Keep Calm and Enjoy Camping

I have so many memories of going camping when I was younger.  Watching all of the adults sit around the fire singing songs, the smell, roasting marshmallows, listening to the bugs at night.

But somewhere along the line as I grew into adulthood, camping no longer seemed fun.  I like convenience and I hate public restrooms to put in bluntly.

Fast forward many years later to when I met my now husband.  Prior to his accident that left him paralyzed, he was an avid camper.  I have to admit that I was thankful he was no longer able to do this, as I don't think for one second I could have gone along.  The bugs, the cold nights, the outhouses....ewwww, gross!

But then a few things happened.  Mainly, my parents bought a travel trailer.  And not just a travel trailer....a trailer big enough for my husband to be able to get around in his wheelchair.  And a bed just perfect enough for him to sleep in.

Obviously, this got the wheels spinning in my husbands mind that he was going to camp again.  He's not one to let his disability get the best of him, so I knew I was going to lose this battle.

Fortunately, the trailer has most of the modern necessities that I require....air conditioning, flat screen tv with cable, a dvd player, a full shower with hot water, electricity, a fridge, microwave, stove and oven.  Most of you won't consider this "camping", but for me, it allowed me to stick my feet in the big, scary camping water and test it out.

I LOVE IT!!!!!  We have now gone camping twice.  Once with my parents and once on our own.  I'm already counting down the days to Labor Day weekend because we are going again!  Who would have thunk it? 

And to make it easier for my husband, we purchased some portable wheelchair rails so he can go in and out of the trailer as much as he wants.

Testing out the new rails before heading out

The dogs have done so well and are much better behaved than we could have imagined they would be.  I was so afraid that Stewie would bark at EVERY.SINGLE.NOISE which then causes Lainey to follow suit.  Fortunately, that has not been the case!

Lainey helping Grandma Joyce finish her plate

Lainey's first camping adventure

Stewie's first camping adventure

Daddy & Stewie in matching outfits

Stewie getting some lovin' from Grandma

Mom & Dad

 

Lainey enjoying the fire with Grandma

 What are your thoughts?  Is camping your thing or would you rather stay at a Holiday Inn?

Whirlwind

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events and the next couple weeks will be the same....don't you just love summer!

We started off with my stepdaughters graduation open house.  It was such a good time and worth the many weeks of prep leading up to the big day.  Although, in typical Michigan fashion, it decided to rain about an hour into the party, which caused about 30+ people to gather under 2 small canopies, our gazebo, and the garage.

The day after this party, I couldn't even get out of bed!  I prepped for about 3 weeks and put in well over 100 hours getting our backyard ready.

This past weekend my sister and I drove from Michigan to West Virginia to attend the Fiestaware Tent Sale.  It was so much fun, but exhausting all at the same time.  I awoke Friday morning about 3am and was on the road by 4:30am.  By the time we arrive back home I was whooped!  Not to mention a wee-bit sunburned :)

We normally stay in a hotel the night before, and then get in line about 6am to get our tickets.  But this year we decided to try something different.  We arrived about 10:45am and only had to wait in line about 2+ hours before entering the tent.



Patiently waiting

 

We rounded the corner and could finally see the tent

 

 If you've never had the chance to experience this.....It is an amazing site!

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Bin after bin after bin of colorful, fiestaware.  I am drooling all over again just thinking about it.



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I was hoping for a few more pieces than what I got, but that just means we will have to go back again next year!

I was able to catch up on some much needed quality time with the hubby and the pets yesterday.  It was a gorgeous summer day here in West Michigan and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Stewie

Lainey

It's so hard to get my tongue all the way into this cow hoof

Tucker

This upcoming weekend I have a bridal shower for a good friend of mine and then the following weekend is the July 4th holiday/wedding. If I can just get through the next 12 days or so, I think I will be able to relax.

Catch up

To say I've been busy is an understatement!  Funny how life can go from simple, effortless and quiet to complex, complicated and distracted overnight.

There is so much going on both at work and at home that there are days I can barely keep my head above water.

In a nutshell, here is what has been keeping me busy....

My stepdaughter graduated high school last Friday.  It was surreal to see her in her cap and gown.  My husband shed a few tears, but he won't admit it.  I think in my mind she will always be this awkward pre-teen.  So to see her enter this next phase of her life was mind blowing to say the least.

We are having her graduation party at our house on June 15th.  I've been working my tail off trying to get the backyard ready for such a shindig.  Short of still not having grass, it is starting to come around.

One of my favorite projects has been taking our plastic outdoor furniture and spray painting it fun colors.

As I mentioned, we have no grass in our backyard.  Well, I shouldn't say "no grass", but it is spotty.  This was going to be the year we put money into this project, but due to the expenses with the dog, it is going to have to wait another year.  This has been an issue since we bought the house.  Last year we put down stone and it made a big difference.  But, there was still a large area next to the house that was a disaster.  We haven't put much effort into this area because our end goal is to build a deck.

Spur of the moment I decided to tackle this area and it's amazing what a little topsoil and some colored pots will do.

(notice how the grass is "spotty")

These pots are currently full of flowers and the difference is amazing.  We are no longer looking at DIRT!

There is still SO MUCH more going on, but as I suspected, this post has to be cut short because I am needed by a million different people all at the same time....Ughhhh!

Is it Friday yet?

PS ~ I do not have time to proof read this...so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors!

2 Years

Two years ago today, my life was forever changed. I lost my brother...but the world also lost a father, a son, an uncle, a brother-in-law, and a boyfriend. I miss you like crazy but know that you are looking down on all of us from Heaven. You are forever in our hearts.....

Bumps, Yeast & Eye Infections....Oh my!

A couple weeks ago we started to notice a bump on Lainey's left hind leg (this is the leg she had the Lateral Suture done twice on).  As the days went on, it began to get bigger and bigger, so we finally had to take her back to the specialist and have them look at it.

It is not causing her any pain and is not hindering her recovery at all, so at this point we are going to leave it alone.  The surgeon thinks it is her "crimper" that was used during surgery, but can't be 100% sure.  After we get between 8-12 weeks into recovery, the surgeon will take another look at it and make a decision as to what we need to do at that point.

This Friday marks 4 weeks post-op and she is doing great.  She is weight bearing on both legs (although, we need to remind her sometimes to use her left leg, because she has been so used to not using it since August).  She is wearing her brace like a champ, and we have extended her walks this week.

We have lowered the dosage on her meds and she seems to be doing okay, but ironically, she has gotten a yeast infection in one of her ears so now we are battling that issue.  Due to the meds she is on for her legs, the vet can't prescribe the necessary medication for the infection in her ear, so we are using some prescription ointment and hoping it will help.

She is still being very picky with her meals, so we have started making her "work" for her kibble.  When I walk her, I take her kibble rather than treats.  We also use a puzzle like this one...

Overall, I think she is doing great...but with the added issues of her ear infection and both cats having eye infections...I don't seem to ever get a moment of rest.

Thankfully, we had one of my nephew's visiting this past weekend and he was such a good helper.  It was sad to see him go...  He did such a good job with Lainey and spoiled her with so much love and tummy rubs!

No Regrets

I am one of the few women who never wanted children.  I adore my nephews, but even as a young adult I had no intentions of having any of my own. 

But then I met a handsome fella and we got married, bought a house and joined our 'families'.  He had 2 children already (who were teenagers when we met), but I started to want my own. 

Due to the fact that my husband is a paraplegic and I had had cervical cancer, we decided to see a specialist to discuss our options.  Soon after that appointment, the so-called "urge" was gone, so we decided not to move forward.  I enjoy our life and for many reasons I don't care to discuss here, we cancelled all future doctor appointments and have never really discussed the topic since.

But, every year around Christmas I get a little depressed.  I tend to think of all the things I won't be doing this year.  I won't attend any Christmas programs at school, I won't make anything awesome from Pinterest for my child's teacher, I won't be able to play Santa, and most of all, I can't pass along the Christmas family traditions that I grew up knowing and loving.

I've learned that the best way to cure this feeling is for me to spend some extra special time with all the little ones around me.  I've got a special date with one of my nephews tonight and I can't wait!

I don't regret the decision my husband and I made, but that doesn't mean I can't dream every now and again of what it would be like to some day be called "mommy"!

Christmas Cards for Dummies

I have never sent Christmas cards, and this year I really wanted to start.  I originally wanted to get all the pets dressed up in their holiday gear and take a picture, but after Walker passed away the excitement was no longer there!  

We had family photos taken with my in-laws back in November and the same day that the photo disc arrived...so did a coupon from Shutterfly for 10 free cards!  Perfect timing! 

I have used Shutterfly for my prints and have made dozens of photo books, but it never crossed my mind to use them for our Christmas cards!

I'm happy with the end result...what do you think?

(P.S.~ There was a back-side to the card also, but I wasn't sure how to embed that.  I guess I need Blogger for Dummies!)

Wishing You Merry Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards this season at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

http://www.shutterfly.com/

Anniversary #2

Tuesday, July 10 was my 2nd wedding anniversary.  I was more than happy to celebrate, seeing that our 2nd year of being married, was so much better than our first. We are truly falling into our husband/wife roles and life is so good!

I did a lot of reminiscing about our wedding day....and 2 years later I still smile ear to ear with the memories of the love I felt that day.  I can honestly say that my wedding day was one of the BEST days of my life so far.

I can remember being on cloud nine...all day....all night!  I've never smiled so hard in one day in all of my life.  I couldn't help it!  Love oozed out of every corner of that tent and I never expected to feel that.

I'm so glad everybody came...I'm so glad my DIY projects were a success...I'm so glad we composed our own ceremony...I'm so glad we didn't elope...But, most of all, I'm so glad ALL of my siblings were able to surround me with their love and support.

There are 2 sisters missing from this photo
(note:  I lost my brother Chris last year...he's the tall one on the left...so I will always cherish my wedding
as being the last "family" event for us all to celebrate together as ONE)

The night was spent laughing, catching up with old friends, screaming with joy, cheering and dancing.  I felt gorgeous and was making a life-altering promise to the man I love and nothing else mattered.

And....did I mention dancing?  Oh boy, did we ever dance!

I will always cherish these memories and I look forward to reminiscing about our wedding day for many, many more years to come!

Cancer Sucks

Cancer is a horrible, horrible thing!  Eight years ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and it was the first time in my life that I can remember feeling that scared.  Thank goodness it was in the first stages and could be removed through surgery. 

Six years ago I lost the most brilliant man I have ever known to cancer....my grandfather.  The pain of watching his health deteriorate is something I wish I could erase from memory.  It is so emotional to watch someone go through these physical changes.  And even more horrendous to watch them die slowly.

Yesterday we lost another family member to cancer.  He made it more than 4 years when doctors only gave him 2-3, but that is 4 years he lived with this hopeless prognosis. And so much like my maternal grandfather, he slowly deteriorated while his body had a hard time maintaining itself.

My heart aches for my dad.  It was a year ago on April 4 that he had to bury his son, and now he has to bury his father.  I would like to shake my fist up to the heavens and say "enough is enough", but I'm smart enough to know that God has a plan. 

Rest in Peace Richard!

Richard Shaw

In a Rut

I've been in a rut the past couple weeks (and maybe longer).  I'm just not HAPPY and feel like I very rarely smile anymore.   

I am missing my family and feeling very distant from my girl friends, which leaves me feeling very lonely. 

I've been at the same job for 9 years and it is starting to feel like the same thing EVERY day.  I am growing tired of my co-workers and I haven't had a raise in years (even though my job duties have grown immensely).  I'm just plain sick and tired of this environment.

I'm overweight (again) and can't seem to get it under control.  I have no clothes that fit me and tend to survive most evenings and weekends in sweatpants.  And nobody, I mean nobody, feels good about their appearance when they are in sweatpants.

I've got so many projects at home that need done, but I can't find the energy to pull myself off the couch on most days.  I do my general house cleaning on Saturday mornings and the rest of the weekend is spent doing nothing productive.

I feel so bad for my dear husband.  He tries his best, but it's hard.  How do you make someone happy when they don't really want to be?  I mean, it's not that I don't want to be happy, but I just don't know what needs to be done to get me there.

I'm hoping this is just a phase!  Maybe when the weather gets nicer I will snap out of it.

Rest in Peace

Christopher Lee Shaw

May 21, 1977 ~ April 4, 2011

One Year

This Wednesday, April 4, will be the one year anniversary of my brother passing away.  One year......I just can't believe that I have only carried this pain in my heart for one year! 

I remember the day so vividly.  Every single detail starting with the first phone call I received.  There are times when my eyes are closed, that I can actually smell the scent of the hospital chapel. 

I cannot forget the look in my parents eyes and the all encompassing need to hug them and not let go.  Feeling the weight of my youngest brother as he nearly collapses in my arms, shaking with tears.  Yearning to be near my older sister to feel her strength.

One year....

My heart still feels the pain, but my soul is rebuilding.

Christopher L. Shaw

May 21, 1977 - April 4, 2011