coming from California so we can all do things together. It is a time to just take a break from the usual things that we do and just enjoy being together. I love Christmas Eve the most. We usually get together at one house and the whole family comes over and we eat together and play games and open one present. It is exciting because the next day is Christmas. I just feel a lot of love, joy and happiness on Christmas Eve. That, to me, is the real meaning of Christmas. But not everyone has people they love to spend Christmas with. And many people don’t have much to celebrate. Which brings me to my third way we can feel the true spirit of Christmas.

3.     Thinking of others. This is the time we can do things for those who don’t have enough. We can do this by finding a family or child in need and anonymously buying gifts for them. Or we can donate food to a food bank. Or we can go to a retirement home or hospital and visit with those who are lonely. It is also a great time of year to help those who have a family member serving in the military by taking over meals or Secret Santa gifts, or maybe watching children so a parent can have a needed break. Missionaries might also be feeling lonely so inviting them over to spend part of Christmas is also something we can do. All of these ideas are ways we can honor Christ’s birth by being Christ-like and charitable to others.

I hope that we can all feel the true spirit of Christmas and that we can remember why we celebrate Christmas—and that is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

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