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..**

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 :)

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.

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...

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!

..addition to the blog above

100% & A Hair Raising Experience

I got an email from Matt's teacher the other day telling me the most WONDERFUL news. Matthew has scored a 100 on the Taks test. This is the test that every year the kids get all stressed out about. (Stress that's put on them by the schools cause if the kids don't do well the school doesn't get as much $$...or something along those lines.) And Matt WAS stressed of this. She told me to act surprised when Matt told me that afternoon and I said "you bet". As soon as Matt piled into the truck he said "Mom, guess what?... Mrs. Martin pulled me out into the hall to tell me my Taks score today and I was all 'Oh man, did I fail?' And then you know what she told me Mom???? She said I made a 100!!!!!" I of course squeezed the air out of him to show him how proud I was. Then we immediately HAD to call Dad!! We are so proud! Nat made a 100 in 3rd grade also....what a great tradition :)

Now...on to a hair raising experience....really! Last Sunday I asked Jim t got to the trailer and get the griddle so that I could make pancakes. He saw mouse droppings!!! Ugh...I hated that news. So I went to inspect the trailer in hopes that it was just a few mouse "pellets". NOT! It was a mouse party! Nasty, filthy freakin mice have gone everywhere and pooed and pee-ed! All over the stuff I'd washed and put out there...blankets, pots, pans.... So I was gathering up the pots and pans to take them into the house ans wash them. As I was doing this a storm was building just south of us. I'd seen a few lighting strikes but they were a ways off and I wasn't sweating it. I had the trailer door propped open and I was right in the door way leaning over to pick up all the pots to take in. Just as I was picking them up I heard and felt something very eerie.... You know that kinda crackly noise that come right before a SUPER loud boom of thunder? Well I was hearing the very begin of the crackly noise and all the sudden my hair stood UP OFF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! ........and the BBBOOOOOOOMMM!!! Uh yeah...the storm was right up my butt (figuratively speaking....but not far from reality) and I was standing in a metal trailer, in a metal doorway, on metal steps, holding metal pots and pans. I quickly discarded the pot and pans and hauled a-- into the house! I told Jim what had just happened and he was like "if you'd been struck we'd had no idea! We would have thought you were just messing around in the trailer." Not a great thought! So no more working/playing in the trailer during a lighting storm!! Yowza!

Great Mother's Day and Jim Blogged another great one!

I believe I've contacted everyone who reads this blog already...but again, I hope all you Momma's had a great Mother's Day. I sure did :) ......ate WAY too much...yowza! I think my goal of not being larger at the beach than I was last year is not gonna be met. BUT, I am back on the wagon again starting today so we'll see what I can accomplish between now and June 15th.

Jim has recapped our softball action again, so drop by his blog when you get a chance.

Oh and one more exciting development in our household is...Matt's loosing teeth!! Anyone who might remember a few years ago I sent out Christmas cards of the kids at the beach and if you looked really close Matt's bottom teeth were JACKED! That's because he has serious issues with loose teeth and them coming out. Uncle Bobby had to take out that awful tooth out and ever since then he's thought Bobby needed to be the tooth puller...and that was the only way they could come out. Nat on the other hand was always delighted to find a loose tooth and typically from the time she would tell us she'd found a loose tooth to the time that it came out was usually an hour or less :) Well after Matt's last dentist appt we found out that he has 5 teeth that he needs to loose and if they don't come out it'll cost like $100 a tooth to get them pulled (so permanent funky tooth doesn't happen). So I've been telling to to work on the teeth and wiggle them. He's been telling me "none of them are wiggly"....he's a stubborn one. Well, it finally sank in I think cause last week he came out of his room with a tooth...I was so proud :) The tooth fairy (with encouragement in mind) left him $2. Now I think Matt sees that $2 x 5 = $10...cause last night he came out with another tooth! And I'll gladly see that the tooth fairy pays out $10 opposed to us paying out $500 to the dentist!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day!

Jim Blogged!!

...nothing more to say than that! It's a great blog and he put a LOT of time into it!! Check it out...

Piano Recital and Spring Concert

As mentioned in an earlier blog, Natalie had her first piano recital this Sunday. She did awesome. She didn't miss a beat. And she told me she wouldn't. "Mom, I know this song like the back of my hand", she told me. And she wasn't kidding. We were very proud. A few tears tried to creep into my eyes, but I fought them off so that I could take pictures :) After the recital her Grandparents gave her flowers and she was delighted! (In the group picture below you may or may not notice, but Brayden got a substantial haircut. Yes I did took him and no I'm not happy!)














Last night we went to her Spring Recital. They played 2 different songs. One of which they just played at the Sandy Lake competition where they received a "1" which was the highest score! They sounded really good and Nat was beautiful...as always :)








And not to leave Matt out...He had a practice for Battle of the Books today and his group got first place! He's really pumped about the upcoming "battle" :)

That's all for now... If you get a chance, leave me a comment. I miss hearing from everyone :(

First Camping Trip

This past weekend we FINALLY got to go on our first camping trip! We went to Fort Richardson State Park in Jacksboro. Only about 45mins-1hour from the house. But ya know, once your in the park you have no idea that your that close to home. It's like being 100 + miles away. It's really beautiful! Lots of cool trails and creeks/springs. I will let the following pictures tell the rest of the story.

When you first enter the park you pass the fort..then you head down into the lush greenery and where the river is.

Here's the kids checking out the hospital. You can't go in any of the buildings, but you can see inside. They have replicas that give you an idea of how everything looked.

This was the Guard Station. The kids are in what's left of the cells.

Matt is standing in front of the what's left of the flour mill. You had to cross the river (which we didn't wee where you could do that) in order to get to it.

Here's one of the few spots where we could cross the river without being up to our waists in water. It was so nice to see a flowing river...instead of a dried up dusty one!

After we crossed the river I HAD to take some pictures on this rock and tree!

While the big kids fished, Brayden (and his new found freedom from the stroller) took Jim for a walk :)

Truly HAPPY Campers!

I got to capture a picture of Matt's first (and only) catch of the day.

You'd thought that he'd just reeled in a shark the way we were all going on!

Nat had caught a perch before I got there. No picture of the fish..just one of a happy fisher girl :)

Brayden's delighted to be freed from the stroller! He wants to explore too :)

Brayden and Matt were complete monkey at the slide!

Nat thought that the wild onions was like the coolest find. She really wanted to know if we could eat them...I tried to discourage this :) Can you eat them??

Brayden's camp past time was riding and falling of the tricycle!

We had a great time and wish we'd had ONE more day. But that's pretty much how you feel with any trip/vacation...isn't it :) We would highly recommend this park to anyone! Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend!