A Five Year Blogaversary and a Giveaway

Today marks five years that I officially began writing this blog. I started it because my friend Barbara talked me into it! I dedicated the blog to my middle's little dog Tinkerbell that was ill with liver cancer. She passed away on May 26, 2010. It was a sad time, the previous Saturday before her death I lost a good but estranged friend Michelle. She was 47 and passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack. I did not know then that four short months later my friend and mentor from Princess House, Jonel would also pass away, at age 47 from a massive heart attack. Sadness. It slaps us like a brutal, cold wind on a wintery day.I started blogging about more personal things, my phamily more often than anything and occasionally striking out at various illnesses, diseases, and other topics dear to me. I like to laugh, I find humor can save us from just about any situation that is hard to understand. Then there is my faith. without it, I would be, empty.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 I am feeling sad today too. I was cleaning the garage with my hubby and Jeremy let his three dogs out! The two bigger ones tripped me up and I was hurting, You know when you fall and try to catch yourself, stop yourself ! Then I signed on to my Face Book account. Sadness. I lost my precious cousin Audrey today. We had so much fun visiting at FB and her loss saddened me tremendously. I hope you will pray for her phamily. They are going to be so lost without her. If you have a moment you may go to my FB page Anne Kocman Robinson and read my post.

I am very blessed..The reason I had originally wanted to post today  because it is my blogaversary and I am going to have a giveaway! Just a few surprises so please just leave a comment and I will draw the winner on Sunday November 9th after I return home from Kansas. I will put together a nice giveaway so please come join me.

"V", "W", "X"

I think my last post was a combined Alphabe Thursday post too. Life moves so quickly, I just hate having it slip away so I try to make the most of every moment. Now it is difficult for me. I am getting older and people I work with are getting meaner. When I was a young woman, new in the work place I had the utmost respect for my co workers who were older than me! I was raised to be honest, have integrity and be respectful. Having spent all but my senior year of high school in the Catholic school system I learn their three "R's"- reading, rithmetic and respect. Even our children who attended the parochial schools learned these basics. I am often feeling "worrisome" at the workplace. Too old to find other work, to young to give up my four weeks of paid time off each year. I have always enjoyed the patients. So I hang in there.

I like these worrisome quotes. Good advice.

Victories! Woo Hoo! Nick was quite victorious on November 21, 2011. It was his senior year of high school, he was still recovering from the shingles and he went to the Nike Southwest XC and won the boys open meet. As long as I am alive, I will never forget every single moment of that hard earned race. My baby boy ran his heart out! He was drenched in sweat, hurting at the end and yet he says he only remembers the great feeling of winning! He had ran those races for 4 years in high school. It was a victory we were so proud of. The photographer who gave Nick her photo was one awesome lady! She took a perfect victory shot!

"X'citement is in the air! Next Friday, November 7th, my hubby and I will travel the roads to Kansas and watch Nick and his team mates run at Sterling College! for two reasons! The KCAC Cross Country Championships run at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas.  Sweet Linda lives in Sterling and she and her phamily recently bought the local coffee shop. They are learning so much about their new business and witnessing and ministering to many. I am praying she will be there Saturday the 8th so we may stop in and say hello. My heart is full.

Excited

Now please visit Ms. Jenny and share some letters for fun!

Love is.../Blue Monday

Oh my goodness, I love all the Love is...I have and all the ones I find and share. This one says it all, it is the best place for us to be because it is budget friendly staying in and enjoying each others company. Watching football and the World Series. I'll just say anyone we were rooting for today, lost! Sigh...

This pretty blue chandelier hangs at the Mackinac Island Masco Cottage. Pretty isn't it?

The Esther Williams room is also located in the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island. Pretty shares of blue, so calming and comfy looking.

Finally look at that blue water surrounding the lighthouse on Mackinac Island. I hope you will visit Sally and share some blues today. Maybe one of these I will visit Mackinac Island in the great state of Michigan and share my own photos with you.

Breast Cancer Awareness

It is October and it is Breast Cancer Awareness. Our youngest son, Nick attends the Kansas Wesleyan University. His coach (your far left (with pink neon hat) had the Cross Country team gear up for the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign . Their mascot is "Yote" the Coyote.. He looks really good in pink doesn't he? Nick is the third runner on your left. in the top photo. Our skinny young fellow is smack in the middle in the lower left photo. He loved donning pink for this! He knows how dear to my heart this is. I have many friends who are survivors and I have lost one of my favorite people, my Auntie Ang. She passed away in 2000. I felt that she did not get the proper kind of care she deserved. My uncle was a railroader and they had excellent top of the line insurance. She should have been treated with more dignity and she was not. It is the reason I do not participate in the big Susan G. Komen event. I hope I will not hurt any feelings here but I am still angry at the loss of my wonderful Auntie. It seems, like everything else in this life, all the latest research is geared for the young. I know my stuff. I worked in a major research hospital for fifteen years. My girlfriend, herself a colon cancer survivor, worked for the top doctor in cancer research there They waste so much of the funding , on things like five star hotels and restaurants for the big shot doctors. It is absolutely sickening.

A favorite photo of my younger Auntie with my handsome Uncle Louie.

My BFF grandmother with the parish priest and Uncle and Auntie on their wedding day.

Visit Beverly and some Pinkies today!

Love is.../Blue Monday/ The Peyton Manning Show

Love is...always wonderful! This Love is...is especially sweet for me. Our whole marriage, we have had to revolve around each other so we could stay on target with our phamily. Come join the Love is...fun and share your favorites.

The sky really was blue this morning. The air crisp like a Red Delicious apple. We took a walk before starting our day. The sun was trying to peak through those waffle looking clouds.  Such a perfect day today.

Congrats to Peyton Manning! He had been chasing Brett Favre's record of 509  touchdown passes! He just made 510! This Chasing 509 photo is courtesy  of the NBC Network. Manning got back to business after breaking the record! He and Julius Thomas were sitting on the sidelines and bing,bang,boom....another TD when they got up to play! He is a first class gentleman. A wonderful role model and keeping Denver Bronco fans on the edge of their seats! I love when Denver wears their navy blue jerseys!

Now let's all go visit Sally and share some more blues!

Love is.../Blue Monday

Aw......this Love is...is perfect for my entire phamily! Although Jeremy did go to the Bronco/Cardinal game today and got sunburned! We usually all hang out together and watch football.

My hubby with his favorite Kentucky Wildcat t shirt, in blue letters of course! The booth design is blue and white and his navy hat is navy blue, a gift from a friend who returned from the USN last year. Dan served on the USS Enterprise. See the blue tiles on the table?

We had a quick dinner at EL Mirador, a Mexican restaurant near our home. They have some fun wall hangings and one of them is the Denver Bronco flag. Love the navy blue with the orange and white. Plus they won their game at home today, so that was good news.

I love the different tiles inlaid on the tables at El Mirador. This floral one is blue and white.

More table tiles and one all pretty in blue. Please visit Sally soon and share your favorite blue too.

Nick comes home for a short visit during their Fall Break. Pray for safe travels. We are excited to see him.

Even my bible verse is bordered with blue today!

"Surprises", "Treasures" and "Unusual" Events

I am sad! I don't like to see my friend Jenny not being 100 percent! I hate that she has had so many health issues.  I want these doctors to fix her and make her feel better. She had pneumonia and that stuff is awful. Two of our girls had it, when they were young. Noelle at age 7 and Rebekah at age 9. I remember Rebekah telling us that she had never felt so awful and even after the symptoms went away, she was weak and tired. Noelle had the same issues.. Except her cough would not subside.  I wish she would think back to that time, because she is a hard core smoker and I worry about her good health. Jenny is a treasure to me just like my own phamily. I love knowing her, had the pleasure of spending a few brief moments with her in Arizona in 2011. She and her hubby Mr. Jenny visited with us at Nick's cross country meet and it was a joy to meet them.

To me friends are like wonderful surprises. Sometime you have friends that are near and you can call them and chat. You can enjoy a weekend breakfast or lunch with them. Other friends are far away. You can chat at Face Book, write long newsy letters and if you want to surprise them, you can take a trip to visit them, no matter where they live.

I have a few friends like this! We will grow old and wrinkly and still be friends! I say this because Karen and I have known each other since we were in the playpen together. She is a colon cancer survivor and she lives in Idaho with her hubby these days. Lynette is the friend who crashed into me on her tricycle. we were three. Hee Hee. I get to see her occasionally because she lives about two hours from me. These old friends are treasures too.

I have some dear friends who became my pen pal when were mere teens. I have known Barbara (California), Jane (Indy) and Carol (Indy) since we were 13. Ah youth! Barbara and I have spent lots of wonderful times together. We both have excellent husbands and even had a Vegas vacation many years ago. What a treasure long distance friendships are. Jane and Carol and dear friends. They loved Peyton Manning and follow the Denver Broncos. That is unless Andrew Luck and the Colts are playing the Broncos! Football friends are treasures too.

"Unusual events". Only in Colorado. My sister-in-law Cheri posted this photo of Monarch Pass. Yes, it is snowing. We can have snowing in one moment and sunshine the next!

This is Loveland Pass. Courtesy of Channel 7  a local T.V> station. The high country is getting hammered with snow.

The morning sun rising. So pretty and calm. This was today.

Some hail before the sunshine returned. This was yesterday. I should have taken the photo of our front yard. Looked like snow!

 Now that I have caught up from the letter "S" added "T" for this week and went ahead with "U" for next week I have covered a lot! I hate missing this fun time so I hope you won't mind that I went backward and forward! ENjoy the week and please say a prayer for Miss Jenny.