Update

Well GOOD news on the front as far as my fathers health goes. Bone scans and an MRI indicate that so far the cancer has not spread. He is going to lose his bladder but it appears to be contained there.
And GREAT news as far as Leanna is concerned she is now starting to show a real personality. She is so much like her mother I have to laugh and think about how our parents told us that being a grandparent is payback for being a parent to our children. Ain't it the truth. I love watching Jenny and Toby with her. They are surprised at every little thing she does. She is now starting to eat finger food, and she gets upset and for lack of a better word indignant when you try to help her. She is still her PawPaw's little girl though, which warms my heart.
Well that's the update on the world around us for now.
And in the words of a great American Good Day

Families

WOW, what a wonderful outpouring of best wishes. I guess the family that I have grown to feel belong to me, are as close as blood. Those two families have become as important than my own blood relatives, and in some ways even more so. I can relate to them better than some of my own. Our lives have taken similar paths, and even though they are younger than I am I feel more connected. For the best wishes, the prayers, and the show of love, I have only one thing to say and that is "THANKS AND I LOVE YOU ALL TOO"

LIFE, it's an uphill battle

Well you all may be seeing as many pictures of this man as I can muster in the near future. He has been fighting with cancer for a lot of years, and the battle just took another turn. For those of you who have never met him, he is my Dad. His battle has been with bladder and kidney cancer. A recent biopsy has shown that the cancer has returned to the bladder, and at best he will have to have it removed. It has put us on kinda a high alert status for the worst, but we hope for the best. At times he has been my hero, and at other times I have felt like he has been my worst enemy. I guess we all go through those times with our dads. And in the end we realize that they are just men who loved us and made mistakes and right decisions just like we have, or are, with our kids. I hope that I don't get to down during this battle, as I am trying to be the "Rock" that he, and my Mom, and the rest of the family need right now. It's a role that takes a toll on me mentally and physically but I guess that's just a part of being who I am. It just a good thing that I have places like this where only people who know me can hear me let down and let it all out. For those of you who are reading this and letting it go, I can only say THANKS.

It's been a while

Well Tanya, Meredith, and Donna got me started on this stuff so here goes some more. Last weekend I went to a horse show with Chance and his girlfriend Elisa. This was their first show with each other, and with the horses that they brought. I was super proud of what they had accomplished. If you would have asked me 5 years ago where he would be now I would have said he'd be in jail or at least headed that way. He's changed his whole life around and I love watching him with horses and teaching kids to ride. His language may be a little rough for a lot of parents sometimes but it's just his way. He never berates the kids he's working with and shows a lot more patience than I did with him when he was growing up.
He has confessed that one of my best friends has been instrumental in starting this change, Thanks Rob. Personnaly I don't care who, or what, started the change I am just glad it happened.
On to bigger, MUCH bigger, and other things. For the first time in 2 years I am back to wearing Wranglers. YEAAAAAH!!! I haven't lost much weight just rearranging the inches.
Donna is back in school and working like a fiend to get her program finished. I am so proud of her. She is always trying to learn and make her/our lives better. Of course that doesn't leave us much time for going out or doing other things together. But I noticed in her blog that she says she is working 25 days a week at the VA, HUUUUUH? I don't think that is possible, it just seems like it is. It must be the exhaustion and the pain pills she is taking for an absessed tooth.
Well I've rambled enough and if you want to hear about the baby check out Donna's blog, she has pics and everything all about our little bundle from heaven.
I'm not real good with the picture thing so you can expect more writing than pictures.