FINALLY!!!

Last Friday saw the end to an eight month nightmare. When the electricity was connected and we were officially "in" our place, I felt like the numbness of all those months was finally over.

The last month had been the worst, and the best, thanks to some really good friends. The start of the month found us unexpectedly looking for a new home. We had each other, and that was about it. Living life in a car wasn't fun, but it did make us stronger. We made connections with the right people and were able to get the ball rolling on our place. All I can clearly remember about that time was how Dan must have felt watching all of it unfold... hmmm! We had some really great friends who were there for us and made the waiting better. We were with friends Terry and Skye during Tropical Storm Fay, and were able to help them through a bout of mopping a flooding livingroom and diningroom. After that we moved on to our friend and prior neighbor Jan and her son Scott. The six dogs were a real treat and we ended up seeing who could get the most dogs to come by them. Snoopy is mine! Friends... thank God for them.

So we are now in our place. We've been unpacking and setting things up non-stop. Kaylie and Makenzie spent the night Saturday, and loved playing in the boxes and trying to find us as we unpacked. "Zamma, you have too much stuff" says Makenzie! Got to get the storage area organised before Hurricane Hanna gets here. Hurricanes are a bother, but the flooding here has been record breaking. At one point we had 18 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. Not good... Fortunately the new place had a 1 foot step up into the house. We should be OK, but pray for more wind and less rain. As it stands right now they say it will pass @80 miles off shore from us. That will give us hurricane force winds, but hopefully less rain. Besides, after that we have Hurricanes Ike and Josephine to prep for... Watch behind Josephine, that's the one I'm worried about, but it's not named yet. In the 18 years we've lived in Florida, Central Florida has gotten more storms in the last 4 years than ever before.

I'm hoping to keep blogging on a more regular basis now. I know this was a place to check out for updates and good memories in the past. I'm planning on getting back to that again. Watch for more regular entries. I'm hoping, barring any floods or power failures, to be back for good now. Think of us during your weather updates. Laugh if you want, but the next time you wring out a washcloth or dishcloth, you will think of us down here in "wet" Florida.

WE'RE BACK!!!!

A New Beginning

The past few weeks have taken Tricia and me to places we never expected to be. We've seen and done things that have left us in tears for hours. Things that have been said to us have made us realize what is truly important in life, and believe me when I say we have become stronger people as a result of this journey.

But there is good news to report. We have our own home now and will officially be in it by the end of next week. This is a journey I pray none of you ever have to experience. But, unlike what someone told me awhile back, I got through it with many, many prayers. Prayers do work and they do give you the strength to keep going, even when everything else seems to be falling apart around you. NO ONE WILL EVER CONVINCE ME NOT TO PRAY! Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way. You know who you are. We will never forget you.

So, it looks like we will be staying in Melbourne for the time being. If any promotions arise as a result of my present jobs, and they want me to relocate, we'll go... but they are paying for the move. I'm too old to keep doing this. Today I moved for what I think is the 50+ time. I can't lift anymore, and my body has screamed that fact to me for the past several hours. I'm hoping once we get settled in I can get back to a regular blogging routine. I've received emails from so many of you saying you enjoy hearing what this blog has to share. I'll be just a bit longer, but I'll be back!

Watch for an email with the new details of our address and phone numbers. In the mean time, reach us by our cells and email addresses. We're still alive and kicking!!!

Funny, Funny Island

Have you ever been sooooo bored and wanted to do something fun with the kids? Let's just say that's what led to our adventure to "Funny, Funny Island".

It all started on a boring night while the girls (Kaylie and Makenzie) were in my room wanting something to do...

We decided we wanted to go on a trip somewhere. As you well know, there is a lot to do to prepare for a trip, get food, get shots, etc. We had to be ready for a fun time! Off to the ocean to set sail...

We were sitting in the middle of the bed trying to come up with a good idea. Suddenly, (all imaginary, of course) a huge ocean wind blew up and we were sent off course in our "bed-boat" to a place called Funny Funny Island. We couldn't get off the island (bed) because there were sharks circling us. Then, as luck would have it, one of our books fell in to the water. We all held Kaylie's legs while she hung over the "beach" and fished the book out of the water before the sharks ate it. Whew, that was close! That shark had lots of teeth and looked way too hungry!

We decide to explore our island, travelling all around it on our knees. (There's a visual for you... me crawling on a bed on my knees.) We finally found a huge cave and decided to go inside. (It was easy if you crawled under the comforter.) It wasn't really dark in the cave so when we hung on to the ceiling of the cave we could see pictures that the natives drew on the walls of the cave. (The light from the TV as you look through the comforter was showing us the seashell design on the comforter.) Those natives really knew how to draw good seashells! We decided to trace them with our fingers and pretend to draw pictures of our own. We looked the pictures up in our books to "decipher" them. (We learned a new word, decipher!)

All of a sudden there was a huge clap of thunder and Makenzie nearly came out of her skin. As luck would have it, God was assisting us in our island trip by making thunder for real, outside. We decided we would stay in the cave until the storm passed. We listened to some natives talking outside the cave (the TV voices) and decided when the storm was over we would try to get back home. After the storm, we came out of the cave and saw a ship in the bay. We also saw rocks we could walk on (thank God for pillows) to get to the ship and head home. slowly we climbed on the rocks and tried really hard not to fall in the bay. That hungry shark was still out there somewhere!

Yes, we made it to the ship (the doorway) and went safely home to tell everyone about our trip. When we got home the girls said we should share some pictures we took on our journey, so here they are!

It's Been Awhile

Don't faint, I'm still alive and kicking! So its been awhile since I've posted... When I started this blog it was to bring back memories and help me to better understand who I've become. If, along the way, I sparked some good memories for the readers, that was a bonus.

I haven't been posting because, if you know me at all, I try to see the cup as half full... all the time. With all that's been going on in my life lately, it seemed like there were days when just seeing the cup was an accomplishment. I don't like to spread negativism's and that's all I've been feeling. By posting, I felt as if I was spreading that to everyone else.

I've been to the beach a lot. It's my place to think and make sense of the things that aren't easy for me to understand. It's the best place for me to pray. When the waves come in, it's like God's saying "Throw in your problems and I'll wash them away." Out go the waves and my head seems cleared.

Earlier this week I had a slap of "get your act together". I'd emailed my cousin Renee to see how my Uncle Glen was doing. I was feeling one of those "vibes" and I had to know he was OK. Renee responded with an email that took my breath away. My cousin Summyr has leukemia. It killed her Grandmother, my Aunt Grace, and now she had it. In flooded the memories and wow, was I messed up. My Aunt Grace was there for me when I had my breast cancer. She and I had the bald head, chemo, radiation , and we shared this bond that not many people ever have. (Thank God.) To know that her granddaughter was now battling this stupid disease was unbelievable. I remember wanting to make sure someone was asking my Uncle Glenn how he was through all of it too. (Somehow the spouse doesn't always get the support they deserve.) Now Summyr's husband, Mike is in that boat and I wish there was something I could find to say to him. I saw some pictures of the two of them and know their love is deeper than most people will ever be able to share. One look in their eyes and you know they are fighting this together. I believe they will beat it... together.

My memories of my cancer days have been very prominent these past few days. I remember Dan cutting my hair for me. I could hear him crying, but I never said a word to him. I let him rub my head and call me "Baldy", because I knew that it was his way of facing the reality of the disease and it would ease his pain. I remember the closeness we shared through that ugly disease, both cancers, and I know without a doubt, without Dan and my girls I never would have survived my cancer.

So where does this leave me now? Missing Dan even more. Remembering the sacrifices he made for me. Knowing everything my family was doing for me was as much to help them as it was to help me. Some people need to "do" to get through challenges. Others type, write, read, or just pray a lot. Whatever works for you, do it. My sister-in-law Pam is also battling cancer and all I can tell her, too is to keep fighting. This is changing your life and the lives of your families. I remember swearing I would never take another day for granted. I was wrong. I did and still may. You would think I would have learned ...

But one thing is still the same as then: I do not have time to die. I have too much left to do. I have too much left to learn. I have too many smiles to flash and hugs to give. And knowing me as I know you do, you know I still have too much talking to do. So I'll end this post by saying:
"After you read this, think about just how lucky you are today. Then thank our Lord for what you have. Faith is free. Try it. It will sustain you when it feels like nothing else will."

Amen.

Head Vacations

So, what do you do when you are broke, but you still want to do something. If you know me, you know I'm crazy, so...

I go on Head Vacations. (Now this is not the same as "head trips" from the 70's!) I do it to relax, get away mentally, and to keep my "the glass is half full" perspective. Let me explain, before you think I've totally lost it. I'm betting I'm not the only one taking head vacations...

Sometimes my vacations come as a result of being broke, sometimes as a result of being financially OK. Here's an example:

This was about 8 years ago. Dan and I were swimming in our pool, relaxing and counting our blessings. We talked about how there were things we wanted, but nothing we really needed.
We had the "if I had a million dollars to blow" conversation and it went a bit like this:
We would have a huge family reunion with all our parents, siblings and their families, aunts and uncles and their families. Like I said, it would be huge! We would do one side of the family first and then the other side. We decided on a week at Disney World. After we flew everyone down or trained in the non-flyers, we paid for everything, except souvenirs. We booked the Caribbean Beach Resort for everyone. The good part about Disney is that they do all the transportation, so we could come and go and no one had to do any driving. We would all do whatever we wanted during the day, but we had to all meet up for at least breakfast each day. We were family and needed to appreciate that fact. Wherever possible we booked shows, like the Luau at the Polynesian Resort, or LaNouba at Downtown Disney. The idea was to have everyone together to enjoy "FAMILY". Everyone could go to all the parks and water parks as they pleased. We made a suggested agenda for anyone who wanted it. The last night there we all got together for a huge family photo on the steps in front of Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom. We had Family Reunion shirts made up for everyone. Everyone agreed to share their photos and videos with each other so that at the following years family reunion we would all reminisce about Disney World.

So here I am 8 years later still having Head vacations. Kristy laughed at me the other night because I even took out paper and wrote down who I'd invite, where we would go, and things we could do. Maybe I should be a Family Vacations Planner or something??? Anyway, it got me through the "I'm tired of being broke" mood I was in. It's one of those things to do when you are bored and don't have the means to go/do something. I'd suggest the family play it as a game and have the kids look up ideas of things to do. Then save them and hopefully someday turn the dreams into reality. Anyone who knows me is tired of hearing me say "when I win the lottery"...

Here are a few more exaples of Head Vacations I've had:
- there was the time I took 11 other people with me on a tour of England to see where we used to live and all the very cool things there.
- the time my sisters and I went to Key West to just "hang out". (This one actually came true.)
- the one where I take all my Dad's sisters and brothers and we go to Disney to ride on the Merry go round. (That was actually a Head Dream of my Dad's.)
- we rent two 28 bedroom houses in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week and have family get togethers.
- we invite people that have helped us out during our lives to spend a week in Florida and relax or do whatever they want to do to get away. (Did this one too!)

There is also another good thing about taking the time to Head Vacation. You find things you can do and appreciate that are within your grasp right now. You see how lucky you are to have what you have and who you have in your lives. So, admit it or not, I'm betting you've all gone n a Head Vacation or two in your time. The question now is will you comment on this blog and share some Head Vacations with me? Who knows, we may have "gone to the same place" and never even knew it!!!

Comments please... fess up!

Don't Faint

So where are we now? Any guesses? We are now back in Melbourne, Florida. The company I was working with part-time in Illinois had a full time opportunity back in Melbourne, so I took it. After all, you know me, only I would go all the way to Illinois to find a job right here in Melbourne.

It was all pretty funny actually. I got a call one day asking me if I was interested in relocating, as I had indicated "yes" when initially applying with the company. I asked where and she said "Florida". As Miami is not a place I'd ever want to move to, I asked where in Florida. At that time my choices were Ocala, Tampa and Melbourne. LOL! Melbourne! I started laughing and she asked why. I told her to check my resume where she saw that I was from Melbourne. We talked about the opportunity and made the decision that Melbourne was going to be a definite option. I talked to Tricia, as her input is just as important as mine, and we said "time to go back to Florida". They also have a position at the Corporate Headquarters in Tampa, but the person in that position now, has not officially turned in her retirement paperwork. Until she does, that option is on hold.

There is also a position open in Naples, Florida. I'm talking with my boss now to see if that would be a better decision and work better for both the company and us. If I go to Naples I also know I could pick up some part time Hallmark work, until the end of the year, to get us back on track. Keep checking in to see the final outcome of this, now 7 month, journey.

There have been so many people that have helped us through all of this mess: Kristy,William and the girls let us stay with them initially and now. Candy and John, my sister and brother-in-law and their family, let us live with them for two+ months, and countless people that repaid loans they had with us, as well as far too many people offering us financial assistance. We had invitations for visits and mini trips at just get away. How do you thank someone for that? We, over the years, never helped people with the intentions of expecting anything in return. (That's not why you help someone.) But the Lord has definitely called in some markers for us. My goal now is to get back on our feet and repay anyone who helped us in any way. There is someone out there who helped us, and asked to remain nameless, who cannot ever understand the help they provided us. You know who you are, and we will never, ever forget your help. If anyone helped us in any way, know we will not forget.

So if you are wondering where we are, for now it's Melbourne. My knees are flat from hours of prayers. I feel as if this may be coming to an end. Where we end up may still be a bit fuzzy, but as always we are together and remaining healthy. As the Lord often does, he tested us. Never will I say we passed with flying colors, but if you've ever read the poem "Footprints", I think He's going to let us walk on our own... for awhile. Thank you Lord! Don't go far...

Relatives...

My Aunt Jane was married to my Uncle Dan. They came to visit us in Florida to celebrate Uncle Dan's 75th birthday. We had so much fun with them. They wore us out with all their energy! We fondly called them Tarzan and Jane! We miss you Uncle Dan.
Aunt Shirley was the aunt I didn't get to know that well until I was older. As the mother of nine children, you can understand why. Now when we see each other we start out with a big hug. She's great!
Uncle Junior is my Dad's brother. He teased us as kids and continued the tradition with my children. Tricia makes a special point to try to see him whenever we go to Two Rivers.
Here are my Aunts and Uncles from my Dad's family. (back row= Uncle Dale, Aunt Louise, Uncle Leroy, Aunt Shirley, Uncle Junior, Uncle Earl, and Uncle Pat. front row- Uncle Frank, married to my Aunt Patsy.) My Grandparents had 12 children. It's so nice to see the eight remaining family members together enjoying each others company. This was the first time I saw my Uncle Leroy in over 35 years! Too long... I could write for weeks with the memories I have of all of these relatives.

I missed so many family events being in other parts of the world during my life. But please know, everyone stayed in my memories and will not be forgotten. Thank you Lord, for the memories!

Wow! 50 Years

This past weekend we had the pleasure of being there when my Aunt Patsy and Uncle Frank celebrated their 50Th Wedding Anniversary. We wanted to make their gift special for them, so we created an Anniversary Cake. My Aunt Patsy is famous for making the most beautiful wedding cakes. Everyone always asks her to make theirs because they not only look beautiful, but they always taste so good. To celebrate for Uncle Frank and the "Cake Lady", Aunt Patsy, (as my kids used to call her when they were little), Tricia and I made this cake for them. The bottom "layer" is a keepsake box with their invitation in the lid, and the entire cake is covered with 50 one dollar bills from my brother Steve, sisters Candy and Marcia, and my Mom. They are very special to us as we used to go to their house to visit when we were kids. We would spend the weekend with them having fun and of course getting into trouble as kids always do.
As I watched my cousins pose for this photo with their parents I was reminded of so many good times we had as kids.
To help make the event memorable, there was a Mock Wedding. Here you can see the "Anniversary Version" of their wedding party. Aunt Patsy and Uncle Frank stood in the middle of this "group", still smiling at the reenactment of their wedding.
This is their original Wedding Party. Quite a different picture, as you can see. I'm so happy for them. Celebrating 50 years is something every married couple talks about. I'm so glad I got to be there for it.

I Don't Need To Say Anything More

I don't need to say anything more. Please go see this and listen. (Hmmm, I think I hear Dan humming in the background.) Turn up your sound!

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/706270

It's awesome!

A Busy Week

This past week was a busy one here. Early in the week we celebrated my nephew Roberts 12Th birthday. He's a Star Wars lover, so of course he had Yoda on his cake. We had a great family celebration and enjoyed his favorite meal: BBQ ribs, sliced carrots, potato chips and of course the Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.

On Saturday Samantha made her First Communion. She did a great job and looked very pretty. Her Godmother is Marcia and Dan was her Godfather. (If you look closely he's behind her in the picture. :) ) We had a nice time but had to cut it short. Tricia fell at the house so we needed to get her home and get her arm iced. What an ugly bruise. It's one of those that will take several days to really show up.

We were dog sitting for my brother Steve's dog Harley. She is the most well behaved dog! When we got back to Steve's house I think Harley sensed that Tricia was hurt. She stayed right by her side and whimpered when we first took the ice off Tricia's arm. She knew every move Tricia made the rest of the weekend. They were inseparable. I took Harley down by Steve's lake, Wind Lake to give her some outside time. She and I took some walks and played fetch for almost an hour on Sunday. Unfortunately the pictures I took of her watching Tricia sleep did not turn out. I'll try again next time.

If you ever need to relax and do some serious thinking and praying, the area around Steve's house is perfect. I'll let the photos speak for me on that. So, here are a few pics to keep you aware of what's up in our lives.