Getting better

This pic was taken Dec 1, 2012.  Lacee's first High School Dance.  Its called "Santa Switch"

Lacee was not yet back to school full time when this picture was made.  She completed the second quarter of her first semester of ninth grade at home, with a homebound teacher coming to the house twice a week for an hour. 

At our last visit with her new doctor, a cat scan was performed.  Dr Talac told us that Lacee either had a compression fracture or a blood vessel wrapped around her back.  I asked him how we would find out which one, he said it did not matter, we would treat it as a compression fracture. 

He wanted her to take aqua therapy, but we cannot find a place around here or a therapist trained to give her that.  The closest is an hour away.  I know that isn't far, and I am the first to say that no place is too far to go for our children.  However, with me not working, we simply cannot afford the gas to drive that far even once a week, never mind more.

I am thankful to report, tho, that Lacee is doing so much better.  She has returned to school (its been back in for one week) and has done amazing so far.  She is allowed to sit or stand in her classes depending on what she needs at any particular time. I am so proud for her to be able to attend school without being miserable. I continue to pray for her continued healing. 

I am certain that having our preacher and his wife pray over Lacee last month, and asking many others to pray for her, has played a huge role in her progress.

Lifetime Bucket List

Bucket List for my Lifetime

 In addition to the lists for 36 by 36 and 40 by 40, these are dreams and goals I would like to achieve in my lifetime.

See each of my children accept Jesus, be baptized, and lead strong Christian lives, and pass that on to their children, grandchildren, etc
See my mom accept Jesus, be baptized and active in church
 Visit every continent
Visit Alaska
 Learn to Snow Ski
 Learn to Water Ski
Own a Pontoon
Own a Home on the Lake or River
 Be fit and in shape
 Cosmetic Surgery Lift
Tummy Tuck
 Learn to play piano
 Learn to sing well
 Learn fluent sign language
Pet a live Tiger
Pet a live Giraffe
 Camp with my family the old school way
 Be fluent in German
Reach the top rank in my company
A week in Paris
 A week in Italy
Ride a Gondola
 A week in Greece
 African Safari
Go Snorkeling
Sponsor 100 kids in local Angel Tree program
 Sponsor 100 kids in local Country Christmas program
Be totally debt free
Have my assets column totally support my family (see Rich Dad Poor Dad)
 Ride a MotorCycle
Go Parasailing
 Go SkyDiving
 Run a Marathon
Host a foreign exchange student
Take Ballroom Dancing Lessons
 A week in Bora Bora
A week in Austria
See the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade front row
See the ball drop on NYE in NYC
Found a local soup kitchen
Teach my children the principals in Rich Dad Poor Dad
 A week in Ireland
 Be fluent in Spanish
 Be fluent in French
See a broadway play on broadway
 Attend Mardi Gras
 A week in Jamaica
 A week in St Lucia
 Be on a talk radio show
 Attend a taping of The Price is Right
Attend a Taping of The View
See the Eiffel Tower
See the Pyramid
See Stonehenge
Visit YellowStone
See Old Faithful do her thing
Visit Niagra Falls
See the Statue of Liberty
Visit Washington DC
Spend a night in every state in the US
Go on a random road trip with no set destination or schedule
Spend a Christmas on a tropical island
Spend a Christmas in Germany
Build an impressive snow man
Build an impressive sand castle/creature
Ride in a hot air balloon
Pet a live polar bear
Hold a live koala bear
Pet a live panda bear
Learn to make many kinds of sushi
Go white water rafting
Re-Learn how to fly fish, and cat fish, and bass fish


All of these include my family of course :)

40 by 40

40 things I want to accomplish by my 40th birthday
Which happens to be Jan 17, 2018
1. Spend at least a month in Germany with my hubby, my kids, and meeting/bonding with my family over there.
2. Be able to have conversations in German.
3. Loose and keep off 100 lbs.
4. A week in Hawaii.
5. A week in Mexico.
6. Learn to swim without holding my nose.
7. Be caught up on scrap booking.
8. Run a mile without thinking I am facing certain death.
9. No longer be living paycheck to paycheck.
10. Swim with dolphins.
11. A week in NYC.
12. Disney World.
13. Six Flags over anywhere.
14. Have perfect teeth.
15. Have long thick amazing hair extensions.
16. Learn to dive off a diving board or side of pool.
17. Visit the Chesley's in Utah.
18. Have a circle drive in the front yard.
19. Have at least half the trees in our yard removed.
20. Have our pool heated.
21. Lasik eye surgery.
22. Be an RMD or higher in my company.
23. Be a regular charitable giver.
24. Sponsor 10 children on the local Angel Tree program.
25. Sponsor 10 children on the local Country Christmas program.
26. Be addicted to drinking water.
27. Not be addicted to caffeine.
28. Have a gorgeous flower garden.
29. Full body massage.
30. Go with my family on a mission trip.
31. Serve in a soup kitchen with my family.
32. Tattoo with my children's initials.
33. Take a week long trip with each of my children, separately.
34. See my hubby take a week long trip with each of our children, separately.
35. Have my lips plumped, but not crazy.
36. Host a Halloween Party for Adults.
37. Host a Luau for family friends.
38. Have savings accounts with at least $1,000 for each child.
39. Have savings account with at least $5,000 for Mark and myself.
40. Not look or feel like I am actually 40 years old.

36 before 36

I've never done a bucket list before.
Never actually set down and wrote out a list of things I wanted to accomplish in a certain amount of time. Its not that I haven't had dreams, I've always been a big dreamer. I've just never believed in myself of my circumstances enough to want to write them down. I have a new outlook now. A new sense of hope and of ability. A new determination to change the things I am not pleased with, and to reach for the stars. I will be 35 this month, so I have decided I am going to compile 3 bucket lists. A 36 before 36 list, a 40 before 40 list, and a before i die list. Lets see how this goes.
36 before 36
1. Take our first cruise
2. Loose 30 lbs (and keep it off)
3. Fully Organize my house (and keep it that way)
4. Keep laundry caught up
5. Learn how to iron clothes
6. Actually keep our clothes ironed
7. Keep the house cleaner (not looking for perfection here, just better than now)
8. Volunteer more
9. Climb 2 ranks in my company
10. Landscape our home (nothing fancy, just better than now)
11. Attend church on a regular basis again
12. Pray before every meal
13. Finish enclosing our carport into a new living room
14. Build a pantry in the current dining room
15. Move Lacee into the current playroom
16. Move Tommy and Knox into Lacee's current room
17. Redo Tommy and Mark Anthony's room into a room for Mark Anthony
18. Turn current living room into a dining room
19. Entertain more guests at our home
20. Get a heater for our pool and keep it open year round
21. Write more
22. Reduce screen time for the whole family
23. Spend more time with friends
24. Floss daily
25. Spend a week in East TN vacationing and seeing family that lives in GA
26. Take my family to a UT football game (GO VOLS)
27. Send more cards
28. Scrapbook again
29. Find a good makeup and use it
30. Read and Study the Bible at least 3 times a week
31. Read personal development books at least 3 times a week
32. Attend community events
33. Begin each day with prayer
34. End each day with prayer
35. Pray with my children more
36. Pray with my husband more

Disney Magic

Instead of filling endless packages with toys and gadgets that will end up lost, broken, forgotten, or yard-saled within a year or two, we decided to pool our resources (me, mark, my mom, and santa) for one big gift for our whole family. (My mom is the only grandparent we have left here on earth.)
The kids are thrilled! As I am typing this we only have 32 days before we board the ship.
We are sailing on the Disney Magic, which I have learned is Disney's largest cruise ship. This will be our first cruise, and our family's first Disney experience as well.
This is something we thought we would never be able to do for our children, but thankfully we have joined an amazing travel club and now have the opportunity to expand our horizons and give our children experiences we could have only dreamt of before.