Skin Cancer @ 28?

I've lived in Denver for 2 years now and just a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to determining a primary physician and scheduling a check up. My initial objective here was to get 2 people off of my back; my fiance, whom I made go to the doctor over a year ago, just to be proactive (his family has a history of heart disease) and my mother- a nurse with swine flu paranoia.

I'd justified my 2 year stint with the following; I'm a pretty healthy 28 year old. I eat well, I workout on a regular basis and I no longer drink like I'm 21...not as frequently, anyway. So naturally I was expecting a stellar review by my physician.

After getting weighed (fairly painless) and measured (growing an inch in 2 years- thank you pilates and yoga!), I was feeling pretty good about things. Then we rolled in to the family medical history portion of the visit.

I'd say I'm pretty lucky in the sense that my family hasn't been burdened by a comprehensive list of ailments, but we have absolutely been touched by cancer...Melanoma, to be specific.

When I was younger my dad was diagnosed with Nodular Melanoma a few years later my aunt had some malignant areas removed from her back. Very luckily, both my dad and aunt were treated and have remained cancer free.

With that being said, the doctor and I thought it'd be in my best interest to do a quick scan to make sure that everything was looking on the up and up.

Unfortuntely, it ended up being a bit more complicated than that. We discovered a mole that bared two of the four indicators of skin cancer...with that, an appoinment was quickly scheduled to have it removed and examined...results to be determined within a week.

Normally, a week comes and goes without a whole lot of heavy contemplation over "life". Not this week. Confronting the very real fact that my life could change significantly based upon one test, I began to tally all of the situations that I willingly put myself in, that in return put me in this position. Going to the beach with no sunscreen, running outside with no sunscreen, going to the park with no sunscreen. The theme here is transparent.

The week dragged on and the concern that I had for my health occupied my reality as I became resentful over my voluntary laziness and disregard for my fair skin.

With one week passed and results determined, I'm relieved to say that just a few days ago I got the thumbs up. The mole was benign.

Quick to celebrate in the moment, all of my accumulated anxiety washed away and I was suddenly myself again...but better.

Previously, skin cancer was just something that had affected people other than myself. Now, after having experienced a reality check of my own, skin cancer is a definite possibility in my life and it's something that I will ALWAYS have to monitor.

However, there is one thing that won't change for me. Having grown up in FL I think I will always be under the impression that tan equals attractive. But there are options! Self tanner has come a long way over the past couple of years. No more orange faces or streaky legs.

For you Gingers out there, please keep in mind that we are the most at risk! Tanning for us just equals more freckles. Get yourselves out of the sun and to your local mall or drug store. I highly recommend Lancome Flash Bronzer, but Loreal Sublime Glow is fantastic, as well and it's 1/2 the price.

While your taking care of yourself, take care of your friends and family too. None of us are excluded by the disease so let's share some sunscreen!

chocolate chip pancakes @ midnight

there's really something to be said about living with your best friend. everyday is an unabashed approach to pretty much everything...and the thing that i've found is that this affords me the privilege to be exactly who i am at all times.

for example, if i want to watch the real housewives of orange county or for the love of ray j, i can do just that without feeling the need to question my intelligence or life worth. if i want to spend hours online searching for the perfect wedding venue i'm comfortable knowing that i won't be labeled as an "obsessive" bride-to-be...and if i want to go to bed at 8am on a saturday night because i had ipa's for dinner, that's cool too.

all of these privileges are especially sweet, because my best friend is also the man i'm going to spend a lifetime with. and the trade is, he has his privileges too...espn EVERY morning, farting under the covers, cracking beers as soon as football is on (even if it's 10am), and wearing the same sweatpants for weeks without running them through the wash.

the beauty here is that none of our "things" are too much for the other person to handle. we go about our days doing exactly what we want to do and enjoying each other all along the way.

last night was a particularly sweet night as we rolled in to the apartment from a snowy night out to find ourselves respectively snacky.

sitting with my fiance, aggressively taking back some chocolate chip pancakes that he lovingly threw together, i took a second to appreciate the comfort that we've found in each other and the ultimate privilege of being able to stuff my face at midnight and still feel sexy.