Being Blessed

As some of you know, I direct a kids drama group at church called Sticks. You can find out more about it by checking out Jeff Smith's Salt & Light Ministries at http://saltandlightmin.org/home/GodRod%20Teams.asp Anyway, this morning at church our Sticks Ministry Team performed. They did an amazing job.

I have to say that this was not a song that I was really wanting to do. It looks simple, but is one of the more difficult songs. The kids had really been looking forward to it and wanted to do it. I have to say that even though we had some timing problems they did a wonderful job.


(I have some of the kiddo's faces blocked because I forgot to ask their parentals if I could put them on the blog - oops!)

I couldn't have been prouder of them if it had been perfect. These guys really love sharing Christ's love through drama and they each have the right attitude about the performances...meaning they understand that it is a ministry and it is their job to communicate God's love, mercy and power to others. They do a wonderful job.

I'm also excited because one of the middles school girls, D, in Sticks feels a real passion for drama ministry. When we start back up in September, I will be mentoring D as she steps into a leadership roll. She will be directing our first Fall number. (Basically, I will still be in charge of discipline/management & D will be in charge of teaching & staging the song - that's a big deal!!) D & I met this morning after church to talk about her first step. Beginning this week she will add five minutes to her prayer time every day. That extra time will be devoted to pray for each person by name who participates in Sticks and for our upcoming practices and performance.

Please remember D in your prayers. She is a beautiful young girl who wants to use her talents for Christ and she is very excited about taking this step. I would ask that you pray specifically for her to have: confidence, good time management, discipline (we don't want school or soccer to suffer), and joy. I know that she has the ability to lead and I want this to be a safe experience for her where she can begin to use both her 'flair for drama' & her leadership skills. I would also ask that you pray for me as I work with D. Please pray that I have discernment and wisdom while working with her.

Ooh...just noticed, this seems to be really heavy sounding post and I wouldn't want you to think that I'm that grown-up or anything. So...snot. What does that have to do with anything? It doesn't, but surely I can't sound to adult-ish if I have the word snot in my post =). If nothing else Austin & Brenden will think it's funny.

Love Ya!
G

How to Be a Dork without Really Trying

Have you ever wondered how some people seem so graceful, generous, thin or beautiful without really trying? (I know, I know, you think these things about me, but anyone else?) Well today's post is all about how to be a Dork in 3 easy steps.

1. If it's a hat you should wear it in public.


2. Try on lingerie over your clothes


3. Take random pictures of your feet - just for fun


Everything after that is just natural talent girls. Natural Talent!

Love,
G

Sophi the Swimmer Cleaned My Closet & Found My Camera

Oh My...I hope you aren't reading this actually thinking that Sophi (who is 17 months) actually cleaned my closet & found my camera. I just left out the important comma because I though it sounded cuter =).

What a Day!! It started with arranging my day to await the Fed-Ex guy...I mean to wait for the Fed-Ex guy to deliver my medicine. (I don't normally fixate on delivery men and plan days to sit around and wait on them. But now that I think about it, it's not such a bad idea.) Anyway, because the pharmacy determines the medicine to be somewhat 'fragile', I either sign a waiver allowing it to be delivered without a signature (which means I accept all financial liability if for some reason I don't receive it) OR I have to arrange a delivery date where there will be someone at my address to sign for it. So I chose the 'I will be home until the delivery comes' method and planned my day so that I could hang around the house and be available to sign for this little bottle.

Does that bottle look like $18,000 to you or what?

Anyway on to Sophi the Swimmer. While waiting for the delivery, Dee brought the kiddo's over to swim. Now this

prevents me from actually getting into the pool. And those of you who know me know, and those of you who don't know me will know now (and really who would want to read this if you didn't know me?), that swimming is one of my most favorite summer activities. So going swimming this year loosely translates to mean 'make sure you stay immersed in the water unless you want your cottage cheese documented for posterity, because G's got a camera & nothing else to do.'

So of course I have to show you another video (or twelve) of Sophi Grace. The first one is more of my gal jumping in & clapping for herself...(she knows that in a family full of boys you better clap for yourself if you want to make sure someone aplauds your triumphs).



Sophi-G has also been working on her swimming by learning to kick her feet. Notice how her arm floaties do the shimmy!


After swimming, we (and by we I mean my sister) fed the boys & Sophi lunch. Then she graciously agreed to help me Clean My Closet.

Just some background info on the closet situation...Since I started treatment, keeping my closet cleaned and rotated with the right seasonal clothing has been pretty low on the priority list. Ok, ok, it hasn't even made a list - priority or not. So, I have winter, spring, summer & fall clothing in about 5 different sizes shoved into my closet. Point in fact, the last time I rotated any clothing was October 2006.

My closet has been packed so tightly with clothing, I didn't have anything to wear, because I couldn't find anything in it. Then, when I finally did get something out, it was - wait for it - wrinkled, and it would have to be ironed. (Now, I don't need a reason for not ironing. I didn't do that before I found out I had cancer. Do you really think I'm gonna waste precious energy on doing something like that now that energy has actually become a precious commodity for me?) So the wrinkled garment would just get shoved back in as I would desperately continue to search for something to wear!!

So six-ish hours & eight trash bags of weeded clothes later (which included one very cute black wool Banana Republic dress with a suede ribbon belt & one cute pin-striped cuffed Gap capri's)

my closet looks like this

Now, I'm not saying this looks great, but compared to what it looked like before (there isn't a before picture because somethings are more embaressing than publishing a picture of my chunky tummy on-line) it is absolutely amazing. At least I can now find what I own.

And during this huge trying-on-to-see-what-fits time (ya really should'a been here for that fashion show Amy), I realized that I can now wear some really cute things that have been too small for a while ~ woo-who!!

After my closet was as done as it was gonna get, I went to put away several bags that had been hiding on the closet floor (how dare they!) and as I slid this winter bag
back into the purse tote. I noticed it seemed heavy. When I looked inside I found

YEAH!!! I Found My Camera. It has been MIA since mid-March. The last time I remember having it was in San Diego right before Easter. On the camera I found this snapshot of Sophi & I.

I remember wearing this dress on Easter Sunday. (It is a cute white & pink sundress with a black two inch ribbon hem & I paired it with a short bolero style jacket in case the church was too cold. To make both items even more attractive I picked them up on sale.) I grabbed this black bag so I could carry it one last time before I put it away until fall. When I got in from church that day I set the purse on my closet floor and it ended up hidden behind clothes.

What a wonderful Day!

Love,
G

Test Results

As many of you know, I had a Dr's Appt last week. I finally got around to calling the nurse today to find out the results of my tumor marker test. I will attempt to be somewhat somber in communicating my news...with attempting being the important word to note. Ok, here we go...

For a quick review (& taken from a previous post) "There is a blood test (CA-19-9) that is a tumor marker test which I take periodically. Normal is 0 to 37. On March 24th my results were 795 and on May 12th it had dropped to 106." As of last week, my numbers have increased significantly.

Now, I know some of you will say 'how much' and I will say 'Significantly'. So, if you are thinking 'ah, she'll tell me I'll just ask.' I just want to make sure you know, right up front, that I won't. This way you can avoid that feeling of rejection & I can avoid feeling badly that you feel badly, because I still won't tell you.

But on a good note, my liver function is looking pretty good. Go Organs that Regenerate!! I can now drink an occasional glass of red wine because my liver counts are great & I'm no longer considered 'liver-compromised'. I wonder, how many calories are in a glass of red wine? Oops, sorry, I'm digressing. Anyway, my liver function is looking great and I have a CAT scan scheduled for mid-July just before my next Dr's Appt.

Love,
G

Do Hospitals have Frequent Guest Discounts?

Do Hospitals have Frequent Guest Discounts? They really should, and if they did I would have racked up a gazillion points by now. Well, maybe not a gazillion, but a least a 'ca-trillion' or two.

Today was my most recent Spa Day at St. Francis. The service was great, but the massuers were on vacation and the food (too good to help with any weight loss and too bad to really want to eat it) was overpriced. Of course, after my last fiasco (See Note at Bottom of Post)I made sure to make my needs known to the people who count - the nurses & PA's. So this time, I came prepared and received all the mind-numbing, memory-erasing medication I needed so as to
A) not experience any pain,
B) not remember any pain I might experience &
C) not care about the pain, because I wouldn't remember it.
(sigh) Itn't valuim great.

Now on with the info...It took two techs & four needles to draw one tiny tube of my blood for labs. It took one nurse & one stick to start the IV. I had one valium, several great IV shots of 'put me to sleep' meds, one intra-hepatic billary catheter check/change. Sixty minutes of sleeping off great IV drugs to eat one semi-nasty turkey sandwich on whole wheat with mustard (Yuck, but they didn't have fat-free mayo) and one fruit parfait. I was home by 12:30, slept until 4:00, and at 5:30 reported for work at the six & under league tournament concessions stand (more about that part later).

I know, I know, I shouldn't brag about how much fun I had today. It could make you feel bad that your day wasn't nearly as much fun as mine, but I can't help it. And don't 'they' say that it isn't bragging if it's true?

Love,
G

FIASCO NOTE: At my last procedure the doctor tried to convince me I really didn't need any sedation or even some meds to relax me, because most people don't.(Run on Sentence)I think when a dr says 'most people don't need any pain medication because it is only a mild discomfort' he really means 'when I tell other people that most people don't blah, blah, blah then those people cave have the procedure done without meds while experiencing excruciating pain because surely they have at least a normal pain tolerance and think how much money you'll save the insurance'. However, me, I told the dr 'just because most everybody else jumped off a bridge, I wouldn't.' Well, to be honest, I might jump off the bridge with a bungee cord attached, but I'd have to think about it for a few minutes first.

Sophi the Swimmer

Tonight after church the boys & Sophi came over to go swimming. Sophi (17 months) is pretty fearless when it comes to the water. She gets the biggest kick out of jumping in and clapping for herself. Of course this is then followed by immediately repeating the process. She has the time of her life & the designated Sophi watcher is exhausted!!

Press Play to watch my Girl in Action!!


Isn't she precious???

Phantom

As many of you know, I am a season ticket holder to Tulsa's PAC. This is one of the perks I buy myself each year from my National Board stipend. Now, I normally love these performances...Mama Mia, Man of La Mancha (which I'm still singing), the Ten Tenors...and I can't wait for next season...The Drowsy Chaperone, The Pajama Game & Wicked (YEAH!!!). Last night was Phantom of the Opera. FYI, I don't like Phantom. I know, I know. I must have some type of cultural deficiency. How in the world could I not enjoy this.

But what makes this even more "Geneva-esque" is that I know I don't like Phantom. In fact, I've seen it before...say 12 years or so ago at the Fox Theatre in STL. At that time, I pretended that it was 'ok, but not a favorite', but I really didn't care for it. And I remembered this. At the beginning of the season, when we got our tickets I even told my sister, "I really don't want to see Phantom again. I think I'll give mom my ticket & watch the kids for you & Tony." But then this week I thought, "I don't want to watch the kids, I'll just go." Big, Huge, GIGANTIC mistake.

I discovered that it wasn't that I do not care for it as well as other B-way plays...I flat out don't like it. I was board out of my head. Did I mention BORING??? In fact at intermission, I looked at my sister & said "If I didn't think you guys would tease me forever, I would go read my book in the car." Ed looked at me & said, "Oh we wouldn't tease you...forever, anyway."

Anyway, I sat through Act 2 dreamin' of...


Now tell me doesn't this sound like a much better use of a Friday night.

So just for fun, let's take a poll in the comments section. Which would you rather do...watch Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera or read Auch's Bantam of the Opera? Come on guys, it will only take a second...so vote!!

As you know, I vote Bantam!

The Next American Idol is...

FYI ~ Scroll down and click pause on the music player. You don't want to miss any of Miss Abigail's musical renditioning.

We're the Best of Friends


Oh, Happy Day

Fit & Forty??

On Saturday my beautiful friend, Joni, turned 40. To celebrate a small group of us had a 'night on the town' on Friday. Little did I know, as the youngest member of her entourage, that I would learn all about the pitfalls of life post-forty.

We started the evening at a fun mexican restaurant on the Riverwalk. The food was delicious, the wait staff exceptional, and the company phenomenonal. Then came my first experience with how the mind slips after 40. You see, even though it had been raining all evening, and the mud was bountiful, Joni thought it would be best to walk through the mud to get to her car rather than using the 'sheet rock bridge'.








When we arrived at her car we found
It seems that your mind does start to slip.






So we had to call Dennis who saved the day with his slim jim

Of course, a certain someone got lost trying to find the bowling alley, but she eventually arrived =)!!





It was a wonderful evening & I hope that we have many more!!!!

Brenden's All Star Game!!

Check out the Slide show labeled All-Stars.

Brenden was selected as one of 12 boys from the 6 and under East Division league to play on the All-Star team. He and Josiah (another Knight) had a blast.

Watch this video as he plays 3rd base!



To top off this wonderful experience, he won the 6 and under Homerun Derby! Go Brenden!

Relay for Life

Several weeks ago was the Owasso/Collinsville American Cancer Society's Relay 4 Life. My team, Ator Kicks Cancer, raised around $3,400. While not huge, a great amount for our first year as a team. The evening started with a speech from a 22 year cancer survivor followed by each attending survivor announcing their name & how many years since their diagnosis. This is the part I was unprepared for...I know, it comes as a shock to some of you and is best stated by Zakk - "What? You mean you'll jump out of an airplane, but your gonna get nervous about saying your name in a microphone?" But it was, shall we say, unnerving. I was just going to bypass this little part of the opening ceremony, but wonderful Travis took pity on me and said I could stand in line with him and he would announce it for me. And I believed the little liar!! When it was his turn, he said his name and walked away leaving me to stare into a microphone that took on the size of a small watermelon.. After a few seconds he turned around, saw my stare, and I think he took pity on me, because he started to walk back and I think announce me. But I then remembered that Glynda married him for a reason and I wasn't sure I wanted to get my first glimpse of his sense of humor right then. So I hurriedly said my name & walked away, because if I get introduced as Gracie Lou Freebush sometime I want it to be my idea.
We did many different fundraisers...luncheons & jewelry, etc. For one of our fundraisers we created our own shirt and then sold it for twice our cost. The profits going towards our team's total. Here Cort & Shauna pose with our cute black & pink tee's.
Of course we also sold cotton candy (Marilyn, Joni & G). FYI, I was covered in three different flavors of melted sugar.
The entire night was a success. The Owasso/Collinsville relay raised over $120,000. Ator participated in every event and managed to keep at least one person on the track all night. That is, thanks to people like Heather, Valerie, Melody & Jamie! Because I sure didn't make it all night. I slipped home around 11:00 to take my meds and get a few hours rest. I was suppose to be back around 6:00 am to complete my part of the walk, but my wonderful medicine took me out of commission until about 10:00 the next morning.
If you don't currently participate on R4L team, you should think about attending and/or supporting an event near you. It really is a wonderful and uplifting experience.

Back to the Y

As many of you know, I am feeling well enough now to tackle a new quest. I am finally beginning my "Ireallyamgoingto-workhard-exercise-eat less-eathealthily-focuson" losing my additional 20 pounds of fluffiness that I gained last year thanks to my first round of chemo. While I've known for a while that I was really going to have to do something, I simply haven't had enough energy to care about it enough to do more than just think about it.

So about a month ago my friend Edwina, who has also been blessed with extra fluffiness due to chemo, & I became accountability partners. We have faithfully been keeping our Y membership cards dust free by showing up on the fit floor four or more mornings a week at 6:00 am. (Did you know there were places open that early that didn't sell coffee??? The Nerve!!) Now that school is out - at least for the kiddo's, I work until tomorrow - I have been wanting to switch over and take some of the classes. So...

Tonight my friend, Marilyn, & I tried out one of the Pilates classes at the Y. While I have to say it was a lot of fun, I also feel it is necessary to mention that I have been diagnosed with a new disorder - jello arms. Yes. It's a nasty phenomenom that occurs slowly sometime after 30...unless you are taking your anti-jello medication. Since I've been busy the last 18 months or so taking so many other medications, I just haven't had the time or inclination to swallow the anti-jello pill.

Now what is interesting about this disorder is that it isn't at first apparent. I've done Pilates, Yoga, Yolates & other similar exercise classes for years. The exercises tonight were pretty similar to ones I've done in the past and while I wasn't able to do first position on all of them, I felt ok at the end of the class about my overall performance. Still no jello-arm symptoms.

Marilyn & I visited a little, made plans to meet tomorrow morning at 8:00 am to try out the Zumba class (I'm going in late to work), and walked to our cars. Still no jello-arm symptoms.

I drove 15 minutes home. Still no jello-arm symptoms.

I came in and started preparing Joni's birthday present (Happy 40th Girlfriend!!) and still no symptoms.

I began fixin' (yes fixin', I'm from Oklahoma) my dinner and was attacked by the inability to lift my dish into the microwave. Ohhh the exhaustion!!

Please, no one tell me what happens post-forty!

Our New Toy