Goodbye 2008!

Today has been a day that I have been longing for. I don't know why, but for some reason in my head I have 2009 as the end to all of the not so great things that have happened in our lives in 2008. I know realistically that 2009 will bring some challenges, but I can't imagine any year of my life being as hard as the year that is hours away from ending.

2008 had many challenges for me and my family. In May I lost my mom. I can't ever imagine having pain like this again. Although the memory of her is in all of our hearts the mourning seems like it gets more difficult before it will be able to get better. Every time I look at my girls I see her and that is an amazing blessing that I have. I am sure my grandmother and aunts and uncles feel the same when they look at me. I struggle when Dylanne does something amazing or K'la goofy as I immediately want to pick up the phone and call her. I lost my best friend this year and that is a hole that I still struggled to mend.

Just when we thought it couldn't get worse my Goddaughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At this point I was numb and unable to offer much support to her or her family. Ally proved to be my strength though and showed me a great deal about survival! Ally is now cancer free and just a "normal" kid again.

Then the rain began and we were dealing with the floods of 2008. Luckily since we live in Urbana, we were blessed to not have our homes affected by the flood. However, both of our works were affected. Mine was affected for 2 weeks and Mike continues to be in an alternate location. I worked emergency childcare in those weeks for flood victims and Mike got a little vacation for a month. Not very fun though when you aren't getting paid.

What else could really happen to our family? Well, finally we had a diagnosis for Micheala and her sleep apnea. This was such a relief and such a nightmare at the same time. It proved that I wasn't crazy and the apnea was really occurring again, but it also came with brain surgery. Mike and I again were like zombies and just went through the motions of everyday life. I pissed everyone off at the Hospital, but in the end it paid off. Micheala had her surgery on August 4th (our 7 year anniversary). The hardest part of that day actually proved to be the ride to the hospital while Micheala begged us to stop and get her something to eat. She was a champ! Out of surgery early and out of ICU in less than 24 hours! She had the nurses and doctor's earning their pay while she was in there as she wouldn't sit still and insisted on moving her bed up and down or jumping on her bed. All of this from a 3 year old that just had brain surgery. She is continues to do well. As I tell most people, she is earning time outs again so that's a good sign.

Finally, our lives could move on, right? Not so fast. At the end of October, we found out that my cancer had made an unwelcome return and that I was to do treatment again. Ugh, will it ever end?

Well, I do have to say that it has. I am done with treatment and it is all behind me (let's pray).

So after reading the above I hope you understand why 2009 can't begin to get here fast enough.

I didn't write this to get sympathy, it was simply something I needed to do for myself as closure and I thought I'd share my thoughts. 2008 wasn't all bad. I was able to spend time with family and friends. Mike and I made friends with some neighbors and they are wonderful and we treasure their friendship. Strange enough, my mother's passing brought some blessing too. I now have a relationship with my mother-in-law that is beyond anything I could have dreamed. She proved to be my rock many times when I wasn't sure what to do with myself. She may not even know how much she helps me with dealing with my mom's passing, but she does, even today. I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful family. I also found out that I am going to be an aunt in 2009. I know this is an exciting time for anyone, but being an only child this is something I have waited a very long time for! I am so excited to spoil him rotten! I also have to be thankful for the friends and family that are healthy and in my life. I am still able to be close to my grandmother and I think she is my soul mate. My mother was always my best friend, but my grandmother has always been my soul mate. We are two peas in a pod and growing up in a house with her, my grandfather and my mother to all raise has been the biggest blessing of my childhood. I couldn't have asked for anything better and the fact that I still get to visit her and drive her crazy is something I truly cherish.

I know that I am rambling now and probably not making much sense, but I just wanted to write this all down for my future reference. Tonight, we will be ringing in the new year with great friends. I had thought that going to the bar was what I wanted to do, but things often don't work out for a reason and staying in with my husband, beautiful daughters and great friends is just what I need and I couldn't have asked for anything more special.

I wish everyone a very blessed, happy and healthy 2009. May no one ever go through a year like I did in 2008 and may you all keep your family and friends close to your heart!

Finally After 20 Years, The Wait Is Over!

I've waited 20 years for this weekend and I finally got to live out my boyhood dreams.......I got to see the Giants play live! A friend of mine, got me a couple tickets to the Giants/Vikings game on Sunday and Heather and I took the trip. We left the girls with Grandpa and Grandma Schrock for the weekend and headed up to Minneapolis. We stayed at the Marriott City Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday night, the same hotel that the Giants stayed in. As we checked in, I ran into Dominick Hixon, Giants wide receiver, and a few other players. No autographs or pictures because they were headed to a team dinner. Just a few short moments later, I saw Eli Manning get out of the elevator, which was quite a treat for me. Throughout the weekend we ran into various other Giants personnel. I rode the elevator on Sunday morning with the Offensive Coordinator and team doctor! Our seats were awesome, row 9 in the corner of the end zone on the Giants sideline. We got to the Dome at 10:30am so I took some pictures from our seats of the pregame warm ups. I didn't take any during the game, as I was just soaking it all in.
The pregame pep talk from the captains.
Brandon Jacobs did not play due to a soar knee and there being no real reason to play him, since we already had home field locked up for the playoffs. He is on the far right in the blue wind pants. He is much bigger in person than on TV! In the background you can see Eli getting stretched out.
Here are wide receivers Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham.
Finally my boy, Ahmad Bradshaw. I was a bit surprised at how big he was in person since he looks small on TV.

Although we didn't win, it was a great time. I felt 10 years old again. I met some awesome fellow Giants fans and some real asshole Viking fans, but overall it was awesome. Heather was a good sport as well because even though she is a Bears fan, she still rocked out the Eli Manning jersey for the game!

Christmas at the Schrock House

I hope that all had a very special holiday, I know that all of us at the Schrock House did! We started the celebration on Christmas Eve at Grandpa and Grandma Schrock's house. We enjoyed presents, food and company while the girls played with all of their new toys. Dylanne got a make up set, a color spin art machine and High School Musical books. Micheala got a Polly Pocket race car track, Horton Hears a Hoo movie and an air brush art machine. We all had a good time which just goes to prove that there is nothing better than spending the holidays with your family.
Here is one of many pictures of the girls opening gifts on Christmas morning. They each got a Nintendo DS, clothes (blah), High School Musical dolls and a Taylor Swift doll. They got a few other odds and ends gifts, but I cannot remember everything that they got. they both were very excited and were very happy with there gifts, which made Heather and I feel relieved.
A shot of the girls playing with Micheala's Polly Pocket race car track at grandpa and grandmas. This thing was not easy to put together and I thought about throwing out in the snow a couple times during the construction of the track.
Micheala and Dylanne receiving their Cabbage Patch Kids in memory of Grandma Brenda. Heather and I wanted to do something special for the girls to remember Grandma Brenda this Christmas, so we bought them each a Cabbage Patch Kid from Grandma Brenda. Heather and I talked to the girls about how Grandma Brenda was with us in spirit and that we should always remember her, not only on holidays, but everyday.
We decided to go with Cabbage Patch Kids because Heather said that when Brenda got Heather her first Cabbage Patch Kid, it was on Christmas, so we decided to make a special connection that way. This was our first Christmas without Brenda and it went alright. We will always remember how she never had a lot of money to spend on the girls, but would always seem to buy the perfect gift for them. I guess Grandmas just have a special way of knowing these things.

Here's to a Happy New Year to all!

Two Dimes

Here's a story I would like to share with all of my family and friends. It is about legendary Green Bay packer Quarterback, Bart Starr and his family.

Bart Starr had a method in which motivated his boys to do well in school. He would reward the boys with two dimes every time they brought home superb reports from school. Bart would also tell the boys how proud of them that he was and the boys just ate it up. Bart simply just wanted the boys to always do there best and strive for excellence. One particular weekend, Bart was in St. Louis playing a game, and even though the Packers won the game, Bart had a pretty rough game. He was very disappointed in his play on the field and didn't think that he played to the best of his abilities. After a long trip, Bart returned home late Sunday evening, absolutely worn out both mentally and physically. He put his things down at the door and finally made his way to bed. He just wanted to sleep off his disappointing performance and start fresh in the morning. As he made his way to bed he noticed a note on his pillow. It was from his youngest boy and read, “Dad, we thought you played great” and taped to the note were two dimes.

I read this story and I think about all of you reading this post. I think about how much I appreciate each and everyone of you for the roles that you've played in my life. I also realized that I often times don't thank all of you enough for just being such great people. You have always been there to pick me up when I was down and congratulate me when I was on top of the world. So in the spirit of the legendary quarterback, Bart Starr, I give all of you two dimes, in hopes that you can look at this post when your feeling down and know that you are appreciated and loved.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Eilders Christmas

The girls and I went to my family's Christmas this past weekend. We truly had a blast visiting with our friends and family. I really was not looking forward to the first Eilders Christmas without my mom, but now that I went I know that it was just what I needed! Being around my mom's siblings and my grandma brings me closer to my mom and I loved every minute of it. We played games and ate food for 12 hours and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Iowa Football Banquet

Tonight my neighbor John and I got to go to the Iowa Football Banquet. Ryan, my cousin, extended an invitation to us and we couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was awesome to say the least. I had a blast and got to meet some of my favorite Hawkeyes. Thanks Ryan for a night that I will always remember.Ryan and I after the banquet. Doesn't Ryan look sharp in the threads?
"Captain" Kirk Ferentz and I after the banquet. Coach Ferentz is one of the nicest guys I've met.
Andy Brodell and I talked a bit about his punt return against Iowa State.
The highlight of the night was meeting the 2008 Doak Walker Award winner, Shonn Greene. I think it should be noted that Shonn gave his Offensive MVP award to his offensive linemen and walked off the stage after giving it to them. He is truly a class act.

Thanks again Ryan for the awesome evening.

Christmas Concert at the CPU Elementary

Tonight the Schrock family enjoyed the vocal stylings of the K-1st graders at CPU. This was Dylanne's first winter concert and she was excited. Each grade sang 2 songs and all did very well. All of the kids looked very nice and did a super job. The gym was packed and I realized that CPU is no longer a small school.Micheala and I enjoying the concert. Micheala sat silent with a blank stare on her face throughout the entire concert.
Dylanne in her concert outfit. Striking a pose as she is a "diva".
One more of my cute little 5 year old. Job well done Dylanne!

I Can See Clearly Now...........

A few weeks ago, Dylanne came to heather and I and said that her eyes hurt and she was having headaches. After a couple days of the same complaints, we scheduled her for an eye appointment. Sure enough, she needed to start wearing glasses. She got her glasses on Tuesday and is doing really well with them. The eye doctor explained that she is farsighted and would need to wear her glasses at all times. This helped explain why she was coloring outside the lines and so on. She was nervous about going to school today, because she didn't want people making fun of her. I walked her to class today and her friends told her that her glasses were "pretty cool", thank God.