dresses...

to keep from going into complete seasonal depression...

katherine and i have been "windows shopping" for a prom dress.

these are her favorites thus far:

(1)

(back of 1 in pink)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

which is your favorite???

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

abnormal...

(maggiepie and i;)

thank you all for your concern and warm thoughts!!!

some of you asked if the weather we are experiencing is normal for kentucky. it is not at all, normal!!! as a matter of fact, if the local meteorologists predict snow, our local agency (1) gets out and salts and/or sands the roads in preparation. further, the local schools cancel classes just to be on the safe side.

though we do have relatively cold winters, more years than not the area only sees a couple of minor snow events... because henderson and its surroundning counties are so unprepared, most streets and roads are still packed with ice, snow, and fallen trees, limbs, and branches. thus, there have been a rather large number of accidents even today, and, several of our main roads and secondary highways have been closed. honestly, it would not surprise me if it is the middle of next week before travel will be back to normal here.

gratefully, we have maintained power!!! last night, as i posted yesterday, all the hotels/motels here and in the surrounding area were full; NO grocery stores, one gas station, and only 2 restaurants were open. both restaurants (as you can imagine) were packed with mobs of hungry people. lines of these people, literally, stretched from the restaurant doors, respectively, to the streets! i am so hoping that all will have their power restored and be safetly in the comfort of their homes as soon as is possible!!!

love and blessings,
dani xx

winter storm 2009...

(our yard)

our house is one of very few homes that still has power. this is amazing... as almost 300,000 HOMES in kentucky and the tri-state area are without power!!!

we received 3-4 inches of ice (monday night and tuesday) before receiving 5-7 inches of snow (over a three hour period this morning). trees fell, and large transformers exploded!!! it literally sounded and felt like a war zone here all through the night.
i'm still a little shell shocked:o

all the local shelters/make-shift-shelters are full as are ALL the hotel/motels!!!

further, temperatures are supposed to plummet this afternoon into the evening from mid 20's f to the low teens f. as i type, trees and branches are still popping, crackling, and crashing on the lane!!! kentucky has been declared by the governor, "a state of emergency".

stay tuned...

love and blessings,
dani xx

got ice...

my internet has been spotty this morning (at best) due to the 2 inches of ICE we received last night. the forecasters are saying that we may received 3-6 more inches of ice ending in snow tomorrow!!!

so, i'm going to take a few days to get somethings done around here on the lane.

i will be returning soon.

right now, i'm just praying that we don't lose our power. YIKES!!!
some already have:(

you all take care!!!

much love and God's blessings,
dani xx

mosses monday XVII...

(nursing home)

when mrs. moss was diagnosed with alzheimer's, i had never personally known anyone else who had suffered from the disease... when i look back now, knowing what i know and having experienced the disease intimately through her, i KNOW how awful the disease really is. i will even have to admit that at first, when mrs. moss thought we were all in florida for the holidays and that mr. moss had had her favorite tree transplanted there for her, i (being young)romanticized the situation.

however, this romantic situation quickly turned
into one that was anything but...

alzheimer's raised its ugly head!!!

in what seemed like over-night, mrs. moss could no longer be contained: she wanted to be out of her home and walking... all the time, day and night. mr. moss hired a sitter to keep watch over mrs. moss. another of her responsibilities was to be their driver... as mr. moss knew that he was no longer in any condition to drive, and he feared that mrs. moss would get lost or worse.

the sitter drove the moss' cadilac hours upon hours (always at least a block behind mrs. moss keeping watch over her walking... as mrs. moss held onto her independence as long as she could not wanting anyone to walk with her!!!).

winter turned to spring,
and spring quickly turned into summer.
mrs. moss walked!

now, summers in the ohio valley are long, hot, and very humid. even though, the extreme heat and humidity did not deter mrs. moss' desire to be out... and walking. further, she insisted on dressing herself. every day she donned herself in the same wool skirt and heavy sweater... how she kept from having a heat stroke, i will honestly never know!

mrs. moss walked all through the day. then, when the sitter would leave in the late afternoon, mr. moss would lock the two of them in for the night then hide the key. this continued for months. then one night (i'm going to be honest here and say that i don't remember if mrs. moss found the key or if there was a failure to lock the door), mrs. moss got out of the house. mr. moss told me he was watching tv and that she had pretended to go to bed. anyway, she somehow got out of their house without him knowing, and a neighbor, who was on her way home from the grocery store, found her wondering in the dark several blocks from their home on the court.

thankfully, the neighbor saw and picked up mrs. moss;
she then took her home.

soon after that particular incident,
mr. moss decided to hire sitters around the clock.

summer turned into fall... fall to winter...
and then winter to spring.

it was obvious that keeping her at home was not working.
mrs. moss' condition was worsening.

so, on good friday, mr. moss put his sweet lucy in a nursing home...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(to be continued...)

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ps you will find earlier entries in ascending order on my side bar entitled, "our love story":)

ritzy's...

our night at gd ritzy's...

a few more sweet memories made:)

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ps. the quality of the photos is not good...
(i took the pix with my cell phone.)
however, the quality of the evening totally rocked!!!

homecoming...

last night was henderson county high school's basketball homecoming,

and...

chico was nominated by the student body to be on the senior court!!!

(photo from the gleaner of the senior court)

however, katherine had been diagnosed with mononucleosis,
"mono" causes extreme fatigue,
which she has been experiencing on a daily basis...
she didn't feel well enough to accompany him:(

chico, being chico, was more than cool with her not feeling like going!!!

he came over to our house and dressed for the ceremony.
(his mother is a nurse and was at work.)
thus, i ironed his tie.
and told him to ditch the cardinals jacket
and...
the turquoise key chain he had dangling from his pocket, ha!!!

(THE jacket)

(THE key chain (and i almost forgot THE bracelet:/))

then when i told him he had to unroll his sleeves,
he told me that i was going to make him cry, HA!!!

(pretending to wipe a tear)

FINALLY, he got it as close to right
as he was willing to get it:

(voila!!!)

as my sick girl stood giggling at him...

(kitty katherine)

such the sweetheart, chico returned
right after the halftime ceremony
and took katherine out to dinner!!!

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ever feel like...

life's grabbing you by the ears and making ugly faces at you???



when all you want to do is stick your tongue out at it???


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

well, it's been a week like that the last couple of days on the lane:/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

however, today is a new day, a day that i had the opportunity to pull up the covers and sleep in for a few extra hours.




i guess i needed the extra shut-eye because when i awoke i felt like myself again... happy-go-lucky, ready to embrace life, and give it a big sloppy kiss:)



i hope you are having a sloppy kiss kind of day!!!

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

today...

i am wordless
but
prayerful!!!

love and God's blessing,
dani xx

mosses monday XVI...

a question and answer post, to date...

from
Mosses II :
Weith Kick said...
Q: Oooh, what an interesting story. I'm intrigued. Is that a weird thing for someone to say to you about your Mom? Seems like a strange, out-of-the-blue statement. (my neighbor's daughter had asked how my mother was doing... then made the statement that my mother never really did get over mike moss' death.)

A: my neighbor's daughter was a high school friend of my mom, and they have remained friends. i suppose my mom's and mike's relationship was epic!/? who knows? in a small town such as this, it wasn't a really "strange" question per se; but it was definitely out-of-the-blue!
~@~ 


(my mother front row/center)

SuzanSayz said...
Q: Oh what a saucy little thing your mum must have been.LOL. Could you possibly include pictures next time?

A: hopefully pictures are on the way, suz:) i emailed mr. moss' niece last week, and she told me i could come and look through the photos that she has and scan them. i'm looking VERY forward to doing so:D

Mosses III:
SuzanSayz said...
Q: Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up, back up back up here Dani. I didn't think I had missed an installment but All of a sudden I am lost. When did that sweet Ida Mae come into the story??? When did your mosses become so frail and sick?? You turn this right around now young lady and give me more info. I want to hear about all your years of learning to love your mosses and stuff like that. If I have somehow missed all of that then please tell me where it is. I want more details and I want them now!!!! I quite often feel like I'm not sure whats going on in this big old blogging world, and this is a pretty big one so if I'm just being dumb (heaven forbid) then let me know that too. I'll be back tomorrow and I will expect answers!!!!! Answers I say!!!

A: i jumped waaaaay ahead on this particular post because ida, one of mr. moss' sitters, had just died; and i wanted to dedicate a post to her that included her. she was special. further, i have actually jumped around a bit seasonally (for Christmas/halloween, etc).
but, suz, i did go back to the years of "falling in love" with these two wonderful people:) and i promise a worthy ending!

Mosses IV:
Amanda said...
Q: What wonderful memories you have shared today.
Mr Moss is a gentleman ~ how many men open not only a car door, but any door for a lady nowadays??!

A: amanda, mr. moss was a gentleman! in the end when parkinson's had crippled him to the point that he couldn't walk on his own (without the aid of a walker), he still attempted to open doors, take coats, pull chairs out for us girls, and the such! (in my opinion, "how to be a gentleman" is something all mothers of boys should continue to instill. it is a dying art; yet it is an art that makes a very, very good and lasting impression;)


Mosses VI:
(katherine's reflection in the baubles)

Amanda said...
Q: I love the picture at the beginning of the story ~ is that Katherine in the baubles?

A: yes, amanda that was my little katherine in the reflection on the baubles... an addition to the Christmas post of a very special thing to come;)

Mosses VIII :
Tabitha said...
Q: Another wonderful installment ~ I just love Mosses Monday!!
Katherine looks so sweet in that outfit ~ I love it!!
Are bugles a sweet?

A: "bugles" are salty, corn-based snacks that are shaped like a bugle. they are really quite tasty (and for my little kitty katherine... QUITE addictive, ha!)
~@~ 
Little Sweethearts said...
Q: I don't think we had bugles when I was young (we do have them now), but we did the same with ringelings. Do you have those?

A: tania, i don't know if others in the states have "ringelings"... we don't locally.


Mosses IX:

Little Sweethearts said...
Q: That's the picture from your wedding, isn't it? So beautiful! It must have been a match made in heaven with you being assigned to the same department as John!

A: that photo came from my bridal sitting, tania... my wedding pictures were a disaster. most didn't turn out well because it was a candlelight wedding, and flash was not allowed in the sanctuary:(
i have always believed my match with john was heaven made. (not meaning our marriage is perfect, ha, just "meant to be":) 
~@~ 
Tanya said...
Q: i would love to see more of your wedding photos!!

A: here are a few:)


Mosses Monday XII:
Weith Kick said...
Q: Mr. Moss calls Mrs. Moss "mommie?"

A: yes, wk, mr. moss often refered to mrs. moss as "mommie" (with his southern drawl). he referred to her as lucy and called her "lucy", too, occasionally. whatever he chose to call her was said with all the love he could muster, though, EVERY time!

Mosses Monday XIII:  

The Adventures of Maverick & the Mrs. said...
Q: Can you hear me sniffling? That is so sweet! And baby Katherine! Did you just kiss those cheeks all day long?!

A: christina, i could have sworn i heard you sniffling half a country away from the lane, hehe;)  yes, i kissed katherine's cheeks on a regular basis (like ALL DAY LONG!).

Mosses Monday XIV:
SuzanSayz said...
Q: I keep picturing Katherine Hepburn, standing in as Mrs Moss. Am I close at all?
I love reading of your wonderful friendship with her. And of course Mr. Moss as well.
I am also curious. Where on earth did your mom live to manage being 22 hours away?

A: mrs. moss was VERY katherine hepburn'esque, suz.
however, she and mr. moss would more resemble george burns and gracie allen (though mrs. moss was no gracie; she was as smart as a whip).
my parents retired to new hampshire in the mid nineties to open a bed and breakfast; it was a 22 hour drive!

~@~ 
Weith Kick said...
Q: It sounds like a delightful time you had. How can you remember all this? How long ago was this?

A: wk, the valentine's tea was in 1995. i have a memory like an elephant! ha, really it's situationally photographic... i can usually remember conversations i've had word-for-word and can even remember what the people in my memory were wearing.

~@~   
::Jan:: said...
Q: And who blots lipstick anymore? I never think about doing that much.

A: i know, jan, right? i do occasionally (if i get it on too thick). but, now that i think about it...  i rarely see others do it.
~@~ 
Cheri and Jesse said...
Q: Have you ever thought about writing a book? You have a true talent!!!

A: thank you, cheri:) i'd love to write a book someday... however, i am not THAT talented. my mosses' stories just seem to tell themselves;)
(to be continued...)

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ps you will find earlier entries in ascending order on my side bar entitled, "our love story":)

what to do...

with over a half box of reese's puffs???

yes, you new lovers of reese's cups...
there is cereal, too:P


(gabe, my little consumer)

you see...
most every morning for the two months leading up to
Christmas break,
chico and gabe showed up at our house early
so that i would take them to school.

(chico's parking privileges had been revoked for parking
in unauthorized parking spots so as not to be late to class;)

every morning, gabe came in and prepared himself a bowl of
reese's cup cereal, ate, and then requested that i let
him use our mouth wash:? around thanksgiving, gabe informed me
that "we" were out of cereal and that i needed to replenish
the supply, ha!!!

i did... i also bought him his own bottle of scope!!!

then, when he returned to school after the break, chico decided to pay his fines so that he could get his parking privileges reinstated...
which left me with cereal i don't eat:/

anyway to answer my own question...

i guess i'll feed it to the squirrels:D
they will totally be doing the happy dance in my back yard!!!

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ps. i actually kind of miss taking all my funny little
people to school in the mornings... it was never dull;)

(chico and katherine)

VERY cold outside!!!

the temperatures dropped here on the lane more than 40 degrees fahrenheit yesterday... right now, with the wind factored, the meteorologists are reporting that it feels like -11 degrees f (-24 degrees c).

BRRR!!!

i know it is cold when...

the lion and the lamb lie down next to each other!!!

(mia and maggiepie)

and my bed starts looking like something out of charlie and the chocolate factory:/

(chico, kat, and i watching a football game)


(notice: charlie's family
is always in bed trying
to keep warm;)

i'll leave you with a few photos of winter on the lane; these were taken last week. although, we'd had a dusting of snow that day, it was actually much, much warmer.

(the lane/2009)

love, warmth, and God's blessings,
dani xx

did i ever tell you...

that i am musically gifted???


(me/1986)

no???


that would be because i am NOT!!!

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

i just like to grab a guitar ever-so-often
and pretend to be willie nelson:P

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

mosses monday XV...

(a valentines tea) 

i read in the church newsletter  there was going to be a mother/daughter tea party the saturday morning before valentines day. since my mother was living 22 hours away from me at the time, i decided to invite mrs. moss.
she was delighted;
i was delighted that she was delighted:)

since we were asked to bring our own tea cups, that morning before i went to pick up mrs. moss, i went to 1890's gift store and chose matching tea cups for us to take to the party. i asked "miss dean", the owner, to please wrap mrs. moss' cup. after she wrapped the cup and tied a big red ribbon around the box, i paid and thanked her. i was off to retrieve my date...

when i got to the court where the mosses lived, i was a little early. so, mr. moss welcomed me in, took my coat, gave me a big hug, and directed me back to their bedroom where mrs. moss was sitting at her vanity putting on her final touches.

"good morning, dani," mrs. moss said in her gravelly sophisticated voice. "i'm almost ready."

i smiled, "that's great just take your time. i'm actually a little early."

i sat on the love seat and watched her work her magic, and we chatted like teenagers. she took out her compact powder and powdered her forehead, nose, and chin. then she put on her lipstick... pat, pat, pat... so as to not apply too much; she rubbed her lips together; then, with a tissue, she lightly blotted her lips.

"dani, which of these earrings do you think i should wear?" she asked.

i arose and walked over to her.

"these were mother's, and george bought these for me one time while we were in florida," she looked at me and smiled.

both sets of earrings were lovely. "why don't you wear the ones gim (her mother) gave you," i continued, "since it's a mother/daughter tea, it would be nice for you to wear something of your mothers."

she took my hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze and smiled (crinkling her nose) then turned back around in her seat and clipped the clustered pearl earrings on her ears.

after doing so, she arose. she was ready with the exception of putting on her sweater, which was lying on the foot of her bed. from her vanity, she picked up a rather large silk scarf and made her way over to her bed. she placed the scarf ever-so-gently over her head and face. she asked me if i would hand her her sweater. i obliged. she pulled her sweater over her head, which was still covered with the scarf so as to not mess up her hair or make-up.

with that,  she was ready to go...

she loved her teacup.
she loved the tea party.

she loved me...

and i loved her, too.
~@~ 

(to be continued...)

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ps you will find earlier entries in ascending order on my side bar entitled, "our love story":)

it was TIME!!!

(my favorite boots EVER:)

late this afternoon, i put on my johnny cash boots (that's what i call them;), my black turtleneck sweater, and my raggedy levis. then i pulled my hair back in a pony-tail, threw on a little make-up, and informed john that he was taking me on a date:b

i called a friend and asked him and his wife to join us for dinner.
he accepted the invite.
so, john and i went on a double date!!!

then, after dinner, a glass of wine (or two), and an enjoyable conversation with our friends, we headed back to the lane so that john could catch the end of a couple of football games and so that i could play with my maggiepie:)
she'd missed me... a little:/

(well, maybe more than a little)

after she had her fill (and i'd had more than my fill) of welcoming me home, i fed her.



she was a happy little puppy-dogger!!!

(i totally dig these boots!!!)

and i was a happy little puppy-dogger owner:)
so, i kicked my feet up, turned on my laptop, and PLAYED!!!

it was a VERY good night:D
a good night on the lane, indeed...

i hope yours was as well:)

much love and blessings,
dani xx

don't blink...

as i stepped out of the house to go to the funeral home this morning, the lyrics to a song were playing in the background of my thoughts. this song hasn't been very far from my thoughts for days.

on tuesday, when i googled kenny chesney's music to choose a song to go along with nick's tribute, this was the first song that came up on my screen. i didn't look any further.

you see...

when i think of nicholas gaddis, i don't think of the brave, handsome, young man he had become. no, on the contrary, i remember the beautiful, curly-headed toddler with the silly little pinkie (a genetic thing, too cute) that used to run through our house... who loved taking the pieces out of my puzzle stool and attempting to put each piece back in its place.

where do the years go???

when i think of nick's mom, jenny, i don't picture a mother of two twenty something year-old kids. no, on the contrary, i picture a very happy, very pregnant jenny who was standing in the middle of our den at her baby shower (for nicholas) while we all cut pieces of string to see who's most closely fit around her middle.

where do the years go???

when i think of nick's dad, bill, i don't think of him as the father of two twenty something year-old kids he has become. no, on the contrary, i remember bill coming to our house on new year's eve with a trivial pursuit game in tow (that he'd studied the answers to before his and jenny's arrival(so funny;). ha, nick came by his competitiveness quite honestly!

so, i ask again...

WHERE.DO.THE.YEARS.GO???

in chesney's song the question is asked of a 102 year-old man...
"what is the secret to life?"

in chesney's song the answer is given...
"don't blink..."
("trust me, friend. a hundred years goes faster than you think.
so don't blink." )

i don't know how fast a hundred years goes by (i'd like to one day; i think:); but i do know that the past 23 years have gone by way too quickly. if you don't believe me, i'm sure i know two broken parents that would grievously agree.

so...

live, love, laugh...

slowly.

and,

don't blink.

much love and GOD's blessings,
dani xx

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***when i was at the funeral home this morning, jenny gave thanks for ALL your kind thoughts, prayers, and words. she was very touched by ALL your kindness. but, one of the last things she said to me was that they REALLY need prayers, now. so, if i may ask (again), please keep nick's family close to your heart. thank you.


"so i've been tryin' ta slow it down
i've been tryin' ta take it in
in this here today, gone tomorrow
world we're livin' in."

nick, in his words...

(play as you read)

(1985-2009)

"I love sports and games and when I say that I love sports and games I mean everything. I love to play golf, basketball, baseball, soccer, frisbee, football, tennis, street hockey, and swim..."

(nick at the stratosphere in las vegas)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"it was brought to my attention today that i had been doing a lot lately and seem to be happier... which got me to thinking that i am going to try to make this one of the best summer's of my life. if there is anyone who wants to help me out in my quest hit me up and i will do basically anything just to be with the people that are important in my life... my friends. as of right now i have tickets to go to kings island, kenny chesney, and john mayer with ben folds.... i also have tickets to a reds game and trying to decide whether or not to pay 160 to see the bengals play. i'm not working so most of the time during the day i am not doing anything and would love it if i had someone that would go out and do something. i don't care what i am just trying to live my life the way i should have the last 21 years of my life. i am getting into the fast lane.... if anyone wants to join me let me know...."



(kenny chesney concert)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(gabby)

"I have a little devil of a dog. She is a little over a year old beagle and her name is Gabby, not that she listens when you call her anyway but we are working on it... She loves to chew any and everything from a razor blade to a flip flop to a bra. You have got to watch your posessions when you are around her because she will snatch them up in a heartbeat. I share an apartment building in Louisville, KY with my friend from high school. I love the city of Louisville and will probably end up living there when I get older. I love to cook. I love to try different things and I usually can make food that is pretty good at least for a college kid not living off of frozen foods and noodles. I hate to clean after I cook though.... I like to use that george foreman but I got one of the ones that you can't stick in the dishwasher so you have to do it by hand and it sucks."

(gabby and nick)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"If I could meet anyone in the world I would have to say I would love to meet my donor. I have/had cancer. I have hodgskins lymphoma which as of right now has a 90% cure rate. Well I was diagnosed Feburary 7th, 2000 and I am still fighting it. I have had numerous amounts of chemotherapy and radiation, I have had an experimental CD-30 antibody study, and I am currently approaching the end of my third transplant. The first 2 transplants were otologist transplants which meant that I got my own cells but the difference in this transplant was that it was allogenic which means that someone had to donate their cells to me. The reason I want to meet this person is because in order for me to get this transplant, I had to get my blood typecrossed with donars in the donar registry. Out of all the people in the world that were registered in the blood donar there were only 2 people that matched me in the world. After the doctors determined that I needed this transplant one of the 2 donars was contacted and they accepted. The big deal about this is... this is not like the donar goes and gives a sample of their blood and that is all they have to do. The person who did this had to go through weeks of immunotherapy, taking extra pills, going in for injections periodically and then to give their cells they had to go to the blood bank and sit there all day for 2 days with a catheder running out of both of their arms to save my life. This person has never met me, doesn't know what all I have been through or anything yet they took time, money, and pain to save my life. That is the type of person that I wish I could be and I wish I could meet. Technically at the moment I am cancer free but my immune system is still building thanks to their cells."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(nick and his mom, jenny)

Posted Feb 20, 2008 7:58am
"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." jenny gaddis

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




"I am extremely competitive... but if you couldn't tell that from the whole thing about my interests then something is wrong with you. That is probably why I love sports and games so much. I love the thrill of winning and losing... the agony of defeat and the glory of victory!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

nick was competitive. he combatted cancer for nearly 10 years without ever giving up nor giving in to the horrible disease. in my life, have never seen anyone like him...

"2 Timothy 4:7 – "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

please keep nick's family in your thoughts and prayers;
for, they lost their little warrior yesterday.

love and God's blessings,
dani xx