Happy New Year!

As I sit here on this New Year's Eve 2007, so many thoughts are rolling through my head! I do konw one thing for sure, this one is much better than last year. I remember that I went to bed around 9 because I felt so bad, and I was anticipating a wonderful new year with a year full of blessings to come. Well, 2007 started off quite rough for me if you don't know or remember, I spent the first 2 weeks in the hospital with an infection, cold, and eventually having to have my gall bladder removed. Once that was over, I found out I had some spots on my lungs and luckily those came from the infection. 2007 wasn't anywhere near as trying as 2006 was but it still had its ups and downs. I'll just list the events in my life in 2007 and you can decide up or down, going back to work Feb. 1st, 1st Relay for life Survivor lap, 2 Tattoos, Shingles, 3 ruptured discs in back, deciding to go back to school at Liberty, trip to chicago, amazing Christmas, and news of an adoption! God is so amazing and I can hardly put into words how thankful I am for what HE has done for me my entire life, and especially the last year and a half. I can never thank Him enough for what He has done. 2008 is a whole new beginning again for me, I'm excited to see what 2008 will bring.

Tonight I finished a book that I've been reading for a couple of months called "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance" by Atul Gawande. The book is very good and eye opening especially after spending as much time around the medical field as I have over the last year and a half. He ends the book with a challenge if you will, and this is part of my goal for 2008. His challenge is this "Find something new to try, something to cange. Count how often you succeed and how often you fail. Write about it. Aske people what they think. See if you cna keep the conversation going." So now I pass that challenge on to you. What is a goal of yours for 2008?

Here's to a Happy and blessed NEW YEAR for each and everyone of you!

In His GRACE,
Kim:)

It's been a year

So today marks another special date to me, and that is It has been one year since I finished my chemo! I'm very excited about this date! Most days it feels like it has been an eternity since I finished and others it feels like it was just yesterday that I finished. I was talking to my aunt tonight about everything and I'm still amazed at everything that I went through and how God brought me through! I honestly don't know how I could of gotten through without Jesus. I just can't imgaine going through anything without Him as my hope. This year has been a great year of growth in many aspects for me and I'm excited to see what a new year will bring. Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and visits throughout the year! I wish each of you a happy NEW YEAR!!!





Love, Kim :)




Our Family on Christmas EVE!!!

What a wonderful DAY!!!

Merry Christmas again to everyone!! Today, was a wonderful day! It was one year ago today that I went into the hospital for my last chemo treatment. It's crazy to look back at the last year and know what all I've been through!
I got up this morning and mom cooked breakfast then we went over to Buddy and Alicia's to take Emily and Garret there Christmas presents. Once we got back we rested and around 2:30 KC and Rob came over and we opened our Christmas presents. I got some Wii stuff, movies, an dress coat, an orange Clemson hoodie and a few other things!! Dad got mom a bowling ball and I sent her on a little scavenger hunt for her to find it.. She loved it! Mom got dad a laptop, and he loved that as well.. After opening all our presents we started cooking supper which was Steak, Shrimp, broccoli casserole, baked potato's and corn. Dad made banana pudding for dessert, it was delectible!! I ate so much. Margaret also joined us for our traditional Christmas supper!Shortly after we ate Rob and KC left to go home. Now I"m just relaxing and typing this.

I saw this quote somewhere today and thought it was good "Before you speak ... Ask yourself ... Is it kind? ... Is it true? ... Is it necessary? ... Does it improve upon the silence?"

Ponder that!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day!!

love,
Kim:)

Merry Christmas

That's right I said MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I'm 100% ok with anyone saying Merry Christmas, and I don't know that anyone will ever stop me from saying it. Really thats not even the reason for this post. I just wanted to say Merry Christmas Eve. I have a few thoughts to write but I'll save that for tomorrow :) .. Have a wonderful evening and a great Christmas day!!

Kim:)

I love my Mom!!!

Today was a lot of fun. Mom and I went out shopping so she could finish her Christmas shopping. I'm proud to say mine is finished and has been for about a week!! Go me !!! Anyway, mom and I are a lot alike and we butt heads at times, but then we're over and are friends again. My mom has been there so much for me and I just can never thank her enough or probably truly express to her how much I appreciate our time together. I see this more and more as I get older. I think I have learned a lot too from when both of my parents lost their mom's and seeing how much a mother is the center of a family. I wrote this letter for my mom for mother's day 2007 and I thought I would share it with the entire web.

Dearest Mom,
I was going to get you a card but it could never say what I want to say to you. Mom, I could never express the love and appreciation I have for you. You’ve always there for me when I’ve needed you even if you were supposed to be going off with your friends. The past eight months have made me realize what a treasure I have in you. I always new you were a special mom, but to know, no matter how big or small the problem was you were there for me. I’ll never forget the times that you came to the hospital in the mornings before work and then come right after work just to make sure your baby girl was ok. And the times you would call and just listen to me cry over what was going on in my life. When you came back to the hospital to comfort me when I was being treated like an “invalid”. All the days you’ve taken off to go the doctor with me and to be there to hold my hand or let me cry on your shoulder and remind me that everything was going to be ok, and that God was right there with us too. You were there to comfort me when my hair was falling out and rejoicing with me now that it’s growing back, as long as it’s not nappy like yoursJ. I’ll never forget the special moments that we’ve had together, how great it was to know that if I wanted you to come back and stay with me you would even though you weren’t comfortable staying at the hospital. Mom I hope you truly know how special you are to me and how much I treasure your friendship and your unconditional love. I don’t deserve all that you’ve done for me. I’m so happy that I can call you my best friend and most importantly my MOM!!!!

Well, I hope you enjoy that! I personally am doing well. My classes are over for the term and I am not taking any with Liberty until April I believe! I need a little bit of a break, because here I am again trying to decide if Finance is the direction God wants me to go in. In the meantime I'm going to take a class at church called Perspectives, you can get more info at perspectives.org . I am excited about it. I am also going to very involved with the Relay for Life at UNC Charlotte. I'm excited to see how all this works out. If you would like to donate you can go to my personal page and donate online. I appreciate anyone who does! Well, I think i'm going to go get into my bed with my new sheets that feel to be oh soooo comfy I can't wait! Have a wonderful night!!!

Good weekend

Well I am coming off of a wonderful weekend! Friday I took the day off and went shopping and spent some time with Kristin, it was a lot of fun, just having the day off. Then, Sat. morning I got up and met some of the Young Adults from Church and we went to Hillsborough to help Stacey put out some doorhangers for an event they are having next Sunday there. It was very nice to help him out for his church up there! We had pizza and then hung some more door hangers, in a HUGE Neighborhood. The houses in there were absolutely beautiful. Around 2:30 I left there and headed East to Bear Grass for our family Christmas.. When I got to my Aunt's house there were cars everywhere. There were all kinds of family there that I haven't seen in forever and some I didn't even know.. It was a nice time to see my family and just hang out with them for awhile. We counted last night and there were lik 46 people who were there at some point in time. After everyone left we gave Aunt Faye her pages for her scrapbook this year and of course she loved them! I enjoy doing the pages for her because she can go back and look at the at and remember everything throughout the years that have come and gone. Then this morning I went to church with my Aunt and then we went out to eat lunch at Deadwood a Steakhouse there in Bear Grass.. Rob, KC and I rode in my Explorer back home, we had a lot of fun just talking and goofing off.. Man, I love them too they are so much fun, and KC is just absolutely perfect for Rob!! Well, now I'm exhausted and it's bed time. I'll try to post a few pictures from this weekend soon. Til then have a great week!!

Kim:)

What a Year!

I did this survey on myspace which is seriously an addiction for me.. it sums up my year a little. I'm sure I'll do a post on New Years with more stuff, but this is just a preview! More to come on this later, but I want you to think about it.. Are you a "Sour Christian", remember you are Advertising for the Kingdom of the Lord......

here's the survey!!
As 2007 comes to an end....

1) Where did you begin 2007?
in my bed i was sick :(

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
single just like i am now :(

3) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
yea have been since april, think i might take a semester or whatever it is off..

4) How did you earn your money?
as a teller at the CU

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
yea spent pretty much the first 2 weeks of 07 there, haven't been back for a stay since :)

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
i see them bout everyday at the cu..

7) Where did you go on vacation (holiday)?
Chicago and Indiana!

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
working on payin the hospital thats bout it

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
yea lets see... kevin, nate and jeanna, matt and erin, daniel and cara, and anna and michael

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
yes, a rew

12) Did you move anywhere?
nope thought i was moving out but no one would give me $10,000 and my parents wouldn't cosign the loan

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
umm lets see, alan jackson, brooks n dunn, toby keith, brad paisley, rascal flatts, and kenny chesney

15) Are you registered to vote?
Yep

16) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
Evil Dick or his daughter.. i think she did win..

17) Where do you live now?
Mount Pleasant, NC

18) Describe your birthday?
Good day.. had to take modules tho :(

19) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?
have my gall bladder removed..

20) What has been your favorite moment?
my hair growing back and being cancer free :)

21) What's something you learned about yourself?
That I"m an incredibly strong Christian woman!!..

22) Any new additions to your family?
not this year...

23.) What was your best month?
not sure

24.) What music will you remember 2007 by?
umm i don't know.. beena lot of good songs..

25) Who has been your best drinking buddy?
i dunno

26) Made new friends?
many of them

27) New best friend?
Nope...still the same:)

28) Favorite Night out?
I'm gonna have to go with Emily's reception.. that was a lot of fun!!!


Now its your turn. put it in your blog or just leave me a comment with your answers...

Reminders

Today was a wonderful day. There was a lot of things that just reminded me of how absolutely blessed I am. The sermon Doug preached this morning was absolutely amazing and I will write more on that soon. But tonight I want to talk about this..

I'm talking to a very good friend online and we're talking about all that I've been through in the last 18 months. She's a mother of 2 and is talking about how she would want to take their place if they had to go through anything like I did, and how she even wanted to take my place. I was reminded of my dad telling me about the first night I was in the hospital and they were trying to get a central line in.. (sorry for the graphic nature of this) and there was blood running down both of my shoulders where they had stuck me so many times. There were also several times when I was upset that he would say "if I could take your place dear I would". I must honestly say that I wouldn't want him to take my place through any of this. Yes, it was very hard at times and I just wanted to give up, but I knew there was and ultimate purpose for this and I knew my strength was coming from my Lord JESUS!!! The only way I was able to go through everything like I did was because Jesus gave me the strength. You may all think I'm a strong young woman, and I am but remember that my strength isn't of my own it all comes from HIM! My friend that I was talking to is an amazing woman and I so very much cherish her friendship and words of encouragement, she was there for me the whole time I was going through chemo. She would call just to check on me and make sure I was ok and if she could do anything for me or my family. It is friends like her that make the tough times a lot easier. Thank you to everyone who has been here for me over the last 18 months especially. I love you all and treasure each moment that I have with you!

Another thing that I have really been thinking about recently is how we should never take our life we have for granted, because we never know when it will be our last or when what we have been blessed with will be taken away from us. I just think about how 18 months ago I had no idea that I was going to be in the hospital for 11 days unable to talk and all I would be able to do is pretty much lye in a bed and watch tv and listen to the conversations that were going on around me. There were many times when I felt all alone even though there were people there with me. Just another way God blessed me he would take those thoughts out of my mind. Don't get me wrong it was tough, but I got through with the Lord's help.

Well , I'm off to bed now! Have an amazing DAY!!!

Kim :)

new blog site

I'm changing my blog site because the other one was getting very annoying with the colors and all. I've been thinking about changing it for awhile and I"m finally doing it so bookmark this site now as my blog.

To follow up from my post at my other blog page. I ended up not going to Lowe's to get more Christmas lights and decorations. I didn't think I would be able to since it was pay day and the end of the month. Which means a crazy day for the tellers, especially since our teller manager was on vacation. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could of been which I'm thankful for but it was still pretty rough. I finally left at 545, and I know there were still a few people there when I left. Then it took forever to get home.. I think mom and I finally made it home about 7, after getting gas and then pizza. When I got home I ate and then I went over to Kristin's to hang out with her and help her be motivated to do some stuff since she's moving into an apartment in a few weeks. I wish I was moving out too, but I can't because I wanted a new fancy car last year and my car payment is the price of rent :( .. Oh well that was my choice. We live and we learn.

Today I didn't really do too much except for hang out and finally wrote this stupid paper for my marketing class. I don't really mind writing papers, this one just really annoyed me because it just didnt make sense. It was a group project and we had to market a 4 wheel drive American SUV to Japan. My group leader chose a Chevy Tahoe. Just really hard to mark in Japan. Anyway thats over and now I must go to bed.. Busy day tomorrow :)