14 years

happy anniversary babe!

for the fun of it i'll share some pics.  we had the worst photographer, but at the end of the day i'm so thankful i have the pictures.

we opted to do pictures after the ceremony so we didn't see each other until i marched down the aisle.  i remember kind of laughing and my dad had to tell me to slow down.  :)

my dad looks so serious...ha!  he really does like jay.

in the last 14 years, these kiddos have grown up.  3 are in college, 1 is a senior in high school.  ok, who told them it was ok to grow up?

party time.  i have no idea what we were talking about.  probably something stupid like i wish this song would be over so we aren't out here by ourselves.

Easter 2011

what a full weekend, but these are the ones i love.  doing the good stuff.  hanging with family, just being with each other listening to stories of old times seriously nothing better.

we headed to independence on friday morning to spend some time with Jay's family. we have not been to independence since christmas.  i am lucky to have married into a family that i love as much as my own.  jay's grandma pete is a saint, and when i think of the type of wife and mother that i want to be like,  i think of her.  she' is 89 years old and wanted to take the kids to the easter egg hunt so us girls could go shop.  i only pray i can function like that when i'm 89.  :)

we headed back to LS last night and enjoyed a wonderful easter with my family.  i loved father's homily today...that if anything Easter reminds us all to hope....so true.

a few pics from today.

my aunt and uncle got my dad a new 'wig.'  i think he might have to fight mac for it.

how sad is it that this is the only picture i have of the boys in their easter outfits.  of course, no family pics...nice

sometimes it's a bonus to be the youngest

i loved my little centerpieces...wheat grass and peeps.  (sorry this picture is overexposed)

easter bunny arrived

funny stories

charlie wasn't overly excited about what the easter bunny brought him.  he asked if next year he could write him a note.

mac advised us last night that he could not marry a girl who didn't know anything about sports.

round 1 completed

today my dad completed his first round of treatment.  his last chemo treatment was last monday and his last radiation treatment was today.  5 weeks ago, it felt like this day would never come.  overall, my dad has done remarkable.  don't get me wrong, he has had his ups and downs, but he's been able to maintain his weight, has had little side affects (ie. nausea) and has continued in most of his daily activities.

so now he has about 3 weeks off.  a repeat cat scan will be done on 5/10 that will give the physicians the evidence/data to determine how the tumor has been affected by the treatment and determine next steps.  both physicians are planning for more treatment, so we are all aware that he is not done, unless of course the cat scan shows something different.  :)

amongst all this, we celebrated dad's 60th birthday this weekend.  it was a great evening and with so much to celebrate.

for those of you praying, thanks so much.  your prayers are felt amongst us all.

lately... in list form

1.  i have been drinking insane amounts of coffee this week.  does drinking insane amounts of water counter act the caffeine?

2.  i think spring has sprung and is hopefully here to stay.

3. my favorite uncle came in from colorado last weekend.  so so good to see him and to catch up.

4.  have you seen the new show on tlc about coupon clipping?  no offense to anyone, but i don't really get it.  some guy last night bought 100s of toothbrushes...but why?  great that he's getting a good deal but what are you going to do with that number of toothbrushes.

5.  dad has one more week of treatment.  anxious to see what the results of the next cat scan and what the next steps are.  we are pretty confident there will be more treatment on the horizon but unclear what that looks like.  good news is that he will have 3 weeks off with no chemo/radiation, which i know he is very much looking forward to.

6.  we are seriously considering holding charlie back next year.  in all reality the only reason i'm hesitant is because of the social stigma, but in the long run educationally, i think it will only help him and build his confidence.  the hardest part of being a parent is having to make tough decisions that sometime break my heart.

7.  the weekend was packed with activities.  two soccer games, baseball tournament and a birthday party.  sunday evening sure came way too fast.

8.  considering running hospital hill...but can't seem to commit.  :)

satuday snapshot

i'm linking up with kim at the yellow songbird for saturday snapshot.

i love my inlaws place in arkansas.  when we go to their house we are truly spoiled and i, admittedly selfishly, have to worry about nothing.  no meal preparation, no housework, i don't think about my job or my to do list ever.  it's a slice of heaven for me.

this pic was taken last thanksgiving and it is one of my favorites.  the boys and i out taking a walk on their property just the three of us hanging out .

random

i downloaded my sd card a couple weeks ago.  it had been 2 months since i downloaded my sd card,  i had 240 items on my sd card.  here are just a few snapshots.

Snow...snow...snow...the boys have had 9 snow days. 'nuff said


field trips....i love field trips.  i had a group of 4 kids that i was responsible for.  they all fell asleep on the way home.  too cute.



allen fieldhouse...love that place.  the boys and i got to take dad to the iowa state game.







some cooking going on...homemade pizza and cake creating





celebrating love





enjoying the promise of spring and warmer days



finally orangeleaf recently opened near our house.  that is bad very bad.

cancer sucks

My dad has cancer. I have known for a month and ½. I’ve debated for awhile whether I should blog this or not, but this is my life. Life is not only full of immense beauty it’s full of pain and this blog should represent the good and the bad because that is my story, that is life.

I don’t intend to always speak of cancer and what my dad is going through, but I have to be honest. My life feels as though it’s consumed with cancer. The last prayer at night is for my dad and my first thought is about my dad.

I hate that I’m not a writer. My writing will never adequately address the thoughts in my head or in my heart and it’s even more difficult when they both feel like a big jumbled mess.

In the month and 1/ 2 that I’ve known about his cancer, this is what I’ve learned:

My dad is fighter

It’s difficult to tell people bad news

YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN MEDICAL ADVOCATE.

Waiting is difficult

Seeing someone you love suffer is at times unbearable

Prayer has become simple. Dear God, please help him.

I wish I would have started asking for my dad’s stories before now

Even in his suffering, my dad continues to think of others first

Cancer sucks (ok, already knew that…just saying)