Welcome to my life

OMG!!

2009-02-22T23:53:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry! It's been 2 months since I updated!!

We have all been sick here. We just keep passing it around. It's getting old!

The kids are all good. Jason started crawling this weekend!! yay! Of course now we will have to babyproof the house.

It's snowing right now. Lake Effect. Pain in the butt effect is more like it. If you get under a band, you get pummeled. We are under a band. Love this Ohio weather.

I am so glad Def Leppard is NOT touring with Bret Michaels. He freaks me out. Why doesn't someone tell him that wig is bad? JEEZ!

I am now addicted to facebook. Specifically, a game called YoVille. It's kinda like Sims. LOL!

Here are some pics of the Boo!I will try and get on here more often......

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:03:00.003-05:00

I hope all of you have a great Christmas..or whatever you may celebrate!!

Take care and be safe!

Hey

2008-12-01T01:35:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. I'm usually on Myspace. Here are some new pics of the baby. :)

<3

2008-08-24T17:22:00.004-05:00

I don't know why that last post won't let you view the pics...sorry.

Tomorrow will be 2 years since we lost Nick, Jenny's friend. What a shame...he was a great kid.

Here are some more pics of my kids. Enjoy

check out what I made

2008-08-03T23:12:00.001-05:00

Jason Michael

2008-06-29T23:18:00.002-05:00

Here he is!

Born June 23 2008 @ 11:56am

8 pounds, 15 ounces 22 inches

Monday is D-Day

2008-06-19T19:18:00.003-05:00

Well....Monday is the big day!! The Dr. is taking the baby some time that day.. he's not sure yet of the time. (He better tell me soon!!)

So....everyone please think Good Thoughts and say a little prayer......I'l let you all know what it is when I get home from the hospital.

These pics were taken on Tuesday June 17.

I have a fat baby

2008-06-04T05:32:00.002-05:00

Thats what the lady doing the ultrasound said.....8 pounds 5 ounces already and I have 4 weeks left to go. (If I was going to 40 weeks). At this stage of pregnancy the baby gains approximately 1 ounce a day. Yesterday was the 3rd, so it would gain 27 ounces. That equals 1 pound 11 ounces, add that to the 8'5 and you have 10 pounds.....so, I am glad won't let me go to my due date.

Everything else is good. The baby has its feet in my ribs, it has flipped back over sometime in the last week or so, and is now head down. Yes...all 8 pounds 5 ounces, flipped over sometme during Memorial day weekend. (I knew it...it was killing me....)

The baby's room is almost done, I will post pics when I finish it today or tomorrow.

I have to take this baby car seat out to my car and see if I can figure out how it goes in. I didn't have this high tech, click it in, car seat stuff with my other kids. I had the old kind where you had to mess with the seat belt for 10 minutes.

Thats it for now.....I have to do my husband's billing today and then go to the dr. for a non stress test.

Talk to ya all later!

2008-05-15T07:09:00.003-05:00

wow! Its been since March since my last post. I am so bad!!

Well....everything is going great! I am getting humongous (sp?) and I just want to sleep, which is becoming impossible. lol..

I went to the high risk Dr. on May 6 (I think) and the baby has turned and is now breech. So I guess I am definetly going c-section now. Although this morning I think it was trying to turn. It was moving everywhere. My regular OB has me coming twice a week already. Its kinda soon if you ask me. I go for a non-stress test on Tuesdays and Fridays. They just hook a belt on you that records the baby's heartbeat and then when the baby moves, you push a button and it sees how the heartrate reacts to the movement. Everything has been good so far. My OB bothers me....he calls me honey. Like 3 or 4 times everytime he talks. I am probably older than him too. He has braces for Pete's sake.

I am going to take a belly pic soon....with clothes on obviously, I don't want to scare antone with my stretch marks....I'll post that when I do.

I'm off to chase that demon dog we have...

Later!

Before I was a Mom

2008-03-30T21:44:00.001-05:00

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

<100

2008-03-23T22:09:00.001-05:00

I have less than 100 days left...

;)

Happy Easter!

2 things

2008-03-09T00:09:00.003-05:00

#1~ It snowed a buttload of snow this weekend, and I am ready to be done with it.

#2~ Feeling your baby kick is probably the best feeling in the entire world. : )

New Ultrasound pics

2008-02-21T15:13:00.003-05:00

This one is a picture of the baby's spine....

This one is a picture of the baby looking right at us.......

This one is a picture of the baby's feet...one up close and the other coming at us....

This one is a pcture of the baby's hands.....

The Dr. said everything looks great. The regular OB says I am going to have to have a C-Section because they don't like to do regular births after a C-section anymore. Yay......not......

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T13:14:00.001-05:00

It's snowing

2008-02-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

Guess what? It's snowing. yay!! I love to watch it snow. It's so peaceful. We also have high wind warnings until tomorrow. A few minutes ago a big gust of wind came across the street and made a tornado in my driveway. We are supposed to be really cold tonight. Wind chills below zero. BRRR....

I have a dr. appt. on Tuesday with the high risk dr. Hopefully he will do an ultrasound. I'm sure they will. Thats how they see the baby, so you would think he would do one. I have been feeling it move more and more. The other day it kicked my hand, so hopefully everyone will get to feel it soon.

**WARNING** Def Leppard rant ahead**

How in the world can they justify announcing a tour when the album isn't out?? They pushed back the release date...big surprise. I swear I'm not going to a show unless they have some new stuff. This is still DL related, but off topic...the other day I was looking at a MySpace of some DL fans and they had an article about Rick Allen buying a new house. They had the price he paid for it, the price he paid for his old house and what it sold for and the price he paid for the other house he owns in Malibu. The address of that house was given in the article. How can they do that? That scares me because you know there are some nutcases in the DL fanworld. Anyway...I just wanted to complain, even if it is to myself on here.

well..I think I may go back to bed for a little bit...I'm tired.

(I just hit enter and it posted this on its own...WTF?)

Talk to you all later...

here I am...

2008-01-29T23:09:00.000-05:00

Hey guys...

There's nothing much going on here lately. I'm pregnant, 38, overweight and thats about it. lol..those things put together make one a little crazy. I certainly didn't feel this way when I was pregnant with the other 2. But then again, I was in my early 20's. I worked, and I felt great.

Nowadays, I'm lucky to get off of the couch. The last 3 or 4 days have been better though. I have gotten my appetite back and I haven't slept 18 hours out of the day (just 16..lol). I haven't gained any weight yet. I actually lost a pound last week at the dr. He never said a word about it. He made me do the Glucose test...for those not in the know, you have to drink a glass of sugary, and I mean SUGARY, syrupy liquid. They try and disguise it in orange or cola flavor. It's enough to make you puke...and I almost did. Anyway, you drink it and wait an hour and they draw your blood to see how your body deals with the sugar. They also did the AFP test. That checks to see if your baby has Downs or Spina Bifida. They have been known to be wrong so I really shouldn't have had that one done. I called today to get the results of those tests and they haven't got them in yet. Um...why?

I have been feeling the baby moving around in there. I can't wait for other people to feel it too. The kids will probably be grossed out. But...its cool. Its the weirdest/coolest/beautifulest (is that a word?) feeling in the world. I am so greatful that I am in a position at this point in my life that I can stay home and enjoy this pregnancy. I couldn't imagine having to go to work everyday...I'd be so tired. I have the utmost respect for you ladies that do it at this age.

Well....I am going to go to bed soon...I have rambled on enough for one day. I go for my next sonogram on Feb. 12 at the high risk dr. I believe I will be released from him if that looks good. I go to my reg. OB on Feb. 19 (I think).

Goodnight and be good... : )

Ultrasound!

2007-12-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Here is the baby on 12-18-07...kinda elf looking...lol..can you see its hand and face?

The Dr.'s office called Wednesday and said everything looks really good. The test is 90% accurate, so they don't believe I will need an amnio, unless I want one. NOW..if I could just get some kind of appetite, I'd be good. Strange...I am allowed to eat to my hearts content...and I don't feel like it. Oh well....

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and make sure you all behave...; )

Sweet Sixteen

2007-12-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

Today, December 19 2007, is my dear sweet girl's 16th birthday. I was at the store reading the cards and I was bawling my eyes out. She is 16...can you believe it? 2 more years and she will be leaving and we will start a whole new chapter of our lives that, to be honest, I'm not ready for. I don't want my kids to leave. I want them here, with me, forever. I can fully understand how and why parents let their adult children live with them for free.

My dr.s appt went well. Of course the Dr. barely spoke English. He was greek I think. He says the test I had was to see if I had an elevated chance of haing a baby with birth defects. If the chance is elevated then they will recommend the amnio. I don't have to do the amnio, but if I want, I can. The measurements seemed to all be good.(Melanie..it was 1.5 if you know what that means.) The ultrasound lady said they all seemed really good. Then they asked if I would help them demo a new ultrasound machine. The baby was in a good position and so I agreed. I got a ton of pictures. I must say that now my belly hurts though. She pushed so hard on it. The pics from the first ultrasound were better, so I don't know what the big deal was....Anyway, this dr. was a high risk one. I have to go back in 2 months just to recheck everything. I don't think I will be high risk but because of my age they consider me that. I also went to my regular OB and he said everything looks good. I haven't gained at all. The baby's heartbeat was 157...nice and strong.

ok...I believe I am going to go to bed. I'm tired.....talk to you all later : )

Happy Monday

2007-12-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

Hey..is it just me or is that baby over there----------------------------->
sucking its thumb?

I am going for that ultrasound tomorrow. Melanie says its not used in place of an amnio, but my dr. must prefer them to one. He says he doesn't do the amnio anymore unless its absolutely necessary. Thats fine by me because I was NOT looking forward to a giant needle in my belly.

I am just about to the point of not wearing my old clothes. I am going to need the maternity ones soon. Although, I haven't gained any weight yet. Of course I had enough for 10 babies before I got pregnant. When I was pregnant with my son, I gained 5 pounds and he was 9lbs 7 oz. 22 1/2 inches.

OK..I will let you all know what the big test says....

Update

2007-12-02T22:16:00.000-05:00

Hello....

I just wanted to get on and let you all know whats going on. Tomorrow I will be 10 weeks.I have been feeling great. A little nauseous, a litle gassy (lol), a lot bloated. I haven't been able to wear my regular jeans since the day I found out I was pregnant. But, I'm not big enough for maternity. So, sweat pants it is.

I go on December 18 for a triple screen. They do that instead of an amnio now. It's safer and they can diagnose serious disease. Since I am so old (cough cough) I should do it. Plus, it will be a chance for an ultrasound...so..that will be cool.

Other news...GROSS ALERT! My nephews dog had puppies again. He better get her fixed, thats all I'm saying. Last time she had 12 and 11 lived. This time she has 13 and 12 lived. I was there for the dead one. It was in the birth canal too long. She pushed and pushed and when it came out she bit the sack, ate it , licked the puppy, licked its umbilical cord all the way off, then tried to swallow the whole puppy. I think she knew it wasn't going to make it. I took the puppy and rubbed it to get the mucous out and it was coming out and then I looked at its belly and its intestines had come out of where the umbilical cord should have been. It was pretty nasty.

Well, I will update everyone as soon as something fun and exciting happens.

Happy Holidays!

Guess what

2007-11-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

Guess what blogger friends...

I'M PREGNANT!! I'm due June 30. A loooonnnngggg time away.

: )

This and That

2007-11-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

Hello! It's me....the one who never comes around anymore. lol...sorry about that. I've been tired alot lately. I'll get into that at another time.... ; )

I wanted to tell you all about something Target is doing for St. Jude. If you go to www.target.com/stjudewishlist and buy some of the stuff on the wish lists of patients, they will be delivered to them on Christmas. Not just the patients, but their families too. It helps them through the holidays when they aren't really where they would normally want to be. It seems like whenever I update, I'm just asking you all to go out and spend money...sorry about that.

There's nothing real exciting happening here. My daughter is in a Youth Orchestra, plus she is trying out for an honors band, plus she is trying out for her chair in her regular band. So..she has me running everywhere. She is in the pic below somewhere...I think she is next to and kind of behind the tall kid in front.

My son is doing good, although I think he may be grounded when report cards come home next week. No more TV, or video games. Here he is meeting Grand Master Soon Ho Lee at a tournament.

We went to see Trans Siberian Orchestra Saturday night. It was interesting. I STILL have a headache from it. And I wish someone would have told me it was 3 hours long. I almost peed my pants. I taped a song and if I could ever figure out how to get the video on here...I'll upload it.

I will be back soon...I promise....; )

Have a great day!

Please help out St. Jude on Monday...

2007-09-21T06:44:00.000-05:00

From St. Jude:

Chili's Grill & Bar donating all profits from this Monday to St. Jude

On September 24, Chili’s Grill & Bar offers an easy way for you to join the fight against childhood cancer: dining out.
Participating Chili’s restaurants nationwide will donate 100 percent of its profits from this Monday to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. So enjoy those famous Baby Back Ribs or one of Chili’s other signature entrées for lunch or dinner, and you will be supporting the life-saving work of St. Jude.
“If you go out to eat for lunch or dinner on September 24, by going to Chili’s you will help seriously ill children become the ultimate survivors. On that day, Chili’s restaurants nationwide will be donating all their profits to support St. Jude,” said Jeff Probst, host and producer of the EmmyTM Award-winning CBS-TV series Survivor, who is serving as the campaign spokesperson for the fourth year and appears in a public service announcement that can be viewed at http://www.createapepper.com/.
The special day is part of Chili’s “Create-A-Pepper to Fight Childhood Cancer” campaign. During September—which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month—guests can make a donation to St. Jude and receive a coloring sheet they can decorate and have displayed in the restaurant.
Guests can also purchase Create-A-Pepper T-shirts ($12) that can be customized with permanent marker as well as dog tags ($5). Sixty percent of the purchase price of the T-shirt and dog tags will go to St. Jude.
Special gift cards will also benefit St. Jude with Chili’s donating $1 to St. Jude for every $25 purchased in commemorative Create-A-Pepper gift cards.
Chili’s hopes to raise $5 million through this year’s campaign which will go toward its $50 million, 10 year plan to fund the Chili’s Care Center, a state-of-the-art research and clinical building. Opening on the St. Jude campus in November 2007, the building will house St. Jude’s Department of Radiological Sciences, the national Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC), inpatient beds and activity areas and new research laboratories. To date, Chili’s has raised more than $10.5 million for the hospital.
For more information, to purchase Create-A-Pepper T-shirts and Gift Cards, to make an online donation or to create an e-pepper, visit http://www.createapepper.com/.

Hi there...

2007-09-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

Today was one year that my son's friend Matthew lost his battle with leukemia. What a tough year last year was.

This year, I know of 4 women right now, all age 35 and older, that are having babies. Isn't that great? ; ) Yesterday, was 30 days for my nephew and his wife. They are now OFFICIALLY, the pround parents of Riley Lynn B*******. Oddly enough, she looks like my nephew....

School started this week, and the kids both love it! I do too, but I'm lonely without the bickering...lol!

My computer crashed last month and I lost a buttload of pics. I also had to redo the hubby's billing for June, July and then do August. Supposedly someone my brother in law knows is looking at the old hard drive to see if they could retrieve anything.

Then....the stupid recovery disk wouldn't work, so my bro-in-law loaded windows from a disk he had and now that and the quickbooks is all that is on that computer. I hate computers, I hate this laptop...nothing is where it should be, and I can type and type and then it suddenly shows up somewhere else...lol

My doggie Delilah is meeting her potential LOVER tomorrow.....that is going to be interesting. 2 vicious German Shepherds going for the deathlock.

thats about it...my life is busy...yet surprisingly boring....

take care!!!

P.S.: My other niece Leslie had her baby last night (9-8-07), a boy named Nicholas Allen.they are calling him Nico. : )

wow

2007-08-20T16:29:00.000-05:00

well....I haven't been here for awhile. Sorry about that.

whats new? nothing much here. Its raining like crazy!!! we have gotten almost 3 inches in the past 24 hours.

anyone make it to any good Lep shows? I did 2..and I said I wanted front row in the corner between the runway and the stage....and I made it!! whoo hoo!! I also got a drum stick from REO Speedwagon, Styx picks, and some Lep sweat! yay!!

We went to a Scrappers game and stayed for a concert after. That was fun...they kinda were screamo....and I was in front of the screamer.....

my nephew and his wife adopted a baby girl. How wonderful is that? They are the type of people who were made to be parents. They have tried and tried. Had several miscarrages , and finally found the baby that was meant for them. Pray the birth parents don't change their minds. The Dad was in prison for domestic violence against the Mom while she was pregnant and he just got out and said he may want the baby. She doesn't...but he does.

This Saturday is the 1 year anniversary of Nick passing away. Take a second and think of how great you have it. If you have kids who are healthy...or if YOU are healthy...or your partner...who anyone.

OH...and September 24th is St. Jude Chili's Day again. ALL PROFITS made that day go to St. Jude. Go eat and donate at the same time!!!!

OK...I'm going to watch it rain....Talk to you all later!!

Pics for your enjoyment!

2007-07-08T20:44:00.001-05:00

Def Leppard

2007-07-07T11:21:00.001-05:00

I'm off to see Def Leppard!! Well...in 2 hours I will be!

I'll fill ya all in..

Happy 4th of July

2007-07-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Some pics from around the yard

2007-06-08T07:55:00.001-05:00

These are all from this morning....I love my flowers!

Lep Tix

2007-05-09T08:08:00.000-05:00

Ok..so everything is going on sale all at once. Like I should be surprised at that. That's my life in a nutshell. Everything at once.

I am so mad about these ticket prices, ILAA packages, Fan Club Pre-sales, Raven Drum auctions. I mean..yes, I spent alot of money on the X tour, but does that mean I should spend more and more every tour?

Dear God...The ILAA things are crazily priced and they don't even let you know until the night before what the price is. I guess so you don't just say forget it.. Then, they aren't guaranteeing any band members coming out. Um..hello...for 350.00 bucks someone better hog-tie Joe Elliott and drag him to a 10 second photo. The worst thing is you don't know where you sit until the night of the show. Um...I need to know that stuff...

The pre-sales through the fan club...JOKE... 2-20th row? Um I could do that myself on ticketmaster. **edit** I was in the system AT 10am..got section 24,(one whole section back).. row O...are they freaking kidding me???!!! Then I couldn't get any after that, they were either unavailable or I couldn't get any seats together...whatever!!!

Raven? Yes, I have always been a supporter, but when she said they wanted 2500.00 for the whole sit on the side of the stage thing....thats just absolutely insane. I would be divorced and homeless, BUT I would have sat on the side of the stage...

Then......where is the new CD??? Come on guys!!!! Throw us a freaking bone here...you're losing your core fan base. We are getting the short end of the stick. They said they don't play alot of unknown stuff because it would alienate the new fans...um...I could get up on stage and do the same exact thing joe does and never look at him...for about 75% of the songs...The old fans are dying here and no one seems to give a rats ass.

Just my Rant....my blog...my rant!

UGGHH

2007-04-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know I am going to get it from you all, BUT.....

When is this new CD coming out? I am just about sick of seeing the same concert over and over. I need some new material.I also would like to see some of the same old songs taken out. I could do without another dose of Photograph, or Women, or Foolin'. Is it just me? I don't think so...I know you are out there...fess up.

I am going to Cleveland and Pittsburgh....if there is no new material..thats it. If there is something new, I might travel. Depends on what my Dr. says in 2 weeks. ; )

I helped birth some babies

2007-04-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

My nephew's dog Maya had 12 puppies last night. One died. : (

This looks gross...but she won't come out of there for us to change the blanket. She is an American Bulldog, not a pit bull. The second baby wasn't breathing good and she was already going onto the 3rd and 4th babies (they were born together) and stopped cleaning him, so my sister and I rubbed him until he was good. yay!

I love puppies!!

random pictures

2007-03-27T15:42:00.000-05:00

My Backyard 3-25-07 7:45am

The Camaro after he primered(sp?) it

The Camaro before he primered it

Weird rainbow thing around the sun on 3-25-07

Icicle outside my backdoor last month

cough cough

2007-03-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

I hate being sick. I started getting sick Saturday afternoon. I don't remember anything about Sunday and I woke up Monday at 4am and couldn't swallow. I panicked, of course. I went into the bathroom with a flashlight and my uvula "the little thing that hangs down" is so swollen that it is touching my tongue. So..I woke Jim up and told him to call the dr. at 9 and I went back to bed. I went to the Dr. and she looked in my mouth and said "oh my God!". Which was so reassuring, let me tell ya. So, I have strep. yay! It turned positive immediately. so..now that you know more than you wanted.....

Saturday Jimmy had a St. Jude fundraiser at karate. Jimmy raised 350.00. My sister works at a bar and she took it in and all the drunks gave money. You know, the ones who go in to drink at noon and stay until midnight. Anyway, they did a boardbreaking thing. Jimmy broke 136 boards in 1 hour. His instructor broke 4600 boards in 1 hour. They are't wooden, but hard plastic. His hands were bleeding when he was done. It was nasty.

Oh...and guess what else happened this weekend...my dog is in heat. Disgusting! We are breeding her next time and then I think I am getting her fixed. I hate hoohoo-licking dogs. Nasty nasty dogs....

well, I guess I should go back to bed...I've been up for 3 hours now...almost a record. My medicine is kicking now too. I'll see ya all later...

:)

Check it out..

2007-03-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

If any of you noticed, or care...I put up a new thing on my sidebar. My friends have a website and they want everyone to stop and check it out. It is Energy Essentials of Vancouver. Pretty interesting stuff. Melinda has been through alot and has been helped tremendously by all natural vitamins and supplements. She believes in it so much that she is now a consultant/distributor of it. They can answer any questions you may have through their website... Thanks!!!

I have found a new band I love...they are a Christian rock band..called The Wedding. I just found out they will be playing at a 4 day festival near here in June. We'll see if I make it there...

Hope everyone is staying sober this St. Patty's Day. I just don't get why people want to drink the entire day starting at like 6am...I guess I'm just too old. Whatever...

BUT..Happy St.Patrick's Day to all the Irish folk out there..

NO!

2007-03-02T00:58:00.000-05:00

Please!

NOT ANOTHER CO-HEADLINING TOUR!

I am going to stomp my feet and pout! Think it will work? I don't want to sit through 2 old fart bands waiting for my Leps! Come on!!! All I have to say is...it better not be Mother F$%#ing General Admission!!! If it is, I am going to 2 shows (yeah right).

ok..I'm done....I think

Happy VD!

2007-02-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

Jennifer and Jim

Jimmy

Yesterday at about 4PM

This morning at 730

lol..I couldn't resist..Delilah

Tago sleeping on the couch, showing her teeth, why? I have no idea

Our bushes are disappearing

We are snowed in! yay!

Here are some pics...we have at least a foot down now, and it is snowing hard now!

Have a nice Valentines Day!

BRRR....

2007-02-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

Right now it is a balmy -5, with the wind chill it is -22. Last night at around 8pm it was 6 and the wind chill was -24. Yay!

Did you all watch the SuperBowl? I watched some, and was rooting for the Colts. The Browns will never get there, so it doesn't really matter to me. I guess I could switch to the Steelers since the 'Burgh is the same distance away as Cleveland, but I hate the way I was treated at a Steeler/Browns game in Pittsburgh. The Steeler fans were downright mean.

I am off to the Dr. to see about my BP...lol...

talk to you all later

oops

2007-01-26T23:10:00.000-05:00

I went to the DR. today and my BP was 188/110

just a tad bit high....

Pay Attention..

2007-01-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation under God
Indivisible with liberty and justice for all...
It feels so good to be back..
I scrutinize every word, memorize every line
I spit it once, refuel, re-energize and rewind
I give sight to the blind, my insight through the mind
I exercise my right to express when I feel it's time
It's just all in your mind, what you interpret it asI say to fight, you take it as
I'mma whip someone's ass
If you don't understand, don't even bother to ask
A father who has grown up with a fatherless past
Who has blown up now to rap phenomenon that has
Or at least shows no difficulty multi-task
And in juggling both perhaps mastered his craft
Slash entrepreneur who has helped launch a few more rap acts
Who's had a few obstacles thrown his way through the last half
Of his career typical manure moving past that
Mr. kisses ass crack, he's a class act
Rubber band man, yea he just snaps back
Come along follow me as I lead through the darkness
As I provide just enough spark that we need to proceed
Carry on, give me hope, give me strength
Come with me and I won't steer you wrong
Put your faith and your trust as I guide us through the fog
To the light at the end of the tunnel
We gonna fight, we gonna charge, we gonna stomp, we gonna march
Through the swamp, we gonna mosh through the marsh
Take us right through the doors (c'mon)
All the people up top on the side and the middle
Come together lets all bomb and swamp just a little
Just let it gradually build from the front to the back
All you can see is a sea of people some white and some black
Don't matter what color, all that matters we gathered together
To celebrate for the same cause don't matter the weather
If it rains let it rain, yea the wetter the better
They ain't gonna stop us they can't, we stronger now more than ever
They tell us no we say yea, they tell us stop we say go
Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell we gonna let em know
Stomp, push, shove, mush, Fuck Bush, until they bring our troops home (c'mon)
Imagine it pouring, it's raining down on us
Mosh pits outside the oval office
Someone's tryina tell us something,
Maybe this is God just sayin' we're responsible
For this monster, this coward,
That we have empowered
This is Bin Laden, look at his head noddin'
How could we allow something like this without pumping our fists
Now this is our final hour
Let me be the voice in your strength and your choice
Let me simplify the rhyme just to amplify the noise
Try to amplify the times it, and multiply by six...
Ten million people, Are equal at this high pitch
Maybe we can reach alqueda through my speech
Let the president answer a higher anarchy
Strap him with an Ak-47, let him go, fight his own war
Let him impress daddy that way
No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our own soil
No more psychological warfare, to trick us to thinking that we ain't loyal
If we don't serve our own country, we're patronizing a hero
Look in his eyes its all lies
The stars and stripes, they've been swiped, washed out and wiped
And replaced with his own face, Mosh now or die
If I get sniped tonight you know why,Cause I told you to fight
And as we proceed,To Mosh through this desert storm,
In these closing statements, if they should argue
Let us beg to differ
As we set aside our differences
And assemble our own army
To disarm this Weapon of Mass Destruction
That we call our President, for the present
And Mosh for the future of our next generation
To speak and be heard
Mr. President, Mr. Senator
Do you guy's hear us

yay!

2007-01-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

Hillary in '08...one can only hope!

Jennifer's friend Kaylynn is in speech and she does the Impromptu thing, well the quote she had was something along the lines of living life like you were in the front of a roller coaster with both hands up..and she gave her impromptu speech on Jennifer and Nick....and she won, and she made the district finals. All while talking about my daughter and the wonderful boy she met and lost too soon.

This song is a new favorite of mine....:)
We've Only Just Begun by Run Kid Run
You'll have your ups and downs
Don't let them push you out
Cause time is all you've got now
Go make the best of everything you want to be
With ambition pushing forward
Your dreams upon your shoulders
Though impossible it seems
It's time to just believe
From here on out you're just getting older
Pick up yourself you keep getting closer
Let's just get it started tonight
All you've ever wanted its in your eyes
Just let it take you where you want to go
Just let it tell you what you want to know
You've got your destination
Progress has now been made and you
Will see the way you've wanted it to be
We've only just begun
There's gold that lies in us
Your hesitation's held you long enough
Though impossible it seems
It's time to just believe
From here on out you're just getting older
Pick up yourself you keep getting closer
Let's just get it started tonight
All you've ever wanted its in your eyes
Just let it take you where you want to go
Just let it tell you what you want to know
The future holds a brighter day for you
You may ask yourself tonight
Is it out of reach, out of reach,
Is it out of reach is it out of reach,
Out of reach, or am I? or am I?
Let's just get it started tonight
All you've ever wanted its in your eyes
Just let it take you where you want to go
Just let it tell you what you want to know
Let's just get this started (Where you are tonight)
All you've ever wanted (It's in your eyes)
Just let it take you where you want to go
Just let it tell you what you want to know
Just let it take you where you want to go

It's snowing!

2007-01-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, finally we get to see some of the white stuff! whoohoo!!

It's been along time since we had any. Like all the way back to December 8th. Kinda scary...don't ya think?

What do you guys think about this Rosie/Trump thing? I actually go and read her blog everyday. I have to agree with her though. I thought the same thing about Trump when he was making that decision about Miss USA. Why did he and he alone get to decide this girls fate? He isn't God after all. Then she basically says the same thing and she goes on to say how he was bankrupt until his Dad died, and he freaks out, calls her alot of names and its like...WTF! Why would he have any reason to say she is a fat slob? Is that all he could come up with? He just is disgusting to me. I saw something one time about him, right after he had his last kid and they were in his house and everything was gold plated. It was nasty looking. Anyway...thats my opinion....:)

Well..I think I am going to go clean the bathroom...sound like fun? Its not....

Peace...

Today....

2007-01-05T12:32:00.000-05:00

Today, 37 years ago, I was born... :)
Today, 16 years ago, Nick Avery was born :(
I got this "poem" in The Ann Landers Column on January 1st...It's very true. I have decided that this year I am doing what I want, when I want. I am no longer a doormat for people. I am one of those people who can't say No to anyone. Well....that's about to stop. I am going insane by always saying yes. I seriously have OCD, self-diagnosed of course, and it is getting really bad. I think it is from stress.

Take care my friends.....for God's Sake...I'm 37 freaking years old....AHHHH!!!!

Success
by Bessie Anderson Stanley
He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T18:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all of the people who read this...(all 3 of you..lol).

I hope you all get what you want in the coming year.

Have a good night...and be safe!

Today is my son's birthday

2006-12-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

11 years ago today my wonderful son,Jimmy was born. What a joy he is to have around. How did I end up with such great kids?

Today is my daughter's birthday

2006-12-19T07:23:00.000-05:00

Jennifer was born 15 years ago today...she is a wonderful daughter and I am truly blessed.

What a wonderful town I live in...

2006-12-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

This happened about 10 minutes from me..and now its in the Strange But True news...lol..Merry Christmas, and just where is all this Christmas Spirit? Beats me...

Customer Hits Store Manager With Potatoes
AP
LIBERTY, Ohio (Dec. 13) - A grocery store manager was struck in the head with a 10-pound sack of potatoes by a customer angry about having to wait in line, police say. Police in Liberty, near Youngstown in northeast Ohio, say a 59-year-old woman from Youngstown is suspected in the attack.
Scott Renzenbrink, 45, told police a clerk having problems with a customer called him to the register. The customer told him she was upset about the wait and struck the manager in the back of head with the potatoes when he was walking away after the conversation, according to police.
A witness followed the woman out to the parking lot and took down her license plate number. Renzenbrink, who was not seriously hurt in the attack last Thursday, identified the woman by a Bureau of Motor Vehicles photo. He may file assault charges

Chili's Night...remember?

2006-12-13T09:14:00.000-05:00

Chili's "Create A Pepper" campaign exceeds goal

Chili’s Grill & Bar® and its patrons showed record-breaking support for the life-saving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in September by helping to raise more than $5 million during the restaurant chain’s national fund-raising campaign, Create A Pepper to Fight Childhood Cancer. This donation represents the largest corporate contribution made to St. Jude from a single campaign.

During the Create A Pepper promotion, employees at participating Chili’s restaurants nationwide encouraged guests to donate $1 or more for the opportunity to color a pinup of Chili’s signature pepper. In addition, Chili’s donated 100 percent of its profits from Monday, September 25 to St. Jude. Restaurants also raised funds through the sale of Create A Pepper gift cards and T-shirts as well as local, restaurant-based events. Franchisees and corporate vendors supported the campaign, making contributions in honor of Chili’s. Combined, these efforts enabled Chili’s to exceed its $3 million fund-raising goal by an astounding $2 million.

“Chili’s is a phenomenal friend to St. Jude, so it’s no surprise that along with its customers Chili’s raised the record-breaking amount of more than $5 million this year,” said John P. Moses, chief executive officer of ALSAC, the fund-raising organization for the hospital.

“Thanks to the enthusiasm of our employees, guests, vendors and franchisees, we far exceeded expectations for this year’s Create A Pepper campaign. We are pleased to know this record-breaking contribution will touch the lives of children for years to come,” said Todd Diener, president of Chili’s Grill & Bar.

Since the relationship began in 2002, Chili’s has raised more than $10 million for St. Jude. This year’s more than $5 million donation is part of Chili’s 10-year plan to raise $50 million for the construction of a new state-of-the-art research and clinical care building on the campus of St. Jude. The new building, to be named the Chili’s Care Center and scheduled to open in the fall of 2007, will house the Department of Radiological Sciences, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC), inpatient activity areas and new research laboratories.

Snow Pics

2006-12-12T07:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I have some from the other day..but someone unhooked the cable from the computer and now I have to find it....

It is supposed to be 57 today....what the heck kind of Christmas is that supposed to be? Give me the snow!!

I have to go finish my shopping...but I am too lazy. I dread every second of shopping....why? I have no idea. I guess...Bah Humbug to me.

I do have this pic for Suzanne and Yvette..they can appreciate it.. it's my 3 puppies, Delilah (L), Tinker (Middle) and Tago (R).

Later : )

It's snowing!!

2006-12-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

We have snow! whoo hoo!! I love it! I am going to take some pics and post them here....

Meanwhile...Nick's sister lent me some pics of Nick to make a scrapbook for Jennifer...this one is awesome...

My boy...

2006-12-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

This is my son's Christmas list...

1. wii (the new Nintendo game system)
2. wii controllers
3. more Bod Spray
4. (something was scratched out)
5. more footballs
6. LeBron James jerseys
7.football sheets
8.Michael Vick Falcon Uniforms
9.Browns hemlet
10. wii games
11. another Holy Bible
12. to go to the football hall of fame with Jennifer,Josh,Dad,Mom,Jack,Jared and Uncle John
13.2 more basketballs
14. a cross
15. to see Matt one more time
16.2 NFL Street Footballs
17. wii nunchucks
18. Remote Contolled Cars
19. to go to a Cavs game

go back to # 15......that is his friend who died in early September....

That's my Boy....Isn't he great?
I wouldn't trade him for the world

This made my day:

2006-11-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

My son (who is soon to be 11) was watching ER with me tonight and there was a bus accident and the bus was ready to fall over a cliff. There was a woman trapped inside the bus and her son (who was around 11) wanted to stay with her but the Dr. made him leave. My son looks at me and says "I'd stay with you Mom" That was the best thing anyone has said to me in a long long time.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving...I know I have alot to be Thankful for.....

~*Peace*~

.

2006-11-20T23:33:00.000-05:00

"You live through the darkness from what you learned in the light."
- Hope MacDonald

Think about it......

I'm still here

2006-11-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

Well...I am still here, I haven't disappeared. I have been busy with the kids and all of that stuff...you know how it goes.

I am going to attempt to start my Christmas shopping this week. I doubt that will happen, since the kids won't give me any idea of what they want.

I have actually taken down all of my Lep stuff that was hanging in my office. **GASP** I am sick of looking at it and no one else gives a crap, so why keep it up? I am living in the real world now...not so much into the Leps as I was. There is too much drama in being obsessed. I will be quietly obsessed now. And if they don't change around their set list for the next tour, I will go to the 2 shows around here...and that is it. No more traveling for the same exact setlist. I mean for God's sake...leave out Women, Foolin', Let's Get Rocked, Photograph.....I have seen them 29 times and I have seen Photograph 28. (the one exception was the Today Show). So...I hope Joe Elliott reads this..lol..and knows that he is losing his OLD fans in favor of new fans. I say let the newbies catch up dammit!

I have also been finally getting a grip on myself over Nick's passing. I have been a basket case since August 25. I have cried everyday for him and his family. BUT...now I am better, at least somewhat..lol!! About 3 days or so after he died, I was waiting for my son at karate and was parked kind of up on a hill facing the parking lot of the Plaza. I was next to the building karate is in. I said..out loud..Nick, let me know you are OK so I can help Jen through this. I swear to you..hundreds of those seagull things came over the building from behind me and flew in a circle over the center of the parking lot and then all flew back out the way they came. I was like...hmm...ok. Thanks Nick. Weird huh?

I am going to go and head outside to see what my hubby is doing. I think he is up on the roof of his new garage putting shingles on...he has no idea how to do that...but there he is..:)

Take care..and I will see if I can get some pics of my daughter from the Sadie Hawkins Dance put up. Her and her friends all dressed like the Spice Girls...hahahaha....

~* Later*~

Homecoming pics

2006-10-23T07:43:00.000-05:00

Jennifer

Malissa,Jennifer and Hailey

Me and Jennifer

Jennifer..(notice the shoes..)

homecoming

2006-10-21T02:54:00.000-05:00

tonight is homecoming!!! Jennifer is going with a group of friends....yay!

I will post some pics of her later....

Happy Sweetest Day everyone....:)

Pictures!!

2006-10-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

Jimmy getting his 2nd degree belt.

My dog Tago

My dog Tinker

My baby Delilah :)

My daughter at a game :)

My boy..

2006-10-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

My son is testing today for his 2nd Degree Black Belt Decided. I am so proud of him. I hope he breaks those boards!!!

I'll let ya all know how he does later...

UPDATE: He passed!! YAY! He slammed all his board breaks.. :)

The Car

2006-10-02T06:14:00.000-05:00

Jessica...why weren't you in school?

2006-09-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

Jimene Wilson is my sister...

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN — It was as if they instinctively knew that being together would help them form a stronger brace under the weight of their grief.

Teenagers from Fitch High School gathered at a tree on Idlewood Road on Wednesday where a good friend was taken from them Tuesday by a car accident.

There, they remembered John Coudriet, 16, of 162 Idlewood, as a fixture in their life that they are going to miss.

"I've known him since sixth grade," said Jeremy Bennett, a junior at Fitch. "He rode my bus and sat at my lunch table."

"I've known him and his sister all my life," said Heather Opatken, a ninth-grader.

"He was my first friend in Ohio," said ninth-grader Pat Leach, who moved here in 2002.

What happened
Flowers and candles ringed the base of the tree as signs of their affection for Coudriet. He died after a car he was riding in left Idlewood and hit the tree. The driver, Tom Spicker, 16, apparently swerved to avoid a truck.

Messages were scrawled in black magic marker on rocks left under the tree and on the tree itself, where bark had been scraped away — all tributes to Coudriet.

"He was a friendly guy. Everybody loved him," said Ronald Howell, a 10th-grader. An easygoing person, "he wasn't trying to start drama," Howell said.

"He'd say 'hi' to you every morning," said Chelsey Lewis, a junior. That was whether he knew you or not, others pointed out.

Police are investigating the accident, which happened at 12:58 p.m. Spicker was treated at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown. Coudriet died at the hospital, and another passenger, Jessica Adams, 14, of Aldrich Drive, was in critical condition there Wednesday. Jessica's grandmother, Jimene Wilson of Canfield, said Jessica was stable and has been talking, but is badly injured.

She said she was grateful for the support of Jessica's friends, who visited her at the hospital. "There were so many kids up there today. It was wonderful."

Wilson said Jessica has talked about the accident. Shortly before it happened, she had put her seat belt on.

"She said there was a truck coming, and they swerved," Wilson said. "We told her today that her friend was gone. She just kept saying, 'Oh, my God.'"

Dealing with their grief
The reality of their loss is still sinking in for Coudriet's friends.

Heather said she couldn't cry Tuesday. "But today, when I came here [to the memorial at the tree], I really broke down," she said.

Jamie Rem of Greenford, who was Coudriet's girlfriend of two months, remembered him as "really sweet." She came to the tree with her mother, Jody, who said she was planning to take Jamie to grief counseling that Fitch High made available Wednesday.

Doug Heuer, Austintown schools superintendent, said counselors are on call until Monday for any pupil who needs immediate attention because of the loss. He said the district extended the counseling because teenagers can repress their grief, needing help a day or days later instead.

Events planned
Jody Rem said there will be a memorial picnic for the community Saturday near Spider's Tattoo and Piercing, 4215 Mahoning Ave. The picnic begins at 5 p.m.

It's mainly for the kids, she said, with hot dogs, an open microphone for anyone who wants to talk about Coudriet, and a DJ. Donations will be accepted there for medical expenses for the family of Jessica Adams and for funeral expenses for the Coudriet family.

There will be a spaghetti dinner at the high school from noon until 4 p.m. Oct. 8 in the cafeteria. The dinner is a fundraiser for the families. There is also an account set up at First National Bank. Rem said people can dedicate their checks to the J.P.C. and Jessica Adams Fund.

Another memorial has to do with a special tradition that's being carried on by 11th-grader Steven Chester, who's better known as Tweak.

"Ever since I met him, we designed Happy Pants," said Tweak. "We decided to have people sign our pants, and that made us happy. I decided to make one last pair."

"I'll be having people sign these until Friday," he said, pointing to the jeans he had on, which were already covered with black magic-marker signatures. "If you don't get a chance to sign them, go to Spider's."

They'll hang on the wall there, he said, where Coudriet was a tattoo artist apprentice.

Tweak said, however, that there's nothing happy about that last pair of pants.

I'll be at the hospital today......

2006-09-27T06:28:00.000-05:00

Jessica Adams is my great-niece.

Car crash leaves1 dead, 2 injured
SCHOOL OFFICIALS planned to have grief counselors available at Austintown Fitch High School today after one student was killed and two others were injured in a one-car crash on Idlewood Road. Police said John Coudiet, 16, of Idlewood Road, died at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown after the crash at 12:58 p.m. Tuesday. Police said Jessica Adams, 14, of AldrichDrive, was a passenger. A clinical manager said Jessica, a freshman, was in critical condition at St. Elizabeth's. Police said John was a passenger in a car that struck a tree. Another 16-year-old boy was driving the car. Police said he was not injured and did not release his name. Doug Heuer, Austintown schools superintendent, confirmed the boys' enrollment in the school's occupational work program as juniors. He also declined to identify the driver.

Can I run away?

2006-09-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

I'm running away and hiding under a rock....I'll be back on the 2nd Tuesday of next week.

Article in today's paper

2006-09-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

After its loss, family gives back to St. Jude
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Shortly after touring the hospital, the Canfield teen was back as a patient.
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CANFIELD — The Avery family didn't know what to expect, but touring the large pediatric treatment and research hospital amazed them.
"We were just so impressed with the hospital and everything they did there," said Wendy Avery of Canfield about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. "It was like nowhere we'd ever been before."
In her role as director of the Growing Place, a preschool on Raccoon Road in Austintown, Wendy held an annual trike-a-thon to benefit the children's hospital.
In April 2005, for the first time in her seven years as director of the preschool, Wendy received an invitation to attend a volunteer appreciation day at St. Jude, which is the third-largest health-care charity in the U.S. Her family of five — including husband Steve, sons Nick and Josh, and daughter Alisha — decided to make the trek to Memphis as part of their summer vacation.
They spent two days in June 2005 visiting with staff and touring the facility. Murals cover the walls and clouds adorn the ceiling, Wendy said, and the staff treats patients like family.
Nick's comment
"I don't want to ever have cancer," 14-year-old Nick said as they were leaving, "but if I do, this is where I want to go."

Waiting for blood test results six months later, those words rang in his mother's ears.
Nick's illness began innocently enough in November 2005, Wendy said. He was having migraines, but that wasn't unusual for him. He'd been having them since he was 4. Participating in a school play and a church play, as well as entering high school, explained why he seemed rundown, she added.
A month later, he still wasn't feeling well and became feverish. He was given antibiotics at an emergency room, but showed no improvement. Wendy knew something wasn't right.
It took six days for local doctors to reach a firm diagnosis because leukemia wasn't yet present in his blood, but Wendy was already in Memphis in her mind when they found the cancer in his bone marrow.
"I think the decision was made for us [to go to St. Jude]," she said. "Because if we had done something else, I would have always wondered if we did the right thing. But there's no doubt that we were supposed to be there."
Within a few days they left for St. Jude.
Though Nick responded well to the intense chemotherapy he endured, and was able to go home in May of this year, a backache just a few months later was the first clue the cancer had returned.
Going home
Back at St. Jude, doctors gave Nick the choice of starting treatment again immediately or going home for a few days first. Nick chose to go home.
"And that was the best thing, looking back," Wendy said. "If he hadn't come home, I would have always regretted that." For five days, family and friends flowed in and out of the house, laughing and joking with Nick.
When the family returned to the hospital with Nick, they were happy to be with their St. Jude family again despite being in anguish because the cancer was again invading Nick's body.
The six months Wendy and Nick had already spent in Memphis, living in hospital-provided housing, were difficult but also a good experience, Wendy said. It was hard being away from her other children and husband, and tough when Nick was sick from the chemo or feverish.
But, "as hard as it was, there were so many good things," Wendy shared. "His life was good, even through the leukemia."
While at St. Jude, Nick went to school and took guitar lessons. He made many friends. And, Wendy said, it was a special time for mother and son, as they worked together to get him well.
Lost his battle
A few days after returning to St. Jude, in early August, however, Nick suffered a subdural hematoma, a collection of blood just below the outermost lining of the brain. Doctors do not know why. Despite emergency surgery, Nick died less than two weeks later on Aug. 25, with his parents by his side.
"As a mom, I guess you kind of know some things," Wendy said. "I knew that he wasn't going to come home with us. It was just too much that happened."
Now the family needs to learn to live as four instead of five. Part of that healing is raising funds for St. Jude.
At St. Jude, no child is denied treatment because of a family's ability to pay. Freedom from the financial burden allows parents to focus on the real issue: seeing that their child gets well, Wendy said.
On Monday, the Avery family will be at Chili's Grill & Bar in Boardman. The Dallas, Texas-based business will donate 100 percent of its restaurant sales that day to St. Jude. To date, Chili's has raised more than $5.5 million for St. Jude through participating company-owned and franchised locations.
"The hospital and everybody there just means so much to us," Wendy said. "It's part of Nick to want to be part of this, helping to raise money for St. Jude, and I want to continue that for him."

Chili's on September 25th!

2006-09-23T08:36:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, I would greatly appreciate it if you passed this along. 100% of the money that Chili's makes on Monday the 25th will go to St. Jude.

My daughter's friend ,Nick Avery, was a St. Jude patient until August 25, 2006 when his life ended suddenly due to an unexpected complication from leukemia. Please help children and teens like Nick who are still fighting for their lives. How can you help? Simply by taking your family out to dinner at Chili’s.St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is undergoing an expansion that includes the Chili’s Care Center which will house more inpatient rooms and research.

Chili’s guests nationwide can be a part of this meaningful campaign by donating $1 or more throughout the month of September to color a pinup of the signature Chili’s pepper. In addition, patrons can purchase Create a Pepper t-shirts from Chili’s that can be customized with permanent marker to fit their individual style. New this year are Create a Pepper gift cards, which offer a means of giving to those you love while giving back. Chili’s will donate $1 to St. Jude for every $25 purchased in Create a Pepper gift cards.

Patrons also are encouraged to eat at their local Chili’s on Monday, Sept. 25, when Chili’s will donate 100% of its profits from restaurant sales to St. Jude.Join us on Sept. 25 to honor Nick’s memory and to help other children continue their fight by eating at Chili’s. Visit www.createapepper.com to find the Chili’s restaurant in your neighborhood.

My Beautiful Daughter

2006-09-21T10:18:00.000-05:00

Steve Irwin ...:(

2006-09-20T09:29:00.000-05:00

I heard this on his Memorial Service last night on Animal Planet...

THE CROCODILES ARE CRYING

Endless visions fill my head – this man – as large as life
And instantly my heart mourns for his angels and his wife

Because the way I see Steve Irwin – just put everything aside
It comes back to his family – it comes back to his pride

His animals inclusive – Crikey – light the place with love!
Shine his star with everything he fought to rise above

The crazy-man of Khaki from the day he left the pouch
Living out his dream and in that classic ‘Stevo’ crouch

Exploding forth with character and redefining cheek
It’s one thing to be honoured as a champion unique

It’s one thing to have microphones and spotlight cameras shoved
It’s another to be taken in and genuinely loved

But that was where he had it right – I guess he always knew
From his fathers’ modest reptile park and then Australia Zoo

We cringed at times and shook our heads – but true to natures call
There was something very Irwin in the make up of us all

Yes the more I care to think of it – the more he had it right
If you’re going to make a difference – make it big and make it bright!

Yes - he was a lunatic! Yes - he went head first!
But he made the world feel happy with his energetic burst

A world so large and loyal that it’s hard to comprehend
I doubt we truly count the warmth until life meets an end

To count it now I say a prayer with words of inspiration
May the spotlight shine forever on his dream for conservation…

My daughter broke the news to me – my six year old in tears
It was like she’d just turned old enough to show her honest fears

I tried to make some sense of it but whilst her Dad was trying
His little girl explained it best…she said “The crocodiles are crying”

Their best mate’s up in heaven now – the crocs up there are smiling!
And as sure as flowers, poems and cards and memories are piling

As sure as we’ll continue with the trademarks of his spiel
Of all the tributes worthy – he was rough…but he was real

As sure as ‘Crikey!’ fills the sky
I think we’ll miss ya Steve…goodbye

- RUPERT McCALL 2006.

Joe Elliott smells yummy!!

2006-09-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

Thank You ILAA!! You girls Freaking ROCK!!

Whoo!! Hoo!!!

2006-09-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

All this energy callin' me,
Back where it comes from
It's such a crude attitude,
It's back where it belongs.
All the little kids goin' up on the skids go
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Jumpin' Jane Jean, and moonin' James Dean go
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Momma knows, but she don't care.
She's got her worries too.
Seven kids, and a phony affair, and the rent is due.
All the little chicks with the crimson tits go
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Livin' in sin with a safety pin goin'
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
I got some records from World War III
play 'em just like me grand dad do
He was a rocker, and I am too,
Now Cleveland rocks, Now Cleveland rocks
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks! Cleveland rocks!
Cleveland rocks!
OHIO

I can't handle anymore of this!

2006-09-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

This is my son's friend....
:(

Matthew Backer, 10AUSTINTOWN – There will be services at 6 p.m. Monday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church for Matthew Backer, 10, who passed away Thursday morning at Forum Northside Medical Center after a six-month battle with leukemia.Matthew was born Feb. 14, 1996, in Sacramento, Calif., the son of Rick and Kelly Welsh Backer.

A member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, he would have began this school year as a fifth grader at Austintown Middle School.Matthew enjoyed baseball and had played for the Austintown Little League. He also played flag football for the Mill Creek Flag Football League and was an avid Steelers fan. On Aug. 21, he was invited by the Steelers to visit their training camp and later enjoyed dinner with the team, especially his favorite, player Troy Polamalu, who gave him an autographed jersey to wear.

Matthew was an inspiration to many and will be sadly missed by his family and friends.He is survived by his grandparents, Bob and Sue Welsh, with whom he made his home; his parents, Rick and Kelly Backer; a sister, Nicole Backer; a brother, Richard Backer of Austintown; his aunt, Kim Welsh, with whom he also made his home; his grandparents, Bernard and Lela Backer of California; and his great-grandmother, Viola Welsh.He was preceded in death by great-grandparents parents, Matthew and Agnes Oleyar, and Bob Welsh Sr.

Friends may call from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Monday at the church.The family has requested that all memorial contributions be made to the Matthew Backer Leukemia Fund at any Farmers National Bank Branch.

another pic..

2006-09-07T07:50:00.000-05:00

Nick..the last time he went to St. Jude

lol...weirdo's

The whole gang...lol

Go Out To Eat Sept.25...for Nick

2006-09-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

St. Jude Night at Chili’s
Nick Avery was a St. Jude patient until August 25, 2006 when his life ended suddenly due to an unexpected complication from leukemia. Please help children and teens like Nick who are still fighting for their lives. How can you help? Simply by taking your family out to dinner at Chili’s.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is undergoing an expansion that includes the Chili’s Care Center which will house more inpatient rooms and research. Chili’s guests nationwide can be a part of this meaningful campaign by donating $1 or more throughout the month of September to color a pinup of the signature Chili’s pepper. In addition, patrons can purchase Create a Pepper t-shirts from Chili’s that can be customized with permanent marker to fit their individual style. New this year are Create a Pepper gift cards, which offer a means of giving to those you love while giving back. Chili’s will donate $1 to St. Jude for every $25 purchased in Create a Pepper gift cards. Patrons also are encouraged to eat at their local Chili’s on Monday, Sept. 25, when Chili’s will donate 100% of its profits from restaurant sales to St. Jude.
Join us on Sept. 25 to honor Nick’s memory and to help other children continue their fight by eating at Chili’s. Visit www.createapepper.com to find the Chili’s restaurant in your neighborhood.
(Our family and friends are helping to promote this special night at Chili's. You can eat at the Chili's restaurant closest to you on Monday, September 25 anywhere in the country and 100% of your bill will go to St. Jude. Please eat at Chili's this night in honor of Nick or another child that you may know who has had or is still battling cancer. Thank you! Steve. Wendy, Josh, and Alisha)

Jen and Nick

2006-09-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

Nick is on the right...this is the last Sunday he was home...August 6th 2006..remember, I let Jennifer miss our family reunion to go there?

Jen,Jon Michael, and Nick..in Nick's room playing video games...August 6th 2006

YEA!

2006-09-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

School starts tomorrow!

Jimmy is in 5th grade...at a new school..(well not new, just to him)

Jennifer is in 9th grade...in HIGH SCHOOL!! ahh...I'm old!

Nick's Eulogy...given by his brother Josh

2006-09-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

I know...I know...you all probably wish I would get on with it, but I can't, I have children this age, and they knew Nick and were effected by his death. I have to admit....I became part of the circle...:)

Eulogy for Nicholas Adam Avery:
Written for and read at Nick's funeral by big brother, Josh...
Many of you have probably read some, if not all, of my posts on the caring bridge site. If you have, you'll know that I've often talked about the Circle. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. If you're a Christian today and a believer in Christ, then you're in the Circle-the Circle that sets us apart from the rest of the world as followers of Christ. Nick was a part of the Circle, and his entire life was dedicated to the purpose of following Christ. His life was all about heading to the frontline of battle for the Circle's sake-for the sake of Christ. Today I'm going to be talking a little bit about some memories of Nick and I'll also talk about his committment to God.
One of the things than many people remember Nick for was his sense of humor and how he was always trying to play tricks on everyone. Nick's friend, Aaron Shields, told me a story the other day about the time when he had gone to Dairy Queen with Nick to order some food. Nick went up to the counter and said "I would like a cheeseburger-but hold the meat, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and condiments." The worker said "So you just want a grilled cheese sandwich?" Nick replied "No, I would like a cheeseburger-but hold the meat, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and condiments." Nick said this three or four times before the worker finally just brought out a grilled cheese sandwich to which Nick responded, "Sweet! Just what I wanted!"
One of Nick's favorite things to do was to film episodes of "The Anthony Burkett Show" with all his friends. On the show they made up different skits or did things around the neighborhood to see people's reactions. I remember one of the first things we filmed during the summer neighborhood garage sale. Nick and I set up a table outside on our front lawn reminiscent of a lemonade stand-but we sold hot oatmeal. After hardly anyone bought anything we decided to become traveling salesmen and walk around with dry packets. Nick kept trying to trick everyone we were selling it to by saying "Oatmeal is 50 cents, but you can get it for a quarter because you're our number one customer."
When my mom and Nick were staying at the Target House, Jon Michael and Beth Valantine came to visit. After being in Nick's room for awhile, Nick came out and sat down on the couch next to Beth and my mom but Jon Michael was nowhere to be seen. A minute later all the power in the entire apartment turned off. The TV turned off and even the ventilation system turned off. Finally my mom and Beth realized that the power had been turned off from the main electric box in my brother's room and that Jon Michael had done it. After they went and talked to him they found out that it was Nick's plan all along and that he had convinced Jon to do it as a prank on Beth and my mom. Nick laughing hysterically.
Another big part of Nick's life was about music. His favorite bands were Simple Plan and Clearview but there were hundreds more that he liked. The clothes that he wore were mostly based on bands that he liked. He wore alot of Role Model brand clothing because it was often worn by Simple Plan. He also had tons of wrist bands that he wore and nost of then had band names written on them or were inspired by a certain band. The tie I'm wearing today was Nick's. He bought it because he thought it looked like something Jeremy Willet from Clearview would wear.
Nick loved being involved inthe youth group and spending time with everyone in it. Some of the best times of his life were when he went on the Kentucky mission trips and spent time with all the people there. One of the most memorable stories from Kentucky is when Nick pretended to be Spiderman and made John Beilby be the Green Goblin. Nick jumped off of bunkbeds and sprayed Axe Cologne on John Beilby pretending that the Axe was the spider web spray of Spiderman-getting it in Beilby's eyes, face, and everywhere in the room.
Today you might be asking yourself a question or maybe a series of questions. You might be asking yourself: "If there is a God then why would He let this happen and why would He allow Nick to die?" Today I have a very simple answer to that question, one that I know is the answer without a shadow of a doubt. God allowed Nick to go through this so that others could come to Him. God used Nick's story-and Nick's entire life-to show all of you His love...to show you Nick's perseverance and love of God through the nidst of all these trils. Nick wrote on his xanga a week before he returned to Memphis that he knew God had an awesome plan in store for him. Some of us may not understand how Nick's death could possibly be an "awesome plan" from God but I think I do.
Nick wrote alist of 3 things he would die for. The first on the the list was God, then family, then friends. Nick was dedicated to God above all things in his life and it showed in everything that he did. Every night he refused to turn off our bedroom light because he hadn't finished his daily devotions. Sometimes he was completely tired but he was devoted to reading the Bible everyday because he knew that it was important to his growtn as a Christian. We also recently found a book filled with Nick's thoughts on different Psalms from the Bible and personal prayers he had written after reading them.
Not only was Nick ready to give up his life for God but he was also ready to die for family and friends as well. Nick loved his friends. Like I said earlier, one of his favorite things to do was to film videos with several of his friends at our house and just be crazy-there were no bounds. He even walked a mile in wome's shoes with his friends once, hoping to understand then...but I don't think it ever worked. Nick loved all of his friends from youth group, church, school, and everywhere else. He stayed up countless hours on the internet every night in chat rooms with all of them talking about who knows what.
Nick also loved his family. He loved hanging out with his cousins and going on hikes at Grandma Avery's house, camping out (setting off fireworks on the 4th of July and almost setting Grandpa Avery's pine trees on fire in the process) and riding dirtbikes around scaring my parents with his crazy driving. He loved heading over to Grandma Briggs' house to spend time with all of his cousins there just telling jokes about weird commercials and filming videos for his cousin Anthony's collection. He loved his aunts and uncles, even those who lived far away in California and Nevada. He talked often about the times when Uncle Brian and Uncle Kurt spent the day with us in Hinckley rock climbing. He loved the times when Uncle Bobby came home from Nevada for the summer and he loved getting books from him every Christmas. He loved all of his aunts, all of his uncles, and all of his cousins.
Nick was ready to die for his family and friends...and do you know what? I believe that he did. As I said before, Nick was dedicated to God. I know that he prayed all the time for his family and friends that haven't yet accepted Jesus as their Savior. Nick loved his family and friends so much that he didn't want to see them end up anywhere but heaven. To put it simply-Nick wanted for his friends and family the life that he had-a lifeof hope and joy...a life that ends in happiness and rejoicing in heaven, not sorrow and pain. Nick's ultimate hope was that the people he loved would come to Christ.
Now I stand here before you looking back on the life that Nick lived. It was one of joy, happiness, and most of all it was alife of committment. A life committed to one thing-serving God in everything that he did. I hope that today all of you realize that Nick loved all of you and that he was committed to see you coming to Christ. That's what Nick's life was about-to bring family and friends to be able to see personally the number one thing that he would die for...God.
What I'm about to do isn't often done at funerals but if I didn't then I would be ignoring the number one thing that Nick's life was all about. I'm going to say a prayer aloud...a salvation prayer. If any of you feel like you would like to pray with me, if you want to make a decision to live life like Nick did every day and follow Christ, then just pray this to yourself as I say these words. I'm not going to ask those who want to pray to stand up or run up to the front...I'm not going to ask you to do those things today. But Nick's life was all about this moment for some of you-it was about being an example to the people he loved so that they would come to Christ. So I'm going to pray this prayer and if you feel like making a committment to God then please pray along with me in your heart.
Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing Nick into our lives. I know that no one is perfect and I'm not either. I've done tons of things that make me undeserving of Your love. But God, today I understand that you've paid the penalty for my sins with the death of Jesus. I pray now that You would come into my life and help me live the way You would want me to. Help me to follow You every day in all of my actions and thoughts like Nick did. Thank You for saving me and bringing me to Yourself. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer today don't keep it to yourself. Let someone know that you've become one of the Circle-that you've become one of God's people and you've chosen to live your life for Him. Let them celebrate with you and rejoice in the fact that you'll see Nick again in heaven...probably rocking to some music and trying to start a mosh pit.
Before I finish up, I have one last message for those in the Circle. The message consists of two words: Dive Deep. Live your life every day like it's your last. Don't be afraid to step out in your faith and tell people what you believe. Don't be afraid that they'll think different of you or make fun of you. Nick was never afraid to tell people about Jesus. In fact, when you log into his Xanga a message pops up stating lyrics from a DC Talk song. It says: "What will people say when they label me a Jesus freak? What will people do when they find out it's true? I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak. There ain't no denying the truth." Dive deep in God, true believers. Dive so deep that you're on fire for God. Carry on the legacy of a 15 year old boy named Nick and never break the Circle.

Song that was sung at Nick's funeral

2006-08-29T19:58:00.000-05:00

Draw me close to You Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend

You are my desire No one else will do
’Cause nothing else could ever take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way Bring me back to You

You’re all I want You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want Help me know You are near

Revelation

2006-08-29T18:11:00.000-05:00

God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way
Grace for the trials,
Help from above.
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love...

And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes
Revelation 21:4

Services

2006-08-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

I just dropped my daughter off at the church. I went through the line with her first. That is the hardest thing I have ever done. Nick's Mom told me that Jen will always be Nick's girlfriend. She told Jen that too. Her Dad told her that Nick loved her. That was rough. I am going back up in a bit...for the funeral. It is pouring down rain right now... kinda fitting wouldn't ya say?

R.I.P. Nick

2006-08-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

Nick
<-------

To the optimistic kid, who lit up the room;
To the funny kid, who made comedy out of doom;
To the friend, who nicknamed us all;
To the hero, that kept everyone hoping through his fall;
To the believer, who never lost hope;
To the energy, who we never saw mope;
To the kid, who carved names into a tree;
To the teenager, who loved the words makey-outey;
To Nick Avery; this was your cue;
To Nick Avery, well always love and miss you.

I got this from a friend of Nick's, who along with my daughter and several other teens always talked in a chat room....My daughter's nickname was Crossy.

Nicholas Adam Avery

2006-08-25T09:27:00.000-05:00

Nick has lost his battle. He passed away early this morning. Pray for the family and pray for my daughter. She is having a rough time with this. Nick was a great boy, very energetic, very much alive.

He will be missed...

Update from Nick's dad

2006-08-24T22:38:00.000-05:00

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2006 04:23 PM, CDT
Another 24 hours is slowly passing by. We lose track of what day of the week it is. 'Living' on the ICU unit at Nick's bedside is a continual blurr -- minutes turn to hours, and hours to another day. The various things that Nick has been able to do thus far has been our daily encouragement. Our discouragement often has come from the reports/updates from the doctors. Thus was the case especially today.
The neourologist visited Nick this morning for a follow-up exam from two days ago. While Wendy & I have been encouraged by the small things we see Nick doing, the neurologist did not find these things very significant. He stated that the swelling of the brain is typically the worst 3-4 days after the trauma/surgery, and then any signs of recovery begin to happen. Thus, since it has been 13 days since Nick's brain surgery, he thinks the likelihood of further recovery is unlikely.
At 1:00 PM today, the doctors (Dr. Rubinitz, the neurologist, and the ICU doctor, and two others) conducted a meeting with us. They directed us to the ICU conference room. It was stated at the meeting that this conference room is almost always used for discussing bad news with patient families -- there was no exception to this today. Wendy & I did not hear anything new concerning Nick -- just discouraging reports, facts, discussion and prognosis. We were once again asked the question if we realized how serious Nick's condition is, since we have not been acting as upset as most families do under similiar circumstances. We were able to tell them that our hearts are broken over Nick's condition, and that we are crying many tears. However, we told them that God has reminded us that He is the one who gives life and the One who determines when our time on earth is complete. God was not surprised by any of the problems that Nick has had to battle so far, and only He knows when Nick's life on earth is done. We expressed to those in the room that therefore, we are at peace, trusting in the God who created Nick.
This obviously was not the first time we have heard such discouraging news from the medical personnel taking care of Nick, but it still causes us to be discouraged. Please pray for Wendy & I especially today, as the enemy tries to steal our peace. We know that God's peace surpasses all human understanding, and it is available to His children.
Although we are discouraged today, we have not lost hope. We will continue to remain at Nick's bedside, fighting for him in any way that we can. We will continue to pray for Nick's healing, in hope from God.
Nicholas Adam's heartbroken Dad

Nick's Mom Updates...

2006-08-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

Nick's Mom's Update.....:)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2006 08:23 PM, CDT
Sorry that the update is so late tonight. It has been a busy day and since there are no laptops allowed in the ICU rooms I have to find a few minutes to escape to the parent room and write.
Today Nick continues to squeeze and release his fingers sometimes harder than others. He has moved his feet and his toes when I tickle the bottom of his foot. This morning Steve was helping to readjust him in bed and was holding his head. Nick opened his eyes about halfway and closed them again. Then later this afternoon Josh called me over to see that Nick was moving his eyes back and forth (he always has slept with his eyes a little open and so we could see them moving). He is tolerating his feedings very well. His kidneys and lungs continue to improve. We are keeping our hope that God will continue to work in Nick's body even at such a slow pace. He needs to heal for as long as it takes him to get well. We will wait.
Grandma Briggs (my mom) arrived today with my sister, Cathy and her husband, Harry. They will stay until Monday. Next week my two other sisters and two brothers will be arriving. Josh and Alisha will be heading home tomorrow with our friends, the Shields'. Josh back to college and Alisha to 12th grade. It is hard for them to leave but since we have no idea how long this will take they must get back.
Specific prayers...that Nick would show more improvement each day and astound the doctors who are scratching their heads, that his toes would heal after a nasty bout with the drug norepinephrine, that his lungs and kidneys would continue to improve, that the swelling in his brain would continue to go down and back to normal, that God would heal him from the leukemia or at least continue to keep it at bay until he is stronger, that Alisha and Josh along with all other family would have safe travel back and forth, that Steve and I would be rested even after only 4 hours of sleep a night. Also, pray for our Dr. Rubnitz. That is alot, I know, but we have a big God who is able to do much more than we ever ask or imagine.
Will update as I am able. PRAY FOR BIG THINGS!
Love, Wendy

Nick

2006-08-23T08:16:00.000-05:00

Things are slowly improving for Nick. The Dr's are offering no hope, just saying wait and see what happens. Apparently the sedatives were still in his blood, so he was still doped from that. Now he is responding. Thank God! There is no other explanation as to why he is still here...believe it or not.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2006 04:28 PM, CDT
"Wait and see what I will do". When I heard those words back in December I really had no idea of what God meant by waiting. I thought I did but I didn't. Now I know. I still don't know how long we will be asked to wait or even what God plans on doing. I do know that He has been doing some amazing things even in our extreme sadness and exhaustion. He somehow enables us to get up and go through each day and that in itself is a miracle.
Nick had a neurological exam today. The last time he had one was two days ago. Today the doctor saw him react to pain stimulus, he pulled his fingers back and is gripping our hands. He flutters his eyelids in response to having his eyes messed with. He actually bit onto the tool that the nurse was cleaning his mouth with today! He also responds by breathing over the ventilator, and his pulse and blood pressure go up. So...the neuro guy tells us that even though he sees these things he can't tell us much more than that we must WAIT! I reminded him that two days ago these things weren't there at all. No one seems to have any answers except that we must wait. We have no idea how long. The doctors don't give us much encouragement for Nick's future. After all, he still does have leukemia in addition to all of the new problems. But we are asking you who are praying to join us in not giving up. As long as Nick has breath we hope in what God might do. Continue to pray for Nick's healing and deliverance from death (Psalm 6). He is still with us and we will be by his side every minute.
Pray that his lungs, kidneys, and other problems would continue to heal. That there would be no more new problems come up. That God would restore his perfect health here on the earth. We are asking (no, begging) God to give him back to us. I want to see his eyes and hear his voice so badly. Pray for safe travel for family and friends who will be going back and forth to be with us. Pray that Josh and Alisha will have safe travel as they get home and back to school. Pray for strength for me and Steve so that we will be able to go through whatever we need to in the coming days.
Trusting God with the outcome...Wendy

Some other stuff

2006-08-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

I guess I should post about some other stuff going on...

Is there anything else going on? LOL...yes, I am planning on going to the Grand Rapids show. I am also thinking of going to the Memphis show, if Nick is still there. I hope he is, because me and Jennifer are going to go..so she can see him.

I am taking Jimmy school clothes shopping in a few minutes. He goes in, looks around and says he is done. All in under 5 minutes.

I got myself some Sheffield United stuff to give to Joe...Hope he likes it..;)

So..right now, Nick is getting an MRI. Pray that there is some improvement.

For those of you praying, Thank You, for those of you not....I just want to say..This is not a G**A thing where I make it up for attention.This is my daughters close friend's life. And that life is on the verge of being taken away. Prayer and prayer alone has gotten him this far. The dr's have given up hope. So, just take 3 seconds and ask God to help him.
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OK...did you? Thank You!! Have a Great Day!

Miracles are happening...are you in the circle?

2006-08-21T07:35:00.000-05:00

This is nothing short of a miracle guys...they were going to take him off of the vent yesterday. His sister said they told the family he would never wake up, he had too much brain damage...
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2006 09:55 PM, CDT
The Circle Finds Deliverance
By Josh Avery, Guest Writer
Tonight our prayers have been answered in the smallest of ways. We have prayed for Nick's healing- for signs that he will not be in a coma for the rest of his life. The doctors, however, were not as enthusiastic. This morning and on mornings before, they gave a somber and negative report, claiming that they believed there would probably be no recovery, and that he would most likely never come out of the coma that he has been in since the surgery.
We, however, don't believe in science. Of course, it's great to have these doctors here and we appreciate them.... but we also know that the certainty of science is not the end of the plan when God is involved.
Tonight, as the doctors told us there was no hope of recovery, we still held on to that hope. Circle members across the nation came together in prayer, and still gather in prayer, praying for that full recovery. Well my friends...we have seen the first steps in that recovery- the impossible in the eyes of science.
Tonight Nick moved his fingers. They told us from day 1 that when the sedative wore out, he would start by moving his fingers, then coughing, then waking up more and more in other ways. My mom was holding Nick's hand tonight, about 45 minutes ago, and she felt his fingers moving- slowly, but surely. She rushed out into the hallway to tell the nurse... and the nurse informed her that she already knew- she had felt Nick moving his fingers on the right side, but she was afraid it was just her imagination!
Continue praying, soldiers! Continue praying, prayer warriors! The enemy is losing ground, and we will not back down! "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:5)
After all the hope of the medical community has been extingushed and they are sure of their thinking.... we see a miracle, something that could come from no source but God. We have seen this 3 times so far- once when Nick survived the "unsurvivable surgery"- (The surgeon told us going in that "she hoped luck would be on her side.") Secondly when Nick pulled through his kidneys shutting down, where the doctors tried dialysis and it didn't work (they told us they had done everything they could).... only to have his kidneys start working again. Thirdly, they told us he was most likely not going to survive the swelling of his lungs, and that even though he was on antibiotics, it didn't look good... and the swelling is now decreasing with every passing day.
They have said there was no chance of a real change in his brain- that the damage was far too great to expect too much. Now we wait for another miracle... we wait for deliverance once more, so that those who don't know the name of God can see that He has pulled Nick through all of this!
Praise the name of Elyon! (El-Elyon is the Hebrew name for God, by the way. :) )
Never Break the Circle.
Dive Deep.
-Josh

:(

2006-08-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

Nothing short of a miracle will help him now. I don't think he is going to make it.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2006 06:17 PM, CDT
Please continue to lift Steve, Wendy, Nick, Josh and Alisha up in prayer. Pray that God would wrap His loving arms around all of them with love and comfort this evening and in the days ahead.
Love, Jill

Updates..

2006-08-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

I saw Jimmy's friend Matthew tonight at Kmart, you know..the other leukemia kid. He is getting better. The leukemia is almost gone from his body. 6 weeks ago they gave him 5 days to live. He has improved alot since then. Thank the Lord! Here is today's journal entries on Nick. He is slowly improving...KEEP THE FAITH!!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2006 02:54 PM, CDT
I just received a phone call from Wendy so I wanted to get an update out. Since Wendy and Steve are back at St. Jude and living at the Grizzlies House they are able to walk back and forth from the G.H. to the hospital. They have been able to take sleeping shifts so it sounds like they may be getting a little more rest.
Today's news on Nick...X-rays taken today show that his lungs have improved a little. The oxygen has been turned down to 60% (it was at 100%) and his oxygen saturation has been in the 90's. His kidneys are still working on their own and they have taken him off blood pressure meds because his BP has been good.
The issue for today is they want Nick to start waking up. They have taken him off the paralytic drug and the sedatives. They are not sure how long it will take for these drugs to leave Nick's system, so they have no idea when he might start coming out of it. A neurologist will assess Nick today and get a baseline of where he is at so they will have something to go on in the coming days.
So specific prayers for today are for Nick to start waking up and when he wakes up, that there will be no brain damage. That Nick's lungs and kidneys continue to improve. Also, pray that his leukemia cells remain few while he is recovering from all of this.
Wendy reminded me that last Saturday when all this started that they weren't sure if Nick was going to survive the brain surgery, then later this week they weren't sure if Nick was going to survive when his lungs and kidneys were at their worst. Nick isn't giving up, and we won't give up either. She read Psalm 146 to me over the phone, "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save." "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them--the Lord, who remains faithful forever." That's the kind of sister I am blessed to have...no matter what she is going through she ends up comforting me! I
Continue to pray for Steve, Wendy, Josh and Alisha too and I will continue to update when I get news.
Love,Jill

The passage below is from Nick's Dad...I can only imagine what his parents are going through right now..
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2006 02:57 PM, CDT
A week ago today I experienced the most difficult time of my life, as I was at Nick's side when he went into distress and then the whirlwind that followed that night when the doctor's performed emergency brain surgery. This past Thursday night, with another extremely critical medical situation for Nick, I again experienced that same extreme sadness and associated emotions during the night. The doctor's communicated to us that their efforts to help Nick had been exhausted, and I saw in their eyes that their hope in the medications, machines and treatment for Nick was over .
As I was sitting at Nick's bedside early this morning listening to a music CD, the sun began to rise from the horizon spilling light onto St. Judes. The following song began to play, and as I listened to it over and over, tears streamed down my cheeks, because I knew that God had given it to me for encouragement that only He can provide. My only hope is in God.
Yesterday I found; That everything I knew was wrong
It was upside down; The life I thought I had was gone
But You came and whispered love to me
And you gave me strength to carry on
Oh, the sun is shining; There is hope for me again
A new day's dawning; The sun is shining
Yesterday I lost; Everthing I had and loved
Then I cried out for you, Lord
And you came and picked me up
And the sorrow lasted through the night
But the joy came with the morn
I will lift my voice - No, I won't be silent
For you heard my cry
And you turned my mourning into dancing
And so forever I'll sing
Oh, the sun is shining; There is hope for me again
A new day's dawning; The sun is shining.
Third Day, "The Sun is Shining"
Praises to the Most High God for giving the miracle of Nick's life to me.
Nicholas Adam's proud Dad (Steve)

More prayer

2006-08-18T19:50:00.000-05:00

Pic #1 is Nick and his sister at home, #2 is Nick and his cat and #3 is Nick, his Mom and Priscilla Presley at Graceland in April of this year. He got to meet the American Idols and had luch with them and Priscilla and Lisa Marie.

Ya know..I am not an overly religious person by any means. But I find myself praying all of the time for this kid. Let me tell you what I know about Nick Avery. He shares the same birthday as me. My daughter saw him her school when she was in 7th grade. He doesn't go there, but he was there for some reason. He was wearing a Role Model shirt. Role Model is the clothing the band Simple Plan came out with. She was obsessed with Simple Plan, and had many Role Model shirts, so of course she became obsessed with Nick Avery. Then a friend of hers went to Youth Group with Nick, so Jennifer had to go to this Youth Group too. She actually came to like it there and is still going. BUT...her and Nick were this close to becoming a couple when he got sick. They are clones of each other. Jen is the girl Nick and Nick is the Boy Jen. They dress the same, listen to the same music, believe in the same things and have good morals. He is a good kid and I would be proud if he ever became a part of this family. ( thats far down the road I know...). Anyway, Jennifer got to spend the day with Nick the last Sunday he was home and I know she will always treasure that...no matter what happens.

Nick's family is asking that everyone pray Psalm 6. Josh and their Mom were both drawn to it and told each other and now wants us all to read it, pray it, think it, whatever... They ask that we pray for the swelling in his lungs to go down and his kidneys to continue working on their own. The dialysis didn't work last night and they took him off and he started peeing on his own. They have now moved him back to St. Jude and he will be in ICU there.

Thank You all for the prayers and good thoughts...no bad thoughts please..only good ones..

if any of you do not know Psalms 6..here it is:

The Psalms 6
Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble
To the chief Musician on Neg'inoth upon Shem'inith, A Psalm of David.
1
O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger,

neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Ps. 38.1
2
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak:

O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
3
My soul is also sore vexed:

but thou, O LORD, how long?
4
Return, O LORD, deliver my soul:

oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
5
For in death there is no remembrance of thee:

in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
6
I am weary with my groaning;

all the night make I my bed to swim;
I water my couch with my tears.
7
Mine eye is consumed because of grief;

it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
8
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; Mt. 7.23 · Lk. 13.27

for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9
The LORD hath heard my supplication;

the LORD will receive my prayer.
10
Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed:

let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

Pray like you've never prayed before

2006-08-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006 09:52 PM, CDT
CONTINUED PRAYERS FOR NICK
We just received an update from Steve and things are very critical for Nick. They have him back on the high dose of sedatives and they have started dialysis. The doctors are very concerned about the fluid and the swelling in Nick's lungs.
All who may read this, please pray for Nick. There are no words to express how we all feel at this time. But God knows our grief. I will continue to trust Him, Nick is in His hands.

The latest

2006-08-17T17:22:00.000-05:00

From Nick's blog....

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006 03:43 PM, CDT
PLEASE PRAY FOR NICK
We just received a call from Steve that Nick needs immediate prayer. The infection that the doctors have diagnosed in Nick is now affecting his lungs and kidneys. Nick lung tissue is swelling and causing him to have critical decreased lung capacity. Also, Nick's kidneys seem to not be working as they should. They have had to turn up the ventilator and things are very critical. Please pray for Nick...
Thank you.
Nick's Aunt Jill

Nick Update

2006-08-16T08:39:00.000-05:00

Nick's ICP is between 13 and 14.(the pressure in his brain) Still high but coming down. He has had a fever and it was down to 100 last I heard. They had decided that he had a systemic infection and that is what caused all of this so they are now treating him with antibiotics. So...keep praying my friends...

Here is what Josh, Nick's brother, has to say about all of this. Josh is 20 BTW and is in college.

Today as the day has gone one and things have progressed, there have been a few more updates from what Jill last posted online earlier today. Firstly, the ICP has been around 13-14 all day long, besides the times when they were doing work on him or cat scans or the like. It's pretty much been confirmed at this point that the entire incident was caused by a systemic infection, as Jill stated earlier. They are now running some different tests to see exactly just what specific infection this is, so they can treat it the best and most effectively.
The waiting is still being done- a huge amount of waiting. Of course, the doctors are still giving reports of uncertainty, and questions. They continually try to remind us that until they take him of all sedatives, they will have no idea of what the damage is to Nick's brain and how that could affect any part of him. It seems as if these doctors want to focus on the negative- maybe to prepare us for the worst, or maybe just because they are being used by the enemy to give us thoughts that aren't true. Probably both.
Would you like to hear a secret? Gather closely, because the enemy may be angry if this is overheard..... I know the enemy's battleplan. I've seen their maps, their tactics, and all of their tricks. I'll even let you know what those plans are, so you can be prepared. The plan is to work through fear. The enemy knows well that lies and deception can work well, spreading quickly and turning even the boldest of soldiers into a pile of rubble. Once the enemy has gotten ahold of us in our fear, he has won a battle.
But my friends, there is something that the enemy has not counted on- something that will be his demise. The enemy has not counted on the Circle. He has not counted on the believers being stronger than him and his tactics- he has not thought through the idea that we will not give in to his fear. He has not counted on the Circle.
Continue to pray, continue to be strong. The war is still raging, but we now have the upper hand. The end is in sight, my friends. Pray without ceasing, and never break the Circle.
You may have seen my previous posts, in which I've always closed with "Never break the Circle." Let me explain that quickly..... never lose sight of the thing that ties us Christians together, never lose sight of the Circle Christ has drawn around us- setting us apart from fear, anxiety, and doubt. But most of all- never break the Circle and give into these things.
It is in this Circle that the peace of God is brought to us- because we now know the enemy's plan. And we will not back down or be taken off guard by it.
Dive Deep.
-Josh

Very moving...he may have a future in writing...or more than likely...ministry...

Until Later...

Something from Nick's family's blog

2006-08-14T19:06:00.000-05:00

Remember I said they have a deep faith? This is what Nick's older brother wrote earlier today on the website St. Jude sets up for them.... It is amazing to me that they are able to do this...

MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2006 01:46 PM, CDT
Joy from the Frontline of the Battle
Josh Avery, Guest Writer
I was online today, looking through some websites and different things, and I found the following quote. I'll let you read it before I go on with the rest of what I'm going to write today.
"Though a famine of true Christianity stalks the land, though everything seems to be gone, we can rejoice in God. Though circumstances reach their lowest ebb, and things seem to be so out of kilter to the way that we think they should go, we can have joy because He has promised to save us—and He will. He has assured us many times, 'Just endure this period of trial. Trust in Me.' "
Today I feel that what was said above is true. Although things have taken on their own path, one that we could have never predicted, we know that the promise of God grows near- and from that I find joy. It's hard to have joy, to feel any sort of happy feeling towards the situation.
Right now, Nick is in the same condition that he was when my aunt Jill wrote last night. His cat scans came back this morning, and it seems as they are similar to yesterday's. (Yesterday's were a definite improvement from the first night.) He's still under heavy sedatives, and so he hasn't woken up yet since the operation. This is a good thing, because he's on a breathing machine at the moment and wouldn't be comfortable with all of that if he were awake.
I have spent two days now sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, seeing that Nick's condition has been stable, yet consistent. When you see no change and no huge positive changes for a 24 hour period, joy is hard to find. There is alot of waiting being done here- at the frontline of the battle.
And it is a battle. Many of us are focusing now on the negatives- the pain, the sadness, the anxiousness of waiting to hear more news about Nick's condition. However, through all of these things, we often forget one important truth...
The battle has been won. If God has promised something, He will deliver His promise. He will never change his mind. I've heard it said this way: that "oops" is not in God's vocabulary. None of this is a surprise to Him, and none of this changes His plan. His plan is still there, His promise still shining through the darkness and confusion like a lighthouse.
So where do we find joy? We find it in knowing that God has a plan. God has a promise. He understands our human nature to be anxious about Nick's condition. He understands that we're going to worry about him because of our love for him. God understands our pain. But don't forget that God is whispering something else- something you may need to strive past the fear and doubt to hear. God is saying "'Just endure this period of trial.... Trust in Me."
All this being said, I ask you to join me. I ask all of you, all of my fellow members of the Circle, to join me in accepting that promise despite our doubts. The doctors say that Nick will be in a critical condition for at least another 24 hours- possibly more depending on his rate of recovery. So I stand today, now, asking all of you who are bold to stand beside me... I stand and walk to the throne of God and ask for deliverance. In these next 24 hours, I will be fasting and passing up all meals- praying for these things. If you want to join me, please do so. Instead of eating- pray at those times that you would.
Prayer is said to be the most mighty weapon of all. I ask you to join me in this, so that God hears the cry of his people. Time to go on the offensive. I'll be back in 24 hours to report from the frontline.
Never Break the Circle.
Dive Deep.
-Josh

Update

2006-08-14T07:41:00.000-05:00

Nick went in last Thursday to have his line put in for his chemo. He had a migraine following that surgery and then Saturday night my daughter got a text that said Nick was bleeding in his brain and he was being rushed to another Memphis hospital for emergency brain surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. He is still sedated and on a ventilator. They say the next 72 hours will be critical. They need to know if there is any kind of brain damage before they will start the chemo. Apparently he IS responding to touch though...Thank God!

You would not believe the faith this family has. It is truly unbelievable.

Cincinnati

2006-08-07T09:08:00.000-05:00

Anna and Rick...she is talking as usual...lol

Rick talking to us backstage

Sav

Suzanne and Rick

Me and Rick

Phil

Jennifer and Rick

JOE!

Savvy

Viv

Nick

2006-08-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

When my daughter's friend Nick was at St. Jude last week he was given the choice of 1. he could start treatment immediately OR 2. he could come home and go back on Tuesday and start treatment. He chose #2. So, he has been home the last few days and today he asked Jennifer to go to church with him and his family and then go back to his house for a small get together. So, Jennifer is at church now, praying with the boy she likes about his battle with cancer. What alot for a 14 yr.old to go through. She has been asking me alot of questions about his treatment, and about my treatment. (I had cancer 10 years ago)

So...she is excused from The Family Reunion today...she will be with Nick.

Pray for him...
Pray for your own kids...
Thank God they are healthy!

Peace..

Say another prayer

2006-08-02T19:05:00.000-05:00

<------This is Nick

My daughter's friend Nick is back at St. Jude. He hasn't been feeling well and they flew him down for tests...his leukemia is back.

He has to have radiation and a bone marrow transplant this time.

Add him to your prayer lists...(Nick Avery..and he is 15)

Thanks my friends....

**I haven't heard anything about my son's friend with leukemia...apparently he is back in Cincinnati for treatment.**

Cincy pics

2006-07-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

These are all Suzanne's...she sent me one of each guy..as a teaser. (gee thanks...lol)

Back from Cincy..

2006-07-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

OMG! What a show! Sav completely stole the show. Yes..I said it...;)

I will put up some pics when I get them...

I'm Home!

2006-07-16T08:06:00.000-05:00

My beautiful daughter Jennifer
The moon...isn't it cool?
Some fish at the Aquarium
The sunrise Thursday Morning
Me and my son Jimmy

My hubby Jim...see he does smile occasionally
me and Jennifer
Jim and me :)
All the kids that were in the house...

I'm back..and as tan as ever! I love vacationing there. It is so quiet and relaxing. Let's all move to the Outer Banks.

Outer Banks

2006-07-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

<----------right about here

Here's where I will be if you need anything...

PS.....the Leps will be an hour away from me when I am there....I would go, but I'd like to stay married for a little while longer..:)

Bad news

2006-06-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

My son's friend who has leukemia...has been sent home.
Jimmy thinks that means he is better.
Now I have to tell my 10 year old why his friend is not going to be here.
Jimmy is going to call Matthew today and go see him.
I am going to talk to his Grandparents and see what is going on.
I think they should take him to St. Jude...it's free...what could it hurt?
I would do everything in my power to save my child.
I would take them wherever they needed to go...but that is just me I guess.

I HATE CANCER!

Welcome to my life

OMG!!

Merry Christmas!

Hey

<3

check out what I made

Jason Michael

Monday is D-Day

I have a fat baby

Before I was a Mom

<100

2 things

New Ultrasound pics

Happy Valentine's Day

It's snowing

here I am...

Ultrasound!

Sweet Sixteen

Happy Monday

Update

Guess what

This and That

Please help out St. Jude on Monday...

Hi there...

wow

Pics for your enjoyment!

Def Leppard

Happy 4th of July

Some pics from around the yard

Lep Tix

UGGHH

I helped birth some babies

random pictures

**cough cough**

Check it out..

NO!

Happy VD!

BRRR....

oops

Pay Attention..

yay!

It's snowing!

Today....

Happy New Year

Today is my son's birthday

Today is my daughter's birthday

What a wonderful town I live in...

Chili's Night...remember?

Snow Pics

It's snowing!!

My boy...

This made my day:

.

I'm still here

Homecoming pics

homecoming

Pictures!!

My boy..

The Car

Jessica...why weren't you in school?

I'll be at the hospital today......

Can I run away?

Article in today's paper

Chili's on September 25th!

My Beautiful Daughter

Steve Irwin ...:(

Joe Elliott smells yummy!!

Whoo!! Hoo!!!

I can't handle anymore of this!

another pic..

Go Out To Eat Sept.25...for Nick

Jen and Nick

YEA!

Nick's Eulogy...given by his brother Josh

Song that was sung at Nick's funeral

Revelation

Services

R.I.P. Nick

Nicholas Adam Avery

Update from Nick's dad

cough cough