4 months...

i met a woman today ( a patient of mine) who was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) 4 months ago today. devastating. she is my mom's age and also has an 11 year old daughter. it is shocking to me how the disease has progressed in just 4 months. it made me especially grateful for the health of my family and made me pray for it to continue. very sobering.

if you don't know what ALS is... i think it is one of those diseases that are on your "anything but that" list....pure hell on earth. the nerve cells that control muscle function slowly die...meaning a progressive loss of muscle function over time (life expectancy is about 2-3 yrs). you eventually can lose the ability to swallow and finally, breathe. as all of this happens your mind remains completely intact and aware of what is happening to you. pure torture.

i am filled with devastation for her and her family, and gratitude for my blessings all at the same time.

future amy

Will grow a beautiful garden, make homemade and creative goodies (i.e bake), sew, be a fabulous and creative and cheap interior decorator for my own home.... phew...current amy has a lot to learn!

Cara Cara

Yesterday I ate one of these. It's a Cara-Cara orange. IT was delicious. . . and it made my day. And it reminds me of my best friend Kara.

flowers and dad

Yesterday Adam and I drove out to my mom and dad's house because they were letting me borrow one of their cars for the week while mine is getting repaired.
After that we had plans to go to my in-laws to celebrate a family friend's birthday. Adam and I had picked up some gorgeous flowers for her and I wanted to show my dad (because he loves flowers...especially orchids). I said to him- "we got her flowers because I don't think anything brightens your day like a beautiful bouquet of flowers." My dad smiled and agreed with me. Then we went to the garage where I picked up the car...and in the front seat was a beautiful bouquet of irises.

They look BEAUTIFUL in our kitchen. And they very much brighten my day. :-)