Umbrella

Oh what a fun distraction to sit and make some cards! This card was cute, creative, fast and could have been even cuter with a few additional elements...(I wanted FAST when making 14 cards)The paper was summer tropical drinks on card stock -bazzill of course with a "drink umbrella" attached on the side. The inside said HAVE A REFRESHING SUMMER AND DON'T FORGET THE UMBRELLA. I did these in lieu of 4th of July cards - more of a happy summer card. I sent them out with extra postage and a little bubble wrap to keep the umbrella from getting smashed in the post office machinery. We shall see! my nightmare is that the post office will return them and say SPECIAL HANDLING and additional postage required. Cute side note Rich's aunt Jean in New Jersey always sends me a store brought thank you card when I send her a hand made card... Very funny but she loves those handmade cards. Time to go finish Kelly's Journal/Diary/Scrapbook. Pictures to follow... it is so darn cute and innovative for a 14 year old being promoted to 9th grade....

Great Weekend and Reality

Wow what a great fun filled busy weekend.... Friday we had the Auction dinner that was sold at the Church Valentine dance last February... 5 couples for some Blue Hawaiians, Coco Lopez Shrimp, Artichoke dip, Risotto, Asparagus and Filet Mignon with reduction sauce and a beautiful Fruit Tart... Could not have done any of it without the help and love of my very great neighbors Barb and Tom. They went above and beyond the call of Neighborly duty.


Saturday- I kind of sat on my butt a little to much, did work in Kelly's 8Th grade graduation scrap book I am making for her (I will post pictures later it is so very very cool- I like it and most of the time I just think what I do is OK) I would call it an interactive journal/diary. It will be fun for her to look back on when she is in her 20's to see what she thought and felt about her life before she went into high school. It is only a wallpapered book so she can write doddle and add her own pictures. I Wonder if she will let me see it when she is done? Saturday night I could be seen with the other very cool people at Scrapbook Oasis, taking Cheryl's Bloom Book class. IT is a very cool project and those books are so fun with the pull outs.

Sunday- oh what fun, my first Tim Holtz classes. He is so organized right down to the glue. He kept us on task, on time and the projects were completed by the time we left the store. Well they still need pictures but to me that is - completed and having my VBF there to scrap and laugh at my jokes- PRICELESS. I even made the Scrapbook Oasis blog in a picture... I feel like scrapping royalty (not funny).

Reality- Meghan did not have her surgery on Friday as planned. Apparently she found out upon her return from Oahu that the darn cancer has spread to one of her lungs and some of her lymphs. That will bring you down fast from a great vacation. Instead they started her on chemo again yesterday.. PRAYERS and HEALING for her! She has another tough journey in front of her! She is one of the bravest, enduring people I am happy to know and love. Rich's blood count and platelets continue to go down as the treatment gets more into his body and hits his bone marrow.... And silly me keeps thinking we are out of the wood on that one... You just never know when life is going to throw that curve ball at you and you could strike out... we must learn to enjoy the walk and our time sitting on the bench... It is called LIFE.

Aloha & Tahoe

Our Aloha vacation family is back and adjusting to life on the mainland without rainbows, warm winds and that Mustang convertible they so loved driving while in Oahu... Soon we must get together and here more stories and see PICTURES. Time to get Meghan down here to scrap her very own Mini Hawaiian vacation album. Big week for Meghan they told us last week while still on vacation that this Friday she is going back in for more surgery on her liver. She already had the major surgery and this is supposed to be done laproscopy so as not to leave more big incisions and risk of infection. PRAYERS they get all that darn cancer out of her body so she can vacation every year in the Islands if she wants. We are still so excited they were able to make this trip. I think I will email my son and ask him to send me a couple of pictures... He is not the best at emailing or returning calls... Although we did get a nice delivery of tropical flowers yesterday as a thank you! It was a lovely surprise. Gotta love the flower delivery truck pulling up in front of your house.

A few pictures of our quick trip to Tahoe last weekend for Rich's business meeting... Way to long of a drive the way up on Thursday was not so bad but coming home on Sunday - I was ready to jump out of my skin after sitting in the car for over 9 hours and it took hours for the feeling to get back in my rear.... (more than you needed or wanted to know). We stayed in Squaw Valley in Tahoe and one of the events was the gondola trip up to HIGH CAMP at 8200 feet elevation. Needless to say one COSMO (my personal favorite) at that elevation and I was done drinking and walking and talking for the night. It was however very beautiful and one of the pictures is the swimming pool with a little snow on the mountain in the background. The other is that famously cute couple....

Medical update on the hubby - looks like the red and white blood count is finally leveling off but the platelets remain low and went down lower than the week before. Overall the results look to be promising. Prayers for remission! Sometime next month they will do the scan and we will see...

Looking forward to a wonderful week. Love to all.

Aloha Update

What we do know... Meghan has sunburned her knees from riding in the Mustang Convertible. They went to K-mart in Kapalai and purchased Mask and Snorkels. Ko Olina has them on the 9Th floor with a view over both pools and the ocean... Wow can not wait to see pictures. Michael goes for a swim every morning after pinching himself saying "oh heck" (or something like that) I am in Hawaii... Meghan left us a message yesterday and you could hear it in her voice... The "spell" of the islands and the resort is having their effect on both of them. I think all those ancient Hawaiian stories of the Gods probably has something to do with the magic as well. And we thought Disney had the trademark on Magic... not so!!! I got goose bumps talking to them last night knowing they are enjoying themselves so much. Need to go text my son and tell him to get busy taking pictures.. Actually both of them need to get busy taking pictures... Like I need another scrap project... We will just have to have Meghan down to make her own Magic Hawaiian Vacation Book... Or MHV.... Can you fell the tropical breeze...?

ALOHA

Oh my!! They are on the plane (or they should be on the plane by now) winging their way towards OAHU. This is a HAPPY CHAPTER for Mike & Meghan. With all they have both been through Meghan with all her surgeries and more to go later this month and Michael by her side - these two really - really need a break. A chance to be in such a beautiful place, refresh and renew their very essence and be in love. AHHHH! I just pray it is all they want it to be and more. If I could change anything it would be that Meghan was making this trip in remission and cancer free. We talked to her last night and besides being very excited, she spent the day getting her manicure, pedicure and hair done. As it should be for any 25 year old getting ready to take her first trip to the Islands. It was a day, I feel where she could forget what her body was doing, and just enjoy. I want to cry and jump for joy with the excitement I am feeling for the two of them. Do you remember your first trip to the Islands or Disneyland as a child? I remember my first trip to Maui years ago, before the breeze ways. You exited the plane the old fashion way out on the tarmac and the first thing I felt was that warm tropical breeze, saw the palm trees swaying and smelled that only in Hawaii smell of the islands.... All senses were engaged. It was magical. Have a Magical day Mike and Meghan all our ALOHA is with you! Everyone else be sure to enjoy the tropical breeze of your life.