anyone starting chemo in Nov 2005

What beautiful babies, Mary-Lou. I had no idea you had a Siamese kitten? Name, please?

Have a great time at the fair! 

Love those babies.  Hang in there sis, everything will be okay.

We had a great time.  Boy, we were in such need of a bath.  I don't do camping very well.  They were making fun of Steven and I for being such city slicker. hehehehe   Next year I will rent a room early. 

Forgot to mention that I saw the head of Endocrinology re low Vit D.  He put me on 1500 mg. prescription D per day, 25 mg. Calcitriol (Vit D3) per day, 1500 mg calcium per day.  Can you believe that despite my Boniva infustions, I continue to lose bone.  I have gone from 5' 8-1/2" to 5' 6-1/4".  At this rate, I'll be a petite by our next reunion.  Sadly, I still weigh the same, its just packed into less space.  Oh well!  My Vit. D is 16 and he wants it at 50.  Should relieve the cramps, muscle and bone aches, and reduce risk of reoccurrence, etc. 

Always some drama.

BTW, those of you with a lumpectomy--has your nipple changed color.  Mine has become noticeably paler--weird, huh.

Hey ladies, did some research on flights, have no idea what to consider a "GOOD" deal!!!! 

I'm afraid to go for a cheapie flight and get scammed!  ACK! 

So far, is Nancy the only one with an official flight booked?  Nancy-can you please pm us the specifics of the time you are arriving, and I can try to base my flight off of yours? 

I love you guys!  Love and prayers, Deb

PS-a neighbor and I are going to start our own "fit" club since she has a wedding coming up to go to, and I have our reunion!  So excited to have a workout partner.  Don't know about you guys, but my dh prefers to NOT work out.  We got the eliptical and he was like, "I need new shoes.  I need new workout pants, I need......."  There was always something! 

Odalys here  is the info....I will post tomorrow on our trip. It is late and I have got to sleep.

Crosses Across America Offer a Comforting Sight to Travelers

If you've been on the highway and passed a cluster of three crosses that you found inspirational and calming, you can thank the late Rev. Bernard Coffindaffer. By Linda Orlando

Bernard Coffindaffer of Craigsville, West Virginia, was born in 1935 to West German parents who had emigrated to the U.S. before his birth. His father died when he was still a baby and his mother died with cancer when he was ten years old, leaving him an orphan. Despite these trying circumstances, Coffindaffer graduated from high school at the age of fourteen and then served six years in the U. S. Marine Corps with tours of duty in the Pacific, Iwo Jima, and Nagasaki, Japan. He graduated from the University of Charleston with a degree in business, and then returned to his West Virginia homeland. He worked in the oil industry as a young man, and later founded a coal-washing business in the West Virginia mountains in an economically deprived location. His business was enormously successful. When he was 42, Coffindaffer became a Christian and studied the ministry, becoming a Methodist minister and serving seven small churches in Pocahontas County. He was later given an honorary doctoral degree in Florida.

After two heart surgeries, Coffindaffer decided to liquidate his business and stop working in the coal industry, and then two years later he had a vision. It was "a genuine, marvelous, glorious vision," Coffindaffer said. He was explicitly told what he was supposed to do: Get manpower, get materials, and plant crosses for the world to see. "The Holy Spirit instructed, blessed, dealt with me and told me how to go about installing these Crosses. It was an experience you have once in a lifetime." Coffindaffer's successful business acumen had resulted in his being able to amass a small fortune before liquidating his business. "I worked like a dog for the money, eighteen hours a day for thirty-five years," he said. "The Holy Spirit knew I had the money and was willing to spend it, and I'm not going to back down."

So on September 28, 1984, Coffindaffer started the Crosses Across America project, saying "Not for saints or sinners. For everybody. They're up for only one sole reason, and that's this: to remind people that Jesus was crucified on a cross at Calvary for our sins and that He is soon coming again." Coffindaffer knew that the crosses might lead to controversy, adding, "When you say ‘for our sins,' half the people run. When you say ‘He's coming again,' everybody runs." But maybe, he said, "the crosses will make one person stop and think."

Over the course of the next nine years, Coffindaffer had an office in the basement of his home with a full-time secretary, as well as seven full-time work crews traveling across America to erect the clusters of crosses he had designed. The crosses were all built from California Douglas fir, weighing about 400 pounds each. The center cross is painted gold and the two crosses on either side are painted a pale blue, and the three are set in pea gravel and sand. The three crosses symbolize Christ on the cross, flanked by the two thieves who were crucified with him. The gold paint on the center cross represents royalty, while the pale blue paint on the flanking crosses signifying the earth. When each cluster was erected, a consecration service was held where scriptures were read and prayers were offered for repentance and forgiveness of sins. The same identical service was held at each site. Coffindaffer once said, "The crosses speak peace within as we struggle without."

Coffindaffer spent approximately $3,000,000 to build and plant the clusters of three crosses in 29 states, the District of Columbia, Zambia, and The Philippines. Site owners donated the land's use for the crosses and Coffindaffer paid all the bills. The successful businessman turned colorful evangelist attracted the attention of the media when he became the subject of a PBS documentary about his life titled, "Point Man For God." He was also shown on the award-winning series "Different Drummer," and CBS News did a story about him on its popular program "CBS Sunday Morning." When he died in 1993 of a heart attack at his home, Coffindaffer had been responsible for the installation and maintenance of nearly 2000 clusters of crosses. His ministry, Cast Thy Bread, Inc., ceased operation with no money in reserve.

For six years after his death, Coffindaffer's crosses continued to offer inspiration and comfort to weary travelers, but it appeared that his ongoing mission had ended with his death and the 2000 existing crosses. Then, in 1999, Sara Stevenson Abraham made the decision to pick up where Coffindaffer had left off and revive the project of planting crosses for the world to see. Abraham formed a new non-profit organization called Crosses Across America, Inc., and opened a National Headquarters in Vicksburg, Mississippi. As Executive Director of the organization, Abraham is locating the standing clusters of crosses installed by Coffindaffer's work crews and then enlisting the aid of volunteer groups in getting them straightened, repaired, and restored. Abraham travels the country to present the story of the crosses to churches, civic organizations, television and radio programs, spreading the word of Coffindaffer's original mission and the purpose of the crosses.

Crosses Across America has big plans for expanding Coffindaffer's original mission by installing new clusters of crosses every 50 miles on either side of some 45,000 miles of interstate highways and thoroughfares that crisscross North America. They also plan to install crosses at specific sites that seem to cry out for them, such as the lake in South Carolina where a mother drowned her two young sons, and the field in Pennsylvania where the 9/11 terrorists crashed an airliner killing everyone on board. The organization secured all of the files, photographs, plans, and films used to design, build, and install the original crosses, so that after the existing crosses are repaired, they can begin building new ones.

The new crosses will be more durable because they will be constructed of a plastic-like material that will withstand 200 mph winds. Because of this newer technology, the crosses will never again need repairing or painting, but they will have all the properties of the original crosses and will be exact duplicates as far as possible. The project itself will cost a tremendous amount of money, time, and effort, but because Crosses Across America and its volunteers believe their mission is ordained by God, they do not worry about where the money will come from. They believe that God will touch the hearts of people to provide funds for the project, and so far the funds have been provided by individuals, foundations, churches, and other donors.

All donations are tax-deductible, and there are no paid employees. Administrative expenses for the organization are underwritten by a private individual, and all people associated with Crosses Across America are volunteers. No one will ever receive any financial gain from Crosses Across America, but millions of people will receive tremendous emotional and spiritual gain as they pass by the crosses guiding their way on the highway.

 Odalys~ Here is a picture I took along I 81 , these were lite up and you could see them for miles.

Beautiful Anna, just beautiful. I love pictures!

Here is Bluestone Lake were I  was at this past week end.

And the WV State Fair, Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert. Her skin looked like porcelain.

Very tiny of blake

Here they are together, they have dated for a little over a year I think they said.

Anna~ The pictures are beautiful. Wish I were there too.

We have guest coming this afternoon, so I can't linger.

Not a dry eye here either.

I'm so loving the pictures.....puts life to our little corner.

Anna you are looking so good!

Love to you all

Hey Lat!  Glad to see you are okay (in the grand scheme of things!

Hi ladies,

Still haven't gotten my ticket to come visit (procrastination!!!!!  chemo brain!!!  All of the above???). 

My son is the light of my life, but he is making me nutsy.  Standard bedtime conversation, "Goodnight Daniel, I love you." 
"Mommy?" 
"Yes?" 
"Can you fix my closet door?" 
"Yes...." 
"Mommy?" 
"Yes?"
"What should I have for breakfast tomorrow?" 
"I don't know..."
"Mommy?" 
"GOOD NIGHT DANIEL"
"I love you...." 
Guilty Mommy slinks off into the night......

Four is an exhausting age. 

Gotta go fold laundry from two days ago since my son didn't nap both days due to potty training issues.....

Love and prayers, Deb

Deb~ My grand-babies are driving Jess crazy. And this layoff has them upset too.

She left them both with me yesterday while she went to the store for groceries. Good thing I'm 10 minutes away. She really will need help later.

a little friend on my porch