CAMBRIDGE!

So, I decided to start a different blog for Cambridge. That way, I can give it out to everyone (Dad's coworkers, sister's friends) and they won't be reading all of the somewhat more personal stuff I post on here. Most likely, I won't post on smile in trouble until I return from Cambridge. I would love for you to see my England blog, so here's the link: ashleyacrossthepond.blogspot.com.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know that my grandmother did have her surgery on Wednesday and she was able to come home yesterday. They did a mastectomy and also took two lymphnodes that were marked as possibly being cancerous. Though it sounded like she was a bit grouchy, the surgery went well, and my grandmother seemed to be in good spirits. Thanks for all of your prayers and positive thoughts!

I need to go because we're leaving for the airport in 3 hours! I can't remember the last time I was this excited (it's a different excited than basketball season...)!!!

Cambridge Countdown: 3 HOURS!

Busy Bee

This weekend, I was in Nashville for Dessa's wedding. It was beautiful. I am so happy for she and Taylor (and perhaps a tad bit jealous). Then, on my way back from Nashville, I stopped by my grandparents' house in Humboldt. I got to see my grandmother, which was really great. She seems to be doing well. Her surgery is tomorrow, and she seems to have come to be at peace with it all. I will certainly keep everyone updated on that front.

As for preparing for England, I've got a list as long as my arm of things I have to do in the next 76 hours. Is my passport here yet? Nope. Has financial aid sent me my money yet? Nope. Have I gotten some new teacher clothes yet? Nope.

Ok, this is stressing me out. Why am I posting, again? Off to take care of all this stuff...

Cambridge Countdown: 3 days!

Hoping

First of all, I should probably warn you that this is not the light-hearted, loving-life type post that I usually have.
Today I found out that my grandmother has breast cancer. They don't know how much it has spread or really how bad it is, but she will be having a mastectomy on Wednesday. She is about 70 and lives outside of Jackson, TN (halfway between Nashville and Memphis). She went into the hospital a couple of weeks ago for a cough she couldn't get rid of. Before they allowed her to leave, they made her have a mammogram. That's when they found the tumor.

I leave for Cambridge on Friday (in 7 days). I suppose that's what's most difficult for me...not being here when I should be for my family. I hope that everything will work out, she will be fine, and I can come back to see the same Mamaw that I know and love. I hope for that.

This is one of the most difficult and scary things that I have ever dealt with in my life. For those who know me, you know that I like to have a plan. The unknowing kills me. That is difficult, to leave the country not knowing if my grandmother will be here when I come back. No matter what happens, I know that she has lived a good life, has raised a good family, and got to live out her dreams. I hope that she is granted the chance to continue living them. As for me, I am a believer that there is nothing in this world that we can't handle. So, I'm positive that my family will make it through this stronger than we were before.

I'm not sure if it's okay to ask or not, but if you could remember her in your prayers, we would all appreciate it. I will be lighting a candle for her at church on Sunday, which is our strange Unitarian equivalent of a prayer. I know that things will work out, but it never hurts to have a little help ;-)

Thanks for reading this far, and I'm sorry for the downer of a post. It just feels better to write it down, and I feel like I should share it with those who care.

Honeysuckle

I've been home for a few days now, and I'm loving it. All of Germantown smells like honeysuckle. It's fantastic! Minus the unpacking (which I despise), being home is great. I was pretty darn happy that everything managed to fit in my car to move back (but only thanks to my mom coming up to get all of my clothes a couple of days early!). It's sort of weird because there really aren't many people home yet from school, so there isn't a whole lot to do. On Friday night, I went to the Redbirds game to see my dad's band play the national anthem. I absolutely love these games! They had fireworks afterward, even though we lost (reminded me of the football game Vandy lost to Rutgers and then we still had fireworks). They were really cool. Fireworks in downtown Memphis is something everybody should see, if you're willing to brave it and go into downtown Memphis, that is!

That's pretty much all that has been going on since I came home. So that everybody knows, I will be keeping this blog for when I go to England, so look here for pictures, updates, and funny kid stories. I will be in (the equivalent of) 4th grade, so I'm sure the kids will be a good time. That reminds me, I've got to get started reading Harry Potter...I don't want those kids to make fun of me for not knowing the stories!

Cambridge Countdown: 12 days!