Sunday goodness...new photos...

Well it seems like it has been a long time since I could come by here and take some time without rushing...and further to be able to say its been a great weekend! Friday I worked and taught two four hour back to back courses and was off by 5pm at which time we had Don's kids come to visit with grand babies that was nice! Josh and Celia stayed the night and Saturday was a very busy day. Had brunch at my sisters house which was out of the world amazing she did such a great job. My niece has a new lover boy named John who was home for a weekend...he is in the military and it was the first time he got to meet our insane family...hope we didn't scare him off lol So nice to meet him and we all loved him! Then I had a meeting about a photo session and then Don & I took my mom and my step father out for a nice Fall ride through Stony Creek ..checked out the nature center and walked a little bit. I think they really enjoyed themselves. Not sure how many of you know this but my mother has had a hard go about...she battled breast cancer for close to three years..had her breast removed and went through some very hardcore chemo treatments almost lost her a few times...during the surgery to remove her breasts which no woman should ever have to endure or watch their mother, sister, daughter, aunt, grandmother or friend go through...they had to remove the lymph nodes from under one of her arms at which time they cut through the main trunk of her nervous system.

Because of this she lives in pain from head to toe daily. She takes a great deal of drugs to help with the pain and even has a pain pump inside of her that has a remote control that releases narcotics into her blood stream for pain and it doesn't always work...my opinion is that she is immune to it she takes so many drugs. I love my mother however, I am not good at sugar coating things so I wont. She is a legal drug addict. And it has to be that way. Either she lives in severe pain which no one would want to do, or she is stoned night and day. I'd much rather her be stoned as bad as that may sound. Part of her issues now are depression and dealing with the aftermath of chemo therapy still. It destroys many things. She tends to be very depressed and negative about most things...she densest mean to be that way and it can be very hard to deal with at times but we do the best we can to be encouraging and supportive. To give her the understanding that she is alive and has to enjoy some of it. She does not get out of the house often and she cant drive because of the narcotics so that is why it was so nice to get them out yesterday.

They looked as though they had a great time. I love you Mom & PaPa Joe!

She would want me to tell you all...feel your boobs. She should have gone for yearly mammograms and she hated them so she didn't. By they time they caught it is was almost too late and she had to fight like hell to beat it. She had always been a strong strong woman...but we all know cancer can be stronger. I'm thankful she survived it...but at times..I miss my old southern bell hardworking independent mom.

Never take anything you have in this life for granted folks...life can be wicked and it can snatch things from you so fast....and one day you wake up...and your parents are more like the children and you look in their eyes and see old age coming upon them and there is nothing you can do to reverse it.

And so...beyond it being awesome to get my mom out I got to take a few photos of the wonderful color Mother Nature paints the Fall..I take it all in...every color...every texture every thing....

I find the seasons of life so fascinating you guys...it has really has only been the last couple of years that I have tried to truly embrace Winter. It has never been my favorite season..I hate dirty snow in the streets...I hate ice in my car and the sound of ice and snow under my shoes its like nails on a chalk board to me...however..I have learned to appreciate long drives through the county where snow goes untouched...where trees are blanketed after big snows and I no longer fear driving it as I once did...I'm going to try this year to embrace it even more so and get out more often in the Winter with my camera...right now lets enjoy Fall...

I have a huge pot of home made chicken noodle soup smelling good in the stove right now and we have Dons son Joe here visiting...I will be baking peach cobbler in about 15 minutes and then working on art for the rest of the night. Got all of the Halloween stuff out to decorate and lit an apple spice candle....mmmmm its smelling so good in this house...its smelling like Fall!!

I LOVE the way these leaf's were all over these trees!!

Nature is beautiful..even on its way to death and renewal

We visit Stony Creek often and this is the beginning of one of our favorite trails

My third grader Doc Martins kicking my way through :)

Love the view from under beautiful trees..

Michigan is worth a trip if you are not from here..the Fall colors are unreal..

 This image of the trees and leaf's above are untouched other than copping..I wanted you guys to realistically see the color schemes of Fall here...breath taking pretty!

The guys must be enjoying their soup..lol...they are both awfully quiet while watching the football game and eating and both have gone back for seconds! :) Peach cobbler in the oven..YUM! And...

New Fall tea!

 ERO calories in this tea....oh ya baby! YUM!