Heather's Happening's

Kid talk round 1

2011-04-28T13:17:00.001-07:00

SO, I have decided that I should keep a list of some of the things that kids have said to me:
Round one:

Little R,
So in my kids grief group we were talking about how things change, and I was using the moon for an example, and talking about the different shapes ( crescent, half etc...) and little 4.5 year old R, stopped me and she said that the moon is round all the time! It is just the shadow that is different that makes it look like a different shape.
I just sat there and looked at her, she had shown me up!!!

Hello over there...

2011-04-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Heather,

Thank you so much for hanging out with me yesterday. I love snuggling with you. And thank you for the cool nike shoes. I know my mom never would have bought me those and now I will be the coolest kid in the nursery at church.

You are the best!

Elijah

Its been a while

2011-04-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, It has been a while and I have many posts running through my head, however they are not as fun with out pictures.... so I am going to have a blog expert aka my friend Ali try and see why I cannot post pic, so stay tunned!

3 more days!

2011-03-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

So this time each season, I get really excited for the final rose to be given out on the Bachelor or Bachelorette. This season is no different.
Brad is the bachelor of choice this go around ( and really frustrated why I cant get pictures on here!)

My pick is Emily, but rumor has it that Chantal is the one who he chooses. So we will see!!!

didn't think it would be so hard

2011-03-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend, I was able to head back to NE and witness the wedding of AshLea and Tate. I used to babysit/nanny for Ash and her younger siblings, so it was crazy to see how grown up she was and what a beautiful young woman she has become.

As soon as the doors opened and she began to walk down the isle with her father, the tears started and they would not stop. I am sure the older couple beside me were wondering what on earth was going on..... but it hit me right then and there, that I would never get that. I would never be able to hold my dads arm and walk down the isle at my wedding.

I know that my father will be there with me in spirit that day, but it is just another thing that I feel I have been robbed of.

Happy eh Valentines Day?

2011-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

So why do we have to listen to Hallmark when they tell us to make today the day we profess our love for each other? Why today? Why not June 3 or September 7? Why Feb 14th? Why are we encouraged to just say it one day, why not the rest of the year.

I have always hated Valentines day, even when I was younger, I would get excited to see what mom and dad had gotten me for Valentines day, but it wasnt the one day out of the year they told me they loved me... they told me a lot.

In my college years I delivered flowers on V-day to random strangers, and the looks on their faces made me smile....... a tiny bit. They were so happy, as they were anxious to look at the card, I stood there in the door and would think to myself " duh its from your special someone, the person who has chosen today to profess their love to you". Why else would you be getting flowers on Valentines day?

And now that I am single and in my 30's I still hate valentines day. In fact I practically refuse to go down the direction in Wal-Mart where all the decorations are, ick! Even when I was in a relationship, I made it a point to tell them that I dont like Valentines day and that we should not just use that day to celebrate each other, but the rest of the year.

So this year, I am working and then playing volleyball, yes I will come home to watch the Bachelor where the girls on there will profess their love, but I will jsut laugh as it never works out.

I had a great wknd in the mountains with some dear friends, and we had a nice Steak dinner with some drinks to celebrate. ( I found 120$ so that was a good treat for us all).

Happy Valentines day to you all! Even if you love today, I still love ya.

From Darkness to Light

2011-01-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Darkness to Light… My story in a letter of thanks to everyone who helped my family and I get through the first 2 months without my father.

Our tragedy crashed into our lives and brought all to a screeching halt. The holiday's were approaching, but we were paralyzed. In my house, there were no decorations except for a snowman in his winter attire that perched on the back of the couch. The few presents I bought were wrapped but placed in a box, the annual ugly Christmas sweater party went unplanned, no holiday parties were attended, no cookies were baked, and the house was thick with layers of extraordinary sadness.

But then light came flooding in, in the shape of random acts of kindness. Angels came in all forms of tenderness and support showering compassion and hope upon us. The beauty of it has left us truly breathless and helped us to gather the pieces of our broken hearts, so that they can begin to mend. We have been awash in the love of friends; some lifelong and familial, some merely acquaintances, some absolutely new. Yet, the common chord that rang true throughout was that the human heart is large and humanity, lovely indeed. It is empathetic and bleeds for others who are hurting. It yearns to provide comfort and help carry the heaviest loads. It is self sacrificing and gives freely and creatively. This is the magical gift you blessed us with at our darkest hour; The renewed belief that love wins out.

We have the most sincere gratitude for these generous acts to which you so thoughtfully contributed; from flowers to photos, quilts to casseroles. We thank you so kindly for the heartfelt donations, the gift cards and meals, the memorial planning, preparation, attendance, the travel and time, the amazing words and tender memories shared that will remind us of my dad’s spirit to warm us and carry us through our heart’s dark winter with a blanket crocheted from authentic grace.

I am so grateful to have had you show outwardly how my dad has touched your life, I am also so happy to be able to have witnessed and feel firsthand what good friends and family are, what true love looks like, what makes God smile and say “job well done.” You have been that to our family and our hearts are full of awed gratitude for the outpouring of genuine benevolence you have given during this time. We are truly humbled.

Thank you from our hearts
Heather and Family

The check marks......

2011-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, I felt a huge sigh of relief that the holidays were almost over. I know that's not what I should be thinking or how I should be feeling on Christmas morning, but the truth is, I just couldn't wait for it to be over.

It became exhausting trying to avoid the holiday conversations and trying to be pleasant for others when really, I have been bitter, angry, sad and jealous. Yes, jealous. I'm jealous that so many get to celebrate their holiday with their whole family. I'm jealous that their biggest worries were what to buy or what to cook. I really just wanted to scream to so many people how lucky they are. But that's not fair to them that they've been blessed with healthy (and living fathers).

But, we have all made it through the first year of holidays, and we simply put a check mark on it, and wait for the next thing/holiday to come, so we can check it off..... it simply is only a check mark.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T09:58:00.001-08:00

Well, since its January 3, 2011 and my last post was in September 2010, its about time to post.

A LOT has happened in 2010, and I am not going to mention them, but instead concentrate on 2011 and making it the best year.

SO here is to 2011~!!!

Happy Bday to my nephew Rowen

2010-09-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

The 8th of Sept, my nephew Rowen turned 1. Although he was not feeling the best, we had fun. We went with grandpa to North Platte for his treatment, then we went to the park and ran ran ran! We saw some elk, deer, geese and a peacock.
My sis in law ( Rowens momma) made some Mexican food for dinner, and Rowen ate all the black olives off first then dipped them in the sour cream before eating the rest of the dinner.
Then we sang Happy Bday to him, and let him blow out his candle on the cupcake. Then he began to smash.... it was not as big of a mess as I had thought it was going to be, he didnt like his hands all messy. So he got a quick bath.
It was a fun day with him.
Oh Rowen how you are loved.
** I still cant load post pic sorry, anybody else having this issue?

GO Huskers!

2010-09-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

On Sept 11, 2010
I as well as my parents, sister, aunt, uncle and cousin went had our moment of silence remembering 9 years ago, at the HUSKER Stadium in Lincoln, NE. We were there for the football game watching NE pound South Dakota State.

This was my mom and my sister's first game~! My dad had been back in the 70's, and I a few times in college. But we were able to spend time together as a family and that is what was important. It was a perfect sunny day with a slight breeze.

***Not sure why I cant do pic anymore, I will have to ask my blogger friend why... cuz I know these posts are not as fun w/o pic!

Fair...the tough lesson

2010-09-03T09:07:00.001-07:00

My 11 year old niece has been doing 4-H for quite a while, but not until last year did she begin to show animals. She at first did sheep and pig. Last year she received a purple ribbon on her pig Steve. Well, when it came down to saying "goodbye". She began to have a breakdown, so my lovely brother told her that the pig was going to live on a pig farm in Colorado with me. HUMMM.......luckily for me she has been so busy with other things she has never asked! Thank God, however.... that was Thanksgiving dinner... she still does not know.

So this year so showed her sheep, pig and added a steer. She did great with the sheep and the steer, and the pig too ( even tho that is not her favorite, she has a pig named mabyleine as she looks like she has eyeliner on hehe), she got ribbons of all colors with these animals. And is actually taking her sheep (champ) to state fair. But since this was her first year with the steer, my brother encouraged her to spend more time with the steer whom she names Bubbs, and get to know him. She was supposed to massage him, talk to him, brush him etc... as well as all the normal things you do to get your steer ready for show.

The day finally arrived where she was able to show off her hard work with all the animals, but she was especially excited about Bubbs. He eventually got her a purple ribbon! ( that is the best you can get), she was overly excited!
However, the truck game later that day to load all the cattle including hers to be taken to the "PLACE" I wont even say the word, as it breaks my heart to type it. And poor Jasmine lost it. She was laying on Bubbs, rubbing his face and crying as hard as I have ever seen her cry. She was honestly told this time around where he was going. I was trying to hold back the tears too, and tried to tell her that he is going to help some kids who need to eat, so they wont starve... and let me tell you that was the wrong thing to say! The crying got more intense as she told me, "I dont care!!" over and over again. Eventually she was pulled off Bubbs and we walked away. NOT looking back.

Lessons like this are tough to learn, and it was breaking my heart all over again for her. I think she is fine now, but we will see if she wants to show a steer next year or not!

**** I am having a hard time getting pictures to attach to the entrys, so I will work on a pic of Jasmine and Bubbs

Ice Cream Truck.....

2010-08-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

My friend has a couple Ice Cream trucks, and last week, I was fortunate to be able to work in it on a Sunday afternoon. I honestly have never bought from an Ice Cream truck, so was not really sure what to expect..... oh goodness! They are busy! I was kinda like a kid in a candy store in being all excited and pointing to this and that, and not being able to make up their minds. When they finally did make up their minds... they would hand me a penny. Well, unfortunately you cant get anything on the truck for a penny. So, I gave in and bought them all am otter pop ( they were a dime a piece.) So, I realized that I could never make it in the ice cream truck world, I feel to sorry for the kiddos that don't have any money to buy it, and I would spend all my earnings buying for those kids.

It was a fun afternoon, and I was a sticky mess from the snow cones, but over all I would love to do it again sometime!

bittersweet again.....

2010-08-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

So remember the kiddo named Ry I was telling you about a couple months ago? Tonight I had dinner with his mom and this is what she shared with me....

Someone gave me a scenario the other day that helps describe how we feel. What if your father beat you half to death one day and then the very next day, wanted to be father of the year? How would you, as a child, feel about a man that tortured you one minute and told you he loved you the next? That is how we feel about God these days. The Bible says to honor thy father and thy mother, it does not say honor them only if they don't beat you, they don't molest you, they don't treat you any better then they would an animal. I am sure if you were beat physically and verbally by your mother every day of your life, if you were molested by your father every single day of your childhood, you would not be so ready to forgive and let by-gones be by-gones. That is how we feel about God these days. No, we don't go out and curse him, we don't physically shake our fist towards the sky. We just don't chose to praise him daily and we don't go worship him at his home. And we think God is okay with that, after all, he knew how we would feel when we lost Ry, he knew how long it would take for us to come around, to forgive him.

I share that with you as it is pulling at my heart for this family.....

Benefits for living in a small town

2010-07-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

So,
Living in a small town for sure has its benefits.

McCook: When I needed my new stickers ( from the DMV) for the jeep, I just call them up, give them my visa number and they mail me the new ones. Then we chat for a few minutes about the weather out here in CO and how life is going.

Colorado Springs: You plan to spend at least 2 hours at the DMV, you walk in to a room packed full and not enough chairs and the one chair that is empty is by a guy who reaks of smoke. You pick a ticket with a number and wait, wait, wait and wait some more for them to call your number.

McCook: ** before online banking was big** I would call up my bank, shoot the breeze about what is happening around town, then ask them to transfer $ from my savings account to my checking account.

Colorado Springs: I have avoided the banks here, and keep everything back home for that reason above....

McCook: Pulling up to the drive thru to get a coffee for my sis in law and a smoothie for me. The person behind the window: ( usually a HS friend) "Hi Heather, are you back for a visit?" Me, "yep." Window girl..." good to see ya again, do you need anything else today or the same?" Me, "the same would be great"

Colorado Springs: There is no window girl, you sit for 15 minutes in line for a speaker to ask what you want.

McCook: You plan an extra half hour in Wal-Mart b/c you know you will see someone and you'll find yourself chatting in the frozen food section.

Colorado Springs: You get in and you get out! You avoid the ghetto Wal-Mart at all cost!

hummmmm, do you see a pattern here about small town friendliness? :)

wow its been a while

2010-07-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

When I logged on here tonight, I looked at the date of my last entry and it has been well over a month..... sorry. But so much has happened in the past month, I am not even sure where to begin.
How about with.......... my dad has cancer and it is not good the dr's are saying its terminal..... so hows that for an open entry?
To those of you who I have already talked to... thanks for your continued support. It will be a long road, but its just another thing that has been thrown at my family. It seems were used to things like that happening, we just cant catch a break. I will try to post here on how things are going, but in the mean time if you can remember us in your prayers that would be great. thanks

She will be missed.......................

2010-06-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

So today upon opening my Yahoo email, I saw that Blanche from the Golden Girls has passed away at the age of 76. I have to admit that I can sit and watch re-runs all day of that show! No matter what type of mood I was in, I would find myself laughing at some point, and more than likely it was something that she had said.

It reports she passed from a stroke. She is a breast cancer survivor as well as a having a heart bypass.

She will be missed........

Update

2010-05-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

We did win the volleyball game :) in 2 sets!
Then Tue night I switched over to softball.... a little rusty we all were... we lost. BUT I think we got the kinks out and we should be good for the rest of the season.

I have to say I was a bit unimpressed with Alis choice of men that ABC has chosen for her. Oh well we will see what happens, it looks like a lot of drama from the previews, but when is there not added drama on the show? I did watch a 20- 20 eposide a while back and the producer of the show was on there and said the purposefully cast villians...GOODNESS! I am guessing that Justin is the villian this season. My favorite grabs this far are: Roberto and Chris L. We will see!

Today is gonna be a great day!

2010-05-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

I am super excited for today.......
I am meeting a good friend for lunch that I have not seen in a while.
Then watching the season kick off of

The debut of Ali Fedotowsky's season of "The Bachelorette" !

and then our championship volleyball game at 9!!!

Amazing Ryan

2010-05-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

Below is a conversation I had with my amazing 10 year old buddy Ryan. He was diagnoised with a rare form of Cancer in 2007 and has fought hard this whole time, getting into remission 2x, but this last time..... it was throughout his body. His brain, his lungs, his spine and random other places. He was a brave soul, and I went up Tue night say goodbye to him, and this was our conversation! Trust me when I say that this was a conversation that is not typical for a 10 year old boy, but for Ry his faith was evident the whole time I knew him.

"I feel like," Ry said, "if this is a war, than we've already lost the war. But that's okay, cuz we've already won it two times. I'm not afraid anymore."

"Ok, Ry, but what's that mean?" I asked.

"Cancer. We've lost the war against cancer."

"Right. But what does that mean for you, Buddy?"

"Heaven."

"That's right, Buddy. And it's just like stepping through the door to go outside. You'll just step through the door when it is your time, and you'll be in Jesus' arms."

[My voice broke before I could complete that thought.]

and then we began to play the Wii, it took all his energy to drive the race car..... but he won :)

This morning, Ry made that step through the door..... He is now in Heaven. We are all sad here, but Heaven is rejoicing!
Rest in peace Buddy!

Baby showers, graduation parties and more

2010-05-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

So in the past 9 days I have had 3 baby showers, a bridal shower and a graduation party. Phew it has been busy, if this is a preview of how my summer is going to go, aut oh, I am in trouble. I love going to these events tho and are so happy for my wonderful friends who are experiencing these life changing events in their lives.
I only had my camera for a few events, so hopefully the others that were there will be sending me copies of their photos - so for now:

Here is Julie and I. She is expecting little Callie Mae on June 1 ( scheduled c- section) She is so excited to have a glass of wine, that she has packed the bottles in her hospital bag :)

Here is Ali and I, she is expecting Elijah Michael sometime around the 17th of June. Her family and her husband are sports fanatics, so his shower was "TEAM ELIJAH" CONGRATS! I cant wait to snuggle them :)

sunny, windy, rainy, hailing a tornado and now snow! its April23!

2010-04-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

So what is up with the weather out here, goodness. Yesterday was a great, it was sunny in the 70's and I was in capris and a t-shirt. Then out of no where the sky turned dark, the wind began to blow and we were in a tornado watch.... it was kinda funny to watch my co workers freak out and run for the stairwell while I stood at the window and was anxiously watching.... hehehe, oh the things you learn from growing up in Nebraska.
So after the tornado warnings were over the sky remained black and then it began to rain really hard and then hail! I was actually in the Wal-Mart gathering some things I needed for a class and it sounded like we were getting attacked! The hail on the metal roof was insainly loud!!!!!!! Then it just continued to rain the rest of the night. Today when I woke up- SNOW~! Its been snowing most of the morning and it is still snowing around lunch time. I would say we have about 4-5 inches. And here is the kicker!!!!!! ITS APRIL 23! but that is Colorado weather for you, and NE weather as well......
oh well!!!!!!!! good day to stay under the covers :)

Ever wonder why???

2010-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of driving for work lately and some interesting questions have come to mind.... I catch myself asking hummmm wonder why.

Like I wonder why the sky was created blue. What if it were created green and the grass blue. We would be ok with it, because that was how it was created many years ago.

or

I wonder why the I see a person in hospital attire ( a gown) pulling her oxygen tank and smoking a cigarette.

or

Why sometimes it seems that bad things always happen to good people.

or

Why do we yawn? is it really because we are tired or need more oxygen?

or

Why does it take us 9mo to have a baby and some animals weeks or even days?

do you ever just sit there and wonder on things?

get rid of the winter background!

2010-04-10T10:32:00.001-07:00

I have had numerous people tell me to get rid of the winter background! So I figured I had missed St Patty day backgrounds, Easter backgrounds.... I had better not miss the pretty pastels of SPRING. So, today I changed it. I look outside and see the neighbor kids in shorts and flip flops, and I too am in flip flops... it should be a beautiful day here in Co Springs, I need to get outside today and do something as I am not on cal today!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rabmle #3

2010-03-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

So I saw on a church sign the other day
" It's gonna be ok, Moses was once a basket case too, so don't worry"
hummm.......................................................

ASPEN- oh how I miss you already!

2010-03-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

ASPEN 2010 was a great week! I will have to say this was the best group of kids. They all came with such different and unique situations and stories.
I will post pic, rather than writing...
the pic tell the story best.
*The group jumping shot is me and some of the staff on the top of the mountain.

* The little boy skiing in his room... he has never skied and that was after his first day.. can you tell he was excited?

* This is my 17 year old boy having a great time dancing....

* Me and two other Nurses pose for Disco Night! Then me with a group of the kids all ready for DISCO.

Its that time.....

2010-03-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Let the snowflakes fall
Let the latte machines hum
Let the hibernation of the parkas end
Let the hot tubs start bubbling
Let the grills start grilling
Let the shops start bustling
Let the moguls take shape
Let the village awaken

Its Cancer Camp time
I leave in 3 days for a week of fun with my amazing bald heads.
I will try to post when I am there, put will get pictures when I get back for sure!!!

Hot Dog Theory

2010-03-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

So on the last season of the Bachelorette Jillian Harris ( A hot dog theory major) informed America of her HOT DOG THEORY. I personally have used this a time or too and have found it to be pretty right on. Here is what she says:

“Ketchup guys are the easiest to explain,” she tells ET. “I call them mama’s boys. They may not be the right guy for me, but they are good honest guys. They will never cheat. They are usually being dumped, not the one doing the dumping. They usually have a close relationship with their mom. They are good solid guys, who will always take care of a woman.

Raw onion guys never get married according to my theory. Raw onion guys are just raw. They don’t care if their breath stinks. They wear their baseball caps to the side and they just never get married. Fried onion guys get married several times. I don’t know why that is.

Sauerkraut guys: I have dated a few sauerkraut guys in the past, so they are fun and spontaneous, but just like sauerkraut, they give you heartburn and they break your heart. The sauerkraut guys are the ones we are attracted to but are sorry in the end, just like when we put sauerkraut on our dogs.

Mustard seems to be the guy that I am looking for. Mustard is a good combination between the ketchup and sauerkraut, so the mustard guy knows how to put you in your place when you need it, but he knows how to love you and take care of you. The only problem with the mustard guy for girls who aren’t ready to settle down yet is he is too easy of an answer.

Relish I found that relish guys are supper artsy. They are like a ketchup guy, but they are writers or love comic books, are super close with their moms, and have a hard time moving out of the house and growing up.

Thanks Jillian for that bit of humor.... but my question is what happens when they like chili and cheese?????

Olympics

2010-02-27T08:47:00.001-08:00

So living in a town where one of the three Olympic Training Centers ( OTC pictured) is in the US, during the Olympics is kinda fun!

Fun facts:

-The OTC is about 3 minutes from my house! So I am fortunate to drive by it every so often and see the torch burning.
-When I worked at the Children's hospital I was honored to be able to meet a few of the athletes and even have dinner with them sometimes......as the OTC was right next door.
-I have a couple t-shirts from the OTC store and even sent my sister in law, niece and nephew some to wear for the festivities.
-A good friend had an "open ceremony" party where we had all different kinds of food from around the world.
-I am sad as this might be Apollo's last Olympics, but have learned that his father and him are the only ones in his family. He mom split when Apollo was months old. The bond between the father and the son is amazing.
-I give Joannhie ( the Canada figure skater) who's mom died of a massive heart attack 2 days before she was to skate for gold. She got bronze, and performed a very heartfelt performance.
-I am not gonna miss all the talk about Lindsay Vonn...... her co skier is just as good, if not better, give Julia Mancuso a fair shot!
-I have been able to sit and watch most of the Olympics on TV at night, and getting to text my sis in law back in Ne at the same time, has been fun! ( thank you call Gods for being nice to me)
- Tomorrow is the closing ceremony and I am sad that it is over already!
-We are possibly going to beat the record for most medals at an olympic game ever... right now we have 34 and are the favorites to medal in at least three more events!!!!

Enjoy a few pictures : of the snacks and of the
The burning torch

The Bachelor= Monday night dates

2010-02-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

So here is Jake, the bachelor! I admit I have just a little crush on him :) He is super cute, has his thoughts together and his life is on track, why wouldn't you fall for a guy like him?

I have watched the bachelor or the bachelorette since it previewed like 8 years ago! I am hooked! Every Monday night I prop myself in front of the TV at 7 PM to watch Jake on his quest for love! There is always DRAMA of course there will be!!!! But it makes for a great show! My friends who are also hooked and I text each other throughout the show, the texts look something like ..... " oh my goodness, did you see what she is wearing?" "wow, Jake looks hot in that" "AWWW how romantic" etc...... it is so fun, and I look fowards to the following Monday night as soon as this one is over.

So let me catch the non bachelor peeps up on what is happening. Jake started out with 25 women from all over all on a quest for his heart. He is now down to 2. and 2 different women they are.

Meet Tenley ( my and most of America's favorite). She is so very sweet and has really begun to open up to Jake, in telling him that she is ready for marriage, and wants that life long partner to go through the good and the bad times with.

Then you have Vienna ( boooo) who is the girl who is full of plastic as well as lies. For some reason Jake has really gotten into her- despite the other girls telling him who she really is behind the camera.

So in two weeks we will see who Jake picks.... I hope for Tenley ( actually secretly I wish he'd fly to Colorado Springs and pick me :) who do you think he should chose?

VALENTINES DAY :) NOT

2010-02-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

So somebody please tell me this..... Why does there have to be a day set aside for you to tell someone that you love them? There should not be a day like this at all! It is just pure laziness on your part if you don't tell them you love them all the time. God continually shows us his love.... and we should be the same way. Loving someone the same on June 3 or November 12 should be the same love you have them on Feb 14th.......

SO anyways...... Hope you all have a great Valentines day.....

snow = sledding and tubbing

2010-02-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

We have gotten some snow here and I know my family and friends back in NE are tired of ALL the snow they are getting.

I was looking at some old snow pictures and found these from the farm :) oh the memories!

This is my brother pushing my niece.

My niece and I holding on......me trying to say STOP, as she was falling off!

Here is my cousin and I holding on, as were getting pulled by the 4 wheeler! I am so blessed to have these memories!

engagements, new jobs, babies...... wow! what a week for my friends

2010-02-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

I have to take a moment and look at how blessed my dear friends have been this past weekend....
-Amber got engaged
-Tanner got a new job with great benefits for his family
-My dear friend Ali found out the sex of her baby ( which she won't share quite yet......as much as I have tried- darn it!)
-Stef got a job that will allow her to stay in CO!
-One of my awesome cancer buddies got word that she is in remission!

and even for me, I got to hear about how the gift of organ donation has inspired this young man
( who received a liver )and his family to live their life for Christ and become missionaries through music ( for now still here in CO yeah!!!).

I am so blessed to have these friends and their families in my life.

Who says a 4 mo old cant open a present?

2010-01-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

So, my nephew Rowen just turned 4 months when we were finally all able to get together and celebrate Christmas. It was fun with him, and watching the excitement in his eyes was priceless!

My niece Jasmine had a fun time opening her presents and playing with all her new things as well.

Enjoy the photos of Rowen opening his gifts :) and enjoying what he opened!

Day 4 and 5

2010-01-13T09:31:00.001-08:00

So after all the decorating was done, we went and enjoyed a nice dinner with my boss and some others that were from Iowa. I have to say it was a seafood rest and I was not exactly sure, and ordered a steak. But I did taste Octopous, Swordfish and then crab cake........the first two were not bad, however the crab cake sent me over the edge! It was totally yucky!

Since it was New Years Eve Lec and I decided to walk Colorado Blvd ( this is the parade route ) and to our amazement people were literally camping out! I mean air mattresses, grills, fire pits etc... It was insaine. A few of the campers had their baby's there too! People had silly string and marshmellows and were throwing/shooting it at cars as they went by. Ok OK, Yes Lec and I threw a marshmellow!! hehehe

We met this couple who are now from AZ but grew up camping out. So they brought their daughters up this year and were camping. When I say there were people everywhere I literally mean it! I took a pic of one lady who had a shopping cart wrapped in foil and she was cooking hot dogs from it and selling them~!

We walked up and down the streets just chuckeling and laughing. We found out the cover charge to get into a bar was about 50$ how in the world can you afford to party there? We did find a bar that did not have a cover but for 2 drinks it was 18$ I could not believe it~~! We found ourselves back to the hotel somewhat early, as we were beat. We found Nikko one of the bullgdogs that was riding on the Snow boarding float, and shared a "drink with w/ him" before going to bed!

We had to get up early for the parade! This is where my camera died, so stay tuned for actual pic of the parade, Lec is getting them to me. Just know that seeing all the floats that everyone had worked sooo hard on was just bitter sweet! After the parade we went back to the hotel and got changed for the football game. Lec has the pic of that too.
I was actually not very impressed with the stadium at all, it was kinda dumpy and not very nice. They only had one TV screen. I guess I was just trying to compare it to the NE stadium. NE stadium looked bigger to me tho, but I guess the Rose Bowl is. The Game was an experience as well, I jsut wish it would have been NE playing and it would have been more exciting. We were rooting for Oregon as NE former quarterback Scott Frost is one of the coaches for them. They ended up loosing, but non the less it was a fun time. We left at the start of the 4th quarter as we had enough of the game and were hungry and tired. We knew we had a big day the next day.... DISNEY so staytuned for that in the next update!
Enjoy the pic!

DAY 2 and 3

2010-01-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

DAY 2 AND 3 were just as fun -jam packed filled as the first day.

The end of day 1 we had a Gala. Where we got to meet a lot of the families, have some great food, and learn how the whole idea of New Life Rises came to be. All 4 One a boys singing group who was popular when I was in college was there to perform as well. They are very connected to Organ Donation and even wrote a song about donation. It is beautiful. All of the proceeds of the song will go back to Donate Life. I did get my pic with one of the lead singers, but it is on my boss's camera, so am waiting for her to get it to me.

The following morning we awoke early to begin the decorating. I quickly learned to appreciate the beauty of roses.

I would never have imagined that every single rose on the float has its own individual water tube!

And that the person that is driving the float is underneath it all and cannot see, he relies on the riders to tell him when to slow down, stop, turn etc...... While decorating we were able to again connect with some of the families. I had the honor of meeting a younger couple who had tried for quite some time to have a child and they did... a beautiful boy named Isaiah, he at 6mo aspirated on his formula and they chose to donate his organs. He was being honored with a floral pictograph. We had 76 pictographs that featured the ones who donated their organs/tissue or eyes. All of these pictures were created from seeds. Yes I said seeds! Being in the area of donation I am in, getting to meet and talk to these families was a real honor and it became emotional.

We were fortunate to be present when the judges came by to "judge" the float. That was an experience in itself! All the riders were in place, waving to the crowds, the music playing in the background etc... it was once again filled with emotions. We won 2 different awards 1) the best theme ( the Theme of the parade was A Cut Above the Rest, and our New Life Rises fit into it perfectly). and 2) the viewers choice award, where on tv as the floats went by you could vote for your favorite one and we won that too. SO exciting!

Enjoy the pictures~!

Day 1

2010-01-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

Day one in Cali was rainy and cold. But it was our only free day, so we jumped on a site seeing bus and headed to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica Peir and the beach. On the tour we were able to see things such as: the house where Marilyn Monroe died, the hotel that Pretty Woman was filmed in, the shops that Julia Roberts shopped in, some wonderful houses in Beverly Hills, etc... so enjoy some of the pictures.

I will post Day 2 soon :)

I am back....... and miss the 70 degree weather!

2010-01-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

I am back from the Rose Bowl and all the festivities. I miss the weather there!!! When we left CA yesterday the high for that day was suposed to be 78, and today here in CO it is 21. BURRRRR! I will get some pictures up and share with you the most amazing trip soon. Stay tuned!

Bye Bye CO, HELLO CA!

2009-12-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

I leave for the Rose Bowl tomorrow. I am super excited. It has been a super busy week last week work wise, and I am ready for a break. California will be just the place. It is supposed to be 60-70 all week, so that will be much nicer than the teens we are having in CO now.

We get some down time while we are there too, and so we will hit the beaches, Santa Monica Peir is prob where we will ring in the new year, I hear its a ton of fun there.

I will update with tons of pic when I get back,
so....
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2010 is a better year for us all! May the Lord be with us.

One week and counting!

2009-12-21T16:01:00.001-08:00

Hi friends,
Sorry it has been a while since I have posted. Things have been a little nuts in my world lately.
I have to pause here to remember my dear aunt Sue who has the Heavens rejoicing, and us back here on Earth a bit sad...... She made her journey to Heaven on the 12th of December. So all of last week I was back in NE helping with funeral plans, spending time with family. Which puts me now four days before Christmas. I have to be honest, I am not in the Christmas mood at all. Since getting back from NE, I have not plugged in my tree or turned on my lights, I just have lost the feeling this year. And to top it all off, I have to work all Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the whole weekend after, so I'm kinda bah humbug this year. BUT

In one week from Today I will be headed to CA for the Rose Bowl and all the festivities that go along with it, and that has me excited!!!! I will try to post pic of what the float is supposed to look like..... soon. I can tell you that the theme this year is New Hope Rises....
and I just ordered some Oregon shirts for the game, there will be no rooting for OHIO here!!!

Where is the baby Jesus in the manger?

2009-12-11T13:00:00.001-08:00

Well, an interesting story that I thought I should share with you all today.

I had to go visit one of the hospitals here in Springs for work, and while I was waiting for my co worker to show up, I walked over to a very beautiful nativity scene. I quickly noticed that Mary and Joseph were in the stable along with the animals, but no baby Jesus. This was bothersome to me, as I had thought someone had stole him. So, I walked up to the reception desk and the nice lady in her pink attire asked if she could help me.

So, I say to her,
" I was looking at the nativity scene and could not help but notice that baby Jesus was not there, did someone steal him?"

With a grin of all grins on her face, she looked up at me and said, " What is today's date?"

I thought to myself, what is she talking about, maybe he was broke and he was getting fixed and will be back on a certain day. But I looked at the calendar on the wall, and replied to her, " its the 10th", and to my surprise, she again smiled that big grin and said, " Well you have 14 more days til we can place him in the manger".

All I could do was shake my head. DUH!!!!!! but how interesting is that? Every other nativity scene already has Jesus in the manger, and the wisemen too. hummm..... Just something interesting that I have never thought about. HAVE YOU??

UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY

2009-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I hosted an ugly Christmas Sweater Party this year. It was packed with tons of fun. It was kind of last minute and unfortunately fell on the night of the HUSKER football game. Rest assured the game was playing in the back ground despite all the looks from my CU friends.

Our highlight of the night was a scavenger hunt around town I put together ( at like 2 AM one night while working and trying to stay awake.) I have attached a few pic from the evening. Enjoy...
These Guys are the winners for the ugliest sweaters.... and they got them from their mother/ mother in laws closet!!!!

ROWEN :)

2009-12-03T16:59:00.001-08:00

I was able to spent the day with my nephew Rowen on Thanksgiving ( and the couple days after :)

He is growing like a weed and he loves to talk to you and smiles all the time.
Enjoy a few pictures of him :) He is sure a joy and a blessing to be around!!

Verse I need to live by more often!

2009-12-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers - Ephesians 4:29

Sometimes I have just let my mouth go,( not necessarily bad, but just don't know when sometimes to be quiet and let things ride themselves out.... ) unfortunately I have had realize how guarded I need to be these days.....
Lord help me to remember......

Really Woolly

2009-11-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

I received a card in the mail while I was back for Thanksgiving break from a dear friend. The name of the cards are "really woolly". Let me tell you a little bit about this card, and how special it is to me.

Right before Thanksgiving I was diagnoised with Hypothryoidism. Which means that I will be spending quite some time at the doctor in the next few months to really determine what is happening to my body. For now, I have been started on some medicine and will go next week for my first visit to the endo doc. I have spent quite a bit of time on the internet trying to get a grip on what exactly this is. Well, when reading the types of people this affects, I was not in the groups at all, and was even more confused until I came to the line where it said " can come during pre menaposaul stages ", so that has me even more freaked out as I now have what seems to be three strikes against me for wanting to have kids.
- having most of my ovaries removed due to the cysts
-having polycystic ovary disease and the dr's telling me for the past three years that I have a very limited time to get pregnant.
-now am showing signs of going into menapause.

so.... needless to say I was very frustrated, and holding and being around my nephew all weekend was great, but made me think that I may never have that chance.

So, back to the card. The little info from the creator about the card on the back says " The one who loves me most-even at my wolliest- is my shepherd! It was in such a "woolly" time that HE helped me see how much He really loves his sheep. Raising a family and other daily adventures causes me to leap into the Shepherds open arms and trust him for dear life! Figuring you might need the same encouragement I find in him, I scribble them down, then I smile as a dear friend paints the Shepherd's woolly flock into life in his pasture of promises. I hope you will be encouraged by his failthfullness too."

The inside of the card says "when things seem to be unraveling, just remember who is knitting all things together for good!"

Thanks Andrea for this little pick me up /reminder that God works for the good of those who love and trust him, and who have been called according to his purpose!!!

I know that things seem to have not gone in the way that I want them too, and as hard as it is, as frustrtated as I am, I cant help but continue to trust him, he knows the desires of my heart.

I ask that you continue to remember me in your thougts and prayers as I will continue to trust him......
Warm Blessings

Operation Christmas Child

2009-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Each year our church partners with The Samaritanspurse and we send shoe boxes to kids in third world counties for Christmas. I believe this year our boxes are going to Haiti, which is interesting to me. As I just returned from the DR, we were about 2 hours from Haiti. I learned that a lot of people from Haiti come to the DR for a better chance at life. Kinda like how the people from Mexico come to the US for a better chance at life. However, the DR seems so poor and dirty ( unless you are on the resort :) I cant even begin to imagine what Haiti looks like.
Anyways, I am excited to have my box all complete........ it was a challenge for me as I kept seeing things that I would like to put in my box, and I over bought, but managed to get it all in... thank goodness for some great tape :)!! My box is for a girl ages 5-9. Do you think she will like the stuff I am sending her?????

Phew, I got it all in the box..... :) Merry Christmas little girl.....

Happy Veterans Day

2009-11-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

I want to take a minute and thank my brother Heath for his work in the ARMY. I have cousins in the military line too. I love you all, and thanks for all that you do for our country!

So...where will you be on New Years Day???

2009-11-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

I had to "borrow" that title from a dear friend...

Anyways, I will be in Pasadena, California... at the ROSE BOWL!!! That's right...
I entered a contest at work in which I had to come up with something artistic explaining what donation met to me. I used the story of a dear little boy, Matty who had liver cancer and even though got in remission, he needed a new liver. Matty knew that in order to get a new liver a little kiddo like him had to die. He was scared and did not want that to happen for someone, so he began to say things like.... "If I get to be 5, I want to take a spiderman backpack to school, If I get to be 5, I want a Sponge Bob birthday cake....... he NEVER said when, but rather if... Matty did get his liver and it gave him two extra years at life, unfort his cancer cam back and he had his arm amputated, and then it came back a third and final time in his brain, and he passed away.
Well, his story inspired me and I tell families about Matty all the time. His mother was kind enough ( and I thank her dearly) to send me pictures, I was able to create a story board telling his story. My project went up against 4 others and I unamously won.

SO......... my dear friend Lecia and I will head to Cali on the 29th of Dec, take in all the festivities of the float ( this means perfectally arranging the roses just right ), getting to be a part of the parade, and then the football game!!! Donor Alliance ( my comapany ) is paying for the whole trip!!! This is a huge honor for me and I am super excited. I will update with more details as I get them. For now, Enjoy my favorite shot of Matty, for with out him and his courage and his battle he fought, I would not have this awesome opportunity. Thanks Matty!!! I love and Miss ya!

Final DR update

2009-11-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

The final days of our trip were filled with fun as well. We played volleyball, soaked in the sun, looked for a wedding ring in the pool ( one of our friends we met there were on their honeymoon and he lost his ring playing vball ) it was found :) phew!!!!!!!! and just continued to enjoy the company our of new friends. The highlight of the last few days was our trip to Ocean World. This is kind of like a Sea World here. They have shows with the dolphins, sea lions. Then you have the chance to scuba, snorkel, swim with the animals. I decided to take scuba lessons and then I would get one on one time under the water with a dolphin for 45 minutes. Once I was all geard up ( about 70- 80 lbs extra with the weights and tank) I got to go under the water for the first time..... Well, needless to say at about 4 feet, I began to freak out and thought I could not breath, when I was in all honesty doing just fine.... but was just breathing really fast.... I popped up to the top of the water and my instructor was saying I just needed to take deep breaths and that I would be fine. So I tried it again, and again.... after the 4th time, I decided that this was not for me. I could not do it. I was sooo mad at myself, but I just could not do it. My little dolphin buddy was like...... are you not coming to play...

So, Ash had already decided her thing she was going to do was to swim with the sharks and sting rays. They removed the stinger from the sting rays, but kept the teeth on the shark.... hummmm!!! So I decided to join her. Our shark was named Snoopy! She was about 80lbs and was 3 years old. You actually sit on a step in the water and they place the shark on your lap ( the teeth were at my thigh ugggg!!!!!!!!!!!!) Then you get to feed it, and then snorkel with it. Ash asked if she could hold the shark and the guy let her, no one was able to capture that on camera, but I was there, and saw her holding it. My camera unfort ran out of battery byt this little nice lady from the UK took pictures for us and emailed them to us. But we still bought the actual pictures too.

We had to say goodbye to our friends from DC, NY and NJ, all who we miss dearly already. But we will forever have the memories...... all of them.

The last day or so Ash and I began to get sick from either the food or the water ( which we did not personally pr purposfully drink, but they wash everything in that water, including the fruits and veggies ) we took the sickness back to the US, and finally after about a week and some meds for me, We are better and are constantally talking about our wonderful trip :) So glad I was able to share these memories with my little sister!!!

DR update 2

2009-10-28T17:31:00.001-07:00

SO you ask what the people there call "friends", let me tell you..... hold on :)
It was out 2nd night there and we all had gotten ready for a show by the ocean and then a "wanna be Vegas show", and if you wanted some time in the casino. Well, after we had our fill on these, we came back to the resort and were hanging out in the lobby, when we spotted some ( what in the US would make us remember the movie Pretty Woman and Julia Roberts character...get it ) girls in the lobby. Then there became a HUGE ruckous ( sp?) at the front desk with 4 men. They were arguing and screaming with the workers about they are not paying anymore money to have quests, it should be their choice if they want to bring a guest to their room etc..... at one point, one of the men went and grabben his video camera and was taping the workers and saying he was going to sue....etc... it was quite the show ( an to be honest it was better than the Vegas wanna be show). Before we knew it the Julia Roberts were escorted out to a van in the valet area and so it got the best of me and one of the other girls I was with, so we decieded to go out to the valet area and just "talk" well we ended up talking to the manager that was on duty of the resort. We were asking him about this situation. He informed us that in the DR the Julia Roberts are called "friends", and that guys all them time pick them up at the casino and try to bring them back to the resort. The "friends" know that they have to stop in the lobby and check in. It was 108.00 a night extra to allow them in the resort ( plus the guys would have to pay them for their duty ) so this is why they are upset. Well, to make a very interesting and long story short, they all left in a van and went to a cheaper hotel. The manager also told us that the normal age for girls to have babies is 13. WOW, I thought the "friends" looked young. How sad.
Throught the week, we would continue to see the guys and wonder if they knew they gave us a great show. To top it all off, on the way back to Miami from the DR it was a full flight and I ended up in the middle seat, and Ash on the window side. It was my lucky day I guess (NOT!) b/c one of the men sat down beside me. He reaked of alcohol and had terriable breathe. It was all I could do to not laugh, at him..... I did ask him his reason for coming to the DR, and he said that he and his buddies were on a wk trip. I asked if they missed their wives ( just wondering, you know how I am) and he said he is the only one NOT married. SO, the other three guys that encountered the "friends" were married. That made my stomach turn...... uggg!!!!!!!! Then he fell asleeep and began to drool.... ugggg!!!! enough of that story, but for the rest of the week we used the term "friend " lightly.

I will attach a few pic of Ash and I parisailing. We had such a great time being 280 feet in the air. It was beautiful clear blue water and sandy white beaches. We hung in the air for about 20 minutes before he "dipped" us in the ocean. It was wonderful and an amazing experience that I am glad I did with Ashley :)

I am back part 1

2009-10-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

My trip to the DR was most definately full of memories. We had such a great time and met many wonderful people. It started out a little rocky as we got to Denver airport at midnight to find out our flight had been canceled and we were scheduled to leave at 6 AM, so we picked a little place in the corner of the airport and "camped out" this time actually went by fast as we were making lots and lots of phone calls. I had to get ahold of the resort we were staying at because we now will be missing our connecting flight from Miami to the DR. Things seemed to not be going our way, but we managed to get to Miami eventually, find a great Italian place to eat ( btw, they were actually closed, but opened for us an hour early after hearing how crappy of a day we had, and it was some of the best Italian food ever). We got back to the hotel around 8 and crashed, as I had been on a case the day before we left and didnt get much sleep and Ash was coming back from State Softball and did not sleep either. Needless to say I awoke on my birthday in a not no nice hotel room, but that was quickly changed as I managed to get my birthday drink and meet some great friends when we finally arrived.

The resort had a theme " tell it only to your best friends". Stay tuned for the next post to learn what "friends" in the DR are really..... you wont want to miss this!!!

But before I go, I shall leave you with a sign I am sure you are all farmiliar with..... I could not believe I saw this there. This is just off the beach...

SNOW- but warmness is right around the corner!!!

2009-10-11T11:17:00.001-07:00

I cannot wait for my trip, its seems so unreal to me. It has been super cold here in CO already! Some friends of mine have lost power as we have had huge amounts of ice. Most of the bridges through out town have been closed, and parts of the interstate.
This has made packing a bit interesting..... I am in flannel pj's and a hoodie. The heater is kicking on quite often, and I am folding sun dresses and tank tops.... hummm. BUT I CAN"T WAIT!
I will try to update while I am there, but when I get back I will have pictures and stories to tell, I am sure!!!!! Please keep my sister Ashley and I in your prayers for travel mercies.

In Rememberance of Grandma

2009-10-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

19 Years ago today, my grandma Pat went to be with Jesus. She is so greatly missed. I learned a lot from her, especially how to cook :) One of the first things she taught me how to make was rice crispy treats.. still one of my favorites to this day. Every year for our birthdays Grandma would make our favorite meal and we would all sit around the table and eat and share stories. Oh how she is missed and how I cant wait to someday meet up with her in Heaven and "catch up". For now, I know she is watching out for me.

Grandma, Please watch out for my dear friend Sammie who today will be joining you in Heaven. I know she is scared and is afraid to leave her mom and dad. Please welcome her with open arms.
Love and miss you more than you know,
Heather

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sammiehartsfield
to visit Sammie please visit her webpage

Been busy

2009-10-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have been busy these past few weeks and have not had time to update. Here is what has been happening the past few weeks.
I finally got to go snuggle and meet my nephew ROWEN. He is such a snuggler and likes to be held and doesn't like to sleep very well.
( sorry the picture is blurry, I promise a clearer one soon :)

I went to TX for a work trip, where Memorial Hospital ( the hospital where I did Child life at, and is one of Colorado's busier Hospitals for donation ) won an award for donation, so I got to receive the award, and attend the rest of the conference. It was a good conference and I brought back some good ideas with me, that hopefully I can put into good use here. I met some new friends there as well from other hospitals and different organ groups. We got to stay in the Gaylord hotel ( which is a spin off from the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. ) It was a super nice hotel, but I did not really get to explore much, as the conference kept us very busy. )
Here are a few pictures from the trip.

But my highlight of the trip was getting to meet up with Chris Klug who is the 2002 Winter bronze medalist in the Olympics for snow boarding. He received a liver transplant and came back just 11 weeks after transplant to begin training for this medal. He speaks at a lot of our functions, but I have only heard the name, and had never gotten to actually meet him. He and I got to share a few brief moments together and I was telling him about Shining Stars in Aspen ( which just happens to be his hometown ) and he agreed that if he was in the states he would come hang out with the kids for a few days.... Oh goodness, I cant wait to see the kids' reactions if he is able to come. I am praying now that he will be available.

Miracle Party 2009

2009-09-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Did you know that cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease for children. An estimated 46 children will be diagnosed with cancer today!!! WOW huh, that is a lot. Did you also know that funding for pediatric cancer research has the 2nd lowest funding in the US? Pretty sad huh? I was fortunate to be a part of Miracle Party 2009. This is a party designed to raise awareness and funding for pediatric cancer. This party was started by a mother who's daughter was diagnoised with bone cancer. Through her daughters treatment she realized and saw how little was being done and wanted to help. This night was dedicated to all the children, whose battle had just begun, those in remission, the many who have relapsed, and to pay a tribute to all our "cancer angels". All of these children are brave hero's.

I have come to know so many and have fallen in love with each and every one of them. Unfortunately, I have also had to attend several funerals for these kiddos. They are forever in our hearts......

Here are some pictures of some of the kids at the party. Because the kids are hero's they were encouraged to come dressed like a super hero. Enjoy the pictures.

"Children with cancer are like candles who accept the possibility that they are in danger of being extinguished by a gust of wind from nowhere; and yet, as they flicker and dance to remain alive, their brilliance challenges the darkness and dazzle those of us who watch their light. " unknown author

Seeing the kids dance the night away, with smiles under their masks or permanently on their face. I agree whole heartedly with this quote.

Pictures!!!!!!!!

2009-09-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am an AUNT

2009-09-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to say that my brother and sister in law have finally had their little one.
9/8/09 at 11:57 my new nephew came into this world.

Rowen Heath Hamilton weighing 8 lb 15.6 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. A big boy he is.

Mom and baby are doing well. My brother is grinning from ear to ear. My niece is super excited, but wants him to be able to play....

I will post pictures soon....

Just a Ramble #2

2009-08-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the condition of our nation today and how everyone seems to have a different opinion about what that condition is and whether it's improving or just getting worse. It occurred to me that irregardless of where we are and where we're going as a nation, our leaders are tasked with enormous responsibility to try and figure it all out. It's my belief, and you can disagree, that God knows the plans He has for us and that He's the only One that can truly give them the wisdom they need in making the decisions they face...everyday. This isn't a blog update to promote one party over the other; I don't care how you fill out your ballot. The truth is that there are people of every religion, and none at all, on both sides of the party line who support their cause just as passionately as the other. This is a ramble to ask you to pray for our nation and our leaders.

My NC trip

2009-08-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

I just got back from spending time in NC with Betzi and her family. Betzi and I became friends while we both worked in the PICU at Memorial Hospital. She and her family moved to NC about a year and a half ago, so her husband could have an amazing opportunity to work for MWR ( Michael Walrtip Racing ) he is the Nascar driver that is behind the 55 car. I had the chance to go to the race shop and walk on the floor where they are actually building the cars... I walked in the haulers which are the semi's that haul the race cars ( never knew how big they were!!) It was a neat experience. I even ended up with a piece of the race car.
While I was there, it was Austins first day of pre-school. He was excited and came back with stories about living on Earth. :) it was cute. Little Cody is running all over the place with his wild and crazy hair. We went to a water park, shopping, had a girls night out, a motorcycle ride to the lake and lots of fun playing with toys. I showed them how to do a geo-cache and we went searching for a treasure and found one.... the kids were so excited, as was Betzi ( I think she is addicted now :) hehe ) Oh how I miss this family, thanks for the great time and new created memories !!

I hid in the bathroom :)

2009-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

So, as I had talked about in a previous post... when it came time for the tossing of the bouquet, I was going to hide in the bathroom. That is exactly what I did. From the bathroom I could see all the anxious girls just hoping that it will land in their hands. I remember being like that a few times. Not so much anymore!!! I could see the girls jumping on top of one another trying to get higher, or them pushing their way to the front. The countdown began and she surprised everyone on 2~! It slipped thru 2 of the bridesmaids hands and landed into a younger girl about 11, she was shocked and did not really know what to do but laugh. The other girls who were wanting it badly were disappointed, but shared in the laugh. The wedding was beautiful, the grooms eyes were filled with tears, and a permanent smile on the brides face! The reception was delayed because of the rain. When it finally stopped we were able to walk on the baseball field and watch as Jenn threw out the first pitch. Much to our surprise, she threw a strike, and the crowd went wild :) Enjoy some pictures ......

An unforgatable rollercoaster ride

2009-07-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you who don't know I am an adrenaline junkie. I love roller coasters, skydiving, white water rafting, ziplining etc.... whatever I can do to get the thrill going. Well, today was no different. I went with some friends to Elitches ( which is the Six Flags in Denver). We had an odd number of us in our group, so we would take turns riding solo or riding with a new friend. We were in line for my favorite ride there the TWISTER 2. Which is a wodden coaster, with two pretty big drops.
There were a group of mentally challenged/low functioning down syndrome boys about ages 12-16 that were there on a day outing with their camp who were in line with us as well. They were so excited, and kept telling my friends and I all about the ride. I then turned to one of the boys and asked if he wanted to ride with me..... (let me try to paint this most memorable picture in your mind.)...... He looked at me with the brightest brown eyes and a smile that touched each ear, clapped his hands, jumped up and down, and then told his friend in his lispy voice as he placed his short stubby hand on my shoulder. " I am gonna ride with her, she is scared!" It was all I could do to not laugh, as I was not scared at all, but if he thinks so, than so be it. All of his friends began to clap their hands and jump up and down as well. Before we knew it, we were up and he "helped me "into me seat, tried to help me with my seatbelt, and kept saying:" its gonna be great, its gonna be awesome, its not gonna be scary, you just wait and see. "
As we began the climb to the top, he kept looking at me, I would smile back, talk about how close to the top we were. He then reached over and grabbed my arm, and told me that I have to put my arms up in the air, so I did just as we bagan to drop........ the ride began. All I could do was look at my new freind as he was laughing from the bottom of his stomach, with a permanent smile on his face, his eyes big , and having the time of his life!! I have never had as much fun riding a coaster as I had that ride. I will never forget my new friend and how he taught me to laugh from the bottom my stomach, as if nothing else in the wordl mattered if only for 45 seconds. ..... Thanks buddy :)

WEDDING- number 11 is right around the corner

2009-07-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

So, A week from today, I have the honor of being a bridesmaid once again. This will be my 11th time! Many keep joking about the movie 27 dresses....... and my answer to them is that I am DONE after this one, it is my turn next...my turn to walk down the isle for ME. But my luck has not been so lucky. Isn't the old wise tale something about catching the boquet and you are the next lucky one? Well, let me tell you that is NOT the case in my world. I have caught 7 of them in my days, and nothing has happened.......an engagement does not count.... it has to be the actual wedding.... and NOTTA. So I am thinking of sitting this boquet toss out.... I think I have to use the ladies room...(hehe)!

btw if you have not seen that movie, you should it is kinda cute :)

JUSTICE is served.....kinda

2009-07-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

So for those of you who have been following me on this wild journey of getting your idenity stolen, you will be happy to know that my "not so look alike"impersonator will be spending time behind bars. I went to court last week for the final hearing/sentencing of Margaritte Banister.

I have to tell you, it was a bit scary for me, as I was sitting in the court room with a friend and had my back to the door. All of a sudden I hear a voice whisper in my ear........"I am sorry". It sent chills up and down my spine, all the hair I had on the back of my neck stood tall. It was all I could do to not turn around.

She was then called to the front of the court, and pleaded quilty. I then had to come make a statement. I told the judge that all of this could have been prevented if when she was pulled over, the CSPD would have looked at the picture on the license. Then I looked over to her, and then back to the judge telling him that we clearly do not look alike. ( she is a 350 lb hispanic woman with busy hair and eye brows. ) umm hello... I'm a white girl ( and pretty white as I have not been in the sun that much this summer). He agreed.

So...her sentencing: 30 days in jail, 3 years with supervised probabtion ( wearing an ankle braclet) she has to write me a letter from jail telling me how sorry she is.... ( humm wonder what disease I will catch by opening up that letter!) She has to pay to take a good citizenship class, do 100 hours of community service and pay all my restituation fees.

I think she still kinda got off easy.. what do you think?????????

PUPPIES

2009-07-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

s

My little sister's pup had 4 little puppies. They are miniature Alaskian Eskimo's. 3 girls and 1 boy. They sure are fun! She brought them out here for a little vacation. Actually one of my friends is interested in buying one, so she brought all four of them out. I bought them some chew toys, and all they want to play with are my lawn mowing shoes or the broom in the garage. Go figure, just like little kids... their favorite toys are the ones they really should not be playing with , oh well!!!

I miss them already and keep looking out the window :(

Please meet: (our names we have given them for now) Maddie ( this is what her new owner wants to call her, so we are just helping her get used to her name )
Lillie ( she likes to eat lillies )
Lucy ( cuz I have always wanted to name a dog that )
Max ( or aka chunk, as he is the only boy and is a chunk a munk )
Anyone want a precious puppy?

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!!!!!

2009-06-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Today would have been my grandparent's 65th wedding anniversary. My Grandpa is safely home in Heaven. My Grandma is living and loving life!!! In fact she told me just last week that she had won BINGO! GO grandma!!!
I know with all my heart that if the cancer had not taken over my grandfather's body, we all ( all 60+ of my family and then some friends) would be having a HUGE celebration this evening at the farm. I can just picture it in my head, all the food on the table in the kitchen, the desserts on the porch, the card games going in the dining room, the little ones digging thru the toy box in the utility room, the ones of them who's tummy's are to full passed out in the living room, and lots and lots of love and laughter. That was the way grandpa and grandma would have wanted to celebrate without a doubt!

If mail were to be delivered in Heaven I would write Grandpa a note telling him how much I miss him, that I am doing well here, the fields are so green from all the rain we have been getting. That I made some cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning, his favorite! That John Deere is having a huge sale on tractors and other equiptment, that I can't believe I struck out last week in the softball game, and oh how I love him and miss him so. But he already knows.......

I am posting a few pictures of my grandparents Ted and Darleene ( Doll). This first one is from their wedding on June 27, 1944 in Oberlin, Kansas. The second is one that was taken for their 40th anniversary. Then I thought I would share a note I wrote to my grandpa when I was about 9. My mom was going thru some things and she found this note, I read it and it brought tears to my eyes. I remember that night so clearly, Grandpa and Grandma would try to make it to all the grandkids games ( there were so many of us and the farming chores always came first but, they really did a good job of making it when they could.)

It says: " Dear Grandpa,
I hit a home run . By over throws. It's for you. You know what I said to myself. I said I'm hitting a homerun for Grandpa!!!!! I hope you get well soon. From Heather
P.S. I love you "

Just a Ramble

2009-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think we as Christians think God needs to "run his decision's" by us first. And, as I have learned, that is just not the way it works at all. God is God and HE does things according to his plans. He neither wants nor needs our approval.

Father's Day

2009-06-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FATHER's DAY DAD!

I am wishing all the father's out there a happy fathers day.
-My dad as he has been a father to my siblings and I, and
-My brother who is going to be a father for the first time here in a few months! I love you both!!!

As many of us are going to enjoy the day spending with our father's, It saddens me to think of all the Father's out there who are spending this day with out their kiddo. I am attaching a video of a very special kiddo named Coleman and his brother Caden as they are wishing their dad a Happy fathers day in 2008. Coleman lost his battle with a brain tumor in Jan, so that video is very special to his father... ** you kinda have to get past the first minute of the boys over talking each other and screaming, *****

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfUN4-umibw

I hope all you dads out there will enjoy your special day!

Prayer- Praying

2009-06-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

I ran into a family of a patient we used to see at the hospital today at the grocery store. Their daughter had cancer and like so many others had fought the good fight and ended up wining the heavenly prize.

We talked for a bit about how they are living a "new normal", the rest of the kids, their summer plans etc...During their daughters illness, I had spent numerous hours with this family and they are very spiritual people and know I have a strong faith behind me as well. So today, at the end of our conversation they once again thanked me, told me they were praying for me and asked that I continue to pray for them as well, and we hugged and I walked away.

Prayer is so important. It has always been in my personal life and I try to be sensitive about praying for others.

There is nothing worse than telling someone you will pray for them and then forget to do it. Prayer doesn’t have to be a long drawn out address to God. All we have to do is lift the name up to God. He already knows the situation.

As Christians we need to pray for each other. I must confess that I have not always been diligent to pray for requests that have been forwarded numerous times via e-mail. I have no excuses! Although, I seem to find one when it comes right down to it, I am ashamed of myself for that and I plan to make a conscious effort to do better in praying for those requests.

If it was my name being sent for prayer it would be important to me.

A former youth pastor growing up once said to me......Take time to pray for others. Who knows? You may be praying for a friend that you will never meet until you get to heaven. How true....

Trip out East

2009-06-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

I recently got back from Boston and Syracuse, NY. I was there for a Child Life Conference and then to NY to see some old friends I met during my internship. I had a great time. Here are some things I learned about my trip:

Harvard University is an amazing campus with ordinary students playing around, and not so much in three piece suits ( I have to admit that I was a bit shocked at this, I thought all I would see is 3 piece suits and a quiet campus ). Here I am standing outside of the "gate" to Harvard campus.

Starbucks

is the Coffee of choice here in Colorado and Nebraska for that matter.... however,

Dunkin' Donuts

is the choice of Coffee in Boston and NY, just as you would see a Starbucks on every corner here, you would see a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner there.

I was able to see where the sitcom of CHEERS was filmed, and have a drink there. I love this last picture, because it says: "GIRLS can't wait" and isnt that the truth :)
I had a great fun time on my trip, and loved the history of Boston and hope to go back and visit someday:)

Jillian..........

2009-05-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

So, I am excited about this season of the Bachelorette because Jillian was the chosen one, She was sent home on last seasons the Bachelor, although she was sent home, I think she has the better end of the deal. She was introduced to 30 as in her words " sexy, smart and funny men" She, herself is cute, smart, funny and has some interesting quirks about her. America has come to love her, and I am excited to take this journey with her as she hopefully finds her prince in the end.

As last season began, I was rooting for her, and so was my friend Jillian. We would be on facebook at the same time during the show and would chat about the events that happened and would laugh about her hot dog theory, comment about her cute dresses and get huge smiles when her and Jason would kiss. Aww, the memories! "My Jillian" did not get to see the whole season as her life was cut short here on Earth. She passed about halfway through the season due to cancer. She fought a good fight, and always had a smile on her face.
I more than anything wanted Jillian to win in honor of "My Jillian".

So now as I watch the Bachelorette and chat with some other friends on FB during the show and have some of the same conversations as Jillian and I did, I can only smile.

"My Jillian"

America's Jillian

Tune in to ABC Monday nights for the Bachelorette, and more than likely I will be on FB :)

Bittersweet

2009-05-13T09:00:00.001-07:00

Bittersweet, A wedding and 2 funerals.

During the past week, I have attended a funeral of a very loving patient that won his fight with cancer, but in the Heavens. I went to a wedding of a great friend, and then headed back home to NE for another funeral of one of my best friend's little bro. While driving home this past weekend, I was reliving the past week and the word that kept coming to mind was Bittersweet.
I am sooo happy for my friend Lisa who is starting a new chapter of her life, on the other hand I am frustrated with God's reasonings for taking these two young precious lives.

Bittersweet tears:

I feel I am tasting the sweet of bittersweet. In my own way. I am learning to still trust the One Who sometimes hurts us, who does not play by our rules. At Ian's funeral I recall his youth pastor saying, "We do not serve a god that we can control." Yet in spite of that we still trust Him. In the midst of all our questions regarding that promise and God's ways, we TRUST HIM as a Person. It's easy to "love" your dad when he gives you just what you want when you want it. Deeper love and deeper trust are revealed when He says, "No" or "Later" or when we find that we've misundertood His intentions. Maturing love accepts that, knowing that Dad loves us and is wiser than we are. And that is sweet, very sweet, in the midst of all the bitter flavors I have been "tasting".

When I got the phone call about my friends little brother, I couldn't believe it. He was hit by a drunk 16 year old driver. He was flown from the vehicle and his injuries were all fixable, but he suffered a severe head injury. I knew by the things she was telling me that it did not look good, but they were waiting out the 72 hour period. As the time past the more she would tell me the more I began to hurt for them. Here is where being in the medical field you know to much. I knew he would never be able to walk, talk, eat or even breath on his own.... but I just listened, prayed, and answered her questions as they came. Then the one question came that I was not expecting.....
" Tell me about organ donation, what do I need to ask the Dr?" My heart sunk to the bottom of my stomach...... I should not have to explain organ donation to one of my best friends when its about her little brother. I swallowed, and began to tell her what she needed to hear. I could tell that my voice was quivering and my hands were shaking.... It was an honor to talk to her about something I am so passionate about, yet one of the toughest things I have yet to do. After I hung up the phone, I carried myself to the couch and began to cry and cry. I felt quilty and somewhat evil for thinking that he is going to be able to save others lives, and I should be grieving the loss of her brother. I then remember watching the closing scene of The Lord of The Rings when Bilbo and Frodo and Gandalf sail off into the Grey Havens. Gandalf comforts his friends saying, "Not all tears are an evil." There can be healing in tears. If we fight the sadness and occassional

anger we feel, we leave ourselves with unresolved wounds. But if we lean into those feelings, our grief and pain can be redeemed to make us into people who are deeper and more beautiful.

Proverbs 14:10 says, “Each heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can share its joy.” And that is generally true.

Photo

2009-04-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is Ian. I could not get it to load earlier for some reason. He is here with Michael Phelps.
Please see the below entry, to make sense of this picture.

He's My Son

2009-04-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

So a while back in my blog I talked about a patient who's sibling I had met with who were telling me "Gotta Have Faith". I once again talked to those siblings today, but it was not about "having faith" My sweet Ian passed away this morning at 06:30 after a 14 month battle with a very rare form of cancer, that was supposed to take his life last Feb when he was diagnoised. He was given 6-8 weeks, having that cancer did not stop him. Ian went on his Make-A- Wish to Hawaii, was able to scuba dive, he played some of the best games of soccer he could have ever have played. He became the Olympic Training Center's star honarary athlete, and did numorus other things that he loved to do.
You have to understand that this was a kid that if someone told him he could not do it because he had cancer, he would push even harder to get that accomplished. There were many times in the past few months that we thought he was passing, but he battled back, shocked all the medical staff, as we would stand there and say, "well, thats Ian for ya!" His family continually had the faith that he would be healed... I have been around a lot of families and I have to say that this family "HAD the FAITH" like no other. He fought the great fight and won the battle........... but with the Angels. I learned a lot about faith and a lot about my own faith through his battle.

There is a song by Mark Shultz called "He's My Son", and the words would not stop running through my head in the wee hours of this morning... It makes sense to me now. That song became Ian's song for the past few days...but his family had the Faith that God would heal him once again. I am going to paste a blurb from his father's journal yesterday afternoon:

Yesterday afternoon I had a profound time alone with Ian. He was alert and seemed to be "with" us. Tears were flowing as I said something like this: "Ian, I'm sure that somehow in the midst of all this Jesus is making Himself known to you in amazing and personal ways. And we want you to know that however HE is leading you, we want you to follow HIM. As far as we can understand His leading, we believe that He intends to heal you. But if He is clearly telling you that He wants you to leave us and go home to be with Him, then we want you to do that. I really mean that. Even though in the coming hours and days you'll hear us intensely battling for your healing in prayer, if Jesus Himself is calling you home, go for it. Dont' worry about disappointing us. That would be very hard for us, but we'd be happy for you. HOWEVER, if you hear Jesus calling you to fight, then I want you to FIGHT with all you have. I know this has been incredibly hard for you. But if Jesus is telling you to fight, then He will strengthen you. Don't lose heart, son. Just follow Jesus however He leads you. And He will enable you."

Then I strapped in for battle, and kept at it for hours with a few breaks. Later one of the dear nurses was marvelling at Ian and said, "He is is fighting so hard!" And my father's heart rose with hope that Ian had heard his orders from Jesus, and my heart swelled with pride over my son's response.

Ian finally had the permission to stop fighting, and let go and go. As hard as it is for all of us, we know that he is once again the kids with the longer hair that is running on the soccer fields and loving life, as he is "God's Son" forever more.
please remember this family:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ianlyons

Here is the link to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8bvA3M63G4

I Dreamed a Dream

2009-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share something that someone sent me to watch early this morning - a phenomenal video of Susan Boyle auditioning

for "Britain's Got Talent." This video has gone viral and it is well worth watching. The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY. I'm mentioning it here because I see a poignant link with how things seem to be going in life. Sometimes things are simply not as they appear. Susan Boyle looks like an awkward homely unemployed woman. When she walked on stage everyone was laughing at her. But when she opened her mouth and sang, everyone was stunned. She brought the laughing crowd to their feet in awe.

But she did not just sing with a phenomenal voice. She sang a song that told her own story, and the story of so many:
"I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine un-tasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dreams to shame...

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

Many live carrying dead dreams like a stillborn child. I've felt like that at times. I'm a dreamer to say the least. When I came to Christ about 21 years ago I believed all that He said and obeyed all that I learned because I didn't know any better. I was young and naive and hadn't "learned" that there are parts of the Bible that we Christians learn to ignore or explain away. I continued dreaming for many years, in reckless abandoned obedience. Then I got cautious. Then I got hurt. Then I played with sin. Then I lost some of that holy fire. And I longed to have it back. I secretly longed for that dream that had died somewhere along the way. And I prayed that God would resurrect it.

Then He led me into my own personal little hell. And somehow in the midst of that furnace, my dreams are being reborn.

Some are afraid for us. Some fear that we'll find ourselves singing our own version of "I Dreamed a Dream" when our dream will have died a painful death. But I don't think so. I think that our God is very good at bringing dead things to life. I think that our God comes out at night, when the tigers come out, to shine His light in the darkness and to chase the tigers away.

In thinking of all of this, I found this scripture:

1 Peter 5:8-11 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

As it seems in my life right now, I see so many dreams that being shattered by cancer. It hurts me and is eating me alive to think about these children, and all the hopes and dreams they have and how "life has killed the dream". I am also attaching a link to a video of so many of the faces I have come to know and love that are fighting for their dream......

www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=84cdf120527c3978e79fe8&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Are you dreaming your dream??????

The doctor feeling............

2009-03-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I was involved in three organ cases back to back. In one particular case I was getting the life sucked out of me by a family.
To make a VERY long story short, I was helping a family of a 16 year old who was tragically taken from them. This family was very interested in donation. It was my job to support them through the donation process. The patient was not brain dead, so this makes donation a bit more tricky, but doable. The patient's heart has to stop within 60 minutes for them to be able to donate the kidneys and the liver. We have a "tool" to acess the patient to see the likelyhood of them passing in the 60 minutes. This patient had less than 20% chance of passing, BUT the family wanted to try, so we proceeded with donation. When it was time to say goodbye to the patient, this family became very emotional ( as to be expected ) , as they anticipated this would be the last time they would see her until @ the funeral home. I escorted them to the family waiting room ( this was a VERY large family. If I had to guess I would say there were about 50 people there to support them ). I then went to the room where we would monitor the patient to see if she would pass. It was unfortunate the patient did not pass in the 60 minutes.

It was up to me to go back to this family and to tell them. As I was walking the halls to get back to the family room, I took off my surgical cap, and thought to myself...... THIS IS HOW DOCTORS FEEL..... I had a pit in the bottom of my stomach, my hands were shaking, and my heart was beating 100 times a minute. I turned the corner and boom, there was the family..... I broke the news to them as gently as I could, knowing that their one desire left of their family member, did not happen. Through the many tears and questions, I made it. But I now have even more utmost respect for the doctors when they are having to have those tough conversations with the families.
To all my doctor friends out there, Happy Doctor Day!

Saving A Life.....

2009-03-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to have a job where I know I am making a difference every time a family agrees to organ donation. I will be the first to say that it is not easy to always get the families at this point, but when you do GREAT things happen. It was an honor to see that the unfortunate death of Natasha Richardson resulted in her family graciously donating her organs.

Natasha Richardson

As the loved ones of Natasha Richardson continue to mourn, a family decision made in the wake of the Tony-winning actress's sudden death March 18 has brought a measure of comfort: After Richardson was taken off life support at Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital, her family requested that her organs be donated to other patients whose lives they might save.

Organ donation "is very Natasha," a family friend says in the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. "She spent so much time fighting the stigma of AIDS; someone like that would naturally donate her organs. At least by donating her organs something good could come out of [the tragedy]."

Richardson, 45, died after falling during a ski lesson at a Canadian resort on March 16. An autopsy performed in New York City showed that a blow to her head had caused a fatal epidural hematoma, bleeding between her brain and her skull.

Aspen final update

2009-03-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's sad to say that another year in Aspen has come to an end. It was a great year for everyone, we all leave with new friends, a few with bruises, and a couple of us leave with a broken arm or leg. Non the less, memories that will last a lifetime. This week was challenging for us as we watched one of the most amazing past Shining Stars get life flighted back to Denver as I had mentioned before. He is holding his own, he will have a long recovery ahead of him, we need to remember him in our prayers. At the beginning of the week, the medical staff was not sure about a few of the kids that had been selected to come. One of them was unfortunately over weight, on 4 liters of oxygen and has a medical disorder in which he gets blood clots easily and they break off and travel thru his body. You can imagine what our fear was.... but we tried to get him involved as much as we could, buy taking him to the top of the mountain, getting him on the dance floor at disco night, and helping him to cross the finish line on race day. He was the Shining Star that had us all in tears the last night as he thanked us for making this week the best of his entire life, and for giving him the chance to do things no one has ever before. Seeing the smile on his face that was constant all week, watching the tears roll down his face as he crossed the finish line......that my friends made this one of the best weeks of my life as well. I am working on getting the pictures all scanned in and creating a video to post, but for now I will post a few pictures from the week.

Heather

ASPEN update number 2!

2009-03-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well friends,
HAPPY St. Patty's day! We are all decked out in green here in Aspen and enjoying every minute of it, today we got to go snowmobiling through the wonderful mountains. I have to say that I am really hoping these kids go to bed soon, so I can get some good rest tonight.
The trip has been great thus far, we did have a really bad accident with one of our kids. He hit a bad spot on the half pipe and landed on his head, he was life flighted back to Denver for the best care that he can get. The update this morning is not good for this young man. There were lots of kids here that saw the accident and are really scared to continue to ski/board the rest of the week. This shining star's name is Matt, all the prayers you can send his way would be greatly appreciated.
I have not been able to get any pictures posted from Aspen on here, but I will try, if not when I am back in Springs for sure.
Good night friends

ASPEN

2009-03-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well,
This is day one of ASPEN.... Finally.........
Let me just start of by saying not really sure what we ( shining stars) was thinking of having 50+ kids and adults on a charter bus going up to Aspen on Friday the 13th. About two hours into the trip, the bus decided to blow a tire. We had to wait for 2 hours for the replacement bus to get there. So, what do you do with 50 kids who are already tired of sitting in the bus, and your on I-70? We watched Goonies, Played the telephone game, ate snacks, played name that tune with the drivers microphone, it was quite interesting.
We pulled into Aspen at 7:30, and we were scheduled to be there at 3. It proved to be a long day, BUT the kids are having the time of their lives and and so am I. I will update again when I can...

Gotta Have Faith

2009-03-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

You know that song, "Gotta Have Faith"? What does that mean to you? I believe I am a person of strong faith, but today I have new meaning for the phrase, "Gotta Have Faith". Before I left for camp, I was asked by a patients family to talk to the siblings about how their brother was doing. This is a patient who was supposed to go to camp with me. He is an amazing 13 year old boy, who at diagnosis in Feb 08 was given a less than 5% chance of survival, but in Jan of 09 was declared Cancer FREE!!! This is the same boy who he and I had lunch with Michael Phelps before Michael left for the olympics. This is the same boy that three weeks ago was hiking a mountain, and jut returned from his Make-A-Wish trip, in Hawaii.
Now unfortunately has his cancer has returned to his brain. He began to have uncontrolable seizures that have placed him on a ventaliator and in a coma. The family has been told the worst, he has permanent brain damage and he will never be the same again IF we get him off the vent.
Of, course this family is crushed, but the HAVE FAITH, and the faith so strong that they believe from a vision God has given the mother, that GOD will heal him and he will continue to live a healthy life, however they have to be patient.
As I was sitting in a room with 3 ( a 9, 15, and 19 year old all brothers ) of his 6 siblings, and we were talking about feelings, and emotions. They all whole heartedly looked at me, and said that they were not worried about their brother dying, that they believed God was going to heal him. But that having the patience was the hardest of all! WOW! First of all, to get teenage boys to talk about their feelings was amazing in itself, but then to hear them say, "You gotta have faith", clearly puts that term in a new perspecitve for me.
As I head to camp without my buddy I encourage you to follow his webpage, I promise you wont be disappointed as his father lays things out so you feel your right there.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ianlyons
Faithfully I can say, You gotta have the faith!
Heather

Yeah!

2009-03-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

Well thanks to my blogger friends, I now have a cute background.
Today is my day off, and I am busy packing for Cancer Camp. It was a bit interesting to
wake up to a white out snow storm this morning..... now, you cant tell at all. That my friends is Colorado for you.

I will be going to the Phantom of the Opera this Thurs night before heading to camp. Hopefully I will have learned to do the picture thing, so I can post some of them.

well well,

2009-03-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

So I am trying to get this whole blog thing figured out.... you know making int cute and all.... so bare with me..for now you get boring dots.... any help making this cutsie would be great... and how do I put pic on here???? help blogger friends!!!!

BLOG Huh?

2009-03-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well so many people hav said to me, "You should start a blog", and I never really though about it, so I began to ask people why? They would tell me that so many things happen to me and so many of them are interesting/life changing that I should share...... ok, so here you are. I cant guarnatee how long I will be "blogging" but I will when I can. So thanks for following :)