The past couple of days have been amazing, to say the least – just what I needed before taking the next step in my breast lump journey.

On Friday, I left our home in small town Missouri…

And headed a few hours north to St. Louis to learn, connect and finally meet a few of my online friends in real life at the SITS Girls Bloggy Boot Camp.

I only have a few photos to show for my wonderful weekend in St. Louis, which makes this photographer a bit sad, but I walked away with an increased knowledge, inspiration and memories that I’ll forever treasure as well.

My roomie – Liz of A Belle, A Bean, and A Chicago Dog – and I had a blast. We laughed…

Had a pomegranate martini or two…

And enjoyed the awesome view of the Gateway Arch while geeking out on our laptops at night.

Bloggy Boot Camp was an amazing experience. I learned so much and walked away from the conference feeling incredibly inspired. It’ll take a few days for me to process the entire experience and I’m more than okay with that.

Because I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.

Like the surgery I’m undergoing today to have the mass removed from my left breast.

I’m ready to be rid of this burden. I’m ready to move forward. I’m ready to bring this breast lump journey of mine to an end.

But in order to do that, I need to walk away.

So I’m walking away from my blog this week in order to focus on recovery.* 

I can’t begin to explain how difficult this is for me. You all have been such a big part of this journey and I want to continue to share it with you.

But I can’t.

Not until I feel better.

Until then, I want you to know how very much I appreciate you.

Your comments, tweets, Facebook wall posts, emails, well wishes and prayers mean the world to me. I’m so overwhelmed by the love and friendship you’ve shown and I just can’t thank you enough.

Would you do me a favor while I’m gone? Perform your monthly breast self-exam or schedule that mammogram you’ve been putting off once and for all. You owe it to yourself, and the people you love, to monitor your breast health.

*In my absence, the Leap Into Spring! Photo Challenge and Wordless Wednesday will continue as scheduled and I’ll have a few guest posters on hand as well.