13 Special Days

13 Favorite Holidays or Special Days

1.  CHRISTMAS - My Savior's birthday and my favorite of them all! Although I've found it just isn't the same as when I was little. Why is that? 

2.  JULY 4th - PROUD to be an American! My favorite president is RONALD REAGAN. I wrote him a letter when I was in 5th grade and he took the time to write me back!! He even signed it himself and no one can tell me ANY different!

3.  EASTER - Many childhood memories, which began with getting up at the crack of dawn for sunrise services then on to church for breakfast. (Although, I never remember actually eating breakfast, but rather sitting with my friends on the church curb waiting for the one stoplight in town to stop flashing. Ahh, the little things!) After the stoplight would come on, it was time to rush home and change into my new Sunday dress. (Some years, with a little luck, I'd even have time to open my Easter basket before church!) Easter Sunday also meant giving 30 pieces of silver to God. (This was to represent the 30 pieces of silver Judas Iscariot was paid to betray Jesus.) After church my mom always fixed a HUGE lunch for our family then we'd color and hide eggs. How I miss those days!

4.  THANKSGIVING - RAT HUNTING! That's right, RAT HUNTING! Although, I must admit, this was not something I grew up with. No, it wasn't until after I became part of the "Spore clan" that I was blessed with such a tradition. After becoming a Spore myself in 1991, we'd spend each Thanksgiving at my husband's grandparents farm in Newkirk, Oklahoma. It was here, I learned the art of hunting rats! To my surprise, all you needed was a bunch of men and lil' boys, a tractor to lift the brush piles up and a big ole' stick to wallop the rats on the head when they came dartin' out! WHOoo-EEEeee! You never truly lived until ya got yourself that first mangy rat! Can't say I ever participated, but I did ride the tractor with G-Paw a time or two. That there was enough excitement for this city girl! Anyone else out there had the privilege of hunting them there rats?

5.  HALLOWEEN - WAS, I repeat WAS a favorite of mine. I use to love to dress up my boys each year. My oldest, Logan, was once a blue LEGO! I'm not talking a mini size lego, but a HUGE gigantic lego! He was SO big, we had to take him around in the bed of our truck trick-or-treating because he wouldn't fit inside! Another year, my middle son, Ethan was a "Cereal Killer" with boxes of cereal, knives, and blood all over him (not one of mom's favorites). All this was fine and dandy until October of 1998 when Ethan, then 4 years old, was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. Now, I can honestly say I H-A-T-E it! Mind you, I rarely use the wore "hate." As I always told my students, "Hate is a STRONG word!" But in this case, I reserve the right to use it! H-A-T-E

6.  BIRTHDAYS - I "use" to love celebrating my birthday. Every year, for 18 years PLUS, my mom would bake me a cake. She always made sure each year was special for me. However, with the big 4-0 around the corner... I'm not as excited as I use to be! I do, however, LOVE to celebrate the birthdays of my three wonderful boys! This year we will be celebrating 18, 16, and 13. A hard year indeed, as they are growing up, but thankful they are with me everyday!

7.  My BAPTISM - October 1, 1978. The day I was immersed and committed my life to Jesus. It wasn't until I was in my 20's, however, that I actually understood WHY I believed what I was TOLD to believe all those years growing up. It was then I felt Jesus come into my heart.

8.  D DAY - November 2, 1998. Ethan, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. (No, I haven't lost it, although I've asked myself the same thing a time or two.) We celebrate this day because we are thankful that Ethan has SURVIVED yet another year with this deadly disease without complications. We are thankful for the new and upcoming technologies that make his life easier. Yet, we still pray and yearn for a cure! 

9.  D DAY II - May 31, 2005. Caleb, our baby, was also diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Just when we didn't think we could take anymore.... God saw different. And again, five years later, we are SO very thankful Caleb is still fighting and not letting his life be controlled by this deadly disease. 

10.  DATE DAY - April 27, 1989 Dating anniversary to my high school sweetheart. Who would've thought after all this time, we'd still be together?

11.  WEDDING DAY - July 27, 1991 Wedding anniversary to the love of my life! The same guy as above :) Thank you for changing my world!

12.  SURVIVAL DAY - September 19, 1993 The day God spared my fathers life, after a drunk driver hit him head on, traveling at speeds close to 90 +/- an hour! My father is still with us today at the ripe old age of 75!

13.  TBD - What's yours???? 

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

HAPPY 11th!

Today is a special day.
Today is my baby boy's birthday.
Please help us celebrate over at "The Spore Family Blog."

See ya there!

Day 2 What is Diabetes?

What is diabetes?
Let’s start with the body. Your body is made up of many parts. Each part works with the others to keep you healthy. Sometimes one part of your body may not work as well as it should. When this happens, you might not feel well. Do you know what part of your body makes INSULIN, to digest food? Your PANCREAS! When your pancreas stops making insulin, you have diabetes.

A healthy PANCREAS makes insulin, a hormone which helps the body break down and use sugar turning it into energy. Everyone needs energy to live, otherwise we'd be like a bump on a log, right? Sugar in the blood comes from the food and drink we eat. A person with type 1 diabetes doesn't produce any insulin. Without insulin, the sugar builds up in the blood, causing high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Blood sugar levels that are too high and untreated for long periods of time can lead to ketoacidosis, a very serious condition. Very high blood sugars for an extended period of time can eventually lead to coma and even death. Now, the difference between you and my two boys, is that your healthy pancreas keeps a "perfect balance" between how much food you eat and how much insulin it puts out. The boys' pancreases have to have help. How do you think we help their pancreas? The only treatment to replace the missing insulin and help, is by injection. Caleb, our youngest, is currently taking four shots/day at breakfast, lunch, supper, and bedtime. Sometimes he has to take five shots a day. Since being diagnosed on May 31, 2005, Caleb has endured AT LEAST 5,000 shots! Anyone ready to trade places with him? Ethan, our middle son, was diagnosed 11/04/1998. He took shots for several years before he got an insulin pump. We will learn more about pumping in a future post! Right now, it's important to remember that: INSULIN IS NOT A CURE! Think of it as a band-aid covering a great big ouchy!