a near breakdown in petsmart...

today has been so crazy. this afternoon i decided that i would fly to florida in the morning. john was like, "sure no biggie". well, after i made my reservations, john came home and mentioned that didn't i remember that he was going to have to be out of town wednesday through friday for work??? oh, ish!!! what about katherine and maggie??? katherine could stay with hannah the latter two nights of the week. but, maggie was another story!!!
so, i decided to take maggie with me, i called delta, made an 'in cabin reservation' for her, got the dimensions of the regulated pet carrier, and headed to petsmart with maggie in tow.
WHAT A FRIGGIN' NIGHTMARE!!!
first, maggie is a huge baby and not a good rider; she wanted to curl up in my lap while i was driving. second, she has never been to petsmart but was oh so to happy to get to go. all 17lbs of her was dragging my butt all over the store.
finally, i found the airport regulated carriers; and she would not fit in any of them. i did stuff her in a soft-sided one and zipped her in just to see if she would calm down and fit. NOT!!! (i don't know if you've ever seen Christmas vacation where the crazy uncle brings the cat wrapped in a box and gives it to chevy chase to put under the tree. if you have, that's what the carrier looked like with maggie in it.) i don't know if she was trying to get out or chase her tail or what. but the carrier was flying from one side of the store aisle to the other!!!
i got her out; and, God love her, she was crazed. i, of course, had her on her leash, but, she jumped out of the carrier and was ready to rock and roll... meet and greet. she started choking on her collar, hacking, and the such.
accordingly, i went straight to the collar/harness aisle. petsmart had ONE medium harness. ONE!!! and, it wasn't the first one i picked up: it was the LAST!!! not because once i found it, i quit looking... but because i had looked through every other harness they had [all of which were large (way too big) or small (way too small)] before i found the only ONE they had. WORD!!!
so, there i sat in the middle of yet another aisle trying to figure how the thing went on her. she wasn't cooperating. she wanted to be the hostess with the mostest in the mostest busiest aisle in the joint. i finally got it on her, fastened her leash to it, grabbed a can of pb for her konga bonga, paid, and was well on my way home. thank you, GOD, for getting me out of that place!!!
i love maggie!!!
i love petsmart!!!
i love knowing that i never have to take maggie back to petsmart again!!!

the mamaw bag...

a dear friend of mine blogged today about how much she missed her daddy and how much she wished he were here to see her new baby girl... it made me really sad. then i remembered having the same feelings when my mamaw died. my katherine was only four. it was so important for me not to let katherine forget her; for she was "ours", mine and katherine's. she loved us more than life and made no bones about the fact!!!
every year of katherine's young life, she wanted to get the Christmas gift katherine wanted most. and i let her. she was more important to me and to katherine than the idea of santa claus (though santa always came through with more than his fair share).
our mamaw died the week after katherine started pre-school. it was the most devastating thing that had ever happened to either of us. we were lost without her; she was our rock!!!
as i said, it was very important to me to keep her a part of a very sad katherine's life. not long after she passed away, katherine and i were having a girl party (i was spending the night with her in her room). she fell asleep before i did. after a little while i noticed that she was giggling not very loudly at first; but, the next thing i knew she was laughing out loud in her sleep. i gently shook her and asked her if she were dreaming. she smiled without opening her eyes and nodded her head that she was dreaming. i asked her what was so funny to which she replied that she and will were watching a pig fly. it was so sweet, and i was so glad she was having a happy dream in the middle of her sadness.
the next day, i was in a local gift store and looked over to see an ornament; it was a pig with wings. i couldn't buy it fast enough!!! i had an idea. i went over to matt's (a local book/hallmark store) and bought a shiny, little, pale-pink, gift bag, gingham tissue paper, and a white ribbon to tie the handles together.
when katherine got home from school that afternoon the bag was sitting on her dresser with the flying pig inside. she opened it and grinned ear to ear. i told her that the bag was her mamaw bag and that the ornament was from her mamaw all the way from heaven.
"how did she know???" katherine asked wide eyed with wonder.
i kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "she just knows..."
the mamaw bag has become the keeper of many gifts since then.
one year katherine wanted the turtle beanie baby that had long since been retired. that was the number one thing on her CHristmas list... of course the thing she wanted most. i had not been able to find one anywhere; as far as that goes, the other eight or ten people i had looking couldn't find one either. so, a couple of weeks before CHristmas i told katherine santa had called and wanted to know what she'd like to have instead of the turtle as the elves had run out of turtle fabric and the special turtle beans that went inside.
katherine looked at me and told me to tell santa not to worry about it. mamaw would have one for her in her mamaw bag, God had everything in heaven!!!
i had no idea what i was going to do at that point. Christmas was drawing near; and there was no turtle to be found.
however, the week before CHristmas i had to go to vanderbuilt for some pre-op tests. when we left the hospital and were heading home i noticed there was a gas station with a tent set up in front of it with a big sign that read, "we have beanies". i asked john to stop (he rolled his eyes and assured me they wouldn't have one); lol, i told him to stop anyway!!!
omgosh, they had one turtle. i gladly paid several times what the thing was worth, walked smugly back to the van, told john how right i was to have had him stop, and was happily on my way home.
when Christmas morning arrived, sure enough katherine ran over to her dresser before going into the living room to see what santa had brought her. she grabbed the turtle out of the bag, turned around and looked at me with that big beautiful grin of hers (minus her two front teeth), and said, "see, i told you mamaw would send it from heaven!!!" she didn't even really care about what santa had brought her. she was happy as a clam at high-tide!!! she felt her GREAT-mamaw's unconditional love that poured from the little pink bag...
the little bag is still around along with a big one that's shiny lavender (for bigger things). she knows now... but, it's still a really special thing.
for Christmas this year, katherine and i had gone online looking for the perfect homecoming dress. the one she found was called a black ballerina gown. i told her it was too bad her size was no longer available (to the contrary, it was). she continued pouring over others but couldn't find one she liked nearly as much.
Christmas rolled around, and, sure enough, somehow mamaw found her a black ballerina gown in heaven. there it was in her mamaw bag, and there appeared the same grin and the look in her eyes told everyone in the room that mamaw still loved her even though she couldn't be her to tell her.

i love unconditional love!!!

i love sweet, giggly dreams...

i love, love, love my mamaw!!!

i love katherine, her beautiful smile, and her sometimes, pessimistic daddy!!!

thank you, GOD!!!

male, floppy ears, short legs, etc...

i have spent the better part of today "windows" shopping for a yorkie puppy for my aunt and uncle who lost their "quincy" a couple of weeks ago... you know, there are a lot of puppies available, but this puppy has to pass several specifications. the puppy needs to be a male, mostly black, not too small/not too large, short legs, and most importantly his ears need to flop as opposed to standing at attention, lol. the last requirement has been the hardest to fill since it is very important to the breeder that their yorkie pups ears stand up (if they do not, they are considered to be sub-standard). all this only to say they want another quincy!!!
i personally do not like the idea of shipping animals, so i only looked at puppies in kentucky, tennessee, and southern indiana. it was so much fun looking at them. puppies are so adorable.
btw, i also had to look at the king charles spaniels while i was at it. the breeder we bought maggie from currently has a ruby, which are relatively rare. omgosh, she is precious!!!

but, i could never do that to my baby; she would be so jealous and... well, jealous!!! she's such a baby, and, far be it from me to mess up the good thing she's got going here at the berrongs:D
ok, so, back ot... i found my aunt and uncle four puppies from which to choose:
two were located in horse branch, ky, one was located in williamsburg, ky (my personal favorite but also the farthest drive to get to it), and the last in mount carmel, il.
i really hope she finds what she is looking for in one of the pups; however, when i last talked to her this afternoon, she'd pretty much talked herself into getting two!!! so, we'll see:=)
i love my aunt and uncle.
i love puppies.
i really love king charles spaniel puppies (when i went to pick up my maggie i got all teary eyed as soon as i saw her. she was sooooooooooooooooo precious!!!)!!!
thank you, GOD, for my maggie...

slot machines, chocolate milkshakes, and going home...

although i had gone to church with miss emily for several years, it was through a mutual friend, christine, i got to know her. i enjoyed chatting with her on the way from her sunday school hall to the sanctuary and occasionally sitting next to her in the pew.
time passed as did our mutual friend... i treasured the relationship even more because miss emily reminded me so much of "chris". both were extremely intelligent, "talbotly" dressed, strong, loving, shrewd, business women. me? i was their little friend;)
when i first met her, miss emily was a widow lady and had only one daughter, bobbie, who lived in georgia. she talked to bobbie every day on the phone and traveled to see her often en route to and from her home in florida where miss emily and her cohorts would travel often to for sun,  sand, and bridge playing trips.
hence, it was a sad day when bobbie was diagnosed with cancer. her name was on the prayer list at church, but miss emily never spoke of her illness. bobbie didn't live long after having been diagnosed. a huge part of miss emily died with her. she mourned... though never in public. miss emily was strong and private like that.
not long after, miss emily got really sick (about 5 years ago) and could no longer live in her home. she went to colonial assisted living where i would go to visit with her.
miss emily was a real pill, lol. she still took care of all her business from her suite at colonial. and, she had A LOT of business... mainly rental property. she loved business, gossip, pop-corn, and chocolate milk shakes. i loved our visits and would oblige her with a dairy bar, chocolate shake when i visited.
once, after i had read a book, the henderson crusade, i made a special trip to colonial to talk to her about it. you see, miss emily's family owned  two pharmacies and a large tract of land in our downtown area (which she still owns), and, back in the day, inside these two business there were slot machines.
actually, there were slot machines in most all businesses in our small town then as well as many bars and exotic dance clubs. henderson was even referred to as "little chicago" because of all the alcohol/mob/gambling/undesirable action it saw.
anyway, miss emily filled me in on the rest of the story... it was a little more colorful than the book, which was written by the retired minister, charles dietze, who co-led the crusade all those years ago to cleanse our town. i could see in her eyes as she talked she was reliving those times. miss emily's story was quite interesting; miss emily was quite interesting! 
not long after that visit, i got a call from church asking me to go out to colonial and prep miss emily for an interview. our church was getting ready to celebrate a milestone, and miss emily was the oldest life-long member. it was my pleasure to be asked and my pleasure to go spend time with miss emily.
when i got there and got settled (chocolate milkshake in hand), she told me the story about her grandfather having her baby Bible placed in the cornerstone of the original church building (the building has undergone several expansions over the years) where it is still cemented there today! further, she talked about how she walked to and from church every sunday morning and sunday/wednesday evenings with her grandmother who lived just around the corner. miss emily was a pillar of our church as well as our community.
thus far, i have referred to miss emily's and my friendship in past tense not because she has died but because she is dying. she recently had a stroke and since has not been able to talk nor swallow. her grandsons have come to henderson and have taken her home... not to colonial assisted living but to her house on colonial court in order to make her more comfortable in her last days. she has no feeding tubes nor any other types of life support just a hospital bed, her sitter, lemon swabs (to keep her mouth moist), and her adoring grandsons.
 i choose to believe it is just her body lying there, and her soul has already gone home... to her heavenly home and is resting at peace with her beloved bobbie. 
thank you, GOD, for allowing me to happen on to miss emily.
i love miss emily! 
i love the memories of chris! 
i love old friends...
i love miss emily is comfortable at her house...
i love knowing she will soon be on her journey home to be with her Heavenly Father and daughter if she isn't already there.

long weekends and looooooooong weekends...

sometimes a "long weekend" refers to a mini-vacation like labor day/memorial day weekend, it starts on friday and ends on monday. this past weekend was not one of those... it was just a weekend that was loooooooooooooooooooong!!! 
friday 
the kids were out of school once again due to icy conditions. i stayed in as i don't like driving on the stuff unless it is quite necessary, and it wasn't. i don't think i ever even got out of my pajamas except to shower and change pajamas.   friday was a very long day.
saturday 
john left for lexington to go to a university of kentucky basketball game. so, i stayed jammied up most of the day, drank coffee, and cheered on the winning cats from the comfort of my couch. afterwards, i showered, clothed, and cleaned the house (i even mopped;).  kat's bf, jason, came over for the evening. i ordered pizza, hung out with them for a bit, and then retreated to my room to watch a little television and wait for john to return home.
sunday  
sunday morning was beautiful. it snowed about an inch on top of the already ice-laden trees. the branches bent from the weight of the added snow, though the streets were clear.  i got up and went to the bakery to get katherine some sugar cookies. no luck, all the bakery had left were donuts: glazed, cinnamon twists, and honey buns. i guess the clear roads were a good reason for everyone to get out early to get their sugar fixes;)
afterwards, i took a long winter's nap. i awoke, watched the red carpet, drank a glass of champagne, and enjoyed the academy awards. later, i showered/shampooed/shaved, jammied back up and went to bed.
today 
the kids finally went back to school! yay, them! yay, me! i love having katherine at home, but enough is enough... it's one thing when she's home and we're mobile. it's another when we're stuck...  she's bored, i'm bored, and nothing seems to get accomplished around the house. 
today, i did laundry... a lot of laundry!   i went to the grocery as we were out of everything (i do mean everything)... after returning and putting away my purchases, i worked on my brain age exercising again. i scored a 28 year-old brain today! i was so excited. i know i'm a nerd... i cannot help it. 
finally, as i sit here typing, i'm preparing to go cook john dinner. i just heard the weather man forecast still more snow for tomorrow.   thank you, GOD, it's snow and not ice!
i love pj's!
i love when uk wins!
i love when john gets to go to a game!
i love champagne!
i love snow (really i do)!
love and God's blessings,  dani  

both sides now...

this icy day has been one of both bad news and good news.
the bad news first (as ending on a good note is better than ending on a bad one): 
my cousin's little girl, addison, is at kosair hospital. she has had a multitude of seizures since monday. mandi and josh, her parents, were returning home to elizabethtown monday afternoon when she had the first one in their driveway. addison just turned 1 a few weeks ago and up until monday had been deemed perfectly healthy. 
mandi's sister, sue, lost control of her car and slid from one side of the road to the other several times before sliding off into a ditch. with the car on its side and two tires in the air, sue and her daughter, grace, had to climb out the passenger side of the car.
my brother called today on his lunch break to say he'd also been involved in a wreck this morning. he, too, lost control of his car on the ice, he hit a guard rail head-on, spun around, and then hit the back of his car on the guard rail.
~@~
the good news:
kosair has been able to get addison's seizures under control. her physician moved her from icu isolation to a regular room. hopefully after only a few more tests, she'll be good to go... as she hasn't had another seizure since kosairs got her medications regulated. 
someone happened along allowing sue and grace to stay warm in her car until help could arrive. sue and grace made it safely home with only a few minor bumps and bruises.

oj made it to work in one piece, and his car is still in one piece as well. 
thank you GOD for watching over my loved ones!
i love my family!
i love that addison got the care she needed!\
i love good samaritans! 

love and God's blessings, dani xxx

good news

life is good!

i received some really good news about the young man above who lives here in henderson who has battled the past 8+ years with hodgkins. when i saw his name in the subject line on my email this morning, i'll have to admit my heart sank.

i guess i'm from the old school of thought,
"no news is good news"...  however,
i was extremely, pleasantly surprised.

YAY, NICK!
the very positive update from nick's mom:  "February 20, 2008 at 07:58 AM CST
Day 567 – Eight years and 12 days ago Nick was diagnosed with Hodgkins and 7 days after that he was released from the hospital --- on my birthday. Since then, February’s have been unsettling for me, particularly when scans are involved. Not that I’m superstitious but, in my mind, the date links me to fault……. that I didn’t watch enough, that I didn’t do what I was suppose to or that I should have been able to do something to prevent this horrible thing that has happened to my son. I think all parents would feel the same way but in the harshest of reality we know that there is very little that we have full control over and we just have to pray for God’s mercy and strength to carry us through.

Nick’s last scans were in September (an eternity ago). St. Jude has added a new building to house their radiology/imaging department. Scans have been delayed since November waiting for the PET to become available. Since that time he has suffered through a horrible case of shingles, had his car hit by a drunk driver, and has become increasingly less mobile from prednisone induced joint damage. So our journey to Memphis Monday night for scans on Tuesday was more ominous than usual.

Nick’s first appointment was early so Bill set the alarm for 5:30 am to give all of us enough time to get ready. Obviously there was something wrong with our clock because after Bill & I showered, we realized it was 5:00 am so I actually got up at 4:30 am. Our schedule went uncommonly smooth. We actually kept on-time for the most part. Our last appointment was with Dr. Hudson and, of course, she had already called for the CT/PET readings before we got to the exam room. CT was clear, PET was clear (except for something in the jaw area which she said was “not worrisome”). My prayer, my hope, my full desire is that we have come full circle. We have some “clean up work” to get Nick back up and going but, hopefully, the Hodgkin’s is gone for good. In the last eight years, this is the longest length of time he has been able to obtain clear scans without chemo. His last chemo was July 31, 2006."
thank you, GOD, the gaddis family received good news! may it continue!

i love good news!
i love the gaddis family!
i love that we live at a time  in which cancer is no longer,  necessarily  a death sentence!!!  i love the whole idea of st. jude's!
i love our most awesome GOD!!!
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

katherine and "wool"

in an email a couple of weeks ago i asked dana about william's new girlfriend to which she replied she hadn't heard. (oops:/)
so, today i called her while waiting in purgatory (county high's parking lot) to pick katherine up from school. the first thing out of her mouth was that she "FINALLY" got out of will who his girlfriend is. "little becca", she said. little becca (awe;) now how sweet is that?
i replied to her, "you didn't tell him i was the one who told you, did you?" 
"oh, yeah, i told him i heard from miss dani... IN KENTUCKY!" 
i explained to her they even though he moved fourteen hours away, katherine still keeps tabs on "wool" (ha, that's how she's always pronounced his name) on a regular basis.  i explained i knew because katherine told me one day he was "single" on his myspace and the next day he was "in a relationship".
social.media.
dana and i both laughed.
katherine has always mothered him;  i suppose she always will:D !!!
funny story- but true...  
i used to pick will up every morning for school, and every morning he would run to the van, jump in, and before buckling his seat-belt would blow into katherine's face. every morning she would hesitate for a moment then shout out what kind of cereal she believed he'd eaten for breakfast.  she was never wrong, lol!
 then, off to holy name we would go! 
i love "wool" as does katherine (we miss him, too). 
i love the relationship katherine and "wool" have always shared.  i love the name, "little becca".
i loved the smell of cereal breath in my van.
i love, love, love laughing with dana!
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

brain age squared debacle

part of my valentine consisted of a ds game, "brain age squared". so, last night i played it for the first time. it's a japanese game which is supposed to exercise different parts of my brain. then it gives me a brain age test. 
not being one to read instructions,
i started playing the game. i scored a brain age of 80 years old! i tried again and got it down to the ripe young age of 56 years old. i am a brain game junky- there's not much i like more than a book of logic problems, cryptoquip, or sudoku puzzles to pass my time. so, i couldn't figure out where i was going wrong.
actually, i could figure out where i was going wrong just not why. there was a part of the game where i played "rock, paper, scissors" (in reverse?). on one side of the ds there was a picture of a hand in the form of a rock, a piece of paper, or scissors. beneath the picture, it either read "win" or "lose". i could not figure out why i kept getting a big, red "X" over my answer? 
finally, i got out the trusty instructions. aha! i didn't know it was supposed to be an oral exam! hence, if the picture showed a rock with the word "win" beneath it i was supposed to say aloud, "paper"; if the picture showed a rock with the word "lose" beneath it, i was supposed to say, "scissors"... and, so on... 
whew! my brain age is not prematurely aging!
 thank GOD, my mind is doing just fine;b 
i love having a sharp mind! i love normally being able to figure out things for myself...
even if it's figuring out i need  to read instructions;)
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

gh III and nacho libre

sunday




last night was quite entertaining. as i was getting ready to get off my laptop and go to bed, i received a myspace comment from katherine summoning me to the den. when i got in there i found my daughter and hannah who wanted me to play with them. 
 so, play i did. 
first, i played wii guitar hero III until i thought my pinkie was going to fall off my hand, then i entertained the masses while they made brownies, and finally we three sat down and took in quite the movie classic, nacho libre! 
actually, i won the movie from 96-sto back at the end of last summer. i was so "excited" to have won it that i brought it right home and didn't watch it until seven months later. HAHA;) 
i will not tout the movie to anyone seeking entertainment in the name of further culturing one's self. however, if you can suffer through jack black in leotards, a few totally disgusting scenes, and a movie with just a little more plot than napoleon dynamite, then this is perhaps a movie for you!
i love girl party nights on the lane!
i love gh III!
i love brownies! i love watching stupid, funny movies with giggly girls!
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

peaches and cream oatmeal v/s oatmeal with peaches

saturday

ok, so i've been on this lenten diet and have been pretty much keeping my fat intake to 10 grams a day. i was in the grocery last monday and thought i'd try peaches and cream oatmeal as opposed to the plain oatmeal i'd been eating. i looked on the box and was pleasantly surprised to see that the peaches and cream oatmeal was a 1/2 fat gram less per serving than the regular stuff. hence, i bought the cereal and merrily went on my way. 
unfortunately, upon arriving home with breakfast i realized that a serving of p&c was only half the size of the original stuff. dang it! instead of my breakfast costing me 3 grams of fat it was going to cost me 5:/

 long story short... i ate the p and c oats this week (and obviously not much else) then had john pick up plain oatmeal and fresh peaches. it was pretty good (even better than the pre-made stuff with 1 1/2 less fat grams:).  it actually tasted a little like peach cobbler.

i love peaches.
i frickin' love peach cobbler!
i love fattening food;b
i love i'm not eating fattening food!!!
i love john even more for going to the store for me:D
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

across the universe, roses, and weeds...

wednesday

oj came over with the beatles movie, across the universe, a bottle of zin, and whatever he was drinking. the movie and/or the wine was really good. sometimes musicals totally overstimulate me, and my add kicks in. apparently, though, there was enough wine (my first since Christmas eve), spoken dialogue, and artistic scenery in this one  i was able to enjoy it:D  it was actually quite groovy...

i dig the beatles.
i love a lot of their music.
i love Jesus' first miracle of wine as well;b
i love spending time with oj.

thursday (valentines day)

i got out of the house for the first time since the ice storm yesterday. i had to go to evansville to get john his valentine. so, i went to bud's and got him a harley davidson jacket, gloves, and a neck cover to keep him warm when he rides his bike in the winter (gotta keep my boy warm:).
speaking of my boy,  he came home with a dozen roses  and a new video game for me...  now, how sweet is that?
i love my boy!
i love keeping him warm.
i love valentines day.
i love roses.
and i really dig video games!

friday

recently, i heard a quote, which stuck with me, "everybody's got weeds in their gardens".
it's true.  i've had them,  and, thankfully,  i've learned to rid myself of them!
it's hard sometimes...
i guess that's why i keep my "garden" small.
i love meaningful quotes. i love learning hard lessons. i love my garden, small.
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

ice laden tree branches, snow, and roads...

it was even more beautiful today  than it was yesterday.
but, looks can be deceiving.
it is treacherous as hell out there! 
before  i happened to think  about the ice covered hill  in our front yard, i leashed maggie and let her out  to go potty.  my babydogger
looked like bambi  from the scene  on the frozen pond- all four legs going  in different directions.
i was scared to death  i wouldn't get to her
before she slid down the hill on the ice and hanged herself.
thank God  i did and she didn't!
~@~
later this afternoon, katherine and i were  watching general hospital and heard a big boom! i looked out to see
a branch as big as a tree  had snapped and fallen. given there was nothing i could do about it,
i just closed the blinds
and rejoined our story (already in progress;).
~@~
school is already cancelled
for tomorrow
as the roads are completely iced-over... 
meaning  i get to spend another day snuggled up with katherine and my three m's.
i love snow days with katherine, i love my three m's, 
i love electric blankets, and
i am thankful we have electricity to keep us warm.   thank you, God!
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

snow...

content

the snow is falling.
i am under the covers...
all warm and cozy.

(a haiku by me:)

love and God's blessings,
dani xxx

for friday, saturday, and sunday...

for friday...

i have always loved fridays:
my aunts picking me up early from day care,
eating peanut butter on a spoon and watching marcia yockey's weather forecast with my grandmommie,
and
getting earrings painted on my ears with paintable eye shadow.


for saturday...

i have always loved saturdays:
watching the pink panther, big john/little john, looney tunes, isis, etc. on saturday mornings,
going to the beauty shop and the grocery with my mamaw,
and
getting burger chef kid meals.

for today...

i have always loved sundays;
today's blessings?
i'll mention just two.
it involves a precious baby boy and a best friend who was willing to share him with me...
why just 2 today?\ because it's sunday and since he was a wee baby he's been one of the brightest lights in my life... and, his mom my dear friend.


sam!!!





and  dana, the friend who shared him with me:D



love and God's blessings, dani xxx

ash thursday

well, it's ash thursday... i have watched my diet, drunk the right amount of water i was supposed to, and signed up for an online BIble study for which i'm awaiting a response.

the problem is i haven't exercised (i did watch the "step" dvd, though). i just don't feel like it. it's a real "catch 22" for me. i am still contemplating it, however;D... 
i love Bible study!
i love watching a dvd instead of exercising;o
i love knowing i have safe drinking water  (even though i'm not thrilled  about having to drink it;).
love and God's blessings, dani xxx

ash wednesday...

katherine asked me last night what i was going to "give up" this year for lent. without thought i told her i didn't know if i was going to "give up" anything, but i was contemplating "doing something" instead. later, i decided i would start a Bible study, exercise, and start keeping a diary of my more healthy food intake.
so, this morning i opened the wi step box and started the program. also, i pulled my "a heart like His" Bible study out of the closet and started the study, and finally i began eating more healthfully and taking note of it.
additionally, i want this lenten season to be a very positive experience. so, i have also decided to blog each day and keep a list of the above as well as a list of that which i love and am thankful for in my life... things that are very random and not in any particular order.
God is my number one... not because He is supposed to be nor because He is the right answer...   God is my number one because He saved me from a life of despair in the fall of 1999. i don't use the term "saved" lightly. i mean He came into my life on a saturday afternoon while i was talking on the phone; and the feeling of having Him invade my body made me literally weak in the knees<<< actually weak all over my body and mind!!!
speaking of being saved, before i go any further, i have to credit dr. larry crick for still being alive today. long story short>>> i was having tia's when katherine was a baby. i took her in for her 2-year check up and asked dr. crick to help me. (i had asked 2 local dr.'s to refer me to vanderbilt because i knew something wasn't right with my health. neither chose to do so.) before i got home from katherine's appointment i already had a message from dr. crick's office saying that i had an appointment with dr. howard kirshner in two days at vandy. dr. howard kirshner was just any gp; he was the dean of the department of neurology at vanderbilt hospital!!!    dr. crick was and is my savior here on earth!   i know there is a special place for him  and his precious wife, cathy, in heaven... i dearly love them both!
other things i love...
grandmothers
a devoted husband
a precious daughter
a floppy puppy
memories of my mosses...
to be continued...
love and God's blessings, dani xxx