January 2020

Happy New Year!

Written on Friday, January 3rd, 2020 @ 12:30pm

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2020 is going to be a great year! We are starting out with a positive attitude. That is always the best way to begin anything. We have been planning things for this big year since August of last year and we sure hope God agrees with our plans.

As for Crystal, she is still smiling. Thanksgiving was a blessing and by the photos Crystal looked great however, the pain was a little much and when she went off of her pain meds she also went through withdrawals, which is shocking because it wasn’t like she was on them long. The shakes and vomiting after a surgery does not make it easy but once she got through all of that, once she got back into her daily routine, seeing the kids in the studio, practicing with the Professional Dance Team as much as she could and then thinking of Christmas time with family and friends, those thoughts, that attitude are what helped her turn things around.

We hope everyone’s Christmas was meaningful to you and your family. We hope that if there was some sad times that you found peace. We hope that you smiled, you laughed, you reminisced and felt ready to bring in the New Year with New Hope.

Our Family. We have grown…We have Sons!

Crystal will be making her next appointment to Mayo in March. It will be a time that we will definitely be asking for prayers. At this point she has been able to stay off of Chemo, which is nice but scary at the same time.

My reason for writing today was last night I had the opportunity to watch Alex Trebek from Jeopardy. His attitude is inspiring. He is honest, realistic and passionate. I have seen him in a few interviews since his diagnoses of Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and find that his story inspires me so very much. As I am writing this update, I know Crystal is actually watching it since we recorded it, she will be calling me once she is done watching and I will beg her to write him. 

Also, watching the show last night there was a commercial for the 20/20 episode that airs this evening. It was about the three girls that had been kidnapped in Cleveland. I immediately thought of Crystal, I remember the night of her Dance-A-Thon. That Dance-A-Thon was a blessing to our family and I thank my niece Heather for helping run all of that. I remember having to speak in front of a large crowd of people, I was nervous, I felt strange but yet we needed the donations. I remember feeling taking back by the support, shocked, hurt, sad, I felt it all but kept my composure even during family issues. I remember stating to the gymnasium full of people, that as sad as Crystal Story is, at least she is still with us, she was taken from us suddenly. Or kidnapped and not knowing where she could be. I don’t think I could ever handle not knowing where my daughters were. So I will take this journey for our family then. The craziest thing was the very next day those girls were found…I bet I received over 30 messages from people that were in that gymnasium who immediately thought of Crystal and the words I spoke at the Dance-A-Thon the moment it hit the news that those girls were found. So I know what I will be watching this evening.

With all of that, I knew I needed to update all of our prayer warriors. 

Here is some posts that were done on Social Media since I know some of you do not have that.

Happy New Year…Thank You for showing me that the world still has kind people. Thank You for helping me find Peace.

Cheers to the New Year! As 2019 comes to an end, I would like to Thank You all for the prayers, positive vibes, kind remarks and stories you took the time to share with me this last year. Time is such a precious gift. Time, just think of that word. 2019 brought me travels, brought me even closer to my family & friends. It made me smile, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry. In 2019 I took a chance with my dance team, because of my daughter, and I found inspiration. Taking chances can be blessings. 2019 brought me even closer to God. I watched my oldest daughter have two major surgeries to fight for her life, with 8 rounds of chemo and still smile as she question her next steps. I watched my middle daughter live her life the way she has planned it. Her career and soon to be married has made 2019 a beautiful start to her new journey. I’ve watched my youngest daughter grow up and find herself through some tough choices she had to make, but yet she has learned probably more in the last year than she ever has. 2019 has confirmed to me that being parent never stops or I should say, being a good parent means that it never ends. I am thankful that I can call my mom everyday even to tell her nothing important and she always picks up. I am thankful that God has shown me that he has me where I am suppose to be in my life even when I have questioned him. I am thankful for the miracles he has given my family. I am thankful that 29 years of marriage, which takes so much work and sacrificing has shown me another side that can be beautiful if you can get through the storms. I have learned as you age, your body changes but so does your heart and so does your confidence. Cheers to 2020! Cheers to being lucky enough to still be here in this world to make someone else smile. Cheers to our plans in 2020 and that God has agreed to our plans we’ve made too.

Our Crystal…Our Fighter. Her words after New Years.

Happy New Year! 🎉

Last year at this time I was preparing for my Lung Ablation Surgery to remove my tumors. Last year I went thru 8 rounds of chemotherapy. And Last Year I had another surgery right before Thanksgiving. You can say I definitely had some hard times in 2019. But right now for the first day in 2020 I can say I have been off chemo for almost 4 months and I feel great!

I also had some awesome times in 2019. One big thing would be planning/deciding to do another Spirit Show in 2020 (if you still need tickets… let me know). My sister got engaged! And my hubby and I had a lot of fun adventures… like our trip to Alaska 🥰

I hope 2020 brings more exciting adventures and my body stays healthy.