My Brother Hits The Big 50!!

My brother, Steve, celebrated his 50th birthday this month!

He has played such an important role in my life

and I value my relationship with him.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer

he was one of the first people to call me.

He knows the gut wrenching feeling

of receiving a devastating diagnosis,

as he was diagnosed with Parkinson's about 3 1/2 years ago.

He has the ability of making you laugh in the midst of tears.

The day he called me, he said, "I just have one question...

where was the lifeguard at our gene pool?"

We laughed and cried together that day

and he and my sister-in-law, Cindy,

have been a huge support for me during the past year!

Steve and Cindy with their four beautiful daughters,

Danah, Jennifer, Stephanie & Leslie.

Danah came in from WI to celebrate her dad's big day!

Steve and "kids" from his youth group...back in the day!

They planned and executed a surprise

Luau 50th Birthday Celebration!

They did an incredible job of honoring Steve and showing their

heart-felt appreciation for his sacrifice during their teen years.

He was emotional and speechless!

They're all 30+ now and have families of their own.

Some of them were a "real challenge" during their youth.

It was so awesome to be together with them again

and learn about their families, careers,

and most of all, their spiritual growth!

My sister Karen, her husband John, Art and I were all

involved with Steve during his ministry as Youth Pastor.

Art and I served and taught some of these kids

during their Jr. High years.

One, of them is Jeff, who is now our son-in-law!!

My mom and dad started it all...in many ways!
Dad was the Pastor of the church for 30+ years!
Dad had just come home from the care center a week earlier

and we were thrilled to have him there with us.

He's 7 Years Old

Happy 7th Birthday Buddy!

He's very special to this grandma!! We live in the same neighborhood, attend the same church and he wants to spend the night every weekend! He calls me on the phone to share silly stories or ask questions that he thinks his parents don't have the right answer to. He loves to help me bake brownies or cookies and plans to be a baker one day and own his own shop. If you ask him, he will give you the details and design of his bakery. I love for him to share his big dreams with me!!



Proud parents of this special young man!


He's doing a pretty good job of raising them and teaching them what they need to know about parenting!

Best friends!!

They've been best friends since they were just preschoolers. They went to Kindergarten and 1st grade together but the 2nd graders will attend separate schools this year. They'll be lost without each other!

Can you believe she's about 6 months older than him?









What kid doesn't love to go to Peter Piper Pizza? He's no different. He loves to spend $10 in tokens to earn tickets to buy $2 worth of toys! It's the challenge, I guess!












Here he is with his new guitar and amplifier! He thinks he's a rock star now! He's actually pretty good on it! More than anything...he looks VERY COOL!


I know God has big plans for this young man. He has a tender heart and loves Jesus!

Be My Support, Be My Strength, Be My Bra

I received an email with the following information and I checked it out on snopes.com Although I'm not sure how effective the petition may be, it's worth the effort to try and protect women who are facing breast cancer!

From a nurse...

I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies. So there I sat with my patients, giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank You' they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery. It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it!

If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through' Mastectomy where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached. Lifetime Television has put this bill on their Web page with a petition drive to show support. Last year over half the House signed on.

PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name, state, and zip code.

Be My Support, Be My Strength, Be My Bra!

Boys!

I love every minute with these three guys!
When they are around, you never know what to expect!















They are each so loveable, playful, ornery, and affectionate!
















As they are growing...they are learning that having each other around can be a lot of fun!
Can you imagine when they are teenagers? Oh my goodness!
















They're already learning the advantages of ganging up on each other, too!
Big brother has his hands full!
















At the end of the day...there's always enough love and hugs to go around!

29 Years of Marriage!

THEN...

Monday, Art and I celebrated 29 years of marriage! We met at church when I was in 6th grade and he was in 7th. His sister and I were friends and he told her that he was going to marry me. Of course, when she relayed the message to me I laughed. Little did I know that he would turn out to be my hubby!

We started dating when I was 16 and got engaged at the beginning of my senior year in high school (hard to believe). I turned 18 in May, graduated high school in June and we were married in July of 1979. I was 18, he was 19 and we didn't really have a plan for our future. We just knew that we loved each other and believed that God had a plan for our lives together. It's not necessarily the best way to jump into marriage but that's the honest truth!

I was recalling a funny story recently. We had been married a short time and were having a little disagreement. I was upset and stepped outside the house and was leaning against the wall thinking. Just then, I heard Art call out through the screen door..."if you walk out that door, don't plan on coming back." He had no idea I was already outside the door! Eventually, he came to look for me and found me outside crying. He laughed and said something like "don't be silly, get inside the house". I just remember us laughing our heads off about it later!

It seems like our life has been a roller coaster. Oh, I'm not referring to our marriage, in fact, I'm happy to say that we've only experienced minor rifts in our 29 years together. I'm just referring to the joys and trials that God has allowed in our life. You know when you get on the roller coaster how you're ready for a thrill, a little anxious and maybe slightly nervous. You get on the ride with your companion, buckle up and hold on. The ride starts out slow but quickly you're moving upward anticipating what may come next. You've got your hands in the air, feeling brave, laughing and living it up. You reach the top but then the ride takes a plunge, your heart is pounding and you may have to pull your hands back down to hold on. You're whipped around a corner or two, laughing and screaming, looking forward, enjoying the ride! Things come at you quickly, like an unexpected twist or turn but there are sections of the track that allow you to regain your composer and throw your hands back in the air with confidence. Then, when you least expect it, you're descending at what seems like an incredible speed and you feel like you can't catch your breath. You're thrown into a loop, just holding on, trying to focus, thankful that you're buckled in! It's almost overwhelming and you wonder when the ride will be over. Just then you feel the roller coaster car slowing down and coming to a stop. You look at your companion with relief and then you're faced with a big decision...should we do it again? My answer is YES...with all the ups and downs, twists and turns, I would do it again and I can't imagine ever doing this life without Art, the love of my life and God...who keeps me buckled up and safe for the ride!

NOW!

Happy 4th of July!

I'm Proud To Be An American (watch video here)
Written By Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away.

I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, '
Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to L.A.
, There's pride in every American heart and it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, '
Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God Bless the U.S.A.

Remember when...

I've been reading this book, "I Need Your Strength Lord", by Emilie Barnes. It was a gift from a friend when I learned I had BC and it's full of encouraging words of hope! It's a book about finding God's strength amid distressing circumstances.

I would like to share a little bit of the book with you!

"Remember when...

Children just love to play that game. They love to hear and tell and retell family stories, memorizing the particular set of happenings and experiences that made the family what it is. Children understand instinctively that hope for tomorrow is built on memories of yesterday.

In other words, though hope is a forward-looking quality, it is strengthened by looking backward---especially when we look backward with eyes of faith. The more you look back in gratitude for what God has done for you in the past, and the more you retell the stories of his work in your life, the more easily you'll believe that God will do good things in the future.

Our memories can be so short, sometimes---and I'm not talking about forgetting where we put the car keys! We forget so easily the laws God has given us for our own benefit, the guidelines that are intended to help us live in hope. We forget as well the gifts of grace that shape our lives---the miracles of help and encouragement and redemption that keep us moving around and between and beyond the barriers in our lives. And this forgetfulness is one of the primary reasons we lose hope.

And so it's important to look back and remember. It's important to tell and retell the stories of who we were and what God has done in our lives and what he requires of us. The more care we take in preserving these tales of how God has worked in the past, the more powerful and realistic our hope will be---and the more hope we'll be able to share with others.

It really works. As we tell each other such stories, recounting the times we've seen God work in our lives---our discouragement fades and our hope grows more confident."

YOUR WHOLE LIFE CAN BE A STORY OF HOPE IF YOU LEARN HOW TO HEAR IT AND TELL IT! ~Emilie Barnes

So, my friend, what has God done for you in the past that gives you hope for the future? I would love to hear your stories of hope!

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people. ~Psalm 77:11-14