Quick Check In

Just wanted to check in with everyone. I know that it has been a while but my brain just hasn't been working right which really makes it difficult to write. I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to write me emails to check in with me. Your thoughts and prayers have helped get me through the past few months. Nothing really major is going on with my brain--well--there is a cyst in my brain but the neuro said that it is not a big deal--but the past six months I have had an increase in headaches and some vision problems. I go to see the eye doctor next week so I am really just waiting to see what her feeling is. My feeling is that I don't think this latest flareup is related at all to my lupus because it is not responding at all to steroids or any of my chemo meds. Usually when I take a "blast" of steroids--my headaches will go away--but these headaches have not. Also, I have been having a lot of trouble with memory loss and cognitive function--just stringing together sentences that make sense--which again is why I haven't really been posting much. However today is a good day so I am happy for that. I saw my kidney doc who was worried that I may be "Septic"--which basically means that I have an infection that has taken over my whole body because my immune system is so shot. If I was running a temp in the office, I was going to have to be admitted immediately--THANKFULLY...I wasn't running a fever. I haven't been able to get to church barely at all the past few months. I was able to get to Christmas Mass. I just have to try and make it my goal--and be happy when I DO make it. I figure, right now, with all of the cold and flu going around--it is just as well that I am staying home--but still--I miss going.

Well--that's all for now. As always--I believe in the power of prayer. It is the greatest gift we can give to one another.

Gentle hugs,

Boo--It's Me :)

Hey...it really IS me. It was a ROUGH summer. Thanks FOR all those who checked in with me. I really appreciate all of you who just dropped an email to say hi and thanks, too, for all of you who kept me in your prayers.

I am SO grateful that Autumn is here. We had record heat here this summer. It was really brutal. Don't you love this time of year?? Pumpkins, all of the beautiful colored leaves...SIGH! Just such beauty everywhere!!

Another reason why I didn't post much over the summer has to do with my health--(but then WHAT ELSE IS NEW?? LOL!!) I was having a lot of CNS (brain) problems which just really makes it hard to communicate (especially trying to string together more than a few words together on a blog and having them make any kind of sense--and even on a GOOD day--I am not saying that I am very sucessful...but at least I hope I make SOME sense.)

As with all things, though, my faith continues to get me through the rough times. If I didn't have God in my life--I really don't know where I would be. All I know is that He is the light that guides me in my darkness and is ALWAYS there for me.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Until next time...

Gentle hugs,

Quotable Sunday #11 Chinese Proverbs

Yay :) Another week of Quotable Sunday is here. Head on over to A Daily Dose of Toni's to sign in with Mr. Linky (and the rules if you're a newbie) Plus, as you know, ALL of the fun is checking out one another's quotations and leaving comments on quotes that inspire, encourage, or just plain make us laugh.

The theme for my quotes this week is Chinese Proverbs. I just LOVE them. Let me know what you think (and I will return all comment visits :) Have a Super weekend.

A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home

Insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different outcome.

Small ills are the fountains of most of our groans. Men trip not on mountains, they stumble on stones.

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.

With true friends . . . even water drunk together is sweet enough.

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Heaven has a road, but no one travels it; Hell has no gate but men will dig to get there

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow


The journey is the reward.

Aloha Friday #11

Aloha everyone!
It's Friday, which means that over at An Island Life it is time for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays we take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, she asks a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. Then everyone else asks a simple question of their own blog for others to answer.

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Skin Cancer is on the rise and more than 8,000 deaths are attributed directly to melanoma (skin cancer) each year (most of these could have been prevented simply by protecting the skin from UV radiation.)

Several of my family members have recently been diagnosed with basal cell carcinomas. They have had to go in and get biopsied. Thankfully, in each case, early detection proved to be a good thing and both results turned out benign. Now, everyone is very prudent about wearing floppy hats and slathering on the sunscreen-especially on the face (nose)

When I think back when I was a teen and young adult, I shudder at how foolish I was basking in the sun practically marinating myself in a blend of just baby oil or MAYBE Hawaiian Tropical Oil (but never anything with any SPF in it!!) Also, we would lay out with these reflector sheets to attact as much sun as possible. HELLO??? When we moved to California and the first few times I went to the beach, I remember getting some of the worst burns in my life. One time I think I might have received sun poisoning I was so ill. (Also, remember...I have lupus, although undiagnosed at that time--being in the sun is horrible for lupus patients!!) As I got older (ahem, and wiser, I thought..), I started to go to the tanning salon. Living in California, it was important to always have a beautiful tan (and having a full time job meant that I couldn't just laze around at the beach all day--but it was important to at least look like I could! ) The CRAZY things we do!! Anyway, we were "told" that tanning salons were just as safe as the sun--even safer.

Life goes on....priorities change...I don't know when I stopped going to the salon...now I have lupus and I NEVER deliberately "lay out" in the sun. Even just a five minute walk out in the sun causes my fair skin to burn because of the various meds I am on so I have to be very careful to always try to either cover up if I am going to be outside (or carry a parasol/umbrella) or carry sunscreen around with me 24/7.

My question for YOU this week. Have your attitudes about sun exposure changed? Has skin cancer affected you personally?

WW Blast from the Past

I love Blast from the Past pictures. This is the picture that I have in my profile. I don't know who took it but I obviously am very happy :) I was sitting on the front porch of our new home. I sort of look like I might be up to something (don't I??) LOL! Anyway....Happy WW...if you show some comment love...I will return the favor :)

Quotable Sunday #10 Joy

Happy Easter and another round of quotable Sunday is here. Head over to A Daily Dose of Toni to check in with Mr. Linky (and read the rules if you're a newbie.) Give me some comment love and I will make sure to return the visit :)

This week my quotes are all about JOY. Hope you have a Blessed Easter and a wonderful week.

Joy is the best makeup.-Anne LaMott

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. -Helen Keller

We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them-Kalil Gabran

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.-Thich Nhat Hanh

Joy is not in things; it is in us.-Richard Wagner

Joy is prayer-Joy is strength-Joy is love-Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.-Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.-Ben Hogan

The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy.-Jim Rohn

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.-RalphWaldo Emerson

One joy scatters a hundred griefs. -Chinese Proverb

If you really like quotes, check out my main site. I have been collecting quotes for about ten years (sorry--it's doesn't have a search engine--maybe someday...but it has archives and lots of quotes...)

Aloha Friday #10

Aloha everyone!It's Friday, which means that over at An Island Life it is time for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays we take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, she asks a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. Then everyone else asks a simple question of their own blog for others to answer.



National Library Week is the 2nd week of April each week and National Library Day this year is April 14th. My question this week is regarding libraries. What is your earliest library memory OR what is your favorite library memory?


The library was a special place for me growing up. I went to Catholic School and we lived way out in a rural area. Each day I would "carpool" with my dad into the city and go to school. After school, I would walk a short distance to the library and spend about three hours each day there until he could pick me up for the drive home. At first, I really HATED spending time at the library. I wanted to be home playing with my other friends or watching tv--doing SOMETHING.



However, I soon developed a routine that lasted the five years and I feel changed my life. First, I would, of course, do my homework. After that, I started to discover the library. The librarians were always so nice and helpful (I think that they were just thankful that I was a good kid and didn't cause any trouble every day!!) Anyway, they would suggest different books that I might like and soon I became a "reader".


We always read as a family but I soon discovered that I had my own tastes and that there was an entire world of books out there. I could travel back in time or ahead to the future. I could go to other worlds or to outer space. I could be a girl detective or a student nurse. I could read biographies about famous people. The library is STILL very important to me. Even today, I check out books and we have a wonderful community library that delivers books to me because of my medical condition.


Ok...now it's YOUR turn...what's your earliest library memory or favorite library moment? If you leave your comment-I will return your visit :) Have a great weekend...

Update: Last week's question was what was your favorite toy? Answers ranged from Mrs. Beasley, Chrissy and Sunshine dolls to Pound Puppies, and Leggos. Thanks to those who took the time to comment. I return ALL visits!!

Quotable Sunday #9 Courage

Happy Quotable Sunday :) I LOVE quotations. I write them down on scraps of papers, notebooks, --everywhere. For the past ten years or so, I have been doing a monthly quote page on my main website so if you need some quotes, you can check out my site.

For Quotable Sunday, go over to A Daily Dose of Toni's and check in with "Mr Linky." Then make the rounds of everyone else who has signed in before you (it is so inspiring and sometimes hilarious to read some of the quotes that your fellow bloggers have selected for the week) And--remember to share your thoughts--everyone LOVES to get comments (don't you?? :)

This week--I decided to go with courage. I needed a bit of extra courage this week so some of these quotes were VERY inspirational and were just the little push I needed. Did any of these quotes inspire you? Share your thoughts and have a WONDERFUL Quotable Sunday.

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.-Eleanor Roosevelt

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.-Soren Kierkegaard

Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.-Claire Booth Luce

The best way out is always through.-Robert Frost

Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.-Dorothy Thompson

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.-Helen Keller

Aloha Friday #09

Aloha everyone!
It's Friday, which means that over at An Island Life it is time for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays we take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, she asks a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. Then everyone else asks a simple question of their own blog for others to answer.

This week's question is another easy one. What was your favorite toy as a child? Do you still have it?? My favorite toy was my Mrs. Beasley doll. I just loved that doll (and yes I still have her--she doesn't have her glasses--is missing her dress--is pretty filthy (I could clean her up--but I think she looks LOVED!!) Oh--and somewhere along the line--I decided to give her a haircut--LOL!! She sort of looks like a punk rocker now!! Ok...so now I want to hear from YOU. Don't be shy...

UPDATE: Last week's question was a fun one with a variety of answers. Thanks to ALL who participated.

Not So (Wordless) Wednesday Spring Flowers

Apri Fool's Day :) Hope no one has pulled any practical jokes on you. Sorry this picture is not of better quality (I took it with my cell phone) but the sun was just so gorgeous as it was streaming through the trees (Those who know me WELL are scratching their heads and wondering...morning??? Yes, I was UP early last week for a doctor appointment. LOL! Glad I was or I would have missed this great photo op!!