Happy 86th Birthday Grandpa!

Today we celebrated Grandpa's 86th Birthday! It was a GREAT day with much to celebrate. He was released from the New Mark skilled nursing facility this morning after a two month stay in the hospital and nursing home.

I am impressed at how much better he is doing in just a short week. Last Sunday mom picked him up and he spent the afternoon with us at their house - he was out of breath from just a short walk from the living room to the kitchen.

This afternoon he was really getting around much better with his walker and did not get winded as easy. He will be staying at mom and dad's until he is well enough to go home and stay by himself. Hopefully that will be sooner than later. I know he is anxious to get back home!

New Pipes!

Saturday the new Vance and Hines Big Shot Long pipes were installed to the Harley. Mike was extremely anxious to get to St. Joe to pick up the bike despite the rain/snow flurries/and 40 degree weather.

The second they started up the bike, Mike was all smiles! It was exactly what he wanted... a very deep/loud potato...potato...potato sound (much louder than the factory pipes that came with the bike). I think we are going to need to invest in some ear plugs now!

Mike bundling up for the ride home!

Someone once told me that once you have a Harley, the spending never ends... there is always the next "upgrade" that you want to make to the bike. I now believe them 100% - Mike is already talking about new handlebars, chroming out much of the bike and much, much more!

Saturday Ride!

Saturday Mike and I spent most of the day on the motorcycle. It was a beautiful day... 65 degrees and sunny - weather that we haven't had in a while in KC. It was a bit chilly on the highway, but the backroads were perfect! We rode almost all day long and had a fabulous time! Next weekend Mike gets Vance and Hines Long Shots installed and the bike is going to be a lot louder then. He is so excited... it's funny to listen to him. He's like a kid the night before Christmas!

Kelly, Michael, Emma, Mom and Dad came over that night for dinner and to watch the KU / North Carolina game. Emma got to ride on the motorcycle with Ummie Mike from the driveway to the garage (with Michael hanging on to her of course). She loved it!

Don't Blink!

Today I was in the car and "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney came on the radio. I have heard this song multiple times in the past, but I've never really paid close attention to the words. Today I really listened and I was moved to tears!

This is such an AWESOME song... it really speaks to what each and every one of us should be doing every precious day we have on this earth... living in the moment and appreciating every single thing that happens in our lives and every single person that is a part of it!

I turned on the evening news

Saw a old man being interviewed

Turning a hundred and two today

Asked him what's the secret to life

He looked up from his old pipe

Laughed and said "All I can say is."

Don't blink

Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you

Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife

Don't blink

You just might miss your babies growing like mine did

Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"

Of fifty years is there in bed

And you're praying God takes you instead

Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think

So don't blink

I was glued to my tv when it looked like he looked at me and said

"Best start putting first things first."

Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand

You can't flip it over and start again

Take every breathe God gives you for what it's worth

Don't Blink... chorus

So I've been tryin' ta slow it down

I've been tryin' ta take it in

In this here today, gone tomorrow world we're livin' in

Don't blink... chorus

Next time you start to wish that tomorrow would get here sooner... sit back and think about "Don't Blink"... it makes you realize how wonderful today is!

Searcey's Baby Shower

Saturday night was Chad and Jonalee's couples baby shower. Mike and I hosted the shower along with three other couples. Brown, green and blue polka dots were the theme to match Slayton's nursery. We had a fabulous turn-out... even though the women were mainly upstairs and the men were at the bar watching the basketball games!

Whitney was in charge of the cake and it turned out great!

Chad and Jonalee got so many great gifts for Slayton! It was so much fun to watch them open the presents... I can hardly wait until it's our turn!

Chad holding the diaper cake that I made them and Jonalee in her "hooter hider" :-)

Closer picture of the diaper cake. The layers were made out of rolled diapers and the cake was decorated with onesies, washcloths and Burt's Bees baby products. It was so much fun to make.

Jonalee and Suz leaving with O'Douls in hand!

The Secret!

The Christmas holiday was emotionally difficult for me because we had just miscarried. During that time Jason was home and staying with us and he told me about a book... The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. He thought that book would be a good one for me to read - I now know why.

I had thought about it on and off since then and finally purchased it about a month ago. On the way to Jason's a few weeks ago I started reading it and I have to say that it has been the most uplifting / mind-changing book that I have ever read. It's amazing how much weight your thoughts carry... The Secret is about knowing how you can have, be, or do anything that you want.

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A few of my favorite passages...

Have you ever started to think about something that you were not happy about, and the more that you thought about it the worse it seemed? That's because as you think one sustained thought, the law of attraction brings more like thoughts to you. In a matter of minutes, you have gotten so many like unhappy thoughts coming to you that the situation seems to be getting worse. The more you think about it the more upset you get.

Ask... The first step is to ask. Make a command to the Universe.

Believe... See the things you want as already yours.

Receive... Begin to feel wonderful about it. Feel the way you will feel once it arrives. Feel it now.

What can you do right now to turn your life around? The very first thing is to start making a list of things to be grateful for. This shifts your energy and starts to shift your thinking. Whereas before this exercise you might be focusing on what you don't have, your complaints, and your problems, you go in a different direction when you do this exercise. You start to be grateful for all of the things you do feel good about.

Nothing can prevent your picture from coming into concrete form except the same power which gave it birth - yourself!

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Loss, in any form, is such a difficult thing to deal with. That seems especially true when it is something that you want more than anything else on earth. Experiencing a miscarriage, for me, has been the most detrimental experience in my life to date. My mind... in relation to getting pregnant again, seeing other pregnant women and being around others who are pregnant, has been in a horribly negative place since December 19th. Before reading this book, no matter how many times someone told me to "focus on the other areas of your life that are blessed", "everything happens for a reason", "try not to think about it" my mind could not move away from feelings of anger and resentment... and "Why me"?

I can honestly say now, that finally, in reading this book my mind has shifted to a different place. It has been a long time coming... three months in fact! I am truly grateful, for all of the blessings in my life... my husband, my dog, my family, my career, my home... the list goes on and on! Expressing my gratitude for these things on a daily basis provides the most awesome feeling! Rather than focusing on not being pregnant... I keep focusing on being pregnant. I know that one of these days in the near future Mike and I will be blessed again!

Thank you family and friends for your patience, support, understanding, and unconditional love during this chapter in my life... Thank you Jason for sharing this book with me and Thank you to The Secret! This book has changed my life!

Happy Easter!

Yesterday was Easter and we celebrated the day with family (the only few missing were Jason, Grandpa and the Seckels)! How blessed we are to have everyone else here - even Seth and Abbey!

Emma Grace with Baby Emma (in matching dresses and bows).

Mike and I joined the rest of the Jenks / Koeneke clan for church, then we had Easter dinner at our house. As always, we had more food than we could possibly eat. And for desserts... even though only two people were suppossed to bring dessert... we ended up with 9, yes 9, different things! We LOVE dessert in this family!

Will, Lily, Emma and Kole eating lunch

Kelly, Stacy, JoDe and Mom

Aunt Missy, Uncle Herb and Dad

Seth and his fiance Abbey

After dinner Ummie Mike hid Easter Eggs inside because it was too chilly to hide them outside. It didn't make one bit of difference to the kids where the eggs were... they had a great time searching! And they each came away with a large bag of candy! Gussie was interested in the eggs too!