10 Weeks And Counting (imagine drumroll)...

UNTIL THESE TWO REALLY COOL, REALLY FUN, REALLY, TOTALLY FOR-EACH-OTHER LOVEBIRDS WED!!!AND THIS IS HOW MATT FEELS ABOUT IT*

*(this is the standard pose for Sarah Beth's soon to be husband)

*(if you don't believe me, here he was a few months ago)*(and yet again, on Memorial Day)
I remember on this night, we all were sitting around in the living room and talking. Talk of marriage and a future together was more than hinted at that night. And now, here we are with 10 weeks to go!!!

Sarah Beth, I am so happy for you. You have a continual glow on your face. And Matt, thank you for treating my sister like the true gem that she is. I know I don't have to tell you this, but you are one blessed man. Welcome to the family!!!

Table For Two

My parents celebrated 36 years of marriage a couple of weeks ago (August 18th). THIRTY-SIX!!! In this day and age, that truly is a celebration of their commitment and love to each other. I am so grateful for the model they were to me as a young child and the model they continue to be to me now. I wanted to do something special for them. I had an idea but it involved a little sneakiness. The only thing I told my dad was to tell mom that he was taking her somewhere as a surprise. He was to bring her to our house for the first stop. Only he didn't know it was the first and only stop. I hope we made their anniversary celebration a memorable one. The pictures below will tell the story....

Jake and Lydia asked to make signs to post outside to show them which way to go (we wanted them to go around to the backyard and come into the house through the back door to avoid the messy kitchen). I said that would be nice...what I did not know was that they insisted on making Grandma and Grandpa close their eyes as they were being led down the stairs from the backyard. Then J & L announced they could open their eyes and here were their reactions.
This picture doesn't show it very well and I forgot to get a picture of the ambiance beforehand. We had the table set for two, candles, white lights, pictures of them on their wedding day, and music playing softly in the background. We also had a makeshift dance floor (4 pieces of leftover Wayne's coating taped together). I could not find our duct tape, so I gave Uncle Matt heavy book tape and he rigged it the night before. It in itself was a memory, as it creaked when you stepped on it, especially near the "seams." The menu is hard to see here. I printed off 3 menus. Two for them at their seats, and one that had picture illustrations of the food, created by my sweet Lid, that was taped to the wall. Under each title of food was the description of that food. We served Festival Salad (came with pear, cranberries, Feta cheese...it was supposed to also have caramelized pecans on top, but I forgot to add them last minute, so we ate them plain later), Artisan Garlic Bread (again was supposed to come with dipping oil, but I forgot that as well), Four Cheese Stuffed Shells (Rachel Ray recipe), and the desserts were a choice of a Strawberry Shortcake Parfait or an Oreo Chocolate Delight Parfait. Our guests ended up getting one of each and sharing them. Beverages offered: Water, Iced Tea, and Coffee...Beverages actually available: Water and Coffee (the third thing thing I forgot). I had also had Jake shave some Hershey's chocolate bar for a pretty effect on the Oreo dessert, but did I remember?...no. Still, despite my memory loss on some things (I'll blame it on only being back on my medicine for a little over a week), we got compliments!
Here was our hired help for the night! Actually, this was a gift on their part as well, but they had a blast participating so they didn't mind. Some funny moments from our waiter/waitress: *Jake had tennis shoes on with his polo and khakis. I thought it was so sweet when I discovered he had changed into his black dress shoes (which he despises). He wanted to go the extra mile for his Grandma and Grandpa's special evening. *We tried to hush the kids from talking too loudly, but I'm sure our guests heard some funny things. We also had to discourage our help from being overly helpful. They wanted to keep going downstairs. And even though the menu was already decided, Lydia went down, unbeknownst to me, with pad and pencil to take orders. They also couldn't help but peek during the couple's dance time. *And our kindly guests even tipped J & L, for which they were very happy about. Lydia even gave change back from her tip...bet that's a first!

Special thanks to Sarah Beth and Matt for helping, too! Dan was out of town during this time and there is no way I would have been able to pull it off by myself. They are in the midst of planning their wedding, so I know time is precious. But them being there made the night even more special.

On the dance floor!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! We love you both very much!

Update

I have a few quiet moments to myself right now so I figured I would catch everybody up. Thank you all for your prayers for me recently. My last post was the beginning of this month when I was still medicine-deprived. I had my scan done on the 6th and waited about an hour after it was done to her the results. Praise God they were good results!!! Everything looked good. Unfortunately, the wonderful people (typed with sarcasm) over at Compunet where I had my bloodwork taken had not even processed my blood...it was still "sitting on their shelf," as the nuclear medicine doctor (Dr. Jacobson) explained it to me. He on the other hand, was extremely thoughtful and told me that he would even call me over the weekend if the results of the bloodwork came in. Per my endocrinologist's request, I was to stay off my medicine and stay on the no-sodium diet until those results were in. So, leaving the hospital, I had to kick myself in the rear a bit. Here I had just been given great news, but was focused on the disappointment of not getting on my Levothyroxine. I was so discouraged at that point in time due to the condition of my body. I know full-well what the thyroid does for the human body now! I cannot even describe the exhaustion. It got worse the longer I was off the medicine and I believe I was starting to go into a depression from it as well.

So, the scan was on a Thursday and that Saturday, on the way to a wedding, I got a call from Dr. Jacobson saying I could resume taking my medicine and normal eating. I was thrilled! I knew it would take time for it to build back into my system, but it was that I was at the starting point that I was so happy about. And now, almost a month later, I'm back. Not only can I finish washing my hair in the shower without needing to give my arms a rest, I started actually working out at the gym again this week. It has been wonderful. I am so thankful for God's healing in my body and for my eensy-weensy little blue pill that I can take once again. Dr. Koroscil (my endo doc) said my bloodwork level was 4.6. They want it to be 0, but considering it was at 14.9 last year, before my treatment, it is definitely better! I have to call and make an appt. for the spring, where I'm sure they will do more bloodwork and another ultrasound.

Once again, thank you for your prayers. I look back at some pictures from July and I looked pretty much how I felt. I know it was the Lord's working that got me through it and I just wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate your lifting me up.

Wings Like Eagles

Isaiah 40:27-31

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Wow! How I love and cling to these verses! I cannot begin to express what they personally mean to me. Many of you know that I have been off of my levothyroxine for over a month now. With no thyroid and no little "miracle" pill performing the job of a thyroid, the month of July proved to be a very difficult one for me. Why am I off? I was told last year after my body scan that I would indeed be scheduled for another one the following year. So, here we are. I wish I could tell you, medically speaking, why I had to be off of it for so long and why I had to do the diet again, and tomorrow, the radio-active idodine pill (thankfully, a very low dose). But I do know it all leads up to this scan of mine scheduled for Thursday morning at 7am. Praise God, I am not anticipating any sort of negative news, as I was given very positive news from my endocrinolgist back in May and then again, by my surgeon a few days ago. Must just be a normal, post-cancer, procedure I have to redo. Unfortunetly, as mentioned above, I have been wiped out. The longer my body is without my medicine, the harder my days are becoming. The word "low" is not sufficient anymore. I feel like I am on empty, as far as energy goes. I have been irratable, snippy, and lethargic and quite frankly, I'm just tired of feeling tired. I have done my best to try and not complain, but when people ask, I am honest. I know this struggle is nothing compared to what countless others are going through. And yet, for me, it is real and it has been hard, especially with three young kiddos to care for. I know they and my husband will be excited for the "real me" to emerge once my levels are back to normal.

Pastor preached from Psalm 9 last Sunday and challenged us at the end to fill in the blank as part of our prayer. The key was to praise the Lord for His work in our life in the past and to then praise Him for what he will continue to do in the future. During that time of silent reflection and prayer, my mind immediately went to my salvation, my family, and my health.

I praise You because of your unfailing love to me, shown by your obedience to a horrific death on a cross, for the ulimate payment of my sin...I will proclaim You as my Saviour to those whom you put in my path during my life.

I praise You because you blessed me with a rich heritage and allowed me to grow up in a family who loved and served You...I will trust in You as you guide me in the challenges of parenthood, seeking Your face, as I care for the blessings in my life named Jacob, Lydia, and Claire.

I praise You, for you have been my source of strength and comfort in my time of need during my journey through cancer. You encouraged me by providing an incredible husband, loving family, and supportive friends. I praise you Lord for seeing the big picture...I will continue to praise You as you hold me up right now. I praise you, Lord, for the promise of never leaving me. I praise you, Lord, that you never grow tired or weary and that you will renew my strength once again!

**I started this post last night and am finishing it up today. Went to the hospital this morning and recieved my oral dose. I am radioactive again...but this time to a much less degree. I think the lady told me last year I had 148mg and today a mere 2mg (so it will show up on the scan). Another praise is that my dear friend, Beth, offered to take the kids for me all day so that I can just rest and take it easy. What a blessing! I am scheduled for my scan on Thursday morning still. Once that is done, I just wait for a call from the Dr. to tell me when I can start back on my meds. I think I will go with her advice and call them the very next day. I do need to wait to hear from them first just in case I were to need any more treatment (which I am not anticipating, as mentioned above). I just know I am going to have a celebratory meal when I get the thumbs up...this no salt diet is the pits. But not going to go crazy...gotta fit into that bridesmaid dress come November 14th!!!

I know this is a lengthy post. And kind of boring to the eye with no pictures. But I just have one more thought to write down. This thought occured to me last year as well. In the Scripture above, I just love the mental picture of an eagle soaring. God could have chosen to use any bird...a sparrow, a blue bird, a crow. But He chose an eagle. I'm no expert on eagles by any means, but I remember when we went to the zoo a few years back going to see the eagles in the observatory. Of course, they were just perched on their branches at the time, but we got pictures of my kids holding out their arms in perspective to the wing span of an eagle (hey maybe I do have some pics to add to this). (The yellow is a bald eagle's wing span...sorry it's not all there).When I imagine this magnificent bird flying, it is quite different from that of the birds around here I am used to. Most of the birds I watch fly pump their little wings vigourously and I imagine it is quite a workout. Yet, that is the opposite of what Isaiah tell us. "They will soar on wings like eagles." Seems to me that little effort is required to get an eagle airborne and once it is, I imagine them soaring for great distances. That is why 3 Sundays ago, in the midst of my struggle to have energy for simple daily functioning, I had to smile and praise my God, when myself and a congregation full of people, whom I'm sure have had or are having their own struggles, sang aloud these words, written by Chris Tomlin, but that come directly out of the Word of God.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord

We will wait upon the Lord We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God The everlasting God

You do not faint You won't grow weary

Our God, You reign forever Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God The everlasting God

You do not faint You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak You comfort those in need

You lift us up on wings like eagles

Playdate with Maggie

Wednesday morning, the kids and I headed over to the Bixler home for a playdate with Maggie. Maggie and her mommy came to our house back in the winter after I had broken my leg, but this was our first time over to their house. Our schedules have been hard to work around at times, but all the kids seemed to have a lot of fun, so we will be making it happen again!!! Claire and Maggie are a year apart, but they had fun hanging out together (and sharing snacks). And Jake was plenty happy to get to play on a Wii!

New friends!
Maggie reading!
This picture makes me laugh. Claire was having fun playing peek-a-boo under the tent, but her legs were a slight giveaway.

Lydia, the photographer.

Other people's toys are the best toys!

This is Maggie with her mommy, Whitney. (Sorry, Whitney, but I love this picture). I love the look of pure love in Maggie's eyes, admiring her mama. Most of you who I know read this have already been praying for little Maggie. She has been one sick, little girl, battling cancer, at such a young age. What she has had to endure is unbelievable; my heart has ached many a time for her and her parents. Yet, she has been blessed with two parents who love her immensely and her are dedicated to her recovery. The challenges this family has faced have been great, huge, in fact. I have only known Whitney for a short time (about half a year), but if I could put a face on how I feel about her, it would look closely similar to Maggie's sweet, little face above. I have such admiration for her and Andy. I am amazed at their strength, even in the darkest hours. They have been an advocate for their daughter, putting her needs and comforts first and foremost. I am so thankful for the healing so far that has taken place in Maggie's body, despite the horrific journey it has taken to get there. Please keep praying for beautiful, little Maggie, and her parents. I know they would appreciate it.

Summer fun with friends!

What can bring such a smile to this oh, so cute, 2 year old? Why, a play date at the park of course!On Tuesday, we had a playdate at Shoup park with my friend, Becky, and her three boys. This park is a favorite due to the long slide built into the hill. We usually bring wax paper when we go here, but alas, I was out. So, I brought towels for my kids to go down on which worked pretty well, too. I didn't get pics of all the kids going down it, but here are a few of the ones I captured.

Jake! (yes, he was still wearing his shirt from Monday)

Lydia!

Sammy

Claire going down her Claire-sized slide. She was quite the dare-devil this day. I can handle her going down on her tummy, but wasn't too fond of her imitating some older girls who were running down the slide. Once she learned, she kept doing it.

And we cannot go to a park without Claire wanting to swing. But again, she decided to try something new. I push her pretty high, which she enjoys. As I was doing this, she let go of the chains and put her arms out like she was flying. Crazy girl.

There was some tree-climbing...

some lunch-eating...

and some friend-hugging!

Here is a little video clip I took of Claire, Lydia, and Drew.

My Jake Date

Jake and I got to go out on a date on Monday. It was nice to spend some quality time alone with my son. Our first stop was a trip to the library. Jake is going to research the topic of recycling since he is pretty passionate about it. Then he is going to be in charge to "teach" the rest of the family, as we start to do our part. I know we should have been on board a long time ago, but Jake has certainly helped remind us that we needed to be recycling.

After the library, we went to dinner. His first choice was Olive Garden. That was a bit more money on dinner than I was planning on, plus it was no where near our next destination. He settled on Pepito's, where he was going to order a hot dog, of all things (and he'd had one for lunch). I talked him into tacos since we were at a "Mexican" restaurant. Our waitress snapped our picture together for us before we left. I hadn't realized our older camera wasn't on auto. That is the reason for the other blurry pictures.

Bowling was next on the list! I took advantage of a free kids bowling program this summer (http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/) and this was our first time going. We played our 2 free games, returned our shoes, and as we were leaving, Jake asked for a treat. They wanted a dollar for a candy bar, so I said we'd stop on the way home to get something that was worth more for my buck. We stopped at UDF, where Jake picked out a package of donuts. The sun was setting, so I suggested we go to Delco Park right up the street to talk and enjoy the donuts. Jake downed the donuts in no time and in even less time, was done with the talking and asked to go play on the playground. So, we stayed for another 1/2 hour and I even played a bit of tag with him. We got home around 9:30. All in all, I'd say it was a good date. Jake asked if we could do it again so I think he had a fun time as well.

Like father, like son...he got these teeth out one of those machines at the bowling alley.