Welcome 2017!

January 1, 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And boy am I happy for a new year. I can only pray that it is a little easier on us than 2016. I've been reading a lot of peoples reflections on 2016 as they welcome the New Year and to be honest, I don't even know where to begin with reflecting on the year. See the thing is, this time last year we were closing on our old home, celebrating the New Year quietly at home saying to each other, "this is our year! we'll move into our new house with the girls and this will be the best year yet!"... well, as all of you know, 2016 may not have been our year. But 2016 has taught me a lot.

This year I have learned the true meaning of gratitude. Never in my life have I experienced gratitude the way I have this past year. From the minute Ben was diagnosed the outpour of support that has come in many different ways has been a true blessing to our family. We have said it before and we continue to say, THANK YOU! We thank everyone who has helped our family this year because without you we would not be able to get through this experience. You all have made this so much easier on us to not worry or stress about the little things, and believe me at the beginning  the little things felt like big things! We have been able to focus on our family and the time together without panic. We are truly grateful!

I have also learned what a deep relationship and faith in our God feels like. There are days I cry to my Father asking for Him to help me or asking Him to help Ben. But there are also days I smile, acknowledging His work in our lives and how He has placed people/things in our lives so perfectly. It's amazing how things always seem to work out just so, even though we aren't sure at the time why things are going the way they are going. We tend to look back and see God in our lives. For example, the day Ben was diagnosed. The people who were with him in the ER, friends and friends of friends working at the hospital who knew Ben. Looking back it's amazing to see how God truly has been with us the entire time.

I don't want to look back and list all the things that made this year hard for us. I will, however, try and remember the good things and the things that make us who we are today. As Ben always says, "mind over matter". And he is right!

With a brand new year ahead of us we have some very exciting news to share! (Yes, finally some exciting news!)

Back in October Ben and I had planned an evening out to visit our close friends. My parents came by to watch the girls. As we were getting ready to leave I remember vividly making the comment to my parents, "somehow... someway... we need to get to Disney with the girls. This would be my dream to do this with Ben". We headed out for the evening and hung out with our friends only to be completely throw off with "hey guys, we've done a little fundraiser for you and we have enough for your family to go on vacation." Well, this sure put a smile on our faces! "You guys have enough for a week vacation with the girls to DISNEY!!." *insert tears of joy* !!!! We were shocked! and SO excited! I couldn't believe, and still can't believe, that just a few hours earlier I had made that comment to my parents and then here we were being told we are heading to Disney with the girls! Here is another example of where I saw God. Unbelievable!! I don't think there is anyway we can truly thank those who have made this trip possible for us. We are over the moon to be able to go. What you might not know is that this trip has also brought a lot of joy through the planning stages. Where anxiety seemed to be controlling me, this trip came up and it has been something that brings pure joy and something we can truly look forward to, rather than dreading the unknown. This trip has brought a huge amount of excitement in our home! so, THANK YOU! Every single one of you, THANK YOU!

So, the countdown is officially on! We leave at the end of January for a week and both of our parents will be joining us to help with the girls. We are very excited to be able to do this trip with them. Thanks to our good friends, and their helpful experiences with Disney, we've made an itinerary and this mom has spent hours planning a trip and has enjoyed every minute of it! We've rented Ben a motorized scooter for the days that may be more challenging for him but pray he will have an awesome week. He will be skipping chemo treatment the week before we leave so that we aren't dealing with the side effects chemotherapy brings during the trip. Despite a crazy last year, this is the best thing to start off 2017 and we cannot wait to share our experience with you!  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Brooke and her Disney countdown!

We wish everyone a very Happy New Year filled with much happiness and good health!

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11