1 year 5 months

Wow, I have not written in so long! Almost a year and a half out and here I am. I have been a major slacker with my pictures but I plan on making up for it. Guess what? My hair is still growing. I've gotten 2 haircuts since my last posting. Each time I had her cut off about 1/4th of an inch just to keep the ends healthy. The first one out of the 2 I got, I had her majorly cut off my mullet and I'll show you that picture. The rest were just the best I could find of my hair since it's began its long, slow process back to normal.

Currently I'm using Mane and Tail shampoo. Not too sure if it's helping or not but I read good reviews about it online so I decided to give it a try. 10 bucks a bottle at your local Wal*Mart. Also I'm using Argan Oil. I put a little bit on the ends after every shower. I also don't shampoo everyday- thats a big nono. If you did, the natural oils that are essential for a healthy scalp would just be washed away! I usually go every other or every 2 days. I also use heat protector spray which you can get just about anywhere nowadays whenever I use my straightener or blow dry. I got a new straightener too- a really expensive one. The cheap ones just cause more damage than necessary and I thought it was a good time to invest in a nice one. It is called H2Pro and my salon that I go to uses it. Other than those things I am just eating well and exercising (every now and then) and just livin' life!

The Hodge also has not made another appearance so that is great too! The only thing I am dealing with right now is a small growth on my lower spine. The doctors are a little concerned because it is abnormal and I did not have it before all my cancer stuff began. Hopefully I figure out what it is soon though! Its driving me crazy not knowing what it is!

Well, here are the pictures- I'll try and start with the oldest first!

This is around September of 2012- about 8 months

October- Halloween obviously. I was a cat haha. 9 months.

December-ish. I can finally do a little ponytail! Headbands and bobby pins are my best friends. One year!

Lee Brice concert. March 2013. One year one month.

I can put it into a normal pony tail with the help of 2 side bobby pins. It looks pretty decent with my bangs down too! This was April 2013- One year 2 months.

I can put it into buns!!!!! June 2013 -One year 4 months

The most recent picture I have. Cincinnati- July 2013. Matchbox 20 concert. One year 5 months.

Pictures from the past months

So, I never thought that I could survive with short hair. But here is some solid proof that I did it! And didn't look half bad doing it either =] Its funny though, when I had no hair going through chemo I had thought by this time I would have hair down to my shoulders already lol. HOW WRONG I WAS! Its been 8 months and I still do not have much to show for it. But thats okay. Good things come to those who wait !

this was about the time where the headbands were perfect.

this is about the week where my hair started to get too long. It looks exactly the same to you probably but there was about 2 weeks between these 2 pictures, and the top one was primetimeheadbandtime.

Week 29-ish

Oh man ohh man! It's been forever since I have made a post, so I apologize for that. Too busy livin' I guess. So many new things are happening in my life right now and its just crazy! I got my first hair cut about a month ago. Nothing significant-- just to trim the dead little ends and cut off the dreaded mullet. My hair is so flippin curly though its crazy!  My mom keeps trying to tell me that my hair looked like this when I was a baby, but I don't know. I do have a picture that I am gonna put on here from when I was a babe though so that should be funny.

So! Yep, I moved to Columbus :) I love it here. It's so busy all the time and its great!. There is always something to do too which is good. I miss Medina sometimes though. Actually who am I kidding, I miss Medina and my family every day. But this will be good for me. I am down here with all my friends doin what a college kid is supposed to do ! I have a new little office job working about 7 hours a week which is just purrrrfect! I didn't want a job that had a ton of hours because I didn't want to get overwhelmed. So far so good, although it's only the first week of class! Not even a full week-- it was a half week! I live in a house very close to campus with 5 other roommates. I have to share a room which is less than ideal but what are you gonna do. It's only for a year so I think I'll be able to survive for that long--hopefully! 

As for my hair, its being very awkward. It looked really good in headbands for about 3 weeks, but now it just looks bad. I dont know what else to do with it besides just let it do its poodle thing. Im gonna try and go online today and search different hair styles. Hopefully I'll find something! I bought that Wen haircare stuff that you see on infomercials...the stuff that doesn't have sulfates in it, which is the stuff that makes the shampoo lather when you use it. It's really good for you hair but I dont have 30 extra dollars to spare a month for it. I am a poor starving college kid you know!

I guess I'll just have to wait it out and rock the mullet for a while. There are worse things in life than a perpetual bad hair day. Better than having cancer I guess. Maybe......

Oh- for these pictures i tried to straighten out my hair so you could see how long its becoming. It's a lot curlier usually. EEEEP.

There is me as a little baby. You can kinda tell that it was super curly haha. a little afro!

Week 20

I don't know where the picture of the back of my head went, but it is somehow lost in the abyss of my computer. After I take these pictures I delete them off my phone too so who knows. I can't remember if my last post showed how I cut the back of my hair, but I did. Just to shape it up a little bit. 

I am thinking about cutting it too, but I don't know when a good time to do that would be. My sister says it looks dry when its dry, if that makes sense. Which I do agree with so I gotta figure out something to do! I might just wait until its a few inches long. Its starting to get to the point where I don't know what to do with it. Last week (which was when these pics were taken) my hair was at a good length I think. I could still just wake up and go! I usually put some type of mousse in it just to give it some more definition. If I dont, it seriously looks like a cottonball.

I don't mind it this length at all. But I am starting to miss being able to put it up into a ponytail. My little sister can put hers into a small pony tail now haha! It is definitely a mullet though because the top is still short but she just puts a headband in and all is well!

In other news, I get to move into my new apartment in Columbus on the 10th of August! I am beyond excited but nervous at the same time too. Being out of school for all these months has been really nice. I don't know if I will be able to get back into the swing of things. I never really got to experience college. I mean I did go to Kent for one year but I can't even count that because I was coming home all the time. I know that college is supposed to be the funnest years of your life and I am really looking forward to being able to live down there with all my good friends =]  I will miss my family but I know that I always have the option to move back if need be. But I don't think I will have to, providing that this CT scan about 2 weeks from now goes according to plan. Well MY plan that is..... which subsequently does NOT include Hodgy coming back. Fingers crossed ladies and gents.

Week 18

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since  I last posted. I've just been busy living life I guess:) Im so happy I am able to say that. Not much has been happening since last time. Nothing new with the hair either. Except that I am starting to wake up with bedhead, but thats nothing a little water can't fix! I did end up shaving the back at the bottom a little bit. It was too messy and looked odd. Now it looks more like a deliberate haircut !

The other day I tried on one of my wigs, just for fun. And I hated it! I looked so different and not like me at all. I am finally used to my short hair and actually like it. I can't even remember what it was like to have long hair. Last weekend I was watching my friend do her hair to get ready for a party and it was so weird because honestly I can't remember ever having to do my hair. I mean I can, but it is such a foreign thought! It's getting to the point where I actually have to spend some time on it but its not something I mind doing.

I've got a CT scan in about a month from now. It's starting to make me nervous, but I try not to think about it too much. MEEP. Oh well! I can't worry about something I have no control over. It's hard to convince yourself of that and I work on it every day. Just gotta live my life as happily as I can and take on whatever comes day by day! :)

Cruisin'

Just thought I would throw some pictures from our cruise up!

getting on the ship!

me and Carli in Freeport

mom and her fruity drink

a nice dinner on the last night

Week 15

Uh oh! I skipped a week and I apologize. I went on a cruise to the Bahamas and did not get a chance to take a picture or upload it for that matter. I was too busy getting a suntan :) I just got a job yesterday too! yay! It's at the Medina Country Club. I'll be the beverage cart girl--which means big monayyy honayyy in the summer time! But sometimes I'll have to be the server and I don't know how I feel about that. I've never done it before so we will just have to see how it goes.

It seems like everyone I come across these days has Hodgkins or knew someone who had Hodgkins I swear. My boss( I think he's my boss??) said his wife had it when she was about 30. She's ten years out and still goin strong. Also, I was at a party at Ohio State this past weekend and I met a kid my age that has it now and is in active treatment! He was kinda weird.... but still. It was great he was getting out and everything. Such a small world! Before I had cancer I never met anyone else that had Hodgkins, or even heard of it for that matter. Now its something new relating to it every day! BIZARRE.

Well, hair is growing nicely. I can't wait till its mowhawk length :) a few more weeks prob. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I am taking the pre-natal pills. I think they're making my nails stronger but who knows about my hair. It's doin its own thing.

Alrighty, well good day!