I'm back!

Ian and Janie's cake decorating talents

Hi Everyone!

Life has been busier than usual for my family over the last few months. The kids and I road-tripped to Virginia for my sister's college graduation. Driving 20 hours one way with 2 kids alone was grueling but overall better than anticipated. I am grateful for the loan of a portable DVD player. Ian and Janie thought it was a fantastic to watch movie after movie since they usually only have 15-20 minutes/day. I enjoyed seeing family and catching up with friends. The little town I grew up in continues to grow and change to the point where I scarcely know where I am.

Ian, Aly, Janie and Kasey

It was extremely difficult to adhere to a anticancer dietary habits while away. My big downfall is desserts, particularly cake, and there was a lot of it around. This isn't a big surprise though since I am a trained pastry chef. We celebrated my grandmother's 86th birthday, Janie's 4th birthday and participated in a Mini-Relay for Life (which had a boatload of cupcakes). My birthday came shortly after we returned home and we celebrated with yet more cake. I have to admit though, it was delicious and adorable. Kirk took the kids to a bakery and purchased a cake and coloring icing so the kids could add decorations. (see photo above) They were so precious in their excitement to tell me about their additions.

After my birthday I recommitted to practicing anti-cancer habits. A new pair of running shoes from Soft Star motivated me to take up running again. I am following the couch-to-5K training schedule. Kirk and I have agreed that the best time of day for me to run is before he leaves work in the morning. This means I have to wake up by 5:10 to hit the road by 5:30. Folks, I am not a morning person by nature. Some of my friends may recall my proclamation years ago that I would not answer the phone before 10am. It's been challenging to get up but the fantastic feeling I get after a workout makes it worth it. I also have 2 tangible goals in mind 1) run in the Titus Task 5K in the Fall with a time under 40 minutes 2) feel healthy again.

The kids and I have gone dairy-free. The research appears to be controversial whether or not dairy consumption contributes to cancer, but in the 2 weeks that we haven't consumed it I have noticed positive changes in each of us: better sleep, more even moods, less allergy discomfort, and skin clearing up to name a few. I'm working on growing a repertoire of recipes that are dairy-free without the additions of vegan butter (oxymoron, I know) and other "fake" dairy products. If you have any recipes that fit this need, please feel free to send them my way!