Making Wishes Come True...

He loves cruising.

He's been on more cruises than we can count!

And... he had one wish for his Birthday this year.   Can you guess where we've been??

A Big, Fun, Crazy-Happy Family Cruise.  And it has been a monumental task.  Getting Dad to Miami and on that Cruise ship.  It took a combined Family effort to make it happen... but happen it did!  And the smiles were the sweetest reward.

So, if you're wondering how one actually makes wishes come true?  Here's the scoop... It's a whole lot of sacrifice and a whole lot of work!!

The logistics of traveling with an elderly parent, who is dealing with end-stage COPD is one part daring and two parts just plain grit.

It helps that everyone in our family loves to travel.

Tropical ports of call?  Yes, please!

But as the reality of traveling with dad sunk in we all took a deep breath and asked the same question all of you are probably asking... were we crazy?

Insane does factor somewhere in there.

And it crossed my mind with increasing frequency as the trip got closer and the packing began...

The list was long and multiplied the stress and anxiety!  Nebulizers and inhalers, perscriptions and oxygen, extra batteries and his Bipap machine, wheelchairs and passports... plus clothes and shoes and... I was exhausted before we even left Dallas...lol!

Dad's doctors happily signed off on the trip and sent extra meds and had us fill a script for antibiotics (just in case they said...)

And then we arrived at the airport and hit the TSA line... this would be where the staying power of old-fashioned grit factored in!  It was ugly... enough said.

Once we finally got on that plane and buckled up, the smiles kicked in!

And they never stopped!

Making wishes come true simply blesses the giver and receiver alike!

The week melted into a gracious time of laughter and relaxing

and making memories...
worth every minute of the sweat, worry and grit that got us here!

 We cooked with the Chef at Emilio's Plantation on St. Maarten...

And toured the top of the Island...

Explored historic San Juan...

And braved the water slides!

Dad met the officers on the ship and pretty much loved every minute...

Including the Best Birthday Celebration!

His wish come true...

Simply the best!

Brought to you by good, old-fashioned determination and grit!

Sometimes we need to be Brave and Fierce in order to

Become the Gift!

Be Kind to Someone Today!
It makes all the difference in the world!

Blessings, Always,

                          Jane

Bees, Knees and a Wee, Little Cruise!

What a busy season this has been... Taking a minute to catch up on all the news... and then back on track with spreading hope for the pancreatic cancer journey.

Over the past few months, the Farmer has had some knee swelling and pain... rest and ibuprofen weren't enough.  The doctor confirmed a torn meniscus and scheduled surgery this month past.

So off we go to prepare for a knee repair day surgery, a little downtime, a bit of therapy, and hopefully a knee that will be as good as new soon... But not before smoke interrupted our plans!

Fire at the Creek!

We were too discombobulated to take pictures of the angry flames and billowing smoke... with the blustery wind and dry brush of a spring not yet in bloom, we had scary visions of the fire climbing the hill to our very new and "made-of logs" cabin!

We are very, very thankful for the fast response of our tiny, rural volunteer fire department!  They are rock-stars!

The burn area was safely confined to the creek bottom!

So, crisis averted, off we go to clean up and get back to the business of the Farmer's knee surgery.

And then a Wee, Little Cruise with Poppy and the family to recuperate!

A relaxing Cruise to tropical ports of call is the best medicine!  Just sayin'... :-)

Throw in some fabulous fun with family and life is good!

Now, we're back home with our nose to the grindstone... Lol!

Oh!  And the Bees?  Yes, we have become new BeeKeepers!

The bees are a great addition to the homestead, and we are looking forward to a sweet, golden reward come late summer!  A neighboring Bee Keeper has been mentoring us and the education has been amazing... More on the Bee Journey in days to come!

We are Graced to be Home, more than grateful for each and every Blessing along the way,

Love, Always,

Jane

We're Back!

And it was Glorious!!  (and exhausting!)  but mostly Glorious!

Traveling with a sick loved one is not always easy (and the honest scoop is that it takes some hard work!) but it is, oh, so very worth it!!

This week past we packed a ton of love and fun and adventure into each and every day... perhaps a picture (or two)... Yes?

The Magnificent (and Goofy) Seven

Poppy & His Peeps

Cruising the Caribbean!

With an umbrella and a scooter we're ready for almost anything!

Fabulous Food!

Meeting New Friends...

Bonjour Lucie!

Sweeping Sunsets at Sea!

Then

Throw in some Tropical Ports in Paradise...

And a Rainforest... or two!

Pirates of the Caribbean

meet Poppy's Peeps!

The Fun is just waiting to happen...

Extreme Canyoning on Dominica

{an adventure worthy of it's very own post! Soon!}

And Waters of Blue just Begging for Barefeet...

Truly a Glorious vacation...

the kind made perfect for Legacy Living.

Graced with Hearts Full this night...

Memories of Adventure and Love and Laughter... All Together!

{Smiling}

Glorious!

P.S. Tomorrow we're back on track with our 31 Day Challenge!

Join us... Digging in with more Truth About Cancer!

My Love,

         Jane

Hitting the Pause Button...

Right here... in the middle of our 31 Day Challenge, we are hitting the Pause Button...

And taking Dad on a trip.  The kind of trip that makes breathing easier and living richer.  It has been a hard year and it's time to redeem those miserable, gray days!

We are boarding the Celebrity Summit today for a 7 day cruise in the Southern Caribbean...

Dad and his kids, together, celebrating life with all we've got!

It is his favorite thing to do... and we are planning on some legacy living out on the high seas :-)

Pictures and stories sure to come in the days ahead.  And while we're taking a Pause on this 31 Day Challenge, there is so much still to share on The Truth About Cancer.   We will be back in 7 days to finish up what we've begun... promise!

Until then... Bon Voyage and Happy Sailing!

Grief and the Holidays...

Everyone that has lost a loved one knows the pain of journeying through the holidays... there is no easy answer to the grief that tears the heart.  Facing the empty place at each festive table, missing the cherished smile and laughter that accompanied each treasured tradition, hurting through a time that once was joyous but now only emphasizes the sorrow of our loss...

No easy answer.

And no right answer...

For our family, we have found that meshing new traditions with favored past-times has eased us through the grief that threatens to overwhelm at this most Holy time of year.

We miss mom every day, and so much more even, if that is possible, during this special season of Christmas.

Mom loved Christmas.  As a matter of fact, 3 years ago, as she faced her 1st Year Canciversary, she insisted on decorating the house before Thanksgiving ... which was early even by her standards!  She said she just wanted to enjoy the season as long as possible... I wonder if she knew down deep that her days were dwindling.

It puts an ache in my heart to remember walking back into their home the Sunday she passed away, December 4th, to see the Christmas lights twinkling and the ornaments hanging just the way she had placed them... for us.  I know that if she hadn't decorated that tree when she did, we would never have had the strength to do it... But each day of that first December, as we planned a funeral and wrote her obituary, and accepted flowers and food and sweet hugs, the house sparkled with her special touch.  It was small, but it was the nudge I believe she knew we would need...

Keep on Living, Don't Forget to Celebrate...Make. Every. Day. Count...

And so... that cruise we had planned to celebrate her 1st Year Canciversary... well, it never happened.  Bruised our spirits hard, it did.  She so wanted to go.  God had other plans.  And we grieved.  And walked through dark days.  And even in that grief, Dad talked about their cruise...  And we planned... And we went... in honor of mom.

 

And we found that the cruise gave us leave to celebrate what we thought we had lost...

Life and Love and Laughter.

And so cruising has become our new Christmas tradition.  One the whole family embraced this past week...

All 23 of us!  We filled up 10 cabins on the NCL Jewel.  Yes we did!   And had so much fun that it was almost illegal... We ate, we laughed, we swam, we relaxed, we loved, we lived... such Grace that brought us to this place.  Mom is surely smiling her approval... Words cannot express the treasure... perhaps a few pictures??

 Formal night... in Black and White!

 

 And Crazy Fun... in Belize and the Sun!

 

We ate...

And we played...

And played...

 

 And played... Scavenger Hunt, Cruise Style, Don't Ask!

 

Poppy got hugs! Lots of hugs!

 And learned all about selfies!

 

We played on the beaches of Honduras...

 

And chased the surf in Trujillo!

 

Cozumel Cliff-side Paradise...

 

to Rooftop Beach Bungalows...

the views were awesome!

But best of all, we were all together...

 

Poppy and all his grands and great-grands!

 

It just doesn't get much sweeter!

Mom would be so proud...

This past week has filled our hearts to overflowing,

and made this Christmas one to treasure.

New Christmas Traditions for our Family to Celebrate...

Might it be that God in His infinite wisdom has placed such a sweet desire in our hearts to draw us closer to family... and closer to Him.

So whether it's an Old Tradition that we do to preserve sacred memories,

or New Traditions that embrace a life so well lived...

we can allow Christmas to be the Gift it was always meant to be.

for Christmas is the Christ-child,

born to reunite the lost...

drawing us into family, to a deeper love

thru a Grace we can only begin to fathom...

Merry Christmas from our family to yours,

May the Blessings of this Holy Day fill your hearts all year long...

My Love Always,

                                                                                Jane