Let me start off by saying that I have good intentions of updating my blog more often than I have been.  However, it is hard for me to find time in the day to sit down and do it.  I will try to do better! I may have to set a goal of updating once a week and then if I find time to do it more often, then great!

Tuesday was a busy and productive day.  I dropped Emma off at school for her first big day of 3rd grade Math testing.  Then I headed downtown to get my lab work done.  While I was there, I stopped into the little sanctuary/chapel at the Stephenson Cancer Center.  It is beautiful room with a calm, peaceful feeling about it.  The front wall is a beautiful mural of a sky done in blues and yellows. In front of the wall is a small kneeling chair.  For the first time ever, I knelt to pray on a kneeling chair. It was a very humbling experience.  For some reason, kneeling provides such a more intimate moment with God.  It actually allows you to focus more on what you are praying for and your mind doesn't wander as much.  It almost makes me wish we had kneeling benches in our church.

The Sanctuary

I then headed over to moms for some homemade beans, cornbread and potatoes baked in butter.  It was delicious.  After lunch, dad took a nap while mom and I played Farkle. And, as usual, she beat me!

When I got home I started working on our garage, which probably hadn't been cleaned out in 6 months.  I threw stuff away, rearranged things, boxed up some garage sale stuff for the summer, swept every square inch of it, etc.  Then I started working on my two windows in the breakfast area.  I love to leave them open, especially on stormy evenings.  They are spotless now!!  I also did some coloring with my Bic Mark-It Markers.  If you like to color with markers, these are absolutely the best....trust me on this one!

 

Yesterday, I took Emma to the donut shop of her choice before school (What A Donut).  I am convinced that since my diagnosis on April 11, God has put certain people in my path to "run into".  These situations cannot be coincidences. As we were sitting there eating our donuts, a man with his two sons walked in.  Emma said hello to one of the little boys and the dad just kind of stood there and looked at me.  Turns out, the little boy goes to Emma's school and does tennis lessons with her.  Shortly after April 11, Thomas had shared with the dad (at tennis) the news we had just got about my cancer.  The man left for a short while and before tennis was over he came back in with a Get Well Card and a very generous gift card.  That was the man I "ran into" at the donut shop.  It was so nice to  finally meet him in person and be able to thank him in person.  God bless him and his family!

 

Last night Candice and I went to the Melting Pot.  I had never been there before but let me assure you, I will be going back.  The whole process took several hours but we had great conversation and fun.  And, our server was a former Project H.O.P.E. student, Jessica Wood.  She did a great job and made our experience very enjoyable.

 

Today I went to work.  It was the Project H.O.P.E. Talent Show day.  I got to "co-emcee" with one of my besties at work, Tessa.  It was a blast and I was not as nervous as I thought I would be.  I just kept saying to myself "Kelly Ripa does this every day.  If she can do it, then so can I."  I love Kelly Ripa...just in case you were wondering.

One of my good friends at work, Chenee, gave me the cutest little basket of goodies.  It had the most adorable little piece of artwork on the cutest little frame with a tin background and burlap bow.  We also sat and chatted for a while in her office.  She is a special person to me.

This evening some good friends of ours, the Beales, came over and brought me a beautiful hand-made bag with my initials monogrammed on the outside.  It is my favorite color PINK.  It was filled with all kinds of goodies...fleece blanket, snacks, coloring book and "Twistable" colored pencils!  We had a great visit while the kiddos played.  Thank you Brian, Melissa, Katie Beth and Brayson.

Thank you so much to the MANY people who have sent me cards in the mail.  Sending cards and handwritten letters is something a lot of us don't do anymore because of technology.  I truly appreciate every single one of you who has taken time out of their day to sit down, write me a note or card, address it and mail it.  Things like that mean a lot at a time like this.

The lab called today and said lab work looks good so I'm good to go for Round 3 tomorrow.  My mom and dad are taking me after we go to lunch at Zaxby's.

If you happen to be watching the 10:00 news tonight, they did a story on the Stephenson Cancer Center.  They interviewed a beautiful person, Tarah Warren.  Let me tell you about Tarah.  When Dr. Walker gave me my diagnosis on April 11, of course I got emotional and started crying.  Dr. Walker walked out of the conference room and came back a minute later.  She handed me a tiny piece of paper with a name and phone number on it and said, "Call this girl.  Her name is Tarah and she has been what you are going through.  It will be good for you to talk to her."  The next day, I had every intention of calling her but before I got around to it, she called me.  We talked on the phone for over 30 minutes.  And the day I went in for my first treatment, she was there.  She visited with me and Abby, prayed with us and read the daily devotional from "Jesus Calling" to me.  She is an "angel" on earth and there is no other way to explain it.  Next week she is going to make a special trip to the SCC on the day of my treatment to meet Candice.  She has a FB page called Tenaciously Teal and she does great things for a lot of people affected by cancer.

So, until I find time to blog again (hopefully sooner this time), take care.   Cathy