6 Random Things

So, my cousin Kristen tagged me to tell 6 random things about myself. Here we go!

1. I cannot enter a room at night without first turning on the light and looking at all 4 walls. I watched this movie "When A Stranger Calls Back" when I was in high school, and the villain in the movie paints himself to blend into the walls so you can't see him. He can also throw his voice, so he'll call out your name to get you to look in the other direction and then attacks. YIKES! Why did I ever watch that movie?!

2. I refer to Shane as "Daddy" whenever I'm speaking to the dogs. I know it's lame, but we got into the habit after getting Maggie - not real sure how! If they're upstairs and it's time for bed I say, "Go find Daddy!" and they scurry away. :) I'm pretty sure that our kids will have some severe issues with this fact.

3. I will not eat anything with mushrooms or broccoli in it. I can't stand the smell or taste of either food. Honestly, why would I put fungus into my mouth? And broccoli... that's just about the worst tasting vegetable EVER. My mom used to force me to eat chicken & broccoli casserole - and let me say that I had to hold down the vomit during each bite. GROSS.

4. I love the smell of the air right before it snows. YES - there is a distinct smell in the air before the snow flakes fly... it isn't something I can really explain, you just have to trust me. And even though I'm allergic to cold temperatures, I will always go outside right when the snow starts to fall. Bundling up for those few quiet moments is definitely worth it!

5. I am the only child in my family who didn't have braces or glasses. My sister had both, and Jordan & Tyler had braces. Both of my parents wear glasses/contacts, but somehow I avoided these 2 obstacles. Why, you ask? Probably because God knew my middle school years were painful enough ;) Kidding...

6. Whenever I sing along with the radio (or cd) I always sing the harmony part. I'm not sure when I started to do that, but now it's tough for me to sing the actual MELODY! My sister and I will sometimes sing duets in church and before we decide parts we typically sing a few lines - and every time, without fail, we both go for the same vocal part. Not sure why we do this, but we laugh every time! :)

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random facts about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post. (Sorry - I'm only tagging 3!)
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the taggers know when your entry is up.

I am tagging:
Cherith
Rachel
Becca

A Beautiful Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend we drove up to Michigan for Dorian & Kristen's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and Shane & I were so honored to take part in their special day. The weather was perfect, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and everyone had a blast!! Here are a few shots their photographer took... simply breathtaking!

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. & MRS. DEHAVEN!!! WE LOVE YOU GUYS :)

Answers to Prayer!

Shane & I flew to NY for the long weekend to be with my family, especially Tyler, while we waited to hear the results from his doctors. And although we're still not 100% sure what's going on with his elbow, the results that we received on Friday evening all pointed to something other than lymphoma. PRAISE GOD!!! He had some fluid extracted from where his elbow is swollen and typically with lymphoma the levels would be around 10. Tyler's fluid level was 1.5 - definitely good news! The fluid was also clear, which means that there is no infection in the area. The doctors said it was possible for him to have an infection where the bone had been damaged from previous chemo treatments - but with clear fluid, that's clearly not the case. Tyler also had a PET scan Friday afternoon and the only uptake they saw was in his elbow - so even IF the lymphoma is back... it's only back in his elbow and nowhere else. He's also had blood work done on a couple different occasions and those have come back normal, too! At this point we're still waiting to hear the results from his bone biopsy which was done this afternoon, and at that time we will know with all certainty if the lymphoma has returned or not. So far it's all good news and we're trusting God to bring even greater news with the results of today's biopsy. GOD IS SO GOOD!! When Shane & I got in the car to leave work on Friday afternoon for the airport, I looked at him and said, "It feels different somehow this time... I feel like even though things are scary right now that we'll receive good results and that this weekend will be one big party." And God certainly gave us that gift for the weekend. We had a blast with everyone - and even Jordan was able to get away from school responsibilities on Sunday afternoon to join us for lunch at PF Chang's. Here is a picture of all the kids right after we stuffed our bellies full :)

We can't thank everyone enough for all the prayers and well wishes sent our way over this past week - and throughout this past year as Tyler has walked through cancer treatment. We serve a God that is greater than all of this and we THANK HIM for what He's done and what He continues to do not only in Tyler's life, but in the life of our entire family. I'll leave you with one of my favorite benedictions, coming from the book of Jude: "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

A Pitter-Patter in Pittsburgh!

We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh with our friends, Mike & Rachel. Their daughter, Harmony, is just about the cutest child on EARTH! :) We had a blast with them, and with my parents, Mis & Rob. They were all involved in a wedding this past weekend (which was also in Pittsburgh!) so we were able to spend time with everyone - it was amazing! Here are a few shots of Harmony and one with Shane wrestling with her so she could get dressed for the day. This girl has quite the iron will! :)

Here's our girl... could she be any sweeter?!

Just before she got into her pajamas... and yes, she was dancing with the pole!

She was such a flirt with him :) She wasn't quite ready to get dressed after breakfast!