The Joys? of Baseball 2010

I don't know why my son decided to scratch that part of his body at this moment. Maybe it took his mind off of his dad fussing at him for not paying attention? Or maybe he wasn't paying attention then? Anyway, I thought I had made a pretty good photo until I got home, downloaded the photos, and it became a "split" decision!! LOL

My kiddos really do love baseball....some days more than others...It depends on the "action" or lack thereof. :)

Mother's Day 2010

My kiddos and I...Oh, how I love them!!!!


My mother and I...Oh, how I love her!!!!

A Walk on the Wild Side

We took a field trip to a local zoo this past week and had a wonderful time. We've been to larger zoos in the past, and even though this one was smaller, it was a really good experience! We enjoyed it, and we ALL learned something. We even saw animals that we had never seen before. What a beautiful day it was to enjoy some of God's creation!!

LOL + LOF = Good Times

What happens when Living Out Loud and Leap OF Faith get together? Good laughs, good food, and good times!!!

It was so nice to finally see Leap Of Faith and her crew this weekend. It had been about a year since we had seen them, so we had alot of catching up to do. The funny thing is, I still don't feel like we got "caught up". It was nice, however, to let the kids play together while all of us adults chatted. Hopefully it won't be another year before we see them again!!!

Pictures will soon follow................ 8)

P.S. Happy Birthday, K.!!!!!

Preparing For RAI...

Before I post something from today, I wanted to catch up with some things I've had to do since my diagnosis of thyroid cancer. When Monday, April 5 came around I had to start a low iodine diet. That was absolutely NO fun! It didn't start out being that bad, but by the end, I was having to FORCE myself to eat. The choices I had for the food I ate on this diet were so limited! I couldn't have any dairy products, nothing from the sea, nothing from a can, etc. I could pretty well only have fresh or frozen fruits and veggies and meat (about 3 oz. a day), as long as they didn't contain salt. I could eat salt, but not the iodized version. It had to be Plain salt. The purpose of this diet was to starve the remaining thyroid cells of iodine so that when I took the radioactive iodine, they would soak the RADIOACTIVE iodine up, and be killed off. I found out that there is really no such thing as a total thyroidectomy, even though I had had one. They have to leave some of the thyroid cells in there.

On April 12 and 13 my family and I had to make a trip to the Cancer Center in a neighboring town so I could get a thyrogen shot each day. The first day also included some blood work. Then on Wednesday, April 14, I made a trip to the hospital in this same neighboring town by myself to take the Radioactive Iodine (RAI) pill. I had to be separated from from my family for about 4 days because I was RADIOACTIVE!!! I even had to wear a bracelet for 4 days so in case something happened, people would be aware of my state of RADIOACTIVITY. =) I missed them all so much, but I enjoyed not having to fuss at anyone and not doing ANYTHING!!! S. thought since I was radioactive I had these supernatural powers. She held up a blade of grass and wanted me to burn it! I tried staring at it as hard as I could, but it just wouldn't burn!!! LOL

By Friday, April 16, I received word from my doctor's office that I could go back to eating normal!! Praise the LORD!!! I still had to be careful, though because I felt like I couldn't handle just anything.

This past Thursday, April 22, I went back to the hospital to have my scan. The lady said things seemed to look okay. I hope to hear from my doctor in the next few days to hear the "official word."

CANCER

Isn't that one of the most AWFUL words - one that a person never expects to hear, because it happens to other people, not yourself. Well, I went to my post appointment today and found out that my thyroid had cancer in it. It caught me off guard, but it didn't shake me. Maybe because God has been gearing me for this as He's taken me through these last weeks, and I've had to deal with fear issues. God gave me a verse, and I'm still holding onto it even now! Isaiah 43:4 "Do not fear, for I AM with you!!!"

I truly believe that God's hand has been in this all along. This didn't take Him by surprise. He's known it!! Most people only have half of their thyroid removed, only to find out it was cancerous, and then they have to open them back up to remove the other half. They removed my whole entire thyroid because it was so large. Therefore, they removed ALL of the cancer. All of my lymph nodes came back negative, so the doctor feels like all of it was contained in my thyroid. He explained to me that there are three things they do when they get results back like this. The first thing is that they remove the thyroid. The second is they start you on Synthroid. And thirdly, you have to drink this radioactive stuff. Considering the first two have already been taken care of, I only have to do the last of the three. I won't start that for about another 4 weeks or so.

Once again, I covet your prayers! Thank you so much!!

Added March 5, 2010
As I reflected over my post this morning, it dawned on me about HOW God answered one of my prayers I had before the surgery. I had been praying that God would keep me protected from cancer, and it dawned on me that HE DID!! You see, I had cancer BEFORE my surgery, and I didn't know it. Now after my surgery, it's GONE!!! He PROTECTED me from it!!! You know, He amazes me so many times!!!! I'm so glad I serve an all knowing, ever protective God who loves me more than I could ever imagine!!! And I think, if I had known I had cancer before the surgery, it would have made me worry more than I did!! Thank you, Jesus!!!

More Snow!

I could hardly believe it yesterday when it started snowing!!! We had had some beautiful spring days, and it just surprised me! It didn't stick but just for a short bit. Then by the time it DID start sticking, it began to rain, and it melted. The flakes were BIG and BEAUTIFUL as they fell, and I was able to get a few shots with my camera from standing at the doorway. As much as I LOVE snow, I hope we're done for the winter. Come on spring!!!