Freedom

 I have fond memories of Memorial Day as a child. I was too young then to realize that freedom is a gift that many have fought and died for in order for us to have.  My main memory is the excitement of the parade. That horses and marching bands, clowns, and fire engines were making their way - loudly - through my own little neighborhood was almost more excitement than my young mind could comprehend!

And even afterwards, it was fun to just stroll down the street seeing the aftermath of it all. The festive feeling that clung in the air was palpable. You could almost reach out and touch it with your fingers. To be able to catch a piece of it and store it in a jar would be a priceless gesture. When one grew older it could then be released into the air. Once again my eyes would widen at the sight of the marching band parading down the street. I would laugh as the clowns passed by and chase down some candy that they tossed. I would stare at the horses looking so elegant and grand as they clomp clomp clomped on the pavement. I would point at someone I might recognize and marvel at the fact that I was acquainted with someone who actually had the honor of being in a parade!

I would get a tear in my eye as the American flag was proudly being displayed. Red white and blue blowing in the breeze, glistening in the sun. Gentleman, remove your hats, all you citizens put your hand over your heart! Stand up and celebrate because you`re free!

Tags: Memorial Day, freedom

Holiday Weekend Begins

 

Thanks to Donna for the tag. Isn`t it the cutest??!

Happy holiday weekend to all of you!

Any plans?

I`m working tomorrow. After church on Sunday I`m having a couple friends over for pizza. No plans for Monday, Memorial Day, other than my mom wants to go out to breakfast.

I got so much done today. The temps were right around 80 degrees. I bought hanging baskets of impatients. So pretty! I also got my hair cut and so did Corey. I bought some shiny pink polish for my tootsies. :0)

Yesterday when I arrived home from work Corey had dinner all ready. Yum. I could get used to that. She made chicken breast, peas and rice. Then she baked blueberry muffins. I`m not sure who she gets the cooking jag from - certainly not me! Her grandma, most likely.

I made a doctors appointment to see about my swollen ankle - but I can`t get in until June 11th! Today I wore capris and flip flops and I kept looking down at my left foot to check on the swelling. Really bugs me.

I`m reading a good book called Body Surfing. It`s the latest one by Anita Shreve. It`s about two brothers in love with the same woman. I love the way she tells a story. This particular family lives in a grand home in New Hampshire. It has a bit of a history, as characters from some of her other books have lived in this same home throughout the years. Kind of a cool thing that you wouldn`t know unless you have read some of her other books.

Gas went down 10 cents here. It`s now $3.39. I was going to wash my car today ( Corey and my mom both say it`s clean as can be, but they`re not looking at it with my critical eye. lol ) but the weather is calling for thunder showers tonight, so I didn`t.

I`m off to read a few journals and relax. I have to be up early tomorrow for work and I`m a bit tired. However, I have noticed an increase in energy since I`m all done with the leukemia treatments!

Have a lovely weekend.

God bless!

 

 

Tags: Anita Shreve, leukemia, God

A Busy Day Off

Well, it was indeed a busy day and I accomplished much. Corey and I were out practicing driving, as she still doesn`t have her license. We also went to the bank, Verizon store, and to Olive Garden for lunch.

I wasted about an hour and a half at a local hospital trying to get a simple five minute procedure done - getting the port in my chest flushed out. Since I have just finished treatment, we decided to leave the port in for a while. It`s under the skin so it`s not visible and it doesn`t bother me at all. Anyhow, there was some mix up about the doctor not faxing in the order from the Cleveland Clinic. My doctor in Cleveland and I thought it was all set to go, but I guess not. So to make a long story short, I left. We did get it all straightened out a couple hours later. Now I have to go back a different day. Oh well.......

Then we went grocery shopping. Geez, having a college student home can run up one`s bill!

I`m off to take a quick shower and catch some American Idol.....................

Testing Out Picture Feature on Wittle Face

Who`s Going To Win?

The picture above was taken of Mandy just a day or two ago. Muah Muah, How I wuv that wittle face!!

So for those of you who watch American Idol - now that the last night of singing is complete, who do you think will win? I agree with what the judges said that Blake is the best performer and Jordin is the best vocalist. Personally, I would love to see Blake win. Either way, you know they are both going to release a record.

I`m off tomorrow and have many errands to run. The main thing that I have to do is go to a local hospital to have my port flushed. I still have a port in my chest to draw blood from, but since I will only be going to the Cleveland Clinic every three months now I`ll have to go somewhere around here to have it flushed so it keeps working. All that really consists of is putting a type of saline through the line which should only take about five minutes.

Gas went up to $3.49 here today. YIKES!! That is outrageous. I know in most places it is even higher.

Today was a warm one - in the 80`s. Tomorrow should be nice also. I should go to the park and walk again.

Have a wonderful evening!   XO

Free Lunch, Pretty Drinks, and Great Mirth

So I haven`t done an entry in over a week and AOL goes and changes everything on me!

I just wrote a very looong entry and deleted it by mistake.    <kicking self>

Anyhow, my Mother`s Day was nice. I picked up Corey from college. Three years completed - where did the time go? We had a nice lunch at TGI Friday`s.

It seems like I`ve been busy ever since. I`ve picked up some extra hours at work too. Because of that and the fact that I got some good referrals, my manager and asst manager took me and another teller out to lunch on Friday. I thought that was very nice.

My branch did well last year so on Saturday night we all got together to celebrate. ( better late than never. ) We went to a bar/restaurant and had lots of food and drinks. There was ping pong to play, pool, and darts. I had my first drink in over 2 years. Now that my treatments are finished for leukemia I treated myself to a glass of white wine. Everyone cheered and clapped for me! It felt pretty darn good! Then I had what one of my co-workers calls a 'pretty drink' - a strawberry daiquiri. Yummy.  :)

Sunday was a big day at our church. we celebrated its 20-year anniversary. We buried a time capsule that will be unearthed in another 20 years. We had special singers and a guest speaker. The children planted a tree. We honored those in our church who serve in the military. I made a collage of all our college students that was hung in the church foyer.

In the book of Nehemiah, there is a portion that speaks of a great celebration ... eating and drinking, rejoicing and great mirth. ( I love that word! )  So that`s what we did. We had a covered dish lunch and a time of fellowship. It was quite nice.

I don`t like what has happened to me this week for the first time - swollen feet and ankle! UGH! What do I do to prevent this??

Well, this entry isn`t as long as the one I deleted <Grrrrr> but it`s enough for now.

I missed you guys!!

Love & God bless,

Penny

 

Tags: church, Nehemiah, swollen ankles

For The Moms

     

I thought I would say Happy Mother`s Day to everyone now since I won`t be home until later in the day tomorrow.

I`m blessed to have a mother who always took good care of me and still tells me to this day that she loves me. I have two very early memories of me with my mom. The first one is : I am laying in my crib as a baby and was sick. She was taking my temperature.

The second one is : We were going somewhere, not sure where, but I was wearing a dress. I must have been about three years old. My mom lifted me up and sat me on the table and then she put shiny black patent leather shoes on me. They were always my favorite when I was little! Such a simple thing, but it`s one of my favorite memories.

My own daughter was a surprise. By that I mean she came two months early! She weighed in at 2 pounds 11 onuces. When I went home from the hospital I couldn`t bring Corey home then as she was too small. How I cried.

She had to stay in the hospital for six weeks. Then she was able to come home - happy and healthy - at a whopping 4 and 1/2 pounds!

Being  a mother is challenging. There`s no foolproof instruction manual on how to raise a child. But one thing I always told myself was - I need to do this right.  Corey only gets one childhood and I want to be there for her, I want it to be a happy one.

We`ve had our ups and downs like everyone else, but I`ve always loved being a mom. My 'baby' is now 20 years old. She`s away at college and we still talk on the phone at least once a day.

Whatever your situation is I hope all you moms are able to enjoy your special day.

 

 

Love and hugs,

 

   (Jenny, you rock!)

 

Not Hard To Swallow. Nope, Not At All!!

                   

        Ladies and gentlemen!!!

                   ( ahem )

It is my pleasure to present to you :

MY LAST TWO PILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twenty six months after being diagnosed with leukemia .......  the pills are finished! The chemo is finished!

Some Mother`s Day gift to me, huh?!  :0)

I`ve Been Tagged!

Oh no! I was tagged by Lisa over at Please Don`t Take Life For Granted to list 7 random facts about myself. Hmmmmm......

 

I`ll try to list ones that you may not already know.

 

1. In high school I was voted Most Unique.

 

2. My (ex) husband and I were pen pals on and off for about 10 years before we met. I lived in Ohio - he in NY.

 

3. I have been a blonde, a brunette, and now a redhead!

 

4. I don`t eat red meat.

 

5. I once camped out all night in line for Backstreet Boys concert tickets. ( got `em! lol )

 

6. At the age of 19, I bought a one-way ticket to California and spent the summer roller skating, visiting pen pals and relatives, occasionally sleeping on the beach, and going to bars in Mexico!

 

7. I have been to DisneyWorld once and DisneyLand 7 times.

 

I`m not going to tag 7 others, but you should do it - it`s fun!

Would You Do It?

For the mere price of $200,000 you can take a trip into outer space for 2 and 1/2 hours.

 

Supposing that money were no object, would you do it?

 

Here`s some info I copied from AOL news :

 

The spaceship will be attached to the belly of a jet carrier that will take off like a regular plane and then release the spaceship at about 50,000 feet.

There, a rocket will ignite and hurl the ship toward space at more than 3,000 mph.

The ship will peak at about 400,000 feet, and passengers will experience four to five minutes of weightlessness, Whitehorn says. They will be encouraged to somersault through the cabin.

"We are designing the spaceship to allow the passengers to leave their seats and look out of the different windows," he says.

Drawn by the Earth's gravitational pull, the spaceship will glide back for landing.

Waking up Early Is Nice!

Hi folks. I`m not a morning person. At all. If it`s my day off I will usually sleep in. I did have to be at a 7am meeting today, so I was up early. The meeting lasted until 8:30 and then I went to the park to walk. It was so beautiful - nice, sunny, and cool. I am serious about building up my stamina again. Walking is the best way I know to do this.

I`m off soon to meet my friend, Sandy, for lunch. Then I must go vote. Today`s high is supposed to be about 76 degrees. If I really feel motivated, I`ll do some house cleaning.

Have a wonderful day!

"..... grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and

     Savior Jesus Christ.

        To Him be the glory both now and forever."

 

 

 

               

 

Tags: walking, vote, Lord, Savior, Jesus

Flip Flop Frenzy

Here`s what`s happening in Penny`s piece of Ohio :

Current temp:  71 degrees

Current gas price:  $3.09

Current weight loss for me:  6 pounds!!

Current read:  Whitehorn Woods by Maeve Binchy 

 

So today my mom wanted to go out to lunch and to Payless Shoes. I had nothing to do so I took her. Wouldn`t you know I found a purse on sale and flip flops?? I LOVE flip flops almost as much as I love purses! The picture at the top shows my latest purchase.  :0)

Today I received a call from the Cleveland Clinic saying I was late for my chemo appointment and was I coming in for it? No, I won`t be coming in for it, as I had my last one in April thank you very much. My doctor said he would cancel it but obviously he didn`t.

I`d much rather be out buying purses and flip flops.

 

Yesterday after church I went out to lunch with some friends. We had a nice time at Cracker Barrell. ( I had a chef salad. ) I have been trying to walk some and eat healthier. Even so I was surprised when I weighed myself today that I had lost 6 pounds! I pretty much eat whatever I want for lunch then I try to eat a reasonable dinner, nothing huge - and something for breakfast because I have to eat to start my day. My snacks have been fewer and further between and they normally consist of celery, strawberries, pretzels, popcorn, or yogurt. I know the weight is not going to come off fast, but some of it MUST come off. 

Tomorrow is another day off for me, yet I have to go in for an hour and a half for a meeting at 7am. Huh? Well, actually, I don`t HAVE to, they said they would postpone it if I couldn`t make it in. But I said no biggie. I didn`t really have plans for that time slot other than sleeping !

On Mother`s Day I will be on the road again. This is Corey`s last week of school, so I`ll be picking her up and bringing her home. :)

My church is having its 20 - yearanniversary this month and we have all sorts of cool things lined up. One thing that I was asked to do is to make a collage of all the kids from our church who are currently in college. So I have been rounding up photos from everyone and what school they are attending and what their major is. I think I`m going to buy a big frame and some type of fabric to use for the background. Then put the kids` pictures and info, some scrapbooking things to do with school and maybe some buttons or ribbons for decoration. Maybe a little glitter and a Bible verse. Anyhow, I am excited about doing this. I want to make it look good.

Another thing we are doing is making a time capsule to bury in the lawn and we will open it up again in another 20 years, God willing. The little children are going to plant a tree and some flowers. We`re also doing a tribute collage to our military personnel and we`ll be having a lunch that day and taking pics of the festivities. I love all the ideas everyone came up with.

Take care & God bless.

Thanks to Donna at D`s Designs for the top tag and to Toni`s Tags for the one below.

  (((HUGS)))

 

Tags: Whitehorn Woods, Cleveland Clinic, chemo, Mother`s Day, flip flops

A Picture Perfect Day

Wow, another beautiful day in Penny`s piece of Ohio!

                      

I decided to go to the park and have some fun with my camera.

I have learned from Betsy and Greg that mid - afternoon when the sun is at its peak is probably the worst time to take a picture outdoors. Ofcourse this is when I was at the park - smack dab between 2 and 3 o` clock!

Oh, well .........

                      

The dogwoods are in bloom, it was sunny and breezy with temps right around 70 - Perfect!

I walked around the lake as I took pictures. Now that all my treatments are finished, I am slowly trying to get back in shape and get my strength up.

I`ve also included pictures of my backyard. I live close to lots of places, yet I`m located off the beaten track, just a tad in the country. Very pretty and peaceful.

I hope the rest of you have enjoyed your day.

Love ya and may God bless you!

Have A Seat and Relax

 

Hello there! Won`t you join me on the porch? There`s a lovely breeze. Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea, lemonade, a soda, coffee?

   

It was a lovely day here in Ohio - about 83 degrees and sunny. A beautiful day to be off work and oh, did I enjoy it! My mom and I went to lunch and ran a few errands. I vacuumed my car and washed it. Then I went to Walmart to buy a few groceries. ( okay ... and a shirt ... )

Then I came home and spread another bag of mulch. I`ll be happy when I get all that done. Now there`s a thunder storm heading our way. One of the neighbor boys was in the middle of mowing our lawn but had to hold off until tomorrow because of the rain. At least the front is done. My gosh, it grows like crazy, esp in the spring!

I hope you`ve all had a nice day.

Be safe & God bless!