Friday, March 1, 2013

number 28

I bought myself an early birthday present something I'd been looking for a long time....
I found a really great deal that couldn't pass it up.
I can't wait to try it out.......





 Canon EOS Rebel XSI 450 D w/18-55mm lens


 55-250mm lens


 lens filter that makes lights "twinkle"


 lens filters


 more lens filters






Friday, February 15, 2013

Fabulous Friday

I just wanted to write real quick. It has been one crazy week. I am enjoying my time off from both jobs for the first time in a long time. It is a beautiful, sunny day here in North-East Georgia with temps in the lo 60s, just my kind of weather. This cold weather has really slowed down the healing process of my knee from the accident 6 months ago, so I am very much ready for warmer weather. The knee discomfort is also affecting my back with some mild discomfort, but overall I feel great compared to 4 months ago. School is going as well as it can go for the medical field, ha! The end of the month I will have completed my first year which is unbelievable! Mom is doing good, she had her last treatment for the first round last Thursday, February 7. She starts her weekly treatment for 12 weeks on February 21, it will be another kind of chemo and a lower dose so the doctor has predicted that she shouldn't be as sick. Once she finishes these 12 weeks, then surgery will be planned. She is keeping a positive attitude about this whole ordeal. She's such a stronger person and an inspiration to me! She has said regardless of the outcome, she is ready to go that she's a winner either way; whether she beats it or goes to see Jesus.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Winter 2013

So much has happened since my last blog. Mom has had 3 chemo treatments and the last one was rough for her. She was sick last Saturday and felt like working Wednesday - Friday this week. She goes back next Thursday for her last 4 round treatment, then wait 2 weeks and will have weekly treatment for 12 weeks and then will discuss surgery. She is keeping a positive attitude! God is really helping her and I'm so thankful for that.

It is been crazy weather in January and now on the first day of February which is hard to believe. I would like to see some snow, but it doesn't like we will get any. It doesn't seem like it should already be February 1, wasn't yesterday Christmas? Time seems to just zoom by faster and faster each year. II hope everyone stays warm and safe the rest of this winter season. I hope spring comes sooner than later.

Good night!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

7 years

It doesn't seem like it has already been 7 years today (1-16) since I had surgery and was diagnosed with the most unfriendliest thing ever....cancer! It has no respecter of persons! I am so thankful that God helped me have the strength to fight my battle and overcome the awful disease. I had the best doctors and nurses take care of me during my hospital stay. I am so thankful for my family and friends that supported, encouraged, prayed, called, and visited me during my illness.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Catch up on Life



  It has been several months since I have blogged, so I will do my best and try to catch up on what has happened between then and now. First, I would like to thank those who have prayed and are continuing to pray for me and my mom as we are continuing to recover from the wreck we were involved in on August 5.


     August 5 @ 2:20pm: Me and my mom, Barbara was on our way home from church. We had guests visiting from Alabama and had lunch with them after church. In Seneca, SC, the traffic light intersection of Old Clemson Hwy and Rochester Hwy (Hwy 130). Mom was making a left turn onto Hwy 130 from Old Clemson Hwy. We receive the green light and begin excelling to proceed in a left turn. The car traveling from Seneca on Hwy 130 ran his red light and hit us in the driver’s door (T-bone). The state trooper said the man was driving approximately 40-45 mph. He had looked down to answer his phone and when he looked back up, it was too late. He didn’t have time to brake. When our car came to a complete stop from being hit, we did a complete 180 and could have driven right back down Old Clemson Hwy. I was in the passenger seat. My head hit the front windshield. I blacked out for a few seconds when I came to I was between the two front seats laying half way in the back floor board. I sat up into my seat; mom realized that my head was bleeding. I was hurting on the left side of my head above my eye, my right knee, my right thumb and the right side of my lower back/hip area. Mom was hurting in her neck and back; she was wearing her seat belt and I was not. Witnesses quickly came to our car to check on us as we waited for EMS to arrive. The man that hit us didn’t seem to be hurt; or his two boys that were with him. Mom had to be cut out of the driver side due to the impact being in her door. We were transported together by ambulance to the local hospital. We were soon examined by ER nurses and doctors. I had x-rays on my thumb, knee, and back. I also had a CT scan on my head to check for bleeding on the brain. The results were good; no broken bones or bleeding. Mom had x-rays on her back and neck. She also received results for no broken bones. Couple weeks later, I began having problems with my right knee and left elbow and extreme pain. I was referred to an Orthopedic for my left elbow and right knee. MRI was done on both. The results were good for my elbow and it has gotten better since then. My knee results showed that there wasn’t any ligament or cartilage damage. I have been told that no surgery is needed; nothing can be done to fix it. I’ve had an ultrasound done on my knee to check for blood clot and go back December 20 for those results. We’re trying to rule out where the pain is coming from. I and my mom is both under chiropractor care for our backs and she is also being treated for whiplash. A knot has come up on mom’s left breast and she is seeing a surgeon to see if surgery is needed or not. The knot is from the seat belt. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We have come a long way, but still have a ways to go. Pray that the doctor will be able to find out where the pain in my right knee is coming from and how I can be treated and my knee will properly heal.


 my head hit the windshield






back driver side axle broke from the force of impact




October 12-13: Family Vacation in Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg with my mom, Grandpa, and mom’s sister & her family. It was nice to get away for a couple days from home and work and spend time with family that I don’t get to see often. We had dinner Friday night at the Applewood Restaurant which was incredibly delicious! On Saturday, we visited Harrisburg Covered Bridge, Circle G Ranch. We stopped in Gatlinburg on the way home. Brittany (my cousin) and I rode the Sky lift to top of the mountain; it was a beautiful view looking over Gatlinburg. As we were riding up, we saw a bear cub.


Harrisburg Covered Bridge

  




 






Brittany, Grandpa, and Me




 Circle G Ranch
pot belly pig




 baby zebra


antelope and deer


 ostrich and antelope


 big daddy buck


 mountain goat


 baby donkey

 

 









 river in Gatlinburg

 Me and Brittany on Sky Lift


bear cub on side of mountain at SkyLift

top of mountain in Gatlinburg


November 16: One year ago my precious grandmother entered Heaven at 11:48am. She was surrounded by her family who loved her dearly. She and my grandpa would have celebrated their golden 50th anniversary on December 23. She would have turned 73 on November 29. She was a godly woman. When she was in good health, she enjoyed keeping children, gardening, canning vegetables, attending camp-meeting and other church services among lots of other things. She left behind a wonderful, loving, faithful husband, 4 wonderful children, 7 fabulous grandchildren, 1 sister, 3 brothers, and lots of nieces and nephews. She now has a great grand-daughter as of August 14, 2012. I wish she could see her but I know that she is watching from heaven. I miss her every day!


Clemson T. Ed Garrison Arena – IPRA World Championship Rodeo

 T. Ed Garrison Arena IPRA Rodeo





calf roping







 bareback bonco riding

 intermission 

girl's barrel racing

 team roping


 
 bullriding

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Summer

I haven't blogged in several weeks so while I have some down time I thought I would catch up a little. The summer has been busy with youth camp and camp-meetings all over. Toccoa Youth Camp was great as well as camp-meeting that followed a few weeks later. I was able to attend Virginia camp-meeting in Dry Fork; which I hadn't been to since I moved to Georgia. The school which I attended and graduated from Community Lighthouse Academy in Liberty, SC had a camp-meeting the end of July. Lots that kept me busy and wasn't able to become bored. Also, during all that I had school. How I juggled it all is beyond me except with God's help. Hartwell had a pre-4th the end of June and it was fun. They had couple of venders including Bruster's Ice cream, watermelon, along with an orchestra band; around 9pm they shot some fireworks that were just beautiful. I mean what fireworks aren't? In mid July, a local TV station in Greenville FOX Carolina came to downtown Clemson on Friday morning for 5-9am for a tour they were doing called, Celebrate the Carolinas. Relay For Life Pendleton-Clemson sent up a booth with free bagels and coffee sponsored by a local bagel shop located in Clemson, Hudson Bagel. I was privileged to go downtown along with lots of other folks and help represent RFL and being a survivor. For my mom's birthday on July 21, me, her, and my grandpa took a ride in the mountains for the day. It was nice besides the fact that it rained some of the trip.  I have included some pictures taken through my adventurous summer.

 Pre-4th
 Pre-4th in Hartwell at the Hartwell Dam



















finale - 
this is my favorite part of fireworks!


Celebrate the Carolinas with FOX Carolina
5:30am about to go live


me with Tiger Cub


still waiting to go live


RFL booth


FOX Carolina mascot bear


painting and sidewalk chalk art




Cody's ride motorized skate board 


Joe Gagnon (AM reporter), me -Julie Davis (college student), and Cody Alcorn (AM morning anchor)


Clemson Tiger Football mascot - Tiger Cub


Joe all dolled up waiting to go live with the owner of a Boutique shop in downtown Clemson


Cody with staff from Wingin' It in downtown
on the table is sushi and 2 most flavored wings


5lb burger from BGR: The Burger Joint
Cody and Joe go against each each with their team to see who can eat the most in 2 minutes


Cody with some of his team members - 4-5 men between 22-28 yrs old


Joe with his team members - 5-6 kid between 8-11 yrs old


 Cody's team won!!

Mom's birthday mountain trip












caught in a rain storm in Murphy, NC



rain storm #2 also in Murphy, NC

Bridal Veil Falls in Highlands, NC


 more of bridal veil falls










bottom of the falls


bottom of the falls #2


dam in Highlands, NC