Stupid Cancer

Cancer is a word that nobody really likes to talk about but chances are, in this day and age, just about everybody knows somebody who has battled the awful disease.
  Over the years I have lost grandparents and aunts and uncles to cancer. 9 years ago one of my favorite people passed away from cancer at the age of 48. She left behind 4 beautiful children and many friends who miss her dearly. Only weeks before, my dear father-law passed away from cancer as well. Then a few years later a great lady of the community and a cheer coach to my daughter and an inspiration to many was taken from this world all too soon....On August 2, 2017 my family came face to face with cancer when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Since that day, our world has been a blur of doctors, hospital stays, medicines, many miles on the road and learning to do many things I didn't know I would ever need to know. I am by no means complaining!!! I would happily take the job of caretaker 1000 times over and my words cannot begin to express how proud I am of my mom for taking a diagnosis that slapped her in the face and wrestling it to the ground! You are a rockstar mom!!!! 💜
  As I sat with mom today, as she was getting her 4+ hours of chemo, I just sat and quietly observed the many patients that were there for the very same reason.....If you ever think you are having a bad day, this place will make you grateful for your bad day. The patient next to mom was a 25 year old man in the prime of his life.  His mother had recently lost her mother to cancer. She kept telling my sister how much our mom reminded her of her mom. When her dad popped in he was overwhelmed with emotion because his heart was struck by the similarities as well. They had been married for 62 years...The young man was later replaced with an elderly gentleman accompanied by his loving wife. I observed a young lady wandering up and down the halls that couldn't have been more than 20. I saw a boy being checked in by his father, I overheard his birth date---10/12/2003....13! 13 years old! My heart broke for him. The ugly truth of it is that Cancer does not care....it doesn't care about race, color, religion or gender. It doesn't care if you are young or old, or married. It doesn't care if you are a child, a parent, a sibling, husband, wife, father or mother.....Cancer simply does not care. I've come to realize that life is short. Don't waste it being petty, greedy or selfish. I encourage you to live your life loving one another as well as yourself. Every single one of us crave kindness and love....there is so much darkness in this world, don't be afraid to be a light......
"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world!"

A New Family Hobby

This past spring the husband decided it would be fun to relive his younger days and get a dirt bike. I was hesitant at first because as we all know, older folks who haven't ridden in a while + a motorized 2 wheeled machine could result in not good things for said older folks.  That being said, this older gal decided it would be fun to join in and we ended up getting a big bike for papa, a medium bike for mama and a little bike for middle brother. On a side note, this whole adventure started after attending some awesome cross country races to watch a couple of awesome local boys. That and our 2nd oldest boy found our youngest a cute little bike.  We got it all fixed up and everyone had a blast riding it but, as I said, it was decided to get bigger bikes for bigger people. So, we are now the proud owners of 4 bikes, and a rabble of riding gear that has taken over most of the garage. This fact will make me sad when it snows for real and I can't park in the garage. We have been out a few times and so far have only had one accident that landed us in the ER....and our backyard, at times, resembles a racetrack. My husband taught my middle boy how to pull a wheelie and now wheelie practice has become a main after school activity. I guess practice makes perfect!! The only downside (according to my youngest) Gabe won't stop stealing Rollie's bike! (Its an better bike for doing a good wheelie! 😉) I hope next year we have more time for more fun!

It has only been a 1.5 years this time.....

Hello my faithful readers! I went 4 years between posts the last time, and this time it was only 1.5 years. My blog is always on the back of my mind and when something great or funny happens I always think "hey, I should remember that and write in my blog about it." 1.5 years......you see how far I have gotten with that idea..haha. 
   Well lets see, what has happened in the last 1.5 years......My oldest child did, in fact, graduate! True, she still lives with us, but she got that diploma, nonetheless! My first middle child is a senior this year. She wanted to quit school last year, but she is navigating along better this year. (Thank God) She was recently nominated for Homecoming Queen but that deserves a separate post. :) My 2nd middle child is now in 7th grade. We had an extremely difficult year last year which almost resulted in homeschooling. (Not sure how that would have went. ;) ) This year we are off to a much better start. He is in Junior High and has to move from class to class which is a nice change for him. My youngest is in 5th grade. He is still my comedian and best little buddy (his siblings call it being a Mama's boy) and he still dislikes school. He doesn't like the sound of getting a job at 10 years old (which I told him is his alternative if he quits school) so he muddles through week after week. As his mother I cant understand because school comes easy to him and he seems to be well liked by his peers. Hopefully I don't have a hermit in the making!! (or a serial killer)
   Al, as I said before, has been dabbling with sand carving. He loves his new hobby and does very well with it, and hopefully someday he will be able to do it full time! As for myself, I am still as busy as ever. Being a chauffer is a big part of my day these days, oh and I have also become a nurse without going to school.....nurses around the world---you have my immense respect!!!! I also recently acquired a sewing machine. I have always wanted one even though I have never used one in my life. Strange I know, but hopefully with time I will become an expert without sewing any fingers together. I have also recently been flirting with the idea of learning sign language.....seems fun, right?
   Hopefully I can write a few posts today....it is cold and gloomy so it is a good day for it. Thanks for reading, and I will catch you on the flip side.