I haven’t posted in awhile, but life has still been moving on, ever changing! Everything has been going really well on the recovery/cancer front. I haven’t had any more issues physically, and my mental state regarding everything that has happened has been better than ever. These past six (SIX?!) months have had a lot packed into them. Where to start? Let’s start with work life.
There have been some changes at work that have taken some getting used to. My manager found a job closer to home, which is absolutely wonderful for him and his family but sad for us. He was one of the best managers I have had at any company I have worked for, and he was so understanding and supportive while I was going though everything with the breast cancer. I promise you that if it wasn’t for him, I likely would’ve found a way to quit while I was going through it. However, him leaving actually provided me with the opportunity to stay at my current location that I have been working at for the past ten years. You see, when I was finally able to come back to work for good after the most major surgery (the DIEP flap reconstruction), I was told that I was going to be forcibly transferred to another location about forty minutes from my home. Mind you, at my current location, my drive is no more than seven minutes from my home. I really felt like I was being penalized for being on medical leave for having cancer. The company line was that my position was no longer part of the staffing model at my home center, but they needed someone in my position at the location that is forty minutes away. I understand the corporate decision making of it all, but it really made me feel like I was not valued at all by a company I had given almost ten years of my life to. Luckily I was able to get a medical accommodation put into place to keep me at my home center for at least six months while I acclimated to being at work full time again. This all happened late last year. The medical accommodation was set to expire in mid-June of this year, and at that time if my position was needed in a different center, I would have to transfer. So when my manager told me that he was leaving to work closer to home, it seemed like a no brainer. I had been working as an assistant manager for around five years or so, and I knew I had the knowledge and experience to take over where he left off, so I applied for the manager position when it became available in late March. In the meantime, we had several people out on leave of absence which left us spread pretty thin. There were also some other leadership changes taking place within our market/region that made the interview process take a longer amount of time than usual. The management position requires the applicant to go through four interviews total. All of that to say….I got the job! And I am happy to say, I also got a pay increase that makes me think that maybe I am valued after all. Unfortunately my start date for the new position got pushed back from mid-August to mid-September due to being summoned for jury duty for the first time in my life. Somehow, I was summoned for it on the exact date I was supposed to start my new role.
Outside of work things have been going really well! Patrick, Jaxon, and I had an amazing trip to Ireland in July. Even thinking about it now, it feels like a dream. Like, did it really even happen? If I didn’t have so many fantastic pictures from the trip, I might really think it was a beautiful dream. We flew into London first, and we got to walk around and see a lot that day before we settled into the hotel for the night. We saw the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk which was so pretty and serene. There were so many different birds in the park, some of which I had never seen before. We also saw swans which I had never seen in person before. We traveled through the park and ended up at Buckingham Palace. We saw that there were a lot of people gathered in front of the palace, and we wondered what was going on. It turned out that we got there just in time to witness the changing of the Royal Guard.
After that, we continued to walk around London until it was time to get some sleep before our early morning flight to Dublin, Ireland. Below are some of the sights we took in while walking around.
The next morning, we hopped on a short flight to Dublin, Ireland. We toured the downtown area while waiting on our timed entry to tour the Dublin Castle. After that, we visited EPIC the Irish Emigration Museum, then we went to pick up the rental car we would be traveling across Ireland in over the next few days. I was the driver, and let me tell you, driving on the opposite side of the car, on the opposite side of the road, and on some super narrow roads at that, is not for the faint of heart! My first drive in the rental car took us to the Guinness Storehouse which was easily one of my favorite parts of the entire trip! The building was seven stories tall, and as you walked through you learned how Guinness is made as well as the history of it in Ireland. We got to do a Guinness tasting where we were taught how to drink it properly, and the tour ended with a full sized Guinness in their top floor bar with a 360° view. Jaxon was given a soda rather than a Guinness 😆. Once our tour of the Guinness Storehouse concluded, we headed to the Shoreline Hotel out on the coast. This hotel was in a gorgeous area with a beautiful view of the coast. It was my second favorite place that we stayed overnight on our trip.
The next morning, we woke up and headed out to Kilkenny, Ireland. We saw Kilkenny Castle, and a few cathedrals that were so historic and beautiful. There is a path from Kilkenny Castle to St. Canice’s Cathedral that is called the Medieval Mile. There are a lot of historical medieval places to see along the path.
After exploring Kilkenny, we headed out to Cork. We stayed in a hotel in Cork overnight, and left the next morning for our tour of Blarney Castle and to see the Blarney Stone. There are several tales of how the Blarney Stone came to be in Blarney Castle, but they all agree that whoever kisses the stone will receive the gift of eloquence. It was funny to watch everyone lay almost upside down to be able to kiss the stone.
Next on the agenda was a trip down to Kinsale. This was such a pretty area! They had such colorful buildings!
Now we come to my absolute FAVORITE part of the trip! Kudos to Patrick for finding our next overnight stay. He said that he actually found it while looking for places to stay on Booking.com. It is called Kilbane Glamping, and it is AMAZING! They have two glamping pods on their property which is nestled in the foothills of County Clare. The pods are so charming and the views are exquisite. They also have farm animals all around including some very friendly donkeys that love to be handfed grass. Jaxon easily said that this was the best part of the trip for him as well.
The next day was our final full day in Ireland. We headed over to the Cliffs of Moher, which are just breathtaking. We also had the perfect weather to see them, as the previous part of the week had mostly been overcast. Once we finished there, we headed into Limerick to drop off the rental car, and we walked around their downtown area.
The next morning it was time to say goodbye to Ireland. We took a train back across Ireland to Dublin so that we could catch our flight back to London. We had the time to finally have a meal in a true pub which delighted me. The food and the atmosphere were everything I had hoped they would be. I had my last Guinness in the airport lounge before we headed back to London.
We arrived back in London just in time to be able to take the night tour on top of a double decker bus. If you haven’t done one of these in a major city, I highly recommend it! It is such a great way to see the city at night! It was the perfect way to conclude a dream trip. Like I said, if I didn’t have all of these pictures of this amazing trip, I would really think it was just a fantastic dream. I can’t wait for our next adventure!
Now that we have been back home, we have gotten back to life as usual. School is back in, I am back at work, and Patrick’s work is picking up again due to football season. I have jury duty starting tomorrow for the first time ever, and I am kind of hoping I’ll get picked so I can get the full experience. Past that I am looking forward to mid-September when I will be able to truly step into my new role at work. On the medical front, I do have a few follow up appointments at City of Hope later this month, but I fully expect to be told that everything looks great and to keep on keeping on.
I have also started delving into the world of yoga! It all started when Red Rock Yoga of Carrollton, GA held a free yoga session on a Saturday at the Amp. I took a chance and went by myself (
) to see what it was all about. I. AM. HOOKED. I fell in love. My niece and I decided to do their intro offer of 10 consecutive days for $10, and we attended as many classes as we could in that 10 day period. I have been going back ever since. When I can’t get over to Red Rock, I pull up a YouTube channel, Yoga with Kassandra, and I do it at home. Yoga has truly given me back the range of motion that I had lost during all of the surgeries for the breast cancer and then some. It quiets my mind and my body just feels so rested and somehow energized at the same time when I am finished. I do believe that I am addicted. If you live in the Carrollton area, be sure to check out Red Rock Yoga! You absolutely will not be disappointed!
In other news, I have been offered the chance for myself and my family to be featured on the front cover of a local magazine for Breast Cancer Awareness month! I am really excited for this opportunity considering that all I have wanted to do since being diagnosed is to spread the word regarding the new recommendation for when women should get their first mammogram. This will be a great way to directly reach out to my local community! We have the photo shoot for the cover coming up this week, and they were generous enough to let my family be on the cover with me. They have been my rock and support throughout this entire process, so I want them featured as well. I can’t wait to see how the article turns out!
Last but not least, I am also prepping for the Buffalo Creek Fall Festival. This is a local arts and crafts fair that I have been taking part in for the last three or four years with my crocheted items. Unfortunately I am low on items to bring, so it is crunch time! I am currently working on some Pokémon plushies.
I know this was a longer post than normal, so if you made it to the end with me, I appreciate it! I had a lot to catch you all up on since I posted the last time. I hope you like my new blog website. It was a huge undertaking to get everything moved over, but it was so worth it! I plan to post updates on a more regular basis now that I have gotten the new site up and running.
Until next time 
-Rachel
Enjoyed hearing about your travels and experiences! Your new site is wonderful!
Can’t wait to hear about your next adventures 💕
Thank you! I’m am so glad you like it 🩷
I’m so proud of you Rachel! All that you have been through. Then the traveling is amazing! Glad all has worked out on the job front too. God has truly blessed you. This site seems good for your blog. Love you my wonderful daughter ❤️
Thank you! Glad you like the site! 🩷