Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

I haven't posted in quite a while because I've been busy with work. This semester was difficult for me in many ways, but all of the wonderful things I got out of it were totally worth all the hard work.

Mother has had to go back on a chemotherapy regimen again because some cancer cells have reappeared in her blood. But her doctors are very optimistic that all will be well. She will have one more round of chemotherapy and then she will have a "booster" again in late January or early February. The booster is basically more cells from the original donor. I will know more in a couple days once I make it home for Christmas and talk to my family.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to a happy and productive 2016! There are so many goals that I've set for myself, and I really want to accomplish all of them. I'll hopefully make a separate post about this later, but let's just say some are very big!

That's all for now.

GoFundMe Campaign for Mom

As most of you know, my mother was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (bone marrow cancer) in September 2014. She had a bone marrow transplant in February at Emory Hospital in Atlanta, and after being released from the hospital she moved in with her sister - our wonderful Angie - and her family in order to recover from the transplant.

Time is almost upon us when Mother will be moving back to Mississippi, but she still has medical bills to pay for as well as travel to pay for to get back and forth to Atlanta. So, my awesome cousin Whitney Marquis Pullen has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for mother's medical and travel expenses. You can donate to mother's campaign here, and any amount would be greatly appreciated!

You can read more about mother's diagnosis and prognosis here, and you can read more about the type of cancer she has here and here.

God Bless!

LINKS:
Wanda Gordon Burns's GoFundMe Campaign
http://www.gofundme.com/uf7p9k

"Mom's Cancer" Blog Entry from February (Diagnosis and Prognosis Info)
http://kellywburns.blogspot.com/2015/02/moms-cancer.html

More Info on MDS from the American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/myelodysplasticsyndrome/

More Info on MDS from the National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/myelodysplastic/Patient/page1

Performing Life 2015-2016

Upcoming Performances

In June, I'll be singing again with the Mozart on the Green Festival here in Athens. I'll be performing songs by Mozart, Bellini, and Quilter in a mini-recital with pianist Gail Berenson. I'll also be teaching a few lessons that week to high school students who are attending the Ohio University Summer Music Camp, which is always fun!

The Fall semester begins in late August, and things get off to a quick start for me! In September, Gail and I will be presenting a faculty voice recital. We're performing songs by Gwyneth Walker, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn, and selections from the early Italian composers.

After that, I'll be singing the tenor solo in Carmina Burana in October, the title role in Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicholas in November, and the Father in Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins in December.

I'm so excited to be learning all this new music - all of the works in the later part of the year are brand new to me as a singer, and I can't wait to do them all! Here's to Happy Practicing!!!

What's in a diet?

I just had some amazing apple sauce and some sliced cantaloupe for lunch. Yummy.

I really love cooking, but lately I've been in a rut - repeat performances of the same (tasty) dishes. It's hard to find time to make something fresh each day, so cooking on the weekends seems to be my only option. But free weekends have been scarce this year. Lots of people have suggested that I make things that can be eaten throughout week, and that's a great idea, but it gets boring after a while. I also don't like eating out of boxes because of all the sodium and preservatives that come along with the meals.

I need to find a way to combat this. I'm tired of spending tons of money eating out and not really being able to eat good, healthy food. I'm thinking about starting a diet in which I only eat baby food (probably going to cost a lot of money). Maybe it'll become a trend, and I'll get rich and famous and go on Ellen. Hashtagbabyfooddiet.

A Message from Mother

Wanda Gordon "BiggaMomma" Burns has a short message for you all:

"Everyone is beautiful in their own way!"

And now for some updates:
Today is Day+7 - one week since the transplant. Mother is doing as well as can be expected. She has suffered from a long list of symptoms so far, but it seems to me that the big one is extreme weakness. The best news is that she's eating and drinking regularly, and she's starting to get a little exercise by walking up and down the hallway. So, she has some good days and some bad, so we're just taking it one day at a time. The next week will be the hardest part of her journey. Thanks so much for the continued prayers, positive thoughts, good vibes/juju, etc!

I spent the night on Monday night, and I must say that Mother is one tough cookie! Between giving me the look time and time again from making her drink her water and the occasional laughs, I could tell that she is fighting like mad! (Actually, she really loves how this blog is titled "Just Let Your Soul Glow" and every time I tell her I'm posting something she says "Rrrrrrrandy Watson!" in her best Eddie Murphy impression and then giggles.)

Getting rest is easier said than done in a hospital when you have so many people coming in to check up on you - poking, prodding, sticking, and all that. But they're really doing their best to get sleep when they can.

Daddy and Angie are holding up well - they've both been two very big rocks for her.

Corey and Brandon are coming to visit this weekend, so she'll get to see her other babies soon!

A Message from Dad

Today is Day +5. Wanda is feeling somewhat better; she started eating again! It seems like the fever has gone down. She's still experiencing some nausea and she has gained a little water weight, but they have her on medications for both of those and they are under control for now.

Wanda doesn't feel like talking a lot and is very tired, but she is in good spirits. She wants y'all to know that she is thinking of y'all and is so thankful for the prayers, cards, well-wishes, calls and texts.

She should have a pretty good turn around in 8-10 days. We miss you all, and you're in our prayers. A special thank you for the chocolates from the children's class!

Please keep praying for us as well as Wanda's sister Angie who lives here in the Atlanta area and is helping take good care of us. She truly is an Angel!

God has been so good to us, and we appreciate his love and his grace!

In Christian Love,
Terry and Wanda

Edited at 2:48pm EST (adding the picture)

Here's a visual of what we will be expecting Wanda to go through over the next few days. We're entering the "Basement Period" - the timeframe in which Wanda will be at her roughest. This will be a little scary for us, but at least we know to expect it. You'll notice the blue dots/hashes on the lines represent each day that passes. We're currently on +5. We'll keep everyone posted about her progress. Click the image to enlarge.

Much love,
Kelly

Mom's Cancer

This story is, of course, a hard one to tell because it's so personal and also unfinished. Last September, my mother was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) - a cancer of the bone marrow. Basically, her bone marrow is no longer able to produce blood cells properly. So, her immune system is greatly affected. Patients with this type of cancer typically need blood transfusions and/or chemotherapy treatments to survive. The best form of treatment is a bone marrow transplant. MDS used to be classified as pre-leukemia, but that's somewhat misleading (in Doctor Speak) even though if MDS is left untreated it can and likely will develop into acute meyloid leukemia.

Mother's treatment and prognosis has been fairly good so far. Starting in October 2014, she took five days of chemotherapy at the beginning of each month in Oxford followed by routine check-ups with her oncologist at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta. We were incredibly lucky to learn early on that there were three "perfect" matches in the National Marrow Donation Program, so my mother will have a bone marrow transplant this Tuesday (February 24) that hopefully will effectively cure the cancer. My mother could live many more years if all goes well.

Of course, any type of transplant comes with risks and uncertainties. This is the unfinished part of the story, and it likely won't be finished for about 2 years. The worst of this treatment process comes at the beginning, though, and chances of survival increase as time moves along. Mother, Daddy, Corey, Brandon, and I are all staying positive, and we are joined by extended family (most notably Mother's sister Angie) with lots of positive reinforcement and incredible generosity. I already know many who will make a trip or two from Mississippi to Atlanta to visit, offer support, help ease the burden, and relieve our "cancer vigilantes." I have to say I love each and every one of you!

After she has the transplant, Mother will be in the hospital under constant supervision for at least 30 days. With the doctor's approval, she can move in with Angie (who happens to live in the Atlanta area) for another 4-6 months. She'll need to stay within driving distance of the hospital in case there are any issues with the transplant being rejected or other complications. In other words, Georgia is getting one of Mississippi's most beautiful magnolias for the better part of 2015. Also, my uncle must be a saint for allowing two Gordon women under his roof for so long - especially one that has paired that upbringing with a Burns husband for 35 years!

Mother's medical team is very optimistic about her recovery, and they are nothing short of a miracle! We are glad that she is receiving such wonderful care from her doctors, nurses, and so many family members!

Any and all prayers, good thoughts, good vibes, positive energies, etc. can be sent our way! We appreciate every ounce of love and understanding!

A Warm Slice

Tonight, I finally got around to making a real meal in my new home. For those of you playing the home game, I'm a new Assistant Professor of Music (Voice) at Ohio University in Athens, OH. Fancy Schmancy, right? Hello.

So I've been here since mid-July and I've yet to really throw down in the kitchen. But tonight I put my foot in it, girl. I made chicken and rice, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and apple pie a la mode. And yes, child - it was good.

So I decided to share the recipe for my cast iron skillet apple pie with y'all. I do think it's worth the purchase of a cast iron skillet if you don't currently own one. And shame on you if you don't! Every cook worth his or her salt should own this staple of kitchen cookware. But I digress, so...

Gaily forward to the pie:

Ingredients
6-8 apples (I use a mix of gala and Granny Smith apples), peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 15-16 oz package of refrigerated pie crust
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon white sugar

What to do
1. Peel the apples.

2. Slice the apples into thin pieces (slightly larger than your thumbnail).

3. Place the sliced apples in a bowl, and add 3/4 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

4. Toss the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside for a few minutes. Preheat your oven to 350º. Take your smoke break (you nasty), watch an episode of your favorite TV show, or whatever you need. I like to let my apples sit for around 20-30 minutes; the sugar draws out the juice from the apples, which will collect in the bottom of the bowl. 

5. Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter [the real deal hooker, not that fake crap] over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. 

6. Mix 1 cup of packed brown sugar with melted butter. 

7. Turn the stovetop heat down to low. Unroll one of the refrigerated pie crusts (there are 2 in the box) and place over brown sugar/butter mixture and thumb the edges along the sides of the skillet. Be careful - don't scorch those pretty fingers.

8. Place apples in the "pie shell,"omitting the juice.

9. Cover with remaining pie crust, tucking around the edges. Cut 5-6 long slits in the crust.

10. Egg wash the top of the crust with a lightly beaten egg white, and dust with 1 tablespoon of white sugar.

11. Bake in the center of oven on a middle rack at 350º for 1 hour.

12. Remove the pie from the oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot, most likely with some yummy kind of ice cream.

Enjoy! And remember... JUST LET YOUR SOUL GLOW!!! 

Westboro Baptist Church Comes to Oxford

Well, I never thought it would happen, but then again it makes about as much sense as an antelope flying an airplane... but the fine people of Westboro Baptist Church will be making an appearance in my hometown of Oxford, MS this week to protest football idolatry. Yes, you read that correctly... Ole Miss is now the Football Capital of the World. I guess that'll show Bama! and Florida, LSU, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Oregon, and arguably USC and Notre Dame. But seriously, with the release of The Blind Side, the 2009 brand new Sandra Bullock drama that just hit theaters worldwide, Ole Miss has elevated football to religious heights. I guess that's what we get for having such a great recruiting year. Hotty Toddy!

Oxford has not had a good week, though. Court proceedings are ongoing at the Federal Courthouse in Oxford for a man who allegedly tried to frame a bipolar Elvis impersonator for the attempted ricin poisoning of President Obama, Senator Roger Wicker, and a Mississippi judge. So of course, there's a media circus in town. And you can find news coverage on a very sad story here - I can't bring myself to write about it.

But there's something about Westboro Baptist that's really entertaining... in a blood boiling way. Wouldn't it be such a fun musical? A big, gay Westboro musical. With drag queen tap numbers? The Fag Hag Rag? Soul-searching ballads, and of course lots of high belting? We could really go to church with this one. I mean, why not? Could you imagine what the creators of The Book of Mormon could do with this? Perhaps this interview can be a scene...

Of course, this is one of those "happy in my head" ideas, though... any thoughts on a title? All I can come up with is Westboro Side Story.

Unfortunately I will not be in Oxford to welcome the Westboro Baptisters to my home. But, thankfully, I have plenty of friends who will be going out to greet their entourage, and I'm sure my friends will take good care of them. Hell, my brother might even hook them up with some corn whisky. Perhaps they can come to North Carolina next and protest basketball idolatry.

Notes on Procrastination

Who out there has procrastination issues? Ok, don't all raise your hands at once, but I feel your pain. Procrastination is truly my kryptonite. I can't even begin to tell you how often I have waited until the last minute to start a big or long-term project because I get so frozen by the overwhelming thought of it being tough or one that would take a while, and I lose all motivation to proceed. Classic "deer in headlights" moment.

At some point in life you have to stop being afraid. You have to be a big boy or put your big girl panties on (or both, if you're into that) and deal with unpleasant things. My father would say, "Son, you need to shit or get off the pot." So starting today, I am trying a new approach. I have decided to commit to the "baby steps"/"slow and steady wins the race" mentality. I've known for a while now that this process works well for me, but I haven't made the jump to practicing music, school work (my dissertation especially), working out, managing money, cleaning my apartment, etc. I know it works because of all the trips I've made from North Carolina to Mississippi over the last four years; the drive seems so much shorter when I think of it as Greensboro-Winston Salem-Wytheville-Bristol-Knoxville-Nashville-Jackson-Oxford. I don't get overwhelmed, stress levels are low, and I tend to be a happier person. Plus the feelings of accomplishment and the "thank God that's finally over" makes for a huge relief.

Oddly, I don't have this problem at work. When I'm assigned a task, I do it. I guess it's because I just don't think about it, and maybe there's something to be said for that, too. Or perhaps the payment factor also motivates me.

So I've decided to give myself small goals in life:
1. Talk to my mother and father at least two times a week, each.
2. Skype/Facetime with at least one friend each week.
3. Lose five pounds each month this summer.
4. Read two chapters each night from my Summer Reading List.
5. Practice at least one hour each day.
6. Save 10% of my earnings each week, and put it in my savings account.
7. Wash clothes every other day (OMG how do I wear soooo much stuff???).

Summer Reading List
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
Love in the Time of Cholera
Howards End
The Lord of the Rings