Celebration of an extraordinary woman!

Today my BEAUTIFUL Mom turns #53!

She was in bright spirits this morning as Drew and I picked her up for our morning workout even though she thought she should skip today since it was of course... Her Birthday. But she came with the Joy she shares everyday and cracked me up the whole time.

(She is demonstarting to little Peyton just how the real cowgirls wear their hats.)



I am so grateful to God for giving us this day to have and to celebrate her. With the etchings of her last birthday constantly on our hearts and minds this day will be one to break the overcast shadow that has loomed for a year now. And Noone is more grateful and ready to look onward into the future than she is. She has taken the hits of this past year with Grace and Strength and coutinuously been the example to follow. Sometimes she needs reminding and encouraging but her courage is never swaying.

I truly cannot describe how PROUD I am of her. She is so much more than a Mom to me, she is my friend, my Hero, my encourager, my reason for moving forward, my strength. She is My HERO!

(This is the card I made to accompany the flowers I gave her this morning)

Happy Birthday to the most deserving person in the world! I hope this day will be a reminder of how much you are loved!

Bucket List

So the Photo a day thing majorly hit the floor the last few days. I honestly cannot tell you exactly how I have spent my days but they have been filled with craziness. Things constantly coming up. Life on the go! This weekend I did FINALLY do a little craftiness.... I had seen these Terrarium's all over Pinterest and Blogs I follow and I decided that it was the perfect thing to bring a little life into our otherwise drap entry way. Drew accompanied me to Lowe's after church Sunday morning where I got some low light/ dry plants... meaning VERY low maintenence. I put them in some glassware I had inhereited from Mom and Nana's move with some lace around the container to add some appeal. I love them. They are so precious and even go great with the Jimmy Hendrix poster living behind them.

I have been thinking ALOT about life and death lately. It seems that everwhere I turn some tragic event is happening to people around me. Kelsey lost her High School principal after a routine  knee surgery resulted in blood clot causing days on life support. A local 15 year old girl went to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer. Sadness/ Tragedy/ Loss is everwhere.

It reminds me that I/We are not alone in our grief of losing those we love. It reminds me that this place we live is not our home but a temporary place to reside where we have lots of work to do.

Throughout all the sadness their are moments of JOY and CELEBRATION to have.. there is LIFE LEFT TO LIVE! Each day should be used as the gift it is for we are not guranteed another.

Watching my mom get up each morning to work out with Drew and I reminds me of the life she has left that should be left exploring and taking adventures. I want to plan a family trip for my brother's, mom and I to take to spend time together this year. I have also been thinking about things I want to do in my life, adventures I want to take... so Drew and I wrote a little Bucket List last night. Obviously there is so much more to add to it as we discover more and more and things to be crossed off as we accomplish them. But for now here is a peak at our Bucket List. 

"There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them."  Charles D. Gill



Where you sleep

Today I present you with my bed. Yup, there it is, my safe haven from the rest of the yuckiness in the world. I am so LOVING the Yellow/Gold Flame stiched duvet I got from Urban Outfitters for only $14.99.... I know it's a STEAL! I love the bright colors it has brought into my room full of grays, browns, and turquoise.

This week has been one of hope for me. My mom started joining Drew and I in the mornings for our morning workouts. THIS IS HUGE! I am so proud of her because she has been incredibly positive about it and getting up at 5:30am when you absolutely don't have to is just plain hard but she has done it for the past couple of days. It is documented that daily exercise is a great way to keep your mind active and help offset some of the disease.

I also found an article today about Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's disease. I am not good at the specific medical jargan of it all but it is supposed to "reverse" some of the effects of cells dying in the brain. I went straight to the health food store after work and bought some, drove over to Mom and Nana's and told Mom to close her eyes as I gave her a spoonful. I didn't try it first ans it was straight solid waxy oil, it reminded me of a harder version of Crisco. Needless to say she spit it right out. I melted some down while she was throwing out the trash and put some in her Diet Coke because in a liquid state is completely clear and just has a nice coconut flavor. I don't think she realized for a while, she kept taking sips of her coke like normal till she saw the goofy look on my face and  I took a drink of it. Anyway I know that it is absolutely NOT a guarantee of any sorts but with this disease all we have right now are trials and errors. I think she is just a little hesitate of it all right now.

Tomorrow could be a VERY big day for me... only The Lord knows what is in his plan but I am excited at what may be waiting in my future. I really wish I could call my Dad tonight and tell him about it and get his words of wisdom. He always gave me confidence in myself. Possible update to come :)


On a totally different note: my best friend's grandmother , Mimi, is in the hospital in Georgia... this is a LOONNNGGG way from home and she is not doing the best right now. I just ask that anyone who reads this would say a little prayer for her. Whitney, my friend, is away being a missionary in Africa right now and I know is struggling with not being close to her family during this time so pray for her too please. Mimi reminds me so much of Grandy. she is 92 years young and teaches people about Jesus EVERYWHERE she goes. Apparently she has already converted a nurse while being in the hospital. She is one amazing woman!

Day 10: Childhood

I was a little conflicted with what to do for this photo. I thought about dragging out some old childhood photos of cutesy little Meg from her younger days. Then I thought maybe some photos one of my bestest friends from our days of being Awesome in High School.

But then it hit me! My most FAVORITEST toys from my Childhood years, American Girl Dolls, were sitting up in my closet only recently being given back to my care from my Mom who has been keeping close tabs on them since I moved out of her house.

I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world to own these American Girl Dolls. I had 3 and they went EVERYWHERE with me. We had matching outfits and accessories. I would read to them and sleep with them. We would camp out together in our matching sleeping bags. We would even convine for meetings with my cousins and their American Girl Dolls.

When my Mom moved here it was time for me to take responsibility of my own childhood toys and I brought them home with me. Immediately I opened up their cases and redressed them, brushed their hair, and sorted through all the clothes and accessories I had for my friends. Something kinda funny struck me though as I took a look at the 3 dolls I just HAD TO HAVE when I was younger...

The first American Girl Doll I recieved, who was hand selected by myself, was named Molly. I choose her specifically for her name and the fact that she wore glasses. The perfect combination of my Mom and Myself. My third doll was a "create your own." Most little girls I am sure "created" their dolls to look just like them, I however created mine with red hair to look like my mom and named her the first "M" name I could think of... Marissa.  As a young girl and even now I wanted to be just like my mom. She is my Hero!

My second doll was Addy, an African-American slave girl from Mississippi. As I stared at her at her for the first time in 10 years it dawned on me that from even in my early childhood years I have always wanted to adopt an African little girl. That passion and desire is still very strong in my heart and I know one day it will happen. So strange the things that you do as a child that bring meaning to your adulthood dreams.

Slight case of the Mondays

Today was Busy Busy Busy BUSY at work. Lots of prollys to take care of however I got my mom signed up for the Gym today so she can start going with us in the mornings. It is proven that daily exercise can help slow the dementia process... so YAY BIG STRIDES in the war against Alzheimer's today. We are going to start picking her up at 6 am to go with us.

So back to the photo challenge....

Day 8: Your Sky

One of the best things about living in West Texas is the vastness of the wide open sky. Driving back from Christmas with Drew's dad we got to see the most unbelievable sunset with an array of colors.

The fading of yellows to pinks to blue, white and gray was breathtaking. I couldn't help but think that Grandy and my Dad were watching over us giving us a beautiful view as we drove back to Amarillo.

And just for fun a photo that I snapped of train coming toward us. I love watching the trains on the open plains out here... such a Texas image to me.

Day 9: Daily routine

So my new daily routine as of the past 6 days is working out in the mornings. I cannot describe the difference it makes in me daily, from energy to self esteem to positive outlook it is totally worth waking up super duper earlier for.

Here is my cool awesome Air Max sneaker on the treadmill this morning.... gotta keep the motivation alive!

 

I also snapped my other new daily routine... I got a Keurig for Christmas and let me just say my life is changed forever! I hated making coffee before this. It took so long to do, so many silly steps but with this it is so amazingly simple and I am forever in love. I am also double sure to get my coffee in the morning since it too is proven to help offset the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. Thank you SANTA!!

 

It might be in my bathroom right now because our kitchen is overpopulated with gadgets already and I spend most of my time in the bathroom in the morning, so it works out great! 

Millie

This was a very sad weekend for us... we had to have Millie, our fox terrier mix of 17 years put to sleep. She has been a faithful and loving dog to our family through many many changes. I would look at Millie sometimes in the midst of complete chaos and thing that atleast she is a solid reminder of what used to be and what our family is about.

She had lived a very long life and in the past couple of years age has gotten to her but she was a fighter! Even after the loss of an eye and near complete deafness she was a sweet companion for my mom. She loved to get treats from Nana, the night before she was whining for more popcorn out of Nana's hands.

She will truly be missed, I guess life does keep moving and changing. After all the death I have experienced you would think it would get easier but with each loss it hits harder and harder.

We will miss you sweet Millie!

Friday Funday

So today was Crazy busy day at work. We were a man down and everyone wanted to bother me with insurance question. Nevertheless... I made it through to
What was supposed to be a nice, slow- paced, relaxing weekend but I'm afraid it will be filled with drama.

Moving on I realized I was 3 days behind in my photo- challenge so I am catching up...

4. letterbox

This is a mailbox my mom had in her house in Abilene that I Always Always loved and ended up inheriting it when she moved. It holds all my cards at work. Notice my SAWEET faux aquarium Aunt Charlotte and Doss gave m for Christmas. The fish actually swim around! The itty bitty globe is a pencil sharpener and it along with the lead elephant beside it belonged to my Great Grandmother.

5. Something I wore

I am a HUGE fan of Gold for those of you who don't know. I have had this gold watch for a couple of years now and for Christmas Drew gave me this Beautiful sparkly gold chain bracelet. He did such a good job! I also saw this tutorial on a blog of how to make these hex link bracelets and gave it a shot. Mine is tied on so I wear it every day, I also made some for my close girlfriends here.

6. Something that makes me smile

I have a potentially HUGE change in the works that would be the most unbelievable blessing in my life. I got this fortune in a fortune cookie yesterday and it makes me smile. It says" Star light Star Bright Your wish will come true tonight." It didn't come true that night but maybe a near future night it will. I couldn't get my phone to get a clear picture, sorry it completely out of focus.


Hope you all have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Never Forget!