ATV Waterfall Tour

Hope you enjoy viewing our pics from the ATV Waterfall Tour ride we went on while on our honeymoon in Kauai, Hawaii. It's hard to tell who we are in some of the pics. This was so much fun. We started at 7am for a four hour tour. We drove back through the West side of Kauai. It's beautiful country. Not very commercial. Mostly everything is old. For this trip the company supplies you with an over sized, very worn in, pair of camo pants, t-shirt, goggles and a rag. I knew there was a chance we'd hit some small mud puddles, but the very first day we were in Kauai, it rained ALL day. We went to two waterfalls, had a picnic lunch and found a lot of MUD holes, not puddles!!!!! If you are ever in Hawaii, you have to do this. It's a blast!

Enjoy!

Slaughtered Wolf Pups in Alaska? Step up Palin!

If you love all God's creatures, as I do, act now on this petition. This is unacceptable. Take a stand and let Palin know that this type of crime should not go unpunished.

Zoro's My Angel Now

If It Should Be
Author ~ Anonymous

If it should be that I grow weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.

You will be sad, I understand.
Don't let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day, more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.

We've had so many happy years.
What is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;
The time has come -- please let me go.

Take me where my need they'll tend,
And please stay with me till the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me,
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I've been saved.

Please do not grieve -- it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We've been so close, we two these years;
Don't let your heart hold back its tears.

Help pass the 1738 Help Protect Our Children Act 2008

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators

This link above is to help pass the 1738 Help Protect Our Children Act 2008.

It was passed by the House and is now in the Senate for vote. The Senate needs to pass this before their break on 9/26/08, so please take the time now to go to the Oprah website link above. The website gives you the Senate website to locate your senators. Then, the link goes directly to the contact page of your Senator. All you need to do is fill out your name and email address and copy and paste the letter she has created (or create your own) and send it in.

Oprah's show yesterday was dedicated to this cause. You can read more about it on the web page. Even if you don't like Oprah.....it is absolutely our responsibility to protect all children from this.

Rest in Peace

Wednesday we found out that my mom's best friend Bea passed away. I worked with Bea for many years. I've known her since I was very young. She was a very stunning woman who didn't look a day over 50 but she was 81. She had a great sense of fashion and wore stilettos up until she died. We attended her viewing Saturday and indeed she was wearing stilettos. Her family are in my prayers and I'm happy that Bea is in a more peaceful place. She left behind a little dog Noah. He was her world. I Noah will not grieve for too long.

Found out a little while ago that my step dad's mother passed away around 11:15am. I think she was ready to go be with her husband. She was a sweet woman, who always thought of my sisters and I as her grand children. She is another woman who doesn't look at day over 50. She will be sorely missed. Love you Hanna!

Well it's official... I no longer have any grand parents.

Saying Prayers

This past weekend was a roller coaster.

Friday night my mom, step-father and I went to the first 'Prayer Meeting' at our new church facility. There weren't that many people in attendance but it was a good turnout for being the first time we've ever done something like this. Pastor Rusty explained to us that we would pray for 45 minutes. We could pray by ourselves, in a group, outside, out loud, by ourselves, etc. We could pray anyway we wanted to. Being a new Christian I felt a little nervous about where I was going to pray. I knew all the people I wanted to pray for, but I've never been good at praying and always question whether I'm doing it right. Then Pastor Rusty said that there is no wrong way when it comes to praying, it's just us talking to our Heavenly Father. With that being said, I was ready to kick off my 45 minutes of prayer, when out of the blue, Pastor Rusty came over and sat on the floor in front of my family and asked if he could pray with us. DO WHAT? Out of all the people in the auditorium, he wanted to pray with us? One of the most dysfunctional families probably at the church? WOW... I felt honored! And intimidated. My fear about not praying punched me right in the stomach. I was convinced I wasn't going to speak. There was a brief minute of awkward silence, which always leaves me wondering who is going to speak up first. Thank God Pastor Rusty said he'd start us off. After he prayed, another minute of awkward silence, and then Sam began to pray. Then my mom started to pray. I was thinking to myself I want to blurt out some prayers here but I don't know how. Then all of a sudden I just did it. My first prayer went out to the Coleman Family, then my own family, then the volunteers, and then... I was on a roll. I wasn't worrying about how to pray anymore. The words may have sounded like gibberish, but God knew what I was trying to say. After the 45 minutes of prayer, we hung out with Pastor Rusty for a bit, then left. I was so proud of my mom and Sam for letting go of any fears they had about praying in front of the Pastor and for not letting feeling vulnerable heed their time to speak to our Father in Heaven. I was also proud of myself. It was an awesome experience and I hope we do it again.

Saturday was a rainy day. I didn't feel guilty for being lazy. We laid around most of the day and then went to Potomac Mills to meet up with a friend to do some shopping and grab a bite. Pretty unproductive day, but it was nice.

Sunday we woke up to a beautiful day. The rays from the sun were beaming through the window. Zelda and I went for our morning walk, which wasn't as good as I hoped for. As we walked down the street a squirrel popped out from behind a bush and Zelda freaked out. She took off and I went flying into some man's yard, whom just so happen to be outside smoking and witnessed the incident. It could've been worse I know, but thanks to my quick reflexes I was able to stay on my feet this time. Next walk I will bring a water bomb with her name on it. She better straighten up. After our walk we were getting ready to leave for church, when I checked my blackberry and there was a message from my mom letting me know that Sam's mom had a massive stroke early that morning and they didn't know if she would make it. Not such a beautiful day after all. We went to church anyway. The message just so happen to be about making a fresh start. I prayed and prayed that Hanna would pull through it. No real change as of today but there have been a few positive signs. I left Pastor Rusty know, as well as a couple other church members Sam is close to and they are going to include them in their prayers.

Monday was just a weird day. Had my dermo appointment in the morning. I spent all that time in the waiting room just to have the doctor tell me that I need to stay out of the sun. Hmm? I think I will skip medical school and just open up my own practice. More money and I can just tell you what you already know. Anyway, worked all day and then had small group. It turned out pretty good. We stayed on topic and it ended up being something I think we all needed. I'm excited to read our next book, Captivating. Left group on time for once and ended waiting at CVS for 45 mins for my prescriptions. Ridiculous! When I got home Mac told me that my mom's best friend of 30 years and my old coworker had a stroke on Saturday and they didn't know if she was going to make it. WOW... wasn't expecting that wrench to hit me as soon as I walked through the door. I called my mom and we talked until about midnight. As tired as I was, she needed me more.

I'm saddened today but all the grief my family has had to endure throughout 2008. I'm not questioning why this is happening to us anymore. I'm starting to question what are we suppose to learn from this? What does God want us to see? I haven't found the answers yet, but I haven't really asked him either. I think I'm afraid to find out.

Redskins Kickoff Game: 16-7 Loss

What the *@&(? I rushed home from work last night, ordered pizza, ran to the grocery store, and made it home to see that the Giants were up. Not a good start, but it was so early so being the die hard SKINS fan I am, I continued to root on my team and not get down on them. I watched in horror as Campbell continued to stink it up. This West Coast offense did nothing for them and it showed all night. How can you win a game when you go 3 and out for most of the game? I couldn't understand why they did exploit Cooley more. He's a good tight end (and has a night tight end) but they didn't use him that much. I'll give the SKINS credit for a better second half but I sincerely hope that this wasn't a preview of what's to come for our season.

As I logged in to read what Cooley had to say about the game, my attention was diverted to this lovely picture of him. Ladies... this should be illegal.



Let me add that my husband is a die hard COWGIRLS fan and he was very pleased with the turnout of last night's game. UGH!!!!!

My Significant Piece of Art

This year has been up and down for me.

February 12th - I was in an accident on the 12th. I was hit head on by a driver who was speeding, lost control and crossed the median. I am still recovering both mentally and physically. I know it's going to be a while before I get back to normal. If ever!

April 13th - Great day. Sam, little Marty and I were all Baptized. Rusty Baptized and ready Sam and I's personal stories. Sam Baptized little Marty and I read his personal story. Sam's sister Dee and mother Hanna came up to witness God's work in person. It was such a beautiful day.

June 7th - I got married. What more can I say?

July 16th - Worst day of my life! Losing Zoro! This will take a lot longer to recover from.

The reason I listed these dates is so I could show you something that has meaning to me.

I designed it. The wings represent the angels that I believe were with me the night of my accident. The cross is a symbol of my committment to our Heavenly Father. The paw print and Z are a sign of rememberance to Zoro because he was loved more than life and will never be forgotten. The reason for getting in on my back is simple. It's a reminder that I can't turn my back on life and those that love me, including God. So if I think about giving up all I have to do is look in the mirror and I see a reminder that 2008 has made me a much stronger person even though right now my days are really tough.

Losing Zoro - July 16, 2008

We arrived at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center, which also is an emergency hospital, at 8am on the dot. As soon as we walked in Zoro was greeted by some of the staff that he had grown fond of during his eight day stay there. They immediately took him back but Zoro wasn't himself. He could barely walk or breathe. We went outside to get some air and clear our heads.
We knew what we had to do, but waited for the doctor to come out. Finally Dr. Kilrain joined us outside and let us know that Zoro now had developed Diabetes and that his test results for Pancreatitis came back positive. So now our two year old puppy that had been at the hospital for eight days and was diagnosed with T-Cell Leukemia, now has Diabetes, and Pancreatitis too? How did this happen? Our options were to try to continue with the chemo or euthanize him. I hate that word. What an ugly word. We immediately started calling family members and texting friends letting them know that we were going to have to make a decision. We called Zoro's primary vet Dr. Berman and she rushed over. She wanted to double-check and make sure that this was the right thing to do. After talking with Dr. Kilrain and examining Zoro, she said she thought that it would be inhumane to make him suffer any longer. He was fighting for his breath and couldn't even lift his head off the ground. My step dad Sam showed up to say his goodbyes because Zoro loved him so much. They had their own special connection. It's extremely hard for me to type this right now as just the mention of his name has me in tears. After a few emotional phone calls with loved ones, we called the doctor in and told him we were going to let him go. I need to break for a minute...

We went into the room and took some time to sit with Zoro by ourselves. We said our goodbyes and stroked his head and showered him with kisses. Dr. Kilrain came in and asked if we were ready. Of course we're not ready. We all sat on the floor around him. At 10:30am... the the first shot... he's sleeping. The second shot... stopped his heart. My heart was screaming, "No wait, take it back, wake him up, do something, do anything, just bring him back to me." I lost control. He's gone. I stayed a few more minutes and then left. The drive home was silent. When we got home we immediately got Zelda and took her outside but she wouldn't go off the back deck. She stayed so close by our sides. She knew. I know it. We sat out back for a little while because it was Zoro's favorite place to be. Both of us cried and held each other tightly. There was a weird silence during that time. No birds were chirping, no dogs barking, not even sounds of the construction works across the street. It was unexplainable!

That leads me to the here and now. What a way to start our new journey together right? I'm getting better at moving on and Mac has already done that. Everyone handles grief differently. I just wish I could get to that point. When I have my bad days, Mac picks up the slack with Zelda and showers her with lots of hugs and kisses. I cry at least once or twice a day, and some days are worse than others. I don't know why I still have feelings like he's around and just not home. I don't want reality to set in. I just want my baby back!

R.I.P Zoro... you're forever in our hearts!

I wanted to share some pics of Zoro when he was at his happiest. This is the way I want to remember him.

Honeymoon - Kauai, Hawaii

What an experience! Kauai is awesome. There is so much to tell. Our adventure didn't start out so great. Left Dulles at 9:30am EST, got to LA around 1:30pm, found out they cancelled our direct flight to Kauai. They managed to get us on a flight thank goodness but we had to fly into Honolulu and then onto Kauai. We ended landing in Kauai at 9:30pm their time, which would be 3:30am our time back here. UH, we were exhausted, but we were happy to be there. The rest of our week was awesome. We went site-seeing, saw a real Luau, went on an very messy ATV Waterfall Tour and yes, Mac was driving and purposely hit every puddle he could find. We go to play around in two beautiful waterfalls and had a nice picnic lunch. I have to say, it was fun, but I was happy to get out of that dune buggy. When we got back to base camp I got chased by a wild hog. Yes, a wild hog. But you see I survived. We also went on a Catamaran Tour to the Napali Coast. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Just miles of uninhabited land. Breathtaking! We went snorkeling with the fish, which was fun but I kept inhaling water. I am just not as coordinated as I used to be. I mean come on, you have to stick your head in the water, float, keep the tube above the water, all while trying to breathe. Are you serious? It just wasn't working for me but it was fun and I'm glad that I tried it. Mac was great at it, but had a habit of nailing people in the head with his fins. Yup, he'd flap on their heads and keep going. The other half of the time we were there we stayed out at the pool/lagoon at the hotel. The Hilton was so nice and they had a slide, which Mac really enjoyed. I worked on my tan and returned to VA looking for like Mac's sister than his wife. LOL! I will post pics as soon as I get them uploaded. Keep checking back for updated.