Recap in pics...

Top 10 NHC table. Jonathon stood up and paced for all 6 races. He did not give me permission to join because he's highly superstitious and since I hadn't been there when he was doing well before, he insisted we continue doing the same thing. Haha. So, I spent Sunday all by myself watching live streaming of the event across the street like this...oh I also walked around the mall alone and made a mental list of all of the things I would buy with a million dollars. Surprisingly, doesn't go that far. haha.

So thankful Aunt Stinky and 'Line joined me for Friday and Saturday. Especially since Jonathon didn't want me anywhere near him. Let's just say us girls spent an OBNOXIOUS amount of time at the spa and ordering room service. So fun. Caroline and I figured it was nearing our 20 year friendship celebration, so we needed to go all out! Stinky volunteered to go home early and try and keep up with our kid so I could stay for the finals. I am a lucky lucky girl. I also included a pic me and a small share of craps table winnings. J's not the only big winner this time! I may or may not have had a craps table screaming my name while I WON THE DAMN DAY...and the next day a few random people were calling my name when they saw me asking me to come roll for them again and another guy came up to me and said he was trying to get in to play with me, but there wasn't even any elbow room. hahahaha. I need a pseudonym for my craps table personality. Best time ever.

Some cool pics of J at the tourney. Surprise last minute visit from best friend Joey. Texted me and said he was thinking of coming Sunday afternoon. I told him J was totally going to win and he hopped on a plane. Less than a 12 hour turn around for him. Wanted to see our boy shine! I think his awesome wife Lauren deserves some props too for not locking him out when he came home. hahaha. She's the best.

Jonathon had a slew of interviews he totally crushed. I've mentioned before, if the guy's feeling himself and gets a mic in his hand, forget about it. Pretty darn entertaining. He's had some offers for guest spots on shows and sports writing. And yes! That's the ESPN anchor you think he is who asked J for a selfie. haha.

We got to treat all of our buds (old and new...and minus Stinky and 'Line who headed home early Sunday morning...and Joey who was the only one tall enough to get the whole group in the pic) to a fun dinner Sunday night after the finals. Jonathon and I both were passed out before midnight while everyone else did the Vegas nightlife thing. Jonathon told me that no one wants to hang out with someone's respectable wife and mother anyway. Thanks a lot Dad.

 

Again, another reminder how amazing our friends and family are and how lucky we are to have each and every one of them in our lives (and the random 2 girls that they brought along to our celebration dinner! haha). Boys will be boys.

Dad is continuing his celebration this weekend with Uncle Robert and Mike at the Super Bowl. Austin is enjoying his weekend with his respectable mom on the couch recovering from her craps table stint. 

Win the Day!

Jenn

Yay Dad!!

hahahahaha. Finally dug up a pic from Jonathon's old video gaming days. That damn trophy still keeps finding it's way to my mantle 11 years later no matter how many times I put it back in the office.

The guy did not disappoint this weekend. Might share some pics and stories about some of the fun we got into in Vegas, but maybe not...you know...what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...UNLESS you're pulling off 'one of the most impressive feats in the history' of the National Handicapping Championship! Yup, the guy is unbelievable.

There are some videos of interviews he did and a zillion articles about him I'll pull together for yall to check out. Bottom line is. Our guy did not disappoint. But yall know, I didn't expect any less!

WIN THE DAY!!
Jenn

How in the heck does he do it??

Mom has always said that people like Jonathon have cool things happen all the dang time because they put themselves out there. Lots of people think he has incredible luck. Maybe. But half the work in getting something you want is going after it in the first place. And truly believing it can happen. He's pretty darn confident in himself. Never imagines that he could fail at something he really wants. And if things don't work out how he imagined, no big deal to him. He just keeps on keeping on! Doesn't waiver his confidence. Doesn't get embarrassed. Tries and tries again or moves on to a new wild idea he's passionate about.

People like me on the other hand are more the type to be cautious with every decision. Plan ahead for each move. Save for a rainy day. I debated for a week if I should cash in a lottery scratch off that I broke even on or just keep rolling it into a new ticket. It was a $5 ticket. I thought I was living on the edge when I finally decided to use my winnings to buy a $2 ticket and keep $3. Ha! And that's just one reason why I will continue on with my boring old day to day life. When Jonathon and I talk about stuff and he asks my opinion of one of his ventures, I usually think...my dreams seriously don't even stretch that big! I'm just a boring old simple girl. Happy living in ignorant bliss that what I've got going on is as good as it gets...Thank goodness I have Jonathon to sprinkle in a few adventures here and there for me...and to keep us growing and changing!

The guy really does have some pretty darn interesting stories about things that he's gotten into and people he's met. A couple of months ago he played in one of those horse racing tournaments I've shared with yall before to qualify to play in the National Handicapping Championship. He needed to get top 3 to qualify. Got 4th. Darn! So close, right? Well, that lucky guy got a call a few weeks later that the guy who won freaking DIED. Yup. So he was in. Seriously?! He also played in another qualifying tournament when he was in California over the holiday and won a 2nd seat into the tournament! Okay. Maybe the guy really does have some sick luck. 

So...off to Vegas for a big Kinchen win in the National Handicapping Championship! Believe it or not (actually dealing with Jonathon, you might believe it), this is not the first trip to Vegas Jonathon has won us. In college, the big dork was a huge NCAA Football video game champ and rep'd UT in the National Championship tournament there. HA! He even got a longhorn jersey with his name on it to wear while he played (which now hangs proudly on Austin's wall). We didn't come out victorious that time (Jonathon still clenches his jaw if you mention this event and says 'Jimmy. Florida State. Bastard.' Ha! That's the guy that knocked him out and won the whole thing). 

Here's a pic for some really good laughs. Especially for those of you who didn't know Jonathon pre-grown up world. Yes, the guy actually picked me up 10 years ago looking that way. Again, maybe he does have some luck on his side. Ha! I wish I could find a pic of him in that jersey, but just as good...this was our very first Vegas buffet together...

So...not that the guy needs it, but wish him luck and a BIG Kinchen WIN this weekend!! 

Get yourself out there and WIN THE DAY!!

Love

Jenn

What?! No BUTTER???

Imagine walking into a doctor's office and when your name is called, you don't have to wait in a room while wearing an uncomfortable gown sitting a cold table for what seems like forever until the doc comes in, listens to your heart and then sends you off with a prescription for an antibiotic or steroid cream. What else would a doctor do, right?

There are a few magical places scattered about that treat sick people in a very different way and I found an AWESOME one. You're probably thinking, oh yeah right Jenn, one of THOSE kind of doctors...with the online medical license and crystals and dream catchers hanging from her trailer? No! I found an actual real doctor in town who practices functional medicine. You're still thinking...sounds legit Jenn. Ha! No, really. She's a real doctor (a former pediatric ER doctor here in town who now runs her own functional medicine practice). I'm feeling very excited about my visit with her recently and wanted to share a bit about my experience.

1.  Before even making an appointment with this doctor, I had to complete pages and pages of my history including my birth history all the way through today. It was an intense 30+ pages, but all of the stuff that this doctor knows is important in understanding how I got where I am today and piecing together how in the heck to get me back up and running to the healthiest Jenn I can be. It took me MONTHS to get in to see this lady. There just aren't a lot of practitioners out there like her and people come from literally, all over the world to see her. Even some of my cooky Paleo bloggers travel here to see Dr. Myers.

2.  I had to share everything I ate and drank for a couple of days before my appointment amongst other info. Now, those of you who know me know that my diet is pretty darn clean. I eat a pretty strict Paleo/Primal diet with a little dairy (yall know I loooove my butter coffee!!) and the occasional splurge of gummy bears and chips and queso (ok, that's the opposite of Paleo, but so yummy! The last junky foods I've been hanging on to)...oh yeah, and wine too! ha! And I've actually eaten this way for a couple of years (even before I was diagnosed with breast cancer).

3.  The office was definitely different from your run of the mill offices. No cheap coffee and creamers in this place. They run a high tech hepa filter, ultra purified water and tea station and since I had to fast before my appointment for labs, they gave me an Epic bison bar for a snack! Ha! Ain't going to find a graham cracker or apple juice in this place.

4.  I was the only patient in the office. The way that they set up their initial appointments with patients is a 4 hour block of time and the entire (small) staff...doctor, nurse, phlebotomist, and nutritionist are dedicated entirely to you. It was definitely different than the crowded elbow to elbow waiting room at Texas Oncology and a total change from getting lined up in the lab room with a big group of other people getting poked and prodded.

5.  I saw the nurse and got my weight and vitals taken then on to see the Doc. I spent 1.5 hours in her office talking (fully clothed and in a comfy chair across her desk) about my goals for the consultation, my history, and what her plan was to help get me to my best state of health. It was awesome. I wasn't rushed. She was really listening and asking questions. She was knowledgeable about my medical history and had a totally different perspective than the slew of conventional doctors I have seen in the last year (and at the same time, she had the utmost respect for them and credited their quick movement to treat the cancer I had in, without a doubt, saving my life). I explained to her that although the path we took for treatment ultimately did save my life, and there was a well-coordinated plan of care during my treatment...now I feel like I need treatment to recover from the cancer treatment and NO ONE can help me! I get a lot of 'your body's been through a lot, it's just going to take some time' or 'find some things to counter the side effects of the med you are taking.' And that's just not going to cut if for me anymore. There has to be more that can be done. There has to be a reason why this happened to me in the first place and things that I can do to help prevent it from coming back other than the advice to 'just live my life.' I know that there is more. And she agreed.

6.  We reviewed a plan including diet, supplement, lifestyle changes I could make to help alleviate some of the symptoms I'm experiencing, but the bottom line is, most of my symptoms are likely side effects of the medication that I am taking. There is a lot that we can work on to get me better, but with that medication lurking in the background, we aren't sure how far I can get. Of course, I knew this. Tamoxifen has kicked my butt into the menopausal fast lane and it has not been a fun ride. I called Dr. Jim and will visit with him yet again about Tamoxifen and why he thinks I should stay on the med (p.s. the oncologist I saw at the out of town breast cancer treatment center was indifferent about me taking the med. She said that Dr. Jim is just throwing the 'Kinchen' sink at me. haha. That's a nerdy oncologist's joke. It's definitely not standard of care, but I am off the path on anything standard as far as breast cancer treatment goes, so not surprising.) My risks are low (stroke, heart attack, uterine cancer...), but that doesn't mean that I'm still not experiencing side effects that are affecting my quality of life. I need to hear some hard core evidence on why I should keep on keeping on popping this pill every morning to keep me motivated to take it...ugh...what a tough decision to make.

7.  Doc ordered labs and sent me home with a bunch of kits (tests I've actually asked my doctors to run before and no one would! Will fill you in on details of these after I get results), then off to see a nutritionist. This is where it's going to sting. I explained that I already eat a pretty clean diet, but after consulting with the doctor, they decided that I needed to go on a very strict elimination diet removing all potentially inflammatory and toxic foods from my diet for a few weeks and then systematically slowly reintroduce them to assess how my body reacts to them. So...it's easier to list what I can eat then tell you the list of things I am eating these days, but even after just a couple of days, I was sleeping better and my eczema started clearing up! There weren't that many things that they recommended I remove that I hadn't already, but there were 2 things that have been a big challenge...eggs and BUTTER! Yup, what an evil evil woman. Basically, I'm eating tons of veggies, some meat and fat and a little bit of fruit and nuts. Yup, that's about it. And it's my choice. And I'm feeling good.

8.  We have a bunch of check-ins scheduled over the next couple of months and will review labs and any further recommendations based on those results and the results of my dietary changes. Will keep you posted!

So...this experience was amazing. I left feeling hopeful and empowered. But also a little sad. Sad that most people are not able to access this type of health care. Sad that it took me this long to find a place like this! I'm not going to lie, and I'm sure you can tell based on my description of the resources dedicated to me, this was an expensive choice. And she doesn't bill insurance. Yikes. I am very very fortunate to be able to have the resources we do and use them in this way. Keep your fingers crossed that when I decide to add butter back into my diet, all goes well! I really do LOVE me some butter! It makes all of these veggies taste even better!

WIN THE DAY!
One of Jonathon's fav sayings...you never stay the same...every choice can make you better or worse.

Love
Butter-less and HAPPY Jenn