Most of you who know me know I am an open book. I’m not shy, and I’ll pretty much tell you anything you want to know. I love to spread joy through my goofiness, hope through my faith, and love by genuinely caring about others, including my soft spot for animals. I typically try to have a positive attitude and wear a smile on my face, but this year has been challenging. Even though I still wore a smile, inside I felt worried and fearful.

I have battled with heart issues since January 2025. Technically, I have battled with it since I was born, but I never knew it. I didn’t know any differently until last year, when I just started not feeling myself. I work part-time at a fueling company for the sweetest family you would ever want to find. I also work for the amazing Webb family, writing for their paper. I run my own coaching business, helping others make lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off, which I find incredibly rewarding.

Last but not least, I still clean a few houses a week in between my other three jobs. (Plus, still working on that “surprise” I talked about in January. Hopefully I can share that soon!) But I used to be able to clean for eight hours without any issues, but then it started to really wear on me. I would just be exhausted. I thought it was because I was getting older and just had too much going on. Yes, I did have a lot going on, but with a heart issue that I wasn’t aware of, my situation was even worse. I am the type of person who will work through it and blow it off. So I cut back to 4-6 hours of cleaning.

I then had that echo in January, and everything changed.

I had previously shared that my ejection fraction was very low in my article “Health is Wealth,” published back in April. You can search for this article on the Webb Weekly’s website if you want the whole back story. In April, my echo had gone back up, and I really thought all was well.

Let’s jump to August, when I had a follow-up echo and honestly felt like I felt better. That was a big fat nope. My ejection fraction was worse than it was in January. I was devastated. How could this be? I truly believe my body was in fight or flight mode, or I didn’t want to believe I felt worse, even though I had to continue taking deep breaths to feel like I could breathe. If I told myself I felt good, my heart would be better, but that’s not how it works.

Here I am now, this week, getting ready for surgery on the 24th of October, and still trying to wrap my brain around me being born with this left bundle branch block and how it’s affected my life. Seeing how I have slowly gotten worse over the years, I thought the cause of it was something totally different. Forty years old and needing an ICD, which is a pacemaker/defibrillator.

Why am I telling you this? Well, many of you are truly invested in our family, and I believe being honest with you in a real-life situation could help someone going through the same thing.

Heart stuff is ScArY man.

Unless you go through it, you wouldn’t understand. It’s like a club. People who have been through it can offer comfort in a way that someone who hasn’t dealt with it cannot, like my parents, siblings, husband, and kids. This has been a lot on them, too. It’s scary stuff.

I wanted to share this with you, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could pray for this Friday that the Lord will guide the doctors. It’s a three-hour surgery, and I’m a bit nervous. I’ll be in the hospital at least one night. If you could say a little prayer for me on Friday morning, I would appreciate it so very much. God has been right there by my side, and I’ve already told Him that He’s coming into surgery with me and not leaving me. He is with me till the very end! But knowing how many family and friends will be praying is just so comforting. I have a whole tribe who has helped me get through this, and going into surgery knowing they are all there for me is the greatest gift. I am so incredibly blessed. I thank you all for your love and prayers during this time. I promise I will keep you all posted on how it goes after my Halloween edition next week.

Jack Skellington Quiche

Ingredients:
• 2 pie crusts, softened, as directed on the box
• 1 cup milk
• 4 eggs slightly beaten
• Plus one egg (beaten for egg wash at the end)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lb. chipped baked ham
• 1/2 cup Extra Sharp Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using a shallow-sided 9-inch glass pie plate, place the softened pie crust inside and crimp the edges. Add the chipped ham and cheese to the bottom of the pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the bacon and cheese.

Now, what I did for the face is googled a picture of Jack and laid the second pie shell onto a big cutting board. I carefully cut out his eyes first, then two small holes for the nose. Saving any trimmings for his bat bow tie at the bottom. His mouth wasn’t too difficult. I just used a small paring knife to carefully get the slits in his mouth. If I could follow a Google picture, so can you. I am no artist, trust me! You don’t have to add Jack’s bow tie; I just chose to with the extra dough. If your kids love The Nightmare Before Christmas, they will instantly know who this is. Kenzy loved this!

Finally, place Jack’s face on top of the pie and pinch the outside dough to blend with the bottom shell. Brush a little egg wash on the dough before baking. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a knife, inserted in the center, comes out clean. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Has to sit in order to cut.

You did it!

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