Merry CHRISTmas Everyone!!!!

Here are some pictures from our Christmas Morning, I hope yours was as blessed as ours was!!!

Blessing's to everyone,

Love, :) Shanda :)

HOPE!!!

Graduation

It's short but sweet. They had a nice graduation for us last night, now I just have to take my National Registry test in January and I will be an official EMT!!!

Praze B 2 God!!

Graduation Today!!

Today I graduated from my EMT class @ Waterford EMS Academy!!! God is so good, he has continued to bless myself and my children more than we could ever imagine, he continues to bring in $$$ For food, and Christmas Gifts for my children, he is just such an amazing God, I want you to know reading this that my STRENGTH comes from HIM!! My making it through cancer, I only could have done it with him!!!

He is my God, my Rock and my SALVATION!!!!

Blessings to you today, love in CHRIST JESUS, :) Shanda :)

And MORE pictures's :)

More Pictures of the "Fam"

Katie got a digital Camera from "Aunt Alicia" so she wants to show off her pictures!!!

Merry CHRISTmas... well, it will come soon enough!!

I can't believe it's already Dec. 10th!!!

The boys are going to a small private school 2 days a week, and I actually had a JOB for 3 weeks!!! It was a short term assignment right around the corner from my house, for a Hospice patient. Unfortuanatly she died and I am now out of work again!! I graduate from my EMT class next week, and will take the National Registry test in January, then I will hopefully get a job with the local private ambulance company!!!

We added a new pet to our home "Socks 2" Named after my almost 20 year old cat Socks, was picked up from a local car fixing place, they had 3 kittens, my sister took the other 2, plus their dog!!!

IT's been a crazy winter thus far for our household... dirty dishes everywhere, this house is definatly "lived in" That is what I call our disastourous mess of a house, the "lived in look" LOL... one day when my children are grown and gone, I will have a squeaky clean house with nice furniture... then I'll just have to keep an eye on my granchildren (lord willing).!!

Life is good, God is even better!!

Blessings to all this CHRISTmas season!!

Love,

Shanda

For my Rat Pack Sisters

This entry is specifically for my Rat Pack sisters @ Gilda's... I've quit cold turkey, no more movie at night. I just stopped. I turn off the TV and just fall asleep to nothing instead of that movie!!! And I got up yesterday and made my children a "big breakfast" of eggs, and pancakes (something I have not done for a very long time).

So, I've follwed your advice, and I think I'm starting to feel better already. I didn't throw it away like Shannon wanted but I have not watched it since the night before our last meeting!! Alyson, could you please give me a link to Shannon's blog, I have a prayer request for a stage 4 women in my church that is just feeling "
useless" and I want to encourage her to come to a meeting, or to read Shannon's blog. She was given 2-3 years to live and it's been 4!!!

Well, thank you Rat Pack for helping me get out of a bad habit that was affecting my life!!

Love you all

Blessings,
\
:) Shanda :)

It's October Already??!!??

Before we know it, snow will be falling and my heating bills will be through the roof!! Literally!!! I think my highest one last year was close to $350!!! And that is keeping the heater at about 62 degrees!!! One problem with this house, is the heater is upstairs and the new addition hardly gets any heat from it, so Selena whose bedroom is upstairs gets fried while my bedroom is added on from the garage addition is FREEZING!!!! I decide when I get married that I'm going to take the upstairs bedroom and kick Selena down where I'm at now, but who knows when that's going to happen.. LOL>>ha ha ha!!! It would be nice to have a nice Master Bedroom though, with the balcony and everything, it would be pretty romantic up there!!

The children are all doing well, the boys were having some problems focusing at home doing their work so I am sending them to a home schooling enrichment program 2 days a week and they love it, and the girls are loving the silence at home!!!! I wish I had enough money to put them in full time, but funds are short and I still have not found a job!! The place I was looking just called and notified me that I had to have at least 6 months patient experience in the last 5 years, and I quit my Paramedic job 5 years ago!!! Can you believe that, so no hope there, I'm hoping to graduate my EMT class that I'm in now and take the Nation Registry test in early Jan, and hopefully start working at a local ambulance company here, to get my 6 months in, so I can re-apply for the hospitial job that I have been seeking for the last year!!

I reamain Cancer Free, my next check up will be in January and my implant surgery will be in December (I don't want to miss any classes in school, so I am holding it off until December (It was suppossed to be in Sept.) So that's it on the cancer news, I'm involved in a group of cancer survivors at my church www.hisfaith.net and I'm still involved in Gilda's club in Royal Oak, they have started a new group for us "younger women" in our 20/30's I'm going to attend my first meeting next tues night so I look forward to that!!!

Life is good, God is even better

Love you all!!

Blessings!!!

:) Shanda :)

Home Again, school begin's!!!

Were home from the summer on the road, thank God, we made it all in one piece, I started school last week to earn my EMT liscense so I can go back to school next year for my Paramedic classes!!!

A lot is going on right now, I am starting to homeschool my 4 children, and my younger sister Alicia is staying with me for a few weeks, and her one year old baby Logan.

I had a slumber party for Katie's 12th birthday (since we always seem to be on the road for her birthday). That went well!!

Things are great, I'm cancer free..getting back into life, God is good to me, I should be a RN in 4 years if all goes well!!!

Praze B 2 God!!

He is good to us, even when we don't deserve it.

Here are some pictures of Niagara Falls, enjoy!!!

Music Video

This is my children's new favorite Christian Rock band, I thought I'd share one of their songs with you. The bands name is Skillet!!!

Enjoy :)

More Pictures!!!

Chillin' in Boston

We are all done working for the summer (I think, there is one show Labor Day weekend that I am trying to get into, as I know of this time they are full). We are at my best friend's house in Boston MA for the remainder of the month, we are parked in her driveway for the next week or so, then we're going to go to a state park nearby. We are having a GREAT time together, bonding and being together!!! I have some video's and pictures to upload :)

Quick Update Between Shows!!!

I've probally spent close to 2K on gas this summer, I'll tabulate all that at the end of the season, but I've been averaging 8.5 mpg pulling the car behind the RV. We are headed to NH this coming weekend (either late Sunday or early Monday) Please pray for safety and especially at the boarder crossing into Canada, and back into the US as I don't have Selena's Birt certificiate the state of PA has been giving me the run around for the past 2 months, so I still don't have one for her, but I have her adoption paperwork, and I called the office of home land security last night and they said that is legal paperwork and will be just fine.. I just ask for prayers though, a white woman with an RV full of children, 3 cats and merchandise might send off some sort of red flags to border security some how, knowing me I'll be serched for somthing!! LOL!!!

Also, pray for our sales at our last show I really need to make a lot of $$$ to be able to stay home this next year, or at least give me a few months to find a job after I earn my EMT license by Jan. 2009.

No pictures to post, as I am using the local libary computer to send this, I'll try to post some of Katie's upcoming 12th birthday!! Can you believe my little girl will be 12!! Time sure does fly by!!

Well, I just wanted to post a quick update just to keep you posted, thanks for your thoughs and prayers!!
Love, in CHRIST,

Shanda

Working Hard

Well, we now have one show down, 4 to go. The first one didn't go to well, we had severe weather the second day and I lost approx. 8 hrs. of sale time, but praze God, no one was injured or killed. A tent pole lost its foooting in the other tent, and broke down a friend of mine's table (she also sells Jewelry) so we were blessed, our stuff was fine when we were allowed back in the next morning, besides a few boxes getting wet, all was fine. We even had hot lasagna cooking for us in the crock -pot that I put if for dinner the night before, so we ate that for breakfast!! Life on the road, you gotta love it!!

We have 4 more to go, and I know God will bless us, and our sales, thanks for checking up on us!

Love and Blessings to you and your family today!

Love,

Shanda

Gone Camping!!!

We've decided to go on a quick camping trip before we head out for the summer, our first show in next week, we'll be leaving Wed. am for that and will work Thurs-Sat. I'm taking all 4 children with me, so we'll see how that goes, they all want to "work at the booth" we'll see how excited they are when they see how hard the work actually is!! Katie has been a great helper in the past, but she's probally going to end up babysitting most of the time, at least they have children's event's so they can keep busy at those event's, plus seeing all the Christian bands is always fun!!

So here's a picture of us at the campground:

A recent picture!!!

The battle for us!!!!

The "Old Shanda"

I just want my life back, is that too much to ask? I want things to be normal again, I want to live one day without worrying if I'm going to die of cancer before I raise my children!!!! God please help things return to normal!!!

Getting ready for our summer travels!!!

Well.. I've been working hard on getting ready for my 5 summer shows, so I've been out of bed!! WOO HOO.. between car repairs ($350) and a tire for my rv ($200). That I had to charge on my visa and pay off when I start making $$$ next month, I've set up my Jewelry display in my garage hoping to do some home sales/ garage sale type things in the near furture, at least I could set everything up and see what I need to order and need to make in the next month or so.

Our first 2 shows we'll be taking the van due to the CRAZY gas prices, and the kids will be sleeping in a tent outside the van and Selena and I will be sleeping in the van!!! Can't get more sylish than that huh? Then for our last 3 shows well be taking the car and the RV, I figure it will take $200 to fill up my Rv!!! Which will last 500 miles (approx 10 miles per gallon)

I had a horrible am yesterday, I joined a new woman's bible study group and woke up early, took a shower and when I was putting on lotion when I felt a HUGE lump in my left breast. I immediatly started making phone calls so I could get in to see a DR. ASAP. Well, I got into my surgeon, plastic surgeon and my oncologist P.A all yesterday!!! They all said it was a lump from my "fake" Implant, my tissue expander, which my plastic surgeon said could wait to fix at my final implant surgery in Sept. But let me tell you.. it scared the crap out of me, I thought "Oh great, the cancer has come back and I'll have to go through all that over again" There goes my summer.. there goes my life for the next 1.5 years, but PRAZE B 2 GOD, IT WAS NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT!!!!!

God is good, all the time!!

Blessings to you today,

Love, :) Shanda :)

Post Cancer Depression

This is a hard topic for me to admit/write about, but I would ask for your prayers and support. I think I have post cancer depression. I can't explain it really, although my motivation is very low to get out of bed everyday, sometimes I spend all day in bed. Maybe it was because I could not find a job (my summer shows start in a few weeks, so I'll be working again soon). Or maybe it's because I have such young children and I fear the cancer will come back (which I know I should not fear, for he who is in me is more powerful than he who is in the world) But I wish I had a garentee, that I would be alive until Tristan's at least 20!!!! That's 13 years!! Not a lot to ask, is it? I of course want to live to be an old lady, see my children get married and have children of their own, to be a grandmother, but I can't help feeling that for some reason that's not going to happen. I went to my Dr.s the other day for a check up, that's how they found the hypothroidsm (I've lost 5 lbs. already) and she made me take a depression/ bi-polar test. She said I did not test positive for bi-polar or depression really, but more anxiety. I am anxious, I am anxious if I'm going to live long enough to raise these 4 amazing children God gave me to love and care about. Althogh they stress me out, and the home schooling is difficult, I feel it's what the Lord would want me to do to raise them doing devotions everyday and spending time in his word every day, teaching them something new each and every day, teaching them the way to walk in God's will.

I am at Gilda's Club right now, my parents took all 4 of my children for 5 days (WOO HOO) so I went to a group I normally can't go to because it's during the day from noon-2pm called "life after cancer" and I am sticking around for another group I go to called ITY or "I'm too young for cancer". Being around other surviviors gives me hope and strength, and we laugh a lot in group, which I don't find myself doing much these days.

I hope this depression funk will go away soon, because I don't really like living life this way anymore, I want to be a positive role model for my children, and them seeing me stay in bed all day long, has to make them think I'm still sick, which I'm not, I'm 100% cancer free!!! I think starting to work in June will help a lot, because finances have been tough, and I have been faced with possible losing my house. I guess when I think about it, I have a lot of responsiblities, and a lot to be anxious about.. but God's word tells me to be anxious for nothing, and I lean on God's support each and every day to bring me through this entire ordeal!!!

Thanks for reading, and thank you for your support and prayers!!

Love in CHRIST,

:) Shanda :)

A Dr's Diganoses I am actually excited about!!!

Today I got a letter in the mail telling me that I have hypothryoidsm.. which is low production of the thryoid. My brother has serious problems with his, he has no funtion of his thryoid at all, and takes extremly high doeses to keep him on track, but before he was diganosed he balloed up to almost 300 lbs!!!! When you have hypothroydism, you body does not metablize your food correctly, and you are normally overweight... I have been working my butt off literally for weeks at a time at the gym, working out hard cardio for 2 hours, 4-6 days per week, with no results.. which was VERY frustrating, so I stopped and worked on my diet (about 1200 calories per day) and I've lost almost 10 lbs doing that, but I am about 50 lbs. overweight.. so I'm actually REALLY excited about the Dr's finding this and getting treated so hopefully I'll begin to lose weight!!! YEAH!!! My cholosteral was also high, so I need to work on that too!!!

But finally, good news on the medical front, a diganosis I can actually look forward to the results!!!! I'll keep you posted on weight loss!!

Love and Blessings to you today :) Shanda :)

Torn!!!

I'm so torn up deciding to sell my house, as I clean the clutter that has built up over the last 3 years of living 1 mile from my church (one of the main reason's I bought it). I struggle to know if God want's us to stay here, or move. Ovously the finances I make in the summer will tell if I've even financially able to stay here or not. And this fall I'm going back to school to re-earn my EMT liscense, then I have to wait until the following fall to earn my Paramedic license, so I won't be able to get a decent job until 2 years from now!!!!! I have an ARM on my mortgage that hit's it's point in May of 2010, so I have to re-fiance before then, or I for sure won't be able to make the payments!!! Money money, where does it all come from.. the Lord has brought in enough for us to stay here, and I have not been late with any payments so far, and I pray that he blesses this summer, I'm signed up for 4 shows, hopefully I'm going to do another one in New Hampshire, a few hours from my best friend who lives in Boston, so I'll go spend a few weeks visiting her after that show. I'm going to start setting up my Jewelry in my garage and do "garage type" jewelry sales, so hopefully that will bring in some extra $$$$ until June when my shows start!!!

Thanks for checking up on us, and God Bless you today, for he has surely blessed me, more than I can imagine!!!

:) Shanda :)

Plan B

Ok.. so the job situation did not work out, I'm on to Plan B.. I'm putting my house up for sale!!! I've thought about/ prayed about this for a few months now, and I think it's the right thing to do.. as my mortgage payment is way to high, and I could rent something just as nice, or nicer for about 1/2 of what I'm paying now!!! So I have given myself a 2 week deadline to paint and clean up all the clutter that having 4 children accumulates and put my house up for sale BY OWNER..so if you know of anyone in Waterford looking for a nice 4 bedroom, 2 bath have them give me a call!!

And please pray that the Lord will bring a buyer before June, that way I won't have to make house payments for 3 months, because we'll be on the road for my business!!

Thanks for checking out my blog, and thank you for your prayers!!

Love, Shanda :)

Too Cute!!

What a Cutie :) :)

Video

I think this video speaks for itself!!!

http://www.doyouwalkthetalk.com/land.html I found this cool website, check it out!

And I got a job!! I start tommorow!! God is Good :)

Blessings to you today!!

:) Shanda :)

Happy Spring/Easter Everyone

Hello, Happy Spring & Easter to everyone!! It's freezing here in MI today, and we still have snow on the ground, but hopefully it will warm up soon, my children have cabin fever, Tristan asked me the other day "When do we get to go on bike rides again?" and I am like soon.. soon.. Spring will be here!!
The celebration of the death/ burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus is this weekend, I pray that you, reading this have a personal relationship with him, as that is the ONLY way you can go to heaven when you die, is through Christ. Thank God for him, dying on the cross for my sins, so I could have eternity in heaven. Our lives here are so short, time flies by so very fast, we are here only for a moment, and then we are gone, with an eternity to live, will you choose Christ today? I hope so, and I hope you and your family are blessed with the newness of this year coming up!

God Bless You,

:) Shanda :)

This is one video you have to see. The song comes from the Broadway play "Rent", and although I can not recommend the play, this one piece of it is a gem. The setting for the song is an AIDS support group. From what I've read, the idea for the song came from an HIV support meeting a few years ago where a man stood up and said, "I'm not afraid of dying -- I'm ready for that. I just want to know this: Will I lose my dignity?" This song hit me pretty hard, as many days I wondered if cancer was going to take my life, I would have to leave my children, which truly broke my heart in two. When you listen to this song, think of all the children that are orphans in Africa, or even here in the USA because of AIDS!!! I had all my children listen to this song, while closing their eyes, and then I asked them what did you hear, and my daughter said "They are singing about dying, arent they" and I said Yes, and I explained the best I could as a Christian mom about the diseases AIDS and HIV, and how many people die from them each year, I hope this song touches you as it did to me!! Blessings :) Shanda ;)

The Job Hunt Continues!!!!

I'm still Job-Seeking, I have application's and Resume's in at both St. Joes and POH, my 2 local hospitials currently seeking PCA's. If anyone on you can please pray that the Lord will open up a mid-night shift at either one of these hospital's soon!!! June can't come quick enough, that when I will start working my shows again (Praze B 2 God Ministires). Until then, I need something and quick-fast in a hurry!! LOL I hope your having a GREAT day today!!

:) Blessings :) Shanda :)

My Baby's 7!!!

Tristan turned 7 on Feb. 19th, we had a small family party for him :). Big Boy!! It does not seem that long ago when I brought him home from the hospital, weighing just 6 little lbs. Just think, in 7 more years He'll be 14 and Katie will be 18!!! I hope the next 7 years are as blessed as the last seven (minus the year dealing with cancer). I'm actually looking forward to my children growing older so we can serve together

in ministry. We have an oppertunity to go to Peru for 3-6 months that is open anytime we are ready, and can afford it!!

Unemployment Stinks!!!!

The unemployment crisis in the country/ state is terrible!! I thought with the GOD of the universe on my side, he would definatly open up an oppertunity to work, but alas nothing has panned out, I applied at another hospital and have heard back nothing. So I have all this Time on my hands, I'm watching too much TV becuase the stinking Britney Spears bug has bite me, and I found this song on U Tube that I just LOVE!!! If you want to hear it is, http://youtube.com/watch?v=vdhn_jAldoQ I just love it, I can listen to it over and over again, I love it!!

So here is what I'm doing with my extra time, Lord please help me find a job and quickly!!

Blessings to you today, enjoy my new favorite song LOL HA HA HA HA It's the story of my life.... ha ha ha

Please Pray for a job for me!!

Well, the department I interviewed for did not hire me, they recommeded that my application and resume be sent to another department for review, so now I am waiting on another department to call me for an interview, prayerfully I am hoping to be hired!! Keep up those prayers!!

Thanks, Many Blessings to you and your family tonight

:) Shanda :)

Up In The Air

My life is "up in the air" so to speak, with so much riding on me getting a job, these last few days, it's been difficult to be patient and wait for word. I was up near the hospital this a.m for a Dr.'s appointment, and decided to swing by and check with the nurse manager, she said she still has one more person to interview and then they will be making offers, so hopefully I'll hear something by the end of the day today!! At least that is what she told me on Monday, so I'll keep you posted on the job situation. Thank you for your prayers, I know that the Lord is in control, and he will provide for my bills to be paid!! Because God is good!

Job Interview

I have an interview for the job I applied for on Monday, I am very confident that I can do the job, hopefully they will hire me on the spot!! That is what I am praying for!! God is good :)

Selena's Ten!!!!

My baby girl is ten years old now!!! We had a nice celebration at home with cake, ice cream and lots of presents!! The teen years are right around the corner, boy-oh-boy, I'm excited about those years :) :).

OFFICIALLY CANCER FREE!!!!

Praze God, I'm officially cancer free!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! My doctor told me, stastically I only have a 13% chance of the cancer coming back, and a 9% chance of dying from cancer, those statsics sound pretty good for me!!! I am rejoicing in the Lord today, I went out and bought a cake for my children and I to celebrate the LIFE the Lord has given to me!!!

Thank You Jesus!!!

Amen!!

Job Seeking!!!

I Applied last week for a PCA position at the hospital I spent so much time in last year!! It's basiccally a nurses aid position, and the hospital IS hiring currently, I even have a babysitter set up alreday, and school plans for the boys (It's a mid-night shift). So, if you would kindly lift up this matter in prayer, I would greatly appriaciate it :) I hope they call me this week to interview, and I hope to be working by Feb. :)!!!!!! We'll see what the Lord has planned for me!! I just finished my post-radiation test's to confirm that I am officially Cancer free!! I'll know the results by the end of the week.

Blessing's to you!!

:) Shanda :)

A GREAT 2008!!

Happy New Year to you and your family, I hope your holiday season went well. Ours was amazing, God provided another wonderful Christmas by using family and friends and even strangers to provide a landslide of gifts!!! Thank you Lord, for your many blessings this year!!! We were able to get together with loved ones and celebrate Christ's birthday!!!! I pray that you and your family has an amazing 2008!!

Blessings to you and your family love,

:) Shanda :)