Went up and saw Kim yesterday.

The cancer is shrinking but now there is a problem with her stomach. It's either gas or a intestinal obstruction. She has lost more weight and her eyes are sunken in but the bottom half is all swollen. She has little strength and cannot have any food or drink. She is sucking on hard candy cause all she gets is IV fluids. She has been very depressed and told her dad not to call me she would call when she is ready. She apologized and explained what the last few weeks have been like. this round of chem wasn't as hard on her as the ones before but she can't leave till they find out whats going on with her guts.
I plan on going up tomorrow evening to see her.

No new donations have come through but I got an email last night that I have forwarded on to some of my friends. My hope is that they give this to their friends and family. I can't wait to see what the total is at the end of april. We receive 33% of what is sold and with this being a nationwide company anyone can help.

While Kelly was in school, Wyatt and I went to the zoo with the mommy group. Except we didn't stay with the mommy group. I let Wyatt do his own thing and we walked the zoo like 2-3 times. I got a couple of good shots but my batteries went dead and my replacement battery wasn't charged. That's okay, it was more about hanging with my little man.
Of course wyatt really didn't have much interest in the animals, just running around.
Well, I'm gonna try a chill before I head off to work tonight. I'm fighting a bit of a cold.
Happy hump day. Carrie

Donation update

Morning all,

My new donation update stands at $250. I received two checks on Saturday and also found out that my company is going to sponsor me! I have been afraid to ask how much but I know they are sending out a check. Mikey's company gets my letter today and with God's blessing they will be generous. So that's the news for now.

Happy Birthday Oasis!! It was a rockin party. there was a TON of food and I bought 3 cakes and we had one full cake left. the breakfast food was very good and we had plenty left over.

Lovin the new flash. I need more batteries.

It took some real nice pictures. I will have to post the ones I took in the house when it was pretty dark, they turned out great!

See ya later! Yay God!! Carrie

Happy Birthday DAD!

I should have posted this yesterday and I am sorry.
Yesterday we went to Phx to pick up Rob's mom's washer and dryer. We stopped by IKEA and whoa that was mind boggling and so tiresome. Of course what is going to phx if we don't stop off at In and Out burgers. oh yeah. We got home just before 5 and then we had to go shopping for my friend Amanda's son Donovan and his birthday present.
So Happy Birthday Dad. I hope you had a good day. I need to buy stamps and mail you a home made card.
Tomorrow is the church b-day also, so today I'm picking up the helium tank and the 3 cakes. Thankfully the fridge is now fixed but totally empty so I can fill it with the 3 cakes.
I really don't want to go to work today. My allergies are giving me a sore throat and making me very tired.
Next week is Joy's baby shower and I need to go grocery shopping for that and maybe get a gift or give money.
So Far the funds for Paris stand at $200. Mikey's company is going to help out and I'm really hoping that they can be generous. We are going to do a fund raiser with Schwans foods and that one can go nation wide. That seems to be our most promising.
Okay we need to go pick up the cakes. Happy Saturday

I have the coolest husband

Of course you all know that.

Here's the story:

this weekend is the churchs b-day party, and you see it is all in low light, and they need someone to take the picture of the pastor blowing out the candles. Fast forward to the 30th. I'm helping throw a baby shower, also in low light. You know me, I gotta take the pictures. So I talked to Rob for the 5th time and he agreed that I need the 430ex speedlite flash for my camera.

Why is it I can buy scrapstuff and not feel a hint of guilt but I buy something for my camera and I have a mini panic attack??

After he said yes I called around town to find one. The oracle road camera store wanted $300. Ritz camera wanted $300. uumm no. not when i found it online at 3 different stores for $240. So after figuring that sales tax would be about $20. I ordered it online with 2-day shipping for less than if I found it here for 240+tax. I think I got a good deal and yes it's from a well known company.

So now I have about 2 days to play with it, so that i can set it up for Rob to use on Sunday. (Hey I'm wheeling out the cake!) Can't be at two places at once.

Sears is supposed to be here shortly after noon to fix the fridge. This better happen. Actually I can't say that because I have gotten used to living out of the cooler. sad I know.

Oh and the picture is from Rob's fun day in PHX at the races.

Not much new to report.
All of my internet ordered stuff has arrived. The fridge is supposed to be fixed tomorrow. This is the 2nd set up time to fix it.
I have gotten all the supplies for the church birthday party, and will order the cake today.

I'm still at $200 for donations but hopefully will hear from my brothers company about a check.
My brother has said he is going to give me $200 and mom is gonna give $200. Things are looking very promising.
I have lost two pounds since last week when I started to eat better and workout. Trying to Keep the momentum going!!! I want to lose 15lbs before I leave
Kelly started her busy bodies preschool again yesterday. she is paid up till mid may when I think it ends for the summer. She enjoyed being back and didn't take long for her shyness to end and get back into the groove.
See I said not much new.
I can still hear. I am still looking at the postives. And I have not heard from Kim.
I helping with a baby shower of the 30th and that feels under control.
On April 14th our mommys group is going to be at mmu for a night of scrappin'. this is the evening after I do the all night walk/photos for the Relay for Life. I have ordered two luminarias 1. for Julie and 2. for Kim for the event. I'm supposed to raise money for that also but I haven't the time so I think I'll try to give $100 to cover me.
yada, yada, yada.
Love Carrie

HUH?? What?

What's that you say? Excuse me, can you repeat that? I'm sorry I didn't hear you. What???
I CAN HEAR !!!! I CAN HEAR!!!
(to music) I can hear clearly now the crap is gone.
And since last time it cost me $75 to have a ear flush the doctor is only going to charge me for an office visit. WHOOO HOOO Dr. Dotson y0u are cool.
total tmi- there was lots of gunk still in there and some was impacted but it didn't hurt. It was gross to look at.
Happy Thursday night.
A new episode of Ugly Betty and Greys Anatomy (which I will miss both because of teaching
Hugs Carrie

positive night

Lots of positives tonight. I got in all my books that I ordered, and the t-shirts that i ordered. BIG smiles. Then Mikey's boss is writing up a proposal to see if they can donate to the paris trip. My mother-in-law gave me a check for $200. The owner of Tres Amigos is looking over the letter and should get back to me today if they can donate. I am soooo stoked! Praise God that these companies are even considering and not just giving me a no. Lots of positives!!!!
I have made a dr. appt for my ear. lets see if we can get this thing fixed.
Also I am teaching tonight at J's for 1 person. This could be fun.
I'll update as I know. Carrie
hugs, smiles, hugs, smiles

random ramblings

So this one of the places where I'm gonna write about getting ready for Paris. The first and foremost thing you will see me write about is fundraising and where I stand. I have started a spreadsheet with peoples names and donations. This is for thankyou notes and postcards from france. My goal is $2520. i need to have $1400 by april 15th so that they can buy my plane ticket. We are starting to plan for bake sales and other fundraisers to help out. Yesterday my friend Julie Bailey mentioned that she wants to go also. So instead of raising money for two people we are going for three. Julie still needs to get her passport. So in my eyes everything is still up in the air if she is going.

I'm going to ask at my job if they would support me, and my brother is going to ask if they will also support me. I'll update all as I know.

Yesterday was a rough day for me. Our fridge has been out since last wednesday. we have been living out of a cooler. We were told monday night that the part should be here yesterday or today. I got a phone call 3:45 yesterday to hear that the part will be here on the 21st and they plan on being here on the 22nd. WTF (what the -uck) I started to cry because I feel all this negative is going on around me right now, when all I really want is positive. I can't say that. there were positives yesterday. Julie bailey hopefully going, julie glass getting a new house. my friend amanda gave me a $100 gift card for frys to help out with homegroup food and to restock when the fridge is fixed. those are happy positives and i need to focus on those. All negatives will work out to become positives and its teaching me patience.

Whats kinda funny is that last weeks sunday school lesson was to put all your worries to God because he will provide and that he loves us more than anything else. I needed that reminder today. Actuallu I think it said not to worry because God provides everything that you need.

I mailed out 8 letters and gave my mom 10 copies to hand out. I am leaving this in God's hands. I just pray that everyone will prayerfully consider helping me. I don't feel as panicked as I felt for Poland. This time it seems like a dream.

I was checking sites yesterday to get times and cost for different museums and attractions to see if I get to go. All I keep thinking about is the texture of buildings and the north african people I will get to meet and help. I will be cleaning windows and sweeping walks like in the picture above. My mind is going through different pictures I want to take and to absorb all the feelings that I can while there. I just think of how much france has been through and all it's history and I want to capture it.

So enough rambling for now. Even though it has helped me tremendously. I want a postive day and I'm gonna reach for it.

With God's blessing. Y'all ROCK. love carrie

101

just kidding.

Okay, fridge is still broke but we are getting into the grove of going to the cooler and not automatically opening the fridge. Hopefully the part will show today so I can call the service and schedule.

My work schedule has been cut back. This week I work on Wed. and Sat. on Friday is the Scrap social at Joanns. otherwise I'm free.

My calendar should be getting full soon as I prepare to go to...........

Yes, that's right. One of the team members had to drop out of the mission and they asked me to take her place.

breathe in.

breathe out.

I am leaving this in Gods hands.

If God wants me to go I will raise the money.

This was soooo unexpected and now I feel I have to rush to catch up.

Oh My Goodness. I might be going to PARIS!!!

breathe in.

Breathe out.

What's amazing is that this has been on my heart since last October. A month or so later I found out that a mission team is going to Paris. It stayed in my mind and I would dream, but I didn't express a need/want to go to anyone. Rob and I decided that we would take a year off. Now this has come up and I feel that I am being led here for a reason.

breathe in.

Breathe out.

Mom and I are no longer going to PHX in April cause of course all that money is to be my spending money.

I wonder if this is why I have finally felt ready to scrap my poland trip this last week??

So Miss Julie congrats on the house!! I want pictures and an address!

I'll scrap whenever I can. Just hand over a date.

(I still can't hear out of my left ear) uuuummmmm... any other news..........I can't think of anything so I'll catch you all later.

Yay God!! Love Carrie

P.s. the trip is june 1-11th AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH

Breathe in

Breathe out.

100!!!

My 100th post. whoo hooo

Who cares right. lets get down to business.

My left ear is completely plugged and i can't hear a damn thing out of it. I've tried flushing it out with water and no help. It's driving me nuts.

Rob and I are suppose to go on a date tonight. we are to go to metro resaurant and then see wild hogs with travolta. I'm just waiting on confirmation from the sitter.

Okay big news. Our fridge went out. To the point where all the food is in coolers. The sears guy was supposed to be out yesterday and his truck broke down so was rescheduled for today. got it hard started and it should be okay until the compressor comes in. So now i'm waiting for it to cool enough to put the milk back in. Just my luck I buy six gallons of milk and the fridge goes. But thankfully our warranty doesn't expire until oct of this year and they will cover the cost of any lost food.

Called and left another message for Kim on Wednesday and still have not gotten a call back. This has now been 3 weeks. I'm done.

Put up and new mailbox since ours got bashed in a couple months ago. It's bigger and white and I like it. Now my stuff won't get ripped up when he puts it in. I didn't realize how inexpensive mail boxes are. A basic one is less than $10.

Oh yeah, I'm going to try and enroll Kelly into school for this coming fall. I need to call TAG elementary. I also need to get copies of her birth certificate. I'm excited and nervous. After talking to my friend Michelle we both agree that Kelly is ready and her son who is a month younger will be starting school this coming year too.

What's a post without a picture?

Have a great weekend!

Here's to 100 more posts.

Carrie

Guess what we did?/

Can you guess? huh? huh?

The kids spent the night at Grandmom's and this morning I got a calling inviting me to go somewhere with them. I said yes because I wanted to practice a couple of photo tips I had read about. I had a good time. It would have been nice to spend more time but the kids were getting grouchy. Have you figured it out yet?? Good if you haven't. Once Wyatt settled down it was easier for me to get the shots, but we will have the chance later this month when Wyatt and I get to go back with the mommy group and Kelly will be in class.

Not much really going on here. I did 3 pages for Joanns to display for the scrap class. I really liked the way they turned out. (I just realized I am repeating myself)

Kim is still not answering my calls or returning the messages I have left. I don't know if I have done anything for her to be ignoring me, so for right now I will leave her alone. She can call me if she chooses. I'm not into rehashing how odd our friendship sometimes is. I will leave it to say that I went from talking almost everyday to her not answering or calling me back. Done...

Work is fine. The DM isn't as bad as I was told she was. I don't mind working with her.

Are you still wondering what we did today?? Turn your head at the second one. Yep we went to the zoo and we even got to feed the giraffe. That was so fun. Both Kelly and Wyatt fed the giraffe and wyatt enjoyed it more than Kelly. The monkeys were howling and swinging, the polar bear was very playful and the tiger was prowling. Heck even the Lion and otters were cool to shoot. I really liked how some of my shots came out. I want to try again because with the Tiger I was rushed in the shots so I have bars in the way. The color is great though. These are going to make a cool scrap page.

So enjoy.

Happy Tuesday. I gotta go cook because tonight is home group and tacos.

C.

98 posts

I'm closing in on 100!!

Wow.. Seriously thats cool.

Been working very hard on scrapbook layouts for this coming Saturday. This saturday is class preview day at joanns. I won't be able to do it because I will be at Tres Amigos but I needed to have a few layouts for display. They totally rock. I just love the pictures I have of each kid. I had them sent to walmart and had some 5x7 and wallets done besides the 4x6's. I need to work on getting some shots of them together. I really love how the layouts turned out. If you want to see them you'll either have to go to J's or maybe I can get a good picture to post.

I think I have done about six layouts this week. That's awesome for me. Plus I made pj pants for Kelly and myself. I have been very busy this week. This might explain why I have had to start taking my back medicine again. I haven't worked except on Monday and all the pain and pinching started on Tues. night/wed morning. Not good with the District Manager now running the store.

Whats a post without a picture. Happy weekend. love carrie