Mood:
specialNow Playing: Day 2869-Next GP Chapter... Turning Lemons Into Lemonade :)
When the good Lord gives you a good day, a good hour, a good minute, a good moment.
You use it to the very 
fullest!
Today was a perfect day and a most perfect opportunity to celebrate a very special moment. A very special belated birth day. Feeling another year of being blessed? You BET! I am one very lucky and beyond fortunate gal!
As I mentioned just a few blogs ago...it's amazing what a year can do to ones life. It's also amazing to literally see how much we have both changed over the past year. Of course, like fine wine, I like to think that I get better with age. Eric...he begs to differ as he decided to plead the fifth on how well he ages. Hehehehehehe! Hey, I am trying with making sure he uses daily facial and body lotion. Someone's gotta help him to preserve his youth! Hehehehehehe! I chalk up my graceful aging to genetics. 
Possibly even the fact that I don't get outdoors very much in the sun. I stay well preserved! Hahahahaha! Too funny! I still get carded to this very day. BAH! Sometimes that can be a good thing or a really annoying thing. I earned every single year of celebrating another birthday. This year was no exception to the rule of getting out to enjoy life. When a good moment hits...SEIZE IT!
This year we decided to continue with a special birth day tradition. A Christmas theme kind of birthday celebration!
LOVE~LOVE~LOVE
How fortunate can a gal be. How incredibly lucky and forever blessed am I to celebrate another birthday with my best friend, hubby by my side. Life...it doesn't get any more perfect than this! Life to me. It is truly a gift!
Cancer is a game changer. It changes you physically, emotionally. It changes the way you see things and people and relationships. It literally leaves an imprint on your brain.
On my worst days I raged about the why, the how.
On my worst days I allowed the disease to define me.
On my very worst days and nights I allowed fear to get me with no end in sight.
But on my best days...
On my best days I give thanks.
Not for being sick. Not for losing a part of my body. Not for even losing a part of myself. But for life itself. And for all the things I learned while battling this war.
I lived through a virtual encyclopedia of daily fear. The sense of losing physical control of what could never be defied, internally. I have finally learned that there is no such thing as control.
I still struggle to be comfortable with daily uncertainty. The look of fear within the eyes of my medical team. But I have finally made peace. Peace with everything and what is and what can no longer be. With each passing day, I am that much further in order to embrace what is going on with me.
Healing is never really about getting better. It is about letting go of everything that isn't you and finally becoming who you are and destined to be. When you square off with death, you learn that there is no such thing as too late. If I am going to do something, even on a whim, I do it now. Not later.
While on the end of this journey. What I have learned most is that love means everything. Love is the foundation of absolutely everything. Unconditional love means everything when you are sick. Love gets you through those days when really all you want to do is give up.
This moment is the prize. This moment is a gift.
I know this. And I will never forget.
h.d-j.w
happy
YAYYYY!
Thankfully, the rain held off for a bit longer than the forecast predicted here in the country. Although, we ended up closing our weekend sale a bit early. It was still a huge success and most relaxing too! Not having to go back and forth, outside to the garage when a customer arrived was not missed this year. Having our sale in the basement, indoors, was the best decision at the last second when we noticed rain forecasted for this weekend. We may not have made a whole lot of money. However, we did end up selling a good majority of excess stuff. What's that ole saying again?... Hmmmmm... What is junk to one. Is a treasure to another?. Or something along those lines. It's totally true, however we really didn't have any junk. Not in the least bit due to my OCD habits of being such an organized neat freak. HA! I always was one to take care of everything that I own as well making sure to keep things super clean, neat and tidy! We were beyond relieved to not see one customer leave empty handed through out the weekend. It's good to see that folks can use what we no longer need or no longer can use. Lots of various items that have been stored within a huge pile of cardboard moving boxes in our basement. Boxes that are now officially empty, broken down and now stored in our very clean and vacant basement! YAYYYY!
Think of a really super tart piece of candy and this is exactly how TART this triple berry cobbler tastes! Trust me by saying, "It's GOOD!" But 'OH' is it mighty TART! I can't remember the last time making any type of cobbler. So it should really be no big surprise that I under baked it which led to the crust falling into the cobbler. BAH! Eric...well he ate it anyways and did so with a smile. As well with a huge spoon in hand! Hahahahaha! 
I was going to try my hand, literally, with making my own crust for this super spicy sweet potato pie. However since this is the first for me making any type of sweet potato pie. I opted for a pre-made crust. I did go a bit over-the-top with a few spices, but that is really what made it turn out sooooo DELICIOUS! Eric loves anything with sweet potatoes. I am fortunate that me and sweet potatoes don't really mix. I can live without them, but even a few small spoonful's really has me revisiting my relationship with these amazing golden holiday potatoes! This super spicy sweet potato pie really turned out to be a super tasty dish! 
rushed
The time flew by super fast and so did all of the clutter and excess that we have been accumulating over the years. What a huge relief watching box after box being broke down and stacked up against the wall. WOO~HOO! Less...is more folks! It's been my life motto for quite a few years now. Less clutter, less cleaning, less of everything means far more time to literally live life to the fullest. Bring on the good days! 
BRRRRR! I don't mind though, however Eric begs to differ on the cold weather, hehehehehehe! I love the cold weather and being able to wear lots of big, comfy clothes! Now all we need is snow, lots of it! 
relaxing kind of Saturday evening!
This year feels different trying to celebrate my actual birth date. Not having my beloved fur children surrounding me feels...empty.
d'oh
morning!
I can't remember what it's like to actually work for a living. If being sick was a job. I clearly would be holding a top CEO title! No joke. I miss working. I never would had imagined having to be on permanent disability for most likely, the remainder of my lifetime. Knowing that it took me a little over 3 years to win a temporary work permit. Then to once again, deal with more complications, escalating issues with my health. In which, I still have yet to complete the first of two possible online business ventures with my temporary work permit. Well...it's down right frustrating. I could use other choice words on my mind, but we will keep this blog 'G' rated. BAH!
We have been down this road a few times over the years. My specialists have come to their own crossroads where even my complications are becoming far too much for them to manage. What used to work, is no longer working. Another possible option for some sort of experimental treatment. I assume...if one wants to wander back down that experimental road. Really, in my mind, while being read one specialist letter after another. I have already given up this long, windy road of going no where. 
lazy
IT!
zzzzz
bright
HAPPY!
#8. People around you right now, at this very second, might have on pants and underwear. However, that doesn't mean they are better than you.
#4. If you spent 3 seconds today truly appreciating an image, smell or song. You're already ahead!
chillin'
When I take the time to look a bit back on my life over the years. In which, I try not to do very often. It's very disturbing to come to the reality of just how much my body has endured. Medically speaking. It's even far more disturbing to come to grips with another surgery, another reality that has no chance of being postponed. Not in the very sense when it comes to another infection deep within the bone. 
I had predicted this mornings turn of events. More like...another series of the same ole, same ole, events. Medically speaking of course, because so far I have yet to even finish both online businesses. Building two separate websites that once again, have to be postponed, delayed due to medical reasons. Of course, why it certainly always seems to go that way. Am I feeling a bit annoyed, yet sarcastic?. 
As with anyone who has endured a round or two of chemotherapy or radiation. Ones immune system will always be compromised. Infections are never taken lightly. Infections and the source of infections must be handled careful and urgently. Seems I might not have successfully found myself with a surgical implanted device to help regulate lack of hormones. I may not even found myself at least receiving a surgically implanted port to help minimize lack of absorption with medication, pill form, that is now a substitute for what could not be implanted surgically. But it seems today was just another day when another infection trumped everything. 
I may have anticipated, literally expecting this mornings news. However, Eric was the least to expect seeing me go under the knife, one more time, dealing with another infection deep within the bone. It isn't about having a choice in the matter. Surgically, it must be done. As for now, we are looking at another Thanksgiving recovering at home. What a great way to ring in the upcoming holidays! Said...no one...ever. But such as life, you just learn to roll with the punches. What one can no longer control. After all, "It really is, what it is." 
It was a warm, breezy day here in the country. No winter attired needed. Just throw on a t-shirt, shorts, flip-flops and your ready to go! Crazy isn't it?! I believe our temperature actually was warmer here in the country than down south in Florida. Almost 80 degrees and still in the upper 70's by late this afternoon. 
With the holidays quickly upon us. What we have yet to do is have a garage sale of sorts. We were suppose to have our garage sale last month, but life got in the way. Instead of an actual garage sale. It appears that it will end up being an indoor basement sale. HA! We have a lot of storage totes filled with excess clutter that need to be moved in order to get the rest of our stuff out of storage and into our basement. Literally, from one basement to another before our final move come early spring, 2018. We aren't so sure where all this extra physical energy will be coming from...but the sale must go on within the next few weeks. 
cheeky
Thankful, is knowing that I have one heck of an amazing team of doctors who quickly found the source of my infection. The latest infection that once again, put surgical procedures on hold so my compromised immune system could receive a bit of assistance. Not only did my doctors quickly find out the source of my infection. But were as well able to quickly work me into their Monday morning schedule for next week. 
Then of course... You have little ole MUAH! A huge STEELERS fan that isn't shy about poking a little fun at his Cincinnati Bungals along the way. Hehehehehehe! Why, lookie here...guess what I found in one of the storage totes that we brought home yesterday... 
