1st x grandma

Lol, I feel much better...

Leah, Thank you... She thinks it went ok... she's been in her room all evening studying for her next final tomorrow.. Just came out long enough to eat dinner.. I know she will so happy to have this week done with... Ellie, We are planning to drop by as soon as soon as we can.. We have my niece's Christmas ballet recital in the morning, but we usually go out to eat after her recitals.. But I really hope we can pull away early enough to at least allow us time to meet everyone.. Can't wait to me Princess Naomi (she won't make me curtsy to her will she)

Welcome to the world baby Cecilia... May you always feel the warmth of the Love that surrounds you from your birthmom and siblings... And all who love you..

Suzi, Monica, I sure am glad ya'l understand code because I just re-read what I wrote and all I can say is I must of been still asleep or my thoughts and hands were not working together on this. Left words out and put extra words where they didn't belong...

You are SUPER busy, hope you all had a great time at Wedding and Christmas party.. our last move was 19 years ago the day after Thanksgiving, I would hate to move now with all the stuff we have acquired..... After hearing about your weekend, mine doesn't seem so bad, at least no time constraints except for the studying..we did take a two hour break yesterday to attend a child's bday party, then back home to the books.. It just seems Christmas sneaked up on me.. Though it's not like I don't know when it comes , I just kept thinking I had more time then I really did.. Still have five more gifts to get all for males (I don't like shopping for males) may have to do all gift cards here.. Have to start planning on what to pack for our trip to Maryland in a couple weeks..Trying to squeeze more hours out of the day is not working very well.. I know what you mean about patience (not one of my strong virtues ) and listening.. Sometimes it almost seems like God has to get hit over the head to make me just stop and be still long enough to understand things.. I am doing better, have worked hard and will continue to work on this.. Though he and I have a lot of heart to heart conversations, sometimes I know he probably wants me to do less talking and more listening.. hope your able to get some rest soon... Congrats on the new house/home...

This will be a busy weekend with studying, finals week,...Lauranda has to read/review 20 chapters in preperation for one class final on Tues.. so I will be helping her with them... ay will be dreaming of psy for a few days.. hope all have a great weekend...

WAIT FOR GOD’S ANSWER Our patience allows God to possess our soul. Hope in the Almighty’s intervention and the power of prayer are what bring peace to a soul plagued by pain. It is in our adversity that the voice of the Almighty is near and clear. We just need to listen, really listen. The earwax of anger may be blocking the hearing canals of our heart. The water of worry may stop up our soul’s capacity to hear Christ. The pain that racks our body may be distracting us from discerning the Lord’s instruction. Whatever may be blocking our communication with Christ we need to give over to Him. We can trust Him, so wait and listen to Him.

thank you sweetie... I am so glad you and others find my quotes and verses speaking/relevant to you/them at times.. Not all will mean something to everyone, but once in a while one will jump out and touch you, I wouldn't think of it as weird but more that is was meant to be for you to see

WAIT FOR GOD’S ANSWER I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15 "God’s answer is not always immediate. Our heavenly Father may not be forthcoming in His answer to prayer. We wait in our pain, and there seems to be no relief. We wait in our confusion, and our circumstances seem to become more complicated. We wait and wonder what we need to do at work. Indeed, answers from the Almighty may be absent for now, but the faithful wait. We wait for God’s answer because He is the source of our sanity and our security. His goal is to give us everything we need in His timing and in His way. He is not without compassion. He cares immensely by answering our prayers and giving creative solutions to our questions. Pray to Him."

I know the name perfectly .. a few "gringo-ized" friends of mine use that... also something that sounds like I would spell marti or mardi.... if you want to surprise your friend ....just change the d sound to e like the e from eat... and you will have it down pac..

LOL....Suzi as long as you do not pronounce it MARY I am pretty ok with however people pronounce it... but how I say it is pronounced with a spanish sound...if you can say the word ocean in spanish that sounds out the first part mar if you can't then the english sounding is the month of march without the ch ... for the second/last part the i in spanish is pronounced like e so it would be mar e .....You probably were not banking on a spanish lesson

Love how your day turned out... Enjoy all those precious moments in life... Hugs to ya..

We hang stockings for them too, found some really cutie paw stockings a few years back, before that we used regular stockings...mostly they get treats and toys... one year though we HAD to wrap part of their gifts because they all got new beds.....this year part of their gifts will also need to be wrapped, they are getting new food/water bowls and mats..... the one's I got are small, and the cashier said "ah you have cats" I smile and said no, no cats, we have dogs.. She gave me a strange look...must have thought what kind of dog uses such small bowls.. Ha if she only knew!!!...one we have had on a diet for a long time and the other I think is watching her figure , eats bits and pieces at a time.. though we do have to cover up her food when she is done because her big brother will eat anything left unattended..

Leah, Your welcome... Hope your day got better and tomorrow looks brighter... Today my husband and I went Christmas shopping for my daughter’s two Chihuahuas.. I was worried about doing this this year because of our recent loss. Each year she and I go out and find something special for her pets. Two years ago we had already done their Christmas shopping when we found out our/her cocker spaniel would have to be put down. So on the morning of Dec. 10, 2010 we gave her doggie her Christmas presents to enjoy a few snacks before she had to be taken to the vet. Today after dropping my daughter off at school we went and shopped for her doggies, I hope we got the right stuff, she and I had looked at some things a few months back, but I didn’t want her to be sad or having it weigh on her.

Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. –Therese Borchard “Life is a kaleidoscope. Turn your head a different angle and see it a whole new way.”?–Anonymous

Thank you Melissa, Hannah, Jocelyn, It is tough at any age but especially when they are young.. She has four sons, her youngest only 10 months old.. My sister-in-law text me today to let me know that my nephew's follow up had gone well and that the cyst/growth removed last week was benign.. It was such a relief, and something that at any other time I would have shared with my friend, but today this news I felt wasn’t the right time to share. Just a couple of weeks ago I shared with her that one of my cousins who was only 48 had been murdered in Mexico.. We talked about old old emotions that incident brought up due to other events years ago.. That same week she was waiting to hear from her daughter who was getting a biopsy, so when she got a call last week from her daughter with the results, she knew she could release her thoughts and emotions with me, just something we have been able to do and lean on each other. I am so grateful to have her in my life and I am grateful that I can be a support for her. Jocelyn, Prayers for Scott’s friend going his way..

Welcome baby Lucas!!!! My best to all who love him...

Yesterday was a tough day… A coworker who has become a dear friend over the last six years we have worked together found out the day before Thanksgiving her 33 year old daughter has cancer. We spoke a bit rather text over the weekend, me checking on how she was doing….but yesterday face to face……___ I wasn’t sure if to ask her or not how things were going, most of the morning I/we avoided the topic..Finally I decide to just tell her that she had been on my mind and asked her how she was doing and that opened up our dialog. She shared she had me on her mind all weekend, talked about having empathy with someone, but not until you are faced with a similar situation does someone really understand. Sharing her fears, worries, and feelings of inadequacy as a mom not able to make it better, needing to be strong for her daughter and her family yet needing to release emotions somehow. Feelings that she said she knew I could relate to and understand so well, and she wondered how I had gotten through all and still getting through what we had/have going on with my daughter.. All I could tell her was that as women our strength comes through from deep within us when we are in most need.. Although our (hers and mine) strong faith cannot/will not replace our worry it does help carry us through and I knew she would find her strength. It’s funny, not in haha way but in an awe somehow way that I have had hundreds of online conversations with parents whose teens are dealing with brain tumors, with parents who have lost their warriors to BTs and although these conversations do bring up emotions, it somehow feels different talking to someone face to face feeling the things I had/have felt and trying to keep my own emotions in check……..but I think if we had not been in a work environment we could have both easily cried together and shared our raw emotions.. And this made me realize something about my daughter and some of her feelings..that I can certainly appreciate/understand better now.. Strange how God can communicate with us……………………

The Road Less Traveled Author Unknown How often we must bear the challenges of life; The endless roller coaster between happiness and sorrow; The constant ups and downs of daily strife. And always the question remains .... why? Life is not an easy road for most; It twists and turns with many forks in the road, Although always, and inevitably, we are given a choice ... Do we turn to the right ... or the left? Do we take the high road ... or the low road? Do we take the easy path ... or the difficult one? Decisions are not easy for those struggling for direction ... And sometimes the many choices and signs become overwhelming. While standing at a crossroads in life, The urge is to take the most comfortable path; The road with least resistance ... The shortest or most traveled route. And yet, if we've been down that comfortable road before; Have gleaned its lessons in life, and learned from our experiences; Do we yet again follow the known? Or does our destiny lie in another direction? The fear of the road less traveled is tangible and all too real; It manifests itself in many ways, And tends to cloud the issues that might otherwise be clear. It is in these times of confusion, That we must seek peace and solitude; Time to contemplate on our life, Our experiences and our choices past; Time to look back, and reflect on what we have learned Without fear or confusion. For only each of us knows our own personal thoughts; Our unique past and personal history; The experiences that brought us to the crossroads we now face. We can always learn a small degree from others experiences, And yet ... no one person can walk in our shoes, Others know not, the trials and tribulations faced in private ... For each is individual ... unique ... and personal. And that is why ... while standing at a crossroads, Only "we" can formulate the decision for ourselves; The true direction that lies within; The choices we must deliberate on with clarity and wisdom. For it is only through personal reflection, That we can now choose our destiny; ... Our next adventure; ... And the future we will embrace.

Thank you sweetie...I hope you and your little princess had a GREAT one... I was so glad she was able to attend.. worked out with her dad being off so he could take her.. I/we are very proud of her.. she has come a long way and is such a strong person.. I am proud of you and many others who continue to travel this journey with such strength, Heart, courage and determination... Hugs to ya.. Thank you from her dad.. she did mention it to him.. she also told him someone had asked for the receipe, but due to her short-term memory she couldn't remember who it was, so hopefully who ever it was doesn't think he/she didn't want to share it.. He was thrilled it was enjoyed..

You too sweetie...hope you had a GREAT one.. Hugs to ya

Wishing each one of you a beautiful Thanksgiving.. For all first families May God’s continued blessings bring strength and comfort to all those in need. For each member of the triad and their families, may God shine his light upon you. For all who are patiently waiting, may He continue to strengthen you with faith. Thank You, Friend Thank you, friend, for all the things That mean so much to me-- For concern and understanding You give abundantly. Thanks for listening with your heart; For cheering me when I'm blue; For bringing out the best in me; And just for being you. Thanks for in-depth conversation That stimulates my brain; For silly times we laugh out loud; For things I can't explain. For looking past my flaws and faults; For all the time you spend; For all the kind things that you do, Thank you; thank you, friend. By Joanna Fuchs

Finally got the ok today from my podiatrist to ease on out of my sneakers.. After 3 plus months..But have to wear them if I plan to be on my feet a lot, walk a lot, work in the yard, etc… thank goodness I can start using REGULAR shoes again slowly.. I can also start exercising 20 mins every other day for the next two weeks then add another 20 mins and work my way through the next six weeks then I am home free after that (I hope).. Geeze I had never realized how long the process of healing my broken toe would be. But so glad I didn’t opt for any surgery… I am so ready to get into my boots at least even though I will have to wait to wear any heels for any long periods of time, which I only had been wearing 2 to 2 1/2 inch ones anyway.. keep reminding myself…of the baby steps............ baby steps doggonit!!

Oh, yes that look!! The look of pure love, seems like we can almost see their hearts through their eyes... that's how it seemed to me..

congrats to the new families!!