A Heavy Load

I sent these flowers to Chicago for my friend Karen's birthday.   Karen carried most of my baggage on my cancer journey, and words ( and flowers ) are not enough to express my gratitude.  She drove me to the hospital when I had my port put in, then brought me home and tucked me into bed.  She arranged for someone (usually her) to take me to all my chemo and radiation appointments.  

She was with me for my last radiation visit and helped me ring the bell!  She scheduled people to bring our family dinner every night of my long treatment.  B stayed with her when Big T and I went to New York for my two surgeries.  That is a lot of luggage over a lot of miles.

She didn't hang back and wonder whether she would say or do the right thing.  She jumped in and did what needed to be done.  And when it was all over, she took me to her home in Florida to celebrate.   Cheers!  To Karen!! Thank you for traveling this road with me.

Soul Work

We have had our share of cold, icy, snowy days here in KC recently.  Friends, I think the snow is so beautiful, but the frigid temperatures...not so much.

I love listening to the wind and the snow when I am safely inside with the fire blazing and my knitting to keep me company.

One of my dearest friends  (who is right in the middle of this big storm on the east coast) made these darling gloves for me.  I treasure them, not just because they are gorgeous, but because she made them for me.  Every time I wear them I think of her and how blessed I am to have her in my life.

B took one look at those gloves and asked me to make them for her.  So I bought the pattern on Ravelry.com...turquoise is her favorite color.

These mittens are for C.  I love the lacy cuff! ( I got this pattern off Ravelry.com too.)  I hope my girls think of me when they wear my creations! These cold winter days are a great excuse to relax and start knitting.  There is something very meditative about the repetitive motion of the needles. And every time I knit, I send up a prayer of thanksgiving that I can feel my hands so well after all that chemo!  God is good.  Amen.

America the Beautiful

2016 marks the 100th Anniversary of our National Park Service, and I am delighted to see our parks getting some press.  Writer and environmentalist Wallace Stegner called them "the best idea we ever had".  I agree wholeheartedly.

We took our first Family National Park Trip in 2001.  We rented an RV and headed to Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Park.  We were hooked.

Yosemite

Arches

Mammoth Cave

Pictured Rocks

  Big T and I wanted our kids to see this great country of ours....and it ended up being one of the best ideas we ever had.

Fast forward 14 years, and we have been to over 40 Parks.  Our kids tell us it is one of their best childhood memories. Our last trip was Alaska and we are headed to Hawaii this summer.  We have taken planes, trains, cars, RVs and boats to get to these incredible places.  Friends,  pick a park and GO.

A Couple of Classics

Last week we drove from Leland, Michigan to Chicago to Ann Arbor to Cleveland and, finally, to Kansas City.  Friends, that's a lot hours of audiobook listening.  Big T  decided to knock out a couple of classics.

  Our first book was Madame Bovary.  I found it excruciating to hear about the narcissistic Emma Bovary.  Sister Number 5 had great sympathy for her plight as a woman in late 19th Century France and loved the book.  So what do I know?  It IS considered one of the greatest books ever written.  

Next up was The Sound and the Fury, which is about a family living in the South in the early 1900's.  It is written in four parts, each from a different perspective.  William Faulkner does a little bit of the James Joyce-ish stream of consciousness writing in the first part, which I usually find difficult to understand. In this case, however, I was actually able to follow the plot...maybe because someone was reading the book to me? This one is really good and definitely deserves its spot on the Best Books List.

 When it is my turn to pick the road trip book, I usually choose something that will make us laugh.  But, I must admit, I am glad I listened to these great reads.  I feel like I actually accomplished something over the miles.  Do you think it made me smarter?

C is for Chicago

We had some fun in Chicago on our way home last week.  First stop was tea at the Ritz with C and B.  My girls know that I love my tea...and all that goes with it.  

 The last time these two had tea in Chicago, they were at the Drake and I was at KU Cancer Center. It is good to be back.  And they agree that tea at the Ritz is a very close second to the Drake.

As if we could ever be hungry again...next stop was some real Chicago pizza for M.

Did I say the pizza was for M?  They all loved it.

C worked all night...and met us in the morning at her favorite breakfast spot.

  Friends, I love this meal because, post treatment, I can still eat almost all breakfast foods...and Yolk did not disappoint.  

Lest you think that all we did was eat our way through Chicago...our next stop, after we put C to bed, was the Art Institute of Chicago.

M's favorite.

B's favorite.

Next stop...the very cool BEAN.  

Did you know that the camera on an iPhone has a timer?

Next stop...the Field Museum....I love this place.

The last time I was here, they had just found Sue and these two weren't even born!

C woke up in time to join us for some evening fun....shopping, eating, and a sweet treat at the end of a super sweet day.  

Sunny 2016

Friends, I am soaking up every minute in sunny Northern Michigan.

Today sisters 4 and 5 and our families met at Crystal Mountain to make some memories in the snow.

This was one of those days that I would envision when I was going through chemo.

This was definitely a day worth fighting for.

Happy New Year!