December 2015 – I Am a Happy Girl

Hope Lodge and Tex the sharp shooter

December 30, 2015

My prayer this morning was, “Help me be an example and a light” yesterday was full of good byes, tears and uncertainty. I started exploring Hopes Lodge. It is beautiful building, and there are beautiful people everywhere. I put on my exercise cloths and went out for a before snack. I made a new friend or two. This can house up to 40 cancer patients and 40 caregivers. I don’t have a caregiver this week and several people told me they were there for me. One couple bought a gallon of milk for me and put it in my fridge. The kitchens are amazing! They are fully stocked with plates, silverware, bowls and pans. I brought my own food. There is always food in the pantry and our table has special treats for anyone to take. With my gallon of milk I couldn’t help but spoil myself with some oreo’s and milk for a snack,and that was after the biggest pizzas I have ever seen came in for dinner pizza party. One new friend told me that she would be so happy if her hair was as long as mine! lol… yup, 7 weeks after last chemo. I can even pull

I have a new hobby, Succulents

December 24, 2015

I have a new hobby! Succulents and cacti! I call them my new,’girls’. Jim wanted to give me a succulent garden for Christmas. It is a lot bigger than and intense than he ever imagined. I have had a blast. It is now my new hobby. I call them my ,’girls’ because they are so beautiful and I am really out numbered at this house, I need a little more girl influence around here. I thought this was a “grandma” hobby, because it was my mom’s hobby. She would collect cacti from all over the country. When we were on vacation she was always on the look out. We had a cactus garden in the house ad a huge one outside. I kinda thought she was out of her mind because she would get stickers in her fingers and they would get all infected. We didn’t play close to the big garden outside or the one inside, because if you fell into it, you were in pain. ( I am thinking that was part of her strategy) After going to the Palm Paradise in Utah, those boys know what they are doing and I love it. This hobby isn’t

Would you wear a wig?

December 24, 2015

I had the wonderful experience of meeting Jeanna and getting tips on feeling beautiful while you are going through the journey of hair loss. This is a non profit organization and is full of wonderful information. I just didn’t think I would wear a wig. It seemed so unnatural for me. I need to have my beautician shape them and make them fit my face better. Jeanna had so many good tips and was so thoughtful. I had the pleasure of having a one on one with her. She picked this wig out by looking at my driver’s license. It looks a little ’80’s to me. I use to have my hair cut pretty much like this. It needs a good shaping. This one is real hair. It feels really good on my neck. I definitely like the feel of this better and I could not resist the sparkly pink hat. I just fell in love! I am most comfortable with the hat. There is always a lot to learn, this journey is lasting much longer than I thought. It will probably be several months before I have enough hair that I don’t look

Going back to Huntsmans after Christmas

December 24, 2015

I have made it through 6 treatments of chemo (RCHOP), and the sickness and health issues that comes with that. My doctor here in Idaho is very pleased with my progress and his nurse told me that after seeing the CAT scan, back in July, they believed then that I only had a week left to live. I had a 17 cm mass in my stomach and small masses from my neck to my legs. Through much study and prayer we decided to go to Huntsmans Cancer Institute in Utah for my treatment. This has been a very positive experience. Now the chemo is over and I am feeling much better, we found through a pet scan that the mass in my stomach is still alive and growing. When we started this process I was on the scale of 25 and they usually start chemo at 10, the mass is now a 5. We know the chemo worked very well, but we just need to mop it up with radiation. I was not expecting this, in my mind I would be done and go on with my happy life. Apparently I have more to learn with this cancer experience. One of those

That is why “He” was born

December 22, 2015

What if there were things you could never take back? pain, hate, words, decisions, mistakes, A world where every heartache lasts forever? Where every wound never healed? No auto correct, no back space, no delete? A world where man drifts farther and farther from happiness, from peace, from God? That is what the world would be like without a Savior. Thankfully that world doesn’t exist. Because one quiet night, long ago, in a tiny town, a child was born. Born to change all hearts and all good byes, fix all mistakes. Born to overcome all anguish, regret, depression, fear. He understands you, he heals us, He can bridge the gap between God and man and bring us home if we let him. If we love Him That’s why we celebrate That’s why we sing And That’s why He was born Live Nativity Scene at Jenson’s grove in Blackfoot Idaho We rode horse drawn wagons through the grove People from all faiths joined together to make this an event every other year. These men are some of my favorite people. We enjoyed hot coco and cookies while we watched and listened to the grandchildren play their violins. I love Christmas

Happiness is a choice!

Hope Lodge and Tex the sharp shooter

I have a new hobby, Succulents

Would you wear a wig?

Going back to Huntsmans after Christmas

That is why “He” was born

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