An Almost-Perfect Day!

Well after a miserably chilly week or two, the weather finally gave us a break here in Kentucky - a very welcome break as this week marked the kick off of the Kentucky Derby Festival. We're all about horse racing and since the biggest race of the year is local AND only a week away, it's time to party :) Today we started by attending the Great Balloon Race - probably the most colorful event of the Festival....even if we did have to get up at 5 am to get there. But it was certainly worth it - just look at these magnificent Balloons! I'm in awe everytime I go, especially because as you can see, you can get right up on these things are they're inflating. I had no telephoto lens on my camera and look at how close we were!

Immediately after the race we had to head back home to get Ethan to his 9:00 am soccer game. They were awesome as always and won 4-2 against one of the bigger teams in the league. He's getting better and better visibly each time he plays and it makes his mama (who am I kidding - his DADDY - so very proud). To celebrate it was breakfast at Cracker Barrell and then a good 2 hour nap! (I did say this day was almost perfect! ;)

After our nap, we went BACK into Louisville to do some shopping for our bath remodel project (another story for another post!), we drove past this cute little parking lot carnival. Of course the boys begged us to go and after such a good day, we couldn't say no. I hadn't seen smiles on (all) my boys' faces like this in a long time! Too cool!And to finish it off, we had dinner at pizzeria I hadn't been to since High School - so yummy! (After all this, is anyone surprised I was ready for bed at 8?!
Happy Derby, Everyone!

Buzzworthy?!

Ok, so I wouldn't go calling myself that, but I can't tell you how flattering was it when late last year I got an email from Katie Nugent at Scrapbooks Etc. asking me to be in an upcoming "Buzzworthy" column feature! I was floored and super excited and I finally got my copy IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!

How fun is that? Thank you, Katie, for thinking of me for this article and making my page look so good :)

Cancer Sucks.

In the words of a sweet 13-year-old girl, Abby, "Cancer sucks." And I agree with her. I've never seen such a hideous, sneaky, insidious disease like cancer and I will never understand it or why wonderful people seem to die so young.

On Good Friday, just a little over a week ago, Abby's lost her father to a malignant melanoma that developed on his leg. It reoccurred after being dormant for around 10 years and had come back with a horrid vengeance what seemed like just a short time ago. Courtney was only 39. His parents, David and Penny, and my parents are best friends. So while I didn't know him well personally (he was the youngest of three boys and still several years older than I was growing up), I just adore his parents and I am in such pain over their grief and the grief of their entire family.

Interestingly, Courtney and his family own one of the largest funeral homes in our town and just within the last year or so came to run the family business. As you can imagine, with a history of serving so many families, his own funeral was amazingly poignant and beautiful. He had definate ideas of what he wanted and he planned his passing like he lived his life - with purpose, with passion and with courage.

An avid cyclist, he felt a real connection to Lance Armstrong and he and his family wore Lance's yellow "Live Strong" armbands through out his fight. He had U2 and Cowboy Mouth played alonside secular music for his service - in an Episcopal Cathedral - and everyone smiled as they heard it. He had a love for spicy foods, especially Tabasco sauce, so his pallbearers all wore Tabasco ties and there were small bottles of it tied into his floral spray. So when the family was allowed to select flowers from the spray, his daughter picked a beautiful red Gerbera daisy, but Luke, his 9-year-old son, picked a bottle of Tabasco.

His funeral was attended by hundreds - the Cathedral was packed. As the motorcade finally arrived at Cave Hill, it was met with a horse-drawn glass hearse that was there to take his body to it's final destination. The entire congregation got out of their vehicles and followed behind the carriage on foot. And as we came to the top of the hill he was to be buried on, we could hear the bagpipe playing strains of "Amazing Grace." It was a most beautiful moment, fitting of his beautiful life.
And right now, I can't stop thinking about a sweet friend of mine I've met online through scrapbooking, Jen Gallacher, and her family, especially her Joey, who are in this terrible battle right now. I pray for a miracle for them daily and struggle to find rhyme or reason to why this disease exists and the only thing I can come up with is yes, indeed,

CANCER SUCKS.

(Thank you so much, Tracey, for sending those buttons with that sentiment. I'll make sure Abby and Luke get them.)

Happy Easter!

Ok, so I know I'm a little late, but in my defense, I just got back from Nashville and well, I left my camera there. SO, I had to wait for it to be shipped back to me (THANK YOU, TRACI!) and for me to go through the upteen thousand pics I took!

We had a wonderful weekend visiting although it was stinkin' cold. As we drove off Friday to my Sister-in-law's, the snow was coming down fast and furiously. I had high hopes of outrunning it but no such luck. We did manage an Egg Hunt when it finally warmed up a bit that afternoon - that is after donning our warmest winter coats for church that morning! It was still a bit cool (you can see their little red noses!) but sunny. It's the things we do for pictures, eh? ;) As if the kids would let us NOT have an egg hunt!!


Easter Bunny even remembered we were going to be out of town so they were thrilled to find their baskets waiting for them - even if the crazy bunny hid them in the shower! The big challenge after that was trying to reign in the sugar high they would experience the rest of the day because even though mama and daddy limit sugar, they managed to find all the hidey spots.

Still, we had a great time. The boys completely adore their aunts (Traci especially spoils them rotten!), Mimi and cousins and they played and played until I thought they couldn't play anymore yet were never more excited to finally crawl into their own beds as we got home.

I hope your Easter was just as special.

(And to Dave and Penny Pearson, my parent's best friends, who lost their amazing -only 39 year old - son to cancer on Good Friday - all my love and my deepest sympathies to you and Jennifer and the kids. I'll be posting a small tribute to Courtney as soon as I can.)

GNO!

Oh yes! Last night was Girls Nite Out! What fun and so needed! Miss April was going to be in town on business from Bowling Green so Shannon, Candice and I ditched our respective husbands and children ;) and met up with her for some yummy California Pizza Kitchen and Archiver's shopping! And since you can't get 4 scrapbookers together without pictures being taken, here are my beautiful friends....and me. ;) I had a ball, ladies - let's do it again soon (and maybe Scarlet, Ruth and Audrey might join us?!)