Home Improvements

Tonight, on the phone with Peter….who I talk to daily, usually several times daily, or at least contact by text and email throughout the day…and he says, “When are you going to post again?”

Ok?? Really there is very little that happens that he doesn’t know about WHEN it’s happening, I keep him well informed. He does enjoy the pictures because he often sees them for the first time on the site as well, but how sad to think that he’s waiting.

Honey, this one’s for you.

We have squeezed an awful lot into the past couple of days.

First I want to share some AWESOME news with you!!! Two friends, Joshua Czorapinski and [url=http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sierakesler]Sierra Kesler[/url] have FINISHED chemo!!!!!!!! WHooooooo hoooooo. There will be a long period of follow up and meds like antibiotics until the body can fend for itself, but they have both taken the last of their chemo and we pray with much thanks that it will be the last their bodies ever see again! I am so excited for both families and I think we all need to hear great news like this, after what has seemed like a spring of constant disappointment and sorrow, I am just flipping handsprings…..SOOO not literally, I don’t think anyone wants to see me try that one…over these kids are fnishing up. Huge congrats to Sierra and Joshua, you are our heros!

Yesterday at [url=http://www.childrenscancercenter.org]Little Tales[/url] we had a very small group, post Easter-candy blues, I suppose. And Peyton didn’t have to share her favorite people, she had them mostly to herself. Sara, the Little Tales director, comes in to share with me Peyton’s pearls of wisdom.

While swinging, Sara and Peyton are just gabbing away (and I hope I get the majority of this conversation correct)….

“Peyton, do you know you’re the only big girl here who can pump her legs that hard?”

“I know.”

“Peyton, do you know you’re the only girl here who can swing herself as high as that?”

“I know!”

And then the zinger.

“Miss Sara, do you know that I’m the only girl that’s in love with Cody Bertoch and is gong to marry that boy?”

I’m thinking a March wedding, perhaps outdoors…fresh flowers….doves…..hmmm

Last night we got a chance to go to a Lightning Hockey game. We haven’t gotten to go since Pete left, so this was my first time with the kids on my own. Only, I didn’t have to do it on my own. Mary Ann (the CCC exec director) and her fab daughter Kathleen picked up the Mayhew crew and shuttled us down to the game. Every moment with these people is better than the next, they are so special and they helped make a night where we were missing daddy better.

It was sheer chaos in the suite. It was sadly weird to be IN the suite knowing that the Lightning had traded away Brad Richards, our host for these events and our all-around favorite player of all time. There was a weird sense of “are we still Richy’s Rascals if there is no Richy?” Trading Brad away was what Nathaniel refers to as a “I-D-ten-T” move. Or if you didn’t get that an I-D-1-0-T move.

But we were able to still have a lot of fun because many of our friends were there to share in the pandemonium. Gabs of food and drinks, crafts and art supplies, sheer mania is all good all the time. The Lightning won, but the real party was in the suite. Lightning Bug came to the thrill of all but one child, and thankfully it wasn’t Peyton screaming and hiding this time.

I could explain about this outfit, but it IS Peyton, is any explanation REALLY necessary?

"How do you like my long curly hair?"

Nathaniel and Chris Gratton

Last year in the Suite – Peyton and Adelaine

Wow, how times have changed!

Chris and the kids

The grown ups from the left are Kathleen Massolio, Kasey Dowd and Mary Ann Massolio! Just to put some great faces with names.

Rachael at the end of the game, exciting stuff.

We did go down and meet Chris Gratton, who is taking over hosting the suite, after the game. He was very nice in meeting the kids and smiling for pictures and signing all the stuff. We look forward to the great times in the suite, but we sure miss Brad. Thank you, Kasey, for another great time!

As for the home life, I’m an in the staging plans of making some major home repairs. For those of you who have been in my home, you’ll agree that these things BADLY need to be done. For those of you who haven’t…well, I could post pictures, but then that whole Meth Lab house might not seem so funny. Really, we have some things that have been waiting to be done and I am so excited to finally start getting these projects underway. We are placing some sliding glass doors….I believe they are the same model found on the Ark…with French doors, there is going to be wretchedly awful wallpaper that I’ve been staring at for 7 years that is finally coming down and there is a serious amount of paint going up. I am just gleeful when I think of all the fantastic changes about to happen!!

Pete and I still need a lot of prayer regarding the whole moving-when-where situation. There are some great changes going on up there with his job, Peter is ROCKING his job and it’s fantastic to see what he’s accomplished in such a short amount of time. We are still working on whether this summer is the right time to move, whether we should hold off on it and stay status quo for a while as he continue to work around the clock and adjust to the many new job demands or if we should just pitch it all, buy an RV and follow Hannah Montana on concert. We are praying for clarity with these decisions…although the Hannah Montana one is pretty clear already…and for our hearts to be open to the right decision, no matter what it might be.

f.r.o.G…fully relying on God
–Anissa