The Gift of Surprise





Spencer reads a bit of YOU Staying Young!

"Happy Birthday, Spencer," I whispered.  It was 6am on June 23rd.  Spencer didn't yet know it was his birthday.  He had asked us not to tell him what day it was, and just to surprise him.  So we took a vacation to our favorite mountain house for the weekend.  While he slept, we decorated with the usual trappings-- balloons, banners, and crepe paper.  I had been trying to quietly pin his Birthday Boy ribbon on his shirt when he awoke.



"It's my birthday?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.  I assured him that it was.  He was ten years old.  My little Spencie.  He smiled happily, but did not yet get out of bed.  



All my boys enjoying a birthday breakfast of waffles, oatmeal, and milk.



We had a wonderful day together.  Spencer's first day in double digits.  Spencer had asked me to spend some of his birthday money on his brothers.  He wanted them to get a gift, too.  He said he knew how it felt to watch others open gifts when you don't have any.  "I want everyone to be happy," he told me.  I gladly bought the gifts for his brothers that he picked out, and they, too, had something to open on the big day.





Spencer enjoys his birthday cupcakes!



After birthday waffles, oatmeal, cupcakes, gifts, and singing Happy Birthday; Spencer decided we should go to the mountain town of Helen and ride go-karts. 



Gifts from Nana and Papa Dale!

After go-karts, he wanted to find a magic shop he remembered.  We did.  The owner showed him several neat magic tricks, and each of the boys chose an item to buy.

They practiced their new magic tricks while we ate lunch at a wonderful German restaurant.  Spencer had a steak . . . and a slice of vanilla cake with strawberries.  All the boys had ice cream.  A large group of young girls came in as we were leaving.  They saw Spencer's ribbon.  "Happy Birthday,"  "Happy Birthday," they called out to him as we were making our way to the door.  "Thank you," "Thank you," Spencer replied; smiling and walking between them. 



John teased him about the girls all the way back to the car.  The funny part is that Spencer doesn't know what the joke is. 

After driving back to the lovely mountain house, the boys played outside.  The weather was perfect.  We later watched a movie together.  That night before bed, Spencer asked us to sing Happy Birthday to him one more time.  We held hands around him and obliged.  He smiled and sang along.



Pausing for a picture in the mountains-- on our way to Helen.





Best Birthday Ever.     





As we sing Happy Birthday, Spencer
sings along and claps with Joy.













The Day Jackson Came to My House

by Denver Degonia

My good friend, Jackson, lives far away.

One day when I was checking the mailbox, Jackson surprised me.  He mailed himself to me inside an envelope!

I took him home.

We played in my treehouse and rode on my zipline!

Jackson met my hamster, Buster.  We fed him cheese.

I showed him my room, and we slid down my slide!

Then we played Batman.

We went to the neighborhood pool for a swim.



I love my friend, Jackson.





Mission Possible?!

I have a lot of experience setting goals; it's reaching them that has always been a bit of a problem.  Whether it was weightloss or any other behavioral change, setting the goal was easy.  Following through to reach my goals has always been the challenge.  This week-- in time for my 45th birthday-- I have met three huge goals.  I lost twenty pounds.  My body feels stronger and healthier than it's ever been.  Most importantly, my blood pressure has gone from being dangerously high to hovering just above normal.  Success! 

This past January, I no longer recognized my body.  It didn't feel good to be living in a chubby, tired body that couldn't run a mile without tiring.  I didn't have energy for my boys or all the work I needed to do, much less a decent exercise routine.  Worst of all, however, was the high blood pressure.  I did not want to go on medication, but I could not continue to ignore the high numbers and the threats they carried.  Thus, I began my quest.  I didn't know if getting my blood pressure under control was possible without medication, but I had to try.  I gave myself nearly six months-- until my birthday on June 6th-- to meet this goal before calling a doctor.

I continued yoga and meditation.  I began running every other day.  I began eating less and eating better.  With the addition of swiss chard and other greens from Sara Vinson's garden, I felt more energetic within a week.  John and I joined a new gym.  I began going to the gym to exercise on the elliptical and do some core and upper body work on the days I didn't run.  Time passed.  Weight fell.  Energy soared.  My blood pressure remained dangerously high.  I became a supplement junkie for my blood pressure: fish oil, CoQ10, Hawthorn Berry, Calcium, garlic, ayurvedic herbal treatments.  If you've read about it on the internet, I've tried it. 

With the support of my husband, John, and best friend, Tammy, I ran the St. Louis Marathon in April.  I felt lean and healthy.  It would have been perfect, but my blood pressure remained high.  I became frustrated.  I got tired of working hard to improve my health.  It didn't seem to be working.  All these changes-- and yet my body felt like a ticking time bomb.

My blood pressure had skyrocketed immediately after my cancer surgery a few years ago.  I believe the loss of estrogen somehow caused the change.  Perhaps the loss of estrogen led to restriction of the blood vessels?  I wasn't sure.  With the help of my friend, Jill, I began to research natural estrogen therapies.  However, it was all a bit confusing, and I didn't want to end up with a prescription for synthetic estrogen that might increase my risk of cancer.

Out of desperation, I decided to add one more supplement to my daily routine.  It turned out to be a magic pill.  A soy-based supplement with other herbal ingredients meant to help women with symptoms of menopause, it made no claim to help with blood pressure.  But it did.  Within two days, I noticed that I simply felt calmer than usual.  Later that day, I checked my blood pressure.  Nearly normal!  Within two days!

It's been thirty days since I began taking the new supplement.  My blood pressure consistently remains in the high normal range.  Although I am wary of continuing to take a lot of soy due to possible negative side effects, I am overjoyed at having nearly normal blood pressure to go along with my newly invigorated body. 

What a joy it is to meet these goals.  Now I can focus on caring for my husband and children without the nagging concern for my own health lurking in the background.  What a great birthday gift!  Thank you, God.