Happy Birthday!

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Today is Michael's birthday!!

wonderful thoughts...

This is part of an E mail I received this morning....
OH WHAT WONDERFUL THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!

Remember to always:
> *be grateful
> *act with kindness
> *have patience
> *practice integrity
> *give generously
> *behave honorably
> *live fully
> *exercise your talents
> *share your knowledge
> *act courteously
> *show tolerance
> *treat others with respect
> *believe in yourself
> *always do your best
> *expect miracles
> *and be thankful for your blessings"

Be well....and pass it along!

silence...

Please once again accept my sincere apology for being silent...but I have been out of sorts...trying to make some sense of things ...trying to bring a little reality to my life...working in the garden...playing with the little love...
I think that the last 2 years have finally caught up to me...I am feeling a little drained...and I am trying to re-energize myself....the sun is helping...digging in the earth is helping....and going to see the Doctor is helping...
All in all things are going along....and we are trying to do things that we have listed at least several times a week....but at the moment....I am taking a down time to regroup....
Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do! LOL
Be Well...

Spring Cleaning....

Do you ever feel the need to do some spring cleaning???? Not just in your house but in your life...in your soul??? I have been feeling that need a great deal lately....cleaning....cleaning up...cleaning out...Sometimes I clutter myself with so much stuff that I feel like a hoarder (LOL) Maybe I should go on one of those reality shows! (it's really not that bad!) Lately I have been noticing a difference in my attitude....and I think I need an adjustment! Things that once seemed smooth now seem to have very rough areas...things that once seemed so important now lack in there importance....TIME TO CLEAN....clear out the cobwebs....clean up the messes....begin to feel fresh and shiny and new!!
I am aware that I judge things lately...a right or wrong...good or bad...so I have decided to clean...to get on with that act of living my life...attending to it....flourishing with it....taking it bit by bit....not worrying so much if I make a mistake (easier said then done!!) make room to grow....
Today, I start spring cleaning! Both of my home and my soul.....I am stepping into it.....I am trying to get past the barriers of my own making...I will stop trying to plot my escape from this...stop finding one bad excuse after another that keeps me in a holding pattern....
I am stepping into it....soap and water in hand....good thoughts surrounding me....I will pay attention to the details....and bring it to find myself at home with myself....

Another day down...

Off for blood work and Oncologist office.....what a surprise after not being there for a couple months to find that Michael's Doctor is having a baby! So excited for her....she has a little one who is 4 and now will have another in September....We will be able to get in the chemo round before she is off for medical leave....
So speaking of chemo....It will now be held off for a couple months....the last round of chemo is still doing it job of keeping the cancer from growing....it's still there...still the same as it was in 2008 and hasn't grown at least by all accounts in his blood ....some of his counts are high and some are low...but most are remaining the same....She once again suggested we go on vacation while he is still in this resting stage (we all know that the chemo will eventually stop and then the cancer will take over) So I guess we are going to start planning something....we do have several mini trips planned...one with my sister and brother in law ...
So another day down....and feeling pretty good....I have been in the studio working on projects for days now and loving that....most of them are things I am doing that are collaborative projects with others from the net....I just did a page in a book for A PLACE TO BARK fund raiser....This is a place in Tennessee that rescues abused animals...Bernie Berlin is the woman who does this and what a job she does...Once the pages are all collected by Renee Troy the book will be put up for auction....I can hardly wait to see the work and book all together....what a wonderful honor this was to join in with all these talented artist....It feels really good doing things for others...
Be well...Life is good!

Happy Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day....to all the wonderful woman who visit here....who nurture and love...
This E-card came from the site of Shiloh Sophia McCloud (click card to enlarge)
Be Well...

Even Doctors get sick....

We changed all our plans for Baltimore...when we were leaving and when we were returning...because we had an Oncology blood draw and visit....We got up early after our
6 hour drive home yesterday....and went for the blood draw (the results of some of the testing
takes a couple hours) but we were prepared for the wait and seeing the Oncologist....Only to
find out she was not in today because she was sick!! We could of seen another Doctor, but we
choose to come back next week to see her....She has been the primary Oncologist in this office
that has taken care of Michael for the past several years....So we felt she was the one to see because she has a hands on with us....although all the Doctors know what is going on with the patients...I know you all have experienced this with your own Doctors and the little bit of uncomfortable feeling that comes along with it....SO it is a day off after all.....the saving grace is that next week we won't have to wait for the blood result tests.....

Baltimore...Baseball...

What a wonderful time we had in Baltimore....We went to a baseball game while we were there!
Perfect weather...perfect company....laughter...relaxing...just what the Doctor ordered!

leaving for Baltimore....

In the morning....our plans changed when I flipped the calendar over to May to add some appointments that we have....We planned on being in Washington, DC to see the Viet Nam memorial on Monday....and low what did my eyes see....an Oncologist appointment for Monday at 10 AM...seeing as we are starting chemo up again soon....these are blood tests that take a while to get back and they need those results before starting chemo...and just maybe she will have the MRI results...
So off we go to visit some very dear friends for a few days....we will miss our day with the little love
so we visited with him for a few hours today....
Be Well...

Wicked...

Have you seen this play???? Last night Michael and I had the opportunity to go to it...a gift we gave to ourselves for our anniversary (yes...we continue to celebrate it!!) It was the BEST play I have seen in quite some time....everything from the costumes...the stage...the actors...(remember Larry from 3's Company??? He played the Wizard) It was the best 3 hours!! The voices were amazing....But the song....Defying Gravity.....MY FAVORITE!!
If you get the chance to see it....Do so if you can....You'll laugh....You'll be in awe....It is a treat!
Can you tell I loved it????? LOL

Reflecting...

Friends of ours lost their son to a tragic accident recently...He was only 27 years old....
It has caused me to reflect on the relationship that I have with my grown children...and how I can make it better...more meaningful...How as a mother I can do a little more even though they are fully grown....I can call them more often...I can see them more often (both personally and socially)
I can partake in their grown lives more....
I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child....no matter what the age of that child is...perhaps as I journey on this path I have grown numb...and a little accustomed to the signs of death...but this is different....this was unforeseen...
Today....I will connect a little more....Give a bigger hug...and say I love you more than once!
Hope you do the same!
Be Well...

Just the right words....

This is a picture (showing off his long hair and acting silly) of my son J....He is a warm and caring son who has been a joy in my life....but he is a man of few words....rarely tells you to much in the personal department....but always there when the chips are down or to make you laugh...give you the best bear hugs and share his love....but he sent this letter to Michael....I will share part of it with you.....
"since I met you, you knew what was going on....So did I....We immediately meshed....You taught me all I could be...baseball was easy, I loved it...Thanks coach....If not for you I wouldn't have played so long....I look up to you and thank you for raising me as your SON...I love you....I hope I am the person you thought I could be..."
He touched us deep with these words....
We love you too J.....
You are MORE than we could of possibly imagined!