Great Night

Well, let me start off by saying that I must be a "maw maw" or something, because I was only able to make it till 12:30 a.m. at the Relay. I probably could have pushed myself to go longer, especially considering that there were survivors still walking at that time....

The team that I originally joined was very small... (Just me and the team leader showed up...) So we joined in with the team from Medical Records at SRH. We were warmly welcomed, and I got to put names to faces, and got to know a little more about the people I see on a daily basis. (Our office is in Medical Records. We're pharmacy people, so technically we're "squatters"...) One of the girls on our team has a mother, an aunt, and a grandmother who are all cancer SURVIVORS. And all three of them were there walking with us! :)

The theme for this year's Relay in Pascagoula was the 80's. Our team's theme was "Purple Rain". Our baton was a purple cardboard guitar with a purple feather boa as the shoulder strap. We didn't win any team competitions, but let me just say that "Purple Rain" ROCKS!!!!! :O)

The Relay was held under the big pavilion at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. I brought all the stuff Angie said I would need, but thankfully I didn't need the TP after all. The pavilion had restrooms, so no porta-potties for us... ;) They were supposed to turn all the lights off for the luminaria event, but somehow that did not happen. The candles were lit, but overhead lights were on as well. So you didn't get the full effect, but it was still touching...

I was talking at some point during the evening, probably right before we were supposed to do the luminaria event, to another girl on our team, Alicia. She said something to me that spoke to my heart, and was probably the most profound truth that anyone could have spoken last night. She said she cried during the survivor lap (and I did too) because there still aren't enough of them. I totally got what she said. Until we win the battle against cancer and until a cure is found, there will NEVER be enough survivors!

All in all, it was an awesome experience! One I will definitely look forward to participating in next year and the years to come. When I think of all that the survivors have had to endure, as well as those that lost the battle before a cure was found, my "problems" are miniscule. If you are like me, and need a little "humble pie" every now and then, this event should do the trick...

Blessing to you all for a wonderful weekend!

Amy

Birthdays and Relays....

Well, Evan's party was a success!! :) Counting us, we had a total of 20 people, so a decent size crowd. We ordered too much pizza, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. (We put the extra in the freezer, so it didn't all go to waste!) And he received plenty of nice gifts... toys, clothes, and a pool! (just the right size for the boys to play in this summer...) Still can't believe my baby is a year old! Wow, where does the time go???

On another note, I am very thankful that in the past few weeks, we have been able to purchase a much needed new refrigerator and dryer. Our old fridge had been on the fritz for a while... And it used to take 2 to 3 cycles for a load of clothes to dry in our old dryer. Plus, tomorrow the Lowes delivery guys will be bringing us a new washing machine to match our new dryer... By now, they ought to be able to make it to our house from the Lowes just down the street with their eyes closed... ;)

The painting in the hallway bathroom is done, just a few touchups needed here and there. The new light fixture, hand towel ring, and towel bar are installed. We still need to get a new mirror and install the new faucet for the sink, as well as the hand-held shower thingy. But the bathroom is functional and we've put up the new shower curtain and rugs, etc... If I get a chance, I'll post a pic so y'all can see what a good job Robert did!

Last, but certainly not least, I am soooo looking forward to participating in the Relay for Life tomorrow night. This will be my first time. But thanks to Angie, I have an idea of what to expect and what I need to bring... Wish me luck! I am thrilled to be supporting such a worthy cause, and will be walking in memory of my paternal grandmother, Vernie Mae Moss, who died from breast cancer that spread to the rest of her body and in honor of my best friend, Heather, who had and beat cancer as a teenager, and is one of the strongest women I know!

Blessings to all of you for a wonderful weekend! :)

Happenings

Haven't blogged in quite some time. Just been busy, and there's probably not anybody who cares whether I post something on a regular basis or not...

Haven't been doing a whole lot of exciting stuff, but we are gearing up for Evan's 1st Birthday Party this Saturday. Hard to believe our baby will be a year old already! When they say time flies, you better believe it does! ;) Looks like we are expecting a good turnout for his party, minus just a few... I am NOT a mean person, contrary to what some may think or say... But, Robert and I are NOT made of $$$ and when we send out a limited number of invitations, we have our reasons. The people that we care about and that care about us will be there and that's what counts!

We are also in the process of redoing our hallway bathroom. Robert spent several days off and on taking down the wallpaper that the previous owners had put up. We (well, Robert really) are painting and putting in a new light fixture, faucet for the sink, and handheld shower thingy... Plus a new shower curtain, rugs, etc. We'll probably put the old mirror back up until we can get around to finding the time and $$ to find a nice one to go with the new look. I am hoping the majority of the work will be done before Evan's party on Saturday, so that our guests can see it...

Just one more thing I have to get off my chest and then I'll end my post for today... Robert and I are NOT rich monetarily, probably never will be. BUT we love each other and our children and will never let them do without the necessities and most of what they want, as long as we can afford it. Robert and I both work FULL TIME jobs, and he actually works the weekend overnight shift so that he can stay home with the boys during the day while I'm at work. It can be a struggle at times, but we do the best we can. It just really bugs the daylights out of me that some people can be sooooo irresponsible, and yet still be so smug and "holier than thou". If you care to know more, I'll tell you. But not here. Because I'm not stupid....