Happy Birthday Lindsay!!

I don't have any pictures of Lindsay, but I do have one of her sweet boy Lane!! (It's amazing how mom's just simply disappear from all photographs after we have children!) I hope you have a great day, Linds!!!

Birthday Party

Casey had a great time at his birthday party yesterday. He had cake and ice cream along with friends and family at his house. He got lots of presents - a lot of Thomas the Train stuff, which he loves. Moppy and Poppy got him a hooded sweatshirt and when he opened the gift, he tossed it aside like it was leftover tissue paper or something. Too funny. Most kids, especially boys, don't particularly care for clothes. :)

Happy 5th Birthday Casey Pace!!

Here he is wearing his doctor's costume for Halloween. "Dr. Pace"

Rocky Road?

Whoa! What happened there??? I debated, I really did...keep my mouth shut or talk trash? With all of the VolNation clog on the blog, I just had to do it. And quit trying to corrupt my sweet niece!! Besides, she can't be a Volunteer...she has all of her teeth.

Sweet

Click the link on the side bar in the upper right hand corner to view the sweetest slideshow of Melisa and Casey. Lovies.

Max Lucado

Hey! I hope everyone is getting through this frigid week. At least it's frigid here in Kentucky. I saw on the weather that the low is supposed to be 4 degrees on Sunday in Louisville! That's insane! Looks like it's a perfect day for some football, some chili, a fire, and some cozy lounge time on the couch. When we were little, my mom used to tell us, "Appreciate the winter; it makes you slow down." As a youth on the move, I'd usually respond with my signature eye roll and huff. But ya know, as with most everything, Mom's right! And for that reason, I don't mind winter at all...at least not a little bit of it.


Anyhow, I wanted to let you know that Max Lucado will be preaching the weekend services at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville this coming weekend, January 19-20. And if you're half the fan my aunt Sherry is, you won't want to miss it! This could be a great opportunity for a little road trip and a chance to hear one of our most popular preachers. Lucado's modern application of scripture mixed with light-hearted humor makes him a wonderful author and public speaker. He will be preaching on his latest book "The 3:16 Promise." After each service, he will be available for an autograph signing. So if you have the book, you may want to bring it along. Southeast is located just east of downtown Louisville off of I-64 on Blankenbaker Parkway. The 3 services he will be preaching are Saturday at 5:00 PM, Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM. Attached is the link below:

http://www.southeastchristian.org/

Bonafide Update

As the saying goes, no news is good news and I suppose that is the truth with our case. I realized that I hadn't posted an actual update on Mikey in a while now. So here goes, one with no birthday shout-outs or fundraising effort requests. As you know Mike finished up his final round of consolidation therapy just before Christmas. His cancer appears to be in remission now and he is (somewhat) a free man for about 3 months, when he must return for the dreaded bone marrow biopsy. I say somewhat a free man in that he has had to travel to and from the hospital recently to receive units of blood and/or platelets. This has remained a challenge to Mike and Melisa as the ginormous communication barrier between hospital/oncologist/home health staff is still upon them. Ultimately Mike gets what is needed but not without facing many challenges along the way. As Lemon would say, "Blerg!" Hopefully his body will rebound very soon so that he can take advantage of some of his freedom. A good friend has been praying that Mike's cancer will stay in remission forever. Will you keep this wonderful thought in your prayers as well?

On another note, Mike and Melisa have had a major curve ball thrown their way regarding their health insurance and disability benefits. At this time, it's too much of a mess to post the details in their entirety, but the worst case, bottom line is that Mike, Melisa, and Casey stand to lose their coverage and source of income. Again, that is the worst case scenario and hopefully it won't happen. Mike and Melisa have been researching the who, what, when, where, and whys of this mess. Please be thinking of them as they navigate through the major plate of spaghetti that we call health care. (Where is Hillary when ya need her???) Of course, I'll post more when it's available.

Have a great rest of the week.

PS - Melisa would like to know who you all are cheering for in Sunday's games. Please pick your favorite team in the poll above.

Happy Birthday Michelle Hope!!

That's her out on Poppy's boat on the river this summer. Not bad for 2 kids!

Make 2008 Great!

I read somewhere that each year about 70% of Americans make some sort of New Year's resolution each year. I wonder how many of us actually keep them for longer than the month of January, but that's a different story... Here is a top 10 of the most popular:

1. Lose weight
2. Pay off debt
3. Save money
4. Get a better job
5. Get fit
6. Eat right
7. Get a better education
8. Drink less alcohol
9. Quit smoking
10. Reduce overall stress

Do any of these resemble any of your goals for 2008? If lose weight and/or get fit are in your plans for the great 2008, you may want to check out The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. Twenty years ago, a man named Bruce Cleland trained with a group of friends to run in the NYC Marathon while they raised funds for leukemia research. Cleland's, baby daughter Georgia, had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. They referred to themselves as the "team in training" and the name stuck. Today the Team in Training (TNT) is the world's largest endurance sports training program, providing support for people to cross the finish line at all sorts of endurance races. Over 340,000 participants have raised more than $700 million dollars to help blood cancer patients live better, stronger lives. Pretty impressive group. If you have ever considered joining up with a group of people and getting your rear in gear, this would be a fantastic place to start. They work with all sorts of fitness levels, from absolute beginner on up to the Lance Armstrong's of the world. Following are a couple of informational meetings near some of us:

Evansville, IN
Dunigan YMCA Annex
Meeting Room
6840 Logan Drive
Wednesday, January 16 - 6:00 PM

Louisville, KY*
Crescent Hill Public Library
Meeting Room
2762 Frankfort Avenue
Wednesday, January 16 - 6:00 PM

*There are 3 other informational meetings in the Louisville area during the month of January. Also TNT provides these informational meetings and training groups all around the country. Check out the website for more information: http://www.teamintraining.org/

So, if you have ever wanted to tackle a large or small race and enjoy opportunities to socialize along the way, this would be a nice start. Not to mention the enormous amount of support that you would provide for people living with a blood cancer disorder!

Go For It!! This is YOUR Year - MAKE 2008 GREAT!!