Wednesday, November 28, 2007
#6
Well, Reagan (Jim's Little sister by proxy :)) used to do her snake count. well, I am doing my scorpion count....and it's now #6. And 6 in 3 years and 2 months is not bad. EXCEPT WHEN #6 WAS FOUND CRAWLING ON THE NECK OF MY SONS SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the crazy thing is that I was able to see it. I was being lazy this morning and didn't even take the time to put my glasses on. I go into Matt's room and grab his clothes that he laid out on the floor and help him put on his shirt and socks (normal routine stuff). Then we head to the kitchen for breakfast. As he was standing at the fridge deciding was frozen item I could nuke for him I see a freaking scorpion crawling on the neck of his shirt (now mind you I am 20/200 without vision correction...in technical terms - Legally Blind!!). Never-the-less, I saw the S.O.B.!! I tell him to just freeze...he has no clue..and that was probably for the best! He just turns to look at me (just as the things about to get on his neck) and says "what...why?" I firmly say "STAND STILL"!!!!!!!! I couldn't think of anything but to blow real hard on it and hope it falls off of him. It got off his neck and I blew again and it fell to the floor. I holler at Jim to bring a shoe and the crisis was over. I just cannot believe how many opportunities that little sucker had to sting Matt and it didn't. Whew... what a way to start the morning. Thank you to the good Lord above :)
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Halloween and other happenings
Sorry for the delay in posting the Halloween pictures. We didn't take many this year cause they kinda wore the same thing as last year. the big kids had tole me that they weren't going to dress up this year. I asked several times and they said that they just wanted to get to walk Brayden up to the doors to T or T. So I left it at that and I just LOVED Brayden's costume from last year and was delighted that it still fit. Well as i got him dressed to go out the big kids decided that they wanted to dress up. Pickings were slim, so this is what they came up with.
They all looked cute and got LOADS of candy in a very short am out of time! We really look forward to get to hand out candy in the new house this year. The kids have always love to give out...maybe even more than getting the candy :)
Sunday was my 34th b-day. Thank you for all of you that sent B-day wishes. Beth I hope you had a great b-day!! (Hers was last Thursday and I lame brained and forgot to tell her:(). We all went to the Ft. Worth Zoo and then to eat at Pappasitios. It was a great day to go and I think my parents had as much fun as the kids :) The food was great, but I was in complete misery for the rest of the day. They NEED to offer a 1/2 size of those dang fajitas!! :)
And we finally found out what the crap was on my arms! I was called into my drs office on 10/24 and he dropped a mini bomb on us. I supposedly have Sweets Syndrome. What that basically means is that the crap on my arms actually had nothing to do with my skin. Those "lesions" were an indicator that something is going on internally. The 3 main causes that makes Sweets appear is: malignancy, infection/inflammaition (Crones (sp?), Rheumatoid arthritis, etc), or a drug reaction. I have had a slew of tests done to rule out cancer. The 3 main types of cancer that make Sweets appear are: leukemia, breast, and ovarian. Well we know for certain that I don't have breast or "external ovarian". I have a CT scan sometime this week to completely rule out ovarian. My blood tests that were "tumor markers" all came back normal...woo hoo! The oncologist feels that it very well may be from all the drugs that I had been on to cure the crap on my legs...but can't give a "for sure". But he felt pretty strongly that if this was caused from a malignancy that my lesions would still be flaring up and...they aren't. They are almost all gone!!! So that's great news. Once all the cancer avenues have been explored, we'll move on to the infection/inflammation issue. If nothing shows up there then we just move on. Cause there's supposedly a 50% chance that you never find out what caused it. It's been one hell of a roller coaster ride and I'm ready to but this thing to bed!! I know Jim is too!
Everyone else is doing good. Me, Matt and the baby have allergy crud...but that's nothing a little Zyrtec can't knock out.
I hope you are doing well! Have a great week!
They all looked cute and got LOADS of candy in a very short am out of time! We really look forward to get to hand out candy in the new house this year. The kids have always love to give out...maybe even more than getting the candy :)
Sunday was my 34th b-day. Thank you for all of you that sent B-day wishes. Beth I hope you had a great b-day!! (Hers was last Thursday and I lame brained and forgot to tell her:(). We all went to the Ft. Worth Zoo and then to eat at Pappasitios. It was a great day to go and I think my parents had as much fun as the kids :) The food was great, but I was in complete misery for the rest of the day. They NEED to offer a 1/2 size of those dang fajitas!! :)
And we finally found out what the crap was on my arms! I was called into my drs office on 10/24 and he dropped a mini bomb on us. I supposedly have Sweets Syndrome. What that basically means is that the crap on my arms actually had nothing to do with my skin. Those "lesions" were an indicator that something is going on internally. The 3 main causes that makes Sweets appear is: malignancy, infection/inflammaition (Crones (sp?), Rheumatoid arthritis, etc), or a drug reaction. I have had a slew of tests done to rule out cancer. The 3 main types of cancer that make Sweets appear are: leukemia, breast, and ovarian. Well we know for certain that I don't have breast or "external ovarian". I have a CT scan sometime this week to completely rule out ovarian. My blood tests that were "tumor markers" all came back normal...woo hoo! The oncologist feels that it very well may be from all the drugs that I had been on to cure the crap on my legs...but can't give a "for sure". But he felt pretty strongly that if this was caused from a malignancy that my lesions would still be flaring up and...they aren't. They are almost all gone!!! So that's great news. Once all the cancer avenues have been explored, we'll move on to the infection/inflammation issue. If nothing shows up there then we just move on. Cause there's supposedly a 50% chance that you never find out what caused it. It's been one hell of a roller coaster ride and I'm ready to but this thing to bed!! I know Jim is too!
Everyone else is doing good. Me, Matt and the baby have allergy crud...but that's nothing a little Zyrtec can't knock out.
I hope you are doing well! Have a great week!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Yowza am I behind....
So sorry for my leave of absence. It's been kinda crazee around here! So if you have time...get comfy cause this is a LONG one!
3 weeks ago today we put our house on the market. We got an offer on Monday!! Unreal! This house was not "supposed" to sell for possibly 6 months cause it's the wrong time of year to sell AND cause of the dirt road. But we definitely defied the odds. So on Dec. 6th we are moving to the west side of Decatur to a beautiful wooded subdivision. I'll attach the picture from Realtor.com, but I don't think it will come out very good.
The kids are excited and happy to learn that they don't have to change schools. And they are both at the age that, that is something VERY important to them. And we respect that :)
Another part of the craziness that's been going on around here has been me! Back on 9/20 I started this funky skin rash thing. I passed it off as bug bites for several days, but then it started to all get a bit out of control. I went to the first dr. and she told me it was filliculitis (sp?) (something that everyone gets from shaving at one point in their lives), just a more severe case than usual. She put me on steroids and it all seemed to get better. Then, a week later it all flared up again...and with a vengeance AND with some new funky symptoms. So I popped into the Minor Emergency Clinic on Denton and the guy said that the stuff on my legs was a bad staph infection, the stuff on my arms was chicken pox?!?!?, and that all of this was affecting my heart (the funky symptoms I mentioned) and that I needed to get an EKG ASAP! Scared the crap out of me, Jim and my parents! Deep down I knew that my heart was fine, but that dr. had me worried that I just didn't know my body that well. My EKG test all came back fine. That dr. said that the steroids that the original dr. put me on were too big of a dose and that caused the heart issues. He said that what I had on my arms and legs was staph, NOT chicken pox! He tells me to follow up with my regular dr. in a day or 2. I don't have a regular dr., so I opened the phone book and tried to find a dr. that didn't just scream out "QUACK". So I go to the (hopefully non-quack) dr. 2 days later and he says that I have a bad staph infection that has gotten into my blood stream and I need some antibiotics strong enough to kill it, but with my long allergy list it was gonna be tough. He really was kind of a jerk and really didn't seem to want to have to deal with me. He tells me to take what he's prescribed along with what the hospital dr. prescribed and I should be fine in about 5 days. By day 5 things were sucking petty bad so I went to a dr. I used to go to back when we lived in Justin. In high hopes that he will figure this crap out!!!!!!!! He tells me that the boils on my arms should have been tested for staph and couldn't figure out why no one up to this point hasn't tested me for staph. Since none of my lovely boils were oozing when I saw him, he couldn't get a sample. He just went under the assumption that I had a resistant strain of staph and that if he gave me a shot of steroids mixed with some other stuff that would help the antibiotics get to infection better. Within 30 mins I felt like a million bucks!! No redness, itching, inflammation!! Woo Hoo, I'm healed!!! Then 4 days later it's all freaking back on my arms (legs are still good minus one smal boil). So I call my guy in Justin last Friday and they are out for the weekend. So I call the jerk dr I went to before the Justin dr. and he tells me I need an additional antibiotic to kill this staph. He just call in the meds and tells me to expect my sweat and other fluids to turn red. But it's normal. Thru the weekend I got increasingly dizzy, sick to my stomach, I couldn't keep a straight thought, and my joints and head killed! By Monday I was in bad shape and the bumps on my arms were the least of my worries. So I went to another new dr. and just prayed that THIS time I'd found the guy that was finally gonna help me! He DID! He told me that all the combined meds that Ive been put on thru the last several weeks were making me have all these side effects. He told me to discontinue all of them right then and that this stuff on my arms is not staph and the stuff that was on my legs was not staph. He told me that I needed to get to a specialist ASAP and he got on the phone right away to try to get me into one of his friend in Ft. Worth. That dr. said get down there in a hour and so we were on the road. That dr. confirmed that everything over the weekend that I was experiencing was all drug side effects. And that I don't have and never did have staph. That is itself was the BIGGEST relief EVER! I'd been washing everything I touched daily, bleaching, cloroxing everything I came in contact with. Keeping the kids at bay so I didn't infect them. Jim sleeping in another bed so I didn't infect him. Covering up in long sleeves in 88-90 days so I didn't get stared at in public!!! It has been soooooooooooooo frustrating. And with that one sentence I felt so much freaking relief. Just knowing that I wasn't contagious...whew! That dr. was so sweet. He grabbed my arms and rubbed up and down on them and said "see, I'll even tough you" :) They took some biopsies of my arm and threw some really big words at us. But bottom line was..he said "I will find out what this is!" We will go back on Monday and get my test results and stitches out. But ya know, I don't give a crap WHAT those results say cause I feel SSSOOOOOOOOOO good now. Nothing hurts, nothing's itchy (he gave me stuff to put on the bumps), I'm not foggy head anymore, and I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS!!!!!!
Told you this was gonna be long!
In other news, Nat did GREAT in her last CC meet. She finished in the middle of the pack and there were still girls finishing well past 10 mins after she finished!! Still doing art and piano. She'll have another recital in a few weeks and I can't wait to she how much she's improved :)
Matthew has made the UIL Number Sense team!! We are so proud of him...and he's pretty proud of himself :) Jim and Matt also just got back from their annual trip to the dunes in Kermit. They had a good time and NO ONE needed stitches...woo hoo!
Brayden is 2! And some days he is REALLY 2!!! But he's also become one smart little toot. He can count to 6! English and Spanish....thank you Dora and Deigo!! And last night he was recognizing the 4-5 primary colors. And he talks so good...it floors me some days how well we communicate! Then there are the melt down days when our communication breaks down to just screaming....ack :)
And in sad news, Jim's Pop passed away on the 4th and his services were on the 6th. Cancer won again :( I talked to Jim's Mom yesterday and she is doing good. And I pray each day that the rest of the family, especially his Granny are coping ok.
Future news...we are going back to the beach next Thurs - Monday. BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!
I think I covered all the news since I last blogged. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. If I did, I'll make up another blog later this week.
3 weeks ago today we put our house on the market. We got an offer on Monday!! Unreal! This house was not "supposed" to sell for possibly 6 months cause it's the wrong time of year to sell AND cause of the dirt road. But we definitely defied the odds. So on Dec. 6th we are moving to the west side of Decatur to a beautiful wooded subdivision. I'll attach the picture from Realtor.com, but I don't think it will come out very good.
The kids are excited and happy to learn that they don't have to change schools. And they are both at the age that, that is something VERY important to them. And we respect that :)
Another part of the craziness that's been going on around here has been me! Back on 9/20 I started this funky skin rash thing. I passed it off as bug bites for several days, but then it started to all get a bit out of control. I went to the first dr. and she told me it was filliculitis (sp?) (something that everyone gets from shaving at one point in their lives), just a more severe case than usual. She put me on steroids and it all seemed to get better. Then, a week later it all flared up again...and with a vengeance AND with some new funky symptoms. So I popped into the Minor Emergency Clinic on Denton and the guy said that the stuff on my legs was a bad staph infection, the stuff on my arms was chicken pox?!?!?, and that all of this was affecting my heart (the funky symptoms I mentioned) and that I needed to get an EKG ASAP! Scared the crap out of me, Jim and my parents! Deep down I knew that my heart was fine, but that dr. had me worried that I just didn't know my body that well. My EKG test all came back fine. That dr. said that the steroids that the original dr. put me on were too big of a dose and that caused the heart issues. He said that what I had on my arms and legs was staph, NOT chicken pox! He tells me to follow up with my regular dr. in a day or 2. I don't have a regular dr., so I opened the phone book and tried to find a dr. that didn't just scream out "QUACK". So I go to the (hopefully non-quack) dr. 2 days later and he says that I have a bad staph infection that has gotten into my blood stream and I need some antibiotics strong enough to kill it, but with my long allergy list it was gonna be tough. He really was kind of a jerk and really didn't seem to want to have to deal with me. He tells me to take what he's prescribed along with what the hospital dr. prescribed and I should be fine in about 5 days. By day 5 things were sucking petty bad so I went to a dr. I used to go to back when we lived in Justin. In high hopes that he will figure this crap out!!!!!!!! He tells me that the boils on my arms should have been tested for staph and couldn't figure out why no one up to this point hasn't tested me for staph. Since none of my lovely boils were oozing when I saw him, he couldn't get a sample. He just went under the assumption that I had a resistant strain of staph and that if he gave me a shot of steroids mixed with some other stuff that would help the antibiotics get to infection better. Within 30 mins I felt like a million bucks!! No redness, itching, inflammation!! Woo Hoo, I'm healed!!! Then 4 days later it's all freaking back on my arms (legs are still good minus one smal boil). So I call my guy in Justin last Friday and they are out for the weekend. So I call the jerk dr I went to before the Justin dr. and he tells me I need an additional antibiotic to kill this staph. He just call in the meds and tells me to expect my sweat and other fluids to turn red. But it's normal. Thru the weekend I got increasingly dizzy, sick to my stomach, I couldn't keep a straight thought, and my joints and head killed! By Monday I was in bad shape and the bumps on my arms were the least of my worries. So I went to another new dr. and just prayed that THIS time I'd found the guy that was finally gonna help me! He DID! He told me that all the combined meds that Ive been put on thru the last several weeks were making me have all these side effects. He told me to discontinue all of them right then and that this stuff on my arms is not staph and the stuff that was on my legs was not staph. He told me that I needed to get to a specialist ASAP and he got on the phone right away to try to get me into one of his friend in Ft. Worth. That dr. said get down there in a hour and so we were on the road. That dr. confirmed that everything over the weekend that I was experiencing was all drug side effects. And that I don't have and never did have staph. That is itself was the BIGGEST relief EVER! I'd been washing everything I touched daily, bleaching, cloroxing everything I came in contact with. Keeping the kids at bay so I didn't infect them. Jim sleeping in another bed so I didn't infect him. Covering up in long sleeves in 88-90 days so I didn't get stared at in public!!! It has been soooooooooooooo frustrating. And with that one sentence I felt so much freaking relief. Just knowing that I wasn't contagious...whew! That dr. was so sweet. He grabbed my arms and rubbed up and down on them and said "see, I'll even tough you" :) They took some biopsies of my arm and threw some really big words at us. But bottom line was..he said "I will find out what this is!" We will go back on Monday and get my test results and stitches out. But ya know, I don't give a crap WHAT those results say cause I feel SSSOOOOOOOOOO good now. Nothing hurts, nothing's itchy (he gave me stuff to put on the bumps), I'm not foggy head anymore, and I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS!!!!!!
Told you this was gonna be long!
In other news, Nat did GREAT in her last CC meet. She finished in the middle of the pack and there were still girls finishing well past 10 mins after she finished!! Still doing art and piano. She'll have another recital in a few weeks and I can't wait to she how much she's improved :)
Matthew has made the UIL Number Sense team!! We are so proud of him...and he's pretty proud of himself :) Jim and Matt also just got back from their annual trip to the dunes in Kermit. They had a good time and NO ONE needed stitches...woo hoo!
Brayden is 2! And some days he is REALLY 2!!! But he's also become one smart little toot. He can count to 6! English and Spanish....thank you Dora and Deigo!! And last night he was recognizing the 4-5 primary colors. And he talks so good...it floors me some days how well we communicate! Then there are the melt down days when our communication breaks down to just screaming....ack :)
And in sad news, Jim's Pop passed away on the 4th and his services were on the 6th. Cancer won again :( I talked to Jim's Mom yesterday and she is doing good. And I pray each day that the rest of the family, especially his Granny are coping ok.
Future news...we are going back to the beach next Thurs - Monday. BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!
I think I covered all the news since I last blogged. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. If I did, I'll make up another blog later this week.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Cross Country
Nat had her 1st cross country meet this past Wed. in Ponder. Let me just say...it goes much quicker than I'd thought and WAY more girls run in this than I'd thought. There were 203 girls in the meet! Nat was 142 and I thought that was great. She was bummed that she didn't do better, but I told her that this was her first time. Now she knows what to expect. But the fact that she got out there and did it is what makes me the most proud. Out of the 60+ girls in 7th grade athletics, only 5-6 7th grade girls are on the team.
Here's some pictures...this was my first time to take pictures of a CC meet...so next time I'll better too.
The coach is giving the girls some last minute pointers....
She's still holding strong and almost at the 1/2 way point.
They finish up running their last 300 on the track. She's just did a "kick" to get in front of some girls and about to get on the track.
She saved up for one last "kick" right at the finish line! Way to go Nat...we are all so proud of you :)
Here's some pictures...this was my first time to take pictures of a CC meet...so next time I'll better too.
The coach is giving the girls some last minute pointers....
She's still holding strong and almost at the 1/2 way point.
They finish up running their last 300 on the track. She's just did a "kick" to get in front of some girls and about to get on the track.
She saved up for one last "kick" right at the finish line! Way to go Nat...we are all so proud of you :)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Happy to you Maf-U
As most of you know last weekend was Matt's birthday party....weekend before that was the actual b-day.
Now some of you might be thinking that I did a type-O in the title, but that's what Brayden said to Matthew to tell him Happy Birthday. Very cute!
This year we decided to do the party at the house since he never gets a good turn out when we have it in another town. Let me just say...it was a hit! We rented a 60' obstacle course that ended in a water slide. It was delivered at 10:30am Saturday morning and I don't think the big kids stayed off it till 7:30 that night. (Minus the 2 hour break we had cause we lost electricity!! It came back on 18 mins after the party started.) It started off looking like the party was going to be a bust, but despite the HOT day...it was great! We had about 30+ guests. Here's a shot of Granny, Carolyn, James, and a few of the parents chasing the shade. (Anyone who's ever been out here knows that trees are kinda hard to come by :))
Billy, Tina, and Tayler had found their shady spot and were smart not to move too much cause it was dang hot and the breeze was as hard to come by as the shade!
Here's Matt at his finest...I "think" he had a good time :)
I also am fairly positive that Nat and Tyler had a good time...and the way they all almost fell asleep in the dinner plates that night didn't lead me to believe that :)
I'm not sure who was enjoying themselves more...big kids or little kids :) I think EVERYONE was bummed when I said it was time to deflate :(
Matt made on heck of a haul at his party!! Thanks to all the VERY sweet parents for the thoughtful gifts!!
This was the one "must have" gift Matt wanted for this b-day. And we kinda tricked him to think he wasn't getting it. But made his day when he opened his last present and low and behold...Mom picked out the right board and EVERYTHING! Woo Hoo :)
It was a great weekend. That you so much to all the family that came for Matt's party! It meant so much to all of us! It was a great time!
Now some of you might be thinking that I did a type-O in the title, but that's what Brayden said to Matthew to tell him Happy Birthday. Very cute!
This year we decided to do the party at the house since he never gets a good turn out when we have it in another town. Let me just say...it was a hit! We rented a 60' obstacle course that ended in a water slide. It was delivered at 10:30am Saturday morning and I don't think the big kids stayed off it till 7:30 that night. (Minus the 2 hour break we had cause we lost electricity!! It came back on 18 mins after the party started.) It started off looking like the party was going to be a bust, but despite the HOT day...it was great! We had about 30+ guests. Here's a shot of Granny, Carolyn, James, and a few of the parents chasing the shade. (Anyone who's ever been out here knows that trees are kinda hard to come by :))
Billy, Tina, and Tayler had found their shady spot and were smart not to move too much cause it was dang hot and the breeze was as hard to come by as the shade!
Here's Matt at his finest...I "think" he had a good time :)
I also am fairly positive that Nat and Tyler had a good time...and the way they all almost fell asleep in the dinner plates that night didn't lead me to believe that :)
I'm not sure who was enjoying themselves more...big kids or little kids :) I think EVERYONE was bummed when I said it was time to deflate :(
Matt made on heck of a haul at his party!! Thanks to all the VERY sweet parents for the thoughtful gifts!!
This was the one "must have" gift Matt wanted for this b-day. And we kinda tricked him to think he wasn't getting it. But made his day when he opened his last present and low and behold...Mom picked out the right board and EVERYTHING! Woo Hoo :)
It was a great weekend. That you so much to all the family that came for Matt's party! It meant so much to all of us! It was a great time!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Day 2 & 3
Here's some shots I was taking before the school bus came on Day 2.
As I we were waiting I saw a truck & trailer start to pull up the drive. Low and behold...it was the Pop pop!
So Dad go to help us see them off for Day 2. (Dad dropped by to drop off some fuel to Jim.)
After everyone left I went back into my office. As I looked out the window I noticed Marbles had a buddy on the front porch....only he didn't know it was there and it didn't know Marbles was there....
We have these HUGE toads all over the place...and they aren't afraid of much! But they'll sure surprise the heck out of you when you walk up on one unknowing that they are there :)
Both kids had good second days. Matt's teacher had a bad phone call about her father's heart surgery and she had to leave out immediately to Arizona to be with him. All Matt knows is that problems happened in the surgery on the heart and then they had to do emergency surgery on his brain. I asked if he was sure and he said yes. I doubt he was pulling my chain on this cause he was very heartbroken for his teacher...as were the other students. He said almost everyone was crying when Mrs. Martin was crying. So...here's another request...please add her, her Dad, and her family to your prayer list.
Nat's day didn't have near the emotions. It was just a good day that ended with a HARD workout. Nat said she did her best and really tried hard. I told her that's what coaches like and to just keep it up. She's on team "A" for the tryout practices...but not sure that, that signifies anything.
Here's some quick shots from this morning (Day 3)that I got in right as the bus was pulling up....not the best, you can tell I was rushed and so were they.
Hope everyone else has a great Day 3!
As I we were waiting I saw a truck & trailer start to pull up the drive. Low and behold...it was the Pop pop!
So Dad go to help us see them off for Day 2. (Dad dropped by to drop off some fuel to Jim.)
After everyone left I went back into my office. As I looked out the window I noticed Marbles had a buddy on the front porch....only he didn't know it was there and it didn't know Marbles was there....
We have these HUGE toads all over the place...and they aren't afraid of much! But they'll sure surprise the heck out of you when you walk up on one unknowing that they are there :)
Both kids had good second days. Matt's teacher had a bad phone call about her father's heart surgery and she had to leave out immediately to Arizona to be with him. All Matt knows is that problems happened in the surgery on the heart and then they had to do emergency surgery on his brain. I asked if he was sure and he said yes. I doubt he was pulling my chain on this cause he was very heartbroken for his teacher...as were the other students. He said almost everyone was crying when Mrs. Martin was crying. So...here's another request...please add her, her Dad, and her family to your prayer list.
Nat's day didn't have near the emotions. It was just a good day that ended with a HARD workout. Nat said she did her best and really tried hard. I told her that's what coaches like and to just keep it up. She's on team "A" for the tryout practices...but not sure that, that signifies anything.
Here's some quick shots from this morning (Day 3)that I got in right as the bus was pulling up....not the best, you can tell I was rushed and so were they.
Hope everyone else has a great Day 3!
Monday, August 27, 2007
First Day of School!
I don't know if I've EVER seen my kids more excited to start school! Matt was asking us to please just put him to bed 10 mins before bedtime last night (and he just repeated that request just now)!! Guess their summer was not as exciting as it typically is. But, what ever boredom they were experiencing...it's over now. They both bouced off to school today with the biggest cheese eating grins on their faces.
It was COMPLETE maddness at Matt school this afternoon. So instead of waiting in line to pick him up, I parked and walked up to get him. This worked out great for me cause I got a wonderful shot of him and his teacher Mrs. Matrin...which we are blessed to get for the 2nd year in a row. He(we) are so, so lucky!! Matt hass all the same classmates as last year (since his teacher asked all the parents form last year if they'd like to be in her class again sine she was moving up to 4th grade). He's so delighted and could hardly contain himself when he was telling me about his day.
Here's Nat leaving her 1st day of Jr. High (which is in the old high school bldg)...she's a big shot now. She was really worried that she'd be stressed out today, but she told me that after we got her schedule straigtened out this morning that everything else went pretty smoothly. And she said that the boy who has the locker abover her was really sweet and that is a pleasant change from last year when she was surrounded by rude locker neighbors.
Here's hoping that tomorrow is just as awesome for the kids. They'll be back to morning bus riders tomorrow. And Nat will experience her first after school workout. She's trying out for the volleyball team. We'll find out after next Tues or Thurs if she made the team. They take 24 girls, but supposedly a ton are trying out. Cross your fingers :) I hope all of your kids had great first days also!
It was COMPLETE maddness at Matt school this afternoon. So instead of waiting in line to pick him up, I parked and walked up to get him. This worked out great for me cause I got a wonderful shot of him and his teacher Mrs. Matrin...which we are blessed to get for the 2nd year in a row. He(we) are so, so lucky!! Matt hass all the same classmates as last year (since his teacher asked all the parents form last year if they'd like to be in her class again sine she was moving up to 4th grade). He's so delighted and could hardly contain himself when he was telling me about his day.
Here's Nat leaving her 1st day of Jr. High (which is in the old high school bldg)...she's a big shot now. She was really worried that she'd be stressed out today, but she told me that after we got her schedule straigtened out this morning that everything else went pretty smoothly. And she said that the boy who has the locker abover her was really sweet and that is a pleasant change from last year when she was surrounded by rude locker neighbors.
Here's hoping that tomorrow is just as awesome for the kids. They'll be back to morning bus riders tomorrow. And Nat will experience her first after school workout. She's trying out for the volleyball team. We'll find out after next Tues or Thurs if she made the team. They take 24 girls, but supposedly a ton are trying out. Cross your fingers :) I hope all of your kids had great first days also!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Happy Birthday Tina & Happy Anniversary Billy and Tina :)
First off..Billy - I'm VERY sorry that I couldn't find a picture of you to put on here (that was JUST you). I found several of you and Brayden playing at Christmas...but you never looked at the camera :) I'll make up for it this weekend..get ready to smile.
Now to business.......
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!!!
For those of you who didn't know, Tina is my sister-in-law (technically), but in my heart she's my SISTER! Our family has been so blessed to have her. She's is so sweet, happy, caring, patient, excellent Mom ....my list could go on and on! She and I hit if off right away. I was a teenager (a rotten one at that) when she and Billy started dating. And she saw right thru it all and accepted me anyway. She became so dear to my heart a long time ago and I'm so, so thankful for that!
And her and Billy...wow...they are such a perfect match for each other. Talk about a couple who couldn't be more meant for each other...that's them! They are having their anniversary today also. I believe this is their 17th wedding annivesary (Billy, Tina, Mom, Dad...anyone who knows..correct me if I'm wrong). Regardless, these 2 have weathered many storms together and they just continue to get stronger because of it. They are one tight unit and couldn't be a better example of how a marriage should be. And they both adore wach other in a way that just puts a smile on your face. It make me so happy that my brother has someone who loves him so much...and it makes me happy that, that someone is Tina!
I love you both (and you 2 sweet kids) so much! And I (along with all my family) are so, so blessed to have you in our lives! Can't wait to see you this weekend...rain or no rain. Brayden has asked EVERY day since Monday..."...go Tyler's house??" He's very pumped...along with the rest of us.
I love you and Happy Birthday Tina and Happy Anniversary Billy and Tina!
Now to business.......
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!!!
For those of you who didn't know, Tina is my sister-in-law (technically), but in my heart she's my SISTER! Our family has been so blessed to have her. She's is so sweet, happy, caring, patient, excellent Mom ....my list could go on and on! She and I hit if off right away. I was a teenager (a rotten one at that) when she and Billy started dating. And she saw right thru it all and accepted me anyway. She became so dear to my heart a long time ago and I'm so, so thankful for that!
And her and Billy...wow...they are such a perfect match for each other. Talk about a couple who couldn't be more meant for each other...that's them! They are having their anniversary today also. I believe this is their 17th wedding annivesary (Billy, Tina, Mom, Dad...anyone who knows..correct me if I'm wrong). Regardless, these 2 have weathered many storms together and they just continue to get stronger because of it. They are one tight unit and couldn't be a better example of how a marriage should be. And they both adore wach other in a way that just puts a smile on your face. It make me so happy that my brother has someone who loves him so much...and it makes me happy that, that someone is Tina!
I love you both (and you 2 sweet kids) so much! And I (along with all my family) are so, so blessed to have you in our lives! Can't wait to see you this weekend...rain or no rain. Brayden has asked EVERY day since Monday..."...go Tyler's house??" He's very pumped...along with the rest of us.
I love you and Happy Birthday Tina and Happy Anniversary Billy and Tina!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Happy Birthday Debbie!
Today is my oldest sisters birthday. I send out birthday wishs to her on the blog...even though there's a high chance that she won't see it :) But I get to put a little something on here about my big sister and use her birthday as an excuse :)
Debbie is our (me and my siblings) 2nd Mom. She is the one that made sure we were all doing ok while Karen was sick. She's the one to make sure you got a hug if you needed it. She has the biggest heart and will take care of whom ever is in need! And the kids...oh man, to get to go to Debbie's house...that's heaven right there. And funny, all the stray animals in the whole world feel the same way :) She may not be too happy about inviting them in (the animals), but she'll make sure they are cared for none-the-less. Debbie has an infectious laugh. You can't help but to laugh even if you don't know what the "funny" was. And as a Mom to her kids...yowza...talk about being the kinda Mom that kids wish they had...that's Deb! And her children reflect her love and caring in ways that just floor me sometimes.
So here's to ya Deb! I hope you have a great birthday and I'm sorry I missed you this past weekend. We all love you tons!
I have placed this photo of Debbie with her oldest daughter Jordan with the hopes that you'd lift Jordan (and her
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Dreams
I decided to go thru and nab all the emails that Yahoo had saved between me and Karen. I go in a read a few a day. Most are just one liners, but they still make me smile and realize that I miss her so much! Today (2 weeks since she passed away) I open up 2 emails...one makes me cry and the other makes my heart stick out of my chest a foot.
In the first email she wanted to get my advice on the caps they'd made to give everyone at the wedding. She wanted my opinion but also felt bad cause it wouldn't be a surprise to me. ...that one made me cry. The next one I'd TOTALLY forgot writing. Here's a segment that I'd wrote to her on March 14th, 2007....
"...Hope you guys are doing good. I had a dream about you last night. Kinda weird, but at the time really scary. I was having to beg a dragon not to eat you cause you were my sister and I loved you so much and couldn't live without you in my life...."
Yes the dragon in the dream makes it a kooky dream. But at THAT time that dream really shook me up and I remember I really felt compelled to tell her about that dream cause it was the first time I'd EVER even considered not having her in my life. And for those of you who didn't know....she never even went to the doctor till Good Friday and even at that time she (and the dr.) thought it was a cyst (or something along those lines). Nothing had come up about cancer.
No I don't believe that I have ESP or anything out there like that. But I have had some dreams come true. I just NEVER thought a dream like this would come true. I guess if I wanted to analyze it...the dragon was cancer? What ever...the SOB (dragon, not God) took my sister even after I begged so hard.
My Mom told me a while back (way, way before all this) that if you have a disturbing dream about someone...they need your prayers. Good Grief Mom....you couldn't have been more right about this one.
Sorry, but finding this email has really hit me at so many levels. I wasn't looking to write another tear jerker. I was just wanting to share this email that I'd wrote to my sister to make sure she knew how much I loved her and wanted her in my life. Today - more true than EVER!
In the first email she wanted to get my advice on the caps they'd made to give everyone at the wedding. She wanted my opinion but also felt bad cause it wouldn't be a surprise to me. ...that one made me cry. The next one I'd TOTALLY forgot writing. Here's a segment that I'd wrote to her on March 14th, 2007....
"...Hope you guys are doing good. I had a dream about you last night. Kinda weird, but at the time really scary. I was having to beg a dragon not to eat you cause you were my sister and I loved you so much and couldn't live without you in my life...."
Yes the dragon in the dream makes it a kooky dream. But at THAT time that dream really shook me up and I remember I really felt compelled to tell her about that dream cause it was the first time I'd EVER even considered not having her in my life. And for those of you who didn't know....she never even went to the doctor till Good Friday and even at that time she (and the dr.) thought it was a cyst (or something along those lines). Nothing had come up about cancer.
No I don't believe that I have ESP or anything out there like that. But I have had some dreams come true. I just NEVER thought a dream like this would come true. I guess if I wanted to analyze it...the dragon was cancer? What ever...the SOB (dragon, not God) took my sister even after I begged so hard.
My Mom told me a while back (way, way before all this) that if you have a disturbing dream about someone...they need your prayers. Good Grief Mom....you couldn't have been more right about this one.
Sorry, but finding this email has really hit me at so many levels. I wasn't looking to write another tear jerker. I was just wanting to share this email that I'd wrote to my sister to make sure she knew how much I loved her and wanted her in my life. Today - more true than EVER!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Thief
Here's one to make you smile :)
Yesterday I set $2.50 on the kitchen counter. When I came back thru the kitchen after the kids had, had breakfast I only had $2 dollars! Well...unfortunately my thoughts went to one child...poor ole Matt :( So I kindly went to him and asked if I could have my 2 quarters back. He gave me the deer in the headlights look and said he didn't have them. I assured him that I wouldn't get mad if he'd just give them back. He swore he didn't have them. So I walked away and went to Nat. Now she's a WAY better fibber than her brother. That girl WILL NOT give in...stubborn!!! She tells me she didn't have the quarters and told me I could search her room...yeah right. So I walk away and just shrugged it off...it was only 2 quarters.
Then I went back to my office and remembered the midget's mumblings earlier in the morning. When I had my head so far into my work that I was just saying "yeah...uh huh...okay baby..." and stuff like that cause I didn't have the time (or so I say) to pay real attention to what he's saying. As I thought more I remembered him saying "coints" (aka coins)..... I found my culprit!!! It came back real vivid then. I heard the little slap-slap of his fat feet running into the kitchen...him yelling "Momma...coints"...then slap-slap changing over to "thump-thump" as he ran across the carpet to his room and "clinck-clinck" of the coints into the pig.
Matt asked me as we headed to town to take Nat to Art "Mom, did you ever find out who took the coins?" And Nat followed with "Yeah! Who did it?" I just pointed to the midget and we all just died laughing!
On a more serious note: If you didn't get to read 49, please do. Momma says :)
Yesterday I set $2.50 on the kitchen counter. When I came back thru the kitchen after the kids had, had breakfast I only had $2 dollars! Well...unfortunately my thoughts went to one child...poor ole Matt :( So I kindly went to him and asked if I could have my 2 quarters back. He gave me the deer in the headlights look and said he didn't have them. I assured him that I wouldn't get mad if he'd just give them back. He swore he didn't have them. So I walked away and went to Nat. Now she's a WAY better fibber than her brother. That girl WILL NOT give in...stubborn!!! She tells me she didn't have the quarters and told me I could search her room...yeah right. So I walk away and just shrugged it off...it was only 2 quarters.
Then I went back to my office and remembered the midget's mumblings earlier in the morning. When I had my head so far into my work that I was just saying "yeah...uh huh...okay baby..." and stuff like that cause I didn't have the time (or so I say) to pay real attention to what he's saying. As I thought more I remembered him saying "coints" (aka coins)..... I found my culprit!!! It came back real vivid then. I heard the little slap-slap of his fat feet running into the kitchen...him yelling "Momma...coints"...then slap-slap changing over to "thump-thump" as he ran across the carpet to his room and "clinck-clinck" of the coints into the pig.
Matt asked me as we headed to town to take Nat to Art "Mom, did you ever find out who took the coins?" And Nat followed with "Yeah! Who did it?" I just pointed to the midget and we all just died laughing!
On a more serious note: If you didn't get to read 49, please do. Momma says :)
Thursday, August 02, 2007
49
49 is the days my sister had once she was diagnosed with Cancer. I loathe Cancer! And "49" should sum up why. I know that I haven't written a happy-go-lucky blog in a while, but bear with me...I will soon. My whole perspective on the life we have has been radically rocked (as has all my family and friends of Karen). It's just jaw dropping to me as I still just sit here and think about how fast those 49 days were. It was jaw dropping for her oncologist that it was JUST 49 days. And the most heart breaking of all, it was jaw dropping (though she NEVER showed it) to my sister Karen. Cause the day before she passed away I could still see her fight in her eyes. She wasn't done.
As I flipped the calendar from July to August, my heart sank. The 13th was to be her 1st scan to find out if any of these harsh treatments had shrunk the cancer.
This is all just rambling and I apologize. I just gotta know that someone who reads this will take something from this. DON'T ignore what your body is telling you...it DOES NOT make you a hypochondriac to go to the doctor if something seems "off". You know what it makes you??? ....it makes you stick around for your family and those who love and care for you. And every one of you have those people in your life. And guess what? It will hurt their hearts so bad if your gone. I was one the worst about going to the dr. and I just tried to dismiss the occasional twinge and pang. It will NOT make you a "baby cry" to admit that you have these things and to see a dr. about it. I (we) will never know if Karen had felt any twinges or pangs that were her bodies way of telling her something wasn't right. So be proactive in your health. Only YOU know what you feel and what's "normal" and what's not. Don't go around thinking "oh I'll tough it out" and then you have to experience the "49". You don't want that...your family...your friends...your loves ones....they DO NOT want that!
I know that this "poem" has been passed around forever and most of you have already seen it. I know I've seen it before, but now having this experience with Karen it takes on a whole new, cherished meaning to me:
Life Is A Gift
Today before you think of saying an unkind word Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion.
Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn't clean or sweep -Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive -Think of someone who walks the same distance.
And when you are tired and complain about your job,Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another ,Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down ,Put a smile on your face and thank God you're alive and still around.
Life is a gift... Thank God for it...
As I flipped the calendar from July to August, my heart sank. The 13th was to be her 1st scan to find out if any of these harsh treatments had shrunk the cancer.
This is all just rambling and I apologize. I just gotta know that someone who reads this will take something from this. DON'T ignore what your body is telling you...it DOES NOT make you a hypochondriac to go to the doctor if something seems "off". You know what it makes you??? ....it makes you stick around for your family and those who love and care for you. And every one of you have those people in your life. And guess what? It will hurt their hearts so bad if your gone. I was one the worst about going to the dr. and I just tried to dismiss the occasional twinge and pang. It will NOT make you a "baby cry" to admit that you have these things and to see a dr. about it. I (we) will never know if Karen had felt any twinges or pangs that were her bodies way of telling her something wasn't right. So be proactive in your health. Only YOU know what you feel and what's "normal" and what's not. Don't go around thinking "oh I'll tough it out" and then you have to experience the "49". You don't want that...your family...your friends...your loves ones....they DO NOT want that!
I know that this "poem" has been passed around forever and most of you have already seen it. I know I've seen it before, but now having this experience with Karen it takes on a whole new, cherished meaning to me:
Life Is A Gift
Today before you think of saying an unkind word Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion.
Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn't clean or sweep -Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive -Think of someone who walks the same distance.
And when you are tired and complain about your job,Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another ,Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down ,Put a smile on your face and thank God you're alive and still around.
Life is a gift... Thank God for it...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Memories
Jim's cousin Sherry sent me a FANTASTIC saying yesterday that is just so awesome and true.
Take good care of your memories. You cannot relive them. –Bob Dylan
This is just so perfect for me, my family, and loved ones who loved and knew Karen. My Dad had made mention that he was never going to get to hear her voice again. Well, I told him that I would find video of her. Surely we have it and I'm going to find it. And with that I'll take care good care of my(our) memories and we can hear and see her anytime we want.
It's been 1 week today since the loss of my sister Karen. And I (we) must do what we can to move on, but NEVER forget. Still love you and miss you terribly. Still want you here with us...and that will never change.
Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.
Take good care of your memories. You cannot relive them. –Bob Dylan
This is just so perfect for me, my family, and loved ones who loved and knew Karen. My Dad had made mention that he was never going to get to hear her voice again. Well, I told him that I would find video of her. Surely we have it and I'm going to find it. And with that I'll take care good care of my(our) memories and we can hear and see her anytime we want.
It's been 1 week today since the loss of my sister Karen. And I (we) must do what we can to move on, but NEVER forget. Still love you and miss you terribly. Still want you here with us...and that will never change.
Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Karen Elizabeth (Wright) Boggs Pope
02/16/65 - 07/24/07
The incredibly beautiful girl that you are getting to see in the picture above is my awesome sister Karen. She passed away on Tuesday after a short yet grueling battle with cancer. This girl battled to the very end! Even in her last days that girl had the fight in her. It's VERY hard to understand why at this point. But after watching someone that I love struggle to breathe and be in such pain, I know that she is no longer having to be in misery. She was an unconditional giver. She was so worried about us and if WE were OK. As my sister Cheryl and her loving fiance mentioned in her obituary (forgive me for any miswording) "...she got to know true love and was truely loved". She loved her nieces, nephews, and son Mitch so much. And her love for her animals...oh my...so loved her animals! And oh how she brought the 2 loves of her life to their knees! She was our rock. As my Dad said "our 'go to' person" in the family. She was the person you could call in the middle of the night and she'd be there as fast as she could get there. And she'd be the first to call you on it if you were messing up or doing a loved one wrong :) She might have been small in size, but she was HUGE in will and heart. Oh my word we are missing her and are gonna continue to miss her. After they wheeled her out of the hospital room, and all of my siblings (minus one) are gathering up her things...my brother says to me "I keep thinking 'where's Karen at?'" And, then we are both like "...oh..." It just doesn't seem real. Even though we watched it happen with our own eyes. Even though I held her hand from when it was warm till it wnet cold...it just DO NOT SEEM real. I know she's in a better place, but sure do wish she could still be here. She was just so amazing and anyone who knew her for more than a minute knows exactly what I'm talking about. She had MANY rough times. The kinda of rough times that would break the average person. She just rolled with the punches. The girl was freakin tough!
I will definitely think of more that I should add as time goes on. Still kinda dazed and confused at the moment (so please forgive the way that this blog is all over the place). But I had to send out my love to her ...this beautiful, wonderful, loving, kick-ass...I mean KICK-ASS sister of mine! I love you Babe and man alive I already miss you so much. I regret not having more one on one time with you over the years. But I cherish the memories that I have stored in my head. Even the ones of sorrow from the past week. I'm glad I was able to have that time. I love you, we all love you, and we'll always have you in our hearts!!!!
**Services for Karen will be Saturday, July 28th, 2007 @ 11am and will be held at McCoys Funeral Home in Sweetwater, Texas**
Monday, July 16, 2007
Replacing the "F" word
Replacing the "f" word in our vocabulary and minds is a tough thing to do. And no...I'm not talking about the "f" word that we swear...I'm talking about FEAR! This situation with my sister has had me thinking deeper than I've thought...ever! We all believe that prayer is the best answer for Karen. And I whole heartedly believe that this is true!! But many of us are being held back from truly committing to these prayers because of the "f" word. (Please don't anyone take this personal or as an attack on your beliefs...this is an innocent rambling...) How do I come to this conclusion? Because I for one am guilty of feeling overwhelmed with sadness, worry, stress...etc. And what is this all derived from? ......FEAR! Fear of the unknown, fear that there's nothing I or any of us can do. But I feel that if we can remove the "f" word from our hearts and replace it with FAITH...THEN, and only then we are praying whole heartedly! We are truly putting Karen in God's hands. Yes, we are all human and that in turn make us have emotions. And we are and should cry and feel sad that this is happening to someone whom we all love so much and mean so much to us. Karen (as we have said so many times in the past 1.5+ months) is the Rock in our family. She is truly one tough cookie. But to dwell and wallow in deep nasty depths of fear isn't gonna do a dang thing for her. Faith in God... in our prayers for Karen...that's what she needs from us.
I realize that I may have not worded a dang thing "correct" in this blog. And I might have come off as loving as a Brillo pad, but it is (again) just my ramblings...not intended to hurt anyone, but to maybe enlighten anyone who might have been doing what I am guilty of.....ya know...being consumed with the "f" word.
I realize that I may have not worded a dang thing "correct" in this blog. And I might have come off as loving as a Brillo pad, but it is (again) just my ramblings...not intended to hurt anyone, but to maybe enlighten anyone who might have been doing what I am guilty of.....ya know...being consumed with the "f" word.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
You NEED to know!
Ok...this goes out to all the ladies who read this blog. Any men who read...tell your ladies.. PLEASE! Some of you may take this as an "ewh, ick" topic....but facts are facts and I have a fact that I need to share.
When you get your annual exam from your Gyno, that swab they do ONLY checks for cervical cancer and the HPV virus. That swab DOES NOT check for uterine or ovarian cancer. Now when the dr. pushes around on your stomach in the ovary area (externally), he is looking for abnormal lumps and what not...but they can get missed. And if you are someone who's dealt with (or has) endometriosis(sp?), it may be even harder to catch a tumor. As in the case with my sister. I called my Gyno and asked these specific questions because I don't want this to happen to anyone I know or love EVER again! He said you body "should" give you indicators to let you know that somethings not right. Abdominal pain (as vague as that sounds) in that area is the most common indicator. But if you have endometriosis, cysts, or something along those lines you may have that pain a lot anyway (every day for some). So, all I can say is that if you feel anything other than normal in that area...something appears funky...DON'T dismiss it....PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't dismiss it. I was once that person who dismissed pain, but have now learned that it IS you body's way of saying "HELLO, fix me please!". Please don't let these words fall on deaf ears. Hear them, take care of yourself, most of us have a $20-$30 co-pay to go see the dr. That's not that big of a deal when you look at the big picture. Pay it, be pro-active, don't put yourself last...there are people who NEED you to stick around!
I'm done with today's sermon. Check in later for another :)
When you get your annual exam from your Gyno, that swab they do ONLY checks for cervical cancer and the HPV virus. That swab DOES NOT check for uterine or ovarian cancer. Now when the dr. pushes around on your stomach in the ovary area (externally), he is looking for abnormal lumps and what not...but they can get missed. And if you are someone who's dealt with (or has) endometriosis(sp?), it may be even harder to catch a tumor. As in the case with my sister. I called my Gyno and asked these specific questions because I don't want this to happen to anyone I know or love EVER again! He said you body "should" give you indicators to let you know that somethings not right. Abdominal pain (as vague as that sounds) in that area is the most common indicator. But if you have endometriosis, cysts, or something along those lines you may have that pain a lot anyway (every day for some). So, all I can say is that if you feel anything other than normal in that area...something appears funky...DON'T dismiss it....PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't dismiss it. I was once that person who dismissed pain, but have now learned that it IS you body's way of saying "HELLO, fix me please!". Please don't let these words fall on deaf ears. Hear them, take care of yourself, most of us have a $20-$30 co-pay to go see the dr. That's not that big of a deal when you look at the big picture. Pay it, be pro-active, don't put yourself last...there are people who NEED you to stick around!
I'm done with today's sermon. Check in later for another :)
Monday, July 09, 2007
14
Wow, I must say that #14 has slipped up on me! I just realized a few minutes ago that it is the eve of our 14th anniversary. I've been so preoccupied that I didn't even get my hubby a card. So I hope this counts :)............
It's so crazy, but I think we have out lasted all of our friends (at the time that we got married) in marriage but 1 couple (Brian and Penny). We were warned that we were getting married to young. But ya know, I strongly believe that it worked to our benefit. We grew up together :) We are both so strong willed and stubborn that I think we'd be total oil and water if we got together any later in life. You are and have been since day 1, my best friend. We may claim that from time to time that the other one has lost their minds and have no idea what's going on in their head. But deep down, we pretty much know what the other is thinking 90% of the time....10% of the time we ARE nutz! :)
It has been a great 14 years with a perfect mixture of up, downs, insanity, pure joy, and love!! There have been the days where we could burn each other down with our less than loving stares :)~~ But all in all the love has never gone. And man alive we've made some beautiful kids in the process!! I wouldn't want to take this roller coaster ride with ANYONE else!
Love you Babe!
It's so crazy, but I think we have out lasted all of our friends (at the time that we got married) in marriage but 1 couple (Brian and Penny). We were warned that we were getting married to young. But ya know, I strongly believe that it worked to our benefit. We grew up together :) We are both so strong willed and stubborn that I think we'd be total oil and water if we got together any later in life. You are and have been since day 1, my best friend. We may claim that from time to time that the other one has lost their minds and have no idea what's going on in their head. But deep down, we pretty much know what the other is thinking 90% of the time....10% of the time we ARE nutz! :)
It has been a great 14 years with a perfect mixture of up, downs, insanity, pure joy, and love!! There have been the days where we could burn each other down with our less than loving stares :)~~ But all in all the love has never gone. And man alive we've made some beautiful kids in the process!! I wouldn't want to take this roller coaster ride with ANYONE else!
Love you Babe!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thanks for the laugh TIna!
My sister in law Tina just forwarded this to me and it gave me a much needed laugh... thanks Tina!
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 50) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before> getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : -)
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
**If you missed yesterday's blog, see below..**
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 50) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before> getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : -)
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
**If you missed yesterday's blog, see below..**
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP-POP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We want to send out a GREAT BIG Happy Birthday wish today to my Dad (aka Pop-Pop & Grandpa Racecar). We all love you so very much and couldn't have been blessed with a better Dad! Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for all of us. Thank you for still making us laugh and for not "offing" yourself just yet with all your little race car, lawnmower, or home repair mishaps :) Hope you have a great day Dad! Love you bunches and heaps and piles :)
Monday, June 25, 2007
My Sister
First off - THANK YOU to all of you who commented and have Karen in your prayers! I sincerely appreciate it and I know she does too!
When I left off Friday before last we all had hoped that the wedding was still going to take place. As I was driving out of town on Friday I got a call from Dad telling me that the vacation was off for them and Karen. And that the wedding would be postponed. They started radiation on the 3 (once believed to only have 2 spots, but now there's 3) spots on her brain on Tues, and she goes every (business) day for 10 days. She's also taking a chemo pill and steroids to help the other spots chill out till she's done with radiation and can start full chemo. I talked to her and Mark last Wed. and they filled me in on all the final test results. As I mentioned, there are now 3 spots on her brain, a tumor on her shoulder and leg, one in between where her lungs meet, one on her liver, a 3" one on her ovary (which they believe is where it all started), and multiple little spots on each lung. The spots on the lung they described as looking like salt and pepper all over the place. The doctor is worried about these spots on her lungs developing while she is finishing up radiation. So again I ask that if any of you are so inclined, please pray that these little spots (and the other locations) will chill out till she can get the full dose of chemo.
She is taking an anti-nausea medicine and it seems to be helping, but she still tired and achy. But in EXCELLENT spirits! She's one tough cookie! She even went to see Dad race this past Saturday.
We went to the spot on the beach where she was supposed to get married and I put a little graffiti on the beach marker and we all wrote notes in the sand for her. I took a picture of all of them and got a really nice shot of the beach looking out towards the ocean with a huge thunderhead in the background. The kids made them a wedding cake in the sand and we all took a group picture behind it. She was definitely heavy on all our minds. And heavy in our prayers.
I hope and pray to be posting some positive news soon. Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers.
When I left off Friday before last we all had hoped that the wedding was still going to take place. As I was driving out of town on Friday I got a call from Dad telling me that the vacation was off for them and Karen. And that the wedding would be postponed. They started radiation on the 3 (once believed to only have 2 spots, but now there's 3) spots on her brain on Tues, and she goes every (business) day for 10 days. She's also taking a chemo pill and steroids to help the other spots chill out till she's done with radiation and can start full chemo. I talked to her and Mark last Wed. and they filled me in on all the final test results. As I mentioned, there are now 3 spots on her brain, a tumor on her shoulder and leg, one in between where her lungs meet, one on her liver, a 3" one on her ovary (which they believe is where it all started), and multiple little spots on each lung. The spots on the lung they described as looking like salt and pepper all over the place. The doctor is worried about these spots on her lungs developing while she is finishing up radiation. So again I ask that if any of you are so inclined, please pray that these little spots (and the other locations) will chill out till she can get the full dose of chemo.
She is taking an anti-nausea medicine and it seems to be helping, but she still tired and achy. But in EXCELLENT spirits! She's one tough cookie! She even went to see Dad race this past Saturday.
We went to the spot on the beach where she was supposed to get married and I put a little graffiti on the beach marker and we all wrote notes in the sand for her. I took a picture of all of them and got a really nice shot of the beach looking out towards the ocean with a huge thunderhead in the background. The kids made them a wedding cake in the sand and we all took a group picture behind it. She was definitely heavy on all our minds. And heavy in our prayers.
I hope and pray to be posting some positive news soon. Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I need your help!
I know I haven't blogged in a while. Our family has been hit with some very hard news and it's being rather hard to deal with. Last Wednesday my sister Karen had 2 lumps removed from her neck and shoulder. An ENT removed them cause I guess the referring doctor had no clue what they were getting into. From my already bummed out tone you probably know where this is going. Up until yesterday the doctors assumed and were actually pretty sure it was cancer, just didn't know where or what kind. The lumps she had removed were lymph nodes. She has several others that have popped up, but the ENT didn't remove them cause they were "out of his area". When she went to the ENT yesterday to get her stitches removed they had the pathology report back and it confirmed that she had cancer. She's currently at the oncologist in Abilene with Mark (her finance that she's marrying next Friday on the beach) and my parents. Jim called Dad (not knowing that he was with Karen) about work stuff and Dad told him where they all were and what was going on. So Jim called me....
I don't know the specifics cause Dad wasn't able to tell Jim yet. But all he was able to tell Jim was that it's incurable. It is treatable and can be lived with. When the doctor was asked that horrible phrase that up until now only other people I know have had to ask..."how long?" She said "we start with today..." I wasn't there and haven't talked to the people that are there...so I don't know what that means. All I know is that it means what I (and all that love her) don't want it to mean. I know that I should be mad. Mad that doctors for not realizing that when she went in on Good Friday that they should have taken this more seriously and gotten her to a specialist right away instead of waiting a month to get her into the ENT and then how long it's taken them to get it out and tested. ...but I'm not mad. Not right now anyway. I can't deal with more than one emotion right now and that one is pure sadness and aching over what my sisters about to endure. I've only heard about this happening to someone else's family. Yes, my Mom had breast cancer when I was a senior, but it was curable and she kicked it's ass. I still want to have hope...and I've had hope and will be more hopeful once all this sinks in. I'm still processing it all. Karen is one tough chic! If there is anyone I know that can kick cancer's ass it's her.
There will be tons more doctors who will tell us good and bad news in the next few weeks I'm sure. But for now, this is what we know. I know all of my family has her in their hearts and prayers. And I am asking now that if you are so willing, please add Karen to you prayers. We need God to wrap her so tight in his healing arms right now. We just aren't ready to lose her yet. We can't lose her yet! We just can't....
Thank you
**UPDATE**
Still don't know the exact location. From what the dr. told them it can be very difficult to locate the origin of this type cancer. We do know the name of the cancer: metastatic adenocarcinoma. She'll have a bone scan today. Then she and Mark are headed to the beach for 2 weeks. We are also headed down there today (for 9 days). So if any of you respond - thank you in advance. I will respond once we get back. Hopefully at that time I will have a clearer head. And thanks in advance for any and all prayers said in my sisters name!
**Update #2**
Just got a call from my Dad and Karen will be starting chemo on Monday. They have found cancer in liver, ovaries, and 2 spots on the brain. The dr's concern now with putting of the chemo until they came back from vacation is that the spots in the brain could cause a stroke and... So, she'll do chemo on Monday and this should shrink these cancer locations and they should "flake off" and not come back again. They are thinking that the main source "may" be in the ovary area. The wedding is NOT off. Instead of them going to the beach today, they'll go on Wed. and then go back for more chemo when they get back from vacation. That's what I know...thanks for any of you that are keeping up with this...
I don't know the specifics cause Dad wasn't able to tell Jim yet. But all he was able to tell Jim was that it's incurable. It is treatable and can be lived with. When the doctor was asked that horrible phrase that up until now only other people I know have had to ask..."how long?" She said "we start with today..." I wasn't there and haven't talked to the people that are there...so I don't know what that means. All I know is that it means what I (and all that love her) don't want it to mean. I know that I should be mad. Mad that doctors for not realizing that when she went in on Good Friday that they should have taken this more seriously and gotten her to a specialist right away instead of waiting a month to get her into the ENT and then how long it's taken them to get it out and tested. ...but I'm not mad. Not right now anyway. I can't deal with more than one emotion right now and that one is pure sadness and aching over what my sisters about to endure. I've only heard about this happening to someone else's family. Yes, my Mom had breast cancer when I was a senior, but it was curable and she kicked it's ass. I still want to have hope...and I've had hope and will be more hopeful once all this sinks in. I'm still processing it all. Karen is one tough chic! If there is anyone I know that can kick cancer's ass it's her.
There will be tons more doctors who will tell us good and bad news in the next few weeks I'm sure. But for now, this is what we know. I know all of my family has her in their hearts and prayers. And I am asking now that if you are so willing, please add Karen to you prayers. We need God to wrap her so tight in his healing arms right now. We just aren't ready to lose her yet. We can't lose her yet! We just can't....
Thank you
**UPDATE**
Still don't know the exact location. From what the dr. told them it can be very difficult to locate the origin of this type cancer. We do know the name of the cancer: metastatic adenocarcinoma. She'll have a bone scan today. Then she and Mark are headed to the beach for 2 weeks. We are also headed down there today (for 9 days). So if any of you respond - thank you in advance. I will respond once we get back. Hopefully at that time I will have a clearer head. And thanks in advance for any and all prayers said in my sisters name!
**Update #2**
Just got a call from my Dad and Karen will be starting chemo on Monday. They have found cancer in liver, ovaries, and 2 spots on the brain. The dr's concern now with putting of the chemo until they came back from vacation is that the spots in the brain could cause a stroke and... So, she'll do chemo on Monday and this should shrink these cancer locations and they should "flake off" and not come back again. They are thinking that the main source "may" be in the ovary area. The wedding is NOT off. Instead of them going to the beach today, they'll go on Wed. and then go back for more chemo when they get back from vacation. That's what I know...thanks for any of you that are keeping up with this...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Memorial Day Camping Trip
Let me start off by saying YES...you are about to be subjected to a TON of pictures :) But it is SOOO hard for me to pick and choose what I post. And trust me there are 3x more pictures for me to post...but I haven't got that kind of time to wait on blogger to upload them :) Besides, I think pictures tell the BEST stories!!
For Memorial Day we went camping at Mineral Wells State Park. My parents also got to come and that was a lot of fun. It did rain the entire time we were there, but that did stop us. Heck we had a week of London just like that PLUS frigid weather to top it off! Friday evening and Saturday we pretty much just lazed around and watched the on and off rain fall. Cut a few ZZZZ's here and there. It was perfect! Sunday we were ready to explore!!! There were 2 main trails they had marked on the map of the park (there were others but they were a bit to primitive and marshy-like due to all the rain). We got to the area where the trail indicated that there'd be rock climbing. We get there and it's gated off because of the all the rain...guess they didn't want to deal with the whole being liable for someone slipping off the cliff and dying...or something silly like that :) Well that didn't stop us...we slipped under the gate and man am I glad we did!! This place was awesome and I recommend that EVERYONE (if given the chance) go check this out! Now we were forewarned that a group of people had seen a copperhead...but we plugged along (we'd already checked it out once earlier in the day and this was actually our second trip cause we really wanted Mom and Dad to see it). Take a look below and you might be able to understand why...and I see now that pictures just don't do it justice.
Jim took this shot just as you come under the gate this is one of the first sights you see. A bit intimidating to peer over the cliff and see how far down this is...possibly 40-50 foot drop. The kids were stressing me out by how close they were getting to the edge!
This shot might help you see the depth. (That's me holding Brayden.)
There were several caves and crevasses and the shots below show just how big some of them where. Mind you that the walls of these caves/crevasses were lined in several places with zillions of daddy long legs!
Matt (being the camera ham that he is) wanted Dad to catch him jumping off this rock embedded in the crevasse)...
**I have a great shot below of Jim and the kids in the rocks...dadgum Blogger erased it and I can't get to reinsert correctly**
Ready
Set
Jump
Land
...promptly plant butt on ground :)
She really wanted me to take a picture of this huge leaf that she'd found, but as you can see...that was not the natural beauty I was wanting to capture!
My kids were really wanting to climb some rocks. This one was about a 45 degree angle and was pretty tough!
Nat really didn't have the proper shoes on, but she didn't care...she wanted in on the action!
She was bound and determined to go higher than Matt did...shoes or no shoes! ...and she did!!
Matt was pleased nonetheless with his achievement :)
Still in the mood for more they decided to move to the next higher set of rocks...
**I have a shot of Natalie crossing the rocks in the blog below. Blogger's being a real pill tonight and I don't know why it keeps deleting my pictures. So, see below....**
Daddy even joined in on the climb, and I got a great shot of my climbers.
As they made their way down I was being beckoned my the little one to witness his rock climb...
He had his sights set on a rock that he wanted scale!
And with a little help from the Pop Pops...he did it!!
My Ladies Man and his Pop Pop!
You'll see Grandma in the pink shirt headed up the stairs. I don't think she was too keen on the idea of the copperhead in the rocks :)
**Again, please see the blog below for a shot of Brayden with his Grandma horsing around with the faucet while we are down below rock climbing**
The caves above Nat's head are first seen as you descend on the stairs that lead to the ravine. We decided to try an alternate way back to the top...
On the way back to the campsite the kids wanted to walk thru the spillway (which is at the entrance to all the camp areas). With all the rain it was coming over non-stop. The top of the spillway is at eye level as you drive by. It's kinda odd...
You'll notice that Matt's a bit wet...that was NOT by his own doing. Daddy drove by in the suburban and doused him!!!
This smile says it all.....it was a GREAT time!
For Memorial Day we went camping at Mineral Wells State Park. My parents also got to come and that was a lot of fun. It did rain the entire time we were there, but that did stop us. Heck we had a week of London just like that PLUS frigid weather to top it off! Friday evening and Saturday we pretty much just lazed around and watched the on and off rain fall. Cut a few ZZZZ's here and there. It was perfect! Sunday we were ready to explore!!! There were 2 main trails they had marked on the map of the park (there were others but they were a bit to primitive and marshy-like due to all the rain). We got to the area where the trail indicated that there'd be rock climbing. We get there and it's gated off because of the all the rain...guess they didn't want to deal with the whole being liable for someone slipping off the cliff and dying...or something silly like that :) Well that didn't stop us...we slipped under the gate and man am I glad we did!! This place was awesome and I recommend that EVERYONE (if given the chance) go check this out! Now we were forewarned that a group of people had seen a copperhead...but we plugged along (we'd already checked it out once earlier in the day and this was actually our second trip cause we really wanted Mom and Dad to see it). Take a look below and you might be able to understand why...and I see now that pictures just don't do it justice.
Jim took this shot just as you come under the gate this is one of the first sights you see. A bit intimidating to peer over the cliff and see how far down this is...possibly 40-50 foot drop. The kids were stressing me out by how close they were getting to the edge!
This shot might help you see the depth. (That's me holding Brayden.)
There were several caves and crevasses and the shots below show just how big some of them where. Mind you that the walls of these caves/crevasses were lined in several places with zillions of daddy long legs!
Matt (being the camera ham that he is) wanted Dad to catch him jumping off this rock embedded in the crevasse)...
**I have a great shot below of Jim and the kids in the rocks...dadgum Blogger erased it and I can't get to reinsert correctly**
Ready
Set
Jump
Land
...promptly plant butt on ground :)
She really wanted me to take a picture of this huge leaf that she'd found, but as you can see...that was not the natural beauty I was wanting to capture!
My kids were really wanting to climb some rocks. This one was about a 45 degree angle and was pretty tough!
Nat really didn't have the proper shoes on, but she didn't care...she wanted in on the action!
She was bound and determined to go higher than Matt did...shoes or no shoes! ...and she did!!
Matt was pleased nonetheless with his achievement :)
Still in the mood for more they decided to move to the next higher set of rocks...
**I have a shot of Natalie crossing the rocks in the blog below. Blogger's being a real pill tonight and I don't know why it keeps deleting my pictures. So, see below....**
Daddy even joined in on the climb, and I got a great shot of my climbers.
As they made their way down I was being beckoned my the little one to witness his rock climb...
He had his sights set on a rock that he wanted scale!
And with a little help from the Pop Pops...he did it!!
My Ladies Man and his Pop Pop!
You'll see Grandma in the pink shirt headed up the stairs. I don't think she was too keen on the idea of the copperhead in the rocks :)**Again, please see the blog below for a shot of Brayden with his Grandma horsing around with the faucet while we are down below rock climbing**
The caves above Nat's head are first seen as you descend on the stairs that lead to the ravine. We decided to try an alternate way back to the top...
On the way back to the campsite the kids wanted to walk thru the spillway (which is at the entrance to all the camp areas). With all the rain it was coming over non-stop. The top of the spillway is at eye level as you drive by. It's kinda odd...
You'll notice that Matt's a bit wet...that was NOT by his own doing. Daddy drove by in the suburban and doused him!!!
This smile says it all.....it was a GREAT time!
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