Call to Action

This is a call to action.  Support, prayers and whatever you can give are needed.  Little Monkey over at Momma's Pixie Dreams has been diagnosed with cancer.  She is 16 months old.  This makes my heart break.  

Ian at Daily Dose of Reality is organizing help for Momma Pixie.  From what I can gather there is a fundraiser / auction that people will bid on prizes or services.  Well, that's what I can gather.  I think he's going to tell us more on Wednesday.
Well, anyways I wanna donate something so I'll give at least my followers a heads up.  I like to edit photos.  I like to play around with digital scrapbooking.  I would like to donate my hobby time to someone else.
1.  Photo editing / collage making:  do you like edit photos?  Have a few favorite photos just sitting in your folder that you can never seem to get to?  I would like to edit them for you.  Send me up to 5 photos, tell me what (if anything) you have in mind for them, and I'll email you the jpg's back.  If you would like to see some of my editing skills visit these posts from my photography blog:  1, 2, 3, 4 (or just skim over the whole blog)

2. I've also been playing around with digital scrapbooking.  What I would offer here would be up to 6 pages of coordinated pictures.  Same way, you send me the pictures with your thoughts and I send you back files.  Here's one of my pages:

3.  I'd like to offer an original screen print umm picture / canvas ... hmmm...this idea is not very well thought out, but it will include this picture:

ok, well come back around here on Wednesday and hopefully I'll be able to make more sense!  and if Ian ends up not having an auction like I'm thinking, then I'll host one here and all proceeds will benefit Momma Pixie and her family.  More on this idea if I have to think of it, lol!
Many of yall are also friends with Supahmommy, but if you are not ... read her post here.  I think she tells the story in the best of words.
...and if I may throw in a kinda selfish plea here while yall have your prayer lists out...don't forget the families of Nashville.  There are so many people here hurting and figuring out what to do now to recover...

Fragmented Randomness

Warning ... I think this is going to be a long post ... but then I'm just starting writing it, so you never know?  Oh and I'm totally going to make a list too, lol!
Linked my list here!



#1. I've been watching Kelly's Korner meme for a while and I really want to join today!

Today is sharing names for your kids:

Leah Grace -- 

Leah well because we liked it and it is pretty.  We wanted a name that not every little girl would have.  Grace because she taught us about God's grace.  We are blessed with her through the grace of God.

Audrey Anne -- 

Audrey ... well pretty much the same as Leah, we liked it and wanted a unique name.  Anne because it is my middle name, my mom's middle name and my mom's mom's first name.

and possibly one day

Luke Thomas --

Luke because we like it (see a theme going on here).  Thomas because it was my Papa's name.

Trent Issac --

Just had to throw this name in...thought of it in high school, but hubby's already shot it down.  Maybe part of it will grow on him?  lol!

#2. A Leah story!  Last night it was time for Leah to go to bed.  We went through our bedtime routine and I told her its time for bed.  She looked at me and said "It's not fair!"  wow...didn't think I would hear this before she was three, lol!

#3. Have you heard the story of the boys in California who were sent home from school because they wore American flag shirts on May 5th?  Because they might offend the students of Mexican heritage?  Yeah, true story.  Well I'd like to quote a talk show guy here in Nashville as my opionion...

"If you are offended by the American flag than get the hell out of my country!" -Phil Valentine

#4.  I am still blown away by this flood to my home in Nashville...oh wait...no my home personally, I mean my home-town.  We are fine (and on a big hill)  This We are Nashville post fills me with pride.  We have been here for going on two years in June.  Its been weird a bit when people ask where I am from.  I grew up in the same town for 18 years and stayed in the same state for college.  I have lived in Alabama for 23 years ... Tennessee for 2.  Through this flood I have realized the pride I really do have for this wonderful city and state.  I love Alabama and will always tear up when I hear "My home's in Alabama" (yeah, yeah, call me a dork), but I love Nashville too and would be happy to grow old up here!

 check out these awesome shirts!  Click the link to go to the site ... I totally want one :-)

#5.  Did you know Taylor Swift gave $500,000 to flood relief?  I'm telling everyone to go out and buy her cd, even if you just turn around and re-sell it (lol).  My friend Allyson is helping Nashville from Alabama ... read about it here: Pay it Forward: Nashville style.  I volunteered on Wednesday.  I want so badly to write about it, but I just can't find the words.  I stood there and cried with a woman who had lost everything ... I didn't know what to say.

#6.  Today would've been one of my best friend's 26th birthday.  Happy Birthday in Heaven Matt.  I love you and I'm praying hard for your mom today.

RIP my dear friend May 7, 1984 - January 16, 2010

#7.

 Today on Family Fridays I'm doing a flashback!  Where OpryMills mall is (under water) but there used to be a theme park there.  I loved it!!!!!!  We went there all the time as children.  It was where I rode my first loop-de-loop rollercoaster.  My mom sent me some old photo albums and I found these two pictures of me on the kiddie ride at Opryland:

If you know my family is doesn't surprise you that often I rode the roller-coaster rides by myself.  But it's very rare that you are the only person at all on the ride!!!!

I'm in the purple shirt and my little sister is in the pink shirt.  She's holding on for dear life, and yeah ... I think the ride had stopped, lol!  and no, I have no idea who the chic smiling in the back is, lol!

Thanks for reading my long post!  Have a good weekend and please pray for all the families who will be returning to their homes and the volunteers helping them.  (FYI ... any Nashvillians wanna volunteer, let me know...I'll be going on Saturday!)

An Emotional Rollercoaster

It all started with a call; a cell phone ring somewhere in the pit of her purse. Her face lit up at the name on the caller id. The smile on her face quickly turned into a look of concern. Her fiancé confided in her that he didn’t feel well, and it had to do with the feeling in his feet. She recalled some complaints from the depths of her mind over the past few days. Something about a constant tingle in his feet, but she had filled them away as nothing; just some innocent complaining. Did she miss something?

They enter the hospital, emergency room entrance. They wait, and try to ignore the growing worry. A name sounds in the distance; it is their turn to go back. The doctors look, ask questions, run tests. The doctors’ faces show concern and worry and worst, confusion. They must now travel to a larger hospital in a larger city.

More cell phones ring. She calls her mom. Her mom calls siblings, children, friends. A call rings up to heaven, many calls to be exact. Family rush to cars and made the trip over to the hospital. Everyone who could came to comfort her, but all she wanted, all she needed was the health of her fiancé.

The next few hours and days all combine into one large blur. A diagnosis is determined: Guillain-Barre Syndrome; a rare complication that can cause paralysis. Although the future is unknown, the doctors now look hopeful.

A nurse takes her aside. “I need you to fill out some paperwork. And we need to see your health insurance card,” she innocently requests. Except there is no card to present; they have no health insurance. Appointments are made to discuss what will happen next with payment, but everyone assures her they will make him better.

Family come, family leave. Family give money so she skips work. Family buy meals. Family spend time together. She holds her baby niece and tries to forget about the worries that tomorrow may bring; the uncertainty that waits ahead. She tries to forget that barely three days in, they have racked up a bill of $60,000. Tries, but the worry keeps her up at night.

Every visiting second is precious and spent with him. One night, her turns to her; “Will you marry me here and now? I don’t want to wait any longer.” Her eyes tear, her heart flies, but her hopes are dashed. “Calmer” heads claim he is making rash decisions and it’s only the drugs speaking. They will have to figure a way through the next few months in separate houses. She tries to believe that it will be ok, but the thoughts in her mind just will not allow her to rest.

A joyous day finally arrives. A room to his own, and soon a trip back home. They have beaten the syndrome and now must face the recovery. A hospital bill to be paid, a wedding that has been moved to a new location and an earlier date, a job, classes, and most importantly a “cranky and frustrated 25-year old” all need her attention.

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This story has no ending because it is not over yet. It is based (loosely) on my sister-in-law’s last few weeks. I highly doubt the details are correct, but I know the emotion is. I wanted to write this sooner, but the words just didn’t seem to come until today with the tears. I love my SIL like a sister and wish so much that I could be with her to help her through these tough times. The family has started a donation account, and if you feel that you can donate towards medical bills, wedding plans or just the lose of income please contact my brother-in-law Josh at jakillion222@gmail.com for the wire transfer number. If you would like to specify your donation, just tell him. If you want to send them cards or anything through the mail, contact me at c.killion@yahoo.com, and I will make sure they get them.

Please know, I didn’t write this to beg for donations. I wrote it to share a story that is plaguing our family now. I wrote it to update you from past post I have written. And mainly, I wrote it to ask for your prayers and good thoughts. God will help them through this, I am certain about that…but it will be hard, and it may not feel like He is there at all times. That; I know of…

Thank you friends for reading.

Visit Shell at Things I Can't Say for more Heart-filled posts.

Please Pray

If you are reading this please please please pray for Graydon.  Graydon is my sister-in-law fiance.  We don't know much right now.  My mother-in-law is in-route to the hospital.  All we know is that his Central Nervous System is shutting down.  His feet have been tingly and he is losing mobility.  He is undergoing a spinal tap right now.  He is in the ICU in Montgomery, Alabama.  Leah is going to be the flower girl in their wedding this summer.

Please, please, please pray.  The more people who can just take five seconds out of their day to say a quick prayer will help so much.  and if you don't pray, then think kindly and maybe karma will come or something.  please pray for Graydon.

Kaitlyn and Graydon with my girls this past Christmas. 

Hopefully I'll get to post my happiness project photo tomorrow...

Update:  

He has Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  GBS is rare and has an incidence of 1 or 2 people per 100,000.^[6] It is frequently severe and usually exhibits as an ascending paralysis noted by weakness in the legs that spreads to the upper limbs and the face along with complete loss of deep tendon reflexes. With prompt treatment byplasmapheresis or intravenous immunoglobulins and supportive care, the majority of patients will regain full functional capacity. However, death may occur if severe pulmonary complications and autonomic nervous system problemsare present.^[7] Guillain-Barré is one of the leading causes of non-trauma-induced paralysis in the world.o.