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Category: Everyday Life

  • As She’s Walking Away – Zac Brown Band

    Music & Lyrics

    I heard this song on the Country Music Awards 2010 – I just recently started getting into Country music and I absolutly love the Zac Brown Band. They have great songs.

    This particular song is called “As She’s Walking Away”. I love the lyrics, I love the part that states “Don’t you let regret take place of the dreams you have to chase, ask her to dance…go on son. You might fall down on your face. Roll the dice and have some faith.”

    Sometimes in life we don’t take that leap, we don’t take that chance because we fear rejection, we fear failure, but life is too short to always stay with the “what if’s”, and “I should have”, so take that leap of chance and live your life….

    Listen to the Zac Brown Band below:


    Here are the lyrics to the song:

    Artist: Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
    Song: As She’s Walking Away
    Album: You Get What You Give

    We never spoke a word but every thought she had I heard from across the room.
    We were standing face to face I couldn’t find the words to say, give me one more move.
    I don’t even know her name. I guess foolish pride’s to blame

    Chorus
    Now I’m fallin’ in love as she’s walking away
    And my heart won’t tell my mind to tell my mouth what it should say.
    May have lost this battle, live to fight another day, now I’m fallin’ in love as she’s walking away.

    Wise man next to me did say about the one that got away, son I missed my chance.
    Don’t you let regret take place of the dreams you have to chase, ask her to dance…go on son. You might fall down on your face. Roll the dice and have some faith.

    Chorus(2)
    Don’t be fallin’ in love as she’s walking away, when your heart won’t tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should say.
    May have lost this battle, live to fight another day, don’t be fallin’ in love, as she’s walking away.

    You might fall down on your face, roll the dice and have some faith.

    Chorus(2)
    And don’t be fallin’ in love as she’s walking away, when your heart won’t tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should
    say. May have lost this battle, live to fight another day, don’t be fallin’, fallin’ in, fallin’ in love, as she’s walking
    away.

  • She says she doesn’t want to be anyones GF?

    The Question:

    She said to me she doesn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend?
    We have only been seeing each other for a month, she said this morning she likes me but she just doesn’t want to be anybody’s girlfriend. Then she wouldn’t really kiss me, so I left, but she grabbed me at the door to make me stay and said she wants for me to come around tonight. I don’t really get it… I don’t mind it being casual but it seems like there should be some free space for whatever it is to move into. Is she waiting around for someone better? Because I’m not and I don’t want to……

    My Response:

    Dear Stuck;

    You have options… Either tell her how you feel straight forward, either you are dating to be more than friends or you’re just friends, but either way be honest and straight forward with her (tell her to stop sending you mixed signals and to stop playing games) if nothing is going to happen then move on. There are plenty other girls out there that want to be in a relationship, and if you are that type of guy then move on. You can either stick it out and see where she is going with this, or you can be honest with how you feel, figure out what it is she really wants and go from there. Don’t waste time on a girl that doesn’t know what she wants.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    I found this question on Answers.Yahoo.com

  • 10 Reasons you should Leave him/her…

    10 Reasons you should Leave:

    The most obvious of them all:

    10. You are physically or emotionally abused
    9. You aren’t happy in your relationship
    8. You barely talk/communicate to each other
    7. You both want different things in life (ie: career, place to live, marriage, children etc).
    6. He/She cheated on you

    and so what other reasons can there be?

    5. He/She is no longer straight but likes the same sex (ie: lesbian/gay) If you are already a lesbian or gay (the person decided that they aren’t a lesbian or gay and wants to date the opposite sex).
    4. He/She will never live with out their parents/family ruling them on every decision they make
    3. You have nothing in common
    2. You are not physically attracted to the person you are dating

    And the number 1 reason why you should leave someone

    1. You are simply NOT IN LOVE

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • 52 Weeks of Awesome


    52 Weeks of Awesome

    Have you heard about Pace & Kyeli? Neither had I until one day I stumbled across a link on Twitter that took me to their website, Connection-Revolution.com. I was inspired by one of Kyeli’s posts, well written, written from the heart kind of story. You can read up on the About Page on Pace & Kyeli’s website.

    So the other day I was going through my twitter feed when I noticed a post from Pace on her website, from another fellow twitter friend named @Caffeinatedelf — her story — A more Awesome Me, I read with definite detail how this woman’s life had changed and how? From two people who inspired people to register and buy their e-book called 52 WEEKS TO AWESOME! The story behind it from Pace & Kyeli themselves:

    How did the idea come to start?

    When we wrote our first book, The Usual Error (http://usualerror.com),we found that even though we were writing about communication, deep down, we were really writing about personal development. So, for our second book, we wrote about personal development directly.

    Why personal development?

    Because it’s a topic near and dear to our hearts. We’re passionate about it and our lives are full of it. To explain why we wrote our second book in the form of an e-course instead of a regular book, I’ll refer you to this blog post:
    Connection-Revolution.com

    Whose idea was it?

    Both of ours. The two of us were having a fun conversation in Austin Java in 2009, brainstorming potential product ideas. We came up with about 5, including “How to Be Awesome”. We sent our readers a survey,asking them which of the 5 ideas they were most interested in. “How to Change the World with Your Writing” was #1, so we did that first. It became the World-Changing Writing Workshop Worldchangingwriting.com. “How to Be Awesome” came in second, so we did that one next. (:

    With love,
    ~Pace & Kyeli~

    Most people don’t try to inspire others, some just take their knowledge of how to make your life just a little bit better and keep it to themselves, but Pace & Kyeli have brought it to whoever wants it. I don’t know if it works by experience but just read their blog and find out for yourself. Unfortunately Pace & Kyeli told me that Registration was closed for the 52 weeks of awesome but it will be back sometime next year.

    Good luck Pace & Kyeli in all your ventures and keep inspiring people the way you do.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Happy Turkey Day…

    Happy Turkey Day…

    Today not only do I celebrate Thanksgiving but it is also my anniversary. Today is a day to give thanks to many things, what do you give thanks for?

    I give thanks for:

    My family
    My boyfriend (who I love)
    My friends
    My job
    The roof over my head
    The food we eat
    I give thanks to god for keeping me strong and keeping me sane when we think things are at our worst.

    Remember life isn’t easy for anyone, even those who look like they have everything they don’t. Look at the famous people who look like they have it all but can’t keep a marriage, look at some people who might have it all but loose it to the addiction of drugs, or the people who are strong but have lost love ones. Everyone goes through hard times, and no one person is perfect. Today I give thanks for the many blessings we do have in our lives. Today I give thanks to you (for supporting soapnights & keeping it going). Today I give thanks…

    ps Happy Anniversary baby, may more years follow the happiness and the journey we have together. i love you.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    Happy Turkey Day~

  • My husbands abusive & I have a 4 mo. old baby…

    The Question:

    Help please Marriage problems……?

    So to start it off I am almost 20 and my hubby is 31 and I have a 4 month old baby and we have been married for 13 months. Our marriage is on the rocks we don’t have good communication we are always arguing everyday, I am not happy in this marriage my husband is CRAZY and when I say crazy I mean it; he is the most abusive person I have met. If I say anything he wont like he will go OFF and throw anything in front of him! He hits me in public, like just today he bashed me in the car while he was holding my baby girl and all I said was that my girl will choose what she wants to be when she grows up and I know it wont be something bad and he’s like no she will be a religious person she will be a religious lecturer and she wont choose I will! I am so fed up I hate his narrow minded thinking…..he tells me he loves me but does all this =/ I am sooooooooo belittled he says I am fat and to loose weight so that we can have sex! We haven’t done it for 10 months but sex is not the issue its his anger and narrow minded thinking I am soooo emotionally wrecked I feel like killing myself but then think of my baby girl and I cant leave this world and leave her with him! He wants this perfect wife who is slim beautiful and bows down to him who listens to everything he says and doesn’t say a word, he’s just kidding himself!!

    He’s changed my personality, my thinking, my mental state, and I have ZERO self esteem and no confidence and my family hates me and him they haven’t seen me in 3 yrs and I haven’t talked to anyone in my family for 2 years. I am going to go mental I don’t know what to do….

    Additional Details
    I am still trying to make this marriage work because I don’t want my baby girl to grow up without her dad. I didn’t have my dad half of my life and it sucked! Please help….

    My Response:

    Dear too young;

    You need to take a breather, and relax for a moment, what you are going through is something no person should have to withstand. Stop and think about not only yourself but the life of your daughter. You don’t want your daughter growing up with out her father, but do you think it’s okay for her to grow up with a father who abuses her mom and most likely will abuse her one day too? I know it wasn’t easy for you growing up without a father, but it’s better than growing up with one that is abusive. You need to have respect for yourself, don’t let him put you down and don’t let him abuse you any longer. Have the courage to pick up the phone and talk to your family, I am sure if you talk to them and let them know what is going on they will help you. If they don’t want to help (which I don’t see why they wouldn’t), then you need to be stronger than you will ever have to be for your baby. Get out of that marriage and save yourself and your child from more hurt and pain. It is never OKAY for a man to put his hands on a women and belittle her in front of others. You are still very young and you have your whole life ahead of you, take action and get out now.

    There are support groups for abused women and if you feel that you aren’t safe leaving, call the police, get the help you need to get out of that abusive relationship and save yourself and your daughters life.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    I found this question on Answers.Yahoo.com

  • Losing the people we love…

    Life’s struggles:

    In life we lose the people we love, sometimes something as simple as a breakup and other times something called forever. We live our lives not realizing that tomorrow is not guaranteed and we take advantage of the people we love. Sometimes we don’t even get the chance to tell them we love them because we had a petty argument. This week I’ve seen a bosses dad pass away, a friends mom and the faith they hold inside, that things really do happen for a reason.

    In the end…

    It’s inevitable to avoid the fact that one day we are going to lose someone we love. Whether it’s our grandparents, our parents, our spouse, and some people lose people they never thought possible, their children. We don’t know why things happen and we don’t know why we have to lose the people we love and go through that pain, but it’s a pain that no one can truly explain, even though at one point in our lives we have all felt it or we are going to feel it one day. Life doesn’t teach us how to deal with losing someone we love, it doesn’t teach us how to cope or how to keep living our lives without them, we just do.

    The day comes…

    The day comes when we have to feel that pain, we have to cry and we have to grieve and we have to keep living without the people we love. This is why it’s so important to not take advantage of the people you love, make sure to tell them you love them and make sure that no matter what happens you are there. For that one split second in time when your life stops, when your heart stops, we grieve for the person we lost, and we hold that sadness inside of us in which we hope will only make us stronger and we continue to live our daily lives without them, because the world doesn’t stop for us, the world doesn’t let us cry on it’s shoulder and it doesn’t let us understand why things happen for a reason. Sometimes we ask why? but there never seems to be an answer, and we keep moving forward. Life stops for no one, so don’t stop living, don’t stop believing and don’t stop telling the people you love that you love them, because at the end of the day, the world keeps moving forward, we keep moving forward.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Weekend Menu-Stuffed meatballs & more…

    The Weekend Menu:

    This weekend I decided to try a few recipes. I tried a recipe from Rachael Ray Mozzerella stuffed chicken sausage balls with a tomato basil sauce. I decided to switch it up a bit since I couldn’t find chicken sausage in my local grocery store.

    Ingredients:

    – 2 lbs of Italian Sausage (1 sweet & 1 mild) you can get hot if you like it a little more spicy.
    – 1 tub bocconcini, bite size fresh mozzarella in water
    – 1 tub grated Pecorino Romano
    – 1 tub good quality fresh pesto from the refrigerated cases of the market (I got the pesto/basil).
    – Olive Oil
    – 1 large can of whole tomatoes
    – 1 box of whole wheat spaghetti pasta
    – Salt & Pepper to season
    – Non-stick baking sheet
    – Potato smasher

    How to make the meatballs:

    Note: 2 lbs of sausage makes about 12 big meatballs. I bought one sweet and one mild sausage, take the casing off the sausage and mix together.

    Take the mozzarella balls out of the water and pat with a dry paper towel to take off the excess water.

    (While preparing the meatballs – boil some water for the pasta, when it comes to a boil put about a tablespoon of olive oil in the water and about a teaspoon of salt. Let pasta cook about 10 to 15 minutes or until al dente.)

    Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. – Take some of the sausage meat and make a whole in the middle to place the mozzarella ball, make into a ball and place on non-stick baking sheet. Continue to do this with the sausage mixture until you are done. Drizzle a little olive oil over the meatballs and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. (It depends on your oven so just check it after 15 minutes, if they aren’t completely browned on the outside leave it in the oven for a few more minutes.)

    Making the Sauce:

    The sauce is really simple. While the meatballs are cooking in the oven, place the can of tomatoes in a saucepan, season with salt and paper (about 1 teaspoon – taste to your desire). Take a potato masher and mash the tomatoes (if you like it more chunky then you can just smash it a few times, if you don’t like the chunkiness of the tomatoes you can always place the sauce in a blender.) Let boil and lower heat to low heat. Place 1/2 cup of the pesto in the sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes.

    You can either leave the sauce in the pan and pour it over your pasta or like I prefer it, I mix it in with the pasta. I drained the pasta and placed it in the pot and poured the tomato/basil (pesto) mixture in with the pasta. I placed the meatballs on the side of the plate & sprinkler pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese.

    My boyfriend isn’t a big fan of spaghetti with meatballs, but these aren’t just any ordinary meatballs, they are sausage meatballs stuffed with mozzarella. You can’t go wrong….even my boyfriend loved it.

    Hot and Sour Soup:

    I got this recipe off of Myrecipes.com

    Ingredients

    – 5 dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce)
    – (The recipe asks for: 5 dried wood ear mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce) I couldn’t find wood ear mushrooms in my grocery store so I got Oyster mushrooms (worked just as good)
    – 1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
    – 2 1/4 cups water, divided
    – 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
    – 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    – 1/4 cup rice vinegar
    – 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
    – 1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    – 1/2 pound reduced-fat firm or extrafirm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
    – 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
    – 4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
    – 1/2 cup chopped green onions
    – 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
    – 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil (I used light sesame oil)
    – Chili Sauce/Oil optional (I used Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce – you can find it in the international section of your grocery store).

    How to make it:

    Remove stems from mushrooms then place the mushrooms in a small sauce; cover with boiling water. Cover and let stand 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Thinly slice mushrooms; set aside.

    Combine broth, 2 cups water, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Add mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, and tofu; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

    Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Slowly pour egg whites into broth mixture in a steady stream, stirring constantly but gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; stir in onions, cilantro, and sesame oil. Drizzle with chili sauce/oil, if desired. (I put about 1 teaspoon of the chili sauce in mine to make it a little hotter).


    Sunday Football appetizer:

    Note: I got a coupon for Bob Evans sausage and with it came a recipe called “sausage cups”. I couldn’t find Bob Evan sausage in my grocery store so I opted for which ever sausage you can find in your grocery store. (Original style sausage 1 lb).

    Ingredients:

    – 1 pound (Bob Evans or any) Original Sausage Roll
    – 1 package Won Ton Wrappers (I used the 16ounce won ton wrappers because it comes with more)
    – 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (Or I used Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers for a touch of spice).
    – 1 cup Cheddar Cheese (or I used sharp cheddar), shredded
    – 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing (I used a Ranch dressing with cucumber)
    – mini muffin tins (I used a regular sized muffin tin if you don’t have the mini tins)


    How to make the sausage cups:

    Preheat oven to 350° F. Crumble sausage into medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Drain. Spray muffin tins and insert won ton wrappers to form a small cup (because my muffin tin was larger I put two won ton wrappers together in a diagonal form to make them a little larger to pop out of the muffin tin). Bake 5 minutes in preheated oven. Allow wrappers to cool. Mix sausage, cheeses and ranch dressing together. Fill won ton wrappers. Bake for 10 minutes until bubbly. (With the double won ton wrappers I had to bake it for 10 minutes in the beginning instead of 5 and later for about 10 minutes with the mixture).

    This dish was absolutely DELISH — I am definitely going to make this for the next Sunday Football game.

    Hope you enjoy these recipes and if you have more to share, let me know 🙂

    xo,
    kristin nicole

  • Follow up on Madison Schafer (Brain Tumor)

    Follow up 11/12/10:

    Today we rejoice, if you are the family of Madison Schafer, if you are a friend, or even if you are a stranger who came to know her story, yesterday the Schafer family found out that the Cancer has finally left Madison’s body. With a few months of not knowing what will happen the family can finally rest in peace knowing that Madison will survive. Miracles do happen, they happen everyday, we just have to have a little faith, a little positiveness in our lives, a little prayer and Miracles do happen. The survival rate for CNS tumors is around 60%, Madison beat those odds and we are so grateful and happy for Madison and her family. Today the Schafer family celebrates that Madison is now Cancer Free! It will still be a year of chemo and radiation, to be sure all or any lingering cancerous cells are wiped out, but the 9% brain tumor IS GONE… and the year 2016 is still the date.. because they say she has to be 5 years after her last chemo without any signs of cancer to be claimed “cancer free”…
    (Schafer). You will pull through Madison you are a strong, beautiful little girl. We will keep you in our thoughts and in our prayers.

    xo
    kristin nicole

    GOD BLESS

    Following up 10/19/10:

    Madison has had a very long day and has been so good. She had 2 of the chemo’s injected into her spine and a spinal tap this morning and is now having 2 of the chemo’s through her port, one of which will be 72 hours long. The Doctor has lessened the strength of the chemo by 45% so her body will be able to handle the dosage better. Her white blood count has dropped rapidly as she started out the day at a count of 12 and is now down to 2.2. Pray for her body to be able to fight any infections.

    Due to the nature of her immune system, Chris and Susie ask that she receive no visitors in the hospital at this time. Hopefully, by the end of this week, she will be back home building back her strength and recuperating.

    Madison did continue to eat solid foods while she was having chemo, which is an excellent sign. And she made her daddy’s day when she ate one of his birthday cupcakes!!! So far, she seems to be handling the chemotherapy, but she still has 3 more days to go.

    PRAY! MAD LOVE! ~Written By: Madisonsstory.com~

    Madison’s Story-

    Update: 09/22/10 – Written By: Diane Schafer:

    “Celebration time.. come on!” Yes, Madison is home and we are so so very happy to have her home with her family. And we can tell, just by her face and body language that she is so happy too!!! What a difference it makes to be in her familiar surroundings and see her bah-bah Colin and mommy and daddy and Nona and Angel and Grammy all together. Popop had to deliver their dog, Charlie to our dear friends house who will take care of their dog until Maddie is better, so Popop will get to see Maddie at home soon.

    Madison came home to balloons and roses and a HUGE “Welcome Home Madison” sign on the front lawn which was printed by Vivian and her husband… what a special surprise for us all. I think I have heard Susie and Chris repeatedly say “It is so good to be home” … probably at least 20 times so far. Everyone will sleep good tonight. Nothing like a fresh shower at your own home. Madison had a nice warm bubble bath when she got home and everyone took a turn holding her. She hasn’t fallen asleep yet, because I don’t think she wants to miss a thing. Her Aunt (Titi) Claudia arrives tonight, so she will have plenty to keep her busy.

    She gets one whole day off from treatments and chemo. Friday she will be back to the hospital for a spinal injection of chemo and some other tests, so it might be another long day as an out patient. Physical and speech therapy will begin and daily shots at home will start and then a regular routine of out-patient chemo therapy. It is still a long road.. but it will be a ROAD TO RECOVERY. We have faith that God has a plan and Madison will be healed. The power of prayer is awesome and we can’t thank you enough for continuing to keep Madison in your prayers, as we know this is only the beginning of Madison’s Miracles.

    All our love, the Schafers and Navas.

    My thoughts:

    I am so happy that Madison is finally home with her loving family. This family is extremely strong and I think they will pull through this just fine. My prayers will continue for Madison and her family & I hope that you will do the same.

    Remember you can help donate to help pay the medical bills or help send gift cards for food etc. to Madison Scahfer.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    Below were earlier updates and what is going on with Madison

    Update: 09/21/10 – This is the condition that Madison has:


    General Information About Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor

    Central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain.

    Central nervous system (CNS) atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a very rare, fast-growing tumor of the brain and spinal cord. It usually occurs in children younger than three years of age, although it can occur in older children and adults.

    About half of these tumors form in the cerebellum or brain stem. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls movement, balance, and posture. The brain stem controls breathing, heart rate, and the nerves and muscles used in seeing, hearing, walking, talking, and eating. AT/RT may also be found in other parts of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).


    Update: September 18th – DAY ONE CHEMO:     Written by Diane Schafer

    Today has been a long and difficult day for Maddie. She had about 4 procedures done this morning, including cat scan, all kinds of base line tests, blood, eyes, hearing, vital signs etc. Then she had a spinal tap and then 30 minutes of chemo. She was brought back up to the room and actually looked great. She was wide awake and smiling and responding. But then after awhile she threw up twice, but then she was ok. She hasn’t napped but looked pretty tired… duh… who wouldn’t be. Now she is getting a ultra sound on both legs because the morning cat scan showed a spot on one leg, which might be a clot. She is such a trooper and only cries when a nurse comes in the room to do more tests… she is smart too, cause she knows they are up to something. They are going to do 8 hours of chemo next and then tomorrow they will do 24 hours of chemo, then a day of rest (ummmm it’s about time) and then 72 hours of chemo. The adage,” life is not fair” comes to mind when I see all that little Maddie is going through… no parent should have to watch their little child suffer. But I know there is hope in her future and many more daily victories in store for the Schafers. I am so appreciative of the many messages I am receiving from other parents who had a child with cancer and are now celebrating 5 years of cancer free life. I even heard from a mom whose child had the exact same rare cancer as Madison and had the proton treatment and had such encouraging words of hope as her child has fought and won the battle and is cancer free. Please continue to spread the word of Madison’s Story, and in 2016 we will pop the champagne cork and throw a huge party… because that is when the Doctor said Madison will be cancer free!

    (The story)
    Madison’s Grandmother Diane, sent me a beautiful thank you note on Face-Book for posting about Madison on my website.

    Her strength that she portrays in her writing is remarkable. It amazes me how people can be so strong and have such faith in God to pull us through, it is not only an inspiration but an eye opener to people who think their world is falling apart around them. In times of hardship we sometimes close ourselves off and we forget that there are people out there that care, there are people out there with compassion and understanding. Today I wanted to post the update on Madison that her grandmother Diane posted from her facebook.

    UPDATE on Madison:

    As most of you know either from us directly or through facebook, our grand-daughter, Madison, 20 months old, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. She is the daughter of our son, Chris and wife Susie and has a 5 yr. old brother Colin. One of the questions we are asked most often, is how or why did we know to check for a tumor? Or what were the signs?

    Briefly, Madison was just fine until about a week ago when she started showing signs of a cold, cranky, slept a lot and cried a lot, which definitely was not her personality. Susie had taken her to the pediatrician and he said it was a small ear infection and 4 new teeth were coming in…. take antibiotics and it will be fine. But after a few days it was getting worse, so they took her to an Urgent Care emergency and they said the same thing. Thursday morning, Ethel (Susie’s mom) had Madison and she looked worse and lethargic and her eyes were “rolling around” in their sockets, and she looked dazed. Ethel said this isn’t right and took her to Baptist Hospital ER. Fortunately the ER doctor saw the signs of the eyes rolling around and said she should have a CAT scan and that is when the very large tumor was seen in her brain. Almost 2 1/2 inches in her tiny little brain. Everything from that point on was fast and she was rushed to an MRI for a 3-D image of the tumor and by 10:00pm that same night she was undergoing 7 hours of brain surgery. They were able to remove 90% of the tumor, but the final 10% could not be removed and is cancerous. Tomorrow, Wednesday, they hope to get back the results as to what kind of cancer it is and how aggressive, so they will know what type of chemo treatment she needs. Tomorrow they will do a 3rd MRI to be sure there is no other cancer in her spine or other parts of her body, and they will also do surgery to implant a port for the chemo.

    Needless to say, our world has been turned upside down, but by the Grace of God, she has shown remarkable progress in her recovery. We truly believe God has been with us every step of the way, as there have been so many “Godinstances” of things just falling into place to make things happen; like the ER Doctor being on that shift when he wasn’t suppose to be there because his daughter had died of a tumor one week earlier and knew to request a CAT scan because of what had just happened to his daughter, and the newly hired neuro-surgeon who had already done 3 brain surgeries that day and was suppose to go home, but was still there for Madison at 10:00pm. There are so many more stories, but God knows each and everyone of them and we just praise him.

    FINALLY, I would like everyone to share this link with everyone else they know and spread the word. Madison’s pre-school, “Kids for Kids Academy”, has set up a link on their website for support and updates about Madison. Please click the following link and leave a comment for Chris and Susie.

    (Story above written by: Diane Schafer)

    You can help donate HERE.

    My thoughts:

    When I read about Madison all the small problems like worrying about school, or a little neck ache don’t compare, it reminds me to stop complaining and to just deal with life, because there are worse things that can happen. Like poor Madison who is only 20 months old, diagnosed with a brain tumor that is cancerous. There are always worse things out there, we just have to remember to take the bad with the good, have faith, remember that god is there for us and that he will pull us through. I truly believe everything happens for a reason, I don’t think that a child or family should have to suffer this way, and I don’t know why the reasons are what they are, but you have to be grateful for the small things, like Diane said the ER doctor wasn’t even supposed to be there because his own daughter just passed away from a brain tumor a week prior, yet he was there, and he noticed the signs that his daughter had, and if it hadn’t been for him, maybe another doctor would have diagnosed Madison with the same thing the other two doctors had diagnosed her with (teething and an ear infection). If he didn’t order that CAT scan… (well we don’t even want to go there), and the Surgeon who was already there, ready to go home after 3 surgeries, how he pulled through and continue to do what he does (save lives). These are the kind of the doctors we have to be thankful for, thankful to god for putting them in our world to make it better. God bless you Madison and my prayers are with you and your family.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    Update: 09/17/10 – Madison’s Grandmother wrote on her Face-book wall: I’m aware now!!! Madison was diagnosed with a very rare cancer that affects only 1% of cancer patients, called AT/RT. she begins Chemo tomorrow. (Written 09/16/10)

    More Updates as I hear or see them …. God bless

  • Is there hope after love?


    The Question:

    “I don’t love you any more” I will never forget the day my wife told me those words…we have only been married for less than a year and been together for two years before that but it still felt like my my whole life was falling apart…people tell me I’m lucky we had no kids or that it happened now instead of 20 years down the road but that doesn’t seem to take away from the fact that I love her more than any thing…to be told your not loved by the person you built your world around will knock you down and I’m finding it very hard to get back up. I’ve moved away and I’m starting a new job but my hart seems to be stuck in the past, I still love her even thought I know there is no real hope of us ever being together again. I’ve started drinking which I never do but it seems to be the only thing that takes away some of the pain if only for a few hours; anyway this is not really a question its just me asking for others story of hope and recovery from losing love. Please tell me how you got over your loss of love and that’s its going to get better…right????

    My Response:

    Dear Lost Love;

    Being told by the person you think you’re going to spend the rest of your life with that they don’t love you anymore is heartbreaking, world shattering news. It’s like a train runs you over and you can’t move. A brick wall is standing in front of you and you don’t know where to go. Truth is, even though it hurts right now, and even though you feel like you will always love her and only her, time passes and does heal all wounds. It is true what people say, it’s better now that you didn’t have kids together, it’s better now than 20 years down the road after you lived half your life together, it’s just better now. This is true, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to make you feel better about the situation. You have to think though, did you want to stay in a marriage full of lies, filled with someone you loved so much but doesn’t love you back in return? Don’t you think you deserve to be loved the way you love them? There is no big secret about how to move on, there is no “do this”; “do that”, and you will get over it. Everyone is different and we all move on in different ways. As for your drinking, if it’s to try to make the pain go away, then that’s a problem, drinking doesn’t solve sadness, it only increases it. If you are noticing that you are drinking more, than you should be able to control it. It’s not easy moving forward when you thought you already had your life planned out with someone, but this is a new beginning, you have a new job a new place a new life…Think positive, I know it’s hard, but I promise, things do get better.

    xo,
    kristin nicole

    I found this question on Answers.Yahoo.com