Well, tomorrow is the day again. Off to Enid for my second chemo treatment. I have felt so "normal" the past week that I so dread going back. However, I know it is what I must do to kill off this cancer that wants to suck the life from me.
Yesterday at church, our pastor preached from Isaiah 41. In it, God is telling the Israelites not to fear. HE will uphold them with His righteous right hand. (v. 10). I am clinging to that. The point was made that our fear says something about who we think God is. I believe God is bigger than any treatment, any cancer, any side effect I may have. I want so badly to cling to that this week and not fall back on my pity, especially when I don't feel well physically.
If you are reading, please pray that I will stand firm knowing that God is upholding me with His right hand.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
What a year
Well, after good intentions, my last blog restart never got off the ground. Because of medical reasons, I have a little more time on my hands so hope to get more done on here!
The past few months have been a whirlwind. In November, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy in December and they also removed my lymph nodes on the right side. I had cancer in one of the lymph nodes. So fast forward to January and I have started my 16 weeks of chemo treatments. I go every other week for 8 treatments. This is my off week and I am feeling pretty good but I'm not gonna lie---last week was not fun.
However, through this, I have learned a few things that I want to hold onto to get me through when times are bad.
1. My husband is the true definition of a man. Confession--I already knew this. But the past few months he has been strong yet tender, unwaiveringing yet kind. I honestly could not do this without him.
2. My kids are pretty awesome. Neither one of them has hit the terrible teenage years yet. They do what they are asked, still enjoy hanging out with mom and dad. But they have gone above and beyond to love me and Steven and to do whatever we need done.
3. I have amazing friends. From bringing me meals to uplifting texts to sharing Scripture/song to Facetiming me during church so I can hear the sermon. God has placed amazing people in my life.
4. God is good. Always. He is my sustainer. There have been times I have felt far from Him and I'm sure I will go through more valleys. But I am clinging to His promise from Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even when I feel far away, He is there--always working, always loving, always shepherding me.
I don't know what the next few months hold for me but I hope to hold onto these truths to get me through.
The past few months have been a whirlwind. In November, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy in December and they also removed my lymph nodes on the right side. I had cancer in one of the lymph nodes. So fast forward to January and I have started my 16 weeks of chemo treatments. I go every other week for 8 treatments. This is my off week and I am feeling pretty good but I'm not gonna lie---last week was not fun.
However, through this, I have learned a few things that I want to hold onto to get me through when times are bad.
1. My husband is the true definition of a man. Confession--I already knew this. But the past few months he has been strong yet tender, unwaiveringing yet kind. I honestly could not do this without him.
2. My kids are pretty awesome. Neither one of them has hit the terrible teenage years yet. They do what they are asked, still enjoy hanging out with mom and dad. But they have gone above and beyond to love me and Steven and to do whatever we need done.
3. I have amazing friends. From bringing me meals to uplifting texts to sharing Scripture/song to Facetiming me during church so I can hear the sermon. God has placed amazing people in my life.
4. God is good. Always. He is my sustainer. There have been times I have felt far from Him and I'm sure I will go through more valleys. But I am clinging to His promise from Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even when I feel far away, He is there--always working, always loving, always shepherding me.
I don't know what the next few months hold for me but I hope to hold onto these truths to get me through.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Where have you been?
I had almost forgotten that I used to do a blog. Then I started looking through some old facebook posts and "rediscovered" it. I realized how much I enjoyed it and how it helped me catalog things that were going on with the kids. So I decided I would start it back up again.
This has been a busy week. Princess has been busy with The Music Man rehearsals. She is a girl after her mama's heart. She loves the stage and all that goes with it. I'm really looking forward to seeing the play next week-end.
Rman has decided that he wants to learn computer coding so he has been doing lessons on the computer. I hope he can learn enough to write a popular game/app and make me.....uh, I mean himself.....rich. Haha.
Tomorrow is our first "free Friday" of the the year. Hellooo beautiful.
This has been a busy week. Princess has been busy with The Music Man rehearsals. She is a girl after her mama's heart. She loves the stage and all that goes with it. I'm really looking forward to seeing the play next week-end.
Rman has decided that he wants to learn computer coding so he has been doing lessons on the computer. I hope he can learn enough to write a popular game/app and make me.....uh, I mean himself.....rich. Haha.
Tomorrow is our first "free Friday" of the the year. Hellooo beautiful.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Back to school....
Well, summertime has officially ended and we are back in school mode. The kids are both in great classes with wonderful teachers. They are also in class with their buddies. One of Rman's best friends moved away this year so that has been a little bit of an adjustment but his other best friend is in his class so that's a big help! Princess got all her buddies in class so all is well there.
First day of second grade
First day of 4th grade
I started a new job as well. I'm the speech pathologist at Fort Supply schools and I'm loving it! I was off for 10 years staying home with my babies but it's like riding a bike--you just hop back on and take off.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Livin' the Life
Ahhh, vacation. I love to travel and can hardly get back from one trip before I am planning and scoping out our next destination. Back in February we decided we wanted to go to Colorado for our summer vacation. Steven's parents stay in Buena Vista for July and August and his mom is always begging us to come visit them so we made that a target destination. We found a cabin in nearby Alpine and reserved it for August.
Steven loves to camp and would spend our whole vacation backpacking in the wilderness if I would agree. I do not agree. But since marriage is supposed to be about compromise, I agreed to camp four nights. We were going to camp near Buena Vista but found out they had a burn ban on, meaning no campfires. So instead, we headed to Platoro, Colorado for the adventure. Never heard of it you say? That's because it has a population of 300 and is closed in the winter. Seriously---the forest service makes everyone leave unless you apply for a special permit to stay.
We left early in the morning. It took all day to get to Platoro and was raining when we arrived. Because we didn't know where we were camping, we spent several hours driving around. As the sun continued to set, I decided that we were getting a cabin for the evening. It was too late to try to set up. We found a vacancy at some hunting cabins that were decorated circa 1963. When Steven laid in our bed, it made a HUGE crater and I had to sleep on the very edge to keep from rolling into him all night. However, it did have running water and a toilet so I wasn't going to complain.....too much.
The next day we found a campsite and got everything set up. We spent the next few days fishing, Jeeping, and hiking. Steven took us on what he said was a very beginners hike. Seemed pretty extreme to me. Lots of uphill. We started at around 10,000 ft and hiked to 12,500. It was all above treeline, which isn't my favorite but Steven liked it. I was proud of the kids and I for making it. I was trucking it because I was so afraid we were going to be rained on. It was a beautiful day though.
The next day we packed up the camp. It took us 3 hours. I don't know about you but that is NOT my idea of a vacation! I told him it sure seemed like a lot of work for a vacation. He said if we didn't have to bring the kitchen sink it wouldn't take so long. Smart aleck! I had agreed to camp 4 nights but was so glad we had to get a cabin the first night. Three nights was just about all I could take of that!
The last day was spent just hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. The kids played in the Arkansas River, built dams, and looked for cool rocks. A very laid-back enjoyable day!
It was a great vacation but might just be my last camping excursion. We'll see. The kids love it so maybe I'll do it again but it will be a couple of years. By then I might be too old!
Plug: I wanted to take one camera lens that would let me shoot close-up and far away without having to change. I priced that lens at $600. Whoa! Luckily I found an awesome place to rent the lens for the bargain price of around $80 including all shipping charges and insurance called ATS rentals. They even sent a lens hood for the camera. The lens arrived the day before we left, complete with a return shipping label. I used it our entire vacation and shipped it back the day after we returned. So easy! If you're ever in the market to rent camera or video equipment, I highly recommend them! I will certainly use them again.
Steven loves to camp and would spend our whole vacation backpacking in the wilderness if I would agree. I do not agree. But since marriage is supposed to be about compromise, I agreed to camp four nights. We were going to camp near Buena Vista but found out they had a burn ban on, meaning no campfires. So instead, we headed to Platoro, Colorado for the adventure. Never heard of it you say? That's because it has a population of 300 and is closed in the winter. Seriously---the forest service makes everyone leave unless you apply for a special permit to stay.
We left early in the morning. It took all day to get to Platoro and was raining when we arrived. Because we didn't know where we were camping, we spent several hours driving around. As the sun continued to set, I decided that we were getting a cabin for the evening. It was too late to try to set up. We found a vacancy at some hunting cabins that were decorated circa 1963. When Steven laid in our bed, it made a HUGE crater and I had to sleep on the very edge to keep from rolling into him all night. However, it did have running water and a toilet so I wasn't going to complain.....too much.
The next day we packed up the camp. It took us 3 hours. I don't know about you but that is NOT my idea of a vacation! I told him it sure seemed like a lot of work for a vacation. He said if we didn't have to bring the kitchen sink it wouldn't take so long. Smart aleck! I had agreed to camp 4 nights but was so glad we had to get a cabin the first night. Three nights was just about all I could take of that!
We drove to our cabin in Alpine and I immediately hit the shower! We spent one day touring Mt. Princeton and one day in Breckenridge at the Summer Fun Park. We had a great time riding the roller coaster and the mountain slide--probably my two favorite things we did at the Fun Park. It did give me skiing fever though!
It was a great vacation but might just be my last camping excursion. We'll see. The kids love it so maybe I'll do it again but it will be a couple of years. By then I might be too old!
Plug: I wanted to take one camera lens that would let me shoot close-up and far away without having to change. I priced that lens at $600. Whoa! Luckily I found an awesome place to rent the lens for the bargain price of around $80 including all shipping charges and insurance called ATS rentals. They even sent a lens hood for the camera. The lens arrived the day before we left, complete with a return shipping label. I used it our entire vacation and shipped it back the day after we returned. So easy! If you're ever in the market to rent camera or video equipment, I highly recommend them! I will certainly use them again.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Already???
Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of getting married and being a mother. Although I had other aspirations and dreams, that was one of the first and foremost in my mind. I went to college, met Steven, and got married. Because of school, we waited seven years before we had a baby. I felt I had waited forever for this precious little bundle!
Finally, the day came for my sweet Rman to arrive. It was a bumpy road but we both made it. I was in heaven!
Fast forward 10 years and I now have a half grown boy (that I can't really call a little boy anymore). The time has gone by so fast and though there have been hard times, regrets, and a couple of hospital visits, he's been just as wonderful as I thought he would be.
He's smart, funny, talkative (very!), creative, stubborn, laid back, and more. I can't believe I only have 9 more years with him. I'll cherish every one!
Fast forward 10 years and I now have a half grown boy (that I can't really call a little boy anymore). The time has gone by so fast and though there have been hard times, regrets, and a couple of hospital visits, he's been just as wonderful as I thought he would be.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Book Review: The Hypnotist
From the Amazon page:
In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.
It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.
An international sensation, The Hypnotist is set to appear in thirty-seven countries, and it has landed at the top of bestseller lists wherever it’s been published—in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Now it’s America’s turn. Combining the addictive power of the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the storytelling drive of The Silence of the Lambs, this adrenaline-drenched thriller is spellbinding from its very first page.
I began this book with high hopes. The premise was good, the action grabbed me right away. However, as the book went on, the plot line became more convoluted. It's as if the authors (a man-woman duo who write under the pen name Lars Keplar) couldn't decide which plot line to develop and which to use as a red herring. I found it to distract from the book as a whole and the main plot line.
I also found several of the plot items not very believable, even from a fiction point of view.
Even with the faults, I still gave it a three-star rating (I am contemplating changing it to a 2 1/2 star rating!) After such a great beginning, it was a little bit of a disappointment though.
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