Keep calm and carry on

Dear Meagan,

Hey there girlfriend, so I know sometimes with memory issues it's hard for you to trust others and what they are saying.  And while you are on your road to recovery and your memory improves every day, we still got a little bit to go until your memory is fully restored. So in the meantime, make sure to keep writing down the important things and trust your family!

Sometimes we all have good days and sometimes we all have bad days. The important thing is being able to shake it off, give yourself a pep talk and keep moving forward... aka keep calm and carry on ;) Right now your main focus is physical therapy and building that memory back up, and you are doing great!

Keep trucking away and keep calm (& carry on) when you are having a memory issue. If your ever scared just pray that God will keep you safe and take the situation out of your hands. It will be SUCH a relief. I know you've had a tougher week so I plan on coming to see you this weekend (probably Saturday) so we can get your mind off everything and just enjoy some sista sista time!

I love you Meagan Ann! Remember all the progress you have made and never forget how proud of you I am. You are such a good example to everyone you meet and such an inspiration as well. You have big shoes to fill and no one could fill them as well as you!

XOXO,

Brooke

I'll ALWAYS be here for you!

Dear Meagan,

So I have to be honest I was not expecting you to call last night so late, but I am sooooo glad that you did! I just want you to know that I will ALWAYS be here for you! Never hesistate to call me if you need something, I will always be honest and straight forward with you and help you through whatever it may be that you are going through :)

I can't believe I have such a fighter for a sister and I'm so proud of the progress that you have made.  I know this will sound strange and I know you still have 'bad' days, but your 'bad' days are so much better. I don't know if you can realize that or not but you when you are having a 'bad' day you still know deep down that everything is fine and you will listen to me and be OK :) It didn't always used to be like that!

So I'm VERY proud of you and thank you for calling me. I also want you to know that the life (church) group that Jeff and I are in are ALL praying for you this week so expect some good things to come your way. Everyone around you is so excited for the changes and the steps that you are taking. Never doubt yourself for one minute because you have an admirable strength that no one else can relate too.

I love you schwester! Keep your head up! Everything is turning around for you... as they do just remember that God's timing is the best timing so just pray & be patient! Also never sell yourself short, at this point you don't need a fat bank account or a man or anything else to define you. Work on you and everything else will fall into place!

See you soon girl!

XOXO,

Brooke

Cooking For Two!

Dear Meagan,

Considering you are now officially living on your own with your roomie Karen, I thought it would be appropriate to write about cooking for two :)  As I always say I am no expert but hope what I've learned over the last couple years can help!

So I almost always cook for 4-6, so we have leftovers... that way there is extra for lunches or dinner later that week. I know sometimes you don't love leftovers but you gotta get over that because full out cooking twice a day is worse than eating leftovers in my opinion lol.

Here are are a couple of my FAVORITE easy recipes! They also use rotisserie chickens which is nice because it saves you a step in cooking the chicken!

 FRENCH CHICKEN BROCCOLI SUPREME

Ingredients:

  1 – lb. fresh broccoli Break in pieces, and steam for 2 minutes.
3 cups cooked chicken breasts  – Break up in small pieces
3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese divided
2 tubes Ritz Crackers
1  stick melted butter
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

  SAUCE:
1/3 cup Butter- melted
1/4 cups Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup COLD Water
1/3 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Cups Milk
1 1/2 cups of the above Cheddar Cheese

 Directions:

In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low, and add 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.
Melt the butter, and add the poppy seeds, and stir well. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.




Easy 'Chicken Pot Pie'

Ingredients:
1 can of refrigerated biscuits
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 10 oz bag of frozen 'pot pie' veggies  (peas, carrots, green beans, etc)
1 rotisserie chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease 13x9 baking pan
Mix together soup, frozen veggies, and 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken meat
Add salt and pepper to taste
Place biscuits in one even layer on top of mixture
Bake 30 minutes
Let Cool



Hope you get to try and enjoy both of these! Love you! So great to see you on Easter :) Good times!

XOXO,

Brooke

Happy Friday!

Dear Meagan,

Happy Friday! I had an absolute blast with you last weekend! It was fun to go to Mr. B's to watch some b-ball and then out to dinner with the rents :) Your condo is TOO stinkin' cute and Karen rocks! I still can't get over how your carpet in your condo is the EXACT same color as in your bedroom at Mom & Dad's. You literally picked up your bedroom from 1819 and plopped it at the new place, but added a closet :)

I just want to tell you that you are beautiful and I am lucky to have you (& Amanda of course) as a sister... Make sure to keep making forward progress aka just because your hair isn't did doesn't mean you have to miss out on whatever you had planned for the day (uh-hum lol).  And if getting dressed up is one of your priorities before you head out of the apt, make sure you make time for it! Set your alarm extra early and/or ALWAYS do your hair right when you get out of the shower... if your hair is already done it will only take you a few minutes to get ready. I just don't want you to look at the opportunities or day you could of had and regret missing it because you weren't ready in time... sounds silly right?

Well it's holy week which means I will be seeing your cute lil' self on Sunday for Easter :) Can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend so we can be thankful for all the things God has given us! Including your second chance, and I love watching how you make the most of it!!!

XOXO,

Brooke

Your Very Own Place!

Dear Meagan,

You moved out of your parents house!!! Woo hoooo :) lol... so pumped for you chica, and of course proud of you too!  Everyone keeps RAVING about how cute your new place is and how perfect the location is... I just can NOT wait to see it this weekend!  We will defs walk around downtown and get some coffee or a drink!

As you make this transition to a more independent lifestyle you will be able to be more self reliant in more areas! Remember to keep on track with your rehabilitation including PT and memory training... I know your doctor said that luminosity is great for your short term memory, so be sure to take advantage of that daily.  Living with a roommate again too will be great! It is fun to have someone to share your day with when you guys can catch up. Remember to be uber helpful and respectful so you guys can have a great roomie relationship :)

Meagan Ann from Japan you are making such big steps in your life right now and I am so proud of you. Make sure to keep heading in a POSITIVE direction, not getting wrapped up with people or things that could bring you down or effect your recovery. All up from here! See you this weekend rock star :)

XOXO,

Brooke

A poem for you :)

Dear Meagan,

Ok, you've been requesting it so here it is.... another poem! It's super corny, but they are just better that way :) Love you schwester!

Meagan is moving into a new apartment on Friday
She says she is nervous, but that is silly I say!
Must I reminder her of what she already knows?
Of what I can see in flashing lights and arrows?

She is more ready for this than she has ever been
So ready I could just sit here and grin!
She knows how to cook, she knows how to clean
She knows whats up if you know what I mean

But it's more than being ready to clean the house
(And you can still call Dad if you encounter a mouse)
 It's about declaring independence and a fresh start
Something she's been longing for from the bottom of her heart

She is going to do great, I have no doubt
I just want to scream, I just want to shout
"You are doing it Meagan and I couldn't be more proud!"
I mean doesn't it mean more when you say it loud?

I can't wait to visit and hit up downtown
Cuz the Sutherland girls can really break it down
So give it a try, your gunna do great
Remember your a champion, a fighter, and God made you first rate!

Hope you like it!!! Love you Meaggy, call me Friday, can't wait to hear all about it :)

XOXO,

Brooke

Moving On Up!

Dear Meagan,

So good to see you at Shanty last weekend! I'm excited for you and Jeff to do the slushy cup next year... hope you are getting both of your outfits ready :) hehe, should be fun! It was really great to spend some time with you though, andddd I still can't believe you bought the whole fam breakfast! Look at you big spender ;)

I'm glad you are feeling so well coming off of your surgery and I'm excited for all the big things happening for you this week! First off, this week should kick off your NEW JOB as an office assistant for Heavenly Home Care! I'm not sure with the family 'events' if you are going to end up starting this week or next but either way, I'm so proud of you for committing to this new endeavor!

AND, on top of that, in the next week or two you are moving to the new apartment with Debbie's daughter... girl that is SO cool! I know it is probably a bit nerve wracking to think about, but remember your MAIN goal is to be self-sufficient and this is a great step towards it. Also there is NO need to be nervous, you are close to home and only committed to a couple months if that. So try it out, I personally think you will absolutely love it. You can still go in and out of the house, but you will be on your way to being able to operate and work on your own! Which will allow you to fully get back to your life, which is what you really want.  With your new internship through mAss kickers it is important for you to lead by example. Show other tumor survivors that if they take the right steps they can move through young adulthood into adulthood, just like you did :)

So keep up the progress Meagan Ann! You are such a good example for any other young adults who went through what you did and we are all SO proud of you! Love you!

XOXO,

Brooke