Living in Freedom as a Woman

Today I go in for removal of the dermoid cyst on my left ovary. The plan is to try to remove the cyst and leave the ovary. If he is unable to, then I will have a full hysterectomy. He will send a frozen section of the cyst to the pathologist to review while I am in the OR. He is not worried this is cancer. But, it still has to come out. Here I am, almost 6 months to the very day of my last surgery. It's a little surreal. I have had lots of flashbacks to those days in June. I look back at see how much the Lord has changed my heart in the last six months. Thank you Lord! Reading through my journal from June 28th I see a much different person writing down her thoughts. I see someone drowning in fears and trying to control every single second of her life.  A complete wreck! This morning's Rick Warren devotional describes how I feel now perfectly.... “Faith unlocks the promises of God and it shows us the power of God and it turns dreams into reality and it gives us the

This past week I had my scheduled three month follow-up. I went in on Thursday for a CT of my chest, abdomen and pelvis. This was the first scan I had since completing my course of chemotherapy. Just a routine scan. Then on Friday, I went in to see Dr. Oh. Good news and bad news…. Good news is there was NO sign of metastasis or cancer in my body. The bad news is there is a small cyst that appears to be a dermoid cyst on my left (and only) ovary. Almost all (like 98%) of dermoid cysts are benign (not cancer). Unfortunately for me the first time around mine was in the 2% and cancerous. This time around my doctor feels very strongly this is not cancer, but these type of cysts do not go away on their own. So, I must have it removed. He is really hoping to preserve my ovary and just remove the cyst. But, we will only know that for sure once he gets in there. I am having an ultrasound in the morning to look better at the cyst. I will then go see Dr. Oh right after to discuss the sono and ma

The Christmas season is upon us. My most favorite time of the year. This season brings about so many warm, fuzzy memories of growing up with my parents and sister. Visiting grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Big family gatherings. Now I have my own family and my husband’s family. So many loved ones. We are making new memories with our own children. We are starting our own traditions. This Christmas season I have a whole new perspective. Cory and I have been doing an Advent devotional with our children the past two weeks. Advent. The second coming of Christ. We have been reading through the scriptures and teaching our children about how God fulfilled His promises through the birth of a baby. The Savior of the world. Just as we read tonight. He was not what they expected. Yet his birth and all the circumstances around that day in Bethlehem only speak to the true nature of God. His compassion for the world. Everyone in that day was expecting Hercules. They were waiting on their