Scrapbooking again...

...and boy does it feel good! On saturday I went to a crop and I was able to complete 15 layouts so I was really happy about that considering I got there at about 11am and left about 8pm...plus I took a break for lunch and again for dinner. Here are just a few of the pages I completed. I'm getting close to being done with Robert's deployment stuff and when he was home he was looking through some of the pages and I hope he liked them and will be able to share them with his children and grandchildren someday.

Spamalot

Wow, I haven't blogged in like 12 days!! Needless to say I was super busy while I was down in Florida taking care of mom. She is making progress in her rehabilitation and I am so proud of her for being determined and working hard. I came home on wednesday night and it was really hard to leave her but I had to get back to my life here and take care of things for myself before I head back down when they send her home, not to mention I had to get Alex back here so he can go back to school on monday.

I had a really wonderful time at Spamalot, the show is so funny and it did me a world of good to laugh out loud. My friend Sue and I had 3rd row seats and while I knew that they picked someone from the audience every night and brought them up on stage as part of the show I never in a million years imagined that it would be MY SEAT!!
I thought it was so funny the way they do it and then I turned to my right and Clay is reaching out to shake my hand, I had totally forgot that he was there...hahahaha. My friend told me that he doesn't always shake the hand of the person they bring on stage, sometimes he pulls his hand away at the last second as part of the show...but he shook mine and then they take your picture with a polaroid and give it to you along with an award...too cool...I have a great memory of the day to scrapbook now!! Can't wait to work on that page but I have to wait for my friend Sue to get me a copy of the picture we had someone take of the 2 of us outside the theatre afterwards. It cracked me up that everyone was congratulating me on the way out of the theatre saying how great I did, that I was funny and one person wanted my autograph. What a crack up!!

It's going to be a busy week ahead with doctor's appointments for me and Alex and I have 2 meetings at Alex's current school and the middle school that he'll be moving up to in the fall.

What have I done for myself lately?

Sometimes we get so busy with our lives and taking care of our families and obligations that we forget about the most important person that we need to do for and by that I mean ourselves. I've often been told that if you don't take care of yourself you'll be no good to anyone so always do something for you and the rest will fall into place.

So what is on tap for Linda?


Well it's no secret that I love music, especially live stuff and I had the opportunity on thursday night to see a great musician for the second time, Richard Marx.

Since I've had a few people ask me who RM is I figure I would refresh your memory...he's put out hits such as:

• Don't mean nothing
• Endless Summer Nights
• Now and Forever
• Should've known better
• Hold on to the nights
• Right here waiting

Aside from his own hits he has written for a slew of other artists.


As always it was a great show filled with some new music and old 80's tunes that he's most known for. We also had a rare treat in that Billy Squier showed up and played 2 songs with Richard including one of his hits, Everybody wants you.




Tomorrow.....

Let's see....oh yeah, I'm going to see Spamalot on Broadway with my friend Sue and hopefully it will be a nice day and we can walk to the theatre and I don't have to use the subway. Oh yeah, Clay Aiken is in the play right now...bonus!


I got up this morning and enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee and then took myself out for a haircut and a pedicure and I really enjoyed all of the pampering, especially the massage chair in the nail salon.

Reading....

I'm in the middle of reading 3 different books right now. Yikes, I don't know what I've gotten myself into but I know that when I read it enriches my life (well ok...maybe not the fiction stuff) because ultimately I learn something about myself with every book that I finish. I'm currently reading Randy Pausch's book, "The Last Lecture" and I continue to follow his journey on his website as I have ever since I learned of his fight with pancreatic cancer, having lost my dad to this disease.


Working at a library is great because I always know what great new books are coming out and I just was at work yesterday and putting books away and this one caught my eye so I put it on the side and took it home to read, I think it will be a quick read and possibly I'll get through it on the flight to mom's on monday morning.

Oh and I'm also reading A New Earth, the Oprah book club selection...having a hard time and reading it really slowwwwwwwwwwlyyyyyyyyy...seriously like 2 pages a day, if I'm lucky...it's a lot to absorb. I need to download the lessons and watch them from the first few chapters. Anyone else reading this book?



I will be in Florida for at least the next 10 days, maybe longer depending on what is going on with mom and how she is progressing with her therapy. Please continue to lift her up in prayer as she begins some intensive therapy to regain her strength in order to be able to go home. She is being transferred to the rehabilitation hospital as I type this.

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog and comments and most of all for all of your supportive and kind words. I am blessed.

Why I blog...

I started this blog in October of 2006 and the main reason I started it was for my mom so that she could see my scrapbook pages and also pictures of our daily lives and happenings since she lives in Florida and we're in New York. I've tried to visit as much as possible so that Alex can stay close with his grandma and last year we actually made the trip 4 times. I am grateful for all of the visits we have had and for the opportunity to make memories especially now that mom is fighting brain cancer.

I'd like to ask everyone that reads my blog to please add my mom to any prayers that you can because we sure could use all the help we can get right now. Brain cancer is a really hard road to travel and sometimes finding just the right medication to control all of the side effects is not easy. We're dealing with seizures right now and hoping and praying that mom can come out of this. I took this picture of mom at the beginning of February when I took her for her radiation treatment...first of 30 treatments she would get along with chemotherapy. On another note, I've been so happy to have all of my handsome sons at home at the same time these past couple of weeks and now that Robert has returned to his base in Hawaii to continue working and training the next batch of young Marines until the end of the year I pray that the time goes by quickly and he is back home with us soon. As long as this Marine mom doesn't have to endure her son being deployed again I can get through the separation--Robert has served 2 tours of duty in Iraq and I am grateful to our GOD for bringing him home safely both times. Don't I have the greatest looking boys?
Of course the picture taking while my boys sleep obsession went into high gear for me. Alex has been sleeping more soundly and I don't know if it's because he knows everyone is home and together or that he's really tired at the end of a full day.Robert didn't sleep in his bed much when he was home...he opted for the couch for several reasons, the main one being that we had Angela stay with us a few times but also he found the floor worked better for his back when he did sleep in his room. Jesse has been a studying machine the past few weeks and I've been proud of watching his determination to do well this semester. Please keep him in your prayers as he winds down the last few weeks of a very full load of psychology classes. I can't remember seeing this kid without a book in his hand or in front of his face for a while now....I hope it helps. :)