A Happy New Year

Dave and I rang in the new year in Chattanooga with friends and students from all over the country.  We spent the last few days of 2011 at the Campus Outreach National Conference.  We heard great speakers and had some really good time with the students and leaders.  As the clock turned to midnight, Dave reminded me what a difference this year brings.  Last year there were so many unanswered questions as we began 2011.  As I have said before, we enter this new year hopeful!!


I started planning for our new semester today.  One very positive thing about this new semester is that we are not overwhelmed with activities.  I am excited about getting back into a routine.  I love the holidays, but I am ready for some scheduled days! 


One thing I have noticed as I have followed other people with sarcoma is that when they get better, they stop updating.  I totally understand why.  You want to move away from the world of cancer once you are feeling better.  It's discouraging sometimes because it seems there are no good stories out there.  No encouraging words.  So I wanted to update on how Dave is doing.  His last chemo was 7 months ago.  His last radiation was 6 months ago.  His surgery was 4 months ago.  He got the news of clear scans 1 month ago.   He is pretty much back to normal.  I don't notice him being as tired.  His hair is slowly but surely coming back.  He laughs alot.  He is scheduled for scans again on March 22. 

2011 Year in Review

Whew!!  Here it goes.  2011.  Farewell. 


January- We rang in the new year at home in Weaver. We got to see lots of friends and family and it did our souls good to be home for a week.  We flew back to Houston around the 6th and Dave jumped right back into chemotherapy. Round 4.  We jumped back into school with the help of Dave.  It was nice having him teach History and Science.  My sister Lori came for a visit.  Carlton, Aimee, and Hope came to visit us.  John came for a visit also.  We had another trip to the ER and ct scans at the end of the month.  We met Stacey and Brad who were also being treated at MDA for a rare sarcoma.


February-  This was the coldest month.  It even iced over the roads one day in Houston.....but no snow!!  Dave's oldest friend Ricky and his wife Angie along with their little girl Emily came for a visit.  Dave was very weak from the chemo.  Mama flew out and spent the month with us.  We took the kids to the Rodeo parade and the zoo.  Daddy drove out a couple of weeks after mama got there.  We took  3 day trip to San Antonio.   Believe it or not, the kids went swimming! in the outside pool!!


March-  Dave's sister Brenda came to visit.  We went to the Houston rodeo.  We got to go home for a few days.  Dave began having neuropothy in his feet, legs and hands.  Dave also started passing out alot.  March was a difficult month.


April-   With April came beautiful bluebonnets to Texas and it also marked 6 months for us in Houston.  Dave began his 8th round of chemotherapy. We had yet another trip to the ER. Our friends Linda and Gary came for a visit.   We went home for Easter.


May- We were home at the first of May for Relay for Life.  Dave walked his survivor lap. Dave began radiation this month.  Abby had her 11th birthday. 


June-  This was an exciting month.  Dave finished radiation.  Erin had her 10th birthday. Dave and I celebrated our 13th anniversary. Our friends Holly, John, and Murren came for a visit.  We moved home on the 23rd.


July-  Home.  We tried to get back into our routine. I painted the kitchen.


August-  We worked hard trying to finish our bathroom remodel.  Dave started back to school at Donoho. We went back to MDA for Dave's surgery.  Surgery....Success!! Dave had his 38th birthday in the hospital.


September-  Dave spent most of the month recovering from surgery.  We started school. 6th, 5th, and 3rd grades.  Samuel started football.


October-  We were crazy busy with kids activities.  Life was easing back to normal.  The changing of seasons was beautiful.


November-  Samuel turned 9.  I turned 37...ouch.  We had a great Thanksgiving with family.  The kids and I started training for a 5K.  We decked the Swinney halls for Christmas!!


December-  Dave's first scan after surgery brought us great news of NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE.  (NED)   I ran my very first 5K.  We spent lots of time with friends and family.


Just as we were last year.....we are filled with hope for 2012. 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8







  Happy New Year from the Swinney's!

So....my life....I love it

This week  Dave and I have the privilege to spend time with college students from all over the county at the Campus Outreach National Conference.  There are some amazing speakers here this week .  Matt Chandler and John Piper to name a couple.  This morning we had a women's rally with a speaker who use to be on staff with CO.  She spoke on contentment.  This is where I have been living lately.  Not content!!  Last year, I was probably more content than I have ever been in my life.  Why?  Because I was fulfilling my purpose.  I was not thinking about me and all my wants. One of my favorite quotes this morning was "When you are doing what you were created to do you will experience contentment."  Another was "Purpose fuels contentment."   So Lately I have not been very content.  This has been fueled by my lists of wants!  Not being satisfied with what I have.  Our speaker talked about pinterest this morning. If you haven't dicovered it yet, it is a virtual board where you can pin anything from recipes to hairstyles to cute crafts.  As we scroll through all the cute, neat, fun pages......we (I) begin to want, want, want.  Pinterest is not a bad thing in itself, but sometimes things like that fuel uncontentment in me.  The title of my post is also a quote from this morning.  She was quoting a friend who is overseas with her husband who is in the military.  Her life is not at all easy...but she said "so...my life...I love it."  I want this to be me.  Whether this coming year brings happiness and health or  hard times and sickness, I want to say of my life....I love it.   Why?  Because I can find my true contentment and joy in Jesus not in how much or how little stuff I have or how good or bad my circumstances are.

Reflecting

Today as I sit in Mama and Daddy's living room talking and laughing with the family, it's hard not to remember what we were doing on this day last year.  Our family had been out for the week and they all packed up and left early on the 24th.  We had a really good week with them, but it was sad to see them go.  We planned to make the most of our Christmas Eve in Texas.  We had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen and went to see the movie Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  We attended the Christmas Eve service at Bethel Church and then went for coffee and hot chocolates at Starbucks.  The kids each had a gift card to Target that some sweet person sent them and they wanted to use it to buy me and Dave a Christmas present.  It turned out to be a really good day for us.  One of the things I remember is riding through Houston and the song Christmas Shoes came on and we all wanted to turn it real fast and Dave told us it was OK that we couldn't avoid all that was sad this year.  We cried and went on with our night. 

So this year it is good to be with family. It is good to be home.  It is good to know Dave has no evidence of cancer in his body.  It was good to celebrate the birth of our Savior with our family at Grace Fellowship last night.  So happy Christmas Eve to your family from our family!!

Gingerbread Houses.....A ChristmasTradition

Five years ago I started what has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions.  It started with Chloe, Abby, Emma, and Erin...."the big girls".  The next year we added Samuel and Andrew. Then the next year we added Ruthie and Brady. The next year we were in Texas.  We all spent Christmas together, but we didn't get to make gingerbread houses. This year we added Katie and our sweet friend Lillie. I love making gingerbread houses probably more than the kids do.  Next year we will add baby William to the mix. 

Giny and baby William with their gingerbread mansion:)

The gumball tree we made from branches......isn't it lovely:)

All the kiddo's before the fun began

Abby

Chloe

Erin

Brady

Samuel

Emma

Ruthie

Katie

Lillie

Andrew

Dashing Through the Springs...5k

I ran my very first 5K last weekend at Shocco Springs. It was brutal. I couldn't run the entire thing because it was so hilly. But I did run alot of it and I finished strong. The kids did the fun run. The kids and I have not finished the couch to 5K yet. We got out of our routine the week we went to Houston and this week has been an off schedule kinda week too. But we will complete it!! These are some pictures from the day.



Tracy, Jessica, Giny, Mama, Me, Lori
Ruthie, Emma, Erin, Samuel, and Abby
All our runners!!





Katerri and Carla



Old Christmas Coupons

Mama was looking through some old stuff a few weeks ago and came across these coupons I had given her and Daddy when I was in the 3rd grade.  I wonder why I didn't color them.  Oh well....I guess even in the 3rd grade I wanted to show people I loved them by doing stuff for them.  I promised to help Daddy do yard work.  I also told him I would be good in 1983 :)  Mama always liked a clean house, so I promised to help clean the house.  The next one makes me laugh.  It says "I will whack the baby's".  I think it should say watch the babies......but it says whack the baby's.  Sorry Lori, Giny, and Tracy....I guess I was planning to whack you  :)  I love that she found these.  Homemade gifts really are the best!