Safe at Home...Rememberance

Several months ago, I told you all that my sister, Lisa, was being deployed to the Middle East, well, she has made it home safely and unharmed. Our family is very grateful to have her home and thank you all for your prayers and good blessings, they are greatly appreciated. However, this Memorial Day please don't forget about all those who have not made it home alive and pray for all those that are still fighting on behalf of our country. They are giving the ultimate sacrifice for our futures.

They Keep Us Free

by Roger J. Robicheau

In time of need their will is sure

American, their freedom pure

Protect our life and liberty

Unselfishly, they keep us free

Each soldier knows what is at stake

The risk is grave, there’s no mistake

With pride they serve our country strong

They face each foe to come along

Remember them while in your home

Or where you choose to freely roam

Don’t take for granted what you see

Some left this life, so it could be

To God I urge you all to pray

For soldier’s brave, to face each day

We should be thankful, one and all

For those who march to meet each call.

386 Pages of Disappointment!

I normally tell you about books that I really enjoyed and think have a great story, well, this time is different. I was so extremely excited about Jennifer Weiner's new book when I first heard it was being released, well needless to say, I was utterly disappointed by her latest novel Certain Girls. It's a shame because I love this author and I especially loved the prequel to this book Good in Bed; I loved it so much that I couldn't put it down. Well, with this one I had to force myself to stay awake. The first 250 pages are so extremely frustrating to get through, not to mention ridiculously confusing. You see, there are two main characters, Cannie and Joy, and every other chapter is from their point of view, except you do not know that until you actually read the chapter. I think that if the chapters were structured differently it would have been a lot less frustrating. Now, after I struggled through these first two hundred pages I was pleasantly surprised by the plot twist. I don't want to give away the best part, but I was overcome when I reached this point. It was a complete surprise how the ending turned out, but I really had to force my self to get there. If you ever have a chance to read it I recommend that you read Good in Bed first and then this one, since this one is an extension of her first novel, it will make a lot more sense, but be prepared for the difference in the authors story telling abilities.

Bikin' for Burns '08

Saturday was the summer kick-off for the biking season. The kick-off begins with the biggest motorcycle event for this area Bikin' for Burns. This is a charity event which helps fund local fire departments in the area. This year the donations were split between the Perry and Davison fire departments. Last year was a record turnout with 3,000 bikes, but forty minutes before the ride began last years numbers were already beat, now, the official numbers have not been reported yet, but it was a beautiful day and it was quite a turnout. The ride began at the Perani Event Center and ended forty miles later in Clio at Circus Park where there were vendors, food, a beer tent and live music. It was a fun day!

I loved this bike. The owner, Connie, was nice enough to let me sit on it. I spotted this bike and instantly fell in love with it.

Life is better in pink!

Here is a picture of another great bike. This one in Harley orange

This was part of our group, Jimmy, Tommy, Eric and Eric's Grandmother (oops, I mean bitch! Sorry Grams I'll get it right eventually)

This is just a small part of the parade. As you can see it stretches quite a long ways, and this is just what was in front of us there was even a longer line behind us.

Medical News!

Well, it has been a very long day and a tough one to get through. Jimmy and I had to spend most of the day at the hospital so he could undergo some testing. The tests went well, but we are not fond of the diagnosis. Jim has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease and Colitis. Crohn's disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which involves ongoing (chronic) inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn's-related inflammation usually affects the intestines, but may occur anywhere from the mouth to the end of the rectum (anus). Apparently there is no cure and there is no known cause, but the disease can be regulated with medication and in some instances surgery. The next step is to have an upper GI done, so the doctor can tell exactly how far up the disease has spread. He is doing well, he is still a bit loopy from the medication but he seems to be clear on what is going on. He may have to take medication for the rest of his life, but at least this is treatable and it wasn't something worse.

You all know that I completely adore my husband, and I love to look at him everyday, but seeing pictures of his ulcerated colon is bit much. Keep us in your prayers that we figure this thing out!!

The Finished Product

Now here we have the finished bathroom. It is much brighter with the yellow walls and I love the new dark floor covering. The clutter has disappeared, by simply just replacing a cabinet that you really can't see in these pictures. In place of cabinets we went out and bought some new pictures and sconces to hang on the wall. I am very pleased with the end result. I love to and color to my life.

Home Improvements

These past few weekends have been very busy for Jimmy and me. We have been increasingly busy trying to get some work done around our house. For sometime, when the weather permitted, we concentrated on the outside. Jimmy, with help from our wonderful friend Mark, cleaned up the wooded area around our property and I have done a lot of planting, raking, and painted Harley's dog house. Last weekend we worked on painting our shed and garage. Well, now that the outside is finished we concentrated yesterday on working on redecorating our downstairs bathroom. We put down a new floor and covered the walls in a nice bright yellow. Check out the pics.


This is the before picture. As you can see the floor was a very pale white and the walls were just as plain being an off white. This room was extremely boring and to me it seemed cluttered with all the cabinetry.