Happy Halloween!

This pic was taken beside the life size statue of Jack Daniels when we toured the Jack Daniels distillery.  It was a very interesting tour, although neither of us drink.  I use whiskey mixed with honey for cough syrup when my cough is really bad, but it's a way last resort.  It works; it knocks me right out, but there's no more coughing!  I thank God that I'm not drawn to alcohol a bit, but I also thank Him for it's availability when I get that awful cough!  I SURE thank Him for the honey or I could never hack it!

Today we went to Lawton and saw my oncologist, there.  He works hand in hand with my oncologist at MDA, but he has to see me every few months to cover his rear.  I like him a lot, so it's a comfort to me to see him and know that he's keeping an eye on me, too.  I go back to MDA the 18th and 19th of November, so they're keeping a close watch on me.

As soon as we got home we went to church where we had a huge trunk or treat deal happening.  Our parking lot was full of folks passing out candy and we had folks backed up for two blocks in line to join in the fun.  We went through $30 worth of candy and then went inside to help tie helium balloons to give to the trick or treaters.  We came home and hid in the dark because we were fresh out of candy!  It's only 8:30, so I'm thinking it's still too soon to turn on the lights.  It was fun to see all the kids; many of them I'd had in school when I subbed in elementary school and some I had in middle school!  Lee picked out our candy, hoping there would be some left, but he's fresh out of luck.  He has no business with that candy, anyway, but I've learned that diabetics are drawn to candy like drunks are to alcohol.

I Must Have Been CRAZY!

This is a pic Tom got of Lee and I standing in front of a cave that Tom and I used to go caving in when we were in high school.  I must have been CRAZY to have crawled into that hole!  I trusted Tom a lot, I guess. Those caving jaunts may have contributed to my claustrophobia today.  I can also remember when my friend Patty and I thought the coolest place to ride was in the VERY back (behind the seat) of my Daddy's VW Bug.  Those were some fun times, but I have more fun now staying out of small places!  It was sure fun to get to go back and see this spot.  I thank God for great lifelong friends like Tom and Linda Rose and the opportunities we get to continue to have fun with them from Tennessee to Branson and even Hawaii and Oklahoma!  Indeed we are blessed!

Today has been a great day.  I saw the doc for another check on the surgery that was done yesterday.  He was as delighted as I am.  I see him in two weeks for a final check and we'll determine then if I need to wear glasses or contacts, again.  He said he suspects I won't need any; I suspect that, too!  I'm reading really well and seeing details everywhere.  I love it!  PTL!  Lee's neck continues to do well, but it threatens him from time to time, as if to remind him he's not in the clear, yet.  Dorothy's sister, Ada, is doing really well.  She's up and walking and they say they'll let her go home in a couple of days if she continues to do well.  She is one amazing little lady.  This time last week the doctors had all given her up for gone, but she's having no part of it!  PTL!

She SEE! She SEES! She SEES!

This is the follow up pic to yesterday's goofy pic, although Lee is still standing on the 'high' step.  It was a great trip and I love the memories!  I thank God that I could see pretty good then, but today I see everything perfectly!

It was a long day.  I thought I'd slip right in and get done quickly since they didn't have all the testing to do that they did Thursday.  I was wrong.  I got to sit and wait a lot.  We didn't get home until nearly 5 and I was so tired and ready to sleep!  The eye they had worked on was going way northwest! (I asked Lee to get a pic of my eye going wrong, but he refused . . . it was pathetic looking!)  No wonder I was seeing double and crooked!  It was way scary to look in the mirror.  I was reminded that I've been given eyes that work even if the vision was poor for the last 4 years.  After a healing 4 hour nap I woke up to two eyes that go the right direction and work in coordination with each other.  My left eye sees well in the distance and the right eye sees up close.  WOW!  It's as if I have my contacts in and they are CLEAN and I see clearly!  Everything is bright and beautiful!  I praise God and thank Him so much for the success of these surgeries!  Tomorrow morning I go for a follow up check up and I expect he will want me to come back in two weeks for a final check to see if I need glasses to read.  I suspect that I won't.  I'm really so excited. I'm not supposed to jump, but jumping for joy seems appropriate.  I'll do it in my mind.

Dorothy reports that her sister, Ada, is doing very well, considering that they had given her up for dying last Wednesday!  She's able to be up and WALKING as well as drinking and eating some nourishment.  Ada is a living miracle!  They are talking of letting her go home in a few days!  She's still got some serious issues, and will have to go back to the hospital for more surgery as soon as she is strong enough, but right now she is absolutely amazing us.  Thank you so much for your prayers; please keep up with them as she believes she is living on prayers right now!

One More Wake Up!

This pic was taken on the walk down to the Natural Bridge at Sewanee.  As if Lee isn't already a head taller than me, he wanted to stand up on the edge.  What a goofball he is!  I love it!

One more wake up until I get my other cataract removed!  Woo hoo!  Tomorrow I'll see double for a while and then the good vision will be here for me!  I'm so excited about it!

Lee has felt pretty good today, but his neck is twinging some, so he's not in the clear, yet.  We just hope he'll continue to get better and better.

Dorothy called to tell me today that her sister, Ada, is up and able to drink and take a little nourishment, even!  She's an amazing woman.  She's still in critical condition, but she is hanging on so well.  The doctors didn't expect her to live through last Wednesday and were surprised that she made it until Friday; here she is on Monday, up and eating!  God bless Ada!  Praise God for taking care of all of us!

A Beautiful Place Displaying God's Handiwork!

When we visited with Tom and Linda, they took us to the Natural Bridge up on Sewanee Mountain.  It's such a gorgeous place.  The first pic shows the plaque that identifies the bridge and the next pic is one that Tom got of Lee and I standing on the bridge.  Don't you know it would be beautiful there right now, with the fall colors.  I loved the lush green, too, though.  We just don't have trees like that in Oklahoma!

Today was a great day of rest for me.  I'm getting into this taking it easy!  It was the first day that I've ever gone to church with no eye make up on, but I can't wear eye make up until next Sunday.  It's amazing how quickly I can get ready!  Nobody ran from me, that I noticed, so I guess I didn't look as scary as I think I do.  We went out to lunch at Jerry's, where it seems the whole town goes, so lots of folks saw me with no eye make up.  They seemed to still recognize me, so maybe I need to rethink the makeup ritual!  Lee is doing much, much better, too.  He was able to go to both services today and he coached football from his chair between services.  I thank God for good memories from these great trips we took and for great results from my surgery and Lee's meds for his neck pain.  God is great!

Precious Memories.

On our trip to Tennessee, after we visited Lee's Aunt Leona, we went to visit our friends, Tom and Linda Rose.  Lee had never been there, but I graduated from high school with Tom and Linda.  Tom drove us all around the county and we showed Lee beautiful places that represented memories to all of us.  This place was more beautiful than this picture shows, but this is the only place where I could set the camera to get a shot of all of us.  It's a good memory to all of us.  We had to climb up onto this rock and it looked out over the county from where we were sitting.  The memories are treasures to us!  I so thank God that we were able to make this trip!

Today has been a nice, restful day for me.  Lee is feeling much better.  His neck is still very sensitive and won't allow him to go certain directions, but for the most part he is comfortable.  I praise God for that, too! I continue to be amazed and praise God for the vision in my fixed eye!  I can hardly wait until Tuesday to get the other eye done!  It is so much fun SEEING!  I feel guilty that I can get my vision back and Dorothy never can get hers.  (She has macular degeneration.)

Bless her heart; she is such a strong woman.  Her sister, Ada, is still living.  If she manages to live until Monday, they plan to move her to another hospital and do surgery that they hope will save her life. They didn't expect her to live until yesterday, but she did, so the doctors think she might be strong enough to take the surgery on Monday. God bless; we pray for His will to be done and that His will is to save Ada.

An Example to Us!

Look at that sweet smile and those trusting eyes!  Our Lord told us to 'be as little children.'  Bryce is a great example of how we should be, in my opinion.  He was asleep when we got there, but he woke up soon.  He was a little cautious at first, but as soon as he recognized us, he was happy and ready to go.  I've noticed that we wake up a little stiff everyday, but soon we warm up and a smiling attitude is the best way to approach each day . . . just like a little child!

Bryce has been so many good examples to me.  When he was a little guy, he'd be so sleepy and just nod right off in my lap.  Sometimes I think of that sleepy look he had and I nod right off as if I were him.  I hope I can mimic him and be as happy as he is, too!  It's easier to say than to do!

Today has been a good day as far as my eye goes.  But, when I saw the doctor to check my eye today he told me that I'd need to pick up another prescription for eye drops for the second eye on Monday to take with me on Tuesday.  YIKES!  The drops for this first eye cost over $150!  Now, another $150!  I've been pumping the docs to tell me what meds I will be needing over the future, considering my stage 4 diagnosis.  I need to know that so that I can know what drug plan to buy for my medicare part D plan.  I have until the end of this month to do that. In my diligence to attempt to cover the cancer drugs, I lost out on getting covered in time to get help with the eye drugs!  NO doctor has been willing to give me a clue what drugs I may be using, either.  Then I got into noticing what my treatments are costing and I attempted to find out if I am the one responsible for the 'pharmacy' portion on my treatments or are those drugs considered part of the treatment?  I could not get ANYONE who could answer that question for me. (The pharmacy portion of my treatment runs right at $10,000 per month, so this is significant!)  There will be plenty of people around to tell me I when I OWE them money, but there is NOBODY available to help me make provisions for paying these bills. How frustrating.

I look at this picture of Bryce and love him for showing me the example of total trust to the Father!  All our kids and grandkids have shown me that over the years, but Bryce is the one who is still totally at that stage.  I thank God for him and all the others.  It's much better to have that trusting attitude than to get so cumbered with finances as I was today.  I'm supposed to be relaxing and resting.  I've thought it through and I'm going with Bryce and God.  I'll do the best I can and then the folks who wouldn't help me plan to make payment arrangements will have to grab a root and growl when it's tough at payment time.

Papa Lee Feels Better Around the Grand People!

This is a pic I got of Lee playing basketball with Peyton as Bryce watched when we were there Monday. He had such a tough day with his neck on Monday because he couldn't take any muscle relaxers.  I think that made yesterday a harder day.  He had to lay off this morning until he got me home from my cataract surgery today, but he's been able to have the relaxer, again, this afternoon.  His doctor called in another relaxer and a steroid today and said to call him on Monday if he isn't better.  How we hope he'll be better by then!  He's about worn to a frazzle with this neck ache.   Lunch with Trish and her gang was a joy for us and then getting to play with Peyton and Bryce sure helped him to get through Monday!  We thank God for all the grandkids and their awesome spirit!

Today has gone well for me.  At first after my surgery I was seeing blurry and double.  As time passed it got better and better.  I'm starting to get really excited at the things I'm seeing much more clearly.  I can really hardly wait to wake up in the morning and see what else I can see.  I'm anxious for Tuesday to get here so I can see with the other eye, too.  It's been so interesting.  When I first came out of surgery the not fixed eye was my good one.  I kept closing the fixed eye.  I got home and took a nap, though, and woke up with the fixed eye willing to stay open.  As time passes I'm using it more and realizing that I'm seeing better with it than with the not fixed one!  How cool!  I love how bright everything is, too!  I'm praising God for this fixed eye!  So many blessings!  I'm eager for a healing night of sleep for both of us!

Big Sisters Can Be So Much Fun!

In this pic big sister, Peyton, is attempting to hold a boy who know how to walk!  That'll never work for long!  He loves playing with her, but he hates when she (or anyone) holds him still!  He knows the joy of independence and freedom, now.

Another big sister, my friend, Dorothy, is in a lot of pain tonight.  Her little sister, Ada, was hospitalized yesterday for a ton of pain in her abdomen.  They did every test in the world and finally learned it was some kind of blockage in her intestine and they attempted to put in a stint today.  It didn't work and there is nothing more they can do for her, so she is dying tonight.  Dorothy is so sad, but she's lost a sister and two brothers, not to mention two husbands and her only son, so she's a strong lady and will trust God's timing. It's just very difficult right now.

Lee is miserable with the pain in his neck.  He is diligently using the meds the doctor gave him, but nothing is helping.  If we can just get me through tomorrow's surgery, then we can see if we can't get something more done for him.  I called and talked to the doctor's office today, asking for more help or direction.  She said she'd talk to the doctor and call us back.  I was thinking in terms of today, but she never called.  I'll be barking on the doorstep of another doctor as soon as I can; how frustrating!  Saturday I can drive and see out of one eye, so stand back!

Trish and Some of the Kids at Lunch.

This is a pic I got of Trish with Sadie and the 'little kids.'  Tricia's oldest three are Nate, Gabe and Sadie; they are 21, 18, and 16.  Then Mason is 13, Gracie is 10 and Raynie is 6.  She always divided them into the big kids and the little kids.  Sadie is the only big kid left at home.  Mason is nearly as big as she is, now!  So, this is Sadie, Mason and Trish with Gracie and Raynie in the front, wearing hats.  It was a way fun lunch; love it when we can connect with them!

Lee rested today and is doing better than he was this time last night.  His neck is still hurting, but it helped to be able to take muscle relaxers today.  He can rest, again, tomorrow, but he'll have to drive me Thursday to have my cataract surgery.  I hope two days of rest will help him to get through that morning.  We should be home early in the afternoon on Thursday, so maybe it won't be too hard on him.

I got all the floors done in the house today.  I did all the other cleaning Saturday.  So the house is as clean as it ever gets.  After I have my cataract surgery I'll be able to see all I've been missing!  I can hardly wait.  I feel so blessed to be finally getting them fixed.  I thank God that I'm able to clean and able to get this surgery!  I thank Him for a great day of visiting yesterday and a good day of rest for Lee today.

More Blessings!

We had a great trip today, but we're so tired!  This is a pic we got of Bryce throwing a little soccer ball. Can you believe he can walk and throw at the same time!  Hmmm; looks like a left handed thrower to me!  He's started walking all the time since we took off for our last two trips and saw him last around the first part of August, I think.  Anyway, he's pretty much the professional now (Looks like a drunk sailor, but he does a great job with recovery!)

While we were visiting with Bryce we got to see his big sister, Peyton, too.  I got some cute pix of the two of them, but I haven't had time to edit them, yet.  Earlier we got to see Trish and four of her kids for lunch.  I got more pix of them, too, but I still need to edit them.  Before that we visited with Lee's brother Dan.  I should have taken pix, but didn't think to do that.  It's more fun to take pix of the kids, anyway, but we had a great day of visiting.  We sure thank God for these wonderful visits!

Our whole purpose of going to OKC was to get an ultrasound done on a lump Lee has in his breast.  Having lost his last wife to complications of breast cancer and with me having stage 4 breast cancer, it was a big thing for us to face the possibility that he could have breast cancer!  I think I was more freaked about it than he was, but it was sore and bothering him.  They tell us that it is benign and caused by medications he has taken.  We have stopped two of his medications and he said to give that some time to see if it doesn't improve.  We can work with his doctors to do the detective work to see what changes can be made to help him to improve and as long as it's benign it's not that big a deal, anyway.  Praise God!  Now, if we can just get to whatever is causing this pain in his neck.  He was driving today so he couldn't take the muscle relaxers that the doctor gave him Friday.  I couldn't drive because I can't wear my contacts for 3 days before my cataract repair on Thursday.  I'm wearing old glasses, but still can't see well.  Anyway, he's gone to bed and will rest good tonight, I hope.  We praise God and thank Him that this lump is benign!

More Precious Memories

We enjoyed so much the visit when Barb came last week!  You can see that Lee was throwing himself into some story and Barb was paying close attention.  We treasure the memories of that day that she came to see us!

Tomorrow we go to OKC for an appointment Lee has.  We'll get to see his brother, Trish, and his daughter, Krissy, and her family!  I'm eager for some new pix and more memories to treasure!

This is my last day to wear contacts for a while!  I have to leave them off for 3 full days prior to my surgery on one eye Thursday.  Then, I guess I can wear a contact in the other eye for one day.  But, then I have to not wear them for 3 days prior to the surgery on the other eye.  I figure I just won't fool with it.  I'm thinking I'm just going to take it pretty easy for the next few days.  I do have some readers I can wear, but after one eye is fixed the readers won't work.  I really don't care about any of this week because a week from Tuesday I'll have two eyes FIXED!  Woo hoo!  I'm hoping I can see well enough without contacts, but they tell me they can fit me with contacts if I need them after the surgery.  I'm a real clux with glasses, so I have no desire to wear glasses.  I'll do whatever I have to do to see, though, and be grateful!  I've been waiting for this repair for over 4 years, now.  Ahhhhh . . . Praise God, the time is here!

More of My Easy Entertainment!

We took Barb, Lee's daughter, to the lake the other day and look who we saw!  They patiently waited while I ran up close enough to get pix of these herons.  These have got to be some we've been watching.  I'm so pleased to see them.  One is right near the nest and the other is on the stump that is next to the tree.  I attempted to get them both in the same pic, but they wouldn't fit.  I am as pleased as a kid at Christmas over these herons!  See, I'm easily entertained.  Actually, I think it's pretty magnificent that God goes to so much trouble for me.  I love it!

I got lots done around the house and yard today.  There is always so much to do here.  I think that's why I like to travel.  I can rest when we're gone.  We're home, now, so there's work to do and I thank God that I can do it!  Home is sweet and I am blessed, even with my own herons!

So Easily Entertained!

Monday, on our way home from my blood work we stopped at the cemetery in Roosevelt where Lee's mom, dad, and older brother are buried.  Look at the tarantula who was also visiting!  I thought it was so cool! Lee thinks it's funny how easily I'm entertained.  No kidding; I loved seeing that tarantula!  As soon as I saw him I went running back to the truck to get the camera!  What's really cool is that the tarantula dug right down into the hole he came out of when we first saw him and disappeared!  It was just like he came out to say hello!  I don't like any spiders, but tarantulas entertain me.  They aren't sneaky; they're bold.  They're just right there and not hiding.  I thank God for them.  They probably have some purpose more important than entertaining, me, but I love that they entice me to run for the camera!  I never run for the camera for any wee, sneaky spider! I just step on them!

Today has been a cold, rainy day.  We don't have many days like that in southwestern Oklahoma.  I'm glad because I'm not crazy about these kinds of days.  I'm sure the farmers are happy to have the moisture.  I'm sure my plants are, too, so I thank God for the moisture.  I sure like warm days better, though.  I've got my rice buddies out and carrying them with me everywhere I go.  Warm is a good thing!  Thankfully, my injection sites are not so sore, too!  I thank God for that!

Better Today!

This pic is one I got of us at the Cancer Center in Lawton on Monday as we waited for them to call me back to take my blood.  It's a very nice place.  That's Dorothy, me and Lee.

Today has been much better.  My rump is still sore, but much better.  I took an Ibuprofen this morning and that may have been what helped a lot.  I can't take many of them or I get dizzy, but one sure seemed to help. I thank God for the relief!

Today we had sunshine and it was in the 70's so I got some sun.  I thank God for that, too.  Vitamin D3 is a great healer and I need all the healing I can get!

Precious Visitor!

This is Lee's oldest daughter, Barb.  She lives in Moore and is usually busier than a one armed paper hanger. She's been on furlough since the government shutdown because she works for the FAA.  The shutdown is a crying shame and is bad for her, but we were thrilled that it gave her the time to come and visit!  It was her daughter who got married in June; the wedding was at her house, so she's spent most of the last year getting the grounds ready for that outdoor wedding.  We so loved having her visit yesterday.

I've had 8 treatments and they seem to be working.  The first one I had flu symptoms, so that was bad, but it only lasted about 24 hours.  One other one I felt like I had a boil on each hip for about 2 weeks where I got the injections.  Yesterday went fine, but I got up this morning with way sore hips, again.  I sure hope it goes away in less than 2 weeks.  If it doesn't, I can live with it, but there is a lot of moaning going on around here! I'm not complaining; I'm just confessing how it is.  Really to have 8 treatments and only have issues with 3 of them is pretty good.  They seem to be working great, too, so I can only give thanks for that and that's the whole purpose, so yippee!  Don't anyone be worried; this is totally normal, so it's not a problem.  It's only a bump in the road.  (I'm so glad I'm not having to go anywhere because a real bump in the real road would be so hard to take!)

Good Times!

This is a pic Lee got yesterday of Dorothy and I at the Cancer Clinic; I was there to get my blood work for today's treatment.  Dorothy went with us just because we'd been gone for so long and we wanted to spend the time together; plus she'd always wanted to go to the Olive Garden and we were going there for lunch. So, it was a delightful day!  We only had to wait about 5 minutes for them to call me back to take my blood and that only took a couple of minutes.  I love getting pix with Dorothy because it helps me to recall all the treasured times we've shared.  She is one of the heroes of my whole life; I admire her so much.  If I live to be 90, like she is, I hope I can be as sharp and lovable as she is!  This is a lady who has been widowed twice, lost her only son to a heart attack when he was 50, is legally blind and lives alone . . . just for starters!  I thank God for her and her family in my life! She has only one grandson and he is an awesome guy; I've had both his boys in class and they are the cream of the crop kind of kids, too.  They are a super family and we are so blessed to know them.

My treatment today went perfectly.  Then we got home just about 5 minutes after Lee's daughter got here. She is furloughed right now, due to the government shutdown, so she came to spend the afternoon with us. Tomorrow I'll post a pic that we got of the three of us today.  More thanks to God!  We are richly blessed!

I Married a Bearded Nine Year Old?

Gracie wanted to take a pic of us, so she got these two.  The first one is the clearest, but Lee had to give Trish and I bunny ears, so I was rolling my eyes at him and Gracie got the shot with my eyes closed.  He's such a goofball.  That 9 year old streak through him is VERY dominant and it comes up so often!  Anyway we have fun!  I thank God for the fun we have!

Today we took Dorothy with us to Lawton when I got my blood taken for my treatment tomorrow. We took her to the Olive Garden for lunch and she's always wanted to go there, so it was a big success!  It rained on us as we were going, so that was an extra treat.  We have so little rain, here, so we loved a rainy day.  The forecast is for us to have about a week of rainy days, so we're hoping the land can catch up a bit and give the farmers some relief!  Anyway, it was a great day and we thank God for some more safe travels.  Tomorrow we go back to Lawton for my treatment.  

Still Singing Gracie's Praises.

This is a pic I got of Trish and Gracie with Lee.  Lee and I were so tired from our trip.  Trish had been on a field trip with her pre-kindergartners and Gracie was at the end of her week of school, plus 3 hours a day of practice.  I guess we were all pretty tired!  They seem to have endless energy, though; I thank God for that! I know that I don't have that kind of energy anymore.  All I can do is go until I drop.  I just know I do better on days that I get a nap!  They seem to be able to go, go, go!  Besides that, I can't help but notice Gracie's beautiful skin!  I mustn't get started bragging on the grandkids, though!

I got a nap today!  After church we had our monthly fellowship meal, and that is always a delight.  We took Dorothy home, I dropped off Lee and I went back to town for the local theatre program which was playing last night, this afternoon and tomorrow night.  Two of our girls from church were in it and numerous kids who I have had in class, so I wanted to see it.  It was another delight.  All the kids did just great and I'm so glad to see them in a different setting from school and church.  It's encouraging to me to see kids excel and they sure did.  After the play, I came home and got a good nap.  Ahhhhhh.  A nap is such a good thing!  I thank God for making our bodies so that they restore with rest!

Correction.

Last night I said that Gracie practices for 3 hours every day of the week.  No, it's every school day of the week.  It's still a big commitment!

Tonight's pic I took of Raynie, Sadie and Mason when we ate supper at the Taco Bueno last night.  They were so much fun!   Mason is the same Mason whose face we haven't seen for a year or more until he got that haircut a few weeks ago!  I'm so proud of that haircut, and love seeing his handsome face!  Gracie hated that she missed going out to dinner, but she was getting ready for her program.  We'll have to take her out another time!  I thank God for these kids and missed seeing their two older brothers, Gabe and Nate.  It's hard to keep up with the older guys, though!

Today has been a busy day around here!  I've done laundry and unpacked most everything.  There's a fellowship dinner after church tomorrow, so I made a banana pudding for that.  In the morning I'll make a corn casserole.  I'm ready for bed, except that I have to get my bath!  This body sure tires easily, but I thank God that it's still going!

More Special Visiting!

We're home!  It's wonderful to be home and see our own bed!  As soon as we get it uncovered (suitcases) we'll climb into it!  I'm stopping off at the tub, though!

We lingered in OKC tonight for Gracie's symphony program.  She is taking flute lessons for a special program she's in at school and they practice every day of the week for 3 hours!  What a commitment!  She is 10.  This pic is of Trish, Grace and I.  In the next few days I'll post pix I got of Mason, Sadie and Raynie when we took them out to dinner and one of Lee with Trish and Grace.  It was a great visit, but we are so late getting home and we've been up since 6 this morning.  We're a couple of tired old folks.  I'm so proud of Gracie; what an ambitious little doll she is!

I thank God for awesome family and friends all over the country and for safe travels to visit them!  We're richly blessed.  I sure thank Him for the health He's given to me to be able to do all this travel, too.  Now, I've got to do my part and get some rest.  I'm so out of here!  ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's Been a Great Trip!

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If you're interested in the ruins behind us, go to the above site and look under history.  These ruins are located on the farm where Gretta lives, which is a beautiful place.  These are not on her part, but very close and it was really interesting to climb around on them.  These are precious memories from our visit with Gretta and Elena.  We're starting to look back and enjoy the memories of this trip as we pack and get ready to go home tomorrow.  It's been full of memories we will always treasure!  We thank God for such an awesome display of  His abundance and for keeping us safe on this trip!

This week at Big Cedar has been very relaxing and felt like home.  The cookie lady comes every night and leaves us fresh cookies and fresh coffee and the shuttle is always ready to take us wherever we want to go on the property.  We've been off property a few times, but not too much.  We'll be back in January and we look forward to another visit with the cookie lady.  This is a wonderful place and we're blessed to get to be here.  I've been here so much over the years that the folks at church feel like family, too.  It will be good to be home and to see more family tomorrow on the way home! We're wearing big smiles!

A Bug in his Ear?

I've heard the saying of having a bug in one's ear.  This pic was taken at the Jack Daniels Distillery when we toured there with Tom and Linda.  I was entertained by a lady bug that was just behind his ear.  You know I'm easily entertained and here's proof!  The tour was great and the best part was doing it with Tom and Linda.  Great friends make for great memories to treasure and we thank God for Tom and Linda!

Today we toured around Paradise Point, which is a part of the Big Cedar complex.  We were giving some thought to moving to a condo out there, but the more we thought of it the more I realized I'm not ready to move anywhere.  Moving Lee in with me last year and moving lots of stuff to Gretta was more moving than I want to do for a long time.  We'll get to stay at Paradise Point next winter and we won't have to move to do that.  I'm good with that.  I don't think we wasted today; I needed to go through that to get the idea out of my head.  We have a great home and I think it's where we belong for a good long while.  Chemo brain may have hindered my thinking some, but God left me enough brain to use what brain is left to make the best choice.  Bless Lee's heart; he's easy to get along with, so he was willing to move, but is also willing to stay.  This is a great place to visit and a great place to live, but we already have a great place to live and we can visit here plenty.  So that topic is closed and I'm worn out just from touring; what a dummy to even consider moving!  I'm so ready for bed!

As Close as We'll Get.

This is as close as we'll ever get to walking the Appalachian Trail.  This was on our hike up to Clingman's Dome when we were in Gatlinburg.  We look like this today because we left here at lunchtime and it was warm.  We went downtown and then to the Landing and it got cold.  We were still in shorts, but we had light jackets with us.  Lee felt so silly with shorts and jackets.  We had a great time, though, and enjoyed the light and fountain show at the Landing.

I thank God for wonderful weather and plenty of clothes to wear to keep us warm.  So may people across the world don't have enough and we are grateful to be so blessed.

This is not the best of pix, but it does show the deer over the mantle and it shows up Lee's beard really good.  He's growing it back to see if he wants to keep it or go back to the shaved face.  He likes to tell people that he shaved it for me, but I think he's dreaming.  Shaving once or twice a week is not what I call shaving.  I told him he ought to grow it back because anyone who hates to shave like he does ought to have a beard.  I think the beard looks nice on him; I'm just not crazy about the way it feels.  A face that needs a shave doesn't feel good, either, though.  So, he's in a transition period and while we were gone from home was a great time to grow it.  My bet is that he'll keep some form of it; maybe the full beard and maybe the goatee with the mustache.  We'll see.  I don't love him for the beard or no beard.  I love him regardless of how his face feels.  Holy cow, I don't have boobs; who am I to be critical???  I thank God for him and that he cares enough to consider how I feel.  He's a neat guy, so I suspect he'll go with the beard in some form.

We went to the owner's Monday night party tonight and had a great meal and saw lots of great entertainers.  Branson is full of great talent and we're blessed to get to see a bit of it.

Antihistamines Work, but Make Me Sleepy!

This pic was taken Thursday night before we were leaving early Friday morning.  Elena read to Lee until past her bedtime.  She's very diligent!  The next morning she got ready for school and said, "Mommy, can I pleeeeeeease read to Lee for a few minutes before school?"  When Gretta said okay, she hopped up onto the sofa beside him and said, "Now, Lee, you're going to hear some stories you've never heard before . . . " and went right into her stories.  Mind you, she can read lots of words, but she was totally making these stories up as she went.  They were excellent, too!  I know Lee misses the stories and he'll be as eager as she is to pick up where they left off when we see them next.  I had to post this pic tonight because it reminds me of me.  I'm so sleepy from having to take antihistamines to fight off the allergies that make me cough.  As long as I take antihistamines, I don't cough, but if I let them run out of my system I start to hack.  Ugh.  It's that time of year; I'm lucky to have made it this far into the fall without problems.  Lucky I can get plenty of sleep since I don't have any trains to catch!

I thank God for the precious memories to treasure and for so many blessings on this trip.  It's been a wonderful time, but we'll be happy to be home soon!  In the mean time we're enjoying every moment.

Turned Cold!

It has turned cold on us!  I had my long jeans and a long sleeve shirt to go over the short sleeved on, so I was warm enough.  I have a jacket in the car that I'll use if it doesn't get warmer.  We had a cold front come through this morning, so I called and asked them to turn on the pilot light to the fireplace. We had gone over to get a key to the fitness room and while we were there we picked up a couple of movies to watch in the unit.  It was pouring down rain, so Lee got this pic of me while we waited on the shuttle to come and get us to take us back to the building.  They have a shuttle here at Big Cedar to take you wherever you want to go on the property.  It's pretty nice!  The cookie lady just came and left us with cookies for Lee and a couple of packages of coffee.  I have popcorn to make for the movie tonight.  I LOVE the cookie lady.  It's so nice to have a rap at the door in the evening and find a lady there with a basket of cookies and coffee!   I don't eat cookies or drink coffee, but I still love it when she comes!

We slept until 10 this morning; man, that was nice!  We so needed a long rest.  I've taken all my meds today, so I won't have to get up all night taking it.  Last night I had to take it through the night because I couldn't take it on the road as we traveled yesterday.  So, tonight's sleep will be really sweet!

We're missing Gretta and Elena, but we have precious memories to relive.  I'm so grateful for the time we got to share!  So far I'm taking an extra antihistamine a day and that's working to keep me from getting congested with allergies.  I sure would like to avoid the cough I had last year!

She Has No Fear!

It was so much fun to watch Elena play soccer!  I was pleased to get some good pix.  I loved this one; my caption is, "That MY ball!  It's got my name on it; in fact it's calling my name!  I don't care if that kid is a head taller than me; THAT'S  MY  BALL!"  I was so proud of her.  (She loves to hear me caption the pix!)   She played with the heart of a warrior and she loved every moment of it.  When she was going after a ball and controlling it she was laughing so hard I don't know how she could do it!  When the coach had her playing defense she was happy; when he had her playing offence she was happy; when he had her sitting out so someone else could play she was happy.  She'd go running in after drinking her water and say, "Where do you want me, Coach?"  I thought of Christ telling us to, "Become as little children."  She's a great example and I'm really proud of her.

We had a wonderful visit, but it was time to move on today to Big Cedar.  It took us 11 hours to get here, including stopping to get groceries for this week.  It was a beautiful drive,  and we enjoyed it. I'm totally whipped tonight, though.  I'm going to watch Jay Leno because Terry Bradshaw is on tonight.  We met him the last time we were in Hawaii, so I've got to see him.  I always loved him from football and then as a goofball on Leno, so meeting him was a real hoot.  It'll be fun to see him tonight if I can stay awake!

At the Ruins

The farm where Gretta lives has ruins on it of a pre-civil war mansion.  This pic was taken at those ruins.  It's Elena, me and Gretta.  It's very interesting to read about these ruins; you could read more under History at http://www.valleyviewfarmky.com/index.htm  These big horse farms in Kentucky are very interesting.  It's a whole different world.  It's like farming to me used to be if you have a bigger than common garden, a couple of cows, a few pigs and a bunch of chickens.  That was a farm to my great grandparents in Tennessee.  Then we moved to Oklahoma where farms are really ranches and it means acres and acres of cotton or wheat and several hundred head of cattle.  Here farms mean a bunch of dressy, clean barns with horses that are cared for better than people and the whole place is nearly manicured.  It's funny how the same word means different things around the country, not to mention the world!

Our visit is coming to a close.  We'll leave early in the morning for our last week of this trip.  It'll be a sweet week at Big Cedar, just south of Branson.  It's probably my favorite place to go, other than home.  Home is sweet and we'll be there soon.  I've got my instructions for my eye surgery, so all is set for that to happen the 17th and the 24th.  I'm so looking forward to good vision!  I thank God for this trip full of family fun and feasting for the eyes!  (Wow, I can only imagine the feast if I could really see it all!)

The Princess.

Elena is sure enjoying her Halloween costume.  She wants to wear it everyday!  There just aren't enough hours in the day to have all the fun she wants to have!  We watched her play soccer tonight, but I don't have the pix downloaded yet.  Surely I got one good enough to post tomorrow.  She's very athletic!  She's a powerhouse in a tiny package!

What a blessing to get to spend this time with Elena and Gretta.  Gretta is doing great after her breathing problems of last week.  Each day is a little better than the previous one.  Thank God for good drugs to which she responds well!

First Grade is So Grown!

Wow!  You turn your back for a 'minute' and the kids are grown!  This is Elena, looking up for a moment from her work after school.  What a joy to be here with her and Gretta.  Gretta is having breathing issues with the fall pollen, but she's doing better than she was a few days ago.  Thankfully, Elena doesn't seem to have inherited this allergy/asthma issue!  She is bright eyed and energetic as can be.  I thank God for her health and quick mind and for Gretta's ability to spring back from breathing problems with medication and rest.

We had an easy drive here this morning from Gatlinburg.  We really had no idea how long it would take, but we got here in 3 1/2 hours.  I guess we hit the traffic hot spots at the best times because there were no struggles.  The leaves are starting to turn all over, so that was a nice bonus to the drive. I thank God for another safe trip and for this precious time to spend with family!

Lee and I had been sleeping until 9 or 9:30 every morning, so it was different getting up this morning at 7.  We're easily spoiled, huh?  Then, no nap, so we'll hit the bed and sleep like bricks tonight!  We are thoroughly enjoying this trip.  Besides the people we love seeing, it's so nice to see so much green! The moisture would be hard on my breathing, so it's good that we live where it's dry, but this is sure beautiful!