No chemo this week

I was picked up for my chemo treatment this past Thursday by my dear friends, Frank and Angelica. When we got to the hospital and my vitals were taken I was surprised.
My blood pressure was 147/107, temp was 99.3, and I have lost another 6 pounds in 7 days. I am now down to 106.

Did get hooked up to IV for treatment but nurse saw my vitals and paged my doctor to let him know what was happening. They were also concerned because my white blood count was 1500. Should be around 4000-5000. 1500 is the cut off point for receiving chemo. Good news is my fiends did not have to wait for me 2-3 hours and I have a little more energy today. Bad news is my dear friends had to drive around 55 miles one way to get me to the hospital.

I was blessed though because I got to spend time with them before they begin to travel again.

Progress with the fire on our home is going slowly but going. At least my hubby and I have gotten over the complete shock of loosing our home and personal things that can never be replaced. We can't help but get frustrated and anxious at times but know that God is still in control and He is walking beside us through all this.

I don't understand why our Heavenly Father would allow this to happen now with my cancer and all but do know He has a reason. My prayer is that whatever it is he wants us to learn, we will do so with flying colors and honor and glorify Him above all.

With all the negative in our lives at this time, I continue to see our Heavenly Father's hand in it all. He continues to show his love through so many people in so many ways. His blessings far outweigh the negative in our lives. I read recently that when we are walking in the way of the Lord, Satan is not happy. He is not happy and is trying to discourage us and make us give up on God. Well Satan, speak to the hand because I am a daughter of the Most High God and will be for all eternity.

May you have a very blessed day.

I was totally blessed at Tokyo Steak House

Yesterday, my hubby and I were taken to Mother's Day dinner by our very dear friends David and Josh at Tokyo Steak House since I will be at my mother's on Mother's Day.

David, without our knowing, had called the restaurant ahead of time and told them about my fight with cancer and my prognosis. He also explained to them how my hubby and I had saved his life by sending him for surgery when he was dying.

The staff went way out of their way to bless me and the guys. After we had completed our dinner, seven of the staff surprised me by singing Happy Mother's Day to me and presenting me with a cake which said "Happy Mother's Day Shirley". I was so blessed, I was thinking how there were seven people from the restaurant singing to me in Chinese but how seven is also God's perfect number. Coincidence? I do not think so.

With all we are going through, I do not believe that was by accident, especially since one of the staff laid hands on me and prayed over me. God is soOooo awesome and continues to bless my hubby and I and show His perfect love through so many people.

We are truly blessed,

The aftermath of house fire

Still feel like we have been punched in the stomach from loosing our second home to fire last weekend and still trying to catch our breath again. We know that God has allowed this to happen for a reason and He is still in complete control. We do wonder why He would allow this to happen at this time with all we are going through with my cancer. But it is not for us to question his souverignty. We continue to hold on to our faith with the help of prayer warriors that are lifting us up in prayer.

There are times when I feel weak in inner peace and strength but then I focus on Him and His strength lifts me up again and His Word brings me comfort.

Through this, we have been truly blessed. God has brought friends back into our lives that we had lost contact with and we have been blessed with many new friends and prayer warriors from around the states and the world. I thank God that He is bringing His love, encouragement, and comfort to us through so many people. I would never have imagined that I would be blessed with new friends because of a fire.

God does work in mysterious ways indeed. I do ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we work with our insurance company. My hubby needs prayer as he worries about my health, work issues, and now the fire and really needs to be lifted up daily.

Thank you all for being such a blessing more pecious than jewels in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement and hope to keep us going during this time of trials.

May you have a very blessed day in the Lord,

old home burned to the ground

This has been a very trying weekend for my hubby and I. We were called Saturday night around 11:30PM by our previous neighbors and were told that our other home had burned down and the firemen were still fighting the fire.

We arrived at the home around 12:15AM on Sunday and when we arrived, there were 8 fire trucks there fighting the fire. The fire was so big, firemen from 3 stations were called. When we arrived, the right side of the house was already completely gone. One of the Fire Marshalls took my husband closer to the home and told him to be prepared because the house was gone. There was one portion of the wall on the left side of the house still standing but very insecure. The firemen said they were going to have to pull it down for safety reasons. My husband and the firemen suggested that I might not want to see them do this so my husband walked me back to the end of the drive way so I could not see what they were doing. Our driveway is several yards long and curved around many trees so you cannot see the house from the street where our car was parked.

The firemen finally told Dennis that there was nothing more they could do and we may as well return home. That was around 4:15AM on Sunday. We got home at 5:00AM. We did make it to church at 9:00AM and then went straight to our old home from there. When we arrived, we were surprised to see three fire trucks still there. They had been there all night long.

We were told by the fire marshalls that they think the fire may have started either by a riding mower that was still in the garage or electrical. We were also told that because everything is so charred it may be a "black hole". They may never know the cause of the fire.

The home is completely gone, it is so hard to see the remains of what was once our beautiful 5400 square foot home all gone. We have lots of beautiful memories there with our daughters, sons in laws, and g-children visiting us, family coming over for get togethers and swimming parties.

We are blessed in the fact that no one was living there or hurt. Also, the firemen did a great job of keeping the fire from spreading to our neighbors. That was a miracle as our home was surrounded by hundreds of trees and we have been in a burn ban state due to there being no rain for months.

Our swimming pool is also destroyed. It is filled with bricks and lumber from the house. However, we had a shed to store our boat and that was not even touched.

Well, I guess I have finished venting and sharing my feelings for now. I do Praise God for keeping everyone safe as they worked on the fire, for keeping the fire from spreading to our neighbors, and for the fact that no one was in the house and harmed.

Hard to believe this rubble is what is left of our 5400 sq. ft. home.

I am totally blessed

As I sit here in my quiet time, I continue to be amazed at how I can see God's hand in my life on a daily basis. I see His love that surrounds me daily through soOOoooo many people and how He has been answering prayers that I have prayed with friends.

I am blessed to have a precious hubby who always stands by my side loving me through the tough times and the good. He is always encouraging and always finds new ways to help, love, and encourage me. Through now 6 times with cancer, never once has he given up on me or God and run away. Instead, he is my strong tower that I can run to when I need a shoulder to cry on. He does not try to fix the problem just allows me the time to "vent" when I need to.

My beautiful daughters that continue to call and check on me and show their love and support. They are always upbeat and positive and I know I will be comforted just hearing their sweet voices. I am blessed with two wonderful sons in law that love my daughters and grandchildren and support them in all their dreams.

My sisters and brother show their love to me with their prayer, love, encouragement, and support.

God has also blessed me with sisters and brothers in Christ that are always there for me. They have brought us meals when I can't cook. They take me to my chemo treatments every single week so that my hubby does not have to miss all that work. I am called to see if I need anything from cleaning house, laundry, or shopping.

To all of you, thank you for being such a precious jewel and blessing in my life. I don't know how I can ever express the love and gratitude I feel for each of you.. At times, I just sit and cry (good tears) because of all the ways I see God loving me through each and every one of you. Thank you for being a very important part of my life. I just pray for all you have done for me, I can somehow pay it back and/or forward.

I love you all,

Still loosing weight

My hubby and I went to see my oncologist today and all is well. However, he is very concerned because in 6 days I have lost another 4 pounds and now weigh 108. I am also feeling more tired lately, so we will see what the Lord has planned for me.

It is beautiful weather here today and I love NOT being cold for a change. Perhaps I will take my chair and sit on the porch so my puppy can also enjoy the weather. She loves to sit on the sidewalk and check out everything both up and down the hill. Good thing she can't talk, she may be tempted to gossip with all she sees. he he

I hope you are having a very blessed day.

True Love.....I've seen it!

Hi everyone, it's Terry and I have been asked to be a guest blogger today on Sweet Shirley's blog.

Have I told you all just how much I love this woman? Have I told you what a truly AMAZING person she is? Have I told you how much she loves God? Have I shared with you how she brings a smile to EVERYONE'S face? Have I shared with you the love that I have seen between her and her husband?

Well, I could go on and on about all of the above, but today I want to focus on the love between Shirley and Dennis. I have seen it first hand, and what a warm and fuzzy feeling I get when I am with them.

You can read in a previous post, written by Shirley, about how Dennis has stood by her as she has dealt with cancer, not just once, but SIX times.

What I want to do is tell you what I have seen from Dennis.....

I was blessed to be able to go to their home one night last week and prepare dinner for them. This is not the first time that I have been able to do this, but this is the first time that I have actually stayed and ate with them.

It started like any other meal one might have. We prayed, we thanked God for the meal, for our friendship and for our time together in christian fellowship As we sat there and laughed and talked, Dennis decided to share how he felt the day that he and Shirley renewed their vows.

I have NEVER been so moved in ALL of my life!!!!

There sat this 62 yr. old man, sharing his love for his wife as if they were 20 yrs. old and just married!!!! He told me that he didn't think that he would be emotional during the service....he laughed it off and said that he new it was important to Shirley to have this ceremony, but that he really didn't think that he would be "moved" by it......rofl

I'm laughing, because even as he is tell me this, he had tears forming in his eyes. He told me how he almost melted into the carpet when he saw his wife of 40 years being walked down the isle by his (their) two beautiful daughters....and that is when it started....he told me that he could feel the tears in his eyes and he thought "I have to keep it together"....


He was so overwhelmed with emotion thru the whole service....he said that Shirley never stops amazing him....she had just got out of the hospital on Friday and the service was on Sunday. He told how impressed he was when it was time to recite the vows that they had written for one another....(we all sat there laughing as he tells how he had to read from a piece of paper, and then when it was Shirley turn, she proudly recited 5 min. worth of vows FROM MEMORY!!!).

The two of them kept looking at one another as the story was being told....every now and then one would reach across the table and take the others hand and give it a ever so slight squeeze. Both of them just glowed as the story was told. And I was so blessed that they shared it with me.

Dennis even told me how he felt when everyone came back to the house to help celebrate! He said how important it was for everyone of them to be there. How much it meant to him to see the christian fellowship taking place in celebration of the love that he and Shirley share!

He truly does love his wife and it can be seen when you see the two of them together! Thank you both for showing me what true love looks like!

Let me share with all of you out there in blog world a few pictures that were taken of the two of them.....a wonderful friend, Deanna, blessed them with her talents and took these great photos. If any of you reading are in San Antonio, and need some family photos taken, you might want to give her a call.....she does GREAT work! (Thanks again Deanna for doing this for our dear friends). Here is a link to her website: http://www.deannawilks.photoreflect.com/


And now for the pics.....ENJOY!





How sweet is this?


I love that she is holding his hand!


Out on the back deck....


We had to take some on the motorcycle, they love
riding together!


I love this shot of her resting on his shoulder!


Sweet.....


Are you feeling it yet? Can you see
the love between them?


I know you can now!!!! Simply an
AMAZING shot!

And of course, I have to include a few shots of just Shirley! I love you Shirley!
MORE, MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!