Yeah, um, it's been a while...

I am really, really sorry that I've been away for so long. So...Cracker's settled in quite nicely. His right eye has developed a film over it, but he wasn't using it anyway. Here are some of the latest pictures: All three kittens.
Olivia
Hobbes
Cracker

So...not much has changed, except for the fact that I'm a new aunt again (my sister's new baby Benjamin Leo Hunt, born on 7/31), and we went on a cruise just a couple of weeks ago. We tried Carnival and left out of Miami. We went to the Bahamas and did snorkeling:



We were there for only a couple of hours, but had a lot of fun. We went by the island where the movie Blue Lagoon was filmed. We then went to St Thomas, where we did SNUBA--you have an oxygen line instead of a tank like SCUBA, and it allows you to go about 30 feet down. We had a blast! We were in an ocean park where there were these really big iguanas everywhere. I'll post some pictures of them shortly. We then went to St. Martin and rode Rhino Riders (they're inflatable boats with engines and can go about 30 mph) and did a bit of snorkeling. We also caught the tail end of TS Fay, but were drinking Guavaberry Coladas, so we weren't feeling any pain. It was just rain--we weren't gonna melt!

We had a really good time. The boys were in an inside cabin and we were in a balcony. Carnival was all right, but it didn't compare to Royal Caribbean. We booked our next cruise for next July, and we're jazzed because it looks like Don's mom and stepdad will be coming with us!

I'm going to figure out why I can't add more pictures on this post. May God's unending peace be with you.

And Cracker makes 4

I honestly can't believe that we've done this, but Don has had his heart set on the brother of our two cats, the one who had an eye infection when we went to see them. It actually isn't an infection; apparently he had problems with this third eyelid --it doesn't open all the way, and he's had a couple of surgeries on it. He's a beautiful white cat with orange tips and orange in his tail and he's got blue eyes (he really doesn't use his right eye at all--his eyelid comes down about half way). And if you can't already tell, he's ours. When we brought him home last week, it took Hobbes maybe a couple of hours to accept him while Olivia, our little princess, took a day or two to warm up to him (I'm hoping that they somehow know in their DNA that they're siblings). Now they all play very well together. We have to put a cream in his eye, but it'll never be 100%. Here are a couple of pictures:


So...Don and Greg had decided from the very beginning that his name would be Cracker, but not pronounced like the food; it would be "Cracka", since he's white. So as not to offend, I added "Jack" since, one could argue, just give him an eye patch and he'd be a pirate kitty, like Cap'n Jack Sparrow...now he's Cracker Jack, aka "Cracka". He's the sweetest thing!

Here's a picture of Olivia watching "So You Think You Can Dance", one of our favorite t.v. shows:
(She, too, feels that Comfort should have been sent home last night...)


Todd is surprisingly tolerant of Cracker; he didn't really hiss at him or anything. I guess he figures "what's one more?" or, I'd rather believe, he feels sorry for him because of his eye. Who knows; it's all good. I never, ever thought we'd have 4 cats in the house! Woo hoo! On my way to being a crazy cat lady....although I've got years to go age-wise!

Speaking of age...one of the guys that I work with went to the same high school I did, but graduated 3 years after me. He thought it particularly funny to set up something for a group of us on our project team to go to lunch, in honor of my 50th birthday! What's actually funny about it is, is that I'm only 41! I had a couple of our developers ask me if I was really 50, because I certainly didn't look it! Oh, the pranks and hijinks that go on at work! Well done, DJ, well done!

To continue on the age thing..so the same day in which folks asked me about being 50, and I'm self conscious about my grey roots showing until I can get to my hair appointment on Thursday, I start to develop this big cyst on my chin--you know, the kind that will develop into a big ol' zit if you don't do anything!? So I'm pondering the dichotomy of having grey hair, crows feet, laugh lines and being in the next demographic bubble on surveys (age 41-50) as well as still getting acne and marveling at the sense of humor that God must have, and the fact that we'll never have things figured out! Nothing ever seems to stay in neat little prescribed boxes or outlines (first this, then this, and then that), and the cool thing is: that's okay. In fact, it's not just okay, it's great! (cue Thurl Ravenscroft). God's thoughts are not our thoughts and that's what makes things wonderful. He's got things figured out; all we need to do is just believe and have faith. He is so good!

May you feel His presence forever in your lives, and if you don't now, I'll pray for you until you do.

Meditation tips

Not to get too "New-Agey" (sp?) on you, but I am becoming increasingly interested on meditation. I tried it this morning (everyone, including the cats, is still asleep) so the house was incredibly quiet, but I couldn't get to the point where I could "envision a beam of light coming down onto my head, radiating throughout my body, and going out into the world" with any sense of realism, like the books say to do. Now, I realize that this is my second time really trying it, so it probably takes a while to "get it", right?

So I make my plea: if any of you meditate, please send me any tips or suggestions on how to do this. What I aspire to do is to be able to read a passage of Scripture and then literally and figuratively meditate on it.

Hope you are all doing well. I had a meeting with the project sponsor yesterday morning, after putting some options for a particular screen design together, and he liked them. Praise God! In hindsight, in the middle of all the crap, I realize that I probably could have handled the emotional aspect of what I was going through a little bit better (I really hate to cry at work--your eyes get all puffy and all of your mascara is gone), but...it is what it is, and it is part of the person God made me to be.

Father God, I lift up to you all who are hurting, who are separated from You, those who are faced with difficult decisions, those who are victims of unspeakable things. Be their Protector and comforter. I thank You for the sacrifice of Your son, so that we could live with you forever.

His unending peace and joy...Laura

Hooray!

Well...went in today for the follow-up mammogram. I first sat in the waiting room for about 15 minutes, and there were a lot of people there. Then I went back, changed into that wonderful gown (although I am loving the trend in which there are 3 arm holes--you put it on like a bathrobe and then it continues from your left and you stick your right arm into the 3rd arm hole, so that the end of the gown is on your right side), and sat in another waiting room for them to get me. There were so many women in there! All shapes, ages, sizes--all of us sitting in these sky blue gowns, watching a soap opera (except for me--I'm reading Quantum Wellness, a book my darling husband got for me. The book is good so far, and I've actually been thinking about meditation and all of its benefits....but I digress).

I have about 3 pictures taken with that torture-but-you-know-it's-worth-it machine, and the cool thing is that I can see the small area on the my left breast where it looks like a highly concentrated area of nerve endings. Each time the machine squeezes and I'm holding my breath, I repeat "Jesus is with me" until I can breathe again and the machine has released its stronghold on my breast. Back to the waiting room went I. The nurse mentioned that we could be in the waiting room for up to a couple of hours, since their doctors were very thorough. "Eek!" I thought--I didn't plan on that.

The nurse called my name and took me to a little room and told me that the doctor said that everything was fine! They want to see if me in six months, given that my mom had breast cancer. All is good--He is good! I was prepared for any type of news--praise His name!

Many, many thanks to all of those who lifted me up in prayer--I truly felt your warmth and your strength. God's deepest blessings on each of you.

Where've I been???

Wowsers. I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! My apologies!! :)

So....to bring you up to speed...the kids have been out of school since the 4th and have been spending time with my father-in-law, who came down from Oklahoma last week. He left 2 days ago, but it was a very nice visit while he was here.

Work has gotten to the point where I'm absolutely considering checking into Laurel Ridge...okay, not that bad, but getting there. I've been bombarded and challenged with questions regarding my designs, and it's gotten to the point where all of the self-doubt looms up, almost to the choking point. My head knows that I'm heading in the right direction with my work product. It's the business team that I work with are some of the most challenging from a personality point of view, and sometimes the technical team questions me a lot as well. So, I've sought counsel from others at work, all of whom are Christians. The best advice that I was given was to go to the Word. The very next day, the devotional was entitled "Patience" and the verse was James 1: 2-5. Another friend, that same day, forwarded me that same verse, with the devotional entitled "Trials". Hmmm...I'm thinking He's trying to tell me something...pray that I am able to discern what lesson it is He wants me to learn.

Earlier this week, I received a letter from my gynecologist's office, as well as from the Imaging Center that I had gotten a mammogram at a week or two ago. It appears that there was a "questionable area" on the report. My mom had breast cancer in her early fifties, so the most logical thing to do would be to panic and worry, right? Well, here's where things get amazing. I felt no sense of fear, or panic, at all. I mean, I sent an email to friends to pray that things will work out okay, but still...incredibly, I felt okay. This was a stark contrast to the time 13 years ago when I had a pap smear in which they found pre-cancerous cells. When I got the results, I immediately worried about losing my hair (chemo) and what would happen to Greg if something happened to me (I had just divorced my ex-husband, so it was just the two of us)--all of the things that you may think of when you don't have a great support system that centers around our Heavenly Father. (to close the loop: they removed the pre-cancerous cells by freezing them out & all has been fine). Fast forward back to now: peace. I have an appointment for a follow up mammogram and/or ultrasound this Tuesday. All will be fine, regardless of the outcome. I have received so many wonderful responses to my prayer request. I am so blown away and so incredibly blessed!

Thank you, Father God, for your infinite wisdom in bringing these angels into my life. Thank you for all that you are, and for all that you give.

Many blessings and His overwhelming peace!

Kitten update

Just a quick update on the kitties: they've been with us for almost a week now. It was nice being off on Monday for Memorial Day, as it gave us some time to get to know each other! They've slept in our bathroom each night, and have been really good about not waking us up earlier than normal (although they did wake me up about 10 minutes early last Sunday!). They are definitely family, and can't stand to be apart from each other. Hobbes picks on poor Olivia (he's much bigger), but admittedly, Olivia gives as good as she gets. In the picture above, Hobbes is the one on my left, my pretty Olivia on the right. And unfortunately, you can see my farmer's tan on my legs, thanks to a soccer game and pool party!

I thank God every day for the blessings that He has given me. I have a wonderful family, great friends, a job (hug your troubles, my good friend Byron always says--so, thank goodness for the dishes in the sink that I have to clean, because it means that we have food on the table. Thank goodness for the job that makes me crazy at times, because it means that we have a roof over our head and a paycheck, etc), a loving Father who gave up His son for my sins, so that I could live with Him forever.

Thank you for reading my thoughts and giving me your loving and wonderful feedback. I am thankful for each and every one of you!

May you feel His wonderful warmth and love each day.

Um, oops?

The reason for the title of the this post is....the kittens aren't brothers; they are brother and sister! The bigger one with the darker orange fur is the boy--his name is Hobbes. The lighter orange is, of course, the girl and we've named her Olivia (since Troy had wanted to name it Oliver). Olivia's not as active right now as her brother; I think that her surgery was more invasive, so she's got some recovery time. Hobbes, on the other hand, played hard when he got here. And, just like a kitten, crashed as hard when he jumped onto the sofa next to Troy. The picture on the top is Hobbes; the one on the bottom is Olivia. (Oliver if she had been a boy...logical name now is Olivia!). Just thought I'd share....

Blessings and His unending peace.