How time passes us by so quickly when we are not looking.  It has been three years since I was on here and what a three years it has been.  The last time I wrote, I had just lost my dear Dad.  Since then life, has gotten so much more busy, I didn't think that was possible, but it was.  In October of 2013, my mom was diagnosed with melanoma.  The did surgery and removed what they thought was everything and claimed she was clear of cancer.  They had taken some lymph nodes and felt they had cut everything out.  So true is the saying that hind site is 20/20.  The next October (2014), I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  So the journey started of going through chemo, then surgery and then another round of chemo myself.  Lost my hair, which was hard for me, but did come out of it a year later, cancer free.  However, God was not done with our small family yet.  The next October (2015), we found out that my mom had her cancer return metastasized all throughout her body (liver, lungs, bladder and brain).  All of this from the 1/4 inch mole they had removed in 2013.  Because we had last my Dad just two years earlier, she was ready to go and meet my Dad.  She didn't want to fight it and the doctors indicated that her quality of life would not be that great fighting it anyway.  So she made the decision not to treat it.  My hubby and I attempted to care for her at home and it just became too difficult for us.  We didn't have the equipment, so I made the decision to move her into the Hospice home Dad had been treated at.  

I can't say enough about making sure if you go through something like this, make sure you have a patient advocate if you can't take charge with the doctors on your own.  They NEVER checked my mother again until they checked her in October 2015 after having blood in her urine for a period of time and were trying to find the cause.  They should have checked her again shortly after she had her mole removed on a consistent basis for any return of the cancer.  They may have been able to save her from ending up dying in March 2016 from the cancer having ravaged her body.  Of course, now that I have gone through this terrible disease myself now, I will not allow them to do that to another family member of mine.  When I finished my chemo treatment in January of this year, I asked my doctor what the plan was now going forward.  She indicated that she would have me come in a couple of times a year and check me over.  I said you're not going to do a scan of some sort on a regular basis to check for the cancer returning?  She said "no, we don't normally do that".  I said well I don't care if you normally do it or not, you will be doing it for me or I will find another doctor who will.  I just cared for my mother dying from cancer because nobody checked her afterwards to see if it returned.  The doctor finally agreed and will be doing an annual scan.

I have now been through three surgeries.  I am just now recovering from the last one 2 weeks ago.  Needless, to say I am thankful to God that I am now cancer free, but I can tell you have I have had enough of doctors to last me for awhile. And enough going on in life the last 3 years to last me a while.

Now after moving 4 properties into one, which we currently are living in my mom and dad's house, I am ready for life to slow down a little bit and just be a routine.  No time for cross stitch in the last three years unfortunately.

Today

Well I have gotten  little done on the Welcome banner. It has seemed nice to get back into stitching again.  I forgot what it was like to sit and stitch and watch a good movie. Watching my favorite movie tonight, Dirty Dancing. My favorite actor Patrick Swayze. Miss seeing him. Well back to stitching.

What a Year it Has Been!

Well how do I start this?  It has been one traumatic year.  For those of you that know me,  know that I am an only child.  I was definitely a Daddy's girl.  In December 2012, my Daddy became sick with a severe headache.  This was odd, because my Dad was not prone to having headaches.  After being in the hospital for 33 days, they found out he had contracted Crytococcal Meningitis.  At this point, we thought he was getting better and we were planning to bring him home.  But at the end of the following week, he started stroking and was unable to talk.  The next day, he slipped into a coma, to never return to us.  We had to make the very difficult decision to remove him from life support.  We did this and he was such a fighter, he hung on for a week during which we had him transported to Hospice.  They took wonderful care of him in his last days. He finally went home to be with his Lord on February 4, 2013 at 2 am.  I was able to be at the Hospice House when they came to pick him up to take him to the funeral home.  My last goodbye for awhile to my wonderful Father.

Needless to say, this year has been very hard for me.  I was very close to my Dad.  He was so vibrant and full of life.  He was working 40 plus hours a week right up until he died, traveling back and forth to China working for John Deere for the last 8 years.  He was so smart.  He had accomplished receiving his Ph.D. late in life.  He is my Hero!!!

So, I have been needing to take over things that my Father did for my Mother since February.  Later in February, my Mother traveled back to Florida to stay at her Winter home.  I then was traveling back and forth every other week between Michigan and Florida to be with her and help with estate items which needed to be done and anything else my Dad usually would have done for my Mom.

She has since come back home to Michigan this month, so the last few weeks have been a bit lighter in travel.  It has seemed good to be able to be home for a few weeks now.  We are getting ready to go and put the flowers up on his grave site. I'm sure this will be hard as well, but as time goes, the heart does heal.  God is good.

I have been able to get back into my cross stitching a little bit.  I have started a new Welcome Banner from Stoney Creek.  

Well, enough for now.  I'll check back later with my progress so far.

Well here we are May 4th already. Where has Spring gone? I love this time of year. Not too warm not too cold and I love all the Spring flowers in bloom.

I have not done much stitiching lately having been dealing with being sick for the past 2 months. The doctors are not sure what the problem is. They initially thought it was an allergic reaction to an antibiotic that I took for a sinus infection. After my visit yesterday and another blood test, they are thinking that it has been a virus. I am feeling much better than I was, but am still very weak and get tired easily. Have been back to work now for 3 weeks which seems good, but now I am so far behind.

Am hoping to pull out the Pam Kellogg SAL that I started last year here in the next couple of days and get started back up on that. I am also working on a crocheting an afghan for myself. It is turning out wonderfully. I am using baby yarn and it is so cuddly and warm. Will be great for this coming winter.

Well off to get ready for work!