A Year of Love, Learning, and Miracles

The past 365 days have been an accumulation of what has been the most defining year of my life.

Exactly one year ago today my mom and I started on a journey to Ethiopia. It’s a country that holds a very special place in my heart. I was so happy to be sharing that piece of my heart and soul with my mother; to have somebody I love, step out of her comfort zone and share that experience with me, was truly one of the most meaningful things anyone has given me.  We definitely had some life changing experiences on our trip. The most life-changing was a telephone call. The internet was down, so we had to use the guesthouse phone to call my dad, via phone operator who connected us. I remember that night as if it were yesterday; we sat in the lobby and wept. The two words, “pancreatic cancer” were the devastating words that sent us packing to return home early, throwing us into a whirlwind year waiting to be had.

We experienced so much on our trip. We were scheduled to be there for three weeks, but as it turned out we were only there for a few short days; however, in those days we were still able to love, give, and learn. We donated tons of items to a great organization, traveled to a village to meet a boy that our family sponsored, walked the halls of the Mother Teresa- ‘Missionaries of Charity’ hospital/compound, and volunteered in the community of Korah. All those things, individually and collaboratively, helped me define unrealized dreams and goals hidden in my heart; they are continuous motivation to follow the path I truly want for my life.  

After the news, we waited 2 days for the next flight out of Ethiopia and had over 24 hours of traveling to try and come to terms with the monster we’d be fighting as soon as we landed back in Tulsa. Perhaps the saying is true, you don’t know how strong you are until you have no other choice. It’s been quite a year. My parents are my heroes. They have been so strong, loved each other through every single second of this past year, and have been shining examples of handling bad circumstances with grace. We've been in the valleys, and we've been on the mountains.

Every single day for the past 365 days, I have thanked God for the blessings in my life. I've cherished the small things. I've told myself, “Enjoy today. Be thankful for right now. Remember this day.” This past year has been so hard.There have been days that I've wanted to just stay in bed and cry. There have also been days that I've not wanted to sleep because I knew I needed to make the most of every second. There have been so many lessons, so much love, and so many memories for my family this past year.

I stepped onto that airplane, leaving for Ethiopia, never knowing how much my life would change in the following year. In a very twisted way, I’m thankful for this past year. It has taught me more about myself, life, love, and family than I probably would have ever, in my entire life, known otherwise. We are all stronger, happier, wiser, and..... most importantly, we are all alive and still able to make the very most of every single day.  

Thank you friends and family for all your support through this past year.
THIS PAST YEAR IS FINALLY OVER-- WOOHOO!!

April 2012

Ethiopia, April 2012
meeting Biruk

Houston, May 2012
after surgery

Houston, May 2012
up and walking

Houston, June 2012
a walk around the hospital to get out of the room for a bit
(dad calls this his "fell off the back of the hearse and lived" picture! haha)

October 2012
after mom's surgery

November 2012
still taking chemo- still staying active

a Christmas we were so thankful to have together

January 2013
going in for more tests... with devastating news to follow

February 2013
 living a 'quality' life- enjoying the days

March 2013
sharing our story- such an amazing experience
we love ellen!!!!!!

March 2013
zip lining on the cruise, truly enjoying life and
making priceless memories

Now.
SO THANKFUL FOR THIS MIRACLE 

Banana Bread Cake

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS, AMAZING.
One bite and you'll absolutely melt.

Your heart will thank me, but if you're counting your daily calories you might be a little upset.
You'll get over it after the first bite.

I had a few very ripe bananas that needed to be used ASAP before turning totally black and disgusting. I had planned on making banana bread today, but I saw this recipe shared on Facebook and had to try it.... and now I'm not so sure I'll be making banana bread anytime in the future.

The recipe was coined as "Banana Bread Bars" but I didn't have a jelly roll pan so I just made it like a cake. I halved the recipe and made it in a 6 x 10 Pyrex dish (not sure if that's a common size... but it's a little bit smaller than 9 x 13).... and it came out to be just perfect for that size dish. Not to mention, plenty for just 2 people.

Ready. Set. START MAKING IT!!!

Essentially you make the cake, and once it's baking in the oven you start on the frosting.

Banana Bread Cake:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup softened butter
2 eggs
3 or 4 ripe and mashed bananas
(I used about 3 1/2 for the halved recipe; in banana bread I love having some extra banana so I tried it with this too-- it turned out great)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
(optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
(i'm a no-nuts kinda girl myself... but if you must)

Heat oven to 375. Grease your dish.

In large mixing bowl beat together the sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs until it's creamy.
Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt and blend for 1 minute.
(stir in walnuts if you're adding nuts)

Spread banana batter evenly into pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
(you can always use the toothpick method to make sure it's not gooey before taking it out)

While the cake is baking, start the frosting.

Brown Butter Frosting (aka, my new favorite frosting):

1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Over medium heat, heat butter in a large saucepan until boiling-- let the butter turn a light golden brown and remove from heat right away.

Add powered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
Whisk together until smooth (consistency should be thicker than a glaze but not too thick-- it'll harden up later)
Mine was sort of clumpy so I added a little bit more milk until it became a little more smooth.

Once the cake is out of the oven (still warm), using a spatula spread the warm frosting evenly over the top of the cake. After a couple of minutes of cooling the frosting will harden.

ENJOY!