Words are few, thoughts are deep,

memories of you we will always keep.

In tears we saw you suffer

we watched you fade away

our hearts were almost broken

you fought so hard to stay.

But when we saw you sleeping

so peaceful free from pain

We could not wish you back

to suffer once again.

We sat beside your bedside

our hearts were crushed and sore

we did our duty to the end

‘till we could do no more.

Your presence we miss

your memory we treasure

loving you always

forgetting you never.

Sad are the hearts that love you

silently tears will fall

living our lives without you

is the saddest part of all.

Our family chain is broken

nothing feels the same

but as God takes us one by one

our chain will link again.

Lances' mom passed away on August 14th. She has been sick for so very long and now we know she's at peace. Lance has that emptiness inside which I am very familiar with. When you lose both parents you feel like a lost sheep. Even though you're an adult you were always a child to someone. Now you're the adult and life goes on...

Working at Children's Hospital is great, overwhelming, stressful, wonderful, high volume, frustrating, exciting and I just love it! Lance is awesome at home. If I knew he was going to be so great I would have went back to work sooner. LOL! He handles the kids, does his Fitness Together work while they're at school and has really been taking care of himself; he has lost 17 pounds so far and is looking awesome! That reminds me, I should get on the eliptical.

God is Good

Since my last post I finally received a call from Children's Hospital for an interview on July 23rd. I have applied with them 6 times since January and they finally called. Why? Because now I understand that God has a plan for me. He waited until the timing was just right. My youngest began 1st grade on his 6th birthday; July 28th. Now both of my kids are in school all day. I had the best interview. I rocked and looked damn good. LOL! I was offered the position as an Accounts Payable Specialist 1 and I start Tuesday, August 4th. Yeah me! I am so excited. Lance is nesting. He cleaned out the fridge so he knew what was in it. He's says he's just Mr. Dad because he's not qualified to be Mr. Mom. :) It helps that he works from home and is able to take the kids to school and pick them up. Now that Madison & Ethan are back in school full-time the house will be quiet.

What's on your mind?

I'm still addicted to Facebook;  mainly FarmTown and so are my friends.   LOL!

Let's see what has happened since my last post. Oh, besides FarmTown we now live in Tornado Alley. This tornado touched down at Southlands Mall about 3 miles from our home on June 7th.  Yes, I took a picture from outside our front door and then I went to the basement.  According to 9News "Heating, ventilation and air conditioning units on the mall roof were damaged. Windows were smashed out, a brick wall was flattened, debris was scattered and at least one car was overturned in the mall's parking lot. 

According to the National Weather Service, the tornado that caused damage at the Southlands Mall spent about 30 minutes on the ground after touching down south of the Buckley Air Force Base around 1:49 p.m. The tornado made an 8- to 10-mile path across southeast Aurora".  That was a little too close for comfort.

Then a few days later at the elementary school we hear over the loud speaker "THIS IS NOT A DRILL..." Again?

The kids are off-track so my daughter told me that we need to do something every day.  I guess I'm also the event planner. Father's Day we went to Estes Park and had a picnic lunch at Sprague Lake.  We hope to get back up there again.  Madison is doing well on Zyrtec and hasn't had any allergic reactions. Ethan loves baseball but his golf swing is not impressive.  I wonder if baseball players play golf because it's really messes up the golf swing.  It's not a baseball bat in your hand Ethan!  It sounds like his dad and him will be out on the golf course once a week.  This will help Lance control his stress level.  He has been extremely dizzy and lethargic which our chiropractor told us it's his Adrenal Glands acting up caused by stress. He's on a supplement so we hope that will help.  His mom recently was diagnosis with throat cancer and she is not a candidate for any treatment.  I'm sure with that and everything else his stress level is on the rise.

By the way, I did not get an interview for either of those jobs so I'm still on the lookout.  I'll add new pictures to the streaming photo album on the left.  Enjoy.

Is the Red 40 Food Dye Additive Having a Negative Impact on Your Child?
Red 40 is a commonly used food coloring dye added to a variety of products. While it may make food esthetically pleasing in appearance, it can cause a negative reaction in those who consume it.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/131963/is_the_red_40_food_dye_additive_having.html

Not now. Mommy's on Facebook

Hillybilly Hell-en.  I'm an addict.  Is there a 12 step program for this?  I'm playing the game Farm Town on Facebook.  I created a farm which I can plow, plant and harvest crops on.  I hire others to harvest my fields and I look for work harvesting others. Okay, reality sets in.  I have been actively looking for work. I hope to get called for an interview for an Accounts Payable position at Children's Hospital or a Main Office Secretary and Cimarron Elementary School.  The benefits would be ideal for our family.  The pay - not so much but I'm thankful to have Lance working at home to help out with the kids when needed.

Madison is going through a phase and I desperately pray for peace & patience.  We are taking the summer off from Taekwondo and will return in August.  We did find out she's allergic to Spring.  We have her on Zyrtec which seems to help. Ethan had his first baseball game last night.  He was the first up to bat and he hit the first pitch.  Out to the grass it went and whew! mom was relieved but ready for summer baseball.

Lance is doing well.  He has been super busy with Fitness Together - no sales but supporting his franchisees in every way possible.  He coaches Ethan's baseball team too; games are on Monday nights and two practices a week.  Go Sharks!

School ends June 19th.  I can't believe Madison will be a 3rd grader and looking forward to the Science Club and Ethan will move into the "big" school as a 1st grader on the day he turns 6. Happy Birthday - You're a First Grader!

I Need to Sit Down

This is crazy!  I haven't sat down since we've returned from Minnesota.  What would I do if I worked full-time?  Doctor appointments for Madison's allergic reactions and my case of strep, chiropractor 2x a week, taekwondo 4x a week, t-ball, homework, errands, household chores, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and now I tacked on volunteering at the school 2x a week.  I'm exhausted and frazzled.  My workouts have been few and far between and my feet swell every evening.  I need a plan.

Madison broke out in a rash last Friday night with tiny, itchy, red bumps all over arms and legs.  We have an appointment with an allergist next Thursday in hopes that they can tell us what to avoid.

Spring t-ball has not been fun for the parents but the kids seem to enjoy themselves.  Note to self:  Do not sign Ethan up next Spring.  Reschedules due to snow and rain has thrown the game and practice schedules out of whack.  Ethan is movin' on up to Coach Pitch baseball for Summer.  We'll see if he can handle playing with the big boys.

Spring is in the Air

The trees are budding.  Note to self: plant tulip bulbs.  My peonies are popping out of the ground.  Oh good, they survived.  Oh, what a track off we had; a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Planetarium, Taekwondo testing & tournament, t-ball, a road trip to Minnesota, an Emergency Room visit and a few Spring snow storms to mix things up.  Madison received her Camo belt so now she's ready to spar.  The trip to Minnesota was uneventful until we headed home.  It was great to see my friends and family don'tcha know and have tator tot hot dish.   I love going back home but I really put on the pounds. The dinner tables are full and the homes are always welcoming.  I scored a Kuchen recipe so I can't wait to make my favorite; apricot & prune. Lance would rather go during harvest time so he can be of some help to John.  They weren't set to plant for another week or two.  Heading home was an adventure. Not even 3 hours out of town, in Sioux City, IA, we had stopped for lunch at Red Robin. Within 30 minutes Madison broke out in hives and had trouble breathing.  After giving her a shot of Benadryl and observed for 4 hours in the E.R. we were back on the road heading to our hotel in Kearney, NE. We're not sure what caused her reaction and she had another episode at school this week but without the hives. We are on a waiting list to see an Allergist at Children's Hospital and we gave the school nurse an Epi-Pen just in case.  A snow storm was slotted to hit Colorado during our drive but we pushed forward hoping we would miss it.  We drove through rain most of the way and hit blizzard conditions 2 exits from home. Lance and Ethan had Mammoth tickets for that night so off they went.  No thank you; after 6 hours on the road I was staying home.  The next morning we had to get up early and take Madison to her Taekwondo tournament across town.  The snow hadn't stopped but we prayed and arrived safely. Madison won 3rd place in her 1-Steps and met Grand Master Lee; the big kuhana of the American Taekwondo Association.  It was an exhausting but rewarding day.

Lance was recognized for his volunteer work at Dakota Valley Elementary.  He spends an hour every Tuesday & Wednesday working with the 2nd Grade reading groups. The kids just love him and he is definiately making a difference.  He was given the Wendy DeBell Exceptional Volunteer award along with volunteers from each school in the Cherry Creek School District.  They threw a fancy schmancy banquet at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  It was truly an honor.  He was humbled because some of those volunteers do so much more than him.