Life is Just A Chair Of Bowlies

Hello It's me!

2011-09-17T23:17:00.002-05:00

Wow time does fly even when you aren't having any fun! It has been 3 years this month that Pete has been gone. It still seems like yesterday! I still miss him everyday. I have started to go through some of his things, but not to many! I have more gray hairs and put on a few pounds. Last June I had to have a spinal fusion and was off work for about 3 months. My grand daughter Bailey is going to be 2 this month, Braxton started kindergarten and Cain is 14 and a freshman. I am going to be a grandma again- my youngest son Andy and Brittney are expecting a baby in April! I probably have a few stories to share with you all.By now maybe no one is blogging but I may try it once again. Hope you all are loving and living life!

2010-05-23T23:01:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I have done any blogging. I think I may start up again and fill you in on what is happening in my life. That probably won't take to long, cause not much is happening.
I am going to do some catching up with all of you! Hope you are well!

My Heart Aches!

2009-08-03T22:03:00.004-05:00

I haven't had much time lately to do any blogging. I try to drop in once in awhile to read some blogs but I haven't commented much. I seem to be overwhelmed with all that I have to do around here. I can't seem to make any progress, hard as I try, I seem to be stuck in time. It will be coming up on a year that Pete has died. Where did that year go? It passed me by and I didn't even notice. I just want to move on and I can't make any progress! Well I am trying not to worry about it, and I will continue to take one day at a time. The problem is that time passes quickly! I have had to family reunions

the last two weekends, so that that

took all my time to get anything

accomplished around here. At least I

got out of this house! The photo is of my dog Rocky. It's his birthday! He is 3 years old! Rocky and I shared a little supper and I sang him Happy Birthday! He gave me a sloppy kiss! See how pretty he smiled in the picture! Isn't life grand!! We are really tired now and we are going to bed. Good Night !

Finally a Grandaughter!

2009-06-21T19:08:00.002-05:00

Our daughter Sheila is having another baby. A baby girl and I am excited about that. Her dad would have been so happy! Braxton will now have a little sister! Braxton is 3. Shelia's baby is due September 21st, one day after my birthday. In the photo that I posted Sheila is the blonde in the the pink shirt. The other young women is her sister. They are having a baby shower next Sunday for the both of them. It will be fun to buy little girl things for a change!

Hope all you fathers out there are having a Good Fathers Day!

Writers Block

2009-06-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy lately that I don't have time to write anything. I don't really have anything of interest to talk about. I think I have led people to believe that I am always negative and can't find positive things to talk about in my life. I really am a positive person and have lots of things to be thankful for. Still I have many issues going on in my life at this time. Perhaps I have used you all to express the frustrations that seem to happen frequently right now in my life. I suppose simply because I don't have anyone else to express these things too. I am trying to discover who I am without my husband. All of my life stories involve my husband. I don't know if I have anything of interest to anyone without the issues that come with losing someone that you love. It's probably a good thing that I have been to busy to write!

Does Good Luck Follow You?

2009-05-17T15:25:00.002-05:00

Some people seem to just be born lucky, and then there's people like me! I think that bad luck follows me around, nothing ever comes easy , and everything I seem to try to accomplish lately just turns into one big disaster. My computer was down again, my Norton antivirus expired, and just in one day, the minute the computer was turned on, it was infected with viruses. The computer had to spend a couple of days at the computer hospital, getting rid of the viruses.

You know that I picked out the monument, or headstone for my husbands grave. They are supposed to have it up by memorial weekend. I went to the cemetery to see if they had layed the slab for the monument last weekend. They layed the slab all right but in the wrong place! My hubby is buried next to his dad, then my spot, and a new neighbor will be next to me! They layed the slab on mine and my new neighbor's! It is no where near my husbands grave. I had to visit the monument place and tell them that they goofed up. I don't think they believed me at first, but I checked it 3 times last weekend to make sure I wasn't nuts! Ok, I am nut's, I will admit that! I did have the guy laughing when I said the slab seems to be for me and my neighbor. He didn't get what I meant by that, so I had to explain. The cemetery marked it now with red flags so they will have to move the slab and the mount the monument. They better have it done by memorial weekend or I am going to ask for some money back for their mistakes. My husbands estate has to go through probate and that is a whole other story. It depresses me to just think about it.

I have been busy getting my flower beds ready and bought a ton of flowers today, so I can plant some each night this week. I hope you are all having some luck in your life's.

Experiencing God

2009-05-04T21:08:00.002-05:00

My husband Pete was the kind of man that kept his calm through trials. . . he was a very patient person. His heart was seen in the way he cared more about others than himself. Take for instance when he prayed, I asked him , " Pete, do you pray for yourself?" His response was that so many others were praying for him so he thought he should be praying for others. Pete came to know God better during his illness. In fact, rather than getting bitter with God about his illness, Pete got closer to God, accepting Jesus' eternal gift. This quiet man also possessed amazing inner strength and courage. In one of life's irony's during his first battle with cancer he prayed to God, I don't want my kids to ever have cancer--give it to me instead of them, he had four different battles with cancer and we have four kids.

Just to let you know that I have had Internet problems for a month, I would try to read blogs and the Internet would lose connection. Friday I was able to get a new Internet modem, and I am up and running again. I have missed you all.

What Have I Been Doing?

2009-04-16T21:17:00.007-05:00

I haven't had much time lately to post or read any blogs. You all know how hard it is to get caught up with reading once you get behind. I had a great trip to Minnesota. The concert was great, and Joe's solo performance was amazing. It was probably about 20 minutes long and the string section was the only other instruments that played with him. He is so talented and I had to say it brought tears to my eyes. He got a standing ovation! He was the only standing ovation, no one else got one and we were all so proud of him. I didn't get pictures because my camera batteries were dead, I had the camera with me but forgot to charge it, as I hadn't used it for awhile.

The picture that you see of the two dogs, is a photo of our first boxer Oscar and our chihuahua Pockets. As I was getting ready for church the Sunday before Easter Pockets started having trouble breathing, within 45 minutes he layed down and died. He was my son Andy's dog. I kept trying to call Andy, as I knew he was dying. Andy finally called me back and he came home to help me with his little dog Pockets. It was a sad day for us and especially for Andy. It just really freaked me out that day. So this is a little tribute for Pockets. He was 13 years old. Oscar the other dog in the photo died at age 3 of lymphoma. He got lymphoma the same time as Pete's last lymphoma came back in 2006.

I have been busy picking out the grave headstone and relieved now that it is done. They should have it up by memorial weekend, which will be nice. I have also been meeting with my banker doing some financial planning with Pete's 401k and Pension. The pension they are still trying to figure that out. I tell you nothing goes smoothly with this stuff. The pension is an old plan and Pete and a couple others are the only ones that have it. They don't have it anymore. They were grandfathered in on the Pension. I suppose they will be trying to get out of paying that!!

I have been doctoring once again. They had me on a higher dose of cholesterol medicine. Before I left for Minnesota I broke out with a rash all over! I stopped taking the medication, thinking that it was causing the rash. After I got back it wasn't going away so I found a day to see the doctor. They didn't think it was from the medicine, but they didn't know what it was from. They are keeping me off the med for awhile till the rash clears. Then I am supposed to take it again and if the rash comes back, we will know it is the medicine. They put me on prednisone and it made me sick. I don't do medicine very well. That is why I never go to the doctor, because once you go, it seems you just keep going. The rash isn't gone quite yet, but I won't take the prednisone. I'll try the med once again, when the rash gets a little better.

I have been very busy with work with some stressful things, so by the time I get home I am dead tired. Hope you have all been well. I hope to have sometime this weekend to catch up and read your blogs.

Oboe Joe

2009-03-24T21:32:00.006-05:00

I would like to introduce you to my nephew Joe. He attends the University of Minnesota where he studies the oboe. He will graduate this year. Joe is a talented young musician. Has performed as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies.

Joe is currently the Principal Oboe of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He also plays with the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the West Bank Winds Woodwind Quintet. Joe has a private teaching studio and is co founder and oboe instructor of the 4th Street Music Collective. This is just to name a few of his amazing dedication to music. He has pursed this since he was young and remained dedicated to playing the oboe. He also has a great singing voice and plays the piano well. His love though is the oboe.

Joe has been auditioning at schools for undergraduate school. He auditioned at Julliard and Yale. There was one other but I forgot what school that was. We are all so very proud of Joe and his accomplishments. The good news is in, Joe was accepted to Yale! What a great accomplishment for him.

I taking a road trip with my youngest sister this weekend. I haven't left the state for at least ten years. We are heading up to Minneapolis to hear Joe perform as a soloist with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra on Sunday. I will get to see my oldest sister, Joe's mom. My younger sister's daughter and her only grandchild live in St. Paul so we will see them too. They are forecasting snow Friday night and Sat. around here, I will be so disappointed if the weather wrecks our plans. Check this out about Joe's upcoming guest solo.

A Man of Few Words, But a Man With Many Names

2009-03-18T20:14:00.002-05:00

My husband Pete was a man of few words. He was quiet and a little bashful. I' m chatty and a bit crazy! They say opposites attract and I think that's true. Well, as you know I have posted some things about my hubby Pete, but that's not his real name. I was introduced to him through a friend of mine that I worked with back in 1985. Pete was a friend of her husbands, she thought Pete was cute, but warned me that he was really quiet especially around people that he didn't know. He was pretty darn cute and a really nice guy but he was quiet and shy. It was like pulling teeth to get him to say much. That got better overtime, but he still wasn't a big talker in big crowds of people he didn't know, he wasn't one to start a conversation with a stranger. Let me explain the man of many names. Pete, not his real name, but that is what I called him. His name is James. Since I was introduced to him and all his friends called him Pete, that is what I called him. So my family and most folks I knew called him Pete. His family and everyone at his workplace knew him as Jim. I dated him for four years before we got married and it was to hard to start calling him Jim. I did however call him Jim on occasion and James if I really wanted his attention. I have confused lots of people when I would refer to him as Pete and then once in a while I would say Jim. People would give me a strange look, like perhaps I had more than one man in my life. The doctor called him Jim, his nurse called him Pete. My poor husband had to answer to lots of names. When he was in the hospital before he passed, I had called my Pastor and told him that they had to put Jim on a ventilator, he was coming to pray with us. My Pastor knew him as Jim. The next time I called my Pastor and told him that we were going to take Pete off the ventilator as soon as all of us had gathered, as the Pastor was coming to be with us when that happened. I was an emotional mess at that time. The Pastor said well ok, but who is Pete? I bet he thought I was either totally gone or I had two men in my life. I think it is funny now, I think back and remember he sounded so puzzled, like he didn't know what to say. Of course I had to give a brief explanation on who Pete was. I think he breathed a sigh of relief!

Previous Post!

2009-03-11T22:19:00.003-05:00

I just posted and I have this long empty space before you can get down to the comments. I don't know how to fix it. So if your going to comment you'll have to scroll down through the empty space to comment. How did that happen? I wish I was smart enough to figure it out!

I forgot this important news. The insurance company came through, finally!!

What were you doing 27 years ago on this day?

2009-03-11T21:08:00.013-05:00

What were you doing on March 11, 1982? This is me in March of 1982. I am fat and pregnant with my third child. I was 27 years old. Tom and I were poor. We had 2 other children, Seth almost 6 and Emily 3. We lived in a two bedroom apartment in Omaha. Note the awful hairdo! What was I thinking. I had always had long hair and this was the first experiment with short hair. A shag haircut!

This is the early morning of March 11, 1982. I am having my coffee and making a list for my mother-in-law. I am in labor. I am reassuring my oldest son Seth, that mommy is going to the hospital to have our new baby. Those days we didn't know if it was a girl or a boy. He was a little worried about his mommy. Emily was sleeping and Tom went to get his mother to stay with the kids.

This is a lovely photo of me. I spent the morning and a good part of the day in very hard labor. With not much progress they decided to do a Cesarean Section. I was put out and never felt a thing after that! Thank God! Andy was born at 2:46pm. at St. Joseph's Hospital in Omaha, Ne. I spent 5 days at the hospital. I had hemorrhaged into my abdomen overnight, I had to have 3 units of blood the next day, I was on stand by surgery so I never got to eat. Two days later at supper, they brought food to me. Then the doctor came and said Andy had congenital cranial steno sis. He was born without a soft spot on his head and his skull was fused already. This meant that when his brain grew his head would grow long and social pressure would be hard for him. So at age 6 weeks he had surgery on his skull to open the suture line in the skull that would allow his brain to grow and his head to be a normal shape. That is a story to be told another time. I could not eat after that upsetting news.

Andrew is born. He doesn't look to happy. He weighed 10lbs 5 0z. He was one big baby! I did have my one tube tied after this. My babies got bigger every time and I was not going to ever give birth to a 12 pounder!

This is my baby Andrew John, 5 days old getting ready to leave the hospital. He is going home to meet his brother and sister. Andy was a very good baby. I just can't believe that my baby is 27 years old today. Happy Birthday Andy!

Tom and I divorced when Andy was 3 years old. Pete is the only Dad that Andy really knew. Tom has not seen Andy since age 10. He wouldn't know him if they ever ran into each other.

Note: Yesterday, March 10th would have been me and Pete's 20 year anniversary.

I haven't been reading blogs lately, I haven't been feeling well, have been having some cardiac tests this week. I am falling apart all of the sudden. I will try to get caught up with my reading soon. I thought I would do better at posting this month. This is the first one!

Birthday Boys

2009-02-27T11:37:00.006-06:00

I have been really bad about finding time to post and read blogs this month. I hope that I can get caught up over the weekend. I took today off to try to make some contacts once again with my hubby's life insurance. Last I heard they were to mail out the check over a week ago last Wed., haven't got it yet! I have trouble catching up with the guy who is supposed to be handling this. First he said he didn't get information sent last Oct. I had my nephew in law call him, he's an attorney, then we started to hear from the insurance guy. We resent the information again. Then he said he didn't have the death certificate, which was sent in October, so we sent another one. This crap is taking a long time. I just want to be finished with it. I am sharing with you a short photoshow of the Birthday Boys. Cain was 12 on Feb. 17th, he belongs to my oldest son. Jacob was 12 on Jan. 28th, he is Seth's girlfriends son. So I have attended a couple of birthday parites for the boys. Jacob is the darker hair, smaller boy and Cain is the bigger boy. So please check out my newest production Birthday Boys!

Junk Mail

2009-02-19T21:26:00.004-06:00

I am sure that everyone receives their share of Junk Mail. Call me strange but I like junk mail. Some of it is fun to look at and it certainly is better than bills. I received this in the mail the other day, just an insurance agent marketing for house insurance. I really didn't pay to much attention to it. But just as I was about to throw it away, I noticed the picture of the house on the front with the lovely Magnolia tree in bloom. Well I guess he has been taking photos of houses, because the house of this piece of mail is my little house! I scanned this so I don't know if you will be able to see it that good. Do you like Junk Mail??

Alive and Well, Ok sort of!

2009-02-14T11:14:00.002-06:00

My computer is finally fixed. I am way behind on reading blogs and posting for this month. My son took me out for supper last Saturday. We went to Omaha to the Cheesecake factory and we had a nice time. Seth loves to go out to eat and he loves to try new and different things. I feel better today, I had a terrible week. Work stressed me out terribly this week, I had a meltdown. I took a vacation day yesterday, but we had to close anyway due to the snow storm. My boss happened to call me at work on Thursday, that was the day of the meltdown. He called really to touch base on the budget. I had him on the phone so I opened my mouth and let everything flow. He was very encouraging and he told me I am way to hard on myself. I fell like I should be making more progress at work, but it is a tough place with staff who don't follow directives or don't think they need to be accountable. I try not to let work stress me that much and I try to remain calm, but the week just didn't let me do that! Feb. 10th last week was 5 months that my honey passed away. I know that was in the back of my mind. It seems like only a few weeks ago, but 5 months already! It doesn't seem possible. I guess an occasional melt down is ok. He said I don't have as many as the other directors do! After the phone call he said , why don't you just get out of there and go home. It was only a half hour early, so I grab my purse and ran for the door!! I have Monday off , I so need a break from that place!! Hopefully, I can catch up on checking in on all of you! Somebody Loves me, my youngest son and his girlfriend left me an orchid plant, it was nice surprise to wake up to on this Valentine's day.

Marla's M Words

2009-02-01T20:07:00.002-06:00

I told my blogging buddy Cathy that she could give me a letter for the Letter Meme, and I got the letter M. So I will do my best to write on 10 things that I love that start with M!

1. Mountains- Who doesn't love the beauty of the mountains. We have no real mountains in Nebraska but Mount Crescent was nearby. Well some of you may not no about this mountain, but that is where Pete took me to learn to ski. It's a ski place, but really just some big hills. My first attempt at skiing was awful. They made artificial snow and when you tried to get to the ski lift it was pure ice and and I couldn't even keep from falling. We some how got to lift and I went down once and refused to go down again. Yes, I was a big baby about it! We did start going to Colorado every winter to ski. It was much easier to learn on real mountains with real snow. I have fond memories of our ski trips and am glad I didn't give up after the awful start at Mount Crescent!

2. Music- I like to listen to music, really all kinds. I am not fond of rap! I love musicals. I do alot of singing. I sing in the shower, in the car, and around the house. I even use my wooden spoon for my pretend microphone. I make up my own words to the tunes of other songs. Yes, my kids say I am crazy but very entertaining. I not a good singer just average. I would never sing solo. I did karaoke one time on a business trip. It was a competition with other states in our company. Our group was singing Taking Care of Business, we were rockin good! We won by the loudest applause! Many of us probably had one drink to many at that time!

3. Magazines- I love magazines. I buy way to many, but I can't help myself. I need to go to Magazine anonymous or something. They call my name when I walk by them, I try hard not to look at them, but they draw me in every time. My favorite of course are cooking magazines, I am obsessed with them!

4. My Mother- I love my mother, she simply the best, better than all the rest! She will be 76 on Feb. 3rd. She has been there for me when I need her always. Her and my dad will be married 59 years in October. I have always admired my mom. She was the youngest of 12 children. Her mother had her when she was 47 years old. My grandmother got Parkinson's and my mom being the youngest had to quit school to care for her mother. Her brothers and sisters are much older were gone and married. My parents were newly married and her parents lived with them. One night mom and dad went out and Grandma went to someone's house for the night, Grandpa stayed home. While they were gone, there was a fire! Grandpa got out in his underwear but the house burned to the ground, they lost everything. Mom had taken off her wedding rings that night because her hands were swollen. Mom said they sifted through the ashes for weeks for her ring, but never found it. Mom had 4 little girls and by this time my Grandma was wheelchair bound, couldn't even talk, or feed herself, or walk. Mom took care of us and her parents. My grandpa never wanted her in a nursing home. Grandpa died first and mom then put her mom in the nursing home. Grandma died 2 weeks later and 24 hours after she went to the nursing home. My mom is a hard worker, she can still work circles around me. She is a great cook and the best baker. I love my mom!

5. Mexican Food- I really like Mexican food. If ever I have a good craving, it is usually Mexican food. And, well, that's all I have to say about that.

6. Memories-- I love memories! I think it is good for your soul to reflect on both your good and bad memories. I am a keeper of stuff, you know, not one to throw stuff out. Well everything holds some kind of a memory and I just can't part with things. That's why my house is filled to the rim with things. I really do need to clear out some of the stuff but I have a hard time with it! When I die my kids are going to have way to much stuff to go through. I know that you should hold memories in your mind and heart. But, I can't help thinking, if my mind goes, I might need the stuff to remind me of the memory!

7. Marriage--I loved marriage and everything about it! The good things and the bad things. I miss not being married. I like having someone around to talk with, laugh with, snuggle with, and to love. Pete and I were soul mates. We did everything together. We were always with each other. We didn't really go anywhere without each other. We were there for each other. And as the vows say Until death do us part!

8. Motherhood- I like being a mother. I don't know what I would do without my kids. There is nothing you will ever do in your life that compares to motherhood. I made lots of mistakes at motherhood. I was a single parent for awhile, I tried hard to be the mom and the dad. I didn't always do the best. My mom would always come and stay with me when I had a baby, to help out for a few days. When I had my third child, Andy she came. Seth was 6, and Emily was 3. The day she was going to leave, I cried like a baby, it was a hormone thing, uncontrollable, I didn't mean to! I said what the heck was I thinking, 3 kids, don't leave me here! Well she left and I survived. My kids have driven me to tears at times, but I love them so very much. I am very close to my children and not all people have that!

9. Mornings- I am not a morning person, meaning that I have never got used to getting up at 5:30 am. I am really crabby in the morning, and it takes me forever to get going. I always told my husband that I am not responsible for what I say early in the morning hours. Once I am up and about, I like the mornings! I like the weekend mornings, in the summer when I can get up early and work in my flowerbeds.

10. Miracles- I love miracles, I believe in miracles. I think that it is a miracle that my husband lived for 13 years fighting and winning 3 bouts of cancer, even though he did not win the 4th bout! It was a God given miracle! He was given time for our children to grow older, he was given time to get to know his grandchildren. He was given time to come to know the Lord! We were given time to love each other a little longer. During this we all learned very valuable life lessons. How to live your life with dignity. To always have hope, to live each day to the fullest and to embrace each new day like its your last!

A Night Out!

2009-01-25T21:08:00.002-06:00

I finally got out of the house this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I do get out of the house to work every day and to the grocery store. But Saturday my youngest sister Lynn and her husband Curt took me out for supper. We just stayed in town, because it was snowing and went to the new steak house here in Fremont. We had a nice evening, good food, conversation and some good laughs. I think I really needed that. I have only been out twice since Pete's death in September. I feel like I experienced a moment of freedom. My brother-in-law Curt said after our meal he was going to take me somewhere really special. Well we went to Walmart, now wasn't that special. I really don't like Walmart and that's probably why he said it. They had to pick up a few things, before the took me home. It was a good night! Lynn and Curt have really been great support for me and I love them both dearly. I have many things to post about and some of them will be about my husband. You will just have to bear with me as I journey into a new phase in my life. Thank you all for your support and know that you all bring me comfort and great encouragement. Why pay for a grief counselor when I get all of you for free!! Blessings to all of you!

Missing!

2009-01-19T21:25:00.002-06:00

I have the blues tonight, again! I can't seem to shake them! Seems that they come and go quite frequently.
I miss my best friend!
I miss him sitting at the kitchen table when I walk in the door from work.
I miss the pot of coffee he would have waiting for me when I got home from work.
I miss his snoring, I really do!
I miss his scratchy moustache kisses.
I miss his gentleness.
I miss his freezing feet in my bed.
I miss the morning kiss and goodbye, have a good day.
I miss his quiet laughter and his smile.
I miss him teasing me.
I miss not having anyone to be with.
I miss his hugs.
I miss not having him here to care for.
I miss conversations.
I miss being a wife!

Although he lives in my heart, I miss the Love of my Life!!

Check This Out!

2009-01-15T23:10:00.002-06:00

I know a young woman who has started a blog. She is very dear to my heart, like a daughter to me. She hasn't had any visitors except me. I thought maybe some of you good people would go visit her and encourage her to continue with this new adventure. Go visit Arlene!

Double Dare

2009-01-15T22:08:00.003-06:00

I was reading the news today and I read about the famous I double dare you to lick the pole. So of course this 4th grader licks the pole and it was 10 degrees outside. I had to laugh, not that it is funny to laugh at some one's pain. I was just reminded of a few years back when one evening I received a phone call from the my grandson's mother, and she was panicky. My grandson Cain was sledding and although he wasn't double dared, for some reason he decided to lick the light pole at the sledding hill. He pulled his tongue off but his tongue was bleeding. He thought he needed to come and get Grandma's advice. He was crying when he got here with his tongue bleeding and all skinned off. I held him awhile and got a cool cloth for him to suck on. There isn't much to do except put up with a sore tongue for a few days. I thought that he should go home and take some Tylenol, and stay home from school the next day and eat some soft foods like pudding till his tongue healed. He thought that was a great idea. He did get to stay home for the torment that he put himself through. I asked him why he licked the pole, he said he didn't know why, he just did, but said he would never do that again. It was around Christmas when he did it. A few days later I got a Christmas card from my sister and on the front of the card was the boy from the Christmas Story with his tongue stuck to the pole. It was just funny because my sister didn't know anything about Cain licking the pole. Once and awhile I ask him if he has licked any poles lately, and he smiles and politely answers, No Grandma! When I go to his basketball game on Saturday I am going to be sure to tell him about yet another boy who licked a pole.

Medical Bills

2009-01-09T20:48:00.002-06:00

Medical bills, we all have them. I can say that I have had so many over the years that they fit into a small laundry basket. So many I couldn't keep them straight and it would take hours to pay a small bit on all of them. Almost 14 years of struggling with medical bills from Pete's ongoing bouts with cancer. We had good insurance but when treatments are weekly at 15,000 your 20% adds up quickly. Not to mention cat scans, pet scans , MRI's, stem cell transplant, etc. We could never get them caught up. It was a stressful situation for both of us. In January 2008 our niece had a benefit for Pete. I plan to write about it, perhaps this weekend sometime. We never spent any of the benefit money while Pete was living. Pete was working so we just kept making payments according to arrangements that were made with all of the many medical bills that we had. We thought we would only use the money when absolutely necessary. Perhaps when he got to sick to work anymore or if when he died I would need to pay off all of those bills. The benefit was a blessing because I was able today to sit down and pay off all of his medical bills as well as mine and still have some money left in the benefit account. So celebrate with me for the moment, this is the first time in 14 years that I don't have to pay on any medical accounts. I paid off 6 different accounts and I am free. The bad part is there will be more bills because I am now going to start taking care of myself. Starting with the dentist, and long overdue doctor appointments for me! But for the moment I'll celebrate!!

Vandals

2009-01-04T11:35:00.002-06:00

Early Saturday morning I was awakened by the dogs barking as if someone was on the front porch. I wandered into the living room, and looked out the window and there was a police officer on my front porch. When an officer is knocking at your door it is never a good thing! Of course I thought it was something with my kids, panic struck in! The kids were fine. He asked me if I had a red rocking chair. I was of course sleepy and responded no, I don't have a red rocking chair. He said- well there is a broken chair in the street and it matches the color of your mailbox and other chairs on your porch. Then it struck me, I have a read chair in a small flower bed in front of the house that I always put a flower pot on in the summer, scarecrow in the fall, etc. I asked him if he saw a chair there, he said no, and of course the vandals had taken the chair and broke it to bits. He picked up the pieces and set them near the house. I didn't file a report, there was no money value in it. Pete and I found it at a garage sale, it was rustic, and I painted it and it looked so cute out there! Sentimental memories stolen by some stupid vandals!! The officer told me that in the last few weeks there has been 30 reports filed for vandalism!! It just made me angry!! That's why young punks should not be out at 4:44 a.m. in the morning, they only can get into trouble at that hour!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T00:36:00.003-06:00

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! I am sharing a little movie with you. I hope you all find your Joy in this new year! May God Bless You All!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T11:04:00.002-06:00

December has not been a good month for me! I have been busy with work, but at home I can't seem to get into the spirit of Christmas! I am missing Pete so much and everything I see, touch, hear, taste or feel, makes me cry! I have been doing better for the last week or so, but I am not very Merry! I did get my shopping done yesterday and that was an all day event. Left at 10:30am and got done at 5:30pm. I was bound and determine to finish it. Went to church this morning and after I sort some laundry, I will be wrapping gifts for the entire day and night. I have missed the blogging, but I just seemed to distracted to really post anything readable! Most of all I wanted to wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas! You have all made an impact in my life. God sends good people my way! I hope that once I get through Christmas, I well better be able to move on! My husband sent me a message. I walked into the bedroom closet a couple of days ago. His side of the closet has a wood bar and it broke right in the middle and all of his clothes cascaded onto the floor making a huge mountain of clothes. Yes, they are still there. I think he says perhaps I should go through some of this stuff cause there is no where else to hang it. The pile does serve a purpose, really! I am short, and I keep sheets on a shelf above his clothing. I don't have to drag a stool in there to get sheets. I can just climb the mountain of clothes and I can reach the sheets!! May God Bless You All!!

Experiencing God!

2008-12-07T09:38:00.002-06:00

Today I thought that I would share a story about Mary. No, not the mother of Christ, just Mary a person whom my husband and I met in a chemotherapy treatment room. Pete had treatments at The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. This experience happened in 2003 when Pete was getting chemotherapy in preparation for a stem cell transplant. In the cancer treatment center, when your name is called you wander back to the little room where you will be sitting for 4 hours to have the poisonous drugs infused to your body. This particular course of treatment took along time, they are not always this long, some we had were all day affairs, some were 2 hours. In these rooms there are two recliners, so that two people are having treatments at the same time. We came into that room and Mary was already in her recliner, receiving the chemo, a man was with her. Pete and Mary's actions were very much alike. Pete taps his feet nervously all the time and I noticed Mary's feet were doing the same dance. We introduced our selves to each other. Pete and Mary shared some feelings about chemo and we all laughed as they seemed so much alike. The gentleman with her was her brother who came to support Mary through this journey. He had a book in his hand and so did I! He was reading Chicken Soup for the Soul, for Cancer patients, and guess what, so was I! They were two of the kindest people we have ever met in a chemo room. We talked and laughed and the time went so fast! We all agreed if you could ever have fun in a chemo room, this was a fun day. Mary shared her story. She had a cancer that involved her colon, and tumors that were entwined everywhere in her abdomen. Mary had already had a surgery and was doing follow up chemo at this time. Her surgery was supposed to be very involved and would be 4-5 hours long. They were going to film this procedure for students docs, it was quite a mess as Mary indicated. The day of her surgery Mary was pacing nervously because they kept bumping her surgery time to a later hour, this happened two times, something more critical needed attention. Her daughter-in-law was with her. Mary said her faith was strong but nothing like her daughter-in-laws. Mary described the daughter-in-law as being the most spiritual person she knew! Mary was going crazy waiting around for the surgery, she hadn't even been prepped yet so she was in a waiting area filled with other people. In the waiting are, Mary's daughter-in-law, proclaimed out loud for all to hear, You don't have to have the surgery! Everything is ok, you don't have the cancer, Jesus has taken care of it! Well, Mary was thinking, is she crazy, people in the room are staring at her! Mary said, what are you talking about. The answer from the daughter-in-law was, It's ok mom, Jesus is right here now, standing beside me and he said you don't need the surgery. Mary, did go to surgery that day! They opened her up and guess what, there was nothing wrong! Now they had xrays of the mess inside her abdomen, but presto, nothing there to fix! I think that God was present that day and of course so did she! We met her doctor that day in the chemo room. The doctor said she had no answers to what happened that day except perhaps a Miracle!! They did Mary's chemo just to make sure that there were no stray cancer cells floating about. Her daughter-in-law told her it wasn't necessary, but Mary decided to do the Chemo, just in case. Lesson learned: God speaks to his people.
If your faith is strong, you will hear him! You too, could have an encounter with God!

Mission Impossible

2008-11-29T09:40:00.002-06:00

I enjoyed Thanksgiving day with my family. We went to my sister Lynn's beautiful lake home. My parents were there and two of my sisters kids made it home. The food was great and I felt sick by the time I got home. Two of my sisters did not come and I wish we could have all been together. I am really missing my husband, it seems I am worse as the months go by! Work has been difficult and there is no one here to share that with when I get home. I was off yesterday so I did mega cleaning. The mission is to get this hell hole cleaned up and get the Christmas decorating done before Monday. I was scrubbing floors and rearranging furniture till 10 pm last night. I am ready to roll today as soon as my body wakes up! I have to drag 700 boxes down from upstairs. Normally my youngest son would be around to help, but since he does not live at home anymore, I can't be waiting till he shows up to do it! I will soon put on the Christmas music and I will be singing and dancing around the house as I get into the Holiday spirit. It isn't as much fun doing it all alone, but it will cheer me up. I love Christmas music and the best part I know all the words to every song. If I dance to much my dog will attack me, he plays really rough! I miss the kids be little and helping out! I haven't had the time to read any of your blogs for awhile. I must admit I really miss that! What the heck, I miss my blogging buddies. I just have been getting home late and going to bed. I hope things will improve at work and I will be able to get back into my normal routine.
My new job is beyond words, and I have never in my 50 plus years of life experienced anything like this before!!

Cell Phones

2008-11-18T16:00:00.002-06:00

I am sure most of you all have cell phones. I had a cell phone but it was one of those trac phones, you know the kind that you buy a card for for so many minutes. Call me cheap or I just didn't have the need for one. I carried the trac phone only for emergencies. I figured that I commute all the time, so perhaps I should have a way to call for help if my car broke down. I am not a big talker, well that is, on the telephone. I do talk allot person to person! My husband used to say how can you possibly think of so much to talk about! He was a quiet and shy guy! With my other program that I directed, my team could handle anything so they rarely had to call me! If I wasn't home they left a message and I would get back to them. They would just give me a heads up on on issue, and they usually knew how to handle things. With this change of jobs mu boss figured that I would probably need to carry a cell phone and perhaps even have it turned on, imagine! So I did it, I am a proud owner a real cell phone, with a bill that comes in the mail! I purchased two other phones for early Christmas gifts for two of my kids who couldn't afford them. I hated not being able to get ahold of them when I needed to! They came for supper on Sunday and I told them Santa came early, they couldn't have been happier! Then they left!! I figured out a ring tone and how to turn the thing on. It has a camera, which I will never figure out! The thing frustrates me already. I haven't even had a call on it yet! I called myself just to make sure I had the volume on! I will need to call the kids over and have Cell Phone 101 classes. I did announce at a meeting today with other directors that I'm moving on up now in the world, with a cell phone! Pathetic or cheap? I don't know, perhaps a little of both.

Busy, Busy!

2008-11-11T11:00:00.002-06:00

I have been way to busy lately to find time to do a meaningful post! Yes, I missed the Sunday Post, Experiencing God! I will get back to doing that when I get into the groove of my new job. My first day was fine, and I have today off. The next three will be long and not as pleasant, lot's of meetings. I have lots to do today, trying to take care of things in regards to the business end of my hubby's death. Making all the calls that I can't do at work. Some of you have asked what song was playing when Pete and I had our last dance. I don't know, it didn't matter, and I am not sure that I heard music! I was caught up in the moment of the embrace! There must of been music, cause my mom and dad were dancing next to us in the photo!

The Dash

2008-11-08T00:40:00.002-06:00

Since the death of my husband I have been reflecting on what I have accomplished with my life. I wonder what people will say about me when I am gone. What will people say about you? Check this out!

The Last Two Days

2008-11-07T21:36:00.002-06:00

I made it through my last two days at work but not with dry eyes! On Thursday there was a little surprise party for me, back in the lunch room where the individuals and staff have breaks. When I walked in and one of the individuals that we support said, " Were going to miss you Marla!" That's all it took, I totally lost it, I had to leave the room briefly, and with tears streaming down my face. I walked back down the hall and gained my composure. I headed back to the lunch room and was able to sit and visit and enjoy the morning break with everyone. They had all kinds of cookies and bars, it was very nice. My team had someone take a photo of all of us together. They gave me a nice picture frame, black and white that says Faith, Family, and Friends. Under the word Faith, they place a photo of me wearing a big sombrero. The big sombrero was given to me by my team last year after our 2 day state re certification review. We received no citations. This was the first time in the surveyors career that he did not write any citations for correction. I was so proud of all our staff for the great work that they do! In fact we were the only ones in the state to have no citations. So my team brought me this sombrero and said I was the best head honcho they ever had! They said they placed that photo under Faith because they always had faith in me. Under the family photo, they took my family photo off my blog, under friends they placed the photo of all of us that we had just taken that morning. It is a great treasure to take with me to hang on the wall of my my new office. I had lunch at my parents that day. I told them that I wouldn't be having lunch with them on Friday, since my team was taking me to lunch on my last day. I have lunch with my parents most days unless I am out of town at meetings. I have been going there for 5 years now. I know that they have enjoyed having me visit with them over lunch over the years. My dad turned 80 in Sept. and mom is 76. They have been married 58 years. They are the best parents a girl could have. Well when I was ready to leave my mom hugged me and started to cry, and I could see tears coming from dad's eyes! I was crying and hugged them both again. I have been so grateful that I have gotten to spend this special time with them over the last 5 years. I will miss that time with them. I will have to make sure I head up that way on the weekends to visit them. They also come here, to help work in the antique store that my mom and sisters have. I may have to start visiting them at the store when they work Saturdays. I packed my car and headed home, and you guessed it, I cried like a baby half the way home. I have tears rolling down my checks as I am writing this. I just a big baby! I know I will be fine once I start my new job, but it's been rough these last two days!!

The Blues!

2008-11-05T20:54:00.002-06:00

I really have the Blues tonight! I only have two days left in my current job with a group of people that I will be so sad to leave! My team is the best group of people that I have ever had the privelage to work with. I have always believed or heard that you shouldn't get to close to those you may have to fire! But I can't help it, I love these people and they really are great friends! I will begin a new journey on Monday. I am staying with the same agency, the same position that I currently have, just taking over a different area program. I am leaving a strong team of managers and a successful program and taking over a program that has had issues. One of the supervisors there will be moving into the position of Area Director. I know they all work together so well that the transistion will go well there. I will be using some of my team to come in to do some training and help me out in my new adventure. This has been an emotional roller coaster for me and I dread these last two days. I know I will be crying by the end of the day on Friday!!

Experiencing God!

2008-11-01T22:26:00.002-05:00

I have decided that on Sundays I will post some stories about experiencing God. Some of these will be my own experiences and some will be from others who have shared stories. I have been meeting with a group of women, at my church in a small group and we are reading the book Experiencing God. This is the first small group that I have ever participated in. There are 7 of us in this group, different ages, and all of us on very different levels in our spiritual journeys.I have always believed in God, said a little prayer at night, but hadn't attended a church for many years.I realize that it is so much more than a prayer once a day. It has been in the last year that I have been growing stronger in my faith and have been thirsty for God's word! I found a great church and the pastor is a great teacher. I attend the modern service, which is a casual, no dress code environment. You sit at tables with coffee and doughnuts, they even serve a full breakfast once a month. The music is played by a contemporary rock band. Very different from the services I attended when I was younger. I read an article in the newspaper last fall about my Pastor. I just kept having reoccurring thoughts in my head that I should go check this church out. I finally did after many months. I know that I was sent there for a reason. I knew after attending a few services that this is the church that the Lord lead me to. My thirst to grow in my faith came over me as if the Lord himself, hit me in the head with a ruler, telling me to wake up!I suddenly became more aware of everything I said to people. At worked one day I had to tell my team one of those little white lies, something I wasn't supposed to let them know at the moment. After the meeting I was so aware of that white lie, because a lie is lie, in God's eyes. God reveals Himself to each of us in special and exceptional ways, so our perception of Him is unique! What I once thought was coincidental circumstances, I know now that it was an experience with God! I'll talk more of this in next Sunday's post! Iknow it's still Saturday, but I have a busy day tomorrow. The kids are coming for supper, so after church I will be cooking all day!

Last Dance

2008-11-01T09:28:00.004-05:00

In August my niece Haley got married at my sister's beautiful lake home. It was an outdoor wedding. They had a huge canopy white tent set up on the grass, so you had a great view of the lake, the dance floor was laid upon the grass. The flowers on the tables were done by friends of my sisters, who went through every ones flower gardens, and since the river is on the other side of the lake homes, they gathered wild flowers and grasses and these flowers were gorgeous, each tables vase of flowers was a little different and unique. It was 95 degrees, so a hot evening. My husband usually goes to bed very early so I didn't anticipate that we would stay to long into the night. There was something special about the evening. Pete seemed to have this amazing spurt of energy, he looked so good that night. We danced a slow song and we haven't danced for many years. While we were dancing and holding each other so tightly, never wanting to let go of this moment, I was thinking this could be our last dance. I think we both knew this would be our last dance, clinging to each other never wanting this moment to end! I have this photo in the bedroom so I can see him holding me ever so tightly and I can still feel him holding me! The kids were in tears much of the night as Pete danced the night away. He was a good dancer at the fast songs, much better than I. The kids said he seemed to be having the time of his life. Pete said to me that night, " I just love weddings, everyone is so happy!" Not a profound quote by any means, but from his heart. He was happy, he was enjoying life for one last time. Twenty- two days after this night he began a rapid decline in his battle with cancer and passed Sept. 10th. It's amazing how one night in your life will make such an impact and I will carry it with me forever! My sister snapped the photo! I like it because I can see his face and he is holding me so tight. I know it's a photo of a backside, and those pants made my behind look huge!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T23:08:00.001-05:00

Road Runner PhotoShow

I missed Halloween. Check out my Tribute to Halloween. I worked late tonight so I missed Halloween! Hope you all had a fun night!

Hey Dick!

2008-10-26T12:59:00.002-05:00

My daughter and I were in the bookstore browsing one evening. We were in the magazine section, I was looking for a cooking magazine. I saw a man that I knew there, his name is Dick. Emily was goofing around and said, "Mom, didn't you say that you wanted to pick up the latest issue of Playgirl?" I nervously said, " Be quiet, I know that man, he does handyman things for us at work." " You're going to embarrass me!" She just chuckled and we continued to browse through out the store. I had my purchases and we went to stand in the line at the checkout counter. Dick and his wife were behind us in the line, in this order, a stranger,me, Em, wife of Dick, and good ole Dick himself. I decided that it would be polite to speak to him. So since he was a few people away from me, I lean my head forward in Dick's direction and say loud enough for him to hear me. Hey Dick! Well his wife just kept looking straight ahead and Dick did not acknowledge me at all. So , I'm thinking he didn't hear me. So I yell out Hey Dick, Dick! Still no response. So now I'm thinking this guy is really rude and thought he was a nice guy. Soooooooo, now I am yelling a little bit louder, Dick, Hey Dick !!!! This guy would not respond but his wife gave me a funny look. I'm thinking I pay this man to do repairs and he won't even speak, how dare he! Soooo, I am yelling Hey Dick quite loudly this time! Emily says, mom what are you doing, people are looking at you saying, Dick, hey Dick, he obviously is a jerk! Buttttttt, I made one more attempt to get Dick to acknowledge me! Soooooo, one more time Dick, Hey, Hey--DICK!! And---like magic he spoke--He looked right at me, and said, in a calm voice, "Mam, Who are you?" " I'm not Dick."
I was feeling really stupid, and Emily was laughing hysterically out loud by now. Well what could I do but laugh! I had to apologize and explain who I thought he was and how he must be Dick's twin. The rest of the checkout line was laughing by now! So what would you do if some foolish woman in the check out line was yelling, Hey Dick!
I'll share some other of my foolish moments in upcoming posts!!

News Flash!

2008-10-22T21:52:00.002-05:00

I don't have much time to post lately as I am working some very long days at work interviewing every employee in one of our area programs. I have been leaving at 7:30am and getting home at 9:00pm. I will talk more later of this work adventure. The great news is the pocket knives our closed, my son Andy showed me all the tricks with the knives. My oldest son Seth came by and started the lawn mower and he informed me if you have gas in it, it will start much easier! Who would have thought?!?!?

Words of Wisdom

2008-10-15T19:35:00.003-05:00

I have a grandson named Cain who is now 11 years old. He has spent every other weekend with me since a young age. We are extremely close and he was very close to my husband. On the weekends when he would come our world revolved around him. He is such a great kid! His other grandparents have allot of money, we are the poor ones! The other grandparents have a really nice home ours is old and needs allot of work! The other grandparents are to busy to attend baseball, soccer, football, class musicals, etc. We attended most everything we could. I ran around the yard with toy machine guns playing army, tackle football, let him bury me in piles of leaves, have hot wheel races and cut his toast with cookie cutters and give him breakfast in Grandma's bed, and that's only a few things. The other grandparents have a corvette, we have a dodge. The other grandparents have a motor home, we have a tent. Cain said to me when he was pretty young: "My other grandparents have a fancy house grandma, and your house is kinda old, but you know what grandma, this house is filled with lots of love. " Isn't that so wise from such a young boy? His other Grandpa passed away in 2003, at age 62. It was a tragic accident, he was electrocuted while working on irrigation equipment. So the loss of my husband has been very hard for him, but he knows Jesus and he is very mature for his age. When Cain was little, very little he called me Barda for many years. I don't know why that was his name for me. The really strange thing about that is only one other person called me that and it was my Grandpa Oscar. Grandpa had names for all his Grandchildren. Mine was Marda Barda. He died many years before Cain was born. Maybe Grandpa gave him that name!

Pocket Knives

2008-10-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

I took my yearly trip to a pumpkin patch last week. It had been something that my husband (Pete) and grandson Cain did every year. We would go through the patch a gather pumpkins and gourds to spruce up the front porch and house for the fall season. Since Pete is not with me anymore and I didn't have my grandson with me I thought I would venture off on my own. Pete has this collection of pocket knives and he of course always carried one in his pocket, it was his go to tool of choice. I thought perhaps I best get a pocket knife out and bring it with so that I could cut the stems from the vines. I found one and opened it up, it looked just right for stem cutting, well the blade locks in place and for the life of me I could not get it to close. So I proceeded to open five more thinking I could close them. They are still open! I grabbed the garden clippers instead, which worked just fine. A bit of advice, have your husband show how to close a pocket knife! Other things I found out I can't do! My sons and I can't get either of the lawn mowers started. I tried to pull the cord, but I am to short or the cord seems to long, it's a humorous sight, I'm sure! I am not saying nice things to the mower. The blower, that is impossible to start! If I did start it , when the gas runs out, what the heck is the oil /gas recipe that you mix up for the thing. My hubby always blew the leaves and then chopped them up with the mower. I have two huge maples, two huge ash trees, and a magnolia tree. This just stinks, way to many leaves for me. You know the lawn is colorful with the fall colors of the leaves spread across the green grass. At lest that is a positive spin on all the leaves. I really thought I knew how to do anything or at least figure it out! When I was a single parent and my kids were little, I got a real Christmas tree and the trunk was to fat for the tree stand. I didn't have a saw, but I did have an electric knife! The tree fit into the stand, mission accomplished, but of course I ruined the knife!

The Visit

2008-10-05T11:00:00.002-05:00

Good Morning!
I went to church this morning and thought after church that I would go to the cemetery to visit my husband. I haven't been able to make myself go there since the day of the funeral on the 15th of Sept. It wasn't as bad as I thought that it would be. I have the Lord right by my side which makes things so much easier. I just can't really accept yet that he is really gone. I thought that I had been preparing myself for years but I don't think one can ever prepare for the emptiness that one feels. Those you love deeply seem to be taken from you way to soon. I only know now that he is in a far better place and is at peace and looking and feeling fine! I did have to tell him that Nebraska took a whooping last night, of course he probably knew that already.

Photoshows

2008-10-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

Good Evening!
http://www.photoshow.com/members/barda/all

I have been trying out my photoshow free option with roadrunner. Check out my first attempt at a photoshow. I like to call it Family Smiles!

The Important Things in Life

2008-10-01T21:43:00.002-05:00

Let me introduce you to my family. Here we are on Christmas Eve of this last year. Things were good, we were happy, loving each other. Nothing compares to the love of your family. We will never have another photo like this again. Christmas will never be the same again. September 10th, just 3 weeks ago today my husband passed away. We are all lost and wondering how our lives will ever be normal again. We all miss him so much! Pete fought a long battle of 13 years with 4 occurences of cancer. He was working just two weeks before his death. He has always been our hero and he fought as long as he could for our family and we are so proud of him. He lived his live as normal as possible, working, doing everything he could to maintain a normal lifestlye,despite being an ill man. He never complained, always worked. So admired by all who knew him. He taught us all to face challenges with dignity. He suddenly became ill with pheumonia and just could not fight anymore. He was so tired! Even though he was ill with cancer he always seemed to bounce back. He had agreed to tempory placement on a respirator to reverse a condition such as pneumonia. The kids and I could not bear to see him on that machine, everything happened so quickly, he failed rapidly, and we had to take him off the machine. He went peacefully once he came off of the machine. We spent every night their sleeping in chairs, if we slept at all. We all had alone time with him and we would like to think that he heard us talk to him as we said our goodbyes. He would have been so proud of the kids and how much they loved him and supported me. Life for me will never really be normal again. I lost my lover, my best friend. I walk into this house and the emptiness is at times overwhelming, I really am lost in my own home. I know in time things will get easier, but I will always be lost without him.

What am I doing?

2008-06-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

June 17, 2008

I am making an attempt to create a blog and I really do not know what I am doing. I am sure with a little practice perhaps I will know what I am doing. We will see about that. I have been reading some blogs, mostly folks related to me so now that I finally have a computer at home, I thought I would give it a try. I did a little flower gardening after work, cooked supper, packed lunches, doesn't sound very exciting, does it. My husband goes to bed quite early so I usually spend my evening on the computer because I am to tired to do anything else. Sometimes my dog, Rocky, a boxer decides to get up off the bed and pay me a little visit. Rocky is a almost 2 years old who I now love, but let me tell you I almost gave up on this dog. We had another boxer Oscar who developed lymphoma at the age of 3 and had to be put to sleep. My son thought that my husband needed to have another dog right away. My husband also has lymphoma, actually this is his 4th reoccurence. Oscar was with Pete through his stem cell, and he was always at Pete's side. Oscar was an amazing dog with a great personality, so human like, he could even say mama! Pete and Oscar had lymphoma at the same time. It was very hard on us when we had to say goodbye to Oscar. My oldest son Seth went and got another boxer for Pete. Well this puppy was unlike any other puppy! He was a bit aggressive and I would be left to hang out with him in the evenings, since my hubby goes to bed when the sun is still shining. This dog would just jump and attack me all the time, I used to jump and the kitchen table and be in tears, trapped in the kitchen with this dog, whom I did not like at all! My husband being a dog lover said he will be a good dog, just wait and see! One day I come home from work and he tore up the kitchen floor, he actually ate alot of it!! I wanted him to go! Well Rocky has turned out to be a pretty good and lovable dog! Who would have thought!!