life with the larsens

cinnamon challenge...

2012-02-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

brandon and i found out a few things the other night about milo...

1. he has no gag reflex

2. he can beat the cinnamon challenge. twice.

3. he's not a bottomless pit (like we thought he was)

i was down in the basement the other night digging through my pictures when i heard milo chewing on something. i looked over to make sure it wasn't something that wasn't his chew toy. i saw a turquoise colored thing in his mouth, so i moved over to see what it was exactly, when he dropped it. i realized it was mousey poison! i grabbed milo's mouth and started screaming for brandon (who was upstairs) to come and help me. i heard footsteps running across the floor and down the stairs. i said milo's eating poison! so i'm holding his mouth while brandon is diggin the chunks out. after getting the big chunks out, we tried brushing his mouth/teeth and then tried gagging him. (1.) he has no gag reflex. i'm pretty sure bran could've shoved his whole hand down his throat and nothing. so we ran upstairs for the cinnamon. i held the mouth open while brandon dumped a big spoonful down and then i shut his mouth. nothing. he freaked of course but didn't gag sneeze or throw up. so we got another spoonful and did it again. nothing. (2.) he beat the cinnamon challenge. twice. so then we gave him some vinager to see if that would make him gag. nothing. so we started feeding him chips, bread and meat....and lots of it. anything to possibly upset his stomach and make him throw up. he never threw up, but he was having a hard time downing his food. (3.) not a bottomless pit. he sure did eat a ton, and was super fat :-) but never threw up. he didn't even move while sleeping that night.

poor dog.

my valentine

2012-02-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

we had a pretty good valentines day

we usually don't celebrate v-day so it was kinda fun! brandon had school till 1230pm, so when he got home we went and got costa vida (which bran was super stoked about) to go and came home and watched breaking dawn while we ate. it was a good day!

my sister made fun of this picture. she said, nice O....jerk haha! thanks mimi

i painted my nails hot pink just for v-day! and i like them :-)

i didn't have to work, so i made cookies (and delicious i might add) and took them to work for my buddies that did have to work...you're welcome :-D

they're so pretty right?!

my valentine! he's pretty cute, i think i'll keep him

not only is my valentine cute, but he's awesome and smart too! (which i always tell him, maybe he'll believe me now) he's been doing awesome in school and im super proud of him. just wanted to brag for a moment!

happy birthday to me!

2012-02-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

i cant believe im 28! i feel so old.

but i pooped today! haha, this shirt is great! my friend ashly hawks got it for me! isn't she the best?!

brandon got me the best gift! theres a ton to learn on editing and movie making, but im hoping to actually learn how to edit really well!

my friend amber and i have the same birthday, so we always celebrate together! we went to tucanos again...mmm and did we stuff our bellys full! afterwards we had cake at ambers and that was delicious too!

hunting time

2012-02-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

bran's sister & boyfriend came to town for a few nights! always so fun when they come. we went hunting one night and man was it cold!

brandon putting the rabbit out

kristy freezing...and some crazy weird light shining off of her :-)

me freezing

yikes! bran bought a gilly (spell?) suit. its pretty creepy

not only did we not catch anything, but we didn't even see anything. lame.

the new year

2012-01-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

well not a whole lot has been going on since the new year...hence i haven't blogged :-)

i'm trying to get back into the working mode. it's really hard! i'm still part time, trying to get back into full time. im trying to gain weight back. thats really hard! i lift weights at the gym to try and get my strength back. i've been doing whats called boot camp at the gym and i love it! i can't quite keep up yet with everything they do, but i'm trying.

brandon is loving school so far, although he says anatomy is rough sometimes. he gets to play with the cadavers soon...im super jealous about this!

we're both trying to eat better and loving that. we can't wait for this snow to go away and start warming up so we can start our outdoor adventures again!

we did go out with the dogs the other day...brrrr it was so cold!

jersey girl was shivering so bad, so i did what any good mom would do :-)

we had a fun date night to the movies and then ate out at costa vida! mmm....their sweet pork burrito is delish! then for dessert we got del tacos new strawberry churos! and then a strawberry lemonade from del taco too...oh man, if you haven't had any of these you should! so so good!!!

new years eve!

2012-01-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

brandon and i hosted a "cancer free/new yrs eve" party

it was a bust. not many people came which was a bummer, but im thankful to our friends that did come! it was good to see you guys!

we celebrated the new year with some bubbly!

...and a mama bird kiss. i look so dumb haha

cheers! to a new "healthy" year, full of exciting adventures!

christmas in cali

2012-01-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

videos :-)

2011-12-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

christmas vacation in AZ & CA

2011-12-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

we started our trip the thursdsay before christmas! we headed to AZ first.

we stayed for two days.

we got to go to avery's 4th birthday party and it was fun to see everyone together!

and he was so funny when he opened his gifts, he was super excited

this little guy is hilarious! i love my davis boy

this kid is even funnier! he says and does the funniest things

AND, this little boy is adorable and so sensitive

they LOVED our long boards! they didn't want to go inside

we left for CA at 2am and got in at 6am. they had no idea we were coming! what a fun surprise they got...dogs running and barking as we walked in :-)

christmas morning

one of the fun things we did was tin foil dinner and smores at the beach! so fun, so pretty and so cold.

my new fav pic of us :-)

im not really sure

just a fun pic i thought i'd throw in. from our yard in utah, so pretty

hope everyone had a good christmas! we sure did...even though some of us got sick :-(

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

if you want a card, send me your email address. sorry they're not coming by regular mail...we're a little poor this year, with good reason :-)

mr mater

2011-12-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

we went and got our (small and cute) christmas tree! i'll post pics later...after we decorate it.

out front they have a mater truck and its adorable! thats why we bought a tree there!

christmas is coming!!!

2011-12-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

i LOVE christmas so much! my favorite holiday by far! i love the lights, music and these sweet items i just got from target for $1 each :-)

i don't know how in the world i got him to smile! i love this pic!

ignore my stupid face, bran said i wasn't in the pic...liar.

AND for finishing chemo, i got new boots!!! and you can't even see them in this pic hahaha

go here to see them :-)

have i mentioned i love this boy...well and the whole family!

and THIS girl!? she's so awesome

we got together with the berry's to make sugar cookies with the girls, but it ended up being amber and i, and then just me, cause isaac is a mama's boy and she couldn't put him down and its so cute!

not really sure what the girls are doing in this pic.

mmmmm......yummy yummy cookies!

more of mimi

2011-11-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

before the pics, here is mimi and britt's wedding video...that i made :-)

these are completely out of order. they are pics from the day of at the temple and then the reception!

here is devo, kristin, preston and baby jade!

Jeff, devry, daisy, lulu & coop!

me and my ban!

mom and dad

dev and randy

mom dad and all the grandkids! hopefully by the next and last wedding, we'll have some to add to this pic!

they had a legit photobooth! so mimi made some cute frames and moostaches! so much fun!

jade and g-ma

having a great time! italian sodas=amazing

avery and his awesome bowtie

strips from the photobooth

devo cutting in!

father daughter dance

britt and mimi

at the dinner before the wedding! me and my homeboy

dancing the night away...its what the day fam does best (among other things of course)

more dancing

at the dinner

toby can shake it

our little stud nephew preston

yay they're murried!

loving on my avery

bran and jade

coop being funny like always

chad, corri, avery and davis

mim's wedding

2011-11-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

Mimi's big day! 11-11-11

We actually took these pics a few days before the big day. Toby and I both took pics so she has PLENTY to look at.

She looked awesome and well so did Britt. These two are absolutely perfect for eachother.

What an awesome week it was! I definately didn't want to go home...especially to another treatment. But I'm almost done! Check here for latest!

I enjoyed my time with family, friends and FOOD. mmm jack in the box i miss you so much!

i love arizona!!!

2011-11-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

i love arizona! my whole family is there and all my friends i grew up with. it's like christmas everytime i go home, and christmas is my favorite holiday!!!

this is the val vista/freestone park ward gang! we have all known each other for about 10-16 yrs. it was great to see everyone! we missed a few people and sad they couldn't make it.

this is patrick and nicki. (thanks for coming to randy's gig) I've know pat for 16 years! we have great memories together!

thanks monte and chad for coming to randy's gig, super good to see both of my boys! i've known these two for about 8 yrs.

randy and his band, they are super good!

my cute nephews, avery and davis...avery looks nakey, but he's not i promise :-)

davis looking good...even with a snotty nose

baby girl jayden. she's such a sweet girl

isn't she a doll?!

getting ready for mimi's big day!

randy excited for the photo booth

thanks for a great time everyone. hope to come home for christmas. thanks to jack in the box, barro's pizza and elmers for making my belly happy!

check these bad boys out!

2011-10-26T15:14:00.001-07:00

daddio dancing away....hilarious

cute jade laughing at dogs

more cute jade laughing at dogs

mimi's bridal shower gift

mimi's bridal shower gift (2)

toby being silly

mimi's bridal shower

2011-10-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

WARNING: lots and lots of pictures!

mimi's colors are so dang cute, i wanna have another reception!

do you just love the "i love us" pic??? adorable! you can download many colors off this website, you'll have to scroll down a bit.

besties

more besties

excited to open presents, and she looks asian with her eyes :-)

after the shower, goofing off with her friends

scared to open certain presents maybe?

the girls!!!

devlyn helping in the kitchen

lulu sneaking mimi's gifts

the funnest dish scrubber ever...or for toby a dinglehopper

isnt she just gorgeous!

don't mind my stupid face

the most beautiful quilt EVER!!! my marmee is amazing...and i want one :-)

us girls! when did mimi and toby get so tall?

i don't even know whats going on here....lots of skinny jeans, vans, converse, giggling and LOVE

sisters in law and cute jade

mimi got TONS of baking sheets,....mmmmm her cookies are to die for

sweet jade sleeping with grandma

this little girl is adorable and i couldn't stop taking pics of her or holding her

grandpa, aunt janae and my cousin julie

dev and corri

mimi and her good friend, caitlyn, jenna and jacie

she was bound to get some sexies since her friends were there!

baldy!!!

she sure likes to point alot

more friends!

so cute!

i just wanna keep her!

hot chocolate mugs!

jamee and britt....so cute

i want this frame...in fact i wanted ALL of her gifts. her house is going to be so cute!

see! so fun!

2011-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

bran and i were very lucky to get to go down to AZ for two days. we had an open house/auction for chemo bills and that turned out great! see my cancer blog for pics!

this was on our way home crossing the dam in page.

lots of window pics on the way home. the sun was setting and it was beautiful.

nephew preston, finally crashed

isn't he a doll!? such a sweet little boy, i wanna steal him.

bran thinks its funny to draw on our dogs. i dont mind eyebrows, but a mask? really? she looks so stupid :-)

the almost newlyweds!

he found the stash of headbands

dev, randy and i saying goodbye :-(

jayden! first time getting to meet her and isnt she is a doll, looks just like her brother preston and same personalities

the only thing to get her laughing is preston or dogs

grandpa and jade

poor avery got his fingers slammed in the door

i wanna take this little punk home

daddy and jade

she's just so loved! couldn't get enough of her! or enough pics!

not really sure why coop is crying, but had to document

cute lulu

garden time

2011-10-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

these pics were from around the time of starting my treatments while my marmee was here. i finally got these off her computer.

our sweet corn stalks!!! but we pulled the corn too late and it was mushy gross. next time.

picking away!

Open House Reminder!

2011-10-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

We will be having an open house on Friday Oct. 21st from 6-10pm at the Day's home in Arizona. Bring the kids and come say hello to Jillyn and Brandon and eat some yummy desserts! We will have a silent auction set up for those that want to bid, and an open donation for those that don't want to bid.

If you're in need of the address, either email me at Jillynlarsen@yahoo.com or leave a comment with your email and I'll send it to you!

If anyone would like to donate items for bidding, please get a hold of Jillyn at Jillynlarsen@yahoo.com

We would like ALL items to be dropped off at the Day's home by Oct. 17th-18th.

http://www.jillynsjourney.blogspot.com/

please don't get my hopes up for nothing...

2011-10-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

is this for reals? cause i might pee my pants!

Click here to find out why i might pee myself

cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck!

Friend time!

2011-09-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

one day she'll know what she pulled out of my purse!

not really sure whats going on here. maybe he's checking out my bald head.

the cutest bebe's ever! i'd take them both if i could :-)

Open house!!!

2011-09-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

If you're in need of the address, either email me at Jillynlarsen@yahoo.com or leave a comment with your email and I'll send it to you!

If anyone would like to donate items for bidding, please get a hold of Jillyn at Jillynlarsen@yahoo.com

We would like ALL items to be dropped off at the Day's home by Oct. 17th-18th.

http://www.jillynsjourney.blogspot.com/

just for fun!

2011-09-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

so before my (7th!!!!) treatment, we had a DR visit. while waiting in the room, there was a moostache stuck on the mirror that was on the back of the door. clearly, i had to play around!

trying to line this up on my face was hard, but successful!

i look good. dont act like youre not impressed.

park city getaway

2011-09-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

so bran and i got the chance to go to park city through a organization that finds people with cancer, and gives them a free weekend getaway! we got the phone call from this organization and jumped on the chance to get away! we were waiting for months, and time finally came, wasn't quite the weekend we expected, but we still had fun.

we were very excited to use the hot tub...but when we got our suits on and bran went to heat the water...oh wait what water in the hot tub :-( luckily they had big jet tubs, so we just jumped in there instead.

the next morning, i woke up with a little cold. bummer! i took a shower, and fell asleep on the bed for about 3 hours. when i woke up we headed out to go on the ski lifts and then go shopping. it was a beautiful sunny day, a little warm up on the lifts even. we had on pants and t's...i had a very light cardigan on. well we get off the lifts and explore a little (pics below). about 20 mins later it starts to sprinkle a little so we walk back to the lifts. the sky by this point was grey with lightening a little ways away. but the thunder was pretty close. about 10 mins on the lift it starts raining a little harder. about 10 mins later we are drenched! when i say drenched, i mean drenched! it looked like we had jumped in a pool. on top of that cold rain it starts to snow.....oh how lovely. so here we are on top of a mountain on a lift shivering, wind blowing, snow and rain coming down, not helping my cold, and my neuropathy was so bad i started cramping. (i even cried a little ssshhhh). we got to the end, jumped off and RAN to our car for the heater! well dangit, there went our day out, shopping, having fun. so we stopped at the store and got pizza and donuts. mmmmmm! the instant we got back to the house, we jumped in the warm jetted tubs once again! then we ate pizza and i started feeling really sick again so i went to bed at 8pm...party pooper! the next day was sunday and our day to pack up and leave this AMAZING million dollar home! we stopped at the park city outlets on the way home, but didn't find anything worth purchasing.

atleast we had this little adventure together right?

pics out of order

this is view from our porch

this is us about to get on the lifts

on the lifts headed way up!

they were decorating for a huge swap meet for sunday

on the lifts looking down, beautiful!

all of the cool slopes...maybe one day i'll get to go snowboard!

when we got off the lifts to go explore the silver mines!

one of the cool buildings. we didnt go to this one, cause it was WAY too steep to get to

we tried climing in this one, but they had everything all blocked off. there were a few holes we looked into, and wow there is some old, cool machines in there! lets go find some silver!!!

ok, scary picture of me. ignore the ugly face, pale skin and this is how wet we got

scary pic to end on.....sorry!

happy 100th birthday grandpa day!!!

2011-09-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

my mom and dad flew to utah on thrusday and friday (yes 2 different flights) and then saturday morning we packed up the car and headed to idaho! brandon was sick with his crohns so we missed him.

i definitely took more scenery pics than family pics :-)

grandpa enjoying his 100th birthday cupcake!

brandon's cousins...they are the cutest and sweetest kids ever! i wanna steal them!

grandpa's (fake) cake with ...yes...100 candles on it

blowing the candles out

100!!!!!

my dad's family

bored in the car

eating at scotty's in idaho

my dad and his brothers

even though everything is out of focus, i still love this pic

happy 100th birthday grandpa, we love you!

you're truly an amazing person and a perfect example of living the gospel.

my grandpa rides his tricycle everyday (forgot to get a pic) and goes walking around the church parking lot, he has the sharpest memory EVER and loves anyone that he meets, he has the best sense of humor (must be where i get it from :-) and goes to the temple weekly!

2011-08-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

campout & lake time!

2011-08-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

brandon and i were supposed to go camping (not in the backyard) but we had too much to do the next day, so to the backyard we went! milo was just excited as i was! whenever i'd go outside to put something in the tent, he was leaping around all kinds of excited! so funny!

bed head early in the morning! bran's face cracks me up!

our awesome set up!

the beautiful clouds and weather the next morning

we went to the lake today! we love to take the dogs out and let them play in the water and they love it too!

i love this pic! jersey came running over right before we took it, so she got to be in it!

freckle faced

2011-08-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

well once again not a whole lot going on. our lives are all about cancer these days. we try to get out as much as we can, but its hard when i dont feel good or bran is exhausted from work. but we do our best!

we had the chance to head to bran's aunt kathy's house saturday (who has terminal breast cancer). he put some shelves in while i snuggled on the memory foam with one of her many cats. it was glorious....the mattress part. not a huge fan of cats, but it was nice to have a snuggle buddy to watch the old parent trap with :-)

got a new outfit and i love it. so comfy!

remember her? and how she loves anything warm? found her ON the dryer the other night. who is this dog? ridiculous

brandon on his phone...whats new :-) sometimes our he's like this as i have a conversation with him. little do i know, im talking to myself. i still love him though

i thought this was a funny pic thats all i dont even remember taking it

here's the kitty i snuggled with. she was super sketchy and didn't like brandon. her name is dr evil...kinda sad haha

brandon enjoying the memory foam mattress after putting shelves in. we didn't want to get up, so comfy! definitely need one now!

that's huge! (thats what she said). biggest zucchini ever!

just me again. duh, this blog is all about me right? jk

life is good, real good :-)

2011-08-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

my bff rachael and her boyfriend steve were down in provo and stopped by! so awesome! she is adorable...steve propose already would ya?!

what a perfect night for a picnic in the backyard! brandon is such a nerd♥

isn't he so cute! begging for food...like always

bran will probably hate me for putting this one up. but i told him to smile...his own fault :-)

begging for food too....

sister and some

2011-08-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

isn't he just so cute! i just love him

toree came up for efy with a friend. they came up a few days early and we got to play! it was so much fun! and great to get my mind off of things!

toby is super talented on the ukelele and guitar. she can learn songs on the uke super fast! so fun!

i pretend i know how to play...

not sure what we were singing here, but we played and sang for hours

today my bagel was especially sad

lovin my new fedora!

tatum, kyle and kids came by while they were in town! it was SUPER good to see her, i haven't seen her in awhile! love her bebe reese too, she's super smiley and a good bebe!

"that's why, it's good to be, me"

2011-07-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

if anyone can guess where the title saying is from... you win!

found some more random pics on my camera and since i have somewhat energy right now, thought i'd go ahead and upload them.

took this pic before chemo started i think. my grandpa's backyard. perfect weather! we'd sit outside every morning and night. miss the cooler weather.

this pic was taken the same night. when i was feeling good.

i'm pretty sure this was before chemo, cause my clothes look like they fit a little better than they do these days.

there's a story behind this pic. i think it's hilarious, but you may not :-) we were at bran's aunt's house with extented family having dinner. everyone was still eating dinner taking their time, and bran went to the kitchen washed his plate and fork and came and sat back down. i said, what are you doing with your plate? he said i'm ready for my cheesecake! haha what a nerd. he LOVES his cheesecake so much!

bran's sister kailey!

bran's cousin chris...who is a lifeguard mind you...and me, the whitest person alive! we make the best OREO though!!!

this was last week...an off week for chemo and i was feeling awesome and completely normal it was great! i had the best appetite i've had so far! i even gained 2 pounds! so i took some pics of myself, of course!

no i'm not flashing anyone, just took a better pic of my port to show everyone. so ugly.

so i've lost a total of 15 pounds since my surgery and chemo. my pants and shirts literally hang on me and i'm constatnly pulling them up. i hate it and feel so weak sometimes. so i bought a new pair that fit! im so excited to have pants that fit. im down to a size 3...yes i'm 12 again. awesome :-p

my sweet cousin-in-law and the kids came to see me! they are so sweet and it was good to see them! essie will talk your ear off but the sweetest little girl ever, i want to keep her! thanks for my flowers!

more randomness

2011-07-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

jersey is the funniest little dog. she absolutely loves anything warm! blow dryers, blankets, being held, fresh out of the dryer clothes....she has found the source of the warm clothes. she now jumps IN the dryer the second you turn your back.

my friend julie came up from AZ to play. we went to ihop for breakfast, got nails done and then played at tai pan after....i was completely worn out after, but so much fun to see her and get out of the house.

julie and her sister jenna

oh tai pan how we love you!

bran and i had some free movie passes, so we decided to get out of the house for the 4th of july. we went and saw transformers. pretty good movie, kinda long, and they always have to throw the stupid love story in there. still good though :-)

this crazy life

2011-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

not a ton going on around here besides my crazy life of cancer and chemo. but lets be honest, no one wants to hear about that crap :-)

every morning we take the dogs out and let them run around for a few hours. they play fetch, eat breakfast and then take a swim. yes in that order.

and my awesome brandon makes me breakfast and brings it to me outside every morning too, he's the best! these days its mostly just a toast and a fruit drink he makes. not too exciting, but it's all my body can handle some days.

planted some poppies a while back...prettys sure those aren't poppies. bummer! they kinda look like weeds haha

we have tons of pretty roses and other flowers growing!

and our awesome garden! we just hope it actually produces fruit! we have one tiny green tomatoe, green blue berries and light pink strawberries...that have been chewed on. it's a start though right?

Dinner and silent auction

2011-06-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Dinner & Silent Auction!!!

Come & go dinner and silent auction on Saturday July 23rd in Gilbert, Arizona. Doors open at 6:30pm. There will be entertainment, food, dessert and a variety of items & services for you to bid on!

All proceeds will go to Jillyn Larsen's cancer fund. Donations accepted.

$5 per person or $20 a family. Pay at door, cash only please.

Located at the stake center on the SW corner of Lindsay & Elliot in Gilbert, Arizona

WE WOULD LIKE TO GET A PROPER HEAD COUNT FOR DINNER, so please leave a comment below with the amount of people in your party! If you’re unable to make it to the dinner portion, you can still come donate & bid on items.

If you'd like to donate your time, items or talents, please call Terin at

520-709-3320 before this event!

ps//I made 2 very nice different flyers...and of course, neither one would upload! So ticked! Oh well :-)

more fun!

2011-06-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

i found more pics on my camera that i forgot about

the day i came home from the hospital...brandon's birthday! happy birthday old man!

my mom kept trying to get a "normal" pic of us...she should know by now that just doesn't happen!

mom and i enjoying a perfect day at the park. getting my tan on :-)

callie came to see me and this is what happened.

terin renee

2011-05-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

i for reals have the best family & friends in the world!!! mimi & britt decided to drive up for the weekend just to see ME! they brought along my papi and best friend terin renee! i really like this! they have taken my mind off of things and we've had a great time and i never want them to leave...ever :-) selfish? maybe so, but i dont care.

i rarely get to see terin. but when i do, its always a party and we laugh non-stop! my stomach already hurts so much from surgery, but oh man, its really bad now! (in a good way i guess)

me, terin and terin's sister brittany

this was my 1st real day out of the house. we went to the mall to eat and stop at a few stores. i was a little worried cause i get tired super quick. but i did ok and im still alive!

New Cancer Blog

2011-05-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I have decided to make a seperate blog just for my cancer journey. The link is www.JillynsJourney.blogspot.com I'm going to keep this blog going but leave the cancer part out :-) Follow us there too!

just in cases...

2011-05-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

well if I'm gonna kick cancer's butt, i need a shirt to wear right? if anyone wants to buy me one i like these haha

Click here to see the grey one I like :-)

Click here to see the other shirt i like :-)

i can do this!

2011-05-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

im sure most of you have heard....i have stage 3 colon cancer. 2 out of 14 lymphnodes are cancerous and i start chemo in 3-4 weeks. i cried on the phone to brandon after i heard the news.other than that i havent cried (probably cause it hurts way too much on my surgery, incision) i also know i'll kick this cancer's butt! i wont let this bring me down. i have SO MUCH support! i get texts, phone calls, emails etc daily saying how much they love me and how awesome i'm gonna do. maybe reality hasn't set in yet, but i wont let this stop me from working, growing and starting a family one day. im somewhat excited to for the future...to say i killed cancer before age 30!

as of now im still in the hospital. the Dr's originally said 5-7 days. im on day 9. thats frustrating. i was on TPN for about 4 days because i wasn't eating very well. i was having bowel movements the day or two after surgery so that was good news. i was up walking (in lots of pain) about 4 times a day. trying to shower everyday....completely wore me out. i loved to sleep :-) unfortunately the set back was my incision was infected. so they had to re-cut me open....pure HELL. i felt every cut, tug, pull and push. im pretty sure i broke brandon's hand by squeezing so hard. they do have to change the dressing twice a day, so thats pure hell too, but luckily no more cutting, just changing the gauze. it has relieved so much pain though and im up walking way more and way less pain! they will be putting a wound vac on me this weekend and hopefully i'll be going home sunday.....with the would vac. now that im feeling better i feel like im actually gonna heal and get through this stupid surgery :-) i cant wait to start eating good again, pizza has never sounded to good! brick oven here i come! i gotta get all kinds of fattened up for chemo. the good news on the chemo is, the Dr said there is a possibility i wont lose my hair! (i secretly want a long pretty wig...maybe i'll just wear one anyway).

im gonna try to keep this updated as the journey begins and keep up with the pics!

i love you all very much. thank you for your love and support. i have so so so much support its amazing!
why Heavenly Father decided i needed this trial? i don't know. but i know i will grow because of this. i know, i will be a mother one day. i know i'll beat this!

another update with health

2011-05-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

well we met with the Dr today. unfortunately the biopsy hasn't been read yet (dangit!!!) so at this point they're treating it like cancer. hopefully the results say otherwise :-) the results will be in tonight, or tomorrow (tuesday). surgery is scheduled for wednesday. the bad news...there was a block in the colon when they did the colonoscopy so they were unable to get past that block to see what else there is. so we know there's that spot and there's another spot that showed up on the CT. other then that, nothing else is showing as far as growths go. so the Dr doesn't know what he's dealing with until he gets in there to do surgery. we're hopeful there is nothing else in there. it's possible there is though. the Dr is going to do a little "exploring" once he gets in to make sure nothing has spread. he's hopeful i won't have to have a colectomy (thank heaven!) but again, time will tell. i may have to have an ng tube (ew ew ew!).

thank you again for all the phone calls, text and prayers. we're very thankful and lucky to have awesome family and friends!

i'm growing!

2011-05-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

*caution, read and look at pics at own risk*

i've always had stomach/constipation problems. but the last 3-6mos have gotten pretty bad. i could usually take a laxative and be ok. but when i started getting stomach pains monthly i got a little concerned but just figured it was normal for my body. but in the last 3 mos i've gone home from work sick (with stomach pains and throwing up) about 3 times. i knew that wasnt normal. brandon got me an appt with his gastro dr's NP. i was about a month out though. i waited with patience for that stupid appt. the day finally came and the NP said he had his work cut out for him and i wasnt moving at all in there.....uh duh! thats why im here. i told him about my side pain but he didnt seem to be too concerned and i just figured he does this daily and it's normal. i had to swallow about 30 tiny metal rings and get xrays everyother day to track them to see whats going on. my follow up appt wasn't until after randy's wedding. luckily i wasn't in too much pain the mean time. the friday before my follow up appt. i went to work at 5am like normal. i woke up that morning feeling a little sick but again, it had been normal for me. well little did i know, it was gonna be a day from hell. i threw up about 5 times at work before 8am. i had the absolute worst stomach pains i've ever ever had. i tried to explain them as labor pains...although i have no idea what that feels like. i would have to sit or lie down curled up in pain. they lasted anywhere from 5-10 seconds. i went home by 830am that day and slept the pain away. when i went to my follow up appt. on may 2nd, i told him what happened at work, again he didnt seem to be too concerned and told me i had a spastic colon and it needed to be re-trained, and that my poop was fermenting inside of me because my bowels were pushing everything back and forth...never out...like a normal person's colon should :-) ok...lets do this! he said it'll take about 6 weeks so have patience. well i've lived with it for this many years, i guess 6 weeks won't kill me. he sent me home with a prescription for miralax. i had hope and was ready to poop! the bottle said give it 2-4 days for a bowel movement....dang! ok, still had hope at this point. well day 4 came and still no bowel movement. instead just a really distended stomach! anytime i ate, i felt like i had eaten a HUGE meal. when in reality it was a bagel.

after doing an enema that week and it not working, thursday at 6pm i drank a phosphate laxative. and if you've ever had to do this, you know they're pretty dang strong and work. the box said it takes 30mins to 6 hours to work. well by 10pm nothing had happened...at all. so i took another dose. called my mom and talked to her and told her i had hope of pooping by morning! well just the opposite happened. i threw up about every hour. first i threw up dinner. and by 5am i had nothing left to throw up except acid and water that i kept drinking after i threw up to keep hydrated. it was the most horrible night i've ever had. i took at shower about 2am hoping to feel better. kinda worked. i told brandon i would much rather have the flu and a fever over the worst stomach pains and throwing up anything i tried to drink. i called my mom at 5am (4am AZ time...sorry mom) and asked her if she thinks the ER would be a good idea. we both decided that at least they could put an IV in me and get me hydrated. so we did just that.

they gave me toradol for pain, zofran (my new best friend) for nausea and hooked up an IV. they did an xray on my stomach and the Dr said they're was only air in there. um...nope...i haven't pooped in a week mind you. so they did a CT to rule out kidney stones. nope. so they had me drink some nasty contrast to do another CT with dye in it. nothing showed on this. so the Dr said, we're gonna send you home with pain meds, nausea meds and stuff to prep for a colonoscopy tomorrow.

so we did just that. again, if you've ever had to drink this stuff, it is the most rancid horrible crap EVER made! it was absolute torture. plus i feel like trash and cant keep anything down. i had to drink 3 10oz bottles.at 10pm i gagged down 1 1/2 bottles. it took over an hour to do so, but i did it, and prayed and prayed i wouldn't throw it up! i think it was about 11:30pm when i was finally feeling well enough to sleep. so i did so. i woke up about 1am with poop everywhere! hahaha i couldn't believe it, i pooped my pants, and the stupid bed at age 27. i said, brandon? i think i pooped the bed! he said yep, you sure did i can smell it. i was laughing, i couldnt believe it. i guess i was so tired from not sleeping the night before at all that i passed out for an hour. so we got up, stripped the bed and my clothes. i got in the shower and cleaned up. still laughing. then at 2am i had to drink the other 1 1/2 bottles of crap! it took about an hour to drink a cup full of one. about 10 mins after i drank it, it came right back up. every little bit of anything i had in my stomach was now up and out my throat and into the toilet. i just hoped and prayed that the first 1 1/2 bottles was enough, because i wasn't going to try to drink anymore. the smell of it made me so nausea's! about 4am i finally fell asleep on the couch. my alarm went off at 530am. we had to be at the hospital at 615am. i was absolutely exhausted from the last 2 nights of no sleep, throwing up and stomach pains. we finally got settled into the room. they came to get me and well i dont remember anything after that!

brandon said i was in recovery for about an hour before i woke up. i guess i was just so sleepy :-) i was really excited for my socks! oh, and to find out what the freak was going on with my stomach. the Dr finally came it and said they found a growth in my colon. i knew it! i knew there was something causing this pain and throwing up. it felt so good to hear this. i knew i wasn't crazy! i cried a little bit, brandon cried a little bit. we text family and friends, brandon talked on the phone for awhile to family and then they said we'd have to call the Dr (who's gonna do surgery) on monday to find out biopsy report. that was a litte scary to hear. i've been at peace with this though. i don't feel like it's anything serious, but if it is, we'll go from there. so, i call the Dr tomorrow and find out all the details about the growth, and about surgery. i've been on a clear liquid diet and its so boring!i cant wait till after surgery when i can eat again. i told brandon, we're definitely racking up a bill at brick oven! who wants to join us?! this has kinda been a blessing in disguise though. we've been trying for a family for about a year. i personally have been a little frustrated by not getting pregnant, where as brandon reminds me to be patient. i'm thankful my Heavenly Father knows me and my plan. i wouldnt be able to have pain meds, xrays, colonoscopy or most importantly surgery if i was pregnant. who knows...maybe we'll get prego soon after ;-)

the picture below is of the growth, if you have a weak stomach dont look. the growth is the yellow/white area.

we'll keep everyone updated on the biopsy results tomorrow!

thanks for all the many many prayers, texts and phone calls. i couldn't go through this without my husband, family and friends! you're all the best!

another larsen update!

2011-05-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

as you (probably) know, my uncle runs his business (and hobbies) out of grandpa's house. this is the kinda of stuff (crap) he has lying around. its a neat giraffe...in someone else's house :-)

utah is starting to get warmer and we're loving it! we can finally wear shorts and t-shirts. we've been living out in the back as much as possible. the dogs are loving it as well. jersey thinks the pond is her very own swimming pool....whaterrr. she smells like the swamp thing after, so off to the shower she goes. its a daily happening around here.

i'm loving the flowers around here! the tulips have finally come out to play! brandon and i planted some poppies yesterday, cant wait till they come to play too :-)

we had a bbq yesterday with some friends. they brought their cute bebe and i ♥ him!

bryan, disa and dan

for mother's day, my aunt, uncle, grandpa, brandon and i went to grandma's grave. it was the first time i've been since she passed away. i sure do miss her!
ps//happy mother's day to all mommies! and to my marmee! i ♥ you!

with the weather getting warmer, the garden is coming together. we made it wider and can't wait to plant next week sometime. brandon is such a handyman. if he doesn't know how to do it, or never done it, he'll figure it out! he's great, i think i'll keep him around!

he's cute too...a plus plus!

we played with the berry's again! we love love love them and their cute bebe's! virginia is the best little thing ever made. i want her! sweet jumpsuit eh?!

this train was cruising the mall and she just had to get in, so we made the boys go so we could go shop around for a few mins without the boys :-)

Randy & Dev's wedding video♥

2011-05-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

watch randy & dev's wedding video that i made for them right HERE!!!! sorry the quality is bad and super dark. i tried many times to lighten in up and no deal. oh well. enjoy!

Randy & Dev's wedding...and then some

2011-04-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

these are completely out of order...sorry.

here is mimi looking amazing!

randy and dev greeting the guests at the reception...having a good time in the mean time

mimi and her boy britt

enjoying their italian sodas at the reception

yay for weddings and gift cards!

mother son dance

yay for weddings and monies!!!

the morning after the wedding at Dev's parents, opening presents before they take off on the honeymoon

can't go to AZ and not stop in at elmers!!! mmmmm

the best cheese puffs ever!

avery and chad...not sure why he was crying...maybe just tired...but such a dang funny picture!

we all danced the night away! we had so much fun! it was literally me and my family dancing as they chairs were being cleaned up at the reception. could've gone all night!

davis got drunk off of easter candy! this kid could eat anything at anytime!

devin, kristin, preston and baby at our easter egg hunt

the neices and nephews

me and my bffffffffff terin renee. i just love this girl so much! if you know her, you know why!

she is hilarious!

me and toby cruising...to work.

at the wedding dinner

the almost newlyweds

my cute parents

little P

this kid doesn't smile much these days, not sure why he's going through this stage

mimi's expression is hilarious

me and my man ready for the temple...mmm he looks good

what a perfect day to get married on

my awesome, cute sisters

all the girls

siblings

the newlyweds!

randy and the boys...these 4 boys are the best of friends and cousins!

these two especially are best of friends! they LOVE LOVE LOVE eachother! and its adorable. they're hilarious!

gorgeous devlyn

the grandchildren

bran double fisting the italian sodas

i couldnt get enough pics of the kids!

we had a blast in AZ and so glad we got to go!

i have all the pics of the wedding and that weekend on facebook. i had a hard time choosing what pics to put up on this blog.

long time no blog

2011-04-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

well! where to start. sorry i haven't blogged in a month (feels longer than that). good news, we found a renter! bad news, we had a day to move out. it was horrible. luckily i had started packing things up a week before because we knew we were going to be moving within a month. but moving everything in a day was still annoying. we're mostly moved into my grandpa's basement. we've had some stupid weather up here, one day its perfect and then next day its snowing. very unpredictable and stupid. we can't really plan many outings or picnics yet. today is perfect! im outside on the back lawn while brandon cleans out my grandpa's pond and the dogs are loving running around!

not a ton has changed, besides our sleeping arrangements...we're sleeping on twins pushed together right now (not gonna get into why) its temporary thank goodness. we're both still working fulltime and loving having a yard and house work to do! we're both very excited to head to AZ on the 20th for Randy's wedding!!! his fiance is so cute and fun and fits right in! her name even fits perfect....Devlyn!

just some random pics of whats goin on with us...

i've always loved nail polish, but lately even more so. found this awesome stuff called shatter. it does this right in front of your eyes! really neat.

i like the white more!

if you haven't seen these you need to look them up! found them on amazon. nail art stamps! so much fun!

my hair is getting way long and i have a love/hate relationship. i dont know how to curl my hair so its always straight and plain or just pulled back. i had a 1/2" curling iron, but jersey chewed up the cord (lovely) so now i dont have one and my straightner is too thick to use. any tips on what size curling iron to get and how to do this? would LOVE to do this for my brother's wedding.

here's bran about to clean out the pond (while i blog :-)

showing off my new outfit with a cheesy smile :-)

bran's family came from CA for a few days on their spring break, so good to see family! jersey loves boys and loves to snuggle!

happy birthday to bran's sister kailey!

my heart leaf

2011-03-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

took the dogs to the park, ran around in the perfect weather! on the way home i found this neat heart shaped leaf!

friday activies!

2011-02-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

bran and i had a pretty fun day! we went to the carl bloch art exhibit at byu...amazing. what a gift to have! after that we went indoor surfing!

brandon setting up!

i didnt feel like editing this. so here ya go! demon jillyn surfing. i found a new love. this was pretty hard at 1st but got more fun and less painful as time went on. i loved it!

note to self: wear shorts next time ;-)

bran did awesome!

playing catch up

2011-02-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

i feel like i haven't blogged in forever. so im trying to find interesting things to blog about. i had a birthday. turned 27....ew. i feel like that sounds so old...and im getting close to 30. we hang with our friends amber and mike as much as possible. we love them! and their kids...they keep our lives exciting and sane.

amber and i have the same birthday, so every year we go out to eat and exchange gifts! this year was tucanos. and it was delicious!
very filling and makes me feel like crap after :-)

our yummy desserts!!!

mike loved taking control of our "best friend"

happy birthday 27th birthday to us!

after we went walking around the outside mall ....yes it was cold and snowing. we found a really fun arcade!

we had a few friends in town that weekend. so we had a little party!

brandon was very excited to make me a cake! ooopps...he dyed my counter red.

my yummy cake! red velvet with cream cheese inside and chocolate frosting. thanks brandon!

on my actual birthday, brandon surprised me with a 1 1/2 hour massage at solace. how lovely!!! afterward we went to our friends tim and taylors to see this cutie!!! and ate pizza!

i ♥ arizona

2011-02-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

went home to arizona (without brandon due to work) for my birthday, a concert, for fun and to get out of the stupid cold/snow! i had a blast. i was able to cram all my hours in at work and stay in arizona for a week! i get even more homesick once i visit. its beautiful there. not to mention all of my family and friends are there. i didnt get to see everyone that i wanted to...no surprise there...but i loved seeing those i got to see. i would move in a heartbeat if i could!

im sad that my nephews dont really even know who i am because i never see them. this is preston (devin & kristin's boy) it took him about a day to warm up to me. he's just the biggest daddy's boy ever! its adorable!

mmmmm....phoenix!

so we had family pics out at saguaro lake. while we were waiting our turn, we started messing around and just having fun together...so keep in mind, we're not being (too) serious here :-)

isn't toby adorable?!

isn't my marmee so cute?!

i love these girls! they have grown up so much. it's weird to think they can date & drive. mimi bought her 1st car and was driving ME around....weird.

lulu looking good

the almost newlywed!

oh i love this kid! this is davis, chad and corri's 2nd little boy. he warmed up instantly to me. he is a solid chunker and i LOVE him!

and oh how i miss the arizona sunsets!

mrs juliann kolbe! ready to pop and looking adorable!

these boys are best friends its so cute!

my goal was to not eat out...welp that didn't last long. when i got to the house my mom says, ok where do you wanna go eat today for your birthday. SERRANOS! i ate out everyday i was in town...except once. sheesh, there goes that goal. but i only ate out at places that we dont have in utah :-)

baby girl reese. tatum's cute bebe!

so good to see my girls! i miss you guys so much! (notice im eating out again at gecko grill)

eating out again....at some yummy pizza place after we played racquetball

jacob?

oh how i've missed THIS place the most!

the name should be changed to elmer's burritos...lets be honest, i've never had anything there besides his burritos.

cute little davis

oh avery how i love you! chad and corri's boys are adorable but so different! avery warmed up to me that last day i saw him. sheesh... it was almost a week! maybe he'll remember me next time i see him. probably not.

having a family party! we have 4 birthdays in Feb. daisy's is the 1st, my dad's is the 4th, mine is the 7th and randy's fiance, devlyn's, is the 15th. so we had dinner and dessert sunday night.

playing cards. a nightly ritual. oh how i've missed this ritual.

thats right!

at the ben kweller/pete yorn concert. AMAZING!!!

mimi and her cute boy Britt

randy and his cute fiance Dev. they get along great! he couldnt have picked a better girl for himself. she's so much fun, easy going and puts up with randy's craziness! they compliment each other very well!

BK!!!

after the concert! loving on our BK. isn't he a doll?!

mmm...sweaty armpit

he LOVED my mom!

cute mimi and britt again. he bought her a shirt...how cute!

birthday wish list♥

2011-02-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

Peridot Ring size 6. This would bring out the green in my eyes.

The Work and the Glory COMPLETE book set. Soft cover is fine :-)

Nike Free Shoe (size 8 in women's) no pink or purple. I would look very stylish in these.

Joseph and the coat of many colors DVD or CD (childhood memories)

CHI flat iron

Tennis shoes among the Nephites COMPLETE book set. Soft cover is fine :-)

Gift card to Target any amount. I would look so cute in their converse clothes!

The cutest boots on earth

Very cute hurley purse. Time to get something thats not so teenage like.

Best movie ever. I could watch this over and over and over.

Just a few ideas :-) Happy birthday to me on monday!!!

mimi, toby & jiddyn = FUN!

2011-01-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

mimi & toby came for the weekend and we had a blast! they make me so homesick. hopefully one day we'll be closer to play all the time!

while they were here,...we had fun at ikea...went for breakfast, but we missed it by a few mins. lame.

we went ice skating

held hands

put our long johns on for sledding

put our bibs on to go sledding

played around in the bathroom at sledding place

went sledding...finally

went exploring and found a sweet igloo

took a million pics of ourselves to finally pick one we both liked

ate hot-n-fresh pizza

exchanged our tickets for moostaches at the nickle arcade

got denied by the husband for kisses

had many dance parties

took a million jumping pics until we captured one that we were all jumping in

brought sexy back for church

had a loving breakfast together

and did more jumping pics

christmas & new years

2011-01-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

well this years christmas and new years was super lame. i had to work christmas morning from 10-3pm. so i woke brandon up about 9am opened gifts and headed off to work. after work we went straight over to his aunt and uncles house in santaquin. the food was delicious. after we went home and watched movies. not as relaxing as i had hoped but oh well. i felt bad cause we didnt even get to do a nice/yummy breakfast. we definately missed our families this year. new years wasn't any better. i had to be up at 4am for work so we were in bed by 9pm new years eve. i started getting sick that night so i didnt sleep at all and heard all the neighbors fireworks. wish we were in AZ playing card games through the new years like last year. really hoping this new year was better than last year! we're hoping this is the year we get pregnant, move closer to family, get back into shape and go to school.

merry christmas!!!

2010-12-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

merry christmas from us!!! we didn't get to do a card this year, but we had lots of fun taking some anyway!

isn't the husband a stud? ;-)

♪♫ christmas tree oh christmas tree ♪♫

2010-12-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

we went and got our charlie brown tree the other night! tree's get more and more expensive every year. this little puppy was $20. the biggest ones were $90 ouch!

ain't it cute! bran's twice the size

after we went to the delicious sonic!

love my little tree!

thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

bran and i had our own "pre-thanksgiving" dinner. we had a few friends over who didn't have anywhere to go. the food was so yummy! bran did an awesome job on the yams! and i did a great job on the turkey! so so good!

me looking cute (yes im into myself. so what)
we headed up to nellie & jason's place (bran's aunt & uncle) up in layton. they had 30 people over. huge group, and lots of fun!

uncle jason cutting the delicious turkey!

bran's cousins. molly, megan, me & brooke!

i made sugar cookies and frosting for the kids. andrew (bran's little cousin...which is weird to think he has young young cousins. a new born even) LOVED the frosting. we kept saying, "you dont have enough on there, put more on" luckily his mom is a good sport!

he wouldn't pick it up to eat it, just licked it. but kept making more cookies :-)

andrew

everest (another cousin). nellie and jason's youngest son/kid

sugar cookies and some

2010-11-15T10:17:00.001-08:00

i made yummy christmas sugar cookies! i dont have any fun cookie cutters though...one day!

tyler came over to enjoy them as well (notice we all have the same shirt on....no we didn't mean to do this)

oh, and i found a new love!

i look like i'm twelve years old

quiet book

2010-11-09T18:28:00.001-08:00

i'm finally getting the ball rolling on my quiet book...well attempting. we'll see how bad it turns out soon enough :-)

i've been doing alot of online searching for pics of finished ones for ideas. i love that some were made with cute fabric. thats the way i'm going. this is what i've picked thus far....and hopefully i can control myself when i see more cute fabric on sale. but probably not. i love cute fabric...even when/if it just sits in a box.

on a much more exciting note ♫

we bought a dishwasher for the first time in our married life!!! oh we're so excited! we installed it and kept staring at it, opening & closing the door, playing with the racks inside, and all the pretty buttons on top! we're in heaven!

2010-10-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

halloween night we went up to salt lake to mike and amber's to go trick or treating with them and their girl virginia at the mall.

after we went back to their house to play around!

see, she could totally be our girl!

"i'm gonna bring the pain"

this is virginia's favorite thing to say! she is seriously the funniest girl!

she's so thug

nope...i'm so thug

jersey joined us. but only if she wore this sweet costume. she was quite a hit at the mall.

halloween

2010-10-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

buying our pumpkins to carve

bored in the car. not sure if i like my hair this way. trying to be more girly like. i pretend like i know how to do my hair....but i dont.

every now and then utah has nice sun sets

and then the snow came...ew.

we went over to our friend Dan and Disa's to carve our pumpkins.

our pumpkins left to right: dan's disa's, mine (obviously) bran's.

i wasn't in a very creative mood. so my name is what came out.

bran puts mine to shame. he's so good!

this is Bryan, disa & dan's bebe! he's so stinking cute!!!

best picture ever!

as of lately...

2010-10-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

we've been enjoying the rain and nice weather. came home from church and had to go back outside...it was raining...hence the boots.

my hair is getting long enough to pull back. i like it and i dont. i miss my short hair, but looking forward to having long beautiful hair. and looking like a girl for once. i think brandon is excited for this part too :-)
brandon's project he is working on. he's such a good artist. he drew this, and started with his pastel oils. cant wait till it's finished.

and of course more pics of my babies.

leaf time

2010-10-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

i love fall time! (and then, the snow comes...ew).

jersey loves running around in the leafs....and eating them.