My new men

I am meeting lots of great guys here in Michigan. Not sure yet which one I will pick for my beau.

Actually, as I strive to catch up on my posting, I wanted to share some pictures of the Rochester Christmas Parade, the largest parade in Michigan... thank you very much!! lol

It was a blast!!! We saw....

Synchronized wheels chairs from the local hospital ...

Gorgeous HUGE draft horse teams...

Thousands of people...as far as the eye could see...

And Santa...the REAL one...

Thanks for letting me share.

xoxo

p.s. Place your vote....beau # 1 or beau # 2. lol

Living a charmed life!

Happy Saturday morning! Sorry I don't post as much.

Honestly, I am so damn boring these days ... and profoundly grateful for it! I am healthy and happy and living an eventless existence. other than those astonishing little miracles I am privileged to experience multiple times each day. Like Angelica having a giggle fit as she puts glitter on her new little friend's face. And Oscar sitting here next to me perfecting his wink at me - with BOTH eyes! Or the deer that were munching our shrubs as we watched and whispered at our window last night....thrilling! Or watching the kitten take Oddie down as they wrestle...hilarious.

Or this upside down rainbow we saw in the sky on a perfectly sunny day not too long ago! Stunning!

This is one of my favorite, breathtaking sights since living here in Michigan. It was morning and the moon was SETTING. Of course this photo doesn't come close to capturing how incredible it was but it will remind me of what I saw. The full moon was HUGE as it sunk down. So cool to see.

My heart is really full. I praise God and am so grateful. Thank you for letting me share.

xoxo

Mambo dog!

In case you missed it on Telemundo, here it is for your enjoyment. LOL Actually, this has gone viral so it may be old news by now but it made me really laugh! LOVE how happy this dog is!!!



xoxo

On this Lord's day...

...continued prayers for the people of Haiti and people all over the earth that are suffering. I get so worked up, as do all of you I am sure. Hitting the "Donate" key felt good but it is TOO easy. Oh how I wish I could do something to make a difference.

xoxo

~A beautiful message about growing old~

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CRAP! I forgot what it was...
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Crosses

Megan sent me this along with the text below. I really like it!

We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot.

Whatever your cross, whatever your pain,

there will always be sunshine after the rain...

Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;

But God's always ready, to answer your call....

He knows every heartache, sees every tear,

a word from His lips, can calm every fear...

Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night,

But suddenly vanish, by dawn's early light...

The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, to give you His grace,

and send you His love.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!

xoxo

Lagniappe

There have been so many fun activities this past fall and winter...and it has only just begun! I think one of my favorites is our sledding outtings, which I have no pictures of because it is all too fast moving. They are serious about their sledding here. Our favorite place is called Lost Lake. It is a very short drive from our house...a gorgeous drive down dirt roads and through some very woodsy areas until you see a little sign that says "Lost Lake". You drive back, park and walk a bit to a HUGE hill. It used to be a skiing hill but now it is just for sledding. Seems like not very many people know about it. Our first trip out we had the place to ourselves. It is just a huge hill out in the woods...so serene and peaceful and quiet, except for the piercing, guttural screams of terror as my kids hurtled down the hill at break neck speeds. LOL I will bring a camera next time. You gotta see this place!

One of the other really great things we did that I want to share is Lagniappe. Megan, Molly, Kyle, Reid, Oscar Angelica and I all went and had a great time! Lagniappe (Creole for "a little something extra") kicks-off the holiday season in Downtown Rochester in conjunction with their "Big, Bright Light Show". It is awesome. All the stores hand out "a little something"...nothing like free stuff to bring out hoards of people. There is music and carolers and even Rudolf was there, although apparently he was aggressive because there were "handlers" around his enclosure making sure no one got too close to him!

All of the buildings are draped in lights, each one a different color. And I mean draped...they are COVERED with tiny colorful lights, each one its own color. Once it gets dark, they throw the switch and they all come on at once. Then everyone signs holiday songs. It was a really great time.

I am so impressed by this town!

I am not sure who this guy is but he is photogenic.

We had a great time...look at those faces!

xoxo

Scientific studies...

Okay, I have validated 2 hypothesis that I have had for many years:

1. It truly is less cold when there is snow on the ground. It doesn't matter if it is 30 degrees with snow and without snow. When there is snow on the ground, it is LESS cold (maybe more bearable?)
2. Just because my mini-van has 4 wheels does not mean it is a 4-wheel drive. :-)

We have had lots of snow and we are LOVING it...especially Scruffy!! He looks like a pig in France rooting for truffles....snorting his nose through the snow. Adorable and a joy to watch!

Click to enlarge for the full cuteness effect!

xoxo

Holiday photos

First, let me give my most heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of love after my 1 a.m. posting about fear the other night. You guys are the best and I am so grateful for your support!

I had planned on using some of my time at chemo on Monday to update my blog with holiday photos. You would think that in the 8 hours I was there I could have fit it in (lol) but there were too many distractions. So here I go...pictures!

It is really fun to post these because it was so much fun when the photos were taken! Sorry about the red-eye in some but now that I have upgraded to Office 2007 I have lost that awesome photo editor. Any technical help out there on how to get a photo editor other than Paint as my default? :-) Shameless of me to blog for tech help!

I hope you enjoy. Love to you all!
xoxo


All the kids on Christmas morning. Can you tell Angelica brushed her hair with her pillow?

Oscar, Reid, Kyle, Angelica and, of course, Oddie, playing Twister.

More posts to come in the next day or so from other holiday festivities.

Coping

I am hesitant to write again about my fears. For the most part, they are at bay. But every once in a while they will grip me. It's like getting hit really hard in a pillow fight....it whooshes the air right out of my lungs. That sounds like a terrible analogy. But truly it is not like getting hit with a brick. It is more deceiving than that. It comes on soft and then just undoes me.

I have a debilitating fear of dying, not for me but for my children. In the "The Secret" vernacular just by thinking about dying means I am bringing it to me or causing it (for lack of a better description). I am trying hard....very hard....to avoid thinking about it. I don't want to give it energy....don't want to fuel it. I am lucky that positive thinking is more my nature.

The other good news is that the bouts with fear ARE getting less frequent. And nights like tonight when I wake with a start out of a dead sleep and am experiencing that bladder-weakening, heart-stopping fear, I go to each of the kid's rooms to nuzzle their necks with kisses and then climb back into my own bed to visit with my faithful Father. Please God, don't let the cancer come back. I know You have a Master Plan but please, I pray, let me raise my children.