SO BUSY...but so much fun!!!

I must say, when I asked the Lord to keep me busy...He came through! One of my bestest Ash gave me two days of fun! Since Andrew was at drill on Sunday and worked today, she kept my mind off of this upcoming week. Her family has a house at Indian Lake and on Sunday, while Andrew was at Army drill in Dayton, we went for a boat ride! I sat in the sun the WHOLE TIME! I gotta soak it all up now while I can before treatment starts :) The day was so fun, docking the boat to eat, swimming at the sand bar, and a boat ride through the canal (I saw another turtle!). I've decided that when I retire, THAT is what I am going to do everyday...but in the Caribbean of course :) Thank you SO much Oliver and Williams Clan!!
Love the Lake! My parents recently have a place at Indian Lake too, so right after the fun in the sun, I headed over there and met Andrew and my parents for supper. This drill was his LAST :) YEAH!!! I can't believe we made it six years without him deploying during a war. Not to say we didn't come close...3 times close....but God had different plans for Andrew and I am SOOOOO happy he doesn't have to go when his unit deploys again soon. I always pray for God's will to be done and that I will understand the 'whys?' later on, but I must say that I pray that he will not get a stop-loss and have to deploy with his unit this year. It's being greedy to keep him here, I know, but he did so good during his time served. We are both ready to say 'Good-Bye Army life' and move on with our new lives ahead. :)

Our last picture with the Army...Congratulations Sergeant Groman!

So that brings me to today (Monday)....and the fun didn't stop!!

I started the day by getting picked up by my good friend Kayla for my PET scan. She was a sport as she waited for me for two hours! So this PET thing was a little weird, I must say. First, I had to get my blood sugar tested which turned out great. Then she had to start an IV to put...yes, radioactive glucose in me! SO WEIRD! From what I understand, they do this because the radioactive glucose will go to the cancer cells. That way they know exactly where the cancer is. So let’s pray it is nowhere else in my body! Then, I had to sit in this dark room for an hour. No talking, no phone, no texting, no reading. Nothing! You had to lay still and 'try to sleep'. Well, I couldn't sleep because every time they shut a door outside, I jumped a mile high it was so loud! :) I did pass the time by singing in my head. You know, I love Praise and Worship music. I mean I LOVE it. I have loved it ever since I was a little girl singing As the Deer in church. But the words mean so much more to me now than ever before. Knowing that God is my strength through all of this just makes the words to the songs that much more powerful. A song that came into my head was one that I heard just recently...

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me.
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know you here on the earth
Yes I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You.

Those words...wow. It helped get me through that hour and before I knew it, the nurse came in to take me to the PET scanner. That was simple; I just had to lay there and stare at the wall...again. The best part?? Kayla took me to Bob Evans and it was soooo good! I ate Bob Evans almost every day for 4 years when I worked there and I still love the food. And I got to see all the 'morning ladies' too. So nice to see old friends again! OH, and I was radioactive all day...I had to carry around a card in case I set off metal detectors! CooL!

THEN...If my day couldn't have gotten any better after my besty K and Bob Evans...

Ash took me out for a day of pampering! She picked me up with a Margarita-flavored slush from Taco Bell in hand. I never had one before and it was so good! So good that I got a brain freeze I drank it so fast! Then we went to her beauty shop where I was treated with a new polish on the ol’ toes and a nice fresh hair do. It feels so good when YOU FEEL good about yourself. Then we went to the coolest part of our day together. Ash took me to a seminar she heard about at St.Rita's Hope Cancer Center for woman who have or has had cancer. They show all different kinds of make-up tips, hair tips, and skin tips at this seminar! Your body changes so much after treatments and the American Cancer Society, Personal Care Products Council Foundation, and the National Cosmetology Association sponsor this seminar called Look Good...Feel Better. It’s all about feeling beautiful in the hard days. We were surrounded by such courageous woman and it was totally awesome. I mean, inspiring awesome! All women of different ages, stages, different types of cancers, they were all there with the support of a loved one with them (thanks Ash for taking me to this!) The motto...WE ARE WOMEN :) I learned a lot of tips from being there (and got a lot of neat stuff!), but what I really learned was a life lesson. I learned that 'No matter how hard you think you have it, someone always has it harder than you.' I had heard this before from my grandpa, but it wasn't until I visually saw it that I now have it instilled in my heart. It could always be worse people...so NEVER GIVE IN :) Don't ever let it get to that point in your life and KEEP ON FIGHTING! Don't ever stop holding on to hope, even when there's only a string left, that string can be God...and he DOES MIRACLES!

Now, off to bed...gotta be at St.Rita's at 6 AM for the port to be put in....
Oh, boy - this should be good... :)
God Bless You ALL!!!

Drinking our treats before our day of fun!

My bestest and hair stylist since fourth grade :)

Putting on my new make -up from the Look Good...Feel Better seminar