Will she glow or will we know?

Finally an update to report! I'm so excited! Today Mama got injected with some radio-active stuff and tomorrow we'll find out if she (or rather, the tumor) will glow or not. She's in the process of a test called Octriotide. The substance in her veins will only attach to Carcinoid tumors...so if she (or rather, the tumor) glows under the scan then it's a Carcinoid. If not, it's not a Carcinoid. Simple as that.

Mama did find out that the test she did last week that was supposed to measure ?? something in her urine had to go to the Mayo Clinic to be tested, so those results won't be back for a while.

The appointment with the surgeon will be Thursday, hopefully it will all come together then and we will know the path she will take to rid herself of this tumor. As with other troubles in life, "This, too, shall pass." (Personally, I can't wait to be on the other side of this experience. I'm sure she feels the same and I wonder what all we'll learn thru it.)

Time Lost...

An awful lot has happened since the last time I posted to this blog. My Sissy turned 5 (sorry, I'll have to add pix later) and most recently my mother was found to have a tumor. I know! A tumor is a big, UGLY word. I'm not scared, tho.

This chapter of the story began when Mama was so sick she couldn't watch the girls Wed, Apr 8th. My mama doesn't get sick and yet it came to mind that in the last several months she'd been sick (incapacitated) more often than I remember her EVER being sick. Odd. And as always, she got well nearly as fast as she got sick. Sure enough by Thursday it was like nothing ever happened.

Well, when the episode hit again Friday night at 9pm and lasted thru the night into early Saturday morning we all knew the inevitable. She had to seek medical attention. She spent an agonizing day scooting from one office to another, giving her whole life story to every new face she saw and by 7pm that night she was finally admitted to the hospital. 3 CT scans and an unknown number of doctors consulting together over them finally brought the conclusion that there was, indeed, a tumor at the source of all this.

Unfortunately this all happened on Easter weekend. So, the girls went to see their Granma in the hospital on Easter morning and that's where we praised the Lord for his Risen Son.

Over a week later and we still don't know what kind of tumor, what treatment options or when the surgery will be to remove the ugly tumor. But we do know that God is good - all the time and that His Will will be done and we'll all get thru it by his grace and with his mercy.

For those who read this Sonata of my Soul my need of you is: PRAYER.

Our strength will probably wane over then next few weeks but our faith never will.

Year end to present

My darling Missy turned 9 today! I can't believe it's even possible that she can be this age. She announced the other day that she's half-way to 18. Ugh. Not what a mother wants to think about.

We tried to make it a very special day for her. This morning she got up and opened her bday card. In the card was a note inviting her to make her pick (of 3) restaurants to eat breakfast at. She picked the local Country Club. Then while she was opening her gift (an outfit: white long sleeved shirt with sequenced ice skate, red 'silk' skirt and plaid tights) at the bottom of the box was a note announcing that we were going ice skating today. She was soooo excited!

At breakfast she was given another note asking if she wanted to get her ears pierced today. Oh...that took her back. She said she was going to have to think about that one! And she did. She thought and thought about it then suddenly announced that she wanted to go for it. (We had even told her she could wait until next weekend so she could think about it all week before she did something she didn't want to do.) She was so cute. She got pink gemstone flowers.

After the piercings she got to go with the family ice skating. A new experience for all of us. So much fun! Mommy went too fast and Missy fell (once) and wouldn't you know it, Mommy got in more trouble for getting that pretty red skirt wet with ice than the fact that she fell. :)

Upon getting home for her cake/ice cream party she got to enjoy the company of lots of loving family members and be the receipent of lots of wonderful gifts and love. She was so excited. We ended the gift time with her last surprise...a brand new bike! She was soooo surprised! She announced to one Papa Beard that this bike was wayyyy better than the bike he got for her out of the dump. (ha!)

I think this was a very full day of lots of excitement and fun for us all. Sissy can hardly wait to have a day alllll about HER! (One month and counting!)

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Christmas was a wonderful time this year. We had lots of fun with lots of family and we didn't even have too much of a loss of income. (Less presents to buy was a huge blessing for us!) The girls delighted in seeing their Grandma B from Missouri and their Uncle, Aunt & Cousin from NV as well as the 'regular' blessings...the grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles.

Halloween, haunts and hooligans...

******************************************The girls had a great time dressing for Halloween. Not having the money to spend on the fancy $35 Walmart quality costumes, nor the desire to dress my precious darlings as hustlers - we opted to be creative this year (perhaps the beginning of a tradition). Missy chose to be 'cat-girl' having her face decorated by a class-mate while Sissy decided she'd be Super Piggy! (Her mind goes places even mine doesn't!) They both had a great time. We enjoyed them and they enjoyed the holiday. **** As a matter-of-fact, they're still enjoying the holiday. Last night I found Sissy sitting at the kitchen table with the bowl of Halloween candy in front of her and wrappers of candy surrounded her bowl. She confessed this morning that she was trying to make 'toot-sweets' like she'd just seen on Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (the movie). What she was successful in making was a super sugar high child! Fortunately she doesn't have school on Tuesdays, so she was able to sleep off her indulge!

Mommy, is this appropriate?

Sissy joined me at a local community affair. I worried that she'd been too young and disinterested and might get anxious to leave. Much to my surprise there was a hispanic girl close to her age also at the event. The two were so excited to spot each other - just to have someone alike.
The little nina didn't speak English and the little girl didn't speak Spanish. Thinking this new relationship could never work with this language barrier - I learned a lesson.
Those two girlies talked to each other (in their own words), played with one another and danced allll over the affair. At the end of the night I asked Sissy if she learned the other little girl's name. She answered me indignantly: "Mom, she doesn't know our language. She doesn't speak Colorado!"

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The other day Missy paraded Sissy out and around so proud of her (Missy's) fashion design. She says she wants to be a designer some day. Sissy is compliant and enjoys being Missy's model. Watch out, world! Here they come! The drama queen and her understudy.
(At least they look good. Inappropriate, but good.)

Anniversary brings Happy Times

Well, here we are, Mister D and I...eleven years of marriage and two beautiful daughters later, we have made an investment in our future and their child-hood memories with this new purchase of ours. We began tent-camping this summer and have loved the times at the lake so much that after much coercing and prayer (and finding a steal of a deal) we invested in this beautiful bumper-pull camper trailer.
This weekend was our first weekend out and happened to be our anniversary. Missy said it best when she announced that this was our best weekend ever camping and 'our' best anniversary ever! ha!

Palin for President!

I know Sarah Palin is the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, but I am all for Palin for President! An amazing speaker; her true, down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach hit a chord within my soul. She fired me up from the moment she took the podium and even inspired me to believe in the depths of myself about what I could do for my family, community, government and even my country in the name of God.
She is level-headed and strong-willed. She is brave, strong and confident. She is amazing. A floundering campaign has been revived in the choice of Governor Sarah Palin for Vice President. A country will benefit from her service and we will all be stronger after this leadership takes hold of an uncertain economy. Palin for Vice President (for now) and Palin for President in the (near) future.