Enjoying the puzzle and each other!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words or something like that.  this one says a lot!  I thank God for the story this picture tells.

1)  Note the smiles - even Phil in the background is smiling.  He helps with the puzzle, too!

2)  We've got the puzzle on a newspaper so that we can turn it around, but I need to get a solid piece of newsprint; that print is confusing and we don't need confusion!

3)  Notice the pie pans; we keep like colored pieces in different pans and boxes.

4)  Notice the dear and fish on the walls.

People think they have to go to shows in Branson, but we love the peace and quiet of just being together for fun times.  I'll be happy to go see Pierce Arrow when they open, but I'm totally content to puzzle with Ruthie and Phil right now!

A good time with family at a great place.

We never got around to pictures today, so this is one I took Saturday.  That's the kitchen behind me and that chair in front of me is in front of the desk where I have the laptop.  This is really a nice place.

We had a great time, just being together, today.  Phil went with me over to the fitness center, so we both got in some exercise.  It was a good time for Ruthie to rest her back and get a little nap.  I sure thank God for their visit.  It has been so good for me.    We worked quite a bit on the puzzle and enjoyed simple meals.  They are a blessing to me!

Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo!

They're here!  Phil and Ruthie are here to spend as many days as I can persuade them to stay!  I know they are tired from today's drive, so we're going to bed soon.  I thank God for their safe trip and for them wanting to come.  This is a great place to share; I'm so glad they could come while I'm here.

I walked on the treadmill, again, today,  I walked 2.5 mph and did fine.  I went 1.8 miles before it felt like my leg had had enough.  I'm pleased to be able to use their great facility and thank God that I'm still able to walk.

Looking like my mom, again.

I took this shot to show the deer over the fireplace and the fish on the wall.  That door goes out to the balcony off the living room.  There is another balcony off the bedroom.  Maybe this reminds me of Mom because of the white or the gray hair.  Anyway, I think of her when I look at this picture.  Oh, the TV is in that cabinet behind me (There is another one in the bedroom, which I've never watched).  I watched The Bachelor Monday night and haven't had it on another time; I grew up without TV and never got the habit.

Today was a better day for me.  I pushed myself to go to the fitness center.  I was really afraid to go because that was something Don and I always did.  I thought it would be traumatic for me.  They had totally redone the fitness center; even moved it to a new floor.  So, it was different in many ways.  I still missed him, but I know he would want me to go, so I did  He would not want me to pass up the opportunity to go to such a nice fitness center and it is state of the art.  Besides, he'd want me taking care of myself, and walking is important in my care.  I used to walk 4 mph, but I was only comfortable with 2.3 mph today.  I don't have to be in a rush; I don't have any trains to catch.  I thank God that I can walk, and for the opportunity to have a good fitness center available.

Ruthie and Phil are coming tomorrow;  I'm making a sugar free pie!  Woo hoo!

71 1/2 is all on this earth.

This is a picture I took a couple of days ago to show all the 'Bass Pro Shop' atmosphere around this condo.  The bedroom and bathroom is behind the window behind the sofa.  The two doors behind me are a closet and the washer and dryer.  There are deer and fish everywhere.  Can you see on the lamp shade right in front of me a cedar tree?  This is Big Cedar; so there are cedars everywhere, too.  The lamp on the desk has a couple of canoes and a fishing scene on it.  I'm not into fishing or hunting, but I love the consistency of this place and they are the definition of service.  Every night the cookie lady comes and brings a bag of cookies and new packages of coffee to brew.  I don't eat cookies or drink coffee, but I save the cookies in the freezer for the kids and my guests drink coffee.  It's the personal touch of someone visiting with a basket of goodies that makes it feel special.

Today has been a hard day.  Don would have been 72 today.  I thank God for giving me Don for 34 1/2 years.  I would be greedy to ask for more . . . but I'm feeling kind of greedy today.  Certainly I'm needy; I sure think I need Don, but God has a better plan.  Don would expect me to stand up as tall as I can and face whatever God has in store for me.  I will do that, treasuring memories all the way . . . sometimes drenched with tears, but often with a smile . . . always a smile in my heart.  I was blessed to know and enjoy true love.

I read today about a girlfriend who was remarking that one of her mother's instructions to her and her siblings were to be sure to fill their lives with good friends.  It reminded me that I am so very blessed with good friends. This picture is one my camera on timer took the day we left for the cruise.  Doris, Don's sister and her husband, Jerry are on the outside of the group of Mary, Steve, and I.  Doris and Jerry so graciously let us spend the night at their house so we could get up and go pick up Patsy and go on to check onto the ship.  Not only that; they took us out to a wonderful dinner at my favorite Mexican place, Gringo's, the night before.  They also picked me up at MD Anderson last Friday and took me tot he airport so I could catch my flight back to OK; on they way they bought my supper, again.

Steve and Mary came to my house the night before we left for Houston and spent the night, then drove me all the way down there.  We stayed in a condo the week after we got back from the cruise and then they took me into MD Anderson for my check up.  Then, since I had to go back in for more tests, they took me and my suitcases to Doris and Jerry's house before they headed for home.  Doris took me back into MD Anderson for one test and then to Judy's house to spend the next couple of days.  All these folks were carting me everywhere to get all my tests done and get me where I needed to be.  Judy took me back up to MD Anderson on Friday for my last ct scan and I took my bags up to (yet another friend, who was pictured on the blog recently) Candy's room so I wouldn't have to drag them around the hospital.  Candy's husband, Joe, had a chemo treatment that day, so I called her out of that treatment (he was sleeping) for lunch and to take me to get my bags from their room. I guess that all sounds confusing to you all.  The point is that it took the teamwork of a bunch of awesome friends and family to accomplish my checkup and following tests.  Then when I got back to Bartlesville, Steve and Mary drove the 3 hours up there to get me and return me to Oklahoma City where I spent the night with our daughter.  She took me home on Saturday.  Not only am I blessed with awesome results, I'm further blessed with awesome friends and family.  I can never repay them, but I'll never forget and neither will God.  He knows how many hairs we have on our head; I know he knows the love we show, too.  It's how we spread His spirit!

Note:  I refilled the car at Phillip's today!  I'm loving finding ConocoPhillips everywhere!

Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo!

This is as close to party dress as I get.  It was dress up night on the cruise.  I put this picture on to represent the news that I just got.  The doctor's nurse called and the result of my ct scan was that there was NO evidence of metastatic disease!  Praise God!  That's what we've prayed for and it's what I believed the results would be.  It feels good to have the results in and have it all confirmed.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

Ahhhhh . . . now I can get busy with taxes.  God is good; He'll help me through the taxes, too!

No test results, yet.

This is me with Patsy's mama; I call her Aunt Moze. That's what Terri calls her and she introduced her to me years ago, so she'll always be Aunt Moze to me. Steve and Mary and I spent the night before the cruise with Don's sister, Doris and her husband, Jerry. Then the next morning we drove to Patsy's house and put all our belongings into her car because it was big enough for all of us; then we headed down to Galveston to board the ship. We had a few minutes to see Aunt Moze before we left and when we got home. Aunt Moze is a hugger, so we all got hugs and loved it!

I was supposed to get the results of Friday's ct scan today, but the nurse called and said they don't have them, yet. She has asked for them to be expedited to her, so she's hoping to have them tomorrow. I was hoping to celebrate tonight, but I'll celebrate getting to see and hug Aunt Moze, instead. I can celebrate good results on the ct scan tomorrow. I thank God for every day and every person in my life. I've read that in a lifetime you really only have enough good friends that you can count on one hand; all the other folks are really just acquaintances. I think I have lots more good friends than I can count on two hands. I know I am richly blessed and I thank God for precious people in my life, the opportunity to be a military brat and meet lots of people, and access to the Internet to find them and keep up with all of them.

God's promises.

God sent a rainbow to represent the promise that He would never flood the whole world, again. I take all of life pretty seriously, but rainbows are special because God used it to represent a huge promise. To me it's a very personal message every time I see a rainbow. It's reminder to me that God is in control and He will keep all His promises, and He is reminding ME. He has a plan for each of us, including me. I don't see all that He sees and I trust Him and love Him for taking charge. When He gives us TWO rainbows, it seems very emphatic to me. These two rainbows delighted us as we were leaving Cozumel. You can see the tip of another cruise ship on the edge of the picture. There were many delights on the cruise, but this one was extra special. We don't have to be on a cruise to see double rainbows; we get lots of signals all the time from God. I'm not sure I always know exactly what they mean and I'm sure I miss some, but all in all I'm reminded that I can trust in Him.

He got me here, safely, yesterday. This place is awesome and I'm grateful to be here. I slept until 10 this morning! I'm ready to go to bed and get another good night's sleep. Thanks for keeping up with me!

This is a picture Patsy took of me in the "tourist trap" in Cozumel.  This fountain was pretty.  All  in all it was a really great trip.  I'm glad we didn't turn over like the one in Italy did!

Today I got up early and drove all day to get to Branson before dark.  I got here just in time to get unloaded as it was getting dark.  Then I had problems getting connected.  I had to call ATT 3 times, and it took 4 hours, but they got me connected!  I never had to talk to the robot and each time I got someone who spoke English with no wacky accent.  I needed that!

I've got everything all unpacked and put away in the kitchen.  I'm going to unpack my clothes and shower and head to bed.  There is a jacuzzi tub here, but I'm so tired, I'm not sure I could pull myself out of it, so I'll have a break through and shower tonight.  I just need to get clean and get to bed.  I'm exhausted.  I was up until 2:20 this morning getting everything ready and then got up at 6:30, so it was a short night for me.  I thank God for keeping me awake for the trip and for giving me a safe trip here.  The weather was perfect.

I griped about the condo last week, so I must complement this one.  It is the Wilderness Club and Big Cedar and it is really nice.  I always love it here.   Ruthie and Phil are coming as soon as they get the new doors on their house; Sissy, why don't you come on up here?  Ruthie and I were talking about that and we think it would be so much fun!  I'm making an ice box pie with Splenda; can I bribe you with pie?

Recalling the cruise.

Patsy took this picture the day that she and I walked into the tourist traps in Cozumel.  I'll really be happy to stay on the ship if I go on another cruise.  The ship was great.  Going off the ship was more of a hassle than it was worth to me.  Patsy was so great to hang close to the ship with me and be content.  We were on the Triumph, the ship on the left.  Carnival parked the Glory right beside us, so the folk who drank a lot in Cozumel had to be thinking they were seeing double when they came back to the ship!

I'm packing to load the car soon.  It's been challenging today.  Trish brought me home and then her car wouldn't start when she started to go home!  She called AAA and they got her going pretty quickly, but it was a challenge, and she made it home just fine.  Now, to get everything I need packed into the car.   God keeps taking care of me, so I'm looking forward to "our" trip to Branson.  I miss Don, but God is hanging really tough with me, so I'll make it.

Praise God and Celebrate!

Tonight's picture is one that Steve or Mary took Sunday, when Heather and Brett and Luke and Logan came to visit when we were in the condo in Conroe. I am so blessed to have so many precious people in my family. This was a visit to treasure; so glad I've got pics to help bring it to my recollection often!

This morning as I was waiting to go in for my ct scan (checking the liver) I got a call that they had a seat reserved for me on a private jet to Bartlesville, OK, tonight! Conoco-Phillips runs a shuttle Sunday through Friday to and from Bartlesville and Houston and they let cancer patients ride in their vacant seats, FREE! So, I'll be buying all the Conoco-Phillips gas I can to thank them; hope you will, too! So, Steve and Mary are going to pick me up at Bartlesville and take me to Tricia's house in Oklahoma City. I'll spend the night and she'll take me home in the morning. Woo hoo! That's not all; there's more!

I finished up my scan and Jerry and Doris picked me up and brought me to the airport. While I was sitting here waiting, my doctor's nurse called to tell me the results are in from the bone scan and there is NO evidence of metastasis to the bones! THAT's what I expected, but I didn't expect it until Tuesday. She said she will call me Tuesday with the results from my ct scan today. Thank you all so much for your prayers, and I sure thank God for His help, here. I'm a blessed lady!

Took an off day.

This picture Judy took of Steve and Mary and I at MD Anderson on Tuesday. I am so blessed to have so many good friends all over the world. I thank God for all these folks who cart me around, house me, love me and pray with and for me! Tomorrow I go back to MD Anderson for the ct scan of my abdomen. I really expect that it will be fine. All these tests will turn out okay and I can move forward with confidence. However they turn out, I can move forward with confidence because I know that God is in control. I'm doing everything I can to be cancer free; if the cancer returns then this will be my ticket to move on to the next phase and I have no fear of that. My worst fear is doing anything without Don and I'm already doing everything without him. I learned a long time ago: 'Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain,' so I'm home free. It's all up to God and He's carrying me like in the poem, "Footprints." I am so grateful for God carrying me. God blesses!

The finished puzzle and some good news.

Here is the picture I've promised with the finished puzzle. Steve and I were very proud of our work!

Now, the report from today is GREAT! I'm not in the clear, yet, but as far as my heart goes, I am. I had the echo cardiogram today and the guy who did it said, "This is good! Your heart is working like it's supposed to. Whatever procedure or treatment they want to do on you, you can take, because your heart is good." I told him they didn't want to do any treatment or procedure but they were looking to be sure the chemo had not damaged my heart. So, then he said, "Well, there is no problem with your heart; they're going to have to find some other excuse for your ankles swelling." I'm convinced it's genetics, so I'm not any more worried about the ankles than I am worried about being short! So, no worries about the heart!

Steve and Mary took me to Doris' house today and then they headed for home. Doris took me in to MD Anderson for the echo cardiogram. I loved spending the day with Doris! It was great to have someone to join me in cheering today! Then she brought me out to Judy's house and Judy had curry rice cooking! YUM! Tricia worries about me eating, well, Trish, worry no more! I ate plenty yummy food tonight!

Today I learned that I can go home on Friday after the CT scan, but I'll have to figure out how to schedule a flight. There are several options, including a couple of free ones, so that's a wonderful thing if I can make it work. Hopefully, I can work out something so I can go home this weekend. I sure thank God for today's good news and thank you all for your prayers!

Here's the deal.

This is a picture of the mini reunion we had today. This is me with Judy and Candy, who were both classmates of mine in Japan. Judy lives here in Houston and has walked me through the breast cancer journey. Candy lives in the Hill Country of Texas in a town I can't remember. She and her husband are at MD Anderson for him to have a stem cell transplant. It was wonderful that we could enjoy visiting today. I thank God for tremendous friends and family!

Now, the deal:

1: My ankles were swollen so the doctor is concerned that I may have some heart damage from the chemo so she insists we check it. Thus, I'm having an echo cardiogram tomorrow.

(Note: swollen ankles run in my family, so I think this will not be an issue.)

2: My hip and leg have been hurting me, so the doctor had a bone scan done on me today from head to toe.

(Note: I have a badly degenerated disc at the bottom of my vertebra and I believe that is causing my leg and hip pain. I could be wrong, but this scan will tell us the answers.)

3: My bloodwork showed numbers for my liver function that made the doctor order a CT scan on Friday.

(Note: I have a history of weird numbers on my liver function numbers since way back before I ever had cancer. I used to give blood every 8 weeks and at one time they wrote me a letter and asked me not to give for a year because my liver function numbers were out of line. So, this is not such a big deal to me, but they have to be sure.)

So, I'm taking this as a message from God that I must remember that HE is in charge. MY plans to go to Branson are not in line with HIS plans. I have prayed that His will be done in all things. I trust Him to make a better plan than mine. I'll do my best to cooperate with Him.

I wish I could write that we got a good report today, but what we got was frustrating numbers and signals. The tests will give us better direction. In the meantime, Steve and Mary will go back home and I will be here with Doris and Judy to look after me. I couldn't be in better hands.

The worst thing about this is that I don't want to do it without Don. I work every day to accept that reality, but it hits me cold in the face so often. God has given me great support in family and friends, though. Thank you who are reading this for being in that group who God has given to me!

I will keep you posted as best as I can. Please understand that I will be floating from house to house, though, and remember that no news is good news.

Here is yesterday's post.

This is me with Rocky Rutherford, the brother of a classmate from years in Japan. I saw Rocky about 20 years ago at a mini reunion, so it's been a long time. He brought those flowers from his yard, and then he took Steve and Mary and I out to a great Mexican dinner!

Yesterday was very full! We had gone out to buy this laptop in the morning and then gone to the Olive Garden for lunch. After lunch I worked on getting this computer set up and Steve and Mary went on a birding adventure. After Rocky left last night I got all wound up working on this laptop and totally forgot to do the blog until I went to bed. I got up then and attempted to do it, but couldn't get access to the Internet, so I thought it was because Mary had shut down her computer and I was bootlegging off it to get access. I put it all into the notepad so I could post quickly this morning, but when I got up this morning I couldn't get it out of the notepad. Mary is still offline, but this seems to be working. I'm lost, but I'm fumbling and will get 'er done!

We're up early to go in to MD Anderson for my check up. We'll also meet two more of my friends from school in Japan. We'll get pics. I thank God for all these great friends who are so supportive. I don't expect any issues regarding my health today, but this will be my first time at MD Anderson without Don and that will be an issue for me. He was such terrific support and we enjoyed even the days at MD Anderson. I know the doctors will ask, "Where is your husband?" God provides and I trust His plan.

After we are done at MD Anderson, we're going to stop by Doris and Jerry's for a while. I expect we'll be home for supper and I'll post as soon as possible to give the report of my check up. Thanks for your support, too!

Last dinner on the cruise.

Tonight's picture was also taken the last night we had dinner on the ship. This is me and Patsy with our waiter, Roberto. We really liked him; he was really good to us. I don't think we ever go a picture of our steward, and that's a mistake because he was also very good to us. The cruise was really nice. it was nice to be totally taken care of for a few days. Patsy was such a great room mate, too. Maybe we'll do another cruise sometime. I thank God that I was NOT sea sick at all! I took a half of a Bonine every day and had no problems whatsoever. I sure did feel the motion from time to time, even for a couple of days off the cruise! I think I haven't felt any motion today, so maybe that's done for this trip.

Doris and Jerry's son, Brett, and his wife, Heather, came over with their boys today and we had a nice visit. It's always so good to see them and the boys are so precious. I got a few pictures, so someday I'll post one of them to share with you. Thanks for checking on me; hope this will be a good week for you all!

Puzzling.

Steve and I have just finished this puzzle. Today we had to go 'off campus' and do laundry. I checked out the playground because our nephew and niece are coming tomorrow with their little guys, Luke and Logan. I wanted to be sure it was acceptable for them. I think they'll like it, and it should be nice tomorrow; it was a great day today! I thank God for warm days; my feet were so happy to be out of closed in shoes. My back is not happy being away from my NUBAX and Power Plate, so in this picture you'll notice the belt I'm wearing: it's a device designed to give me traction and stretch my back. It really does seem to help and I need all the help I can get.

Thanks for checking on me. All is good. Relaxing with the puzzle was good today. It feels especially good to have completed it. Tomorrow we'll take pictures of the completed puzzle. I thank God that the peripheral neuropathy I had with chemo is gone so that I can handle the puzzle pieces, play cards and type! There is always so much for which to give thanks!

Dinner our last night on the cruise.

This is one of the pictures Mary got from the cruise. Our waiter took it for her. Steve is on the left and Mary is on the right. Patsy, my room mate, and I are in the middle. I am so grateful that I could eat and not be sick on this cruise! I took half a Bonine each day and it worked fine for me. It's weird that it still feels like I'm on the ship, though!

Today Steve and Mary went birding down on the coast all day. I stayed here and my friends, Charlotte and Delpha, came and got me and took me to lunch at the Olive Garden. It was a great time! Then I had time this afternoon to work on the jigsaw puzzle that we have going and I got caught up on my emails. It was good to get some relaxing done. Ahhhhh. I thank God for rest, relaxing and awesome friends and family!

On land, again!

So, the cruise was unreal. We had a great time, and we are back, checked into the condo for this week. I have no complaints with the cruise, but this condo is a pit. Let me tell the world that I own 4 timeshares and have stayed at many others, but I will never buy or recommend Silverleaf! We don't own with Silverleaf, but we've stayed with them previously and we've had good stays. I traded with friends to get this one and the time and the place are right, so I am grateful that we could make the trade. However, I called to ask if they had hairdryers and they told me yes. No hair dryer. So, they came and installed ONE, but we have 3 adults here. The kitchen is a farce. The first thing I had to do was inventory the place. That should be their job! They don't even have a laundry on the property! I could go on and on, but the worst thing is that my computer has died. Thank goodness Mary will let me use hers, but I need the information on MINE! So much for the cruise getting me started in a better direction. I'm not seeing it, yet. I've got to figure out how to get the laptop sent to me in Branson. That will be tricky, but I'll figure out how to make it work.

The picture on this post is one that Mary took of me with Doris and Jerry last Saturday morning before we left for the cruise. That was before I ate and ate and ate on the cruise. No kidding, the food was not only plentiful, but it was really delicious! There was so much to enjoy on the cruise. More about all that later, as I think of it.

Right now Mary is picking the pieces of a new puzzle out of the box and I NEED to go help her! This laptop fiasco is really stressing me, so I need to go de-stress with a puzzle. Tomorrow a good friend is coming to get me so we can to the Olive Garden and have lunch; Steve and Mary are going back toward Galveston to look for birds. I'll get pictures, but won't be able to download them until I get my laptop fixed, I guess. I'll be using pictures Mary took for the blog this week. I'll figure out what to do after that. I'm not excited about figuring out how to do things; this will keep me busy over the winter, no doubt. Ugh. God promised He wouldn't give me more than I can handle; He has such high hopes for me and I'm grateful that He believes in me. I am so thankful for all the ways he has blessed me! I have terrific support!

Escape!

This is the "Whew, the speedometer is fixed" look! Dorothy went with me yesterday and we got it done. I'm glad it's done.

My friends, Steve and Mary, are coming in just a few minutes and we'll leave in the morning for Houston. They will go with me on the cruise and stay with me after we get back until it's time for my appointment at MD Anderson. I'll have computer access once we get off the ship, so I can probably blog. I will as soon as I can, but no promises. I'm taking this escape and I'll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, you all take a break from my blog and escape, too! I know I need some new scenery. Maybe it will help me.

Joan is all set to look after the house while I'm gone. She is fully equipped with keys and garage door opener and I've cleaned the house. God blesses me with awesome friends and family. Thank you for being among those blessings and God bless you!

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I meant to post this later, but I hit the wrong key. Oops. God meant for today's post to be short, I guess. Let me add a pic from yesterday.

I'm headed to Altus to get the speedometer fixed. I'm mostly packed, so that's good.

The best I could do today.

Saturday the speedometer quit working on my 'good' van. I thought I could drive it without it, but I realized I kept looking at it, so I guess I need it. I looked on the Internet and found that it can cause other problems if I don't fix it. I also remember the last ticket I got for doing 35 in a 25 mile zone, and it cost me $110. 25 is hard to do unless I'm in reverse; then there is the highway. I just think I need to fix it. It's only money. I'll spend it until it's gone and then maybe I'll get a job teaching full time. Or maybe I'll quit driving? No, I'm going to drive this car until it won't go anymore. So, I had to drive to Altus to get the car checked and get the part ordered. I'll have to go back tomorrow when the part arrives to have it fixed. The last time I drove to Altus in the daylight was to take Don to the doctor and hospital. It brought back memories and took me to tears. A good friend went with me, so I was able to keep it under control until I got home. Otherwise, I know I would have cried the whole way there and back. I'm sure the dealership people would have had a hey day with that. The last time I was in that dealership was with Don, too. Man, I just can't get through this. I thank God that the memories are precious, though. He was so kind and loving; I have absolutely no bad memories.

I've been to Altus a couple of times in the dark to get my fingerprints done. (They only do them after 7 p.m.) Prior to that, the last time I drove to Altus in the dark was when we went there one night to get a powerful antibiotic for Don when the bladder infection he had wasn't responding to the first medication. That was on Labor Day weekend. Dorothy went with me to get my prints made, and it was dark so I didn't see all the reminders. I guess it's good to keep doing things, so that I can't say the last time I did this was with Don. I really hadn't driven much in the last several years. I was just the sub driver; I'd drive long enough for Don to get a nap, but he did most of the driving. I miss him so much. God has a plan for me. This is the day that the Lord has made and I will be glad and rejoice in it. The good thing is that I didn't get a ticket today and I can pay the bill; it hurts, but I can pay it. God provides and He blesses with abundance. Today's picture is as close to rejoicing as I could muster.

Look closely for the hidden feathers.

Trish had her feathers 'installed' (I doubt that is the right term.) in the back of her hair behind her left ear. So, it's really very subtle. There is a dark one, a red one and three little skinny gray ones. What a concept! I was always taught that feathers have lice and all kinds of cooties. I'm sure these are cleaned, but they still kind of give me the creeps. They look so cute in the girls' hair, though. It's certainly a thing of this generation, although many from my generation have them, too. No doubt I'm out of that loop!

Today I've been packing and working on taxes. I will finish the corporate taxes when I'm in Branson and the rest when I get home, but I want to have as much done as possible before I go so I can be sure to take everything I need with me.

I had company yesterday, so there is more food to eat than I usually eat, so my stomach is rebelling. Anymore food in my stomach acts like water on a hot skillet, so I shouldn't have eaten as much as I did today. I will learn. I've learned that eating is a social thing for me. When I eat with folks my stomach is more receptive. This alone business will take some adjusting. They say it takes time. I've learned that 3 1/2 months is not long enough for me. Time is meaningless to God, so I think I need to lean toward that direction and quit thinking about time. Time is a big issue that man makes.

New Year's Day.

This is Dorothy and I playing cards with our friend, Joan. Joan is my great friend who taught us how to play Hand and Foot Canasta. She always takes care of the house whenever we leave and she does a lot of the yard work for me these days. She's an awesome friend. This is the first time the three of us have played cards since David and Don died. We played and shed no tears! I even got the red 3's once, which is a big deal, especially when we aren't playing with partners. Anyway, we had a fun day. I thank God for good friends to make all of life better, but especially the really hard times.

This is the day that the Lord Hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I want that to be my mantra every day to help me keep my chin up where it should be. Good friends and good family help me to set and make my goals. I pray that your 2012 will be a healthy and happy year for you. I pray that mine will be, too. It's hard to imagine it, but I believe that, somehow, it can be. God provides and blesses, so who am I to doubt Him?