Beautiful *COLD* picture

I went for a walk today at Cowans Gap State Park. The view was beautiful - the lake was frozen and the mountains were shrouded in clouds...... The cold is great because it makes me walk faster - LOL

Multiple Myeloma - Cancer of the Plasma Cell

My father-in-law's cancer has come out of remission and he is now back on chemotherapy. He has multiple myeloma - a cancer of the plasma cell. It is a disease that can never be cured - at least not today! At best - it can be put into remission, but the chances of staying remission free for any length of time is slim to none.

Prayers are welcome! What's so sad is that many Americans can relate my family's situation. A whopping 23% of all deaths in the US are attributed to cancer, which is only second to heart disease. Unfortunately, the most current statistics state that 1 in 3 Americans will develop some type of cancer over their lifetime, with five year survival rates jumping from an average of 50% to 66% in about 20 years. ** So - at one time or another, we will all be touched with the disease, the treatment and the prayers for survival.

And - for anyone who wishes to actually put some sweat, tears or money into eradicating cancer - some good links are listed below:

The 3 Day Race for the Cure - Breast Cancer - Can YOU walk 60 miles in 3 days?? Absolutely! Get in shape, raise some money and share with your friends.

MD Anderson Cancer Center - A top-notch research hospital dedicated to putting themselves out of work due to lack of need. My husband was treated at the hospital in Houston many years ago for his cancer and I can state from experience exactly how wonderful these people are.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation: A great source of information for families with MM and an organization dedicated to finding a cure! I refer to them quite often.

American Cancer Society: A great place for information and one of the most well known organizations. They have programs that provide information on just about any topic, the most up to date research and have programs to help you find local resources and support groups.

* My statistics are from the American Cancer Society.

Thanks for prayers and thoughts....

My youngest child is driving me nuts!

He's 10 years old and I love him dearly! He's been sick lately and has spent several days home with me. We're watching American Idol together just like we did last night. Some lady tried to emulate Janis Jopline and now he's singing "Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes Benz". No - he doesn't come close to being in tune. I think I could cry.

In the past three days, he's

• Had hour long discussions with the dog about when to bare his teeth and when not to. The dog has fallen asleep on him
• Nitpicked with me on whether the weather outside was in the 30's or 40's because 30's mean snow and 40's doesn't.
• Asked me ten million questions and then told me my answer was wrong no matter what I said. Including why soda is not nutritious (per me) or has redeeming qualities (per him)
• Dragged the cat around like a child and told me over and over again how the cat likes him best because he feeds the cat.
• Dug into his 10 year old mushy brain for every question he's ever wanted to ask me and posed them in questions such as "Do you remember 7 years ago we were standing on the side of the road and that red car passed us and you said, 'that's cool?' - What were you talking about?"
• Randomly pops out comments when we're alone and the TV is off. They are along the lines of "I thought it was supposed to go left" or "Hey - there was no plate there" leaving me to wonder just what in the world he's talking about.

My parental patience is about at its limit as my child is bored stiff and driving me absolutely crazy! I'm so glad his fever broke because I'm ready to break him - ha ha - just kidding. Actually - I was thinking of duct tape or super glue for the his mouth or pitching a tent in the backyard for me. I decided the tent gave me more options.

Woo Hoo - I got Published!!

I got published in the Tea Room News. It's a really neat publication with some great artistic creations in it.

Check it out here: January 2008 Issue

Winter Doldrums????

OK - Christmas and New Years are over and it's time to get back to the old grind... I can feel the winter doldrums settling in and so I've decided it's time for a vacation!

We love to ski and thought of going to Denver to visit my brother - we can go to Breckenridge to ski and visit family as well.

Bermuda is not too far from the east coast and rates aren't too bad. We've thought about some type of trip to Bermuda, but my youngest son says we can't go because the Bermuda triangle will get us! LOL.....

Baltimore is not too far for a car trip. I'm just not sure visiting the harbor in January or February is the way to go. It might be way too cold, but the hotel rates should be lower than during peak season.

I know there are plenty of other places around here, but I can't for the life of me figure out what they are. I just think we need to get away even if it's for a weekend. Someplace where the kids can wear themselves out with physical activity.......

Hmmmm- I'll have to think about this some more.