tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60721423667632158662024-03-05T12:46:32.382-05:00The PursuitLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-74360305851240739262013-04-04T22:27:00.000-04:002013-04-04T22:29:24.137-04:00The Book of My Life: My TestimonyI feel like there is hope for spring! I just got back from spending Easter in Mississippi with part of my family, definitely a trip I needed...seeing family, green grass, and sunshine brought the breath back into my life :) To help this winter and the waiting for this trip to go by even faster, I did some things to keep me busy. Besides the nights in my house all cozied up by the fire with a great book and glass of wine (while Andrew worked away with his tool belt on finishing our basement), I also started AND finished crocheting a blanket for my new niece-Scarlett, cooked many new recipes, had some fun girls nights, made a new art project for my wall, stayed busy with church, worked with kids and horses, spent New Years Eve in Chicago on a boat, watched my sister and brother coach my nephews basketball team, spent my evenings at my parents getting better at cards while Andrew was at work, and started working as a server again at Bob Evans...just to name a few! Call my crazy, but I really love serving people, and I worked at Bob Evans all throughout college, so when Andrew said one night that for the right price, he'll take me to Italy in the very near future...I jumped on it!<br />
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I also had a few health scares this winter. When I finally hit my lowest weight where even I was scared, I scheduled an appointment with a doctor before my sister did it for me. After getting scoped on both ends, we found no tumors (PTL!), only irritation in the intestines, a stomach hernia, and acid reflex (mostly damage done from therapy). I still get a stomach ache when I eat sometimes, but now I just push through it, plus I take a probiotic that my hubby told me to take from the beginning. It has certainly helped keep the natural cycle going and keeps me pain free too. I guess I should listen to him more often, but after my medical history, I don't take chances anymore. Which is why when I felt another lump after I started having pain, I went back to the doctor. Good thing I did because when she did the ultrasound, I didn't see the black circle like I had before, indicating a fluid filled cyst. This time I saw the grey, and the dots, <i>and</i> the look on the nurse's face. This time I saw a mass. The nurse left the room and I just starred at the wall. I knew I should pray while I waited, but I couldn't think of any words to say. So I just started reciting scripture...<i>For I know the plans I have for you...In you, Oh Lord, do I put my trust...Our struggle is not against flesh and blood...for the Lord gives and takes away. </i>That's when she came back in and said the doctor decided to skip the mammogram and go straight to a biopsy. A lot of different emotions took place over the next three days of ultra sounds, biopsy, and results. Confidence was one of them as they took me into the consult room to go over what 'could be' cancer- been there, done that before. Anxiousness, as I waited to hear if there were cancer cells was another emotion. Then came fear/excitement to hear over the phone that it was benign. :) Fear being when they called because that was how I found out the first time I had cancer (this time it was just to save me a third trip in a row to the hospital) and excitement was when they told me it was not cancer and that I would see them in another six months for a mammogram. Then, about an hour later when I came home from work and hugged a very relieved Andrew, came the tears. The real tears, the ones you can't stop from coming even if though you try with all your strength not to. I had a moment like this when I found out the first time I had cancer, but it was actually a few days after I found out that I simply broke down and cried. This time it took about an hour and a half. :) I cried because I was happy, I cried because I was scared of the consistent unknown future, and I cried because I was confused thinking <i>will there ever be a time where cancer isn't always right around the corner? </i> And I cried because I simply felt some feelings that I hadn't felt in almost three years. That is why I want to tell you the history behind this blog and how it provided a new chapter...</div>
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I've always wanted to be a writer. However, I never thought that the most writing I would ever do would be about my own life, but much more specifically, about My Testimony. Little did I know, I have been preparing my whole life to write this blog. I have kept a journal since I was in second grade, recording the ups and downs, and have had writers thoughts that at times got caught up in real life. :) You see, I'm the writer of my life story...but God, however, He is the editor. Because however hard I try to write/plan what my life will be, God usually has other plans for the final draft. :) Which reminds me of another quote <em>'Wanna make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.'</em> Not only do I have an editor though, I have all the parts to writing a book. I have my publishers, those are all the people in my Life that support me and carry me through the hard days. I have the dedicated part of my book...at first I thought it would be dedicated to me so that when I was old I could read about my life so that I could remember it. But now, I've realized that I want my 'book' to be dedicated not to me, but to my kids (biological or not) to pass down my lessons learned in Life and to share with them the only reason why we are here on earth, to glorify God and share His peace with others. Now in the book of Life, I also have chapters... like <i>The Oblivion Era</i>- My childhood on Barnsbury Dr. where the biggest worry I had was where to ride my bike and being home before the sun goes down. There is also <em>The Daydreamer Era</em>- my high school days where literally nothing mattered, I was center of the world I thought. :) Then <i>The Adventure-</i> The era where I met my 'back up friend' and how he gave me some of the biggest adventures of my life...who knew that through them I would fall deeply and endlessly in love with him-and be so lucky to have him want <i>me </i>to be his wife.<em> </em>Then came <em>The Fall</em>- a time where I forgot who I was made to be. Soon after, <i>The Enlightenment Era</i>- This was when my wake up call came, cancer...and soon after, <em>The Pursuit Era</em>. What I've come to discover was that this latest chapter in my life, this blog, was so much more than words on a page to make another chapter in my book, it gave me the greatest chapter yet...My Testimony. I've always believed in God, however I believe that it took cancer, and even some pretty tough times after, to finally give me my true Testimony. My Testimony will hopefully give me the foundations for only the greatest chapters to come in this book.</div>
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I know that a lot of you can not relate to cancer, but there is one thing you can relate to, it's the one thing we all have in common and something I've tried to share with you- Life. And in this Life, everyone needs help, not just those who are sick. Everyone needs encouragement because we live in a fallen world. This world is full of chaos that we so quickly get wrapped up in and it is not getting any better. But I want to tell you that even in the sadness you feel over the loss of something, the guilt that you just can't seem to forgive, or the hurt you can't get over, we have a Savior. You already know this because I wrote this blog for anyone who wanted to listen to a sinner who found grace through a difficult time. I knew that I always needed Him, but these past few years and months have shown me just how much. I desire now to know Him more because of how He has healed me, to seek out his peace that He so graciously gave to us by dying on the cross, and share it with anyone who is like me, a human looking for direction and purpose. I feel like that song right now '<i>Bring your love to life inside of me, why don't you break my heart til it moves my hands and feet.</i>' These past few years, cancer and all, has given me the opportunity to break down so much that I'm ready to move and be a fishers of men, to step out of my comfort zone- from behind my pen, and just share a life story with you about a girl who was lost, and then found a grace like none other to lead her future. I'm not the first to tell you that we can't go back and change our past, however I can tell you that my Life now is a life that is grounded by faith and a life that searches for <em>peace.</em> It's not for the <i>answers</i> to life anymore because I'm finding them more and more through my faith....now, it's finding peace. Someone once told me that there is a difference between happiness and inner peace. Happiness is a short lived high, it always ends. Inner peace is being okay, regardless of the circumstance. I've found through my 28 years of living that the only way to have inner peace is to have the greatest relationship of all - one with God. <br />
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So am I happy? Yes, I have my supportive hubby, my lovable puppy and grumpy kitty, and the possibility of finally going to Italy. And not to mention my six month remission check up went well too. My blood work looked good, and the CT showed that my tumor is still there but it is inactive and there is still scarring on my lungs. So what is next for me you ask?? First, it is working on my inner peace thing so that I can remain healthy, however I never want to forget the days where I fought to stay alive...the days that made my true Testimony. I'm grateful that cancer gave me the chance to rededicate my life and get me back on my rock again. Another reason to get healthy...well of course for a baby Groman one day :) And what a chapter that will be! After that, who knows...I'm not the editor remember? :) But writing has always been my way to relieve stress, share my story, record my happiest, and this blog, well it helped me share my God. So although my life is not a movie, a Broadway show, or a New York Times best seller, it is so much more. Because I have something more than a moment in time told in a script or through words on a page...I have something much more valuable, I have a Testimony. And that alone is enough. </div>
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<b><i>Our greatest good is standing with You.</i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year the Groman Christmas was at our house! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gotta love my kids :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Hochstetler clan</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The matching scarves to keep us close :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicago!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We were able to watch the fireworks go off over the city while we were on the boat to ring in 2013! It was another Bucket List dream marked off...no sweatpants this year for New Years ;)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Future Fireman of America! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">That is my nephew with Andrew at Chuck E. Cheese.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I went hunting with Andrew! We were about 20 yards away from a doe and fawn and when AJ drew back to shoot her, I said 'Don't do it!' He reluctantly didn't and unfortunately, I'll never live that one down...or be allowed to go hunting with him again :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This little guy is on the verge of being mobile!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My new wall art :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can you believe that I made that?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The newest employee of Bob Evans!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji98MUX3ikpmiGIufUYhtbOiZn5KhfjKc8hyphenhyphenNIPe5vqdZdUv2pbNz9eiaKoi7aaMqSnTo4uemTxVPKEm9m4VNfcFXFeLGq3pvhuDu9uR_5QJj0KCoYWBP26ePYr1ZgYJb44SQzFOE1FtHe/s1600/0401131346a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji98MUX3ikpmiGIufUYhtbOiZn5KhfjKc8hyphenhyphenNIPe5vqdZdUv2pbNz9eiaKoi7aaMqSnTo4uemTxVPKEm9m4VNfcFXFeLGq3pvhuDu9uR_5QJj0KCoYWBP26ePYr1ZgYJb44SQzFOE1FtHe/s320/0401131346a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Hefts in Mississippi over Easter...Julie is due in May!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmqy0CB38YTJH_vc08uyIkhyphenhyphen6WUKJcIXZd-rjIKV46OU-XAlKBOwf8uXtkGf9wqFnPLiFBPz7WDrhiNVdkIiSwx0C7X1GrVKX8b0Lp8SB2WR9LVZlerinsMB1EB_pFR63cJ4IbT9i2V48/s1600/0331131006b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmqy0CB38YTJH_vc08uyIkhyphenhyphen6WUKJcIXZd-rjIKV46OU-XAlKBOwf8uXtkGf9wqFnPLiFBPz7WDrhiNVdkIiSwx0C7X1GrVKX8b0Lp8SB2WR9LVZlerinsMB1EB_pFR63cJ4IbT9i2V48/s320/0331131006b.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me and Maci, can you believe how beautiful she is?! She will be 3 in June. She is so so special, such a personality and </span><span style="font-size: large;">such a reminder to me of the beauty of <b><i><u>Life</u></i></b>.</span></td></tr>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-31700033186049885782012-12-09T21:45:00.000-05:002012-12-09T21:52:10.409-05:00The sweet sound of GraceGreetings! This fall, like every fall, has been an adjustment and time is just flying by! Going back to work after the summer off always is hard, but this year since I took on a new position, I found myself busier than usual, and I found myself consumed with work once again. But I'm starting to find the balance in life again, but it's a work in progress...I'm a work in progress I've discovered! I really thought when I was young that by the time I was this age I'd have life all figured out...yeah right! ;) You really do never stop learning! For the health side of things in my life, I don't go back for another cancer scan until February 2nd (yea!) and I went for my yearly OB/GYN appointment this past fall. Since there is obviously no baby yet, she did some blood draws and found that I still have PCOS. This doesn't mean that I can't have a baby (and I'm hoping I'm not part of the 20% infertility because of the chemo drugs used), it just means that when Andrew and I are ready, we will start on the fertility treatment road. However before that starts, I wanted to get the ok from my doctor that I am 'healthy'. I was losing some weight and having some stomach and chest pains, but come to discover it's probably just stress related and the pain in my chest could be the damage done from my radiation. That makes the most sense since I've had the pain since cancer and it won't go away. My cell count is still up and down all the time (cue in the flu a couple weeks ago and bronchitis this week :( ), so we'll just continue to monitor it. So during this season, I'm just going to be thankful for the health that I <strong>do</strong> have and not worry about things so much. In perspective, I am certainly blessed with the life that I have. But I do want to get back to running and eating right...that's when I feel my best! In the mean time, I've done some pretty cool things and have actually marked another thing off my Remission Bucket List...I had a part in the Encore Theatre production of <em>The Best Christmas Pageant Ever</em>! Here's a few other things I've been up to the last few months...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXe_T3PGS_5qtpdm4eiTBZaVDe049-mBbT-BM7P9n2lhSqMR_W0YgmNYVhwvghWWidlCJ_HfbAAcsA_itwoJO_wkTNpUqofCN6mVDVocBl79AvxqNkjFs1PPocgTl0HKKQ878mJYrNI8h/s1600/558468_10151206982786763_429364810_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXe_T3PGS_5qtpdm4eiTBZaVDe049-mBbT-BM7P9n2lhSqMR_W0YgmNYVhwvghWWidlCJ_HfbAAcsA_itwoJO_wkTNpUqofCN6mVDVocBl79AvxqNkjFs1PPocgTl0HKKQ878mJYrNI8h/s320/558468_10151206982786763_429364810_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last member of this group is married off! Congrats Kayla! We now have a picture of all of us at each persons wedding :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qt69j_MJs0K-eJ_NbzRxienV_ZF1OYfDQ-gJgGGJq5FYynE-vqIIEC7huosm7T9YwRo4kfxxC6ntZmaNg1kpzNb62llwpCyE7px7f7v7ehO0hEDkrEu_d-c4hQQWcjTqwQKdA0FIk_5l/s1600/1013121338b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qt69j_MJs0K-eJ_NbzRxienV_ZF1OYfDQ-gJgGGJq5FYynE-vqIIEC7huosm7T9YwRo4kfxxC6ntZmaNg1kpzNb62llwpCyE7px7f7v7ehO0hEDkrEu_d-c4hQQWcjTqwQKdA0FIk_5l/s320/1013121338b.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Andrew and I and our pumpkins from the farm this year...see how happy he is to take family pictures? ;)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_TqFTZgROAlQSW7Tnj69SrZPdjgSdavCo5Xmt256X3x6QpiBUQvKkSU0BWY51S8QVo42SFswcWgehvqZNkKDLmAudMPOfcFufi0dpqt_Y-ZI5QdRSsMeAjrSW1rIr_jkRuMuqQVo0OOb/s1600/1013121324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_TqFTZgROAlQSW7Tnj69SrZPdjgSdavCo5Xmt256X3x6QpiBUQvKkSU0BWY51S8QVo42SFswcWgehvqZNkKDLmAudMPOfcFufi0dpqt_Y-ZI5QdRSsMeAjrSW1rIr_jkRuMuqQVo0OOb/s320/1013121324.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now this little bundle of joy is a reason to smile!! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKMLJZSFtL0Ek1ixBiSHwXTVnPaum946K8w0yK15mPTlBpSnimoagfX_Z7FxA9tIm38nXOX8L7Q9Y_XQGIpm3nH3zfFtlQn3GoxuPFM5-CLNY2UQz1zzZbDYOSM4Jwxr1NBpvNzxNpTGf/s1600/1006120943a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKMLJZSFtL0Ek1ixBiSHwXTVnPaum946K8w0yK15mPTlBpSnimoagfX_Z7FxA9tIm38nXOX8L7Q9Y_XQGIpm3nH3zfFtlQn3GoxuPFM5-CLNY2UQz1zzZbDYOSM4Jwxr1NBpvNzxNpTGf/s320/1006120943a.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also did the Color Run in Cincinnati with some of the ladies from the fire department. And the sponsor for the run was the <em>Leukemia and Lymphoma foundation</em>...how perfect! And of course I had to get a pic in front of Bob's and the Great American Ballpark! Too bad the Reds didn't go the World Series :( We were a little sad over here...oh well, there is always next year!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">You started out white, but by the end, you were covered in colored dust!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zfIFlCnmkbBg6r75JcNlBKbMkEzi12BvyojvYorE4gO3gXyb4APMF2ADVMh2jDJ_fbtKNAr3n2bO8pMeHh7-0ajVYyZ2Ecff9GXa7a6ZaHCFz9Y27IytY5vmgUGax-0oKcVkkHS9JTQS/s1600/267697_777288096798_1654473570_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zfIFlCnmkbBg6r75JcNlBKbMkEzi12BvyojvYorE4gO3gXyb4APMF2ADVMh2jDJ_fbtKNAr3n2bO8pMeHh7-0ajVYyZ2Ecff9GXa7a6ZaHCFz9Y27IytY5vmgUGax-0oKcVkkHS9JTQS/s320/267697_777288096798_1654473570_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsKZz-fCCbrIpKDydrI5dPVVLRNDsaqoI0Sx5TxDBsNcKQTfTSoNLqKPULAJJb9tc3OiuI6V6_QtICPS7CVQQ8Rp4Od882gIbiAMXcUuuiV1shAdC494POtScoOIwL77xr5cSpTXon6t1/s1600/564126_297835753654901_1787617660_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsKZz-fCCbrIpKDydrI5dPVVLRNDsaqoI0Sx5TxDBsNcKQTfTSoNLqKPULAJJb9tc3OiuI6V6_QtICPS7CVQQ8Rp4Od882gIbiAMXcUuuiV1shAdC494POtScoOIwL77xr5cSpTXon6t1/s320/564126_297835753654901_1787617660_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Such a good time! Thanks ladies!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypUe_uBLOE4h9Qbzxn40Fif3cvXnP55AaCBMjgYQ6HNoJMvLyNQWw7oO8la0I9epknQA4wcv-pc-0O7px0WrwSsGDXmG5v7ywn5SybUpL5U1BNfPmZ-gl-TKji7cSHH3Q1Yoi566DXZUJ/s1600/0828121834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypUe_uBLOE4h9Qbzxn40Fif3cvXnP55AaCBMjgYQ6HNoJMvLyNQWw7oO8la0I9epknQA4wcv-pc-0O7px0WrwSsGDXmG5v7ywn5SybUpL5U1BNfPmZ-gl-TKji7cSHH3Q1Yoi566DXZUJ/s320/0828121834.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">He is gonna be such a good dad someday :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtJxEaCuZvGOOrqY6JHBfSpyGny9CS4YxT3De71ML5mYAscGEcEXwni9OHxSsanmewazVK1ZSqtcIOn5d9BP28mREDWL5-6B0tJbtE4WiKABQuEofXNHI09Rn7pFomYnJt2Asm19ZQemb/s1600/1021121131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtJxEaCuZvGOOrqY6JHBfSpyGny9CS4YxT3De71ML5mYAscGEcEXwni9OHxSsanmewazVK1ZSqtcIOn5d9BP28mREDWL5-6B0tJbtE4WiKABQuEofXNHI09Rn7pFomYnJt2Asm19ZQemb/s320/1021121131.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And...I was able to take a trip in October to see my sister in Mississippi! AND IT WAS A SURPRISE! She thought it was just my mom who was coming out, but when we finally arrived at the airport (10 hours after our original arrival time!) I jumped out and hugged her and she was totally surprised...success! However, it was hard to leave my MaciMace, she has a way to love on you that just makes every care go away! Oh and...<strong>Julie is pregnant</strong>! Lil' 'Sippi will be here in May!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Andrew and I were lucky enough to be invited to a Masquerade Ball! We had a lot of fun with friends and dancing, and I love getting the opportunity to get all dressed up :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here is my momma and I at Encore...I encouraged her to come audition with me and she did, and got a part too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And...My amazing, would do anything for me (even if he REALLY wouldn't want to ;) husband had a very small part it the play too. They needed a few fireman for one small scene and the director's husband and a few others from the LFD helped out. Thank you Andrew! Your part was the kid's favorite part! I was Mrs. McCarthy in the play, I'm dressed for the scene were I was baking/burned the applesause cake...that didn't take much acting at all ;)</span></td></tr>
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This Pursuit after Cancer is certainly a whirlwind! You know when you are little, you have these ideas of what your life will be like. But when you 'grow up', it's like BAM!...reality hits. For me, I've realized just how small I really am in this great big world, having a family doesn't come as easily as the 'birds and the bees', and life really is so short, so enjoy it! Over the past few months, I've had to remember what it was that kept me sane in this insane world. And what I came back to was the faith that I relied so heavily on during cancer, is the same faith I should rely on <em><strong>everyday</strong></em>, even when I'm <em><strong>not</strong></em> sick. And lucky for me, God was still there waiting for me. :) Just like the stars on a cloudy night when you can't see them, they are still there, and so is God. He never leaves you. He may let you go through the ringer, but it's just to get you searching for His grace once again. And that is something I have always struggled with, accepting God's grace, and man is it so sweet! I get so concerned about being 'the best I can be', but really, if I start living up to the expectations that God has for me (not my own) and if start to understand God's grace a little bit better, this world isn't so scary and I may not be so stressed. If I instill a little more of Him (and a little less of me), I'm sure to find peace through His grace...so that's what I'm doing as I enter this next stage in my life. I'm only 28 with a long road ahead of me full of things I may not even imagine right now!! That is exciting, not scary! So I'll keep living life for the future and continue to live and trust my life for an Audience of One. Happy Holidays everyone!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Amazing grace! How sweet the sound</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>That saved a wretch like me.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>I once was lost, but now am found</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Was blind, but now I see</em></strong></span>.</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-53429935192671291922012-08-26T22:56:00.001-04:002012-08-26T23:06:09.641-04:00All things must come to an end...even summer :(Summer has come and gone once again and before I knew it, I hadn't updated this Pursuit in two months! I wasn't so busy that I couldn't write, but I was simply Living day to day, remembering what it was like to have a kind of life again that didn't surround cancer. And what I have come to find out is that Life is as good as YOU make it...so what are you waiting for?! :) Ok, let me catch you up on the highlights of my summer... <br />
June was filled with many days by our pool (before it turned on us! It's a long story that still doesn't have an ending...) with the kids and bonfires and many trips to Ft.Wayne to see my new nephew! Wow is Zeke getting super cute and so big already! Lots of precious time was spent with my nieces and nephews and my new honorary niece from my bestie! Andrew and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary by going tent camping by ourselves for the first time together too. I wanted to do the Smoky mountains, but 'someone' said tent camping and bears didn't go together very well. And since I REALLY wanted to tent camp with him, we went back to Hocking Hills. It was still a great trip with lots of nature and down time...I did learn a few things though...1) you can't have two leaders putting up a tent 2) If you hike in the evening, you better know where you are going 3) Canoeing works much better when there isn't a drought going on and 4) no camping trip is complete without pudgy pies! Andrew also spent a lot of time updating our house this summer. He trenched the yard so that he could put in city water, he framed in the windows in the whole house but two rooms, we painted the spare bedroom which is now the 'kid's room' and den, he is currently putting up new soffit and this winter he is tackling the remodeling of the basement...I'm tired just thinking about it! <br />
Lets see what else this summer...oh, right before we went to Marblehead for our annual family trip we got hit by a really bad wind storm, 90 mph winds for about 30 minutes did some real damage around here. We had a tree fall that took out our pole and we were without power for about 4 days and it leveled our garden (but I actually liked the simplicity life had again when we were without power). But the garden still did pretty good this year despite the drought we had out here. We were able to get corn, green beans, sugar snap peas, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes. We had to transplant the peppers and they are finally taking off now! The annual family trip to Marblehead was fun as always (the kids even went tubing for the first time!) and this year I actually went out on the boat with Andrew and the guys for some 'serious' fishing. Go figure there would be a heat advisory that day and I wouldn't take any Dramamine...but we did catch 100 fish before we went in...well, I caught a couple before the heat started messing with me! There was also lots of tball games to go to, family baseballs games that got very competitive, dinner dates with friends, going to the Reds game to see Andrew and the other LFD present the colors on the field, and lots of time to relax by the pool, read books, and try out new recipes...still working on trying to get a souffle to turn out right :( But as soon as August came, it seemed like August went.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pool days with the kids at Aunt Laura's house! This is before the pool started giving us fits :(</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chloe inherited my grandma's vanity since we transitioned our spare bedroom into the 'kids room'. She had one condition...we had to play dress up :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Me and my niece MaciMase - she was born the day I found out I had cancer and she signifies so much to me! I hope one day I get the chance to tell her about all my adventures that started the day she was born :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And she just turned two and has finally started saying my name so of course, she gets anything she wants with her smile and hugs!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I can never have too many nieces ;) Me and Alaina's baby, Kendall</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Zeksters at 3 months! Loved spending time with him this summer!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andrew and Scotty digging the trench for the new water line</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our corn after the big storm</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hiking in Hocking Hills</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our canoeing trip! Notice the pink canoe...if you rented this one the money went to breast cancer research :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Zip lining from 85 ft up!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andrew and I on our last day at the Lake House</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our last family picture where everyone lives in Lima...my sister Julie (in pink) and her family are moving to Mississippi this week. This is the first time our family has lived more than 10 minutes apart from each other, so I can't talk about it yet because I'll start crying, so maybe later I will :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andrew and the Lima Fire Dept presenting the flags at the Great American Ball Park! Andrew is the one holding the American flag!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looking good out there! Go REDS!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">And this picture makes me tear up...we had a little accident at Aunt Laura's house a few weeks ago. We were outside having a 'carnival' and Cooper was running with his frisbee beside the house and Liam ran out of the garage to look for him. Well, they collided at just the right moment when Liam stepped out of the garage and Cooper ran into his legs, knocking him off his feet and his head hit the concrete. No blood (thank God, I'm not good with blood) but lots of tears. I took him right home to my sister who is a nurse and after two days in the hospital for observation and CT scan, he has a skull fracture and concussion. It will heal on its own with time, but the poor kid can't play soccer this fall. Talk about a sick feeling in Aunt Laura's stomach. Luckily they are still friends :)</span></td></tr>
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I felt like the first few weeks of August reminded me way too much of my time with cancer than any other time since I've heard remission. I was at the hospital in the month of August about as much as I was there when I had cancer. I count my many blessings that my visits were only routine ones, but the sickness still sits in my stomach for the ones I care about who were there for days at a time. Throughout those days at the hospital, my chest was heavy as I knew my 6 month check up was near. For some reason this check up scared me. My chest had been heavy for weeks and the weight I lost last spring just hasn't come back (and it should at least a little because I'm not watching what I eat as much as back then). So when I was in the office waiting for results, I told Andrew that this would be a turning point for me. I knew that if I heard that the cancer had returned, that God still had a story left to be told. But if I heard Remission, it meant that it was time to keep moving on and leaving the cancer world a little further behind me so that I could continue on my next adventures. The doctor confirmed from the CT results and bloodwork that I am still in Remission and am able to continue with my normal life :) The pain in my chest is a mix of things he said- I still have a tumor in there about the size of a golf ball, but it is inactive (no cancer cells). Also the B chemo meds did a number on my lungs and this summer hasn't been exactly an easy summer for people who have lung problems with the heavy air and allergies. And I already know that when I worry, I hold all my stress in my chest, so much that it can be suffocating at times! That's why I need to keep my stress level at a minimum too...easy to say, a lot harder to do (side note: keep reading at the bottom about an experience I had that helps me move forward after failures and stress :) The only negative part about my 6 month check up was that my bloodwork came back to show that my white cell count was at a 2, that's pretty low so I just can't be getting sick or I will have nothing to fight it off! That was really nothing new to me because my white and red cell count is always all over the place. So I feel like it is back to the good eating I go to help balance out this crazy unbalanced body. I go back in another 6 months for another check up so until then, my story continues as the Laura in Remission :)<br />
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But the best part of the visit, is that I left there feeling different this time. Like cancer really was becoming even more of a memory than a part of my life. Which just means that it is time to move on with the values that the cancer pursuit taught me into a new season of life. Fall is coming soon and it holds a lot of new adventures for me and Andrew. I'm starting a new position at the ESC this year and after 8 years, Andrew has no more commitments to the Army and in no way will deploy. Which just makes planning for a baby that much easier than the last 3 years and goes to show that it's not always our plan, it's His. He knew what He was doing because having a baby and cancer would have really tested us. I love being able to look back now and reflect on how and why things happened at a certain time because of how life is turning out now. God will once again show us His perfect timing in our next adventures of Life. :)<br />
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<em><strong>But I want to leave you on this eye opening experience I had in June...</strong></em><br />
<em>I learned something while I was at the Franklin B. Walter teacher's award banquet in Columbus. An older lady with disabilities sang the national anthem, and she messed up the words a little. Yet after she was done, she still asked the director of the banquet if she could come back and sing again the next year. If that were me, I would have crawled into a hole from embarrassment. But we could all learn something from her...I wish I had that kind of courage that when I make mistakes I am that eager to confess it and try again. I continue to search for who this Laura after cancer is and if it can be anything like her, I'll be proud. I want to take risks and put good things out there, even though it means that I'm not a perfect person. But no one is. I'm human and I make mistakes, but I'm a work in progress just like everyone else. So here's my challenge to you...don't be held back by your mistakes in Life. Confront it, learn from it, and overcome it. That way you can continue to live the life we were meant to live...and share your story too. </em><em>Jonny Diaz sings it best for me...</em><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">There once was a King who so burdened with grief<br />Walked into death so that we could find peace<br />He rose up with scars on his hands and his feet<br />By them we are healed, by them we are healed.<br /><br />So praise God we don't have to hide scars<br />Yeah we know his are covering ours<br />Praise God we don't have to hide scars<br />They just strengthen our wounds and they soften our hearts<br />They remind us of who we have been, but not who we are<br />So Praise God we don't have to hide scars.</span></strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimunFQbPxMnghivEEce83n5zputHxpaEyuFfbHa-_k_bPlwWRTPxAL8zIwrhkcpo55krgO8O9QKedIhEwPphM8I3r5XOqbXXUitN4a-RkUQ0W5UZDJHLAnb34S1RFQ2z8JfzsOu0rHbAkt/s1600/0810121548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimunFQbPxMnghivEEce83n5zputHxpaEyuFfbHa-_k_bPlwWRTPxAL8zIwrhkcpo55krgO8O9QKedIhEwPphM8I3r5XOqbXXUitN4a-RkUQ0W5UZDJHLAnb34S1RFQ2z8JfzsOu0rHbAkt/s320/0810121548.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So with being a little over a year in remission now, I am still marking things off my Bucket List each time I hear Remission...and this time, it's Encore. I'm hoping to make my theatre debut since high school in December :)</td></tr>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-79529191368954710932012-06-11T18:45:00.002-04:002012-06-11T18:46:02.042-04:00Celebrating my year of Remission<div style="text-align: center;">
It's been a whole year that this girl has been in REMISSION!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the 2012 Relay for Life</td></tr>
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One year down, four more to go and I'll be cured from cancer :)<br />
I really can't find a better way to celebrate my year free of cancer than going to Relay for Life. How crazy is it that literally a year ago to the day I found out I was in remission and now I get to celebrate it at an event like this?!?!<br />
Last year I had an awesome team and supporters that brought some tears to my eyes as I walked that survivor's lap this year and remembered how <i>they </i>gave so much to help <i>me </i>give back. I then remembered how the tornado pretty much leveled our site and how we were all huddled in the agriculture building praying it wouldn't be ripped apart. :) But it was still my very first Relay I ever attended and will now be a wonderful tradition that I hope I can continue to attend. It was a big part of my cancer story. Sometimes I wonder if my cancer story really matters, why I put a year of my life in such detailed writing and continue updates every now and then. But after I read this from someone else's cancer story, it made me understand why I did it...<br />
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<i>You must realize that just as virtually every person in the world is a unique individual, no two people given the same diagnosis will have exactly the same treatment, even from the same doctor. Nor will their outcomes be the same. So if your aunt or your sister, your mom or your neighbor had breast cancer, her story will be far different from mine....</i><i>So why should another story be told? <b>Because each one is unique and when the battle is won against the odds, the telling of it may give one other person the courage to face their own battle.</b>'</i></div>
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So my story, <i>my survival story</i>, was told through a blog called <b><i>The Pursuit</i></b> and continued on to show that I'm not taking this life for granted. I feel like I am able to wrap up this first year in remission and head forward with new goals. I did a lot this past year...I tested my leadership abilities, traveled the country and beyond like crazy, encouraged my inner fine arts, unleashed my healthy beast within, tackled my health challenges head on, and challenged myself in ways I wouldn't think were possible...but like it says is true, God will never give you what you can't handle. I've found that through different struggles this past year that time heals all wounds, prayers works in ways we might not see in the moment, and making a vow 'in sickness and in health' still holds true in health. I'm glad that through the significant times in my life, like those with cancer, the first thing I leaned on way my faith...and that I am still leaning on that through the 'typical days'. Through everything, I continue to try to deepen my understanding of God's unconditional love for me and continue to actively listen for what it is God has planned for me :)<br />
Another little thing that puts this year into perspective (and hopefully the years ahead!) is a short conversation I had with my parents at my nephew's t-ball game. I told them that I have a pretty amazing opportunity that could be coming up next summer, and when I explained it to my dad he said 'Why? The person over there isn't going to come up and ask you if you've ever done this, so why?' <i>(side note: my Dad is completely supportive as you all know, he just likes to see the whole picture and this question was perfect :) </i> And my answer to his question was this simple...<b><i>'It's not for them dad, it's for me.'</i> </b> I've learned this last year that when you start living your life for you, you will find so much more satisfaction and contentment in this crazy world. Cancer helped me to be more of that person. So I look forward to this next year...may it be filled with challenges that will teach me new insights, happiness like I've never experienced before, and those quiet moments at the end of the day to thank God for another day to <i><b>LIVE</b></i>.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-24860176010634051662012-06-04T22:22:00.002-04:002012-06-04T22:23:40.487-04:00I'm a Warrior Chick...who just completed the Warrior Dash!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Remember how during cancer I was a Warrior Chick?? Well, now I completed the Warrior Dash...and it was an absolute blast! Ask me a year ago and I probably would not have said that. But since I have been on this healthy eating/work out kick, I have had more energy and strength than I have ever had in my entire life! So why NOT do the Warrior Dash with some of the other strongest women/men I know?! I mean if you are married to a firefighter, you have to be pretty tough yourself, right? So that's what we did. Andrew and some of the other firefighters did the Tough Mudder (a 13 mile course where you run through mud and other insanely ridiculous obstacles) in April, so some of us wives did the Warrior Dash (with the great accompaniment of our handsome firefighter husbands too :). Warrior dash is a 3.5 mile course that has lots of different obstacles, like climbing up walls, crawling under barbed wire, running through fire, and army crawling through mud, just to name a few. It was a test of strength and mental toughness and we had an absolute blast doing this as a group. The weather was great, the mud was gross, and I even have some warrior wounds from going through the creek and sliding off a rock. Nothing too major though dad. ;) But I tell you what, after all of my health crap this past year...it was powerful to overcome something like this. I had some family members in a tizzy for sure, but I didn't care. You live once, and now I have a memory (bib tag and medal too!) to look back on and see how much I have over come. Despite my fear of getting cancer and my neck and spine getting worse as I age, I won't let that get in my way of Living. You can not let limitations stand in your way. You have to work to fight through them and keep going. Maybe one day I will be in my wheelchair, but until then, at least I can say I had fun in the mean time! You know this whole blog has been about a Pursuit...I'm finally living the Life that I was always meant to live. And I couldn't be happier to take risks, succeed or fail, and then keep on pursuing...to God be the glory for this life after cancer.<br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f5de; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><b>“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 4:20</b></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My partner in Life and I before the Dash</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These five ladies are a force to be reckoned with!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh04e0Q7HWsUTV2D-VureqOSL_zeIjNhOGi7BjTqLeMKz6yvEPwhF69TDFk38iCalyB3z5FUWE8kb3CYrHi8kQttc5OA4Di6m8_KOSKoQq_42Ql46pwFV9g0u0mN3MIC8P_iRWuaYILAUX/s1600/LoadExperienceMedia%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh04e0Q7HWsUTV2D-VureqOSL_zeIjNhOGi7BjTqLeMKz6yvEPwhF69TDFk38iCalyB3z5FUWE8kb3CYrHi8kQttc5OA4Di6m8_KOSKoQq_42Ql46pwFV9g0u0mN3MIC8P_iRWuaYILAUX/s400/LoadExperienceMedia%5B1%5D.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the Warrior Dash, a bit dirty :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmVhVqTXSpdljl6BIVpe_avNYdnrEeQ9Ld_U1wcF3kg_ki4QEJG4QvoZQ7GxCd_QczkKMROSRjcxjF7hIrxfnJFRgQPMrtvonxY1xQAnMjp63KrgMSuuCptKsKPACpie0M3UciiESfQOP/s1600/LoadExperienceMedia%5B1%5D+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmVhVqTXSpdljl6BIVpe_avNYdnrEeQ9Ld_U1wcF3kg_ki4QEJG4QvoZQ7GxCd_QczkKMROSRjcxjF7hIrxfnJFRgQPMrtvonxY1xQAnMjp63KrgMSuuCptKsKPACpie0M3UciiESfQOP/s640/LoadExperienceMedia%5B1%5D+(2).jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another one of us after the race</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoIx85Q74I4w_fVTXHqsDrhYMUXYT6Y5h8VzVNTU6ddjCy4EVyPVp8nQ8ED7It0n4qfpomTeITIrE5niUqrTbPLjPy34mxPkuAkgeOR5YBt2UAAsLg74W84e_ieOqIwDNav4aQEpA3lBP/s1600/LoadExperienceMedia%5B1%5D+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoIx85Q74I4w_fVTXHqsDrhYMUXYT6Y5h8VzVNTU6ddjCy4EVyPVp8nQ8ED7It0n4qfpomTeITIrE5niUqrTbPLjPy34mxPkuAkgeOR5YBt2UAAsLg74W84e_ieOqIwDNav4aQEpA3lBP/s640/LoadExperienceMedia%5B1%5D+(3).jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladies and the gents'<br />
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**WE HAVE SOME MORE PICTURES COMING NEXT WEEK OF THE US RUNNING THROUGH THE COURSES...I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I POST THEM...THEY SHOULD BE GREAT!**</td></tr>
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-47872712796306420402012-06-02T22:24:00.001-04:002012-06-02T22:24:20.754-04:00Just another day in paradise...<div style="text-align: center;">
Today is National Cancer Survivor's Day and I am so glad I am a survivor because <span style="text-align: center;">I just came back from paradise!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH6MIsQNvCZ_8tpKRbqFYBCfvHLH-_VB9-QLh0kIFCIGHdmiIwUkBvo6zQWbHJWJmjN7YysOnD6T36KJjcUoWRT2Qahj-lHcPFkaIZE7hA3PP6S_wqaPAQ6IU1c36cHxMoD3kkkfEjFNL/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH6MIsQNvCZ_8tpKRbqFYBCfvHLH-_VB9-QLh0kIFCIGHdmiIwUkBvo6zQWbHJWJmjN7YysOnD6T36KJjcUoWRT2Qahj-lHcPFkaIZE7hA3PP6S_wqaPAQ6IU1c36cHxMoD3kkkfEjFNL/s320/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreams Palm Beach Resort - Punta Cana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJehAlFGHinWe7eTpQgybWRM8qDVsF9x7Os5gfYnSYsZyw9w97NWE__HZENgAkZGcaOQzZCHBSTdItAAxUKiAfu7twFiLTzo5uNeYffwPAc2hBhmW_ZzuxV4aUAAyW0UIZpN7AJQhZQLHU/s1600/0526121023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJehAlFGHinWe7eTpQgybWRM8qDVsF9x7Os5gfYnSYsZyw9w97NWE__HZENgAkZGcaOQzZCHBSTdItAAxUKiAfu7twFiLTzo5uNeYffwPAc2hBhmW_ZzuxV4aUAAyW0UIZpN7AJQhZQLHU/s320/0526121023.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A palm tree that was right outside our balcony</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Over Memorial Day weekend, one of my very first friends I ever had got married in the Caribbean! I can honestly remember Mandy at my 2nd grade birthday party and us getting into trouble because of our blue mascara in Mrs. Cornwell's class, then in Mrs. Lane's class, and again in Mr.Renner's class...my stories with Mandy go on and on throughout middle school and high school. She then went to college in Missouri and our emails/calls and holiday Fat Jack's dates kept us in touch throughout the years. I was so glad to be able to celebrate her big day as she married her love, Vince Chamov, in the Dominican Republic at Punta Cana. Here's our vacation through some pictures...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrwX7XwpNog7LCTglnZjKTDKXaghfBrkCwB9O9DGCZGOYck6w9WzHoZ8sTOEUHqxGvkTLsbH_rwnQiDZiIjCxw7lCREHoqOfx9RKpopNyUiFH0OpCGKgC725Km37PmoWkW2LzfY60Vxiz/s1600/0525121415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrwX7XwpNog7LCTglnZjKTDKXaghfBrkCwB9O9DGCZGOYck6w9WzHoZ8sTOEUHqxGvkTLsbH_rwnQiDZiIjCxw7lCREHoqOfx9RKpopNyUiFH0OpCGKgC725Km37PmoWkW2LzfY60Vxiz/s320/0525121415.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The airport we flew into at Punta Cana. The weather was perfect there, even cooler than it was in Ohio!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYsfcBzZVxgEmilgpTG6PQ11mSygImweYEi5IL1KiKAPiQsaWFlBdW32ipV9Aboiix_wdF_rb3dAq39xGrh6f60n9xXUdnoVQAuupLqI2g7aaK39ftW2FVcbBc3YJfOPVo5_D-U_5BQ2d/s1600/gallo29_7828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYsfcBzZVxgEmilgpTG6PQ11mSygImweYEi5IL1KiKAPiQsaWFlBdW32ipV9Aboiix_wdF_rb3dAq39xGrh6f60n9xXUdnoVQAuupLqI2g7aaK39ftW2FVcbBc3YJfOPVo5_D-U_5BQ2d/s320/gallo29_7828.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yes, my adventure began when I found out there was a monkey on the resort...so my last day I finally found him!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDxFqvil0ZxrT0sy3caTnsL4yUnxUhma-PWSrTX5CocZWkgOGsV3zwpgS7H779Z6wATHE3-v4p_XaGiYatyDAJ0IyiwbejTlold2uzk1HUMpdU_CSY30Mxp9APfj6qbXw4pHoMSdY-kWU/s1600/0525121538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDxFqvil0ZxrT0sy3caTnsL4yUnxUhma-PWSrTX5CocZWkgOGsV3zwpgS7H779Z6wATHE3-v4p_XaGiYatyDAJ0IyiwbejTlold2uzk1HUMpdU_CSY30Mxp9APfj6qbXw4pHoMSdY-kWU/s320/0525121538.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tropical room in paradise<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyTDBiHDJxnfNATRx1rNZ0cwG3oLreWeN0tRBBeS2QEEuxwpMZmCHP9lHHqo5OOx8OkxJ8rjBnaiIRFPKaPq4kcM50df56Yi809PZoF3PKlPRDtUd18W3ZJrSu2iY1Qc-YwIaZfLDJ8_C/s1600/0526121232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyTDBiHDJxnfNATRx1rNZ0cwG3oLreWeN0tRBBeS2QEEuxwpMZmCHP9lHHqo5OOx8OkxJ8rjBnaiIRFPKaPq4kcM50df56Yi809PZoF3PKlPRDtUd18W3ZJrSu2iY1Qc-YwIaZfLDJ8_C/s320/0526121232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our building where all the guests stayed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ361fJRhgJgxj4Q9N6A1TceqgkETT81HmFSp4C3hjWPq5czPxsl3d9DaRYZ0UqPgla3ezcEnJFwAA6KtW2hvHnCG9u9mILWy_aqTpdu9DWGRmfSCun6iv0uh78S2xJxz-vjM36tFuIsi/s1600/540459_10151003167471763_74194317_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ361fJRhgJgxj4Q9N6A1TceqgkETT81HmFSp4C3hjWPq5czPxsl3d9DaRYZ0UqPgla3ezcEnJFwAA6KtW2hvHnCG9u9mILWy_aqTpdu9DWGRmfSCun6iv0uh78S2xJxz-vjM36tFuIsi/s320/540459_10151003167471763_74194317_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the MANY gorgeous views at the resort<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimek8p7mAuUV21Nlpvt3gps_O_L7pjIdXNdpwLhiAXWxZK5Kxy0UXEhm9FPg2CZKRAty8eZAOgSGcfLyc6alp37GZ25rDePsHM0RRrUkgOBzUpNtR8piZX-ml4J6SWAFt-Yfxjc5nDT5Dn/s1600/318106_10151003169326763_250397862_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimek8p7mAuUV21Nlpvt3gps_O_L7pjIdXNdpwLhiAXWxZK5Kxy0UXEhm9FPg2CZKRAty8eZAOgSGcfLyc6alp37GZ25rDePsHM0RRrUkgOBzUpNtR8piZX-ml4J6SWAFt-Yfxjc5nDT5Dn/s320/318106_10151003169326763_250397862_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean front resort lead straight to the Caribbean! The hours that we weren't on an adventure or doing wedding things, we were at the beach and pool! I got some good sun, a little burned the first day...but I call it my base tan ;) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLMfiQJ7i7_v84cnE3_XXbelEFPaavc6w7hsUzEmQCjCJh78oisQWgsGSwb-XMfucQurfES50u_KCWiXfVl3i6r9Qt8hHo9rxWzUf00h8ogceEOooujFXE5WIsOAEe-b9wD-YSWkLT8Xw/s1600/0526121219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLMfiQJ7i7_v84cnE3_XXbelEFPaavc6w7hsUzEmQCjCJh78oisQWgsGSwb-XMfucQurfES50u_KCWiXfVl3i6r9Qt8hHo9rxWzUf00h8ogceEOooujFXE5WIsOAEe-b9wD-YSWkLT8Xw/s320/0526121219.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My travel adventure buddy Kayla and I on the white sandy beaches! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pDoOwtJCS1YtBURdTGtin0GyFDhFnUUG8HZbK4stHR_USNgom95sw8Of4J-UB8I-mvvwhwn02OXCs2qiIR0vdkNvhZyVAA6ptnjADsR0d35VD9zbQAM-Q_gOHCRx4r09EtcmK1ximFtM/s1600/0526121712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pDoOwtJCS1YtBURdTGtin0GyFDhFnUUG8HZbK4stHR_USNgom95sw8Of4J-UB8I-mvvwhwn02OXCs2qiIR0vdkNvhZyVAA6ptnjADsR0d35VD9zbQAM-Q_gOHCRx4r09EtcmK1ximFtM/s320/0526121712.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our snorkeling excursion with like 35 others that were there for the wedding! This boat was a blast!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view as we headed out on our Deep Sea Fishing adventure!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WE GOT SOMETHING!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not a marlin like we had hoped for, but a Mahi Mahi will do!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfIhG8OUjKboQTPOonfWjbq5xF1mnq66cRpIqN9YF7UReeOWthFKTSOyIFFXffAv3S8DiXCcortCOefYHlTR6ZxCsA9T7Jtce_lTGIHZwXOmJtdWAGMMTewqWzLjbJ36wiGugmJTCbvyb/s1600/0527121441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfIhG8OUjKboQTPOonfWjbq5xF1mnq66cRpIqN9YF7UReeOWthFKTSOyIFFXffAv3S8DiXCcortCOefYHlTR6ZxCsA9T7Jtce_lTGIHZwXOmJtdWAGMMTewqWzLjbJ36wiGugmJTCbvyb/s320/0527121441.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Job AJ! We named him Bo after a beer that's in the Caribbean</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PuFSBilQnHiImrikmOET3DWmdfXVeD3qHwMf6U0jzLfJtw3fb-53hvSj86H2xhLdtrRdEMcC6zfr0THzLdBN-p4jU8UveMi69V0-aNTx3EbCmlwGLJlmZmQucKVbc5Eg1n8jznTGFRH2/s1600/601041_10151003184896763_1976382869_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PuFSBilQnHiImrikmOET3DWmdfXVeD3qHwMf6U0jzLfJtw3fb-53hvSj86H2xhLdtrRdEMcC6zfr0THzLdBN-p4jU8UveMi69V0-aNTx3EbCmlwGLJlmZmQucKVbc5Eg1n8jznTGFRH2/s320/601041_10151003184896763_1976382869_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then we ate him! Josh and Andrew took Bo back to the resort's Seaside Grill restaurant and they cooked him and served us. It was SOOO good!<br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB54EzxPH0GmTSE_eG7hcJbq5diGrX2xb6Qpw9O8Ve1eCMkF2-B6Z0mFzonA6mLlX6YAYMXrM8vmjxmOXh5_nAYUyDRfFOmy56OZhkGBLWJHAlQcMaBmysKOu5hVsJvtkxKPcfS8lCVSeL/s1600/0528121135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB54EzxPH0GmTSE_eG7hcJbq5diGrX2xb6Qpw9O8Ve1eCMkF2-B6Z0mFzonA6mLlX6YAYMXrM8vmjxmOXh5_nAYUyDRfFOmy56OZhkGBLWJHAlQcMaBmysKOu5hVsJvtkxKPcfS8lCVSeL/s320/0528121135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just another day at the pool with the ladies<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfzdMsNNFKn2G1QgeELEedsqVQzLl1lshSBLWFlfAcYPoLoM8BlM8Z0K3B69A2wOUlwV4Bf6Fkgz4vLtruyQaXQi0OOff7przzcbKizO-jaGGGCCsIIjCy_RsivaB2dBVksH9iHCpc23m/s1600/550551_10151003199716763_95340198_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfzdMsNNFKn2G1QgeELEedsqVQzLl1lshSBLWFlfAcYPoLoM8BlM8Z0K3B69A2wOUlwV4Bf6Fkgz4vLtruyQaXQi0OOff7przzcbKizO-jaGGGCCsIIjCy_RsivaB2dBVksH9iHCpc23m/s320/550551_10151003199716763_95340198_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU316GrCOM2-dvlYXLwqBdLASdhPtAFk9U3kArNMS0Uquq9BCylEqLWbfkaU-1gChkVwiVmeIxjYdq4EPrm__IuBiT6UDH4jtQfSoS-7zA53Y0cUGM79M0jPQ_RH5RxEDdiMnM1Khf75Y/s1600/0528121752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU316GrCOM2-dvlYXLwqBdLASdhPtAFk9U3kArNMS0Uquq9BCylEqLWbfkaU-1gChkVwiVmeIxjYdq4EPrm__IuBiT6UDH4jtQfSoS-7zA53Y0cUGM79M0jPQ_RH5RxEDdiMnM1Khf75Y/s320/0528121752.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Conner/Chamov wedding on the beach<br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1N7RxBRhV2XZeu1sJA-HlU1MmsrjtFFP-u4qt1mJ1s1C4iclFE3HD3HiKYCcxyw_RuHcbU1HWzh_o1eI-a3BKxd0tA30ExHsGsz1G6YdP7ZzWX3zv6afAZQC1nVxhZtn8-BRCUGciB20h/s1600/0528121836a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1N7RxBRhV2XZeu1sJA-HlU1MmsrjtFFP-u4qt1mJ1s1C4iclFE3HD3HiKYCcxyw_RuHcbU1HWzh_o1eI-a3BKxd0tA30ExHsGsz1G6YdP7ZzWX3zv6afAZQC1nVxhZtn8-BRCUGciB20h/s320/0528121836a.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the wedding and reception took place...The Jellyfish Restaurant</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnNgZh1uuGhz23vr_ncVhUBeas7NEcCZC1cGr32RO2iYXGfAojOIxOOWvwgys3P8q6odzw8QkZuoBENcUctnMBfdYpnwwSqXQkrtiFIcuLUWRVHeZUgSZ22ciZb_rb7-74TmgfX7I6EYw/s1600/0528121734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnNgZh1uuGhz23vr_ncVhUBeas7NEcCZC1cGr32RO2iYXGfAojOIxOOWvwgys3P8q6odzw8QkZuoBENcUctnMBfdYpnwwSqXQkrtiFIcuLUWRVHeZUgSZ22ciZb_rb7-74TmgfX7I6EYw/s320/0528121734.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful wedding!</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2kiNzh7bTzwVdscMnnodBIS2PukRuutJNg02cRhm_DijzqlfEA3BP2KZCers2TVfq8tytiyE7KM_xsW4-wjT6nNaR7TOrb_pNQU7IXK5dOTbiZIhXVc_9D2cy6_Uvi5e2IKnJm0-yAyU/s1600/0528121745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2kiNzh7bTzwVdscMnnodBIS2PukRuutJNg02cRhm_DijzqlfEA3BP2KZCers2TVfq8tytiyE7KM_xsW4-wjT6nNaR7TOrb_pNQU7IXK5dOTbiZIhXVc_9D2cy6_Uvi5e2IKnJm0-yAyU/s320/0528121745.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. And Mrs. Chamov!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwQxSH3ymVmkSyalnzXCX-goDBFEeiiGyD8F10Kt0yt8qR77WjV01X2UYr3almn5xN3F-jqUqDcHbgwoojdUtxhVFI1HFGlMVju6o52kffF1gs0YQhlnjLDRxGk1I8komsQsuluLrizmP/s1600/0528121759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwQxSH3ymVmkSyalnzXCX-goDBFEeiiGyD8F10Kt0yt8qR77WjV01X2UYr3almn5xN3F-jqUqDcHbgwoojdUtxhVFI1HFGlMVju6o52kffF1gs0YQhlnjLDRxGk1I8komsQsuluLrizmP/s320/0528121759.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lima boys chilling before the reception</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXP6h02ZVRL4GsRJ64B0bNIJoVhIVKYLteFH9jhQBdQMzwo082VEiDS1SX5BQqgCC4yv4ObxVYi82TpA7SPTlodcdJ60sl73CHY1TIcqTWP2p3gNkhsMfkHpzkQiVKbNIVkLrgJVh2lSvD/s1600/282906_10151003191971763_504256762_11935435_68149634_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXP6h02ZVRL4GsRJ64B0bNIJoVhIVKYLteFH9jhQBdQMzwo082VEiDS1SX5BQqgCC4yv4ObxVYi82TpA7SPTlodcdJ60sl73CHY1TIcqTWP2p3gNkhsMfkHpzkQiVKbNIVkLrgJVh2lSvD/s320/282906_10151003191971763_504256762_11935435_68149634_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little cocktail hour before the reception</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lqwtpY1FA2uxaW7W99iC4ayqrU1P06hNu1Engds9rdmxxM6Kec3SRSuOBnWSgwpnfFAjMRoFfdCHv8Wzc-wyQaZaxMVtWvIZI7D3fddSoWvek-JTB2dZH4E5FznyrfL0IgmS8LCqHc_W/s1600/0528121837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lqwtpY1FA2uxaW7W99iC4ayqrU1P06hNu1Engds9rdmxxM6Kec3SRSuOBnWSgwpnfFAjMRoFfdCHv8Wzc-wyQaZaxMVtWvIZI7D3fddSoWvek-JTB2dZH4E5FznyrfL0IgmS8LCqHc_W/s320/0528121837.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He thought he could crack a coconut I guess :)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrDVu30Tcs0h08DMI85P5xouoItO8TbSqizkhAlgtEnBI5R1qTdQG8FLNEyj5AS_9cwb6KHqCx5woRbix7DjqmYDOCWdxOD64d1AWmPFbN05CH8bzaRvDBwrOFpP8XZoXc565-oHsG-tX/s1600/0528121757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrDVu30Tcs0h08DMI85P5xouoItO8TbSqizkhAlgtEnBI5R1qTdQG8FLNEyj5AS_9cwb6KHqCx5woRbix7DjqmYDOCWdxOD64d1AWmPFbN05CH8bzaRvDBwrOFpP8XZoXc565-oHsG-tX/s320/0528121757.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hubby and me of almost 3 years :)</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9zNNsnLcDpPuq_InHBCTpGZSM4ZqkhUKBqukAhG4RhLgZjEN2jV7TcRYOw76hLVVn-mLT70WauciJw-_3QyyPUyUJLnII-9PId7JklQices1uIoz8twxlSXUb-sXUQA6IwaH8k0hnU8l/s1600/542101_10151003198651763_152439135_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9zNNsnLcDpPuq_InHBCTpGZSM4ZqkhUKBqukAhG4RhLgZjEN2jV7TcRYOw76hLVVn-mLT70WauciJw-_3QyyPUyUJLnII-9PId7JklQices1uIoz8twxlSXUb-sXUQA6IwaH8k0hnU8l/s320/542101_10151003198651763_152439135_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UyObgZ0FZePHYs5cRCVWf05C6SrF8z-IgcKUwkgjFJ2ECI5-WMy6JG7TRaIFQo6m8zJrwuxar31XZgzwouGhLlw1F6bumyz8QE-N0ufFbsmR3ulYp3wOO7S3ytH4A8oGQDhREO8yTEzS/s1600/522974_10151003190801763_2077159143_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UyObgZ0FZePHYs5cRCVWf05C6SrF8z-IgcKUwkgjFJ2ECI5-WMy6JG7TRaIFQo6m8zJrwuxar31XZgzwouGhLlw1F6bumyz8QE-N0ufFbsmR3ulYp3wOO7S3ytH4A8oGQDhREO8yTEzS/s320/522974_10151003190801763_2077159143_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0ZnAQtaT_zNQosRQmvkI-jkbWiTBIamUHxRWDuf2Cc2hKx3LEKB3I2ZfawMc_hKGcozJ5pVb4O_-KYHB2hAqAasAI56aabuoO2ficf9HsHpfashmrg8uovLsLNAcr2clAGA10pzriN8t/s1600/0528121905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0ZnAQtaT_zNQosRQmvkI-jkbWiTBIamUHxRWDuf2Cc2hKx3LEKB3I2ZfawMc_hKGcozJ5pVb4O_-KYHB2hAqAasAI56aabuoO2ficf9HsHpfashmrg8uovLsLNAcr2clAGA10pzriN8t/s320/0528121905.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Bulgaria where Vince in from, they have a tradition of breaking bread at the reception, whoever gets the bigger piece is supposed to be the leader of the house. I think it was a tie :)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgM55dptkhVFXAa0CDkxHbylkRvdLpDRH8MvdF3l-8hkNQXz9xtiNGuDxry2kh8N29n8tDV2CRwgXmWahjkjo0moriHjIYD_8yObrLRktyY447QJxgv76H4z1cIq2b4lIaImoLOiXH8KCP/s1600/601381_10151003158961763_504256762_11935060_2020110540_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgM55dptkhVFXAa0CDkxHbylkRvdLpDRH8MvdF3l-8hkNQXz9xtiNGuDxry2kh8N29n8tDV2CRwgXmWahjkjo0moriHjIYD_8yObrLRktyY447QJxgv76H4z1cIq2b4lIaImoLOiXH8KCP/s320/601381_10151003158961763_504256762_11935060_2020110540_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of dancing, lots of laughs, was a perfect night to end our vacation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We have this tradition among the 4 of us...we always get a picture of us as our weddings...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZSaBkum2RGgCpPaPdw26gN6J-A5Ai3np4W8FdTeG2OL5X_U5JxmX1_vkd1sq19svmYEMd_t9ESyYhfprLGUVdFMSmXzf3Get5edBkhx9NUKR01O083ZR4-t8tNX1cBZ5RSei_zukFhtb/s1600/Oct+2008+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZSaBkum2RGgCpPaPdw26gN6J-A5Ai3np4W8FdTeG2OL5X_U5JxmX1_vkd1sq19svmYEMd_t9ESyYhfprLGUVdFMSmXzf3Get5edBkhx9NUKR01O083ZR4-t8tNX1cBZ5RSei_zukFhtb/s320/Oct+2008+026.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are in 2008 at Tara and Josh's wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_DU_Tm1LyUCNdug0-gphmenlmYZKB7bxOzEL5jQrF9DL2H0eNpMGr94KjtP9-AOXmYH4QRBCgJezjJohQvBa5LOK-kANJDJv_0HAQsSNUya7xpuhDaI9WJIuWovZzzv8qaYFAascotZY/s1600/n504256762_2826886_8204307%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_DU_Tm1LyUCNdug0-gphmenlmYZKB7bxOzEL5jQrF9DL2H0eNpMGr94KjtP9-AOXmYH4QRBCgJezjJohQvBa5LOK-kANJDJv_0HAQsSNUya7xpuhDaI9WJIuWovZzzv8qaYFAascotZY/s320/n504256762_2826886_8204307%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are in 2009 at my wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuU-McB4fR33C4zaJEF6kwl5tiv3G053D-gZ9VAi897d7mbsRUsgkGNqGva4eTdd3I5qYsS0r5zik4VaRP6ETsMT0BHj-cTezCCeXW5utYVEJmLgF6k8aGjqiAXLm19ty8sOOSa_NRZeJ/s1600/536558_10151003161126763_1529710371_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuU-McB4fR33C4zaJEF6kwl5tiv3G053D-gZ9VAi897d7mbsRUsgkGNqGva4eTdd3I5qYsS0r5zik4VaRP6ETsMT0BHj-cTezCCeXW5utYVEJmLgF6k8aGjqiAXLm19ty8sOOSa_NRZeJ/s320/536558_10151003161126763_1529710371_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here we are in 2012 at Mandy and Vince's wedding...our last picture will be taken this fall at Kayla's wedding! <br />I can't wait! :)<br /></td></tr>
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Everything went perfect for this trip - the whole itinerary was just filled with fun wedding activities and lots of relaxation. I even forgot my camera so I thank Tara for loaning me some pictures and I'm glad I moved up to the age of smart phones...I got one for my 28th birthday :) The only bump in the road was our trip back...without going into details (cause I'm over it now ;) our flight got cancelled and after one hour of sleep and many tears, I made it back to Ohio the next day in time to say good bye to my PM class on their last day of school. I missed both of my classes End of The Year programs and was devastated. But there wasn't anything I could do. Well, the summer is finally here now and it's time for some more adventures to begin...Warrior Dash is tomorrow!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-48276426825529423162012-05-20T23:03:00.001-04:002012-05-20T23:06:22.989-04:00A hint of God's faithfulness...meet Ezekiel Timothy GromanThe most amazing thing happened last week....<br />
This little bundle of joy was added to the Groman Family :)<br />
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Meet Ezekiel Timothy Groman...a baby that opened me up to God in a whole new way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6xmvSb59YN-hJEY8ssCTGXsurL6bwAyx5hP8co46ZOnrrXyxct_FJedEUgOecEocYz1VFo0PqdrTkds2qkZbCH9p1bAkBjp8Zb6Xu3KuQItrbWWQLKuxEsVXc8rkF1g7HMeBx-x9glH-/s1600/DSC05842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6xmvSb59YN-hJEY8ssCTGXsurL6bwAyx5hP8co46ZOnrrXyxct_FJedEUgOecEocYz1VFo0PqdrTkds2qkZbCH9p1bAkBjp8Zb6Xu3KuQItrbWWQLKuxEsVXc8rkF1g7HMeBx-x9glH-/s320/DSC05842.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbgHoyGtTEwiYpYDwlitdcHV_Pnm-1vn8K2lV2ZxYEoNGpqEv3EDxm7YLQ9ZJWRUnhgw3dnH9ObcZoP7S6d8UZZcHdFMOT6QTnpHyTPO1JRFPOU_Eb8kr6jei7oxNz4-bgzky1SE5DHsG/s1600/DSC05798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbgHoyGtTEwiYpYDwlitdcHV_Pnm-1vn8K2lV2ZxYEoNGpqEv3EDxm7YLQ9ZJWRUnhgw3dnH9ObcZoP7S6d8UZZcHdFMOT6QTnpHyTPO1JRFPOU_Eb8kr6jei7oxNz4-bgzky1SE5DHsG/s320/DSC05798.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud Aunt Laura seeing Zeke when he got home from the hospital!</td></tr>
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Here's the story...</div>
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As you all know, my in laws Tim and Beth have been trying to adopt for about a year now and when I got the call in March that there was a possibility that a new addition could come in May, ON MY BIRTHDAY, I was way more than psyched! Well, Zeke didn't make his arrival on my birthday, but he did make it eight days later. But here's the thing, I had no idea this little boy would impact my life so much. You see, I have always prayed since I was a little girl, but this new addition had me praying like never before. I have never in my whole life prayed for something so often, so consistently, and so intensely. For the first time and with someone so dear to me, there was nothing I could do to help Tim and Beth have a child. I couldn't make them have a baby, I couldn't pull any strings to get a baby to them any faster, there was nothing I could do...but pray. And I have never felt such an urge to pray for something so passionately than in March when I heard the news of a possible birth mom choosing Tim and Beth. From that day, until 5:30 AM the morning he was born, I prayed every single day, multiple times a day. Every time I thought about Beth (which was quite often) I prayed. Because of Zeke, I has seen and experienced God like never before. Because of Zeke, I learned that what the Bible says is true, that God will give you the desires of your heart. I whole heartedly had every piece of my heart praying for this little boy to be the child that God had planned for Tim and Beth from the beginning. And when I saw him for the first time in Fort Wayne the day he came home, tears welled in my eyes as I saw God's faithfulness through this little baby. Zeke to me is a physical form of God's faithfulness that I have never experienced before through such persistent prayer. I am blessed to be apart of this little one's life and I owe him a lot for showing me how truly big our God is. I love you Zeke and can't wait to give you a cousin to play with soon!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqmg5Mp_0G6GQp68HLc5GZGaum1SRrp73Os-0nHIoIANBKCe3mFVuGrbPIUTH615FroY2J36hI8SDhKW_eA3E0nouja_MdfpL8hh4gxRmy5PvD3imI7dYtKItYBOA0bKDovfw-4vZDwX2/s1600/0511122229a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqmg5Mp_0G6GQp68HLc5GZGaum1SRrp73Os-0nHIoIANBKCe3mFVuGrbPIUTH615FroY2J36hI8SDhKW_eA3E0nouja_MdfpL8hh4gxRmy5PvD3imI7dYtKItYBOA0bKDovfw-4vZDwX2/s320/0511122229a.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim and Andrew setting up the Pack And Play</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEhV8YwoLrH6l3FlLu-EoO3JhrWKCR5BsRy1xMt7kvbNQXgxvxbLWEaKgbwmQAUvqLHDGtuhlD7r2dydQV59LyecJxI-7CjJkEG6MiHGu8JV3YWSVyGGt2avfiaXsyyIp0ZhdjeMy1uw0/s1600/DSC05811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEhV8YwoLrH6l3FlLu-EoO3JhrWKCR5BsRy1xMt7kvbNQXgxvxbLWEaKgbwmQAUvqLHDGtuhlD7r2dydQV59LyecJxI-7CjJkEG6MiHGu8JV3YWSVyGGt2avfiaXsyyIp0ZhdjeMy1uw0/s320/DSC05811.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Andrew with Ezekiel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB3cjexu8ukGsN3QDL3x9ghqgZVqcubtS8kaKZewCEZiF4xXNVAlKqN4UlZaOprzcF3PxS8u6aG__XBlaKZMpz3UBWou_p6hDjqtLpvhPVzf9ddGKnOcZz3E5LZoCs8-fx6JWL6MSY9Eo/s1600/DSC05813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB3cjexu8ukGsN3QDL3x9ghqgZVqcubtS8kaKZewCEZiF4xXNVAlKqN4UlZaOprzcF3PxS8u6aG__XBlaKZMpz3UBWou_p6hDjqtLpvhPVzf9ddGKnOcZz3E5LZoCs8-fx6JWL6MSY9Eo/s320/DSC05813.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do you not fall in love with him?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlyw1SBtpWrO3V_5xspT1JV_9Bx8IvIU1AnPIf4G51eMlar1b0C1F1wvgmTeiaGEI4aNScWMN41LF_Cayfpg5JCBIj9SB4XsfqHpC8gmGypMTBSRSALZST-c2N0-7b-L80139EbFU7Dj7/s1600/DSC05819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlyw1SBtpWrO3V_5xspT1JV_9Bx8IvIU1AnPIf4G51eMlar1b0C1F1wvgmTeiaGEI4aNScWMN41LF_Cayfpg5JCBIj9SB4XsfqHpC8gmGypMTBSRSALZST-c2N0-7b-L80139EbFU7Dj7/s320/DSC05819.JPG" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is going to be one spoiled baby :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NUh8Og5_3pKBpT5_ZhDad-aHvipgnMR4ymT3eLaRLnEjsIdDuIT_0oP9Mnjp7wzzyt_fmSVHs2QkMnImxBmE_lj9uRDSwx2YSwI03xxKm7W9BhcoBWfPJApnysxNS71u6x1c6HMNtLZE/s1600/DSC05833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NUh8Og5_3pKBpT5_ZhDad-aHvipgnMR4ymT3eLaRLnEjsIdDuIT_0oP9Mnjp7wzzyt_fmSVHs2QkMnImxBmE_lj9uRDSwx2YSwI03xxKm7W9BhcoBWfPJApnysxNS71u6x1c6HMNtLZE/s320/DSC05833.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is the face I will never say NO to :) Sorry Tim and Beth!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4fOV_27UCkGXgyHwXrFVGhnI_jIhQyHa5siCCPNVq07oM4QScLdN9u2GyL43yIRZj-x3sEU3iwdv7KZeXA6ptt9JfKJRSVPrTRe55Z-qChgWdKrohBRbD7C-roEv-fV9rT3AuhHilaUZ/s1600/DSC05824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4fOV_27UCkGXgyHwXrFVGhnI_jIhQyHa5siCCPNVq07oM4QScLdN9u2GyL43yIRZj-x3sEU3iwdv7KZeXA6ptt9JfKJRSVPrTRe55Z-qChgWdKrohBRbD7C-roEv-fV9rT3AuhHilaUZ/s320/DSC05824.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although it is out of focus, I love it :) Mommy and Zeke...so happy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-80391011084521637362012-05-08T22:29:00.001-04:002012-05-11T12:31:21.643-04:00Something to be proud of :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy 28th Birthday to me and Happy 5th Birthday to Jaeden!</div>
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Hi Everyone! I have a few more things to be proud of lately...</div>
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First and foremost, I have lived to celebrate another birthday and for that I am grateful! Although the teaching life has consumed me once again and I have been spending HOURS working on IEPS for the kiddos, I haven't had much free time, but my hubby made me leave work so that he could take me to my favorite sushi restaurant in Findlay...and it was amazing as always! I woke up the next morning (my real birthday) to a card and a Reese's cups, and to even more of a surprise, and small box behind the card. The chain on the necklace he got me last year for my 'I beat cancer' gift broke, so he bought me a NICE new chain that won't break :) Love him! Andrew had to work on my actual birthday, but I didn't spend it alone! My brother's girlfriend's son, Jaeden and I share the same birthday so my whole family went to Chuck E Cheese! I had a blast! Pizza and family...couldn't ask for a better night! Our whole family got together again on Saturday for Jaeden's birthday party and we had such a good time, first cook out of the year and first family baseball game! So funny, I got Jaeden a cowboy hat and western gear for his birthday, so he wore it while we played baseball...well he didn't like some of the calls we made, so he would get his play gun out of his holster and shoot the pitcher :) It was hilarious!!! All in all, I thank God He gave me another year and I cherish having another year on this earth to seek out the plan God has intended for me. </div>
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I also ran my second 5K for the Abilities Baseball team last weekend. Some of my kiddos at school play for this team (it's a nonprofit organization that allows children with disabilities to play baseball and have fun). Well, we have had awesome weather lately, except for this day...it was 44 degrees and on the last mile, it started HAILING!! Although it would have been easy to stay at home...I ran it anyways and even improved my time...WITHOUT AN INHALER!! YEA! :) I was certainly proud of myself that weekend, but not only because of my personal running accomplishment, but also because I was asked to speak at the Elida Relay for Life event and share about my cancer story. It was a very informal event, but it was nice to be able to reflect on my story with cancer and share it with others. Ironically, I love to perform, but I am NOT a public speaker...I get crazy nervous before hand being front and center and would always prefer behind the scenes. So I knew what I was going to say going in there, but once you have eyes on you and no notes, I just started to speak from my heart and hopefully those were the words God intended for the people there to hear. A lot of teenagers were there, so I wanted to make sure I spoke to them and have them leave thinking more about Life than prom :) And I could have gone on and on (my blog proves that ;), but I knew people only really listen to the first 5 minutes of a story, so I wanted to make it short and make it relatable to the Relay for Life event. So needless to say, although it was an incredible experience to share my story verbally for the first time, I think I will just stick to my comfort zone...writing :) Like always, <i>if it's raining - it must be a Relay event</i>. It was the same day as the 5K, so it was cold and rainy, but Elida did a great job and while I walked a few laps for all those that have a cancer story, I thanked God once again for <i>my Life</i>. <b>What a birthday weekend! </b> The video below is a little bit of my story that I shared at Relay :) Thank YOU for sharing this Pursuit with me!</div>
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P.S. I have some more really, really, good news coming up and I can't wait to share, so stay tuned to this Life after cancer! It's about to get VERY exciting!</div>
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<br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-37689353237613633042012-04-22T22:11:00.001-04:002012-04-22T22:19:51.941-04:00Finally living the healthy life...and I love it!I wanted to show a picture of my very first 'updo' hair style since cancer! I was very proud that it was finally long enough to use a curling iron AND bobby pins! Can't wait until the PONY TAIL!<br />
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Sorry about the delay in posts...my home computer was quite sick, but it's up and working now so here are some updates!<br />
I was able to make it back down to see the neurologist in Columbus about my back and neck. The good news is that there is no blockage in my veins or arteries! The other good news is that besides the scoliosis and cysts in my back, there is nothing else that is causing the back pain...no tumors, no bulged discs...just sore/bruised muscles from the curve (and begging Andrew to dig his hand into my back to make it better -Note from the doctor...digging into the muscles until it's numb is not a good thing, even if it does feel good! :) The only thing he said (other than the things I already know that's wrong) is that I have degenerative disc disease and arthritis in my neck and he says that we won't know the day when it will start to effect me neurologically. Until then, we wait :) And I am perfectly ok with that because I have no neurological symptoms yet, and I would know what they are because of my past with Chiari. The reason why I was referred to this doctor was because of the pressure in my head I was feeling when I would get up from bending over...and he was able to tell me that it's probably because of my consistent low blood pressure. Since cancer, I have had lower blood pressure than usual and he says that the blood just isn't working its way back up to my head fast enough. It makes sense! So to help my blood pressure (as well an anemia) I really need to up my iron intake. Which leads me to my 40 day diet wrap up in just a minute...but at the end of the visit and after the doctor was very pleased with my new diet and the positive results I have been having from working out and eating healthier, I'll never forget the last thing he told us...<i>he closed his folder, looked at Andrew and I, and said that at this point in time we should just be thankful for each day we have with each other after everything I've been through.</i> It's so easy to take Life for granted and it was humbling to hear that from his mouth. He's right, after a major car accident, my health issues, Andrew's occupation, ect...we are blessed for each new day we have to be with each other. If anything has come out of the past year with all these tests and doctors, to end it with this doctor telling us that, was completely worth every trip down. Thanks Dr. T!<br />
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Well, my Maker's Diet is done and those 40 days certainly opened my eyes to new insights just like they had been when I had more cancer cells running through my veins than healthy cells. Only this time around, I HAD CONTROL of my circumstances. I had the choice to either make myself healthier or go back down the road I was on that could lead to more cancer. In 40 days, not only did I discover how to keep my physical body strong, I learned how to keep all of me strong. We all have the ability to make choices and those choices have consequences (both good or bad). I chose to take 40 days to intentionally make myself healthier by eating foods that my body could easily process and to workout until I sweat (yes sissy... Hochstetler's CAN sweat :).<br />
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This diet showed me 3 things...<br />
1) <em><strong>how to make my body happy</strong></em> - this body is crazy sensitive I have found out. I took out all processed foods and foods that are hard for your body to digest...and trust me, I now know what makes my stomach hurt. For some reason, potatoes are hard for my stomach to digest...I get a stomach ache afterwards and I always thought it was because I ate too much. Actually, I found out that potatoes contain some kind of compound that naturally makes it harder for your body to digest. There is such a science to food and it's amazing when you start listening to your body, what it can tell you about what you are eating. I like knowing what I'm getting myself into now when I eat certain foods :) Here's the other way to keep your body happy and healthy, don't eat from your cupboard. In 6 weeks, the only thing I ate from the cupboard was nuts and almond butter. Everything else came from the refrigerator. Eating this way can be expensive, because produce isn't exactly cheap, but I'd pay anything to feel this good again. Also, we have saved money by not eating out...and now the times we do eat out, it is extra special! But don't get me wrong, now that I am off of the cleansing diet, I still treat myself once in awhile. I just know that I shouldn't expect my run to be easy when I eat a donut right before :)<br />
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2) <em><strong>how to trust in myself</strong></em> - I found that I have the ability to say no. Many times I was tested to just take 1 M&M as I passed them out to the preschoolers...but I didn't. Did I have 2 bites of cake at my parent's 40th anniversary party? Yes, because celebrating them was more important to me than a little extra sugar in my body. I had to make choices...but it got easier everyday because as the weeks went on I was able to eat more and more foods (because the diet was about cleansing out your system, then rebuilding it back up with natural foods). I grew more confidence while on this 40 day journey too. I set goals, and I achieved them, and I was very proud of myself. I knew I could do this, but to prove it to myself on the outside was a different story. I also did a lot of workouts during this time as well as started running again. And you know what...the more I run and recondition my bleomycin chemo'd lungs, the less I am needing my inhaler. I have another 5K this next Saturday and my goal is to run it without an inhaler. That would be SO amazing to me to beat those odds. I'm up to 2.5 miles without taking a puff, and I trust that if I keep working hard I can go to 3.2!<br />
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3) <strong><em>and who I am living for </em></strong>- I have prayed for some things during this diet or fast if you will. It is no mistake that I did this 40 day diet right before Easter. Making sacrifices reminds us of the sacrife that God made when He put His son on the cross for us, for me. God revealed Himself to me once again. He helped me heal these last 40 days. This past Easter, I remembered why I am on earth. It's not for me, but for Him. That through all of our circumstances, we should glorify Him and reveal to the world who He is and the healing only He may be able to bring. I am reminded of a verse in 1 Thessalonians lately...simply put <i><b>'Be happy, pray often, and thank God for all circumstances because that was His will for you.'</b> </i> I am learning so much through all of the situations that God is bringing me through. Although I may not like them, or understand them right away, or be grumpy about them at first, I know that down the road God will reveal why He had me go through each trial. <i>So thank you God. I pray that You will always be the Living God inside my heart that guides me in all my adventures that lead to new understandings and a Life I can be proud to tell to my children about someday. But You by far have been my ultimate adventure!</i><br />
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P.S. Look what finally made it's way to my house :)<br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-223541786572092012012-03-19T22:50:00.002-04:002012-03-19T22:59:41.859-04:00The Maker's Diet meets Pampered Chef...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I should be writing my paper for grad school right now...it’s about motivation in the classroom. But in Life, we are supposed to do what motivates us right? And writing a paper for school is NOT motivating to me, so I'm writing you instead :) What motivates me right now is my health, this cleansing diet,
the act of helping another, and what motivation plays into my life. I believe that I am a motivated person when I really want something and set my mind to it. My motivation lately in this Life is to remain in remission and
my passion is to make that happen. This
diet has been energizing and uplifting for me. I used to be such a pessimist, but as I read in a fitness magazine this week<i> 'Pessimist tend to view events as beyond their control, so remind yourself who's boss the next time your nervous about a goal you set or a deadline. Success is in your power; all it takes is disciplined steps towards your goal.' </i>I've challenged myself, disciplined myself, pushed myself, and have seen my potential, endurance, and inner strength. I am strong- now mentally AND physically (I can see muscles! Along with this diet, I have been working out at the Y and I am seriously in the best shape of my life! I have been having less headaches and stomach aches and so much more energy...It's really unbelievable until you try it!). You
have no idea how much this diet means to me. Not only has it made me healthier, it has helped draw me even closer to God in many ways I just can't put into words yet. He heals, He answers, He is God...and I am thankful. Now, I'm not going to become a crazy health nut after this 40 day cleanse (by the way, I'm HALF WAY DONE ALREADY!), but this diet has shown me a new way of life. A new
positive step into my future for a healthy me, husband, and family. What I eat now, when I'm pregnant, and when I'm raising a family is so important to their <i>own</i> health. If I can pass on good health to my children, maybe their risk of getting cancer will decrease...as well as my own coming back. <br />
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So this past weekend, The Maker's Diet and Pampered Chef had a duel! I hosted a party for my sister in law Beth. She became a Pampered Chef consultant to help with the Operation Baby Groman adoption funds, so when she asked if I'd host a show, I said OF COURSE! She is such a blessing in my life and she loves to cook, so this was a perfect fit! I love my own Pampered Chef products (my moma got me started when she was a consultant!) and I'm not much of a 'party host-er', but this was such a success thanks to many people whom I love dearly and would help out in a second if they ever asked. THANK YOU ALL who put in an order...please know that you are apart of something so much bigger than that awesome <i>Salad and Berry Spinner</i> we all saw - you are helping a great family become an even bigger great family! Also, with this Maker's Diet cleanse, I have been shown some really neat recipes that I want to continue making after the 40 days is up...so I finally have a new recipe book that will be filled with all my favorite recipes I try! I love new adventures!! Cooking nutritiously may just be the next one! :)</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-69667649880554109082012-03-02T21:41:00.004-05:002012-03-02T21:44:57.525-05:00Day 5 of The Maker's DietIt's getting better people....<br />
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It's been 5 days without any sugar, pop, or processed foods. And I'm still alive! I can honestly say that as the days went on...this diet became easier and easier. I have only been tempted one time and that was on Day 2 when I was just SO hungry. Andrew was working and I was just watching TV, and what do you do when you watch TV?? Yup, eat. It's actually hard to sit and watch a show without incorporating your other senses, don't ya think? But I was just hungry and I literally went to the kitchen and about pulled something out of the cupboard when I stopped myself and literally said '<i>God, I do not want to fail at this. I'm doing this to make this body healthy again. Healthy enough to not get cancer again, carry my own baby, and to live as long as possible. What do I do?</i>' And I swear, as soon as I took my next breath, I came upon a thought in my head that I hadn't had before. I am supposed to eat veggies in my eggs in the morning, but I hardly ever wake up in time to eat breakfast at home, so I just take my hard boiled eggs and carrots/yogurt and eat on the way to school. But then I remembered...<i>I hadn't eaten the veggies yet from breakfast</i>...and you wouldn't believe what my favorite thing to order is from Mexican restaurants...yup, grilled veggies! So I chopped up some red and green peppers and onions and grilled them up in some evoo and it was SO good as I watch TV! So I have not cheated yet, and I'm actually feeling good. I have some headaches off and on, but it could be the change of diet and also my neurology stuff. I'm also exercising and running again...life is good!<br />
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So I wanted to share two recipes with you that I was very 'iffy' about cooking, but after I made it...OH MY was it SOOO good! And trust me, I typically HATE salmon, but with this recipe, I would eat it every week! We have made it 5 days now and I told Andrew how proud I am of us. And it's gets even better because next weeks menu includes chili, fajitas, meat loaf, curry, and hamburgers! It's all in how you cook it and what you eat with it! We are past the mostly fish days and I am so happy to see menu items that I have actually cooked before! :)<br />
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<i><b>Oriental Red Meat Salad</b></i><br />
<i>1 1/2 lbs. flank steak</i><br />
<i>1/2 cup lemon jiuce</i><br />
<i>6 tbsp. soy sauce</i><br />
<i>2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or expeller-expressed peanut oil</i><br />
<i>1 tbsp toasted sesame oil</i><br />
<i>1 tsp. grated fresh ginger</i><br />
<i>pinch of red pepper flakes</i><br />
<i>2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds</i><br />
<i>1/2 lbs. snow peas (lightly steamed and cut in half)</i><br />
<i>1 red pepper (chopped)</i><br />
<i>1 lbs. bean sprouts (steamed lightly)</i><br />
<i>~Cook the meat however you prefer (skillet, broiler). Mix lemon juice, soy sauce, oils, ginger, and red pepper flakes together. Cut the meat into small slices and marinate with the soy sauce mixture for several hours in the fridge. Then mix together the meat, salad, sesame seeds and veggies just before serving.</i><br />
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<i><b>Wild Alaskan Salmon with Pecan Pesto</b></i><br />
<i>4 wild salmon fillets</i><br />
<i>1/3 lbs shelled pecans</i><br />
<i>3 oz. butter, cold</i><br />
<i>2-3- fresh jalapenos</i><br />
<i>1 small lemon</i><br />
<i>1 3-inch sprig of rosemary</i><br />
<i>olive oil</i><br />
<i>celtic sea salt</i><br />
<i>pepper</i><br />
<i>~Toast the pecans for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees.</i><br />
<i>Rub salmon with olive oil and coat with salt and pepper. Cook in in a skillet on med heat until it is totally pink inside with a nice golden crust on the outside.</i><br />
<i>Meanwhile, add chopped jalapenos, chopped rosemary, the </i><i>zest of </i><i>1/2 small lemon, pecans, and butter in a food processor about 8 seconds until it becomes a paste. </i><br />
<i>Put the pesto over the salmon and WOW is it SO good! And I can hardly eat salmon!</i><br />
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Some other updates on the Life of Laura...my brother bought a house and when the moving truck gets his stuff, I get my piano so I am very excited when that day comes! We are stripping wall paper tomorrow in his house, I've become a pro at this throughout my years of moving. And my sister in law Beth became a Pampered Chef consultant to help with the expenses of their adoption. We have hit the 6 month mark (most children get placed within 6-9 months with the agency they are going through) so any day now I could become an aunt again! I am having a party to help her out, so if you need anything, let me know or go to her website at www.pamperedchef.biz/bethlikestocook and order under our products! AND...Andrew finished the bathroom! It is so much better than the yellow walls, linoleum floor, and white counter top that used to be there. We don't have a new shower curtain or a new window curtain yet, and the pictures I took don't show the true colors because of the flash, so you'll just have to see it in person :) The best part is that there is this low lighting for when I take my bath in the whirlpool tub...totally relaxing and a man after my own heart! He tiled and framed in the window too! Great Job Andrew! Now, off to the next project...he ordered my new closet doors for the bedrooms! :)<br />
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One more thing...today marks another moment in Life that was very sad, yet brought 2 people together. It's been 5 years since the Bluffton University baseball team bus accident that killed 5 students. I remember going to my 8 o'clock class at BU and hearing the news. Commotion on campus started very quickly with the accident on CNN and news vans pulling up more every hour, and as we started hearing more and more names of students who didn't make it, I started getting scared. At that time, Andrew and I were 'on a break', but on that day, he was the only person I wanted to be with. He had a way to calm me down, but on that day, he was away at Army drill and I knew from that day on, I didn't want to be with anyone else. I knew then that Andrew was something more to me than anyone else in this world is. I knew I had to call him when I heard about David, and that phone call changed us. I'm not sure what he felt during those days, whether he was thinking about me the same way I was thinking about him, but all I can say is that we have grown closer together <i>every </i>day since then... </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew and I, back together after the accident in the Spring of 2007<br />
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</tbody></table>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-88319647211901627242012-02-28T20:26:00.001-05:002012-02-28T23:09:03.481-05:00Day 1 of The Maker's Diet<br />
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Oh, if my keyboard was a bar of chocolate right now...</div>
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I just feel like I have to tell you about this so far...Seriously, you want to see God? Give up the foods you
typically eat and eat something you literally have to force down your throat! </div>
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I am very adamant about sticking to this diet for the next
few weeks because I know the benefits in
the end both physically, spiritually, and emotionally. However, I didn’t think I would
come up with some realizations about food so quickly. Like... </div>
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#1 - I can’t believe how I have taken the taste of food
for granted. </div>
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#2 - How much I depend on Andrew for support.</div>
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#3 - How happy chocolate chip cookies, girl scout cookies, chocolate cupcakes...chocolate basically, makes me.</div>
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#4 - But how much HAPPIER I am because I feel that much closer to God and have shown self control.</div>
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So let's start with #1...Day 1 of the diet and I was gagging by lunch time yesterday. I have a pretty bad gag reflex anyway, but when it came to eating tuna salad, it was just not going to go down my throat. I like tuna casserole and tuna
in other things, but in this tuna salad I made -wow- lets just say that
after the first two gags, I plugged my nose for the rest of the sandwich to get down. I did it though as I thanked God for the foods that will
make me healthy…like tuna. </div>
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#2 - Andrew agreed to do this with me and it has been a great way to lean on him for support. I can call him up and tell him how hungry I feel when he is working, and he can encourage me to stick with it. Makes me love that man a little more for taking this on with me.</div>
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#3 - I'm just going to make a list of foods that make me happy because since I can't eat them right now, I'll just close my eyes and think of them as I type...c<i>hocolate-anything chocolate, Oreos, noodles and mashed potatoes, blizzards from DQ, pretzels, peanut butter, sushi, Captain Crunch, mac and cheese, PIZZA, Chinese food, La Cha's, pasta, bread, ohhhh and the taste of a Carter Bar from Bath High School would be AMAZING!!!!!</i></div>
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#4 - Even though all of those foods sound incredible right now, I'd still give them up in a second for the experience I have had with God so far. Nothing like praying for the food to go down your throat, and then seeing how spoiled you are that you just prayed for that. I instead gave thanks to God for the Life that I have and the choices I have everyday to make. Those choices now are helping me to live a healthier life, not only for me, but for my family. Eating healthier gives my family the opportunity to have me around a few years longer. And as I told Andrew on February 13 when I presented him with my plan to get healthy (it was a special date because it was 10 years ago to the day when I first met him at his church, on stage playing that guitar-knowing that THAT was the kind of guy I was going to marry one day, never dreaming I could be so blessed to have it be HIM) I told him that I want 10 more years with him and although this diet will not be convenient, fun, or particularly tasty, I want to do it because I love him that much and will do anything to see our dreams come true :) </div>
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So as of yesterday, I am 'eating to live' now, instead of 'living to eat' and it feels good to do something for my body, a body that is <i>finally</i> thanking me for after the last couple years I've put it through. </div>
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<br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-74580536866383009582012-02-24T19:25:00.000-05:002012-02-24T19:25:42.585-05:00My best Remission check up yet!It's that time again...another 4 month cancer check up. So I've made a habit of reading through a few of my old blog post before I head into my appointments because it helps me remember how far I've come, and if I hear bad news for some reason, it reminds me that I can do this all over again if I have to. It's crazy the things you forget if you don't write them down...like I look back now and I can't believe the I ever asked my sister to keep my cancer a secret for 5 days, or how I was SO afraid of needles the way I was, and I'm still amazed at the amount of support I got from so many people who didn't even know me. It was a year ago that I became disease free, heading into a new life of remission and this past year has been interesting without any cancer in my body. I've looked at situations differently than what I would have before...things that may have bothered me before, don't bother me so much now. I guess that is one good thing that comes out of being in the 'Cancer Group'. I'm proud that I've been able to take what I've learned from cancer and try to apply it as much as possible to my everyday Life situations. 'Life' and all it's situations is just God allowing me to gain more wisdom for the future and the future is what you make it...I'm gonna make mine worth it :)<br />
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Ok, enough of my rambling and on to what I know you really want to know............I heard those sweet words that bring a smile to my face, I am still in Remission. And have never had a better check up! :) My tumors are not growing and my lab results were never better! I have never had my blood work come out so good and I credit that to daily exercise and healthy eating. I have cut back on processed foods a TON and have exercised at least 4 days a week. I told my parents a few days ago that I think I just have a sensitive body and if I don't take care of it, it starts to act pretty temperamental. I haven't had nearly the stomach aches as I typically do and I have more energy than ever. This could all be a result of all the meds getting out of my system too from the past year, but I know the changes I have tried to make and I really think it has helped. So with that being said, next week Andrew and I are starting The Maker's Diet for the next 40 days. This is not a 'diet', it's just a meal plan that can cleanse your system by going back to eating the foods we were meant to eat. It is going to be very challenging, but I'm up for it if it's going to help my body become even more healthy by reducing my chances of diseases, inflammation, ease my digestive track, and balance my hormones...who knows, with balanced hormones, I may just get that baby on my own with out fertility after all! I'm excited for this next adventure in my health life :) Oh, and I've made it to the 6 month check up point! Now I will only see Dr. Powell ever 6 months unless something comes up before then. It will be six months in August and I'm gonna say that as quick as time has been flying by, it will be here before we know it!<br />
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On the other health note, I recieved word from my neurologist. She spoke with another neurosurgon and the next step is to go back down to Columbus for the day to recieve a CT arteriogram. This is a test that will show the blood vessels and arteries in my neck and brain and show how the blood is flowing. The best part is that I'm staying there that day until my results come back so I don't have to wait for them for a long time. I'm really glad these doctors are checking into evereything because I tell you what, nothing is more frustrating than to not know how to fix something and feeling like you are at the end of the road. Very discouraging and can make for a pretty grumpy Laura :) Please pray that either we find something that is causing this pressure, or that these symptoms somehow float away. Thanks :)<br />
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And last but not least...remember how each time I hear remission, I'm going to try to cross another thing off my bucket list? Well, I got out my paint brushes and bought a canvas and here it is. My first painting displayed. Please do not ever look at it up close because I had 100 things go wrong from running out of paint, to a dog chasing a cat. This painting was extremely simple, yet was inspired by a store sign I saw in Iowa that looked like this. But it's not about the painting anyway, it symbolizes so much more...determination, energy, Life - and the beauty of it. Thank you for being apart of my Life. <br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-57157829788747840182012-02-12T22:36:00.002-05:002012-02-12T22:43:44.888-05:00Life's about playing the hand you were dealt...It's Friday night and I'm in my sweats and after 6 rolls of sushi with a faithful friend, I am finally ending a frustrating week with a smile on my face and belly full of therapy. :)<br />
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Andrew went with me to Columbus bright and early in the morning and my instinct was right...there was nothing new on the MRI that showed why I would be having these symptoms (remember the Hochstetler motto 'Nothing ever the easy way' :). I asked her if the stenosis/osteophyte complex/fused discs/ect... could cause these symptoms and she said not the symptoms I am having. Then I asked her about my Chiari surgery after she showed us my scar tissue and how my skull now looks after the surgery and she is going to consult with another neurosurgeon who has worked on people who have had Chiari (remember, she is a neurologist who concentrates on the back. BTW-for my back pain, the MRI's still showed scoliosis, so I need to keep stretching those muscles that are tight because of the curve in my spine. Andrew says that doing nothing is the worst thing I could do so I have been very good at going to the YMCA lately to some different classes...that and a trip to Punta Cana in May to see a friend get married could be a motivating factor as well ;) So my doc told me to be expecting a phone call from her next week letting me know what the other doctor had to say after looking at my films and see if these symptoms are like others who are post Chiari surgery patients. That's a whole long story in itself and if something comes up on that, I'll go into more detail...but lets not jump ahead.<br />
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Trust me, I know how silly this all sounds. And there has been MANY times I have told Andrew that I'm just done with doctors. He encourages me that He would hire a doctor from England if he had the money to fix me :) He can be so sweet. But this blog has been about my health and for me, it seems like my health is just something that I can't ever NOT think about. My health has gotten in the way of a lot of milestones in life...Chiari Malformation kept me away from moving to Indiana and going to college at Taylor University, scoliosis kept me from having a pain free back for years, PCOS has kept me from a balanced hormonal life, and cancer has kept me from having my own family at the time I wanted to start one. Now with this constant dull headache and head pressure, it's making my job harder and all around life just a bit more tense and short circuited. Sometimes I feel like cancer was easier...I have learned more from being sick in my life than from any other experiences I have encountered. Now there's a story!<br />
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You ever have a plan for your life...then it really goes NOTHING like you planned? Should you be disappointed when it doesn't work out the way you plan or is that just <i>your </i>life? If I wouldn't have had these health issues, I may have lead a completely different life! But this is the life God planned for me, I know it because He wants me to draw so near to Him through all of these Life struggles (not just health ones)...so I need to start playing the cards I was dealt and maybe win a hand or two, instead of folding and waiting for a royal flush everyday. Sometimes you grow closer to God, the One who really matters, when life hits you hard...it's like hitting on the river card! I had a few reality checks this week, enough to make some tears flow, but they are showing me how much I can handle, how much sushi I need to eat, and how much <i>more </i>I need to learn about this life :) I am so young, and have so much to learn...I am SOOO learning that everyday. I swear I will be a great mother because I have so many life experiences to draw from! As you can see, I seem to be more sensitive around these times when I get checked out for cancer again. My CT scan is on Monday and I meet with the doctor on Feb. 23. I'll update you then :)<br />
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On a fun note, I'm finally able to wear my dangly earring again after a year and a half. My hair is finally long enough to balance it out and its great! I'll have to post a picture soon! I've got some other great updates too...like Andrew is SO close to finishing our bathroom and I'm getting a piano in my house! My niece Maci was dedicated in church today and my WHOLE family was at the Lima Community Church and then went out to eat...that was awesome :) If there is one blessing I know that I have in my life, it is my family...Lord help us if we ever live more than 20 minutes away! <br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-77168542921744997862012-01-28T21:10:00.000-05:002012-01-28T21:10:30.705-05:00Living happy. Insert smiley face ... :)<br />
So winter is here...kinda. We have snow, then rain, then snow, then rain...then fog. It's just really weird weather lately. But enough about the weather because who really cares right? If you are still reading my Pursuit, you are more interested in where Life has taken me these past months in Remission. Well, it has kept me busy! Here's some updates on the Life of Laura....still in Remission!<br />
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Well, my health has taken on an all too familiar road. Just as I was getting settled into this body of healthy cells, my body decided it missed the MRI machines. :) I went to my 6 month neurologist appointment last Wednesday and brought to her attention some new symptoms that I have been experiencing lately. My back is still sore in the same spot it has been for the last 5 years - no new news there, but since the beginning of this year I have been experiencing pressure in my head when I bend over. This is not the usual lightheadedness from getting up too fast, this is intense throbbing - see the stars kinda episodes - where I have to give myself a minute so get over the 'hot flash' and get the blood flowing again to the brain. I'm not sure what, if anything is causing this, or if this is once again my 'new normal'. I don't know if it's the syrinx in the spinal cord interrupting the spinal fluid, the ospteophyte complex and stenosis in the neck getting worse, something from my prior surgery with Chiari or something that we don't even know about yet. However, because it's me and nothings normal when it comes to my body ;), the doctor wants me to get 3 MRI's ( the brain, cervical, and thoracic spine) on Tuesday and then go back down to OSU Medical Center on February 8 to go over the results. Then on February 13, I have a CT scan to check on the cancer and then see Dr. Powell at CancerCare the week after that to go over those results. February will be busy for sure! But I love everything that is keeping me busy these days (work, college, going to the gym, playing the piano, going to bible study, being a mom to Cooper and Kota) - it gives my life purpose :) But I'm once again thinking about my health...and that has pushed it's way to the top of my list of things that I just can't get out of my head. So once again I go to God.<br />
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Some people might look at my life and find reason to be angry with God. I know that the thought has crossed my mind a time or two. But I'm not angry with God, if anything He has answered my request to expand my boundaries. I have found no reason to be upset with God in my life because as a human, I in no way have ever deserved to be 'happy'. My happiness has come because of the <i>grace and mercy</i> that God has shown me in this life. To answer the prayers of my heart- the ones that He and I both know- shows me that God has not left my side, He has been walking with me and has constantly taken the load when it can not get any heavier. I put my trust in Him, and if I keep my connection with Him strong, I will understand the path that He has laid out for my life. So in the mean time of not understanding why things happen on MY timing...eh, eh, like having a baby...I prayed for peace and have come to the understanding that something else must be stirring up inside before a 'little one' comes along. But in the mean time, I'm continually building my relationship with my husband so we can be the best parents possible and appreciating the independence I have right now to do the things that make me happy (although I know that once I have a baby I'll be the most happy because, by God's grace, I will by far have my greatest earthly blessing!)<br />
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But for now, as I have this independence, what is it that makes me happy you might ask? Well, the great part about this chapter in my Life is that I know what makes me happy. :) I have never been the athletic one in the family, I'm not the comedian, or the peace maker. But I do know that I was born with creativity and drive. God designed me and what a master plan he had! I love music, I love art, and I love drama. I didn't realize how much it was a part of me and my design until I was sitting in the Civic Center listening to STOMP with a smile on almost the whole show and my feet moving the whole time, while people around me were sitting still. I also realized this when I was slightly disappointed at the Mannheim Steamroller concert when I couldn't pick out all the instruments in the songs because of the interrupting synthesizer...weird I know, and I may have lost you, but I love to listen to music and pick out all the instruments. And then again when we saw a broadway production in New York City and I felt like I was home. Like I would have no problem singing up there on stage! I took 3 years of art in high school, was in musicals, plays at church, majorette in the marching band getting teary eyed when I heard the drum cadences at pregame, and have sang since my debut with my sister for my great grandpa Pete of <i>Jem and the Holograms</i> in our living room when I was 4. :) I'm no Aretha Franklin, but boy do I love to sing! I love the fine arts and I know now it was something I was born with, not something I acquired, because I can <i>feel </i>it inside. The arts make me happy and relaxed, so I'm thrilled to be playing piano again, getting my paint brushes out, and singing to Andrew (oh yes, he gets a show...and my brother in law will too soon...<i>The Voice</i> is on in a week and my sis and I will definitely be singing! :) I am finding accomplishment in this chapter of my life and it makes me feel so good. So as my road may get a little bumpy again with figuring out this new medical stuff, and figuring out Life in general, I'm content because I know what makes me happy...Living the life that only<i><b><u> I </u></b></i>was meant to live.<br />
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<br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-46736295308831679212011-12-31T15:00:00.001-05:002012-01-11T18:28:35.728-05:00New York, NEW YORK!!! (Yes, you are singing it too, aren't you? ;)Well if Andrew and I aren't the Green Acres song :) Yes, he went with me to New York City, but I'm more the <i>Darling' I love ya but give me Park Avenue</i>, and he's more <i>Green Acres is the place for me, farm livin' is the life for me</i>.<i> Keep Manhattan, just give me that country side. </i>Needless to say, I LOVED NEW YORK! Yes, even the hustle and bustle....and let me tell you, that is some SEROUS hustle and bustle at Christmas time! I told him if I had a lot of money, I could live there. But in all honesty, I love my country side just like him. So New York vacations are just fine with me :) I hope my pictures can give you an overview of everything, but this trip was a bucket list dream come true. <br />
So we drove there on Monday, and here is our story.....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew DRIVING on 34th St.! He did great! The Empire State Building is the tall one and the world's largest store, Macy's, is to the left. I was shaking as we were driving through I was so excited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this picture hanging from the sunroof. I did BELIEVE and we made it to NYC!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of Manhattan from our hotel room in Queens.</td></tr>
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<b>DAY 1</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAFe1lAWcJ07HcrOvuE3pECW6CSnC9CN9rC3MnbQAAX7QNaq1WROyUN4V63ZkzFR5Rn5Y7LwM5g83Dz8ZxYK2WPlHiCYjLBl1oSjYGpf-4zSuiwbbejwBedgPLgcgE38CU9V6WawEKLZV/s1600/DSC05243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAFe1lAWcJ07HcrOvuE3pECW6CSnC9CN9rC3MnbQAAX7QNaq1WROyUN4V63ZkzFR5Rn5Y7LwM5g83Dz8ZxYK2WPlHiCYjLBl1oSjYGpf-4zSuiwbbejwBedgPLgcgE38CU9V6WawEKLZV/s320/DSC05243.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 9/11 Memorial. A must see, very neat but I wouldn't go until this September when the museum is open too. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PE4ETkVl6JJdLROKM22xIoiAsQaDFITu_FGo7j5iDyi30enYfqRN9jTB3SkDVPWDl4hoo_iG6GDpp6pl8uxJPmmL3tE0KrgBYNOkhuQgj0C-PKNOLH1UZViKKaf2__ERtpUmVH66H0NU/s1600/DSC05249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PE4ETkVl6JJdLROKM22xIoiAsQaDFITu_FGo7j5iDyi30enYfqRN9jTB3SkDVPWDl4hoo_iG6GDpp6pl8uxJPmmL3tE0KrgBYNOkhuQgj0C-PKNOLH1UZViKKaf2__ERtpUmVH66H0NU/s320/DSC05249.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future 9/11 museum that will be filled with artifacts and stories.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBktIWf8NTzcUQePpfpwwZL-OnuOClaogjHY1RuiRgxNBWvO9j3JV6LgydQEpJz7n9mqGH-BjzeostmiapaZV5_FzLnZVjJJ6EpytinkVQ0_Z1TIvBOADBZIwxU9SSltQKL5ZzquwYO4C/s1600/DSC05261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBktIWf8NTzcUQePpfpwwZL-OnuOClaogjHY1RuiRgxNBWvO9j3JV6LgydQEpJz7n9mqGH-BjzeostmiapaZV5_FzLnZVjJJ6EpytinkVQ0_Z1TIvBOADBZIwxU9SSltQKL5ZzquwYO4C/s320/DSC05261.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We didn't exactly Occupy Wall St, but we did walk through it! And think we saw Donald Trump's son outside his building!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg8kHDtfx0Tafh3ybDA9AqNUvaDP7B2dc0faKkpJ36MNyiHq12WOi03irJRXzRyascTWQ_tgwtGE-HN2wYqMt_4jqIN8ahkBaP6EFQ5NnNSYwh6g57CLXSHQ7wOinkPzRwYSCTijzEbcj/s1600/DSC05275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg8kHDtfx0Tafh3ybDA9AqNUvaDP7B2dc0faKkpJ36MNyiHq12WOi03irJRXzRyascTWQ_tgwtGE-HN2wYqMt_4jqIN8ahkBaP6EFQ5NnNSYwh6g57CLXSHQ7wOinkPzRwYSCTijzEbcj/s320/DSC05275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brooklyn Bridge on our water tour of NYC</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwJUUQi73GQzEzAPGobwWh76_YZ9BXVde_vpkJ8UUw6znp-3Inee-N4npFNJaZ_FtLbx24UDBg9AQBwhV4VGoCHq6CjgWCS25WRBBxwwRuvTahKaoVKj-6W-pKcuXHs58PzT-_1N36y0F/s1600/DSC05279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwJUUQi73GQzEzAPGobwWh76_YZ9BXVde_vpkJ8UUw6znp-3Inee-N4npFNJaZ_FtLbx24UDBg9AQBwhV4VGoCHq6CjgWCS25WRBBxwwRuvTahKaoVKj-6W-pKcuXHs58PzT-_1N36y0F/s320/DSC05279.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wall St. area of Downtown Manhattan...the tall black building will be the One World Trade Center building. When it's finished it will be the tallest building in America. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxgieHvMVs_ZibJO9J19950TheQnA6AxjHBLJUvPRyQx0wdxMde3RLjc4M5-u5jUT_LCxWSeCdubDZrZmM8_laJBccI7tittAEADqp22o6tvq9Pq4AcpRbX6rAo-Nb-PD1RcNoRExYptI/s1600/DSC05292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxgieHvMVs_ZibJO9J19950TheQnA6AxjHBLJUvPRyQx0wdxMde3RLjc4M5-u5jUT_LCxWSeCdubDZrZmM8_laJBccI7tittAEADqp22o6tvq9Pq4AcpRbX6rAo-Nb-PD1RcNoRExYptI/s320/DSC05292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Empire State building.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC0cvAO1aywGeD5wfJFROW5YvNKfW77KYCpxf7Dm_Qm-iVpwJSWtL4kpaiKxU6YWNtOphKTdfFItxtTUip9a7fcczfTOtSmRUhZO0NrCutiUD0_SMv2VbAwEO0e1dAKqOQ5LwGwYDCue4/s1600/DSC05307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC0cvAO1aywGeD5wfJFROW5YvNKfW77KYCpxf7Dm_Qm-iVpwJSWtL4kpaiKxU6YWNtOphKTdfFItxtTUip9a7fcczfTOtSmRUhZO0NrCutiUD0_SMv2VbAwEO0e1dAKqOQ5LwGwYDCue4/s320/DSC05307.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup, it's cold and Andrew needed my scarf...but that's us near the Statue of Liberty!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtPR-1YLH3S4KP37mCNc1Kxo6uBrkDD8FNg34InOrvbLQRTxCiTdU47bHmsbTPeLVxYI46yL8inxXhwccqAyWeh4F4Yc_4m3167uGJNSkV3Qde-gjcyJXKS-SvxMt9lEhCvBj8AxQhhKD/s1600/DSC05314.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtPR-1YLH3S4KP37mCNc1Kxo6uBrkDD8FNg34InOrvbLQRTxCiTdU47bHmsbTPeLVxYI46yL8inxXhwccqAyWeh4F4Yc_4m3167uGJNSkV3Qde-gjcyJXKS-SvxMt9lEhCvBj8AxQhhKD/s320/DSC05314.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4hQSgJsj3d6JkSVQKRR_ZogiUC2uQihyphenhyphen2YZa0KEWr43GOV38bxwJobvovKFQpPSUvpamBpMdhCjTNBXV9v5BFpf0nWBIYClPhoeC14r7mX4DEM0Ej9fVJs9zJuLdwhRb4OhLBz33tKLr/s1600/DSC05319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4hQSgJsj3d6JkSVQKRR_ZogiUC2uQihyphenhyphen2YZa0KEWr43GOV38bxwJobvovKFQpPSUvpamBpMdhCjTNBXV9v5BFpf0nWBIYClPhoeC14r7mX4DEM0Ej9fVJs9zJuLdwhRb4OhLBz33tKLr/s320/DSC05319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Lombardi's Pizza in Little Italy, it was named one of America's Top 10 pizzeria's </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSKIlHg2PSzSVxyOSwWguNnPhVC_nJSVNRBDYMmGJlkGMsiNUZwkVcBeEPNH28ZU-r5gbOCb5-9vGdSTnTwc3ymG_ZbNAEka3bSnD0K4BbcWskN6HIrDztpUzw8H5vAIdh0P0hBYNJqFg/s1600/DSC05317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSKIlHg2PSzSVxyOSwWguNnPhVC_nJSVNRBDYMmGJlkGMsiNUZwkVcBeEPNH28ZU-r5gbOCb5-9vGdSTnTwc3ymG_ZbNAEka3bSnD0K4BbcWskN6HIrDztpUzw8H5vAIdh0P0hBYNJqFg/s320/DSC05317.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh my...YUM!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrJ1mXyLnuRQn7D7xpJTxjKP632Ov1vz6bQxBjcSK1aU2KgXvGTxicO-CZ2a8wtV06Z-y89hMpDzWmqqUqyWFdCc4n_I6jwdfTgxDQnkcU-m7jfIAevBXqVV8r-69OB-UcI2XGoge3e9f/s1600/DSC05324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrJ1mXyLnuRQn7D7xpJTxjKP632Ov1vz6bQxBjcSK1aU2KgXvGTxicO-CZ2a8wtV06Z-y89hMpDzWmqqUqyWFdCc4n_I6jwdfTgxDQnkcU-m7jfIAevBXqVV8r-69OB-UcI2XGoge3e9f/s320/DSC05324.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw a few window displays, but Macy's was my favorite! It was the story of Virginia, you know, the 'Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus.' What I loved was that only a few days before our trip, I watched this exact movie on Netflix! They did a great job and it looks like the exact replica of the characters!</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, it started to DOWNPOUR rain with winds of 45 mph starting at 3:00 and it didn't stop until midnight. So we went to Macy's and then had to cancel our night in SoHo. We ended up heading back to our hotel and ordering in sushi! All in all...GREAT FIRST DAY...and it only gets better!<br />
<br />
<b>DAY 2</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphHeYvyseOz3da1qtpVPvPSH6yAf2UqkSusbubnTd2XBIAWiYslBjc8S5yoZTgC4MllstX4YryWgkSKlaRWyBhJd_3mTdl8hzDLvZfergTHF0_rvuYgxXlRJkT-EZehtqiZO9Px9Hq1aU/s1600/DSC05341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphHeYvyseOz3da1qtpVPvPSH6yAf2UqkSusbubnTd2XBIAWiYslBjc8S5yoZTgC4MllstX4YryWgkSKlaRWyBhJd_3mTdl8hzDLvZfergTHF0_rvuYgxXlRJkT-EZehtqiZO9Px9Hq1aU/s320/DSC05341.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to go in FAO Schwartz...what grown up child wouldn't?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc9SglI6IJIRcKZVsFsqoNXjK5xZHvxc3ttBOXlo37PI5N9WOlCk_L5H6AAKPQUVp9Id0xbWMZxwrW_o4XaNh2zcCQ9fmfTz5DmKbtxwDN5AdTSNKP_GO5Sq5H2lc0bi0kdlnFDUURAJy/s1600/DSC05344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc9SglI6IJIRcKZVsFsqoNXjK5xZHvxc3ttBOXlo37PI5N9WOlCk_L5H6AAKPQUVp9Id0xbWMZxwrW_o4XaNh2zcCQ9fmfTz5DmKbtxwDN5AdTSNKP_GO5Sq5H2lc0bi0kdlnFDUURAJy/s320/DSC05344.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I even got to play on the BIG piano!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2dMcIK7S7FMHjrkXUGHhFKSjW9wcsS5nVR_0ndZP7kS0JhhtZuxhdYkincOM1OQKqbi5rwco8eYfnAYtvW9mNkfU-67mTpCcaFlgv3f9dMVLtVK9CDkgkeafWPhUhfk91Po2VL5DXlu6/s1600/DSC05348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2dMcIK7S7FMHjrkXUGHhFKSjW9wcsS5nVR_0ndZP7kS0JhhtZuxhdYkincOM1OQKqbi5rwco8eYfnAYtvW9mNkfU-67mTpCcaFlgv3f9dMVLtVK9CDkgkeafWPhUhfk91Po2VL5DXlu6/s320/DSC05348.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh me and my Captain :) What an awesome toy store!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDga1IfGz6xpmO_8LXzjB5S9LrfY2kLRsciCWZxcbDBlJEhvuFmTNJP2fqlANkCtQonkA-JfwI_oMrOutS9sA_6NVNA8y2zoP1i76xKn44Gt7IoWimWx_359yz0zsksTSEdGXAk6dCCd-/s1600/DSC05351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDga1IfGz6xpmO_8LXzjB5S9LrfY2kLRsciCWZxcbDBlJEhvuFmTNJP2fqlANkCtQonkA-JfwI_oMrOutS9sA_6NVNA8y2zoP1i76xKn44Gt7IoWimWx_359yz0zsksTSEdGXAk6dCCd-/s320/DSC05351.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diamonds are a girl's best friend....</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2Yjf2mKOyRpJs6rnqCsaiLJH7OEk_YLQkMjUiwThT-U5moMiNB5cbDg0OQeLJ4qos_VvE5daLj5vFTg_xe4KFTsbD-ZudtjNDv9Tga_jUEmACtYPVDE1UbqRdesabUBAwZPnDskPHSNw/s1600/DSC05354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2Yjf2mKOyRpJs6rnqCsaiLJH7OEk_YLQkMjUiwThT-U5moMiNB5cbDg0OQeLJ4qos_VvE5daLj5vFTg_xe4KFTsbD-ZudtjNDv9Tga_jUEmACtYPVDE1UbqRdesabUBAwZPnDskPHSNw/s320/DSC05354.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew wanted to go in Trump Tower so we did and it was beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIy_92ITlxZW5hK5WwU8-E7RxnrO5z_LXv55ZeohPbQgzpLtmbjQb_0BYM6_fQitAR85Hiogj4hA7Thtg_c4zGVbUBsPSN51YX_tR7eORuX58u-Div3HT-6IF2rPg6AYteV5oapHUlK70k/s1600/DSC05356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIy_92ITlxZW5hK5WwU8-E7RxnrO5z_LXv55ZeohPbQgzpLtmbjQb_0BYM6_fQitAR85Hiogj4hA7Thtg_c4zGVbUBsPSN51YX_tR7eORuX58u-Div3HT-6IF2rPg6AYteV5oapHUlK70k/s320/DSC05356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wall had water running down it and the hole place looked like it was lined in gold...it was heavenly :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vUGNB15dY_maJB47Hxe01ygo9IF2hmalRdfsHZ9IwBGhjK0IuLsVqFOOwbEQ7kwQ8GO2NvnQjFk3lecQoJBUQTRTcjwIQrPTt1XwvK-tF_H3ny446rY_ExLKBZxHmMk0QPIZ12B8G5Hf/s1600/DSC05362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vUGNB15dY_maJB47Hxe01ygo9IF2hmalRdfsHZ9IwBGhjK0IuLsVqFOOwbEQ7kwQ8GO2NvnQjFk3lecQoJBUQTRTcjwIQrPTt1XwvK-tF_H3ny446rY_ExLKBZxHmMk0QPIZ12B8G5Hf/s320/DSC05362.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Patrick's Cathedral...it was HUGE inside and just beautiful. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFlKBLyJ8OhNjZXykGlAXx62QaByqUjB8bh1qUforhC5ZYWTmJpGwi44h6X2_cSTOIjTaSaCJwIxoS1SPQNFDVS3IZpf6bWGJjo-piT0W53bZ_SJR2kjuGJFoYz3hTdkYpg9RCSa6G_rn/s1600/DSC05380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFlKBLyJ8OhNjZXykGlAXx62QaByqUjB8bh1qUforhC5ZYWTmJpGwi44h6X2_cSTOIjTaSaCJwIxoS1SPQNFDVS3IZpf6bWGJjo-piT0W53bZ_SJR2kjuGJFoYz3hTdkYpg9RCSa6G_rn/s320/DSC05380.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WE MADE IT!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAwXaL6XRy0dmMlh1Nzb1w945JvGzLSCiPcc4PNifAHBPntAS1T5q6WZASLkQ4cbIl3M3KKoGMNXziDgSkHqpZCGbJslq1l5vvHLemlU7Y3SNpBY0vSr2SM6FtP4bd1KomFeZ0fGMK_gE/s1600/DSC05381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAwXaL6XRy0dmMlh1Nzb1w945JvGzLSCiPcc4PNifAHBPntAS1T5q6WZASLkQ4cbIl3M3KKoGMNXziDgSkHqpZCGbJslq1l5vvHLemlU7Y3SNpBY0vSr2SM6FtP4bd1KomFeZ0fGMK_gE/s320/DSC05381.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BIG TREE at Rockefeller Center! I can mark this off my Bucket List now :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3UfTIOiHVjPo34JW5lAXfAgZQeXAi8Lx4dKuo1uKCnlnz9IkFLpQh67o-aATKXFD9CeMz_HfcibUfhM-yKY6ltf_xB6Cd99l7v9IWq-1uXKZP7XPq-V_Dq5gfL45XNZ3-urO2qUFb6_W/s1600/DSC05383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3UfTIOiHVjPo34JW5lAXfAgZQeXAi8Lx4dKuo1uKCnlnz9IkFLpQh67o-aATKXFD9CeMz_HfcibUfhM-yKY6ltf_xB6Cd99l7v9IWq-1uXKZP7XPq-V_Dq5gfL45XNZ3-urO2qUFb6_W/s320/DSC05383.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 Rock = BIG!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpGbkDsgKyv_nqOCPFallYs3eeDwnCP9TRLg1oDPMvyLsYwxWELH5fybdfbjyG1YIPJCdFLBLIEgnNMgOPkzQwzRwIbsWlYcFGxCApEsQ9agtdiTiHR1NKJWU2Bp0R3yYCTqURiWSPRLz/s1600/DSC05384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpGbkDsgKyv_nqOCPFallYs3eeDwnCP9TRLg1oDPMvyLsYwxWELH5fybdfbjyG1YIPJCdFLBLIEgnNMgOPkzQwzRwIbsWlYcFGxCApEsQ9agtdiTiHR1NKJWU2Bp0R3yYCTqURiWSPRLz/s320/DSC05384.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where they tape the TODAY show. Somehow I just couldn't convince Andrew to see Hoda and Kathy Lee ;) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSRXTxSn-bPbfTKZ0hdiOI8lMWAINK8dhOB3QVn7BNmaVLhfKsMhHX-ZO62XVJftsQdlCaZ1JAQxo7cf-3eBEZYnj8apgNvgvDENhDvQeuINE4x0ECYXlptnR2sidymKojwXa8w3mc1DP/s1600/DSC05392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSRXTxSn-bPbfTKZ0hdiOI8lMWAINK8dhOB3QVn7BNmaVLhfKsMhHX-ZO62XVJftsQdlCaZ1JAQxo7cf-3eBEZYnj8apgNvgvDENhDvQeuINE4x0ECYXlptnR2sidymKojwXa8w3mc1DP/s320/DSC05392.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I had to Andrew ;)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWZcMfGfNuu731ONJOKRRpSYPNbvhAtBhr555IcRNjM0uCC4Hlacf46OqM6JcA5Nu958HovGBwq2BVQcaidaozgsKIV0Xx48AkQ1PhLsfC6Vk9GuHAyiCi9GeoSsoFnikjWg5IenAXahb/s1600/DSC05401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWZcMfGfNuu731ONJOKRRpSYPNbvhAtBhr555IcRNjM0uCC4Hlacf46OqM6JcA5Nu958HovGBwq2BVQcaidaozgsKIV0Xx48AkQ1PhLsfC6Vk9GuHAyiCi9GeoSsoFnikjWg5IenAXahb/s320/DSC05401.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVtKm7qCuAyi4wiyWs5NKvIxf_l-QSOKbeLfh0NoHEeaEotaRP69A20K2d-metxBCf3a2teV-FKrBL4q9s2tMuXCGRDoA8Gkvy_7yF_YzMCXtoPy8UqTaYra6R2n38P2Y48vlcLc8zTuT/s1600/DSC05409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVtKm7qCuAyi4wiyWs5NKvIxf_l-QSOKbeLfh0NoHEeaEotaRP69A20K2d-metxBCf3a2teV-FKrBL4q9s2tMuXCGRDoA8Gkvy_7yF_YzMCXtoPy8UqTaYra6R2n38P2Y48vlcLc8zTuT/s320/DSC05409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did an NBC Studio Tour and although we couldn't take pictures, we were able to see the Dr. Oz set, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon set, and the Saturday Night Live set! Awesome!!!! So here's the story...for almost 2 months I called everyday for Jimmy Fallon tickets. They only booked a month in advanced and I wanted to make sure I got tickets. So as Nov. 28 get closer and closer, I kept calling and getting the same recording...'We are booked up until Dec. 23, please call back for future tickets.' So I finally called the operator after hearing that for 3 days straight. And of course, what do I hear when I ask if they are taping on Wed, December 28, I hear 'Oh I'm sorry, everyone is on vacation the week after Christmas.' NOOOOO! So after my devastating, almost crying moment, Andrew encouraged me by saying he likes Conan O'Brian better...so we just have to go to California next to watch him instead! Cali...here we come!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Central...another WOW moment!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT2dBZUac5QaDh5wGETTk1ghaQJ7GWV3PMVUnl2GkGjuKEAHF9RL_yiCwN_UbL9WK4dE31sk49mbWrypEuIW5MQvHyO13IOogCqPrNp-MoP7PyYIVjnYodbov1Wll6v5n7Xxp6Nk9hGWk/s1600/DSC05438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFT2dBZUac5QaDh5wGETTk1ghaQJ7GWV3PMVUnl2GkGjuKEAHF9RL_yiCwN_UbL9WK4dE31sk49mbWrypEuIW5MQvHyO13IOogCqPrNp-MoP7PyYIVjnYodbov1Wll6v5n7Xxp6Nk9hGWk/s320/DSC05438.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tree at night! This was the BUSIEST place in the entire world I think! Can you tell I'm just a BIT happy :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9A1EkzoqKPwJuqkewbVV2WAm-I48xoO-mjdYgEsFYEqWC_RtHXwcOnTQTq5fwgFBcPOaS8kH-kCdGf0j7qEYCEubYXvi3WjvUJ5MMMWU7Zmc3Qjtx7DgTCuQ4UVEPvsWTAQ312rkIQ_ft/s1600/DSC05441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9A1EkzoqKPwJuqkewbVV2WAm-I48xoO-mjdYgEsFYEqWC_RtHXwcOnTQTq5fwgFBcPOaS8kH-kCdGf0j7qEYCEubYXvi3WjvUJ5MMMWU7Zmc3Qjtx7DgTCuQ4UVEPvsWTAQ312rkIQ_ft/s320/DSC05441.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We then went to the Top of the Rock and was able to see Manhattan from WAY up high. Our plans kinda got screwed up when I thought our vouchers were our tickets to this, so we didn't get to see it at sunset like I'd hoped and had to save ice skating for the next day. But it turned out great!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR2JggPEZwRG99YMjUBLil12AXuD3vI9X6y0FUHCNHLCiHuhflmxPA5gHxy2327Huo9sAVg48UjFF-M03EB1O0me55xQ5wpz6RJeWx-kqROPgrANi90pg2OTejuRf4yl1Ee4BXgubaXwX/s1600/DSC05445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR2JggPEZwRG99YMjUBLil12AXuD3vI9X6y0FUHCNHLCiHuhflmxPA5gHxy2327Huo9sAVg48UjFF-M03EB1O0me55xQ5wpz6RJeWx-kqROPgrANi90pg2OTejuRf4yl1Ee4BXgubaXwX/s320/DSC05445.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That dark spot in the middle is Central Park. We went to BLT Steak for dinner, the head chef is the winner of the TV show<i> Hell's Kitchen</i>. Andrew and I have always wanted to eat at the real Hell's Kitchen (and hey, we may just get to in California), but this was good enough! The steak was GOOOOOOOD! </td></tr>
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<b>DAY 3</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafYbUnvGQxnqNL63D4d-pdzqG8pM12rWPPuyOF0yMc_hZzgHdOzGhDD5G0LTL9-HtlpZBaiyzxWlnr61kQdmL17H2pS4oE8EPy-SJ2VXEHLJC4o0lJxX94QLaCASpAtg4iEG2PptWCv1r/s1600/DSC05456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafYbUnvGQxnqNL63D4d-pdzqG8pM12rWPPuyOF0yMc_hZzgHdOzGhDD5G0LTL9-HtlpZBaiyzxWlnr61kQdmL17H2pS4oE8EPy-SJ2VXEHLJC4o0lJxX94QLaCASpAtg4iEG2PptWCv1r/s320/DSC05456.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice skating at Rockefeller Center!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorWl88rLd6tjH8CcpLLsug6qiVGsTaOwFP9pPAMdgf_1VsrE7CZce3tfh5dwtxmywrb_2RaqWjdhmEZMDvEe9h5DDH5Cql9dWcSfrNQIRXxpSDnyXdCGPc1_ZOxdnQXa2hOtc31x8GBNx/s1600/DSC05488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorWl88rLd6tjH8CcpLLsug6qiVGsTaOwFP9pPAMdgf_1VsrE7CZce3tfh5dwtxmywrb_2RaqWjdhmEZMDvEe9h5DDH5Cql9dWcSfrNQIRXxpSDnyXdCGPc1_ZOxdnQXa2hOtc31x8GBNx/s320/DSC05488.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading into Central Park!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJ84qUegZXfHgM66OX85UmfjXP9GVUVip8ibbL3lIRwPP9LwGkg85EMQPRrCP9O5rMiA12eB_5Q4T0utpVxO_qCB5dtLHfDo7ginsf9fR2MpF-4H9ilV1-O_YKeyjRJqRB-W1w3jo9MwR/s1600/DSC05494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJ84qUegZXfHgM66OX85UmfjXP9GVUVip8ibbL3lIRwPP9LwGkg85EMQPRrCP9O5rMiA12eB_5Q4T0utpVxO_qCB5dtLHfDo7ginsf9fR2MpF-4H9ilV1-O_YKeyjRJqRB-W1w3jo9MwR/s320/DSC05494.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bethesda Fountain! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUGGLKSww6RwUibBT4JpazsSD9pqUotW_zw-E7ycas488XEc0e0kvzzkrl0Gw2jn48TI26jv95xLQw42VrT7BHoG3LgAKCSlxTMdWf3g17VWgt0goxNMOZwXqGQF2hKHVVjv2rNhLqYw1/s1600/DSC05511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUGGLKSww6RwUibBT4JpazsSD9pqUotW_zw-E7ycas488XEc0e0kvzzkrl0Gw2jn48TI26jv95xLQw42VrT7BHoG3LgAKCSlxTMdWf3g17VWgt0goxNMOZwXqGQF2hKHVVjv2rNhLqYw1/s320/DSC05511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-IzawaARwOYpEjKypQmqQVUHgEiCCgR8AqphEaYR6QtnvPdmZhQ1ToDABre8RjhvXPGkwgJrjuneJfTHwf6rocmKSoIbOWxdi-K1Iy9NGtwGGkZGZZ8UkmqAO6uYKoraZO-Qg1ILA1rD/s1600/DSC05515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-IzawaARwOYpEjKypQmqQVUHgEiCCgR8AqphEaYR6QtnvPdmZhQ1ToDABre8RjhvXPGkwgJrjuneJfTHwf6rocmKSoIbOWxdi-K1Iy9NGtwGGkZGZZ8UkmqAO6uYKoraZO-Qg1ILA1rD/s320/DSC05515.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBcG3zXNM-GOk-o6EhnRKe0BugQOgvPsn0yF8BDU-f3dr7CekkzPQgDOOkRL6R1O6ol4uFTQo2Yzyk8-Cu__c_FIUqFviL_w0yGRuzj26qTd9EMKvpFH-ldozyu_x2X5S_uIdncBld9AA/s1600/DSC05521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBcG3zXNM-GOk-o6EhnRKe0BugQOgvPsn0yF8BDU-f3dr7CekkzPQgDOOkRL6R1O6ol4uFTQo2Yzyk8-Cu__c_FIUqFviL_w0yGRuzj26qTd9EMKvpFH-ldozyu_x2X5S_uIdncBld9AA/s320/DSC05521.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I called Andrew the bird lady from Home Alone for feeding the birds :)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchCEy1IuHknwp9vmLT5naOjQqlErUj1NM6Uc4PoHaLDhnteE79liGPwzzVIwgBCmxrQL2b7bqN69mWiDiMn2EXk5b1prwsaDGn5o66MUfuC5hxqTEiy5zVk493w08H8eRVqMOBKve9dXn/s1600/DSC05530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchCEy1IuHknwp9vmLT5naOjQqlErUj1NM6Uc4PoHaLDhnteE79liGPwzzVIwgBCmxrQL2b7bqN69mWiDiMn2EXk5b1prwsaDGn5o66MUfuC5hxqTEiy5zVk493w08H8eRVqMOBKve9dXn/s320/DSC05530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmdFcqwfOlIUuXjJNvGxoMqXEx_sUFkl6ihN4nU-hZOsf_IHwT9KjKyDRcAsD_cBdcoo3BjkmGG_j_EKwEe8VFRv078azEcJ3pjW3X0ZswVlsS3xc1gJD5hn9wN_fpawi42nP1o9bLRVW/s1600/DSC05538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmdFcqwfOlIUuXjJNvGxoMqXEx_sUFkl6ihN4nU-hZOsf_IHwT9KjKyDRcAsD_cBdcoo3BjkmGG_j_EKwEe8VFRv078azEcJ3pjW3X0ZswVlsS3xc1gJD5hn9wN_fpawi42nP1o9bLRVW/s320/DSC05538.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central Park is just breathtaking. I loved it! And I would definitely ice skate here next time! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXzPJ-3E5pD5G-_oi1fdwEPMmwbK3N6id5YEZ7pv5WDSEbNq9oeUDWZ0Yp2EzKkTexavGVN3Ui8UJeGgRhokCagX5oSVuWMbyVKaZs69IF_kOYaWWo-p8ssP7gprWiQyiMhSIV-t4jdg2/s1600/DSC05540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXzPJ-3E5pD5G-_oi1fdwEPMmwbK3N6id5YEZ7pv5WDSEbNq9oeUDWZ0Yp2EzKkTexavGVN3Ui8UJeGgRhokCagX5oSVuWMbyVKaZs69IF_kOYaWWo-p8ssP7gprWiQyiMhSIV-t4jdg2/s320/DSC05540.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading over the bridge, The Plaza Hotel is in the background.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLDh1I0UTYJHGT3FYE2sAunueD7SpC0i8naYgYRbc-0zK-gKzKKu7jHQhgCxvW_5W-638c4N087FHvU1Uq9MtXmxuRjBOPuXLbnCpulGvqHAwn6AMlLac3coHVY_BL0Z13FrSSrOQWEk4/s1600/DSC05339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLDh1I0UTYJHGT3FYE2sAunueD7SpC0i8naYgYRbc-0zK-gKzKKu7jHQhgCxvW_5W-638c4N087FHvU1Uq9MtXmxuRjBOPuXLbnCpulGvqHAwn6AMlLac3coHVY_BL0Z13FrSSrOQWEk4/s320/DSC05339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI4P7yHAiBsJXYgZh3dSOkYfq0QHpH_BktJ8MiRL0UQ-GjxgiHOUB1DKPzNJbccl4DVL9MdXiFyBScKPN8r3vNjasSvjC0HBg9oUjh0TShSVUkVxyzhVu_uT6rCUotJGbfhOrWCBHgN6y/s1600/DSC05571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI4P7yHAiBsJXYgZh3dSOkYfq0QHpH_BktJ8MiRL0UQ-GjxgiHOUB1DKPzNJbccl4DVL9MdXiFyBScKPN8r3vNjasSvjC0HBg9oUjh0TShSVUkVxyzhVu_uT6rCUotJGbfhOrWCBHgN6y/s320/DSC05571.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TIMES SQUARE! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1ZaOoRPoh9uiWJdrUQLsjAOvahWqIfb0TLgbZ9tbIS-nVbKW51JTzQnh-qmKAJRvZ11biEuSYNOyFOC1WfoYMjFmCrE-Tyy9NzlwPoLOJlEQiRWYNf8tXcGuCtkvFUp353-Ihef6Flzf/s1600/DSC05554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1ZaOoRPoh9uiWJdrUQLsjAOvahWqIfb0TLgbZ9tbIS-nVbKW51JTzQnh-qmKAJRvZ11biEuSYNOyFOC1WfoYMjFmCrE-Tyy9NzlwPoLOJlEQiRWYNf8tXcGuCtkvFUp353-Ihef6Flzf/s320/DSC05554.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And something really cool happened! As we were walking down Times Square, we started to notice that the ball was dropping! They did the practice round and we got to see the ball drop and change all different colors! I'll take that over standing for 12 hours :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHXkLtKoVjm5h7XPLrTHIBAM0R_YBZskERC-e0njg2LEaU9OYsgETXVdpgDNzVd9f_nxQltM7752FM-JC0ZinVKu2guUBQRY5acxIVyN79GiorCofAfVs4OK6S_OKHhF34mI7HB5U8kj0/s1600/DSC05590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHXkLtKoVjm5h7XPLrTHIBAM0R_YBZskERC-e0njg2LEaU9OYsgETXVdpgDNzVd9f_nxQltM7752FM-JC0ZinVKu2guUBQRY5acxIVyN79GiorCofAfVs4OK6S_OKHhF34mI7HB5U8kj0/s320/DSC05590.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We then ate a place called 'The View Restaurant and Lounge'. The restaurant rotated 360 degrees every hour so we were able to see different views of New York City. And I had Scallop Lemon Risotto! Checking off another thing from my Bucket List :) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTgeJ9-HdZjBYz2HelZTz0RFfj9zNLSibWfWWxnpYBx-0W0t1PJpt-Do4ykTE7HO5sdu0X9DSBebgJ7RsHPizAyffX5offZwCd0wzfOTB3I9oQBRqhDIyBS8pWRfTocSx3BRNcfTUXtWg/s1600/DSC05591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTgeJ9-HdZjBYz2HelZTz0RFfj9zNLSibWfWWxnpYBx-0W0t1PJpt-Do4ykTE7HO5sdu0X9DSBebgJ7RsHPizAyffX5offZwCd0wzfOTB3I9oQBRqhDIyBS8pWRfTocSx3BRNcfTUXtWg/s320/DSC05591.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going to...YES, a Broadway show! Andrew let me go! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9To3sU5J732pPrM9G4VqWhP69ypytSSH0GFU28apdyPxUJUj2s-N1z38jDQ2jswelrJIy-oIPL0QVgoPY13ftMxqdJ_N2ho_eCrvgU5cUdR4JMY0km8aOMcVydJlgLJ1JoomuyFfw-Oa/s1600/DSC05596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9To3sU5J732pPrM9G4VqWhP69ypytSSH0GFU28apdyPxUJUj2s-N1z38jDQ2jswelrJIy-oIPL0QVgoPY13ftMxqdJ_N2ho_eCrvgU5cUdR4JMY0km8aOMcVydJlgLJ1JoomuyFfw-Oa/s320/DSC05596.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And my last picture of NYC...what a trip!<br />
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So as you can see, I kept us very busy and 3 months of planning was very much worth it (as well as 500 pictures, so these are just a few ;) The thing is, I loved planning out this trip! Andrew was willing to do everything I had my heart set on doing (besides a few things...but that just gives me a reason to come back again with my mom!) I told Andrew that if we pulled this trip off, I was going to be pretty darn proud of myself. I have never planned a trip like this before, to one of the biggest cities in the world (taxis, subways, and tall buildings were a foreign subject to me). So I was scared. But you know what, some of the scariest things I do in my life, the things that have my stomach in knots, end up being the things that I love doing!<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">New York City was a goal that I have had for a long time, and you know what, it wasn't coming to me, so I had to go to it. And no one was going to do it for me, so I had to. But what was more satisfying to my surprise was not making it to see that great big Christmas tree, but that I fulfilled such a big goal. </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">So this year, I challenge you...pick a goal and fulfill it. For me, I want to do the things that I have only thought about doing. God willing, in 2012, I'm going to let my creative side come out again. :) God gave me some gifts in my life, and I'm ready to sharpen them up a bit. I have a couple pieces of piano music I got a few years back, and played them only so so. I memorize music better than I read it, and always stumbled my way through it, so I never got really got good at it. But my hope is to change that. I'm going to take some lessons again from a very good friend and fulfill that goal! I'm also going to paint again...you can see it on my dining room wall this spring! You see, on my bucket list, I wanted to frame my own artwork and display it in my house. I'm going to get that done this year. I also want to do one more thing before 2012 ends. I'm going to do Encore Theater again. I haven't been on a stage since high school, but I'm going to do it again! Letting my creative side out again this year is my plan! I'm still taking Graduate classes at University of Dayton, and still building my relationship with the only one who can truly make me happy and </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">fulfilled in this life</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">, my Jesus :) Oh and yes, going to doctor's appointments are something that I can't quite avoid yet, so I do have a </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">neurologist</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> appointment in two weeks, and my 4 month cancer appointments in 4 weeks. Wow, time is flying! I better get busy on this list :)</span></div>
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<br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-34547165577249320822011-12-13T17:43:00.000-05:002011-12-31T16:24:09.441-05:002011 Christmas Card Poem!I know this is a week late, but my picture is why :) If you remember, I used a picture from the internet of Rockefeller Center last year on my blog as the Christmas picture. Well, here's my picture this year...only I took it :) Stay tuned for more pictures of my adventure to New York City!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TACDnHCS0ynb8SihwJkhNlTr-FDKO5bLRFBHsJQSvRVo8nB7bK9IzOQHg94I8MO8iZrqi1fKbp0eCg1YGQlIpCij24E8KtqWvamZDjpUr5mx9_UBWjS3uwkrM_Bz3OD3Vjtgqbg42TfG/s1600/DSC05452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TACDnHCS0ynb8SihwJkhNlTr-FDKO5bLRFBHsJQSvRVo8nB7bK9IzOQHg94I8MO8iZrqi1fKbp0eCg1YGQlIpCij24E8KtqWvamZDjpUr5mx9_UBWjS3uwkrM_Bz3OD3Vjtgqbg42TfG/s320/DSC05452.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>2011 Wrap Up Poem!</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The year started out, with radiation everyday. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>It got old pretty fast, but I knew it would go away.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>I drank my Ensure, cause that’s all that went down.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>And put on my lotion, until the last round.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>It was all over soon, and I waited for THE word.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>But only ‘disease free’, that was all that I heard.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>I stayed busy until then, with work and my health.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>A flooded basement nightmare, a new necklace for myself.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>My port came out in March, and it was good for a day.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>But nerve pain set me back, in the worst kind of pain.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>After doctors and scans, I was ready to be done.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>But back to my neurologist in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Columbus I went</st1:city></st1:place>, who said I was a ‘rare one’.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>A surprise party in May, made my celebration of Life
complete.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>I finally heard Remission…it’s cancer I beat!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>With hair growing back, back to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Iowa</st1:state></st1:place> I went,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Remembering my diagnosis, what a time that meant.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Summer started with Relay for Life, an event I’ll never forget.</i></div>
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<i>Dedicated to ‘the club’, it’s something I’ll never regret!</i></div>
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<i>I then went to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marblehead</st1:place></st1:city>,
with a broken leg too.</i></div>
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<i>And then off to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state>,
my Pursuit isn’t through…</i></div>
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<i>My summer not over, a new motorcycle was bought!</i></div>
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<i>Some camping, some boating, more lessons were taught. </i></div>
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<i>And then a final trip, to <st1:place w:st="on">New England</st1:place>
none the less.</i></div>
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<i>A road trip that ended, with a <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state> trip for Christmas!</i></div>
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<i>My fall was awesome, a hot air balloon ride and all.</i></div>
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<i>I even RAN a 5K, something to me that wasn’t so small.</i></div>
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<i>We had a Halloween party, with the family all there</i></div>
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<i>And a Thanksgiving with games, a special prayer unshared. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Andrew stayed busy too, with the fire department and crew.</i></div>
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<i>He hunted and fished, and took care of me too.</i></div>
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<i>He installed all new white doors and the whole house with white trim,</i></div>
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<i>When Yuengling hit Ohio, his face had a grin. :)</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>My year has flown by, and I mean that for sure.</i></div>
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<i>I’m still in remission, awaiting THE cure.</i></div>
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<i>But as I wait, and my bucket list gets smaller </i></div>
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<i>I give thanks to my God, for every day and for each new hour.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>This next year my goal, is to live out more dreams</i></div>
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<i>It gives Life more purpose, and fulfillment it seems.</i></div>
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<i>So I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.</i></div>
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<i>Give your loved ones a hug, and don’t forget to ‘cheers!’ </i></div>
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<b><i>Cheers to 2012 everyone!</i></b></div>
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-67167052441197780012011-12-13T17:36:00.002-05:002011-12-14T21:18:37.166-05:00The Pursuit: The Laura after Cancer update!Sorry for my lack of blog posts for those of you that are still keeping up with my <i>Pursuit: Laura after Cancer.</i>..actually, this whole <i>Laura after Cancer</i> should be changed...it should be <i>Laura in Remission</i>. I'm not really done with cancer, I'm still getting checked every 4 months and think about it almost daily...but it's better than every 5 minutes like it used to be though! Maybe after I hear the word 'cured' in 5 years...then I'll be the <i>Laura after Cancer</i>. I think <i>My Pursuit: Laura in Remission </i>sounds better for right now :) Wow, I just realized how much of a hold the word 'cancer' still has on me...I'm gonna try working on that for 2012. I think I just hear stories about people who relapse more than staying in remission...those are the stories that make the news ya know? I don't want to go through my life without any trials, because I learn from them. However, this time around...I'd certainly like to remain on the survivors team :) Uugh...on to better topics...that's just depressing!<br />
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With my graduate classes and teaching life, I feel like my writing and creative thoughts have been squeezed out to the last drop. I finished up my VERY FIRST graduate class with an A and that load has been lifted off of me (at least for the next few weeks until next semester). Also, I am so happy that my hair is growing out to the point where it's not a<i> pixie cut</i> anymore...I'm moving into the <i>longer than short</i> phase...and LOVING it! The <i>in-between</i> was driving me crazy! I'm feeling pretty good lately. I have a feeling my lungs will never be what they used to be, but Andrew says I need to exercise more to keep them in shape. I haven't been running like I did in the fall, and I can tell. That 5K was so motivating and I felt so good that<b> I</b> accomplished something. Same thing with grad school. It is me who is accomplishing it and it just feels good. <br />
I have been trying this whole frozen meal thing too...and for me its working! For some reason, cooking just doesn't come naturally to me, and I so wish it did because I love to eat and so does my husband! ;) So I borrowed a book from my mother in law and in one day I made 15 meals in 6 hours and froze them. It has saved us money and time, and my marriage! ;) My history of cooking was a bit different than Andrew's growing up...Hamburger Helper was really more like Hamburger Savior for us! I'm way excited to try this again in January when my meals are up...and even have some friends who are joining me this time around!<br />
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Let's see, what else is new...oh my GORGEOUS house! My amazing husband has been working hard making our house the home we dreamed of (at least for this time in our lives...the country is where our hearts are (with my walk in closet too :). We now have ALL white trim and new white doors in the WHOLE house. This was a TON of sanding and painting, and he even put in new crown moulding in the dining room. It looks SO nice! He's now on to remodeling the master bathroom, trimming up some windows (so we can get rid of our 'temporary curtains' that have been up for 2 years!), and then the big remodeling of the basement. I am so proud of him! <br />
Here is a look at just one room out of the six... <br />
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Dining room before...<br />
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and after!</div>
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I have a project that I am putting on the other wall in this dining room...remember my framed art work on my bucket list...well, that is my winter project :)<br />
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Christmas break is coming up very soon for me. It's good because I'm coming home from work drained in every way and I'm ready for a break. But only for a few days because our trip to New York City is SOOOO right around the corner. With Christmas this year I am fulfilling another item that I put on my bucket list last year...to see Rockefeller Center at Christmas...I am happier than you can possibly know that this is coming true for little girl who grew up in Lima, Ohio. I am living my dreams and I am so happy to finally be able to have the courage to DO it!<br />
Once again, I can see God working in my life by stirring up my heart and showing me He hasn't forgotten me by answering prayers. I feel like something big is going to happen in 2012 and I'm excited to see where Life takes me! Oh, and I will have my 2011 Christmas Card on here soon too...so be looking because it's a little different this year.... ;)Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-88948770635761423162011-11-24T21:00:00.001-05:002011-11-24T21:49:53.510-05:00A Truly Thankful Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Thanksgiving 2011</div>
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Last year's Thanksgiving 2010<br />
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My, oh my, how a year can change...<br />
Just looking back on this photo gives me chills. I look so sick, and I don't think at that time I really realized how sick I was. The biggest difference this year at Thanksgiving is that I lost my hat and gained some hair...and maybe another sister one day ;) <br />
I know everyone has said what they are thankful for. And I know that a lot of things that I am thankful for are the same as yours too. But sometimes I think you don't really know what to be truly thankful for until it is lost. Only then do you see the value and truly appreciate it. This year, I knew I would be thankful for something that I have taken for granted and I know many of you have too. But I am so thankful for my health. I am so thankful that my white blood cells have started to act right again and not produce anymore cancer cells. I am so thankful that I have the chance again to live a healthy life, to fulfill my dreams, to have children, and love more deeply. I am so thankful that there was a medicine to get rid of my cancer and hopefully keep it away so that I can have a long, long life. But even though I am thankful for my health, I am also thankful that God has given me trials in my life, so that I truly know the meaning of the word thanks. <br />
Beyond just my new health though...<br />
I am thankful for my husband who tells me that I am beautiful...even during the rough days last year.<br />
I am thankful for my sisters (and you too Buddy). They are my best friends and I am SO thankful that we live just a short car drive away.<br />
I am thankful for my parents and their incredible example of love for their children.<br />
I am thankful for the ability to live a comfortable life style...having clothes to wear and a washer and dryer to clean them in...food to eat at my convenience...and a house to live in that has heat when it's cold and air conditioning when its hot...how often we can forget how lucky we are to live such a comfortable lifestyle.<br />
I feel like I could keep going like a child on Thanksgiving about how I'm thankful for my dear friends, and music, and books, and Oreos, and my pets...but above all else, I am so deeply thankful for my relationship with God. He keeps me grounded and keeps me pursuing Him. I am thankful for the cross so that one day when my life on earth is done, I can be more alive than ever in His kingdom up above. I feel truly blessed to have the life that I do, and I press on daily to live out the life I was called to live. I feel challenged everyday, but that comes with the territory when I ask God to push me beyond what I think I'm capable of. My biggest challenge this year is to take on the challenges that God keeps giving me...I know only then will I be content, and possibly more thankful than I can even imagine! <br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-45015165968374470882011-11-06T19:19:00.009-05:002011-11-06T22:48:58.792-05:00Halloween Party!<div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTY7nNxxIbOTW30TNX4oiCa1Y72AdESU4ZjItI3hMecgrnJxpC0MMNZmrH4q2-80WmRE-r7bLrZuunCM5-8dvwkvqW-39AzyLGIXACAm6ywB2FPIKukW0UHkO3tj4CsMC9Lgo_2ik99-d/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672064638621449058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTY7nNxxIbOTW30TNX4oiCa1Y72AdESU4ZjItI3hMecgrnJxpC0MMNZmrH4q2-80WmRE-r7bLrZuunCM5-8dvwkvqW-39AzyLGIXACAm6ywB2FPIKukW0UHkO3tj4CsMC9Lgo_2ik99-d/s320/IMG_0131.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3pWXRc6SnUHIcOS6fo_luNoEFj9Xbv32Ko2o0TWGACaoNNBtgoPYriecMA9lFz4YxeNUEA52o6XnpbClj8jsOR7fy7eRBbM2iCK2s6hefZH2ctlWUZgFQ4glKA3ezq5wAclsEvyZ_1-u/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 229px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672064486378752770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3pWXRc6SnUHIcOS6fo_luNoEFj9Xbv32Ko2o0TWGACaoNNBtgoPYriecMA9lFz4YxeNUEA52o6XnpbClj8jsOR7fy7eRBbM2iCK2s6hefZH2ctlWUZgFQ4glKA3ezq5wAclsEvyZ_1-u/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" /></a>So after last years Halloween when I dressed up as an old man, I said that I was going to have a family Halloween party where everyone had to dress up...well, with the help of my sister, we did it! Before Sarah's party, my whole immediate family came (Andrew was late because he had to take his mom to the hospital) and we laughed during family games and the kids had a blast! My parents came as crayons, the Hefts were a family of gnomes, Scott and Suzy were the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood (can you see his wolf mask in the back?!), Sarah was a nurse and Billy was Shawn from Shawn of the Dead, the kids were a Transformer, Harry Potter, a cheerleader, and Andrew and I were Craig and Ariana (the Spartan Cheerleaders from SNL! We even played the part and did some cheers!) I should be writing my two papers tonight, but instead I thought I'd give you an update on the Life of Laura. :) </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div>I still have a cough that for some reason won't go away, but I'm pretty much 'dried up' for the most part. My family doc said that the hernia should be fine until it starts to bother me, and I get my blood drawn this week to check my white blood cell count again. I've had to wait because I've been sick for so long. Believe it or not, I'm STILL waiting on my TENS UNIT (I will not go to this place anymore, that's for sure!) but meanwhile I've been getting my back pain relief from massages or the chiropractor. My lungs have been treating me better since my inhaler, and cancer is becoming a distant memory. November 4 was a year since I've had a chemo treatment...crazy how time flies. </div><div>I've been feeling good lately, the things that are getting me down are the normal things that get everyone down...the stresses of life. But I've learned that without suffering there would be no compassion. Lots of people are going through so much suffering, and showing just a little bit of compassion can go such a long way. Lots of people are on my prayer list this week who are in the hospital...for my mother in law who just spent a week in the hospital (scary for a little bit, but had surgery and will be just fine), for my cousin in law who is in the hospital until she delivers her baby girl (she's only 25 weeks and having complications), for a coworker whos husband has been in for way to long and for my friends who are suffering loss. Lots of prayer time is being filled up this week with people I care about. Which makes me want to thank you all so much again for your prayers for me when I was so sick. You are a huge reason that I came out on top. Thank you for showing me such compassion through my suffering! </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>On to happier things though! My grad class will be wrapping up soon and this class has certainly challenged me in wondering what I want to do for the rest of my life. My plans for NYC this Christmas is starting to seriously come together...I am more excited than you can imagine! My Monday nights are filled with the Sing-Off with my sis...which reminds me! I think I may try out for a part this year at the Encore Theater! I miss acting and singing and haven't done it since high school! I'm trying to fill up my time with everything that I want to do before children...I'm hoping next year is my year, but we will see! And work, I have been more challenged (and stressed!) this year at work, but Friday I was reminded about why I do this job. If you know any teachers out there, tell them that they are doing a good job, they need to hear it way more than what they do! And vote NO on Issue 2 ;) I'm reminded of my many blessing in life, each night I come home to MY house, cook dinner in MY kitchen, and take a bath in MY bathtub. I have worked hard to have these things in my life. But something I've worked even harder for is MY marriage. I have been so blessed to find a man that loves me for me. The ups and downs. The fact that I get to come home to MY husband reminds me that I have achieved something even far greater than owning a house or having a job...I have received unconditional love from both him and God. And for that, I am surely blessed. What are your blessings? </div><div> </div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672064820676298066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc9tvD1e0p_nvVXYw0pirTwXzG9mP4jnSB5fwy7L3VJSXYS0HaaXUmDcQGd7iijlk2drQpB-hh-m3Yj95l3Vh1s8f5TzxVdjgqgR00NDNuTfTopz80Ym1W8AyNIkuFCy-D5eH-oDvXeuS/s320/IMG_0130.JPG" /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-89467709777537606202011-10-24T14:38:00.018-04:002011-10-25T22:06:02.347-04:006 days and counting...<div><div><div>So this is what happens when you start yoga...you get sick! JK :) I have had this cold/flu now for six days and its driving me crazy! It's weird for me because usually my health issues are off the wall things, but this common cold hit hard core! I actually had to take off school for it and that was weird. Usually the times I have to take off work is because of all my doctor appointments, this time I just didn't have the energy to work. My energy level just stinks at the moment. And I know that energy is everything, especially as a teacher. The energy that you bring into a room can change the whole attitude of the room. So once I'm better and back to Laura, I'm really going to try to be aware of the energy that I bring into a room, not just the classroom, but any room I enter. There is a lot of negative energy out there and we do not need to be around it! I know with my stress level lately and being sick, I have not helped the positive energy cause :) Hopefully, I'll be back on track soon!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been having a lot of prayer time with God lately. Lots of people around me needed it, including me. And I'm learning while I reread The Prayer of Jabez, that it is more than okay to pray for yourself too. So I wanted to share something awesome. I prayed for God to show me a sign about something in my life, and the next day a woman said exactly what I needed to hear. It was pretty awesome and a moment where I just stopped and recognized that it was an answer to a prayer and even told her that God just totally worked! So don't just ask for a prayer to be answered, be aware and watch it be answered. It may not be the answer you were looking for or it may not happen right away, it may be many years down the road when you can look back and say 'Oh, that was the answer.' It's so neat, but it's <i>really</i> neat to get the answer the next day too :) My life has so many blessing that I thank God everyday for. Take time to think about the blessings in your life. Focus on those things to keep your drive and make the effort to change the things in your life that need to change. Although it can be so hard or scary, have faith that God will bless you and the situation, just have the strength to ask and remember to keep your eyes open :)</div></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-85125092145436516562011-10-12T18:32:00.016-04:002011-10-13T15:57:29.252-04:00In Tim McGraw's words...Live Like You Were Dying!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfcht0yQEJ3gRsmwnx4h1xd429Oga7yW0hOuuC5dyL9D5iVdJ1rhoffeSRC_3rRtxCNsQroaf0P17W8tpyAYD2DiaT2Mvbcyb-9VQ8M4ihP93A2S7ut6eBRMehtTBDj2z8thtzO7X5qc6/s1600/October+2011+043.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662758454739169906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfcht0yQEJ3gRsmwnx4h1xd429Oga7yW0hOuuC5dyL9D5iVdJ1rhoffeSRC_3rRtxCNsQroaf0P17W8tpyAYD2DiaT2Mvbcyb-9VQ8M4ihP93A2S7ut6eBRMehtTBDj2z8thtzO7X5qc6/s320/October+2011+043.JPG" /></a>Our Hot Air Balloon Ride!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1k4-LzzXQNF_337KpcBsJUES7Ms-w5L3uUhJfHbUKBqMn7B1sOHIyclnL93tY-i-b3DMX3crVsqqZH1Mc83cUMbATp5kZ6x2ZOsvunFGN3SKBlzzyTs8ZPVJOzBlAX6nZioaKysLIgPo4/s1600/October+2011+050.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662758231291833586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1k4-LzzXQNF_337KpcBsJUES7Ms-w5L3uUhJfHbUKBqMn7B1sOHIyclnL93tY-i-b3DMX3crVsqqZH1Mc83cUMbATp5kZ6x2ZOsvunFGN3SKBlzzyTs8ZPVJOzBlAX6nZioaKysLIgPo4/s320/October+2011+050.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQFr2cFOvL86GvC4OHyuBYLfMMazPdgj13kLQ5VkLkZV1FE-_UkcCfFQUZyLTWOU1DjUjVf9FPfxjOCSPYOn4H_mT6rTzrRw4gXO-poHtWwG4zNGmHmtuBPvFg_Ls_A6III8rF1mjzxIt/s1600/October+2011+062.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662757900838588978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQFr2cFOvL86GvC4OHyuBYLfMMazPdgj13kLQ5VkLkZV1FE-_UkcCfFQUZyLTWOU1DjUjVf9FPfxjOCSPYOn4H_mT6rTzrRw4gXO-poHtWwG4zNGmHmtuBPvFg_Ls_A6III8rF1mjzxIt/s320/October+2011+062.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY1r48Shu__3bC1irduNHdqtPbrCuWMWSS07wQGKlQ2t2clAmhOWvmkOFbNyV5UIt6MkRu3L2ZQB6C3JyMblKxGE4varVmn3MymeBcyv2M6WRLAVdRPbxQ5jFfcnv12KgZIKGPFd2FWrz/s1600/October+2011+086.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662757361481002610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY1r48Shu__3bC1irduNHdqtPbrCuWMWSS07wQGKlQ2t2clAmhOWvmkOFbNyV5UIt6MkRu3L2ZQB6C3JyMblKxGE4varVmn3MymeBcyv2M6WRLAVdRPbxQ5jFfcnv12KgZIKGPFd2FWrz/s320/October+2011+086.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0dtDMa2pMsC4OoDehRMobDdt_XlWIQxtU3AFPTnfPdDHWEFGzaHIJOJAxCObxqulqDQOcuEJz3QRjtkMA-rdl9civ5QdRMP9veiNnqNkwW4h2AYVx8slAaTXZbu1cGXlVYCZYManafEp/s1600/October+2011+116.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662756897702583426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0dtDMa2pMsC4OoDehRMobDdt_XlWIQxtU3AFPTnfPdDHWEFGzaHIJOJAxCObxqulqDQOcuEJz3QRjtkMA-rdl9civ5QdRMP9veiNnqNkwW4h2AYVx8slAaTXZbu1cGXlVYCZYManafEp/s320/October+2011+116.JPG" /></a><br />Here's the 4 month update from Cancer Care!<br />Let's just get to the point, because I have something much better to say! There are no more tumors and the ones that I do have are just a smidgen bigger. My copper level was stable which indicates that there isn't any lymphoma going on, however my white blood cell count that day was 2.1 when the average is 4.5-10.5 (anything above or below is abnormal). He said I may have just had something viral that day. Lots of things can make you have a low count one day, even stress which is not anything foreign to me! I also got an inhaler for my lungs for when I exercise and have shortness of breath (there are days when I get really worked up in the classroom and have been known to tell Dena ‘I need air, I just can’t breathe in here!'). It could also be the fact that my room is the size of a shoebox with 14 people living in it. :) The CT scan also showed that I have a hernia in my diaphragm. We are going to my family doc next Friday just to check it out and my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">CBC's</span> again too. Over all, no cancer so I am in remission still! Praise God!<br /><br />But here is what got me more today...I was at the sink at my school and I just stopped as I thought about a conversation Dr.Powell had with an older man that almost brought tears to my eyes. The old man was asking Dr. Powell about his wife with cancer and if she will make it and Doc said he didn't know. Imagine....you are at the doctor's office, no matter how old you are, and the doctor tells you <em>'I'm sorry, but the cancer has spread to your other organs. We can try to stop the progression, but...</em> ' I'm sure you know what comes next. I thought about what it would be like to know you are going to die. Then I thought, would I be satisfied with how I lived my life? In most aspects yes, but when I think about how I can let my emotions get the best of me, no.<br />Sometimes I just go back and think about the things I would do over again from my past. I get mad or sad thinking about the things that I can't change, that I haven't been able to open myself up to enjoy the present and the possibilities of the future! I need to accept the life I have today and forgive the past and others, so that I can have the freedom to move forward and pursue happiness. Reflecting is great, but I need to work more on being present, too. So when I saw that Yoga had been <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">DVR'd</span> on my TV (whether it was a Godly intervention or <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">AJ</span> giving me a hint), it was like a sign. I have been looking for a way to keep me less stressed, present, and at peace with my life so that I can die with a smile on my face knowing I lived the very best life I could.<br />The statement <em>'Live everyday like it's your last'</em> hit me like bricks today. Forgive your past and start a life of no regrets. You and I both can't change the past, but we can forgive it, let go of the fairly tale dream that was never promised to us, and move forward towards a happiness that we both deserve. It's like my verse I loved in high school so much and found in my bible not long ago...<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Philippians 3:13-14<br />Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.</em></strong>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-5179709144535912512011-10-04T19:48:00.001-04:002011-10-04T20:56:52.026-04:00My 4 month CT scanI remember where I was last year at this time. I had a blood cancer that we were fighting with aggressive chemotherapy drugs...and yet, I was at such peace with life.<br />This year, I'm stressed. I recently discovered that stressed is <em>desserts</em> spelled backwards. Must be the reason I've gained some weight lately.:) Like everyone else, I'm feeling the daily stresses of Life and its demands, and I feel like I have no time to spare. I'm going, going, going, but I have to just stop. Because if I keep going like this, I'm going to be 250 pounds and in the crazy house! In a way, I mourn last year. I mourn the time I had to write, a true passion that I have that gives me so much peace. Cancer gave me a reason to start writing again and I'm thankful for that part of cancer. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. Last year feels like a dream now, but because I wrote it down and can look back and remember, it wasn't a dream. It was my real life...a life worth documenting. I want my life to still be something worth documenting, not something that was consumed with so much stress, that I forgot how to Live.<br /><br />Tomorrow is my 4 month checkup. I get my CT scan and I really don't want to dismiss it. I don't want it to be just another day in my life, because it's not. Hearing that I am still in remission gives me a reason to celebrate my Life and do the things that I dream about and want to do. So I've made a decision...every time I hear that I am cancer free, I'm going to cross off one more thing from my bucket list. That should give me a reason to keep striving for the life I want and documenting it in the process. So last June when I heard I was in remission, I did Relay for Life. This time in October, I'm taking a hot air balloon ride. After it cancelled 2 times last year and then again last week because of the storms, we are scheduled this Sunday :)<br />So tonight, before my CT scan, I just wanted to take time to write, more than anything else I have to do tonight, I wanted to write so that I can remember this moment. A moment in my life where I feel like I don't have a minute to spare, yet still I took time out for me. I did something that I truly enjoy, so that I can read this again in a nursing home one day...and not in the crazy house!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-45398715683110644692011-09-26T16:27:00.008-04:002011-10-04T19:49:53.815-04:00First comes love, then comes marriage...then comes baby :)It's hard to say, but I think I was more emotional when I heard the news <em>'you can have a baby'</em> than when I heard remission :)<br /><br />When the nurse did the ultrasound, it showed that I have all the parts needed to carry a baby! The only downfall was that I have a very thin uterus wall, which may lead to bed rest early, and I have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span>. I knew that I had this 3 years ago, but I was kinda hoping the chemo might have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">wiped</span> those cysts out too. Oh well, I have cysts in my spinal cord and breast, so why not have them on the ovary's too?? :)<br />We aren't sure what has been the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">culprit</span> of all my recent <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">symptoms</span>, maybe stress of starting school or the changes I made when I was running everyday. My blood test testing my insulin, thyroid, hormones and all that showed that everything is stable. So she said that we can start trying once it's been a year since my last treatment, and to just keep watch of my cycles. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span> can make it hard to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">conceive</span>, but not impossible. And we aren't sure yet if the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">ABVD</span> drugs affected my fertility. Therefore, if it takes a long time to get pregnant, we might have to look into some form of help. But I'm not worried yet...I still have some things on my bucket list to do :)<br />So when I went to bed that night, I remembered a verse that I used to love. To hear that my body can carry a baby was the best news I have ever <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">received</span>. I was meant to be a mother, I know it. And although getting pregnant may or may not come easy, I will still praise God because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. No matter how messed up we think we are :)<br /><em>Psalms 139</em><br /><em>1 You have searched me, LORD,<br />and you know me.<br />2 You know when I sit and when I rise;<br />you perceive my thoughts from afar.<br />3 You discern my going out and my lying down;<br />you are familiar with all my ways.<br />4 Before a word is on my tongue<br />you, LORD, know it completely.<br />5 You hem me in behind and before,<br />and you lay your hand upon me.<br />6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,<br />too lofty for me to attain.</em><br /><em>13 For you created my inmost being;<br />you knit me together in my mother’s womb.<br /></em><strong><em>14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;<br />your works are wonderful,<br />I know that full well.</em></strong>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072142366763215866.post-5112519220539050132011-09-17T23:04:00.005-04:002011-09-21T20:47:00.605-04:00A health update!Here is the update with ALL of my health....<br /><br /><strong>Cancer</strong>- I have a CT scan scheduled for October 5 and meet with my oncologist the week after to go over the results. Please pray for clean results! I feel great in THAT regard, so I don't think anything will go wrong, however I just read a stat that 1 out of 6 people get a secondary cancer after Hodgkin's Lymphoma. YIKES! I'm always curious to see what comes up on the CT scans. Will it show anymore scar tissue on my chest? What about on my lungs? I certainly feel like I have chemo induced asthma after I hear myself wheeze after running and I have never wheezed before. And what about my fertility from the chemo drugs????<br /><br /><strong>My neck and back</strong>- I finally got in touch with my neurologist and we are setting me up with an at home TENS UNIT! This means that I will get to have my electrotherapy at home to help ease my muscle pain due to the muscles and syringomyelia. This is so great, it will help stabilize my back pain until the day they say 'Time to fix you again.' :) My neurologist doesn't want to release me yet because of my 'unique case', so I still meet with her a couple times a year.<br /><br /><strong>My 'baby maker'</strong>- I've been having some crazy things happening lately, so my OB/GYN ordered a blood draw last Friday and I'm getting an ultra sound tomorrow to investigate and see how my baby maker is doing :) So we are looking into it all and making sure everything is A-OK to start expanding our family in the future. Please pray also that my insides are working right and look right, nothing extra growing on them if you catch my drift....like I said, the day the doc tells me I'm broken and can't have my own kids, is the day you will have to drag me out of bed!<br /><br />Otherwise, I feel great! It's a crazy life I lead over here, but I <em>try</em> to look on the bright side of things and not let it get me down. And on those days when I do just need to cry or get mad, usually a hot bath, a glass of wine, or a good talk with my fam helps when I start to feel overwhelmed with Life. And also remembering that through my trials is when I seem to cling closer to God, and for some reason can hear Him more clearly. Maybe it's because God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1) <em><strong>.</strong></em> So I try not to stress, because it is the LAST thing I need in all of my health situations right now...but how do you live a life without stress, right?? Anyone know a good yoga dvd I can borrow?? :)<br />I'll let you know how everything turns out with my test tomorrow!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093954620355557451noreply@blogger.com1