It's been a few weeks since I've shared a 5 Things I'm Loving post and, because of that, I had a hard time picking just 5 things to share! But here's what I finally narrowed the list down to:
I finished my first page from my new grown-up coloring book (see above). I'm sort of embarrassed to be sharing it here because I graduated Kindergarten a long time ago… And it kind of feels like I'm displaying my elementary school art project or something. 
But then I thought about it more and realized that maybe seeing me take time to invest in creative and relaxing pursuits like coloring will inspire you to consider doing the same.
I also realize that, the older I get, the less I care what other people think. If it makes me happy, I'm going to do it, even if it seems juvenile. Okay well, within reason and all.
I've mentioned this book a few times this week on my live video scopes (Are you following me on Periscope?? It's so much fun! Just download the app and search for MoneySavingMom to follow me!)
This book is laugh-out-loud funny, but packed with many, many thought-provoking nuggets. You probably won't agree with everything in it (I didn't either!), but I think it will really make you think and re-examine relationships. And I'm almost positive it will make you laugh!
Note: I enjoyed the first half of the book better than the second half. I'm not exactly sure that I can pin-point why, but just thought I should put it out there. Also, the book is a little all over the place and the chapters feel more like essays or blog posts on different topics, not a cohesive compilation that builds upon itself and needs each chapter to make the whole book what it is.
3. Laughter - Just When You Need It
So, to be perfectly honest, this was a really rough week. Not only was I facing my first-ever surgery and was kind of unsettled and nervous about that, but I ended up getting really sick - with a fever and nausea. I also had a lot of business projects going on and was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
In addition, since Jesse's mom died of cervical cancer when he was 12 and the fact that his wife had a cervical cancer scare and had to have surgery to remove a mass on her cervix dredged up all sorts of emotions for Jesse. He was frustrated, stressed, upset, and grieving all at once - and this caught me way off guard.
I'm usually a strong, even keel, upbeat person, but this week, I felt tired, weak, and anxious. So I looked for things to laugh about - because I desperately needed to laugh.
This photo above made me laugh so hard one day. I shared it on my Instagram account and someone mentioned looking up the recipe for ice cubes on Food.com. I cried tears I was laughing so hard reading some of the reviews on that recipe.
Almost ready to be wheeled into surgery… I'm so rocking the no make up, compression sock, hospital gown look. Or not. 
4. The Amazingly Loving, Caring, and Supportive People in My Life
Folks, it's hard to describe in proper words the kind of support we had in our lives this week. It was humbling and so good for me to be on the receiving end - even though it is very hard for me to receive.
So many people offered to help and with each offer, I wanted to just say, "We're fine!" But the truth was: we weren't fine. We were struggling and feeling beat down and worn out.
The meals, the flowers, the prayers, the texts, the emails, the comments, the help with our kids, the many more additional offers to help… it was incredibly encouraging and made us feel so loved and surrounded with support.
And it inspired me to look for more ways to reach out and help others when they are going through hard times, too.
5. No Cancer Diagnosis
I saved this for last, because it was our biggest news of the week. On Friday, we got the all clear, NO CANCER verdict from the doctor.
After hearing the news and feeling the relief it brought, I realized that I had sort of been holding my breath to make it through the surgery and to find out the final results of the biopsy (the doctor had told us that they were pretty sure it wasn't cancer, but we were waiting to have the test results back that up).
I celebrated with graham crackers and ginger ale at the hospital - because I'm all wild like that. And then slept for 11 hours straight that night.
We have learned so much during the last whirlwind two weeks. We've grown as a couple. We have new compassion for people who are waiting on test results, facing surgery, or in the middle of some very unexpected and hard-to-process news. And we feel so humbled by all of the love and support people have heaped upon us - which has inspired us to look for practical and specific ways to love others well.
Thank you, all of you, for how you've rallied around our family the past few weeks. We can't begin to tell you what it's meant to us! And I'm so excited to (hopefully!) be back to normal life next week!
What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments!
