Happy Halloween!

Austin before school.

Luke @ Perkins Parade.
Savannah watching the parade.
Blue Man performance
Luke as Dale Jr.
Luke's school had a Halloween parade this morning at his school. It was so much fun!! All the kids, teachers and other staff were dressed up. They even had a blue man dance show. It is Luke's first year at Perkins so this is all new to us.

I'll have more pictures later.

This week's kodak moments

Fall Festival @ Perkins

Nana made a butterfly
Luke aka Tiger
Savannah's turn
My cutie
Getting goodie bags ready
Hello Luke
House football game
Kisses
I love you this much!!

Who are 'they'??

Yesterday evening when I let the dogs out I saw some men dumping half their load of brush in my yard. It was on the other side of our privacy fence between the small patch of grass and the alley. At first I didn't realize what 'they' were doing because of the fence. When I realized they were dumping unwanted branches and empty water bottles I yelled "Wait, what are you doing"?? Well they drove off but I saw that they were in a tan pick-up truck pulling a trailer full of men. So of course I did what every other woman would do; I put the kids in the mini-van and went in search of 'them'!! Thank God I didn't find 'them' because I had no idea what I would have done if I had actually found them!! I'm sure they would give me some sad luck story about how they were going to die if they didn't litter in MY yard, and I would believe them and invite them for dinner.
So this morning when I was letting the dogs out back and saw someone else putting more brush in the already huger pile I snapped!! I marched out there in my footie's and demanded to know if she knew that this was NOT a dump!! She acted as if she didn't have a clue that she was committing a crime. I explained that 'they' dumped this crap yesterday and that it was MY yard. She looked me right in the eyes and said,"THEY will be by to pick it up"!! I told her that there was no 'they' that would come by and clean it up and that I was 'they'. Then I just asked her not to put any more stuff in the huge pile. She then began to pull off the pieces that she put there. I huff off and called Matt to vent. When I went out later I saw that she had carefully removed ONLY the pieces that she put there, and all she did was drag them to the other side of the alley in my neighbor's yard. All I can think is; are you kidding me????
So please if you know who 'they' are let me know. 'They' need to come pick-up after themselves.

Best life ever.....

I LOVE THIS MAN!!

I guess that I have come to a point in my life where the small things should be celebrated. I must admit that this past week has been the best week of my life (even with the infection on my leg!!) or at least in the top 5. Of course child birth (x3), my wedding and become a christian are tops but WOW this week has been amazing. Not only did I totally fall in love with my husband all over again but I realized how blessed I really am. I have everything I've always wanted....husband, kids, home, mini van, friends, family, and purpose.

I spend time with people I care about. I support things that I believe in, and so does Matt. My kids are healthy, and they all love life. I get to do things I enjoy. My husband works very hard so that I can run the house. My husband is my best friend and I enjoy every second I'm with him. I miss him like crazy when he's out of town. I am so proud of him.

I appreciate every thing and I don't take things for granted anymore. I see everyday how quickly things can change. I love my life and I thank God everyday for it.

The best day ever!!

October 21, 2007 was definitely the best day ever!! I got to take a nap and see my favorite band, live. I got to spend the whole day with the man I love, and we had so much fun. I think the reason I enjoyed everything so much was because it was a surprise. I had been hinting that I wanted to see Maroon 5 for quite a while but, I thought I would still be recovering from the surgery so I just figured that we would miss it. When I woke up Friday morning Matt had got us tickets.
The show was awesome!! I was singing and dancing like crazy. I was really surprised to see such a mix of people. There were much older people than us and younger. There were fat folks, skinny people, some were dress up and some were barely dressed!
I think my favorite last night was "She will be loved" and "Wake-Up Call". It's really hard to say because I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the show. The opening band was The Hives, I'd never heard of them before but Matt had. They did a good job but Maroon 5 was awesome. I will definitely see them every time their in town. It was so good to get out and have so much fun. It really was the best day ever!!

I love my blog

I can't believe how much I've enjoyed doing this blog. It's like therapy for me without the cost. I think we all need to just vent sometimes. I'm also a person with a lot to say. My mind is always going thinking about someone or something.
I love that people actually read what I write and some even leave comments. I think we all need to feel accepted and I'm no different. I started out with the MySpace thing and expanded to here. I still love keeping up with the MySpace comments and silly pictures. I've had tons of fun and continue to.
I have this huge boil on my leg that really hurts. I went to a walk in clinic yesterday and they gave me two different antibiotics to get rid of the infection. I was concerned that my surgery site would get infected too. I've never had a boil so it's new to me.
Matt surprised me with Maroon 5 tickets and the show is this evening in Tampa. I'm so excited!! I haven't been to a concert in 10 years! I hope that were not the oldest one's there, but we may be. Everyone is always surprised that I like Maroon 5. I saw them on American Idol this past season and feel in love with them. I think they are awesome entertainers and I can't wait to see them. I'll have to give a review.
Thanks again for reading!!

Say thank you....

SOMETHING COOL THAT XEROX IS DOING

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com (I DID) you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them...

My Cub Scout

Yesterday Luke's Cub Scout Pack met at the pumpkin patch to learn about pumpkins, pick out pumpkins, and paint them. I decided to take Nana and get pumpkins for home too. Austin is way too cool for that so he stayed home to play video games with Daddy. Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

Savannah with her pumpkin

Luke with his choice
They were trying to be scary
Luke painting Boo!!
Luke's Wolf Pack
Doesn't Luke look cute in his new uniform?

Prayers for Austin

Austin is starting a new school tomorrow so he could use some prayers. He's been at a private school for the past couple years and is returning to public school. The private school ended up not being what we had hoped for. Hopefully he will make new friends quickly because he's a little nervous.
Thanks!

I need your help!!

Katia & Nana January 2007

I want to do a fundraiser for the Solomon family to help them get caught up with their bills. Myron was hurt at work and missed a month of work. He was just denied his workers comp claim and they are way behind on their bills. Tracy had to quit her job because of seizures. I don't want to see them lose their home or go hungry. I love these guys so much and I want to help them out.
I'm going to look into doing a lunch at a local Carrabas but I know I would need to sell at least 200 tickets. So I need everyone to come or send money. I will let you know the details ASAP.
Thank you!!

Silly girl

Last night Savannah was posing for pictures. I wanted to share a few with you. She LOVES the camera and being silly!

Hannah

I went to Hannah Deal's funeral today. It was a beautiful tribute to one special little girl. Everyone was dressed in either pink or red; Hannah's favorite colors. The funeral home was all decked out in everything princess. Hannah loved to dress up and was wearing a princess dress and looked so peaceful. She had her bear bear and make-up on too. She was surrounded by her favorite things and those that loved her. Everyone got to take one of her treasures home, I chose a care bear. After the service we all went outside for a butterfly and ladybug release.

I sat and listened to her family tell stories about their time with Hannah, and of course I went through quite a few tissues. I loved what her pastor had to say about life and what's important. The things in life that are important are relationships and the impact that we have. Hannah was only on this earth for 4 short years but her impact will be felt for many years to come. Some people live 100 years and don't have the kind of impact that Hannah had.

I am a better person for knowing Hannah and her family, and I will forever carry a piece of her with me in my heart. Attending a funeral for a child is the most humbling experience I've ever had. I have peace because I know that she is in paradise with Jesus waiting for her loved one's. She is done with the pain, the procedures, and the cancer.

Hannah & football.

GO COLT'S!!!

I wanted to share this article with everyone about Hannah Deal.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/07/Southpinellas/She_filled_a_short_li.sht

Update & pictures

Here are a couple pictures from Austin's b-day part last Saturday. I think Matt and Tony lit the candles 5 or 6 times before the cake got to Austin. You would think we would learn to turn off the fan!
What kid doesn't love cold, hard cash?

I thought I should update on my recovery. I am doing much better than I thought I would be at this point. I am up and moving around pretty good. The pain is getting less every day and the four holes in my belly are healing nice. I even went out for a little shopping yesterday! I've been doing some scrapbooking and yesterday I made a shadowbox with things that were my grandpa's. It has pictures, some of his ID cards and a golf club!

Treasure

HANNAH DEAL

10-30-02 10-04-07

Hannah is now cancer-free and enjoying her treasure in Heaven.

She left this world in the arms of her mom, Lisa.

Please pray for her family and friends.

Home, Hannah & Hope

I'm got to come home yesterday from the hospital. My plan is to do as little as possible the next week or so. Matt is doing a great job with the kids and the house. He's even taking Savannah to the doctor right now for her check-up. So I'm home alone right now :~)
We had dinner delivery yesterday by the Stevens' family and it was awesome!! They brought me some beautiful flowers to the hospital on Tuesday too. Our family and friends have been a huge help with food and anything we need, thanks guys! I know we have more meals coming.
I wanted to ask that everyone please pray for Hannah Deal and her family. Last I heard was that she is being heavily sedated and that her time is short. I can't even begin to imagine how her parents are feeling right now. Wanting to soak up every second with their precious daughter but wanting her suffering to be over. Hannah and her mom, Lisa have been working on a toy drive for hospice. It's the Ladybug Toy Drive and their goal is to collect 1000 toys. This would be a great way to honor Hannah. Visit her website for more info.
http://www.helphannah.org/default.aspx
Our "Pennies From Heaven" kicked off Monday at Perkins Elementary and will continue thur November. All money collected will go to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation to fund the cure. It's a great way of getting our kids involved in helping each other. I hope to expand this fundraiser to other local schools.
Matt and I have some really great friends and they have been so supportive of my fundraising efforts. I got a call last night that our friends that make surf boards are going to donate 5% of all sales to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. John is a survivor himself!! He beat colon cancer as a child.
Please pray for the Solomon and Hawkins' families too. Nikki had a MRI done yesterday and I know the waiting is killing Penny. We need it to be CLEAR!! I know that everyday life for both these families is a struggle right now. They are so grateful to have their children home and doing well but there are still bills to pay.
Thanks for checking on me and praying.

Surgery

I had my bladder surgery yesterday morning and it went very well. I can't say enough good things about St.Petersburg General Hospital and my doctor. Every person that I have come into contact has been so wonderful. I know that my recovery is going so well because of this.
I should be going home tomorrow. I'm up and moving around and feel pretty good considering. I just wanted to thank everyone for your prayers and messages. Especially Kim, you make me feel so special. I'm so glad that were friends.
I'm off to lay down for a bit.