Happy Birthday to me!!! 

This is what this 60-year-old looks like!

My family sent me a birthday video... almost all of my family!

Click here to see my birthday video!

I am blessed to be surrounded by loved ones near and far on this very special day. My husband and grown children fill my life with joy.

Though parted, family ties connect my heart to those in the mountains, beaches, and valleys. Each smiling face, though distant, warms my spirit.

The roots and branches of this family tree reach wide to offer shelter, bear sweet fruit, and bloom again each season with new laughter. On this day of days, I'm thankful for the threads that sew us together as one unbroken clan.

My cup brims with gratitude for all those whose well wishes wove the fabric of this magical birthday dream!

 Greetings! We have just begun the year or 2024 and on January 19th, I will be 60 years old! This amazes me as I can vaguely see the lens which I viewed myself with as a child, a teenager, a young mother, a college student, a divorcee, a cancer patient, a school teacher, and now a woman in her 60's. I don't think I look 60. 

I decided to pick back up on blogging because I want to stay in touch with my immediate and extended family . I am not sure how to get them to look at or read this, but it is here if they wish.

I started working out with a personal trainer named Olivia McCove, and I hired my friend, Carole Weinstock from Clear the Clutter to work on my house. These two actions were new for me. My friend, Linda Raden, told me that once I turned 60, I had about five years to get my crap together and then everything would change in the downward direction! So personal trainer and professional organizer became the top of the list.

I also started back with my food plan that has always worked for me. No sugar and no flour. No pasta, No roasted nuts, no sweets other than a fruit almond milkshake in the mornings with Orgain Protein Powder. David is a HUGE help with this. He preps food with me and keeps me on track.

Here are a few photos from the past few months. Enjoy!

The Last Day of School 2022

It felt like the last day of school yesterday because it was the last day for the graduating seniors, but here we are again today. I have all the underclassmen doing time with me. We have today and we have to be back again on Tuesday, June 21st for the official last day of school. What. A. Drag!

I have nothing for them to do. If I put a movie in for them, they will just play on their phones. If I give them food, they will mess up my classroom. If I give them a puzzle or word search, they won't do it and it will end up on the floor. A tough crowd to please. We are literally doing time.

Come on summer... 

She's Baaack!!!

 It has been several years since I wrote a post for this blog. I kinda thought it went away somewhere in cyberspace. I finally found the blog and hope you enjoy the eight-year lapse!

I have a lot going on, just like everyone else in the world. We are surviving a pandemic and there are a lot of heart-tugging stories out there. I do not have one. I work in a high school and taught from home the first year of the pandemic. I was crazy at the end and felt like a Martian when I finally came back to school. I received the vaccine - 2 shots- and then returned to school. I wear a mask every single day. I am just like everyone else out there. We are all surviving a 100-year pandemic.

I decorated for the Christmas holiday. I am excited about my tree as it is all white and cream! I am very happy with how it turned out. I can't find a few precious ornaments. I am hoping to replace them soon. Where do I find high-quality, non-resin, beautiful, and whimsical ornaments? I hate to use Amazon.

No matter what holiday you celebrate, have a good one!

Cancer Comes and then Cancer Goes...

I want to start writing again, so I figured the best way to do that was to just begin.  I have a lot of topics that I can write about, but then again, I don't. 

I was just diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for the second time.  I actually knew it was back last April during spring break, but I didn't go for the actual test until June.  It is a slow-growing kind of cancer, so I didn't worry about it spreading quickly - I felt I could take my time and I was right. I went for a PET scan in June of 2012 and it came back positive, but very small.  I went for another PET scan in December 2012 and we confirmed it was definitely back, but still small.

I finally began treatment after spring break, with a biopsy of a lymph node in my thigh and now I am on Rituxan once a week for a month and then once a month for 18 months. That feels like a long time to me, but whatever works.