Friday, December 28, 2007

Bad Day for Mike



Mike was up until 4 a.m. this morning having a gagging spell - coughing and dry heaves. He had chemo the other day and this usually happens after his treatment, but Judy said it is worse than normal. She said he slept for about two hours before it started again. He still went to work, though. We all wish that he would come home and rest when he is feeling this bad. It can't be good for him to push himself so hard when he has these spells. He needs the rest, especially if he hasn't slept, to build up his system. At 10:00 a.m. this morning, Mike was still not doing well.


Please pray for Mike that he will feel better.


Thursday, December 27, 2007

Christmas With The Family

Christmas went so fast this year. It seemed like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating Thanksgiving and now Christmas is already over! On Christmas Eve it is a tradition for the Robinson/Metzler/Baer crew to go to Pizza Hut in Chambersburg. We met this year at 4:00 p.m. and luckily, we didn't have to wait in a long line like we have others years. It was still busy, though and the employees worked hard to try and keep up with the demand at the pizza buffet line.

We gave Mike his book that everyone filled out the questionnaires for at the spaghetti dinner while we were at Pizza Hut. After Pizza Hut, we all went to our different churches for candlelight service. I enjoy candlelight service so much, especially the lighting of the candles and singing Silent Night. Every year as I sing that song it gives me hope for the upcoming year that things will be better.

On Christmas evening, the entire crew went to Bobby and Jane's house. Bobby and Jane remodeled their house a couple of years ago and this was the first that Bill and I had seen it. They have a beautiful home with lots of room now! The boys all went upstairs to play Playstation, pool and other games while the rest of the family congregated downstairs to play card games, board games, and to eat. It's never a Robinson/Metzler gathering if there isn't lots of food! Janes parents were also there. All in all it was a wonderful Christmas and a very memorable one!

As usual, Mike was his ornery self and he was cracking jokes and being silly. He looked really good and he's now making jokes about his lack of hair, thanks to chemo. I will post some pictures as soon as I get them uploaded onto the computer.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Merry Christmas!



I would like to wish everyone and their families a very happy, healthy and merry Christmas!

Rejoice and remember the true meaning of Christmas - Christ's birth - and enjoy your families!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Online Podcast Regarding Fibromyalgia

I was interviewed yesterday for an online podcast at the Weight Watchers Blogger website.

The interview was about Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and how it affects weight. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the link below. The first four minutes the blog owner talks about her weight loss and then after that is my interview.

Podcast Spotlight - Fibromyalgia and Weight Loss

Mike's Birthday at Applebee's!

Tuesday night the family gathered at Applebee's for Mike's birthday. It took us a long time to get seated, but once we did we had a great evening. Mike was onery as ever and he looked really good! It was a nice evening with the family.

Logan enjoyed his evening out and he got to sit down by Aunt Dudu and Uncle Mike so he was happy.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today Mike is a birthday boy! He is 58 years young and still going strong! Judy turned 58 last month so Mike is always kidding around and giving Judy a rough time about the fact that he married an older woman! Always the joker!

Mike has been doing pretty good. He is losing his hair rather quickly and now his head is getting cold. Judy bought him a hat to keep his head warm. Mike has a head cold right now and naturally Judy is worried about it turning into something worse. When your immune system is so compromised from chemotherapy and cancer, any normal illness can take a turn for the worse quickly. She is upping some of his supplements to help ward off the cold.

Keep saying prayers for Mike! Call and wish Mike a happy birthday today!


Friday, December 14, 2007

Aunt Velva Is Now With The Angels...




Our Aunt Velva died this week. She was 90 years old and her funeral was today.

Velva had been sick here for a while and it was time for her to go. She wasn't able to do the things that she once enjoyed and her life was no longer enjoyable as she once knew it.

She had commented different times to family and friends that she was blessed to have lived such a long happy life and whenever the Lord was ready to take her home it was okay with her.

Velva was a nice woman who I always thought was not afraid to speak her mind. If she didn't like something, she would say so. But she was always friendly and she was always very nice to me. When we had Logan, she came to the house and brought diapers and held the baby.

She will surely be missed by many family and friends. She is survived by six sisters.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Point of Grace: Jesus Will Still Be There




Things change, plans fail
You look for love on a grander scale
Storms rise, hopes fade
And you place your bets on another day
When the going gets tough
When the rides too rough
When you're just not sure enough

(chorus)
Jesus will still be there
His love will never change
Sure as the steady rain
Jesus will still be there
When no one else is true
Hell still be loving you
When it looks like you've lost it all
And you haven't got a prayer
Jesus will still be there

Time flies, hearts turn
A little bit wiser from lessons learned
But sometimes, weakness wins
And you lose your foothold once again
When the going gets tough
When the rides too rough
When you're just not sure enough

(repeat chorus) (2x)

When it looks like you've lost it all
And you haven't got a prayer
Jesus will still be there

Monday, December 10, 2007

More Spaghetti Dinner Pictures!




Jane was in charge of selling baskets, while I helped Bill occasionally throughout the night with door prizes.


Michelle enjoying her dinner!




Our music for the evening was provided by Woody Payne and his wife





Bobby's oldest son, Robby, and his daughter Julianna (Sorry if that's spelled wrong!)











Mike's sister, Jeannie, filling up food on the serving line













Mike & son Mikie hugging - he was our surprise guest!








Judy & Justin














Our friendly greeter, Chris, working the door! She was a great person to have greeting everyone.


















Mike & mother-in-law, Helen coming in

Friday, December 7, 2007

Point of Grace: You Will Never Walk Alone

Mike - You are never alone! This is a great song with wonderful meaning!

Along life's road
There will be sunshine and rain
Roses and thorns, laughter and pain
And 'cross the miles
You will face mountains so steep
Deserts so long and valleys so deep
Sometimes the Journey's gentle
Sometimes the cold winds blow
But I want you to remember
I want you to know

You will never walk alone
As long as you have faith
Jesus will be right beside you all the way
You may feel you're far from home
But home is where He is
And he'll be there down every road
You will never walk alone
The path will wind

And you will find wonders and fears
Labors of love and a few falling tears
Across the years
There will be some twists and turns
Mistakes to make and lessons to learn
Sometimes the journey's gentle
Sometimes the cold winds blow
But I want you to remember where ever you may go

Jesus knows your joy, Jesus knows your need
He will go the distance with you faithfully

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Pictures From The Dinner

Justin, Jess and a couple of other people took pictures at the spaghetti dinner last Saturday night so I had no idea what was on the camera until I came home and checked it out for myself! I'll post some tonight and then some in another day or so.


Justin and Mike


Wow! Look at all the people!


Bev & Lois at the dessert table! Yum!


Mike's sisters, Pauline (left) and Jeannie serving up spaghetti and sauce.



Bobby, aka "The Dip", and Jess serving food.




Judy and Austin coming in. My hubby's in the background carrying McDonald's for the kids and Chris is on duty at the door.





Our son, Logan, granddaughter, Mikeala and Kayla!






Door prize tables - we had many, many door prizes!






Silent auction tables - we had 21 items up for auction!


























Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Sandi Patty: In the Name of the Lord



Crowds Have Lined The Narrow Street
To See This Man From Galilee
Just A Carpenter Some Say Leading Fools Astray
Yet Many Kneel To Give Him Praise

And In His Eyes They Glimpse The Power
That Sees The Heart Of All Men
And He Knows His Fathers Mind And He Speaks His Fathers Words
For He Comes In The Name Of The Lord

There Is Strength In The Name Of The Lord
There Is Power In The Name Of The Lord
There Is Hope In The Name Of The Lord
Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord

When My Plans Have Fallen Through
And When My Strength Is Nearly Gone
When Theres Nothing Left To Do But Just Depend On You
And The Power Of Your Name


And When We Call Upon Your Name
Your Strength Through Weakness To Show
We Can Know The Master Plan Extend The Masters Hand
When We Come In The Name Of The Lord


There Is Strength In The Name Of The Lord
There Is Power In The Name Of The Lord
There Is Hope In The Name Of The Lord
Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord

His Name Will Be Worshipped Forever
Creator Redeemer And King And King

There Is Strength In The Name Of The Lord
There Is Power In The Name Of The Lord
There Is Hope In The Name Of The Lord
Blessed Is He Who Comes
Blessed Is He Who Comes
Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord
In The Name Of The Lord

Mike Got Great News From Doctor!



Judy called very happy this morning! Mike received some wonderful news from the doctor. His tumor count (blood work they took) is down a lot! Previously his count was 298 and now it is 72. That means this new chemotherapy is killing off the cancer. Mike has also gained two pounds! It is a glorious day!


I know the power of prayer has been helping Mike fight this so please keep it up! We have faith that he will be cancer free. Let's keep the prayer chain going.


P.S.


I didn't forget about posting the pictures from Saturday. I will try to get them up either tonight or tomorrow.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Spaghetti Dinner Was A Success!

The spaghetti dinner was a huge success last night! We had close to 250 people in attendance and the church was full! It was great seeing so many people come out to support Mike. People started coming in early around 4:30 p.m. The food was ready so we went ahead and started sending people to get their spaghetti.

Mike and Judy were busy last night, walking around, talking to everyone there. Judy keeps saying she doesn't know what she is going to run out of first - tears or Kleenex. Mike had a surprise visitor that came for the event - Mikie flew up for the weekend! Mike had guessed earlier in the week though that he was coming so he wasn't surprised but he was sure happy to see him there. Michelle, Dean, Kayla, Austin, Mikie, Mike, Judy and Helen all had the head table - the one closest to the food!

The silent auction was a success, as we had 21 items that people could bid on. We ended up raising almost $1,000 just from the silent auction! Bill was busy all evening calling off door prizes every 15 minutes. We had many, many door prize items that were given away.

Chris was our greeter at the door and she did a great job greeting everyone and making them feel welcome. Jane was our official basket seller/order taker last night and she kept things on that side going.

Michelle and Kayla were in charge of the silent auction table and they did a great job of making sure those tables ran smoothly and they had the fun job of collecting money from everyone! Michelle was having a great time chatting with lots of people! Every time I walked by her she was talking to someone different!

I called Bobby a "dip" because he was one of our food dippers. I kept trying to give him a break but he wanted to be a dip! (Just kidding!) He was a big help on the food table and I appreciate him standing there the whole time. He was helped by Jess & Josh. Mike's sisters, Pauline and Jeannie, helped in the kitchen with dipping spaghetti and sauce and doing dishes in between customers. Pauline's husband, Ron, kept things filled up on the food table where Bobby was at.

My mom, Carolyn, my dad, Dave, and my sister, Sue, kept the drink table running smoothly. Bev & Lois were in charge of desserts and boy did they ever have a lot of desserts to dish out! That table was a big hit! We had many great cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other desserts donated. Bev was also a huge help in getting door prizes and silent auction items donated.

Our "behind the scenes" volunteers in the kitchen were Aunt Edna and Francis H. She cooks for all of the spaghetti dinners at the Shook Home in Chambersburg so we had a pro to help us out.

Justin was our photographer last night ( I will post pictures tomorrow) and Austin, along with Gretchen's son & daughter, and Gretchen helped to clear off tables.

Our daughter, Lori and my babysitter, Samantha, had craft activities for the kids to do and they kept that corner of the room running smoothly. Lori was also a great help with getting donations, door prizes and silent auction items donated. She also came early yesterday (2:30) to help Bill & I get things started at the church. Lori's two girls, Lexi and Mikaela, and our son, Logan, helped us put placemats and plasticware around on all of the tables. We had everyone working - even the little ones!

Mikie helped take trash to the dumpster and he helped us load up the vehicles with leftovers and other items.

Woody Payne was a great pianist for us last night and it was so nice to have Christmas music playing while everyone ate and chatted.

A friend and fellow train club member, Tony, and Steve Cox, another train club member and co-worker of Mike's, were a huge help in getting us to the church yesterday. I had everything for the spaghetti dinner stashed in my doll room and there was little room left in there to walk we had so much stuff! He came down at 2:00 p.m. yesterday and helped us load up the trailer and it was great having him! Then last evening, Steve Cox was a huge help in tearing down. He helped with trash, cleaning off tables and vacuuming the church foyer. Steve also helped to sell many tickets at Gabler's.

Later when it was time to clean up, we put all of the young men to work. Justin, Brandon, Josh, and a friend of Justin's helped to sweep, mop, put away tables and chairs and rearrange chairs for today's church service.

Chris said prayer before we began and that was so nice. It was a wonderful way to start the evening and it just put a calm over me that I definitely needed! I was a nervous wreck!

The church was wonderful in making sure all of the tables were set up and they were very helpful to us. Bill, Logan and I belong to a wonderful church and we are very proud to attend Mt. Rock.

It was wonderful to see so many people chip in and help and the whole event, from beginning to end, from October to now, was a team effort. It is something that I know none of us in the family will ever forget. Mike is really loved and last night it showed in that room. We could have probably easily sold at least another 100 tickets. He has touched a lot of lives and I am glad that he could see the results of that with everyone together in one room.

Thank you!

Thank you so much to everyone in the family and friends who helped with this event from donating food and items to working last night. We couldn't have had a better group of people working and everything that everyone did was greatly appreciated by us!