Today's Blessing

Once upon a time... Rachel totally got a car today!! Well, Rachel and her brother Micah, but Micah can't drive yet, so Rachel totally got a car today!! My parents drove up in a silver car this morning and I asked whose car it was. They looked at each other, then looked at us, then said the most magical words ever, "It's yours." AAAAAAAAHH!!!! Immediately cheering and celebrating occurred as Micah and I jumped up and down and thanked our parents. Then we promptly got in the car and took it for a spin. It is a silver 2000 Toyota Avalon. Ooooh yeah. Who's driving in style now? That's right. The bald girl. Be jealous. I know I would be if I had hair and didn't have a car.I'm so excited, now I can drive up to Rexburg to see Skyler and all of my other friends! Yay!

My parents decided to get another car because I have to go to work and get radiation treatment every day, and it would cause a lot of problems transportation wise. Also for Micah to learn on. Plus, they had a frustrating day related to our car and truck the other day, so that influenced them to get another car. It is a major blessing that is for sure.

I start my radiation treatment on Tuesday. I went for my run through yesterday and they showed me everything that is going to happen. I think I will take pictures for everyone to see. The technicians are very kind and I get to look at a landscape picture on the ceiling. They marked me with marker and took a picture to show the radiologist where exactly the treatment will be, and I told them that that was the most revealing picture I have ever had taken of me. (Or ever again, thank you very much!) They just laughed. I think that they will become my friends. I can already tell because they laugh at my jokes.

I am feeling very well. It is amazing how not having drugs and steroids in your system makes you feel healthy. Hooray for no chemo! I can't say that enough. I had to get my blood drawn yesterday, and they had to flush with the nasty heparin. Lame. Sauce. It only made me throw up a little bit though, and they got my port on the 1 1/2 time they tried. (They had to wiggle the needle around a bit. That numbing cream is a life savor, I'll tell you what.) My iron levels are always low, but I already knew that, but now I have found out that I have low D levels as well. So I have to take some pills to boost that so I can be healthy. I could just go tanning, but that could lead to cancer, and we don't want that again now do we? No, no. (Plus every time I have gone I get itchy, and hardly any color. I am just an itchy albino. A bald one at that. But my freckles make me look kinda tan... Not really.)

So all in all, I am well. I am steadily getting better, and soon this will all be a thing of the past. I can tell that I have changed though. Comparing myself now to how I was at the beginning, is so different. But in a good way. Heavenly Father has been with me and has helped me in ways I never knew possible. I am so grateful to him. Aaah!! I love him!! He is so great!

A Cute Little Tune

Skyler sang this little tune to me today. It is to the tune "In Our Lovely Deseret" because I was humming it on the phone to him earlier. (I am a dork and come up with little songs to hymns, so now he does too. We're cute.) It kind of sums up our feelings of having Chemo over with...

You should have got treatment today but it is over yay hooray!

Now you are the cutest bald girl in the world!!

I will kiss you on the face, then i'll challenge you to a race,

To the temple and be sealed for eter-nity

(Sound effect: bum bum bum bum, chii chii-Symbols)

(Now here is where I come in, insert lots of sound effects here...)

HARK HARK HARK the children singing,

Rachel is over Chemooooo...

She beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is happy as can be,

Ha ha, take that Cancer, now I can be freeeeee!

If the song doesn't really make sense, then that is okay. You get the point. If you ever see me, I shall sing it to you. But it was great coming up with it! I quite enjoyed it.

Ha, aren't we cute? Yes, yes we are.

Happy-Happy

Besides the health stuff, I am doing alright. I am really bummed that I can't go back to Rexburg, and I'm trying really hard to be happy about my situation, and to get out and do things. I have been so scared that I will be alone and forgotten, and have no friends. So I have been having a prayer in my heart that I can make friends. And do you know what? My prayers are being answered. I am starting to make friends down here and have been going out to do things.

Last week, I went on an adventure to Salt Lake with some girls that were on my soccer team forever ago and that I went to high school with, and with one of their cousin's. It was so much fun. We went to Decades, DI, and the Gateway mall. Decades is this crazy vintage store with clothing and accessories from every decade since like the 40's to the 80's. HOOOLYY snot, it is an amazing store. DI is Deseret Industries, and the Gateway mall is an outdoor mall! And at that mall was Anthropologie. I have never been to the actual store, just dreaming online. I was in heaven!

Observe the pictures below. Not only am I adorable, but I must tell you that I bought this William Sonoma popcorn bowl at DI for $1.00!!! I was so excited. I have been wanting one of these for a long time, and I was excited to get it for mine and Skyler's future home. I love popcorn, so this will give me more reason to eat it. It will taste better because it is in a cute bowl.

Then this week, I was able to go see Confessions of a Shopaholic. (One of my favorites) at an outdoor movie in Provo with a girl in my branch. It was amazing! Usually people don't understand my jibberish noise making that I do in conversation, but she did! She does the same thing! Then we hung out the other night with two other people from our branch and we all had a spectacular time!

These experiences really and truly have been answers to my prayers. Now I don't feel like I will be alone. I can enjoy my time I have down here. This brings me such comfort. I know that Heavenly Father truly cares about me and is listening to my little prayers. Even just a small thing like me saying "Please help me find friends and help me be happy." I am so blessed.

Even though I can't go back to Rexburg and live the life I want to and be with my friends, I can still grow, and enjoy life down here aaand have friends!! I am very grateful for that. Yay for friends and Heavenly Father!!! Hip hip hooray!