Holy Mackerel

 Life's a rocky road sometimes, and it's our duty as human beings to roll with the punches, go with the flow, run with the bulls, do whatever it takes, turn that frown into a smile. Blah. Blah. Blah. Enough of that crapola. Life is a rocky road much of the time, it sucks the big wazoo, and there are many times a day I wish I could simply do a do-over, like, from before the moment I was conceived in the godforsaken womb that unfortunately turned out to be my mother's. So, I was given the short end of the stick in the childhood family department. Boo hoo for me. I used to be all about feeling sorry for myself, and I guess I still go down that road more often than I should, but I'm much better than I used to be. At least, I think I am. I'd better ask my family and get back to you on that, because chances are I have a rather skewed view of such things. In fact, I know I do, just as I do about how small and cute I think my nose is, or how smooth and supple my bu...

If you want a great love story to read with all that free time you've got (and I know you all do, as do I), go to one of my fave sites: http://thepioneerwoman.com/ . Then click on "Black Heels". This is the ever-so-romantic story of blogger Ree Drummond and her match made in heaven with Marlboro Man. It's a great read, gets your heart going in a good way, and is better than any Harlequin I've ever even tried to read. Not only that, but it's reality in a sort of unreal kind of way. Romance at its best. The entire site is chockfull of great stories about living on a ranch, as well as amazing photography and lots of very very good recipes for very very fattening meals that are very very tasty. Take a gander, and let me know what you think!

I just finished reading one of the most touching websites ever. http://www.alesecoco.org/ If you want to read something that both hurts and heals, this is it. This girl's story is unbelievable in terms of the faith she has in her beliefs, and the strength she holds through her five-year struggle with cancer. It's also an inspiring story of the power of family and friends. Alese's story hits me hard because reading it was like reliving the past with Dennis. What happens when you live through something like a bout with cancer is that it changes you forever, and slowly -- very very slowly -- melts into the back of your mind, and over a long stretch of time, you can go through the day without even remembering that you or your loved one had cancer. It took me over two years to be able to function relatively normally again after Dennis' situation had stabilized and we felt he was going to be okay. I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at one point because I cou...