To The Finish Line

 I have to share this picture as it is so special to me.  

My daughter made a decision to quit dancing and join band and sports during the start of high school.  She joined alongside her brother on the cross country team and I honestly wondered if this was the right decision for her.  She struggled to find endurance to get through and had been dealing with knee pain and this year developed some rib pain too.  We had her to the doctor with no success and she ended up having to DNF in one of the races because the pain was too much.  Yet, she was determined to keep going.  Last night was the final meet of the season and she ran to the finish line having cut 5 minutes from her last personal record.  Well, you can tell by the expression on her face how much that meant to her.  Her brother was waiting for her at the finish line with so much pride in his voice as he cheered for her.  It was a moment I'll cherish forever.  That's one for the core memories.  

She said throughout the entire 3.1 miles she prayed to God to help carry her through.  It is such a testament to how powerful God's strength truly is when we ask Him for it.  While imprisoned, the Apostle Paul encourages us to rejoice in the suffering and in Philippians 4:13 he says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  I'm so glad my daughter got to live that experience last night.   We may not have to endure jail like Paul, or run in a cross country race like my daughter, but each and every one of us goes through trials that bring us suffering.  Ask God to give you strength to endure it to the end.  The reward at the finish line will be well worth it.  

I thought I was going to miss watching her dance, and in a small way I do, but I do not miss her coming into the car after class in tears because some of the girls were mean to her or an instructor made a comment that brought her down.  Cross country is an incredible sport.  The coaches and teammates are some of the absolute best.  They lift her up instead of tearing her down.  They encourage each other to keep going and celebrate the achievements in the end.  If the race doesn't turn out as they wanted, they lean in on each other for support.  It's so awesome to witness.  Even though my daughter may never come in first place she's exactly where she needs to be and I am so, so proud.  

October Is Here

 

Oh, hello on the second day of October.  This is one of my favorite months and maybe not because it's my birthday month but because it brings beautiful scenery and the promise that the holiday season is around the corner.  I'm not a big fan of Halloween anymore but I do enjoy all things orange and pumpkin this time of year.  The changing colors of the leaves before they fall to the ground is a beautiful site.  Welcome October!  I'm so glad you arrived.  

But here's a little recap to our end of September.

First, it's been all snuggles with this funny girl right here.  

And this is the last of my peppers pulled from the garden before I tore it all apart.  These are orange bell peppers and red lunchbox peppers.  If you don't know what lunchbox peppers are they taste just like a bell pepper and grow small as it's meant for snacking.  I'll add them with the orange peppers to some stuffed pepper soup.  

And last weekend was homecoming.  Our team won the football game on Friday and the dance was on Saturday.  Goodness, it's difficult to find a decent homecoming dress.  The way most of these girls dress ... oh my ... like, don't bend over or privates will be exposed.  Seriously, why do parents allow that?  Doesn't my girl look so cute?  

Her dress was a black felt material and the flowers are sequins.  Bought on sale at Boscovs.  She did a little photo shoot with her best friend and we did get some cute shots despite the rainy day.  She had fun.  

Her friend insisted on taking our picture together.  I was not prepared for that.  

And now we are in October.  I cannot believe we are 3 months away from the new year.  For this month I decided to challenge myself with a very quick but effective exercise routine.  I completed day 2 today of 1 mile on the treadmill, 50 crunches, 50 reverse crunches, 50 squats and a 1 minute plank.  Then I treated myself to a breakfast of a bagel, scrambled eggs with some microgreens a friend grows and a handful of blueberries.  Maybe not the best meal after a workout, I'm not sure about that, but as of now I'm not being too picky on what I eat.  I washed it down with a cup of pineapple juice because pineapple juice does have some good health benefits.  

I have gained a lot of weight recently and catch myself being lazy and that's a habit I want to kick.  It's one thing to settle down on the couch and rest before bed but it's quite another to just sit and do nothing aalllll day and I won't do that.  I am privileged to have a job as a school van driver, which gives me 4 or 5 hours between runs to be home by myself.  That is the time to grocery shop, clean, organize and all those things.  I started feeling down on myself when thinking of all that my husband does and how active my kids are while I'm just being at home but then I realized that being at home is my job and it's a very important one, at that.  My husband and kids can walk into a home after a long, hard day to a house that is clean and warm food that is cooked and I'm the one who makes all of that possible.  That certainly is an important task and one I am so grateful to be able to do.  Oh, how I wish I could go back to the very beginning with a much better attitude about it but I'm learning to embrace this life God has so graciously given me.  I am thankful.  October is the beginning of a new mindset and I'm ready for it.  

I hope October is a good one for all of you.  Wishing you many blessings!  

Happy Fall

 It's that time of year!

I pulled this mug out of the China cabinet and filled it with my pumpkin spice coffee so that means it's time for me to wish you all a HAPPY FALL!  Summer is over.

I've always been a summer girl but this year was a doozy for me.  I guess it's a sign I'm getting older and hormones are changing because if I spent too much time in the heat I felt as if I would pass out.  As much as I love summer I always enjoy fall too.  It's a season filled with beautiful scenery, the start of holiday preparations and now I can say I'm looking forward to slightly cooler temps.  

Fall is a beautiful transition into more cozier days.  

I never wanted to begin decorating for a season until the calendar told me the season has started but this year I began just a smidge earlier.  I could not wait.  The pumpkin had been given to me by my mother many years ago and the pillow covers are a recent purchase from Temu.  Yes, I'm a Temu shopper and I know some will criticize that but it is what it is.  

These scarecrows were also given to me by my mother.  The M pumpkin I believe is from Dollar General but I cannot remember.  

So, I'll welcome fall with a positive attitude and an anticipation of everything that is to come.  Enjoy and be thankful!

6 Month Dermatologist Checkup

 Good evening!  I don't typically blog this late and especially on a Friday night when I should be watching my daughter perform her band routine on the football field but instead I am home on the couch.

And I might as well take advantage of this time by doing my own little Bible study.

And the reason I am home like this is because I look like this.

Not a pretty sight.  5 spots of skin cancer removed from my face and 1 on my chest.  You can look up on my bio for my condition called Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome and why I repeatedly get skin cancer.   

It's not fun and there's no worse feeling than missing something my kids are doing but I'm covered in bandages and don't feel like explaining myself when people ask me why.  It's also slightly painful at the moment.  I'd rather spend the weekend hiding but I'm brave enough to share this experience on the internet.  Who knows, maybe someone out there just got this diagnosis and is feeling scared and unsure of what to expect.  

These cancer removals and surgeries add scars and those scars may make me look and feel uglier but there's one thing Basal Cell Carcinoma won't do, and that's end my life.  It's not terminal and I can feel grateful for that.  What I experience is much more severe than Carcinoma, as it's a hereditary disease that I will experience for the rest of my life but it won't be the reason that my life will stop going on.  I will live on ... I just have to find a better brand of makeup.   

I can't tell you how many spots have already been removed from the seven years of experiencing this but I can tell you I'm going to be okay.  A little emotional, but okay.