Rounds Inspirational Journeys

We are home from the Mid-Atlantic Oireachtas ( Every Thanksgiving, the Irish dancing schools from the  Mid-Atlantic Region of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America  gather in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the regional Irish dancing championships.  Dancers and teachers, with their families and fans, travel from Delaware, New Jersey, New York and across Pennsylvania for solo and team competitions and coveted regional Irish dancing titles.)   in Philadelphia and what an awesome weekend we had!  I have tons of pictures to share, but especially wanted to let you know how Hannah did. Here is a picture of all of the kids who competed for Hannah's school, Rince Na Tiarna. Hannah's first competition was at 8:45 Friday Morning and there were a lot of amazing dancers!  This was a solo competition and she took 19th for our Region, quite amazing for her first time at Oireachtas!  We are very proud of her! Hannah's team competition w...

The prodigal cat has returned and we have bathed her in love!!! Our little Sweet Pea is exhausted, but super lovey.  I could have held her all day yesterday if I hadn't had things to do.  Hannah cried in the school office when they gave her the news and our whole house seemed so much cheerier without loss hanging over our heads. Next stop...Philadelphia!!!  I have a lot of packing to do today!

For those of you who said a special prayer last night for our Sweet Pea, THANK YOU!!!!  Our prayers were answered.  The trap we had set up at the vets office finally attracted her and she was discovered in it this morning.  I can't tell you the overwhelming relief I am feeling!  I called Hannah's school right away to get the message to her that Sweet Pea is home safe. She has been snuggled in my arms most of the morning, obviously happy to be home.  Other than being dirty and a bit thinner, she seems no worse for wear.  Our God was watching over her and I am so thankful He helped her to find her way back to us. What a terrific way to start our Thanksgiving week!  Now I can focus my attention on getting us ready to leave for Philadelphia on Wednesday for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Irish Dance Championships.  Our months of weekends in Buffalo are finally over, and now Hannah and her team will have a chance to shine! Blessings to you all!  ...

Hello friends! Wow, this has been a tough week!  On Tuesday, Scott brought our cat Sweet Pea to the vet.  As he was loading her in the car to come home, she somehow escaped and ran off into the woods.  Our veterinarian is located in a very rural area and I have spent hours and hours walking through the woods there calling for our dear cat.  We have yet to have any sign of her. Sweet Pea is the kitten Hannah caught in the midst of my wait for transplant.  I can honestly say, that cat provided Hannah with the solace she needed to get through.  Her loss is weighing heavily on all of us. The hours spent searching in the cold have taken their toll and I am worn out and feeling lousy.  I need to ask all of you to add to my prayers that God will somehow help Sweet Pea find her way home.  The vet is only about a mile from here, if she were to travel through the woods. I so appreciate the addition of your prayers.  With each day that passes, m...

Hawk Nelson Jonathan, Zaryan, Justin, Jason, Hannah, Me, Daniel So, I am VERY behind with posting and had hoped to share more pictures by now.  At least I can share the picture of us with Hawk Nelson (aren't they the cutest?). I have had a crazy few days since we returned from Cleveland.  The Tuesday following the concert, Hannah missed the school bus, so I drove her to school (in my pjs and slippers).  We were stopped for a bus in front of us and had just started moving again when I looked at Hannah in response to a question she had asked and ran into the back of her school counselor's car.  Oh the embarrassment!  Thank God she was awesome about it, but I still feel sick just thinking about it. I did have the opportunity to speak to a Donate Life Club in Hamburg, NY (1 1/2 hours away) Tuesday afternoon which was wonderful.  I love sharing the wonderful gift God has given me through transplant and the students were so receptive and moved! ...

Have you ever felt the soul within you leap for joy?  I did last night when prayers were answered and God was praised. I have kept you abreast of the saga of Hannah's Birthday.  As you all know, she was very sick for her surprise party, and Scott and I had to miss her actual Birthday to attend a Komatsu Forklift Truck meeting in North Carolina.  For a mother, missing a child's Birthday is one of the worst things you can possibly do, so I wanted to make it up to Hannah BIG TIME! Several months ago I decided I was going to get Hannah to a Hawk Nelson concert (for those new to the blog, they are Hannah's most beloved band EVER) for her Birthday.  As only God can, He made that possible by bringing Hawk to Cleveland (3 1/2 hours away) this past weekend.  I purchased VIP tickets for all of us (Scott, Hannah, Hannah's friend Zaryan, and me) and Hannah and I looked forward with excitement to this big event.  In the middle of the night several weeks ago, an id...

SCIENTISTS could be closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis after successful trials of an experimental drug targeting the underlying cause of the genetic lung disease. A global clinical trial, including patients from Australia, has found the drug ivacaftor dramatically improved lung function and reduced infections for people with the inherited disease. The results have raised hopes that ivacaftor could stop life-threatening lung diseases developing in cystic fibrosis patients and help extend their life expectancy.  But while ivacaftor is the first drug to successfully target the cause of cystic fibrosis, it can be used only by a small number of patients who share the same genetic mutation. One of the Australian scientists involved in trials of ivacaftor, Associate Professor Scott Bell, said about 8 per cent of the 3000 cystic fibrosis patients in Australia could potentially benefit. "While it's an exciting breakthrough it's not going to be for all patients wit...

Pumpkin Carving...  Hannah's (hers has HN on the side), Scott's, Mine Trick or Treat!! Hope you had a Hauntingly Good time!