my veteran

A great big "thank you!" goes out to all the veterans and their families who have sacrificed their lives, time, and luxuries for our great country. Freedom isn't free, but it's possible because of heroes like you! 

I'm especially proud of my own veteran today! A tough year took place between these two pictures, but I'm thankful it ended with these great big smiles.

I'm so proud to watch my husband continually grow and become such a great man and husband. 

so sweet

The dry erase picture frame has been one of my favorite Pinterest ideas. It's such an easy and fun way for Tony and I to surprise each other with a little messages (isn't that the sweetest thing?!); it's also really handy for little reminders as we're running out the door.

season of thankfulness

I'm thankful for the chance to receive a great education, this pretty campus, and the beautiful fall colors! I love taking walks around here.

season of thankfulness

I voted. I'm thankful for my country.

season of thankfulness

Today I'm thankful for my amazing family. I was born into such an incredible family, and then I was truly served a double portion when I married into such a welcoming and loving great big family!

Yesterday we had a family cookout to celebrate my mom's birthday. Family time is always a fun time!

And look at those adorable trick-or-treaters ... How could you not give them your entire bowl of candy?!

season of thankfulness

"There is only one thing worse than being lost; being lost and knowing nobody is looking for you." - Amy at Lifesong for Orphans

Today is Orphan Sunday. There are millions of children in this world waiting and needing a mom and dad. There are many ways you can make a difference- pray for them, support families who are adopting, sponsor a child, or even maybe consider blessing your family through adoption.

Today, I'm so extremely thankful for the time I spent in the orphanage; every second I got to hold and love on those children gave so much more meaning to my life. Each of those children changed my life in a million ways more than I could have ever even affected theirs. I'm also very thankful for all the wonderful adoptive families I've met along the way; their love and examples inspire me.

Many times Jesus specifically instructed us to care for orphans. Today is a day when we all should ask ourselves- What am I doing to make a difference in the life of a child who needs somebody, ANYBODY, to stand up and love and care for them? It starts with ONE person choosing to make a difference. You can be that one.

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.” – Radical by David Platt

Truer words have never been spoken. I did have fun in the orphanage. There was plenty of smiles, giggles, and love.... but some days it would hit me like a ton of bricks. The reality. In those moments I felt the weight of the world right there on my shoulder as I held a precious child and was reminded, "This isn't a daycare, and you're not going home this evening to a warm home with a mom and dad. You have no mother or father. This place, this room, is your (temporary) home. This love that I'm giving you today will be the only physical sign of hope and love you will feel today. That's not okay. This should never be okay."

And this boy, oh, this sweet sweet boy. I pray every single day that he would find hope and happiness in his life. No mother, no father, a dying grandmother bedridden to a cot in a dirt floor tin shack. Our family sponsors Biruk, and I finally got to meet him on a day when I, a 26 year old with a great support system, was dealing with the horrible fear of possibly losing my own father; I felt like a spoiled brat. He lives that nightmare every day. He's been robbed of a careless, fun childhood and has more responsibility than any young boy should have. I hope somehow the love we have for him can transcend miles and oceans and reassure him that he will never be forgotten. I also pray he finds faith and courage to carry him through the rest of his life.

 

season of thankfulness

This is what I'm thankful for today--my favorite place on earth.

When you look at it you might see just a pretty beach in Manasquan, NJ.

PS- this picture is NOT edited, it's just really that beautiful!

I see.....

...my mom carrying me as a little baby trying to get me to fall asleep for my afternoon nap, listening to the perfect beach soundtrack- her humming, the waves crashing, and the seagulls squawking

...perfecting the art of packing dampened sand down into the sandcastle mold and turning it over to reveal a beautiful sandcastle then moving into the days of being "buried alive" just in time for one quick picture before suffocating

...wanting to surf like my older brothers, but barely old enough to swim so riding the boogie board right where the waves break at the shoreline

...my dad with me "far out in the water" as the tide comes in, standing beside me holding my board saying, "Turn around, get ready, I see a big one"

...my grandpop body surfing like he had been doing it all his life and grandmom in her purple chair reading a book

..flying a kite, playing catch, or playing "boom-ball" in the evenings after all the crowds had gone home

...fireworks on the beach every Thursday night

...walks up and down the shoreline and the excitement of finding sea glass, a sand dollar, or a star-fish

...trips to the boardwalk for pizza, games at the arcade and ice-cream swirls with rainbow sprinkles

...growing into the stages of writing "i love you" in the sand and seeing the beach transform before my eyes from a childhood haven to a perfect place for a love story

...taking the famous "jetty pictures" every year hoping the sunlight is just right and the film turns out

...watching my nieces and nephews explore all the wonders of "the beach"

...fishing trips out further than the eye on land can see

...sitting on the beach in the black of night with stars above, soaking it all in to last the next year and then saying our goodbyes the next morning with our family and friends waving goodbye as we drive down the street- my mom always in tears

... My family. All of us passing through different stages of life and enjoying every minute we have at the shore together. Beyond priceless memories I will carry with me until the very day I die.


And now we turn to Hurricane Sandy's horrible aftermath. I'm so sad to see the devastation and mess. It's quite unbelievable. This little beach town will rebuild. It has so many more memories waiting to be made for generations to come.

The beach has moved over to First Ave.

Our houses still standing! 

Gee-Gee's Pizza on the Boardwalk. A family favorite.

houses along the boardwalk

clearing sand from the roads

even the houses inland faced horrible effects

if interested, more pictures can be found in the albums on this facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/ManasquanBorough

season of thankfulness

Just got off the phone with the vet- Alex's blood work looks great; not sure why she had another seizure. We just have to keep an eye on her for now.

Today I'm thankful for these healthy and spoiled puppies. They each have such unique and special personalities.

Others see Henry as the smart grouch. Really though, he's a spoiled bundle of loyalty and brains. My dad is his best friend.

Alex is the friendly one. She would make a robber feel welcomed. She's always playing the middle-man between Molly and Henry.

Molly stays true to her spot as the baby. I've never seen such an oversized lap dog. She enjoys the simple things, like randomly talking up a storm and staring out the window.


Oh, the days prior to having kids when you talk about your dogs! :)

season of thankfulness

Thankful for a home with a kitchen and dinners with my husband.

Options, Lots of Options

I might be a little nervous to have next year be put into perspective like this.

 Right now it's sort of like a "Where's Waldo?" game of "Where will we be living?".

Of course the first choice would be right here; save lots of money and not go through the mess of selling our sweet home.

Oh, the possibilities.

The waiting game has begun.....

God bless my impatient, organized, plan ahead little soul.   

Lazy Sunday

Have you ever looked at your animal and thought "life must be nice"?

Life as a human, on the other hand, isn't always easy. But I think sometimes we have to go through the storms to appreciate the true beauty and comfort of sunny days. Rain brings growth and I think we're all experiencing a little bit of growth through this season. My dad is doing really well; he's still taking chemotherapy, but working, playing tennis and carrying on nicely with the "new normal" life. My mom is about to have a big surgery but we're praying she has immediate relief and a quick/smooth recovery over the next couple of months.

Some days I find myself a little overwhelmed, but mostly I'm just thankful for every day. When you make it a point to look for the silver linings they're much easier to find. 

Tornado of a Season

For some reason I felt like I wanted to blog right now. Maybe because when I sit down and think about these last couple of months it's a little hazy, pretty confusing, and very overwhelming.

Life has been quite a whirlwind lately. 

My mom and I were in Ethiopia. Life was good. We were just getting settled in. We visited some amazing organizations, met the boy who holds such a special place in our hearts, walked the halls of the Mother Teresa clinic which was truly life changing for me, and had many more plans and days ahead of us. 

We were experiencing things in a part of the world that is life changing.... but then there was a call. A call that no person should ever have to make or get- a call that truly changed our lives, unlike anything in the third world country.

Cancer. Just the word itself is like a big punch in the stomach. I still have to take a breath and force that word off my tongue. The doctor called my dad and told him he had cancer. Alone in his office he got the call. Tim in Canada. My mom and I in Ethiopia. Two words- living nightmare. Full of fear, we packed our bags and took the next flight out, which was two days later. We arrived home to face the monster. 

Upon arriving home, things moved at tornado speed.

4/24, Tuesday- Pathology came back, not gallstones, doctor says it's pancreatic cancer.

4/25, Wednesday- wait. 

4/26, Thursday- Mom and I leave ET. Dad had first appointment with oncologist.

4/27, Friday- Dad has 2nd appointment with oncologist, bloodwork done. Referral to MD Anderson sent. Mom and I arrive home that night.

5/2, Wednesday- MDA calls to offer my dad a consultation appointment

5/5, Saturday- My parents fly to Houston.

5/7- 5/11, week of endless appointments, bloodwork, endoscopy, spot opens and they extend an offer for surgery ON MONDAY

5/12, Saturday- I fly to Houston

5/13, Sunday- Mother's Day in Houston, dad on surgery fast

5/14, Monday- longest day of our lives: 9.5 hour 'Whipple' surgery

The cancer was not pancreatic cancer, but bile duct cancer. The tumor was located within the bile duct and in 2 of the 22 lymph nodes that were resected during the surgery. CLEAR margins were obtained in the surgery, which indicates all of the cancer was removed. Now he'll rest, then start chemo and (maybe) radiation.

Glass Balls

I like happy stories and I like love stories.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson could be called a lot of things, and although happiness and love are a huge part of the book, they are not the first descriptive adjectives that come to mind. 

It was downright depressing, yet very happy in its own way and had one incredible love story included. I'll let you read the book to form your own opinion; this is not my book report.

The book had many pages that I "doggie-eared" while reading and this is a little lesson I think everyone could, and should, benefit from hearing. 

Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls-- family, health, friends, integrity-- are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginning of balance in your life. 

(come to find, after a little research, this was a lesson given as a commencement address in 1996 by President and CEO of Coca-Cola)

What a great lesson for all of us. 

Actually..... two lessons.

1. Be very careful with the things you're juggling, because sometimes you don't realize those things are fragile glass until they're dropped.

2. You, yourself, are a fragile glass ball and you better recognize and honor that about yourself before you allow somebody else to juggle you along with the other things in their life.