RIP Aunt Dollie!!!

I am glad this is the last day of July!!!  It has been a very rough month with the loss of 3 people I dearly loved!!!  Aunt Dollie died in a horrible car crash Monday.  She always had lots of smiles, hugs, and love to give!!!  She would do anything for anyone!!!  She is with the Angels now!!!  Rest In Peace dear Aunt Dollie!!!  You are going to be greatly missed!!!
PLEASE tell those that you love, that you love them!!!  You NEVER know when they will not be here anymore!!!

Today my sister found a penny...I told her it is a penny from Heaven!!!

 

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

Cool Temperatures

We have had cooler temperatures than normal for this time of year.  Usually, our temperatures are in the 90's but lately they have been in the highs in the 70's with the lows in the 50's.  I'm not complaining.
Today while we were running errands, we saw Life Flight lift off from the helipad at the hospital.  They do amazing work! 

Life Flight does amazing work!!!

 

 

     Earlier tonight, Kyle made Millie move off of the sofa so he could lay down.  She wasn't very happy with his decision and was telling him all about it!!!  LOL  She is so funny sometimes!!!  She is the most vocal cat I have now.  I will have to record her sometime when she is eating.  It is hilarious!!!         Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rose

I was on Facebook today and someone who I have known since I was a little girl was on too.  We chatted a few minutes and he asked if he could call me because it has been over 44 years since we have actually talked.  He used to come to my house and sing to me when we were in Kindergarten.  I told him sure he could call me.  He told me he still sings every day and said he was going to sing me a song.  He got his guitar and sang me "The Rose"!  It touched my heart so much I was crying!  When he was done, I told him how beautiful his singing was!  He asked me if I was crying and I said yes because it was so beautiful!  It brought back lots of memories when he would come and sing to me every day!  My grandmother used to say how cute we were together.  It is fantastic to have such a friend as he is back in my life!!!
Many blessings and lots of love to ALL of you!!!

 

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

Rain, More Rain, and Tornado Watches

We have been getting lots of rain yesterday and today.  We have tornado watches until 9pm.  It was raining so hard yesterday, the State Highway Patrol closed the main highways because debris was blowing across them.  1 of my friends was out in it and said she saw a tent blowing across the highway.  The wind and rain were blowing towards my house and the rain was actually running inside my front porch door!  We get the Great Lakes effect.  The storms swirl around hitting Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, and parts of Canada.  We are definitely seeing that today.  I am hiding at home with my cats and dog.

Washing Elephants

The circus was in town yesterday.  They let us watch them wash their 2 female elephants.  They used Murphy's Oil Soap and scrub brushes to wash them.  I felt like a kid watching them!  My friend Sondra came and watched with me.  What a fun day!!! 

 

PLEASE hurry!  We want our baths NOW!

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

25 Days

25 more days til I leave for my trip to Australia!!!  I am so ready!!!   I have almost everything packed.
My heart aches so much for Meg and John's families.  I cry when I am all alone because I don't want anyone to see my tears.  I have lost some very important people in my life this year.  I hope 1 of them comes back in my life!!! 
My neck and back are feeling better.  I still wear the neck and back braces per doctor's orders.  Next week I see my pain management doctor.  I can't wait for that appointment!!!  My legs hurt so much from when I fell July 5.  I know he will be able to help me.
Have a very blessed day everyone!!!


Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!   

RIP Meg!!!

My very best friend of 36 years lost her battle with cancer yesterday.  She put up a fabulous fight!!!  She had it over 5 years.  She was like a sister to me!!!  Her brother, John, passed away on July 7, 2014 after losing his battle with cancer.  I know they are both in a fantastic place and one day I will see them again.  They aren't in pain anymore.  The heartache I feel is because they are no longer on this earth for us to see but they are experiencing the NEVER ending love in Heaven!!!
Have a very blessed day everyone!!!  Please tell those you love how much you love them!!!


Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

Started Packing

I started packing for my trip to Australia.  I leave in 30 days!!!  It is so surreal that the time to leave is coming so close!!!  I have my passport, visa, and airline tickets.  I am just waiting for the day to go!!! 
I had some bad things happen over the last few weeks and the last few days some amazing things have happened!!!  I was asked why God lets bad things happen to people.  My response was so we really appreciate the good things when they happen!!! 
My neck and back feel a little better.  I still have to wear the neck and back braces.  I see my pain management doctor in a few weeks.  He will make me all better.
Please remember to tell those how you really feel and forgive them because you never know if you will ever see them again.


Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

Make Memories Every Day

Saw this on Facebook and thought it has a great message...worth the read and definitely the share!

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.. We all stood there, under the awning, just inside the door of the Wal-Mart.
We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, 'Mom let's run through the rain,' she said. 
'What?' Mom asked.

'Let's run through the rain!' she repeated.

'No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit,' Mom replied.

This young child waited a minute and repeated: 'Mom, let's run through the rain..'

'We'll get soaked if we do,' Mom said.

'No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning,' the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

'This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?'

'Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ' If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything! ' '

The entire crowd stopped dead silent.. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain.. We all stood silently. No one left. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

'Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD let's us get wet, well maybe we just need washing,' Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories...So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

If you've read this all and it's touched you... share it.

I thought this was an absolutely heartwarming story!!!  I hope you all did too!!!  Many blessings and lots of love to ALL of you!!!


Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

More Twinkies! LOL

A friend took me to the store today.  Guess what I found?  All different kinds of Twinkies!!!  They had strawberry filled, chocolate filled, banana filled, and chocolate covered Twinkies!!!  Of course I had to get the chocolate filled ones! 

 

 

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

Twinkies

Today was John's funeral.  The Pastor gave a loving sermon.  He said an interesting comment.  He said for us not to ask why a loved one was taken away but ask why we are here to live another day and we should do positive things.   The bad things we have done are in the past.  It is time to move forward and be positive!!!  It reminded me of a conversation I had with someone a while back.  We were talking how bad the world has gotten and I told her I planned on changing that.  She asked how and I said one smile at a time!!!  I saw some people I haven't seen in awhile and they told me they didn't recognize me because of the neck, back brace, and walker.  My cousin went with us.  My family doctor put a shot in my right shoulder yesterday.  It doesn't hurt as bad as it did.
I found some interesting Twinkies.  They usually have a white cream filling.  These have blue raspberry filling.  They are pretty good.  They should make chocolate filled Twinkies.  lol 

I received my passport in the mail!!!  YEAH!!!  38 days til I leave for Australia!!!

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

RIP John!!!

It has been a very rough weekend.  My youngest son took me to Rock Island, IL to see my best friend.  They called the family in because they didn't think she would make it much longer.  She has cancer throughout her entire body.  She has been fighting it for 5 years now!!!  My pains are nothing compared to what she has been going through!!!  I told her I wanted to take all of her pain and she told me no.  I loved seeing her and her family again.  Her family are a very big part of me!!!  I dearly love all of them!!!  We got home late Saturday night and then late Sunday night, her brother John passed away from cancer.  His cancer was throughout his body too.  My heart is so broken for all of them!!!  I know he is in a lot better place!!! 

I am so glad I told him I loved him before he passed away!

Have a very blessed day everyone!!!

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

Asphalt Is Not My Friend

Saturday night I stepped on a piece of broken asphalt and fell on my right side.  My right side, neck, and back hurt so much!  I went to the Emergency Room.  Thankfully I didn't break anything but I did pull some ligaments in my neck and back.  I have to wear a neck and back brace for awhile now.  I think the neck brace makes me look like a chipmunk.

I'm still trying to smile even tho the pain is terrible.

 

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!

RIP Shadow!!!

My 15 year old cat Shadow died today.  He was such a good cat!!!  He loved everyone and he liked other cats and dogs too.  He will be deeply missed!!!  It hurts so much watching a fur baby pass away.  I held him until he took his last breath.  Have fun over The Rainbow Bridge!!!

This was taken August 12, 2013.  He was pretending he was hiding.

This was taken March 22, 2013.  He was being so loving!!!

Laugh and Smile Often, Love ALWAYS!!!