Author: nicole

I blew it. I was on a radio show Monday morning and now, two days later, I am still wrestling with something I said. Has that ever happened to you? Something comes out of your mouth that was okay, but it wasn’t exactly what you meant to say? I want a do-over. Let me see if I can say it ... Read More

I am clearly getting too big for my britches. Thanks to the Ohio University nursing students and other Race for the Cure volunteers, my face is plastered all over town. Going to Walmart? I’m there. How about your favorite coffee shop? Yep. Heading to the barber? I’m sitting in the window. I’m even in a men’s bathroom on campus. Don’t ... Read More

I let an opportunity for kindness pass me by, and I still regret it. I was at a restaurant when the server mentioned that she liked my necklace. A quiet voice in the back of my mind was nudging me to give it to her, but a louder voice was telling me how silly that would be and how uncomfortable ... Read More

I woke up this morning kind of.. blah. Like, “It’s cold out. Blah.” and “It’s early. Blah.” and “Why get out of bed? What great thing is really going to happen today anyway? Blah.”

Not a great way to greet the day. So, I sat down and had a talk with God about my attitude and His ability to change it. ... Read More

I’m heading to Columbus today for another fill. Once a week, I drive to the big city to visit Nurse Holly (or Nurse Susan, who is also awesome) for a quick little saline injection.

They are continuing to fill up the expander pouch under the chest muscle of my missing breast, and it’s working! There is a small mound growing, and ... Read More

Don’t you think some days we just need to be reminded that God loves us?

I have two friends who are going through really rough times right now. Wait. Truthfully, I have way more than two friends walking roughness. It’s just that those two particular friends are at the forefront of my mind at this exact moment.

The circumstances are different for ... Read More

Allow me to step back in time just a bit as I lead into this story on kindness.

It was May 2014: After 10 years in Fargo, my husband accepted a job taking us to Ohio. We made the emotional decision to pull our children out of school and transplant them in Athens before the end of the academic year so ... Read More

I’m wondering what other people think of as luxurious… 1200 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets? A beach vacation to Fiji? Decadent chocolate truffles?

After ten weeks of going without, last night I got to take a bath. And boy was it luxurious.

Submerging in water has been a no-no since the mastectomy and follow up surgery. I could have hugged Nurse ... Read More

I’m 40 years old and I feel like I’m going through menopause. Thanks cancer. More specifically, thanks Tamoxifen. The drug that will keep me from getting breast cancer again seems to have finally infiltrated my system.

I’m being melodramatic. It’s actually not that bad. There are a host of side-effects (like rashes, swelling, blistering, itchiness, yellow eyes, blood clots and ... Read More

It’s a touch quieter than normal in our house this year. For the first time in my career as a mom, all three of my children are in elementary school. Jordan is a big kid this year; she’s in sixth grade. Charlie is in fourth grade, and little Ben is in all-day, every-day kindergarten.