Living in Freedom as a Woman

One year ago today, I went to the operating room to have the mass in my abdomen removed. I woke up from anesthesia to find out that my tumor was a benign ovarian cyst. A very unusual one, but the initial pathology showed no cancer. Needless to say, there was much celebration going on that day. I went home from the hospital thankful that was a short lived journey. It could have looked so much different if it would have been cancer. But as much of you know, the story took a turn a week and a half later. It was cancer. I have been reflecting a lot over the last few weeks. Honestly, I’ve been somewhat dreading these few weeks. There are times that the weight of all that has happened is still unbearable. Those moments do not come as often, but there are still waves of emotion that come and go. I think that will likely never go away. There are certain places that remind me of cancer, there are certain smells or restaurants that remind me of cancer. Thankfully, we have been very busy in...

Team Holly family and friends.... My sincere apologies for the lack of posts over the last month. So much has happened .. where to even start? Moving .. Over the last few years, the hot topic between Cory and I has been where we want our kids to go to school. We absolutely love living in the Allen area and the friends we have here. Emma's elementary school has been amazing. But we have been living in somewhat of a false reality. Although it feels like a tight knit community at her elementary school, you easily forget there are almost 20 other elementary schools. Then all of these schools lead to one high school... in fact the largest high school in Texas. Just to give some perspective.. Cory graduated with about 40 in his class and I graduated with around 300. Emma would likely graduate with around 1800. We have struggled because Allen is a highly ranked school and has so much to offer. After a lot of prayer and discussions, we decided to start looking at Lovejoy ISD. It is m...

Trials are something none of us would sign up for. None of us want to suffer, to experience pain, to have our lives drastically change unexpectedly, to get that dreaded phone call… In the midst of a trial, it feels like you're out in the middle of the ocean, kicking your legs as fast as possible to stay afloat. Doing everything you can to not go under. Then finally something happens and the water starts to recede... You come out a new person, a survivor!     What I have learned about trials... God is real. He is alive. God is chiseling away the ugly to make something beautiful. Trials force you to run to God or away from him.     In the midst of my greatest trial... In my weakest moments, I had no choice but to surrender everything in my life to the Lord. It was in those moments that I found freedom and a closeness to God I have never felt in my life. I would never wish to be back in those moments again, but because of those moments I have gained so much...

April 6, 2016. Today I turned 35 years old. Honestly, turn the clock back to July 9, 2015 at 10am. I was scared I would never see today. What a year this has been. So many ups and downs.. physically, emotionally, spiritually. Each of you have been with me every single step of the way. My village. It absolutely takes a village. This year I have learned more about myself and the true nature of my Jesus than I ever imagined. Last night, I looked back to my blog and on my 34 th birthday I wrote about me . The good, the bad, the really bad and the ugly. I was completely transparent in my journey to that date. As I came across the last paragraph, I could barely read the words I wrote…. “But, this year, I want to just be me and embrace what God has in store for me. Lord in my weakness, you are strong. Please use me and my broken past all for your glory. For you, it will all be worth it. ” Lord in my weakness, you are strong. I had no idea what weakness truly meant. I just th ...

You can now listen to my podcast interview with Traci & Rebecca. Story Cast My prayer is that every word will be used for God's glory.  Jesus, it's all for You!

Well, this post will be short and sweet. Great news is I had a repeat sono this week that showed my cyst is smaller. My oncologist was happy to hear this and said that's good if it's smaller because cancer doesn't get smaller on its own. Reassuring! His nurse Paige has been a God send. Listening to my worries over and over again, all the while providing such sweet encouragement and support.  I won't lie though... This week has been awful. I've been an emotional mess. Life, work, health. I feel like I'm standing still in the midst of a whirlwind. Like I said last post, two people I know have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the last week. For something so rare to happen twice, just awful. I have grieved for them knowing what they are about to endure. I have grieved for myself relieving the time I was diagnosed. My mind has been all over the place knowing I have a cyst we are watching and then having other symptoms as well. Going into yesterday I was terrifie...

I am so excited to share with you this video of my journey with cancer. It's been long in the making but totally worth it. I wanted something to be able to remember all that the Lord has brought me through. Praising through the tears today as I watch this and share it with you. So much to celebrate! God is good, not only because he healed me, but because he never left me. I will never be the same. For that, I am thankful for cancer. As scary and difficult as the journey was, I am thankful. God has never been more real to me than he is now. Jesus, it's all for you! #teamholly