Memorial Day 2010

When you wake up tomorrow morning, think of all the things you can have and do and go to, and then remember the people who made that possible. God bless our military.

I'm spending a lot of time this weekend thinking about and being grateful to our soldiers that have lost their lives protecting our freedom, but the most important one to me is my grandfather.


He was killed in WWII...I wish I had gotten to meet him. I think of him a lot. Thank you, grandpa.

It's back! Better than ever!

Friday Follow has been re-worked and gotten a make-over! I'm so excited to see it back! This is the first week of the new Friday Follow...if you've never played along, click the graphic up above to see how!

This is a great week for us.... We started off with our trip to Duke for Shannon's recognition ceremony. Then, Tuesday was my last day of work until AUGUST! (Can I get a woohoo???) Shannon's last day of 7th grade is tomorrow! Here comes summer! I can't wait to stay up late, sleep in late, and laze by the pool. Bliss!

Patrick and I got new toys today...DROIDS! So awesome. Our phones were up for renewal, and then Droids went "Buy One Get One Free," with free shipping! It was just meant to be! We've spent the day learning about apps, chatting with friends, syncing our Google calendars, etc. Sweeeet! I feel so 21st century! LOL!!!

I have a doctor appointment Friday afternoon...hoping for good news. Cross your fingers for me!

Duke visit

We got to do a neat thing with Shannon this past weekend.

Due to her great ACT scores, she was invited to a grand recognition ceremony at Duke University. It was so cool! Not only was it surreal to take my 13 year old to college, but it really awakened in Shannon the possibilities for her future.

Shannon absolutely adored the Duke campus. She'd go there in a heartbeat if they accepted her (and gave her a scholarship, lol.) We were invited to a "It's not too early to begin thinking about college admittance" seminar. We learned that ONE year at Duke costs $53,000. HELLO! But anything's possible, so we're letting Shan shoot for the moon, y'know? You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, so we'll let her dream and goal, and figure out it later.

There is NO way we can afford to send her there. But letting her dream, and work toward her goals may just lead her to the path to get there. It may also lead her to a different school, and that's fine too! I think this trip really was a touchstone for Shannon though, and it was neat to see that come alive in her.

I'm loving being on this journey with her. I have no idea where she'll end up, but I know we'll have fun getting there.

Here are pictures from our trip. Check them out...I had NO idea how beautiful Duke was! (Plus, my kid's kinda cute too, lol.)

He's Super-Charlie!!!

Baby Charlie is home!!! In fact, he came home TWO days ago! What a super-baby he is!

Thank you, Lord!!!

Update on Charlie

Baby Charlie's open-heart surgery was this morning, and I am happy to report that it went extremely well! Charlie's surgeons were able to repair his heart defect, and as of tonight he is already off the ventilator, and breathing on his own!

Please continue to pray for

• Very minimal pain for Charlie.
• Quick, infection-free healing.
• Peace for Mommy,Daddy and all family and friends.
  

Thank you so much!

Lots of things!

Baby Charlie's open-heart surgery is on Friday. His parents (who are our friends from church) have asked for lots of prayers for their sweet boy. Will you please help?

These are the specific requests of the family:

• For successful surgery.
• For the Lord to guide the surgeon's hands.
• Very minimal pain for our sweetie.
• Quick, infection-free healing.
• Peace for Mommy,Daddy and all family and friends.

Thank you so much!
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We've had a super-neat thing happen in our family. I don't know if you were a reader back when I posted this post about wishing for $16 million to buy some "family land." Well, something cool has happened...no, I haven't found $16 million, lol...but check this out!

A woman in CA's husband died at Thanksgiving time last year. Just a short time ago, she took an "old guitar" off their wall and took it to a music shop to see how old or valuable it might be. It was etched with the name "CB Irwin" on the back, which guided the shop owner to my family.

The lady has invited a member of our family to receive the guitar back into the family so it can be added to Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, which is creating an Irwin wing.

This is SUPER exciting to us!!! I hope you'll read THE STORY...it's pretty neat!
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One party down, one to go! Then, summer! Woot!

Home stretch!

Yesterday and today were my last real "class" days at preschool. Tomorrow and Thursday are program and party days, and then I'm done, done, done! This has been such a fantastic year...great classes, sweet parents...just wonderful. The last several years have had some really stressful parts that kind of cast a "pall" over the year...by contrast, this has been a sweet year of renewal. Reminders that I *am* good at my job, and that I'm appreciated by the families of my students. Those feelings actually make me want to work harder and try new things in the classroom, etc!

That said, I'm ready to sleep in, lay by the pool, read books for fun, etc. Bring on summer!

I'm looking forward to a few things this summer, besides resting, lol! I have a doctor appointment next Friday to discuss having a hysterectomy. I've had "girlie troubles" for years, and I'm just so done. 2 years ago I had an ablation, and while it helped...things are heading back to the way they were before. I just don't want to go back there. I'm hopeful that doctor will be in agreement.

Patrick and I have also been working hard at cleaning out our home of things we don't use. It's a little mind-boggling to see all the stuff we own, and truly realize how little of it we actually need/use. Most of our cast-offs are going to Goodwill, although we've sold a telescope and Shan's old keyboard on Craigslist so far this week! (We also have a nibble on my old laptop, but that one's not final yet.) It just feels SO good to simplify, and to take our belongings down to the stuff we truly enjoy or need.

Our whole focus this year is to simplify. Simplify our home. Simplify our health. Simplify our finances. It feels SO good to be making progress on it all.

Getting to know you Sunday

One more week of preschool, and then this blog and I will be back among the living. Don't leave me, lol!!! I've got pictures to share from Shannon's Duke TiP state recognition ceremony, and I think I still owe you guys pictures of our tattoos, too. Yeesh, has it been that long?

I woke up today with either a bad cold, or allergies from hell. I've spent most of the day whacked out on Benadryl and trying to sleep, if for no other reason than to slow my sneezing.


To help me not feel like a TOTAL loser, here is a post that I don't *reaaaallly* have to think about. It's time again for Keely's weekly blog carnival called Getting to Know You. Here are this week's questions...and my answers!

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....probably the shelves! I'm SO NOT a clothes horse, nor do I spend much if any money on my clothes. This is actually something I'm working on.

2. Have you ever played a team sport? No, but I was in high school marching band. Does that count?

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be? A nice pretty one, that people aren't always trying to squish!

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned? While no place is a GOOD place to get a sunburn, I think I'm gonna have to go with scalp. Combing/brushing a sunburn just plain HURTS!

5. Are you happy? I'm getting there! I'm a lot happier than I've been in a long time. (I've struggled quite a bit over the years with depression and anxiety....)

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them? Um, I'm sure there are...but I'm having trouble thinking of any off the top of my head.

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere? I do love where I live, but I'd be pretty happy anywhere, I think.

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full? Sadly, none.

Mother's Day Revisited

It's been almost 13-1/2 years since I became a Mom. Each year, we've celebrated Mother's Day as a family...with special meals, cards, gifts, time together. This year we added something. A first, if you will.

I got to put Shannon "on restriction" for the very first time. While I know I'm lucky that she is 13 and has never been grounded before...being a mom is hard! I hate having limits pushed to the point where punishment is necessary. But I hope that maybe this will help put things back (at least for awhile) to where they ought to be.

Happy Mother's Day, lol!

Two awesome, but completely unrelated photos

Hi peeps!

I've got one Mother's Day Tea down...one to go! After that...it's pretty much smooth sailing. I'm midway through student assessments, but those are "easy" for me. End of year programs and parties are being planned, but again...it's all well in-hand. Phew. Less than two weeks to go. Yippee!

Yesterday as Patrick got home from running errands, he thought he saw a bird on our front door. Which is weird, because...how would a BIRD literally be ON the front door? He approached, and it flew to one of our flowerbeds. It was a moth. A moth with a 6-8 INCH wingspan! Holy moly. This is only a cell phone pic, since that's all P had on him...but look at this thing!



While I was at preschool, one of the kids had to use the potty. OK, fine. We have a bathroom attached right to our classroom, so we sent him in to go. We heard him flush, and heard the water go on for him to wash his hands. All good things. Well then we kinda got distracted with Mother's Day Tea prep, and realized a couple minutes later that the water was STILL running. We opened the door, and saw a very happy and very WET little boy doing what I can only call a "bubble dance" at the sink. His hands were waving over his head, and bubbles were flying EVERYWHERE! Hilarious! Of course we talked to him about not wasting soap and water, and that the sink was not a toy...but oh.my.gosh., it was the funniest thing!

Prayers for Charlie

The son of some friends of ours from church is having open heart surgery on 5/21. Would you please lift baby Charlie up in prayer?

These are the specific requests of the family:
*For successful surgery.
*For the Lord to guide the surgeon's hands.
*Very minimal pain for our sweetie.
*Quick, infection-free healing.
*Peace for Mommy,Daddy and all family and friends.

Thank you!

Photo Tagged!

I saw this cute meme on Sharing the Pages of Life, and thought it looked fun! How to play: Go to your photo files and pick the 8th folder. Then, the 8th photo in that folder...post it and write about it. Easy? Yep! Fun? Yep yep!

I just got my computer for Christmas, so all of my pictures are recent. Here's my random shot!



This was taken on New Year's Eve. Shannon and I made "2010" glasses out of pipe cleaners, and were modeling them. LOL!

Wanna play too? Please do! Leave me a comment telling me that you did, so I can come see your random picture!

Too good to not post!

About a week ago, we got some encouraging news.

Patrick had been referred to Emory to meet with a neurologist. (His 4th neurologist, not including a pain treatment center, and a headache specialist.) That appointment was last week. The news is that this doctor feels that Patrick has suffered trauma to his trigeminal nerve. He was "complimentary" (wrong word) of all the treatments Patrick has had...but listed a number of treatment options to still be explored. We're not so much hopeful yet...but definitely encouraged to hear there are still things to try.

Over the past 3-1/2 years, we've followed treatment plans and ultimately gotten to the point where each doctor has said "I'm sorry...that's all I can do for you, let me refer you to someone else." To hear a doctor say "Yes! There's lots more we can do" is just such an encouraging bit of news. I couldn't say we were hopeful yet...but definitely encouraged.

But then today happened!

We already have some good news with Patrick's new treatment!!! He had his regular chiropractor appointment this morning...the first since his neuro appt. last week. He told the chiro about the neuro's suspicion that he has trigeminal nerve damage.

The chiro did some simple tests, and basically confirmed it! With P's eye closed, he alternated touching points on his face with either a blunt or sharp object. On the right side of P's face, in the trigeminal nerve areas (there are 3 main ones)...P got them wrong!

This is amazing news. For THE FIRST time since P's accident, doctors have been able to isolate a possible source, and P's symptoms have matched up exactly. Now...we just have to find the treatment that will work...but this is AMAZING news.

Mom n Me Monday

It's Monday again! Time for Mom n Me Monday, hosted by Julie at The Peanut Gallery...Exit Here.

After a year of classes, service projects, retreats, etc...Shannon's confirmation into our church was yesterday! What a beautiful, special day. I have more pictures posted on my Facebook page...but here's my Mom n Me picture!



Oh my! My baby is now taller than I am! How/when did THAT happen?!?

Rabbit, rabbit!

LaLa! I remembered!

I'm here, I'm here...I'm just SOOO busy this week and next. Once I survive next week (see how optimistic I am? I didn't say "IF I survive next week..." lol), I promise I will be back in force. Right now I'm just running like a chicken with it's head cut off...but it's all good. Don't leave me, everybody!