Random cave hike we have always wanted to check out...

Just south of Kanab, Utah are 3 awesome caves on top of a mountain right off the main highway. Bryson and I have ALWAYS wanted to stop and try and get to them. Hooray for us!!! This trip we decided to do it. It was a short very manageable hike, with some slanting sections that made me a little nervous. But I followed my strong leader and the caves were amazing. 3 openings on top of a cliff, so gorgeous. Breathtaking views. Ahhh loved it! Life is beautiful.

Barn Burner

Bryson raced 104 miles in Flagstaff Arizona on Saturday. He raced strong and took the overall win, crushed the course record, and accomplished his goal of winning! I'm so stinkin proud of his guts!

Lil miss piggy

Myles hangin with the big boys

We had another great Saturday full of racing. Bryson took first place in the pro division by 4  minutes over second. The course was at Soldier Hollow in Heber. It was full of lots of climbing. So thrilling to see his training and dedication finally pay off.

Myles loves hanging out with the pro men after the race and chatting it up.

Skyler's teacup

My four mtn bike racers

Tuesday night was the first race of a new race series. Bryson took first in the pro field. Taylor and Skyler both raced in the 12-10 age group. Skyler (8) came in 3rd place and Taylor (10) finished right behind her in 4th. They did great. Myles raced in the 9 and under category, he was by far the youngest. Just check out the starting lineup!!! I love it! He had to run while pushing his bike for most of the race. Serious  single track. But he did pass a handful of kids and he gave it his all. He was so exhausted he didn't even stay awake to eat dinner, he woke up at 3am starving saying he was sick. Mommy is so proud of all of her bikers!

Super Saturday

Most Saturdays are chalk full of life for our family. We are not the type to be at home watching cartoons and cleaning the house top to bottom. Our typical Saturday begins with the girls soccer at 8:30 am, followed by a mountain or road bike race, then hopefully I can squeeze in a workout before the sun goes down. I know that may not sound that full but believe me it is.

Today Bryson raced a mountain bike race called 5 mile pass. It was exciting to see him get the win! This has been a tough racing season for him since he was not able to put in the long winter training hours during my brain tumor and recovery. Most people have no clue that pros are on their bikes training 30+ hours a week all winter long. Im so happy he got the win-he deserves it!

Taylor had her annual spring piano recital. She played two pieces. First We thank thee O God for a Prophet, and Mr McGill. She did great. I am so proud of the little pianist she is. She loves it so much. I can't wait to see how much she improves by her next recital. I never even have to beg her to practice her lessons, she loves piano so much.

Shirley Temple

Skyler worked so hard on her 3rd grade famous person report. She choose Shirley Temple. We learned all sorts of facts about her and Sky put many hours of research and preparation into her report. We are so proud of you Sky! It was a wax museum...doesn't she look just like her?

Johnson's trail St George

Nothing beats a lil sun and mountain biking...

31 years old

Today is my birthday first off I'm 31. What's the big deal? Why is it that women lie about their age? I'm proud of the years I have made it and feel that age also encompasses wisdom and knowledge. Today as I was in yoga I had an ah ha moment. Seriously tears were streaming from my soul with understanding. This year has been, to say the least a battle. One thing after another. And the cherry on top was my tumor removal surgery. I've recently been really stuck on why have I had to try so hard and dig so deep? Why has this been so painful? And why have I had to become so strong? But today in restorative yoga I learned something... Instead of focusing on the  hardships. I learned that I'm stronger then I ever knew. I know that there was a reason why I'm here. To raise my family in strength and in the gospel. So today not only am I grateful for another year of growth and learning. But I have a new strenght that I never ever had. Now to focus on the continued healing and recovery. I am so blessed. I have the greatest family and friends in the world.

Here is to a fantastic 11 years!

Today is our official anniversary but thanks to Bryson having a great job and the fact that we still need cold hard cash, he is on business at the corporate headquarters in Minnesota. We had a great celebration on Monday at Christopher's Steak House in SLC. It was delicious and luxurious. Most importantly we talked about our wild year, the endless blessings we have received, and truly enjoyed every moment together!

It does not get much better then this! Ahhhh :)

Here is my lil face book post: Today is our 11th anniversary! I am so grateful to be married to my very best friend Bryson Perry! This year has been a true gift and I know now more then ever I could not make it without him. Thanks babe for being my nurse and taking on the load at home. You are the greatest husband and daddy in the world. Here is to forever and ever! Tonight I will snuggle with your hoodie and I'll be dreaming of you :)

Here is Bryson's post: My official 11th anniversary is Thursday the 15th but due to the fact that I am heading out of town later this week, I am celebrating it today. This year was shaping up to be one of the scariest in my life with Taylor having her second heart surgery. Summer was so amazing through it all and was a rock for our family even when I was a whimpering, broken, heap, wincing on the recliner, just adding to the mess. We made it through it all with her being the hot nurse every household needs, taking care of everything! I couldn't have imagined a more amazing, supportive, loving, wife and mother in all the world. It quickly became the scariest year by a long shot when on September 12th she was diagnosed with her brain tumor. I was up all night worrying about her and it continued for months as I imagined what would I do without her. Summer is doing amazing and is recovering quickly and I am so grateful that we were so blessed to have had the outcome we did. Summer, you are an amazing mother to our wonderful children, you are my best friend in the world and you are still as hot as can be. I love you and am so grateful you chose me. I am yours forever!

To me I have always thought that I was grateful for the gifts, but it is amazing at how much of a blessing every single moment is! The moment the drs discovered my brain tumor I knew life would never ever be the same. I knew I had a new out look on life and that I would deeply savor every single moment, gift and blessing. I always knew that I was supposed to find Bryson and that we were MFEO (made for each other!) But I had no idea how much closer we could grow. I know that we have sailed through hard times and that no matter the challenge we will make it through together. thank you for being my rock and best friend. You are my world!

Gratitude is everything!

This year I wish I could simplify my emotion, but I am so eternally grateful for this year, I can hardly express myself. Looking back my family has been blessed and protected immensely, and I am sure that I will never ever forget this. Starting with Taylor having an extremely successful open heart surgery in June, she was a trooper and taught me so much about strength and positivity. Then exactly 2 weeks later watching Bryson crash in one of the worst bike race crashes I have ever seen (and I have watch many.) Myself, Myles, and Skyler were only 20 feet away and when I got to him I was just thrilled that he could talk, move and generally was going to be ok. A couple of broken ribs, a broken scapula, and a possible break in his pelvis (they were not sure if it was from a previous crash or not.) Bryson has always been amazing but having to take care of him helped me think about how important he is to me and how blessed I am to have him. Then the big shock, my seizure (which I know we were all protected as I was not able to get the car started.) Which led to finding a tumor in my speech center. This was a tough trial which I am still of course dealing with. But I am so grateful for all of it. GRATEFUL that myself and family were protected through the struggles. Grateful that they found the problem. Grateful that I was able to have an amazing medical team who gave me confidence and were able to fully remove my 2 tumors without damaging my speech. Grateful that I has zero worries about an awake tumor removal surgery (if that's not a blessing then I do not know what is) Grateful for the staff at Huntsman who didn't quite know what to do with me. I felt like crap and they just kept saying you are doing amazing. They would try to move me in bed and I would just stand up so they could adjust stuff, they were always shocked. Grateful for Bryson who stood by me side and took care of everything. I always knew I had the perfect man for me, but this trial truly put a deeper love in my heart. I love you Bryson so much and all i can say is THANK YOU! Grateful for friends and family who are there every step of the way. I knew my kids were safe and protected. I knew that if the bus was late a neighbor would pick them up. I am thankful for the greatest friends and family in the world and I know I will never take them for granted. I am grateful for the gift of health and healing. It has been a battle to stay at home and feel stagnant, but I will recover fully and that is a HUGE BLESSING!  Grateful for my strength and faith. This had been a humbling year in the best way possible. I have learned that we are in God's hands and he is here, he knows us, and is aware of us. Lastly I am grateful for everything, and grateful that I have a new view of life. Life is a gift. Happy Thanksgiving!

My 30 day follow up appointment...

I know I have been a little slow on my updates but frankly I'm thrilled to be back to some of my normal chores and mother duties. I am generally still quite tired and lethargic! I know I was ready to be all better but my energy is so low. That being said everything is going well and better then expected, so for that I am grateful. Bryson and I met with Dr. Jensen On Tuesday for my 30 day follow up appointment. It was funny the nurse didn't know I had just had surgery she thought I was at a year follow up. She kept saying you just look so good I can't believe you just had surgery, apparently most people look like they have been hit by a truck? When Dr. Jensen came in I could tell he was happy kinda excited to see me and my progress. He expressed his sympathy for all the gloom and doom before the surgery and explained that it is his job to let us know all the possibilities. He then said how happy he was with the tumor removal and how smoothly it went. My mapping was perfect, which means the exact speech center was perfectly located (that is not always the case). He rubbed his finger across my incision and said that it looked great, no infection there. We discussed the pathology results more in depth and the particular tumor type is a stage who one. Meaning that this type of benign tumor does not return! So I will have a yearly MRI for a few years, then move to an MRI every two years, and finally every 5 years. Sounds great to me. We also discussed the sharp shooting pains in my head. Dr. Jensen said that they are probably sensors forming back together in my brain. They could last for 3-6 more months and that every ones body has their own way of healing and growing back together. He also told me that my numbness around my head, numb ear, and sore mouth is all normal and part of the recovery. that was reassuring also. It was funny to discuss the surgery with him because he laughed at how much I talked??? He said once he had the speech center located (which turned out to be close but not that dangerous to my tumor) he then asked the anesthesiologist to start talking to me. Some how we got into soccer, I think it started from my kids and his kids play also. And I got all opinionated about club teams versus independent teams, my time as a coach and what I'm choosing to do with my girls. He said it was pretty funny to hear me so with it and so clear. He also said that most people remember very little but he knew I would remember a lot because I was so clear throughout the surgery. Dr. Jensen also said that with most people they need a whole team of people to support them during the surgery because basically they are scared and nervous, but as soon as he met with me and talked to me he knew that I was ready and was going to breeze right through the procedure (that was comforting!) The most amazing part was to see the MRI scan during the tumor removal. There is my head, a small black hole from the tumor removal and the A HUGE SECTION OF MY SKULL AND SKIN TOTALLY REMOVED. Essentially it was like a drawing of a circle (my skull) that had been erased for 25% of it! It was wild and super amazing at the same time. Now I am still sleeping around 10 hours a night and taking naps during the day. I have to be very careful about how much I do and what events I go to. Truthfully I am sick of not feeling 100% but I know it will come and I know how grateful I am and how much I have been blessed. I can also feel words coming back slowly but surely and my spelling is also getting easier. Dr. Jensen said I'm way ahead of the game and not to worry at all. So I'm not worrying I'm loving the fun moments with my family and friends and I guarantee Thanksgiving is taking on a whole new meaning to me this year!

Through this process I have had the opportunity to meet many other cancer survivors. I again feel so blessed to be in my current situation and hope others can also be as blessed as me. I had an article sent to me and I figure if it helps anyone struggling or looking for support then it is worth it.

The Role Of Support Networks In The Fight Against Cancer


Cancer is a battle. In fact, it is the toughest battle most people will ever face. Cancer is a disease of aggression and isolation. But no one has to face the battle alone.

Support networks are important weapons in the fight against cancer. Numerous local, national, and global networks exist to support cancer patients every step of the way. Some of them are community groups, where members interact face-to-face. Others are online communities, where people communicate through blogs, email, and discussion boards.

Cancer patients, family members, and caregivers need a team of people to support them and help them fight the battle. Cancer support networks do just that, in a number of different ways. They are important resources whether someone has treatable skin cancer, mesothelioma rare mesothelioma or any other form of cancer.

Information And Practical Support



Support networks offer several services for cancer patients and others affected by the disease. People with cancer have a lot of questions, and support groups can provide the answers. Books, brochures, and online resources provide high-quality, current information on cancer types, screening tests, cancer treatments, life after cancer, and end-of-life challenges.



The financial costs of cancer are significant, but money worries are the last thing patients need in their fight against cancer. Many support groups offer financial support, advice, and resources. They may also provide information on government assistance and grant programs to offset medical expenses.



Social And Emotional Support



But the jewel of support networks is the opportunity to talk about cancer with people who understand. Doctors and other health professionals are part of a patient’s support system. So are family and friends, but they are usually struggling with their own emotions.



Other cancer survivors are the best place to go for information, support, and encouragement. It is hard for cancer patients to put words to their fears and feelings, but talking to somewhat outside the family can help -- especially if that someone has gone through a similar situation.



Groups like  The Cancer Support Community, which formed when The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club joined forces, offer invaluable emotional and social support. Many also provide educational resources, counseling services, and healthy lifestyle programs.



Cancer support networks come in the form of local groups, too. They often meet in hospitals, community centers, schools, churches, and even member homes. Patients can talk to their oncologist, family doctor, or hospital personnel for the names and meeting times of cancer support groups in their area.



By: David Haas