The house we are "letting" in Ireland has some very interesting "art work" hanging on the walls. It's not exactly my style and it's something that has bothered me ever so slightly since moving here. For any of you who know me well, you know that I am constantly tweaking things around my house and think nothing of rearranging a roomful of furniture at any given minute. Not living in our own home with our own furniture and belongings has definitely put a cramp in my style. Until now.

I was sitting here the other day getting frustrated yet again that I can't really do any projects for this house, when a light bulb finally went off and I thought, why can't I? So, I removed the interesting pieces of "art" next to the front door, attached a note to remind myself where they belong, and put them away for safe keeping until our time here is through. And then I oh, so happily replaced them with my own newly purchased picture frames and pictures of my favorite people. It sure doesn't take much to make this girl happy.

Guest Post

I was recently contacted by Heather Von St James,

a wife and mom who has, quite literally, faced my biggest fear and won. 

Heather asked if she could share her story on my blog
to bring more awareness to others. 

I was so moved by her story that I couldn't refuse. 

Here is Heather's story in her own words.

 

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You Have Cancer-Words that Changed Everything

There are some moments in your life that you will always remember. Some of these moments are good, and some are bad. I will never forget how it felt to look at my newborn daughter for the first time. I will also never forget hearing the words, "You have cancer," just 3 1/2 months after she was born.

I would not be surprised if you have never heard of malignant pleural mesothelioma. I did not really know anything about the disease before I found out that I was suffering from it. My shock continued when my doctor explained that mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. I was a young wife and mom at the age of 36, so I had no idea how I could have been exposed to this dangerous substance.

After some investigating, we found out that I had actually received secondary exposure to asbestos. My father is a wonderful man, and he supported our family by working in the construction field, especially with drywall. Many years later, we would find out that much of that drywall was contaminated with asbestos.

It breaks my heart to think of how excited I was every day to run into my dad's arms when he returned home. I would wrap him up in a hug and bury my face in his shoulder. However, the clothes that I was touching were filled with asbestos fibers. I was breathing in the poison that would later completely change my life.

In the past, most mesothelioma patients looked a lot more like my dad than myself. Patients were usually older males who had been active in construction or other trades.However, my case is not as rare as it used to be. Now, many women and young adults are also receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Most of us were unwittingly exposed to asbestos by our family members. When a worker would come home each evening, his wife would be the one to wash his clothes. Thousands of other children hugged their fathers and touched the clothes that were contaminated. We are now the faces of mesothelioma.

I would never have chosen a mesothelioma diagnosis for myself, but there are plenty of positive things that have come from my struggle. Mesothelioma treatments have come a long way in the past few years, and more patients are surviving and leading normal lives.

The best part of my cancer journey has been the people that I have had the privilege of meeting. I know that mesothelioma patients are some of the strongest human beings on the planet. They are also some of the kindest and most generous. We love working together because we are committed to a common purpose. We want to make more and more people aware of mesothelioma. As awareness increases, more funding is available for research for new treatments.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma changed my life, but it has not broken my spirit. I am honored to be able to advocate for this disease, and I will never stop fighting.

To learn more about Heather, check out & “like” her new Facebook page dedicated to mesothelioma awareness & support! You can follow her journey:https://www.facebook.com/HeatherVonStJames?ref=hl

Just Some Stuff

I've sat down to write a new blog post numerous times, but haven't been able to make the words flow well enough for my liking.  Thinking bullets are going to have to work for this one since this is the way my mind seems to be working right now.

• Scarlett started going to school for the full day this week.  She has been so excited to finally be able to eat her lunch at school (though she never finishes because she eats oh, so slowly).
• The kids are coming home sounding more and more Irish.  Scarlett was upset the other evening because Gray was being "cross" with her, and I hear things being described as "class" constantly.  Grayson has also taken to describing food as lovely, or "SO nice!" 
• I signed up for a sewing class at the Limerick College of Further Education.  I was pretty apprehensive about my first class last night, but I think I'm going to really enjoy it.  The class is titled "Curtains and Cushion Making" so I should be able to deck my house out once I'm finished, right?
• Grayson is back to soccer training.  It's so great to see him doing something he enjoys so much.  I've noticed definite improvements from last year.  Really hoping this is something he will stick with for years to come.  He expressed an interest in playing basketball here, so I found a league for him to sign up with.  He hasn't been too thrilled so far.  I think it has more to do with the fact the training time is on Sunday mornings, than Gray not wanting to play.  He seems a little overwhelmed with not having a day "off" to be at home all day and just hang out, which I completely get.
• I'm still trying to settle into my new normal of having my days to myself.  I haven't managed to get myself into a real routine yet, but I'm trying.  I am attempting to do something around the house every day, so that I don't have to spend entire days cleaning.  Floors one day, bathrooms the next, etc.  Hopefully with my sewing class starting I'll find myself with something other than cleaning to do.  
• Scarlett is 2 weeks into her ballet class and LOVES it.  She gets upset that she can't go everyday.  Her little friend, Eve, is in her class with her and it is so cute to see them dressed in their dance outfits together.  (Again, having trouble with uploading pics on the blog.  If you follow me on Face Book, you can see a pic of ballerina Scarlett there)

That's it for now.  Hoping I can get my head back in the game for some more frequent blog posts soon!

Catching up

For the first time in way too long, I am sitting in a quiet house all by myself.  Nate is at work, the kids are in school, I have no errands to run, and no chores requiring my immediate attention.  In short, pure bliss.  I have almost forgotten how very much I need these quiet moments alone to sit with my thoughts, calm myself, and regroup. 

We've been back in Ireland for 3 1/2 weeks now and are finally starting to settle back into a more normal routine.  The kids and I really enjoyed our time at home in the States, especially when Nate was able to be there with us, but by the end of the 6 weeks, I think we were all looking forward to coming back to Ballyneety.  Living out of suitcases for 6 weeks is only fun for so long, and we all had a difficult time settling in without Nate.  It was an eye opening experience in the sense that it became very clear that it really doesn't matter where we are, or where we live, as long as the four of us can be together.  It's been nice to all be in the same house again and to finally have all the suitcases unpacked and put away. 

My mom was able to come for a 2-week visit when the kids and I got back and it was so nice to introduce her to Ireland.  (For some reason Blogger isn't letting me upload photos.  Grrr!)  We did some traveling around and visited the Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher (yes, again), Galway, West Port, and Dublin before heading back to spend the last few days at our house.  Hopefully mom will be able to visit Ireland again with us.

The kids started school last Thursday and are loving it!!  Watching Scarlett bounce into school every morning with a backpack almost as big as she is takes my breath away, and hearing her tell me how much she loves her teacher already completely melts my heart.  Grayson walked into the school like he owned it on the first day, and hasn't looked back since.  He's very happy to be back with his friends, and surprisingly excited to be using his new textbooks. 

Gray decided he wanted to play basketball this year in addition to soccer, so we're already busy getting back into the swing of our extra-curriculars.  Scarlett is thrilled to finally be old enough to participate in dance class, and will be trying ballet for the first time next Tuesday. 

I'm still not sure what exactly I will be doing with all of this "free time" on my hands, but I'm sure I will find plenty to keep me busy.  Hopefully I can finally make a comeback with the blog and get some pictures posted for your viewing pleasure.  ;)

See you soon!