Unzippable Dress

Collin and Katie celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary Saturday. They were able to take a short weekend trip to Colorado Springs, so they had a good weekend together. The funny thing is, when they arrived at their hotel, they had two double beds rather than one queen size bed, so they slept in separate beds. Katie said, “It’s the best sleep we’ve had in five years.”

I’m sure you’ve been waiting in suspense for Collin and Katie’s wedding story. If you’ve been following my blogs, you’ve read about the missing ring incident that occurred at my sister’s wedding. Aunt Jan saved that day, but that wasn’t the first time she was my saving grace at a wedding. Go back with me five years to September 27, 2003.

Collin and Katie got engaged and married within three months. Shannon, my mom and I all lived in Kearney. Katie, Collin and Katie’s family lived in Colorado. Katie’s sister, Angie, was living in Wisconsin. About two months before the wedding, we planned a weekend when all of us could meet in Denver to do some major shopping. We needed bridesmaid’s dresses, shoes, a ring for Collin, dresses and shoes for the mother’s and a wedding dress. We had one day to do it, so all nine of us met in Denver one Saturday morning and shopped till we couldn’t shop anymore.

First on the list was three bridesmaid dresses. Angie is 4’ 10” (or something short like that) and very petite. Shan is tall and lean. I’m taller than Angie but certainly not lean. It was going to be hard to find a dress to fit all three of us, but miraculously, we found a fabulous dress we all liked. They only had three dresses left, and they were in our three sizes. Size 4 for Angie, size 8 for Shan and size 12 for me. It was a miracle! And even better, the dresses were on sale. My dress was a tad too tight, but it was doable and I had no other choice.

Fast forward two months from that day. It’s now wedding day, and I haven’t tried on my dress since we bought it. Pictures are to begin in 45 minutes, so we’re all frantically running around trying to get ready. I have my hair and makeup done, so next is to put on the dress. I slip it over my head and my mom tries to zip it up. No luck. Let me first explain that the dress had a side zipper. It also had a seam right around the chest area. My mom could get it zipped part way, but the seam was causing some complications. And to top it off, I must have gained a few pounds between buying the dress and wedding day. So, needless to say, my mom was having problems getting the dress zipped.

We changed positions. I put my arms up in the air. That didn’t work. I lay down on the bed. That didn’t work. I twisted the dress so the zipper was in back. That worked, but then I couldn’t turn the dress the right way. I knelt down on my knees so my mom had a better angle. That didn’t work. I am not kidding, for 30 minutes, my mom, grandma, Aunt Lisa and Shannon tried to zip my dress. I was sweating. My grandma was praying. I was almost in tears. My mom was thinking of ways to wear the dress without actually zipping it up. We even went as far to say that I was going to have to wear a different dress than Shannon and Angie. We were getting frantic.

Then came Aunt Jan to the rescue. She came into the room to tell us it was time to go. I had sweat dripping down my face, my mom had given up. If you remember, Jan is the same aunt who saved the day on Shannon’s wedding and found the ring in my underwear. Jan told us all to calm down. She got down on her knees eye level with the zipper. Zip, up it went.

The dress was so tight I could barely breathe, but I lasted through the wedding and part of the reception before having to change my clothes. We were so relieved that Aunt Jan had saved the day. The ring incident happened two years later, where she once again saved the day. My mom tells me all the time that Aunt Jan is going to have to be my personal attendant at my wedding. She says, “I can only imagine what is going to happen on your wedding day, Shiloh.”
At the rate I’m going, however, there might not be a wedding for a very long time.

Drama in the Dating Department

Everyone likes to read a little bit of drama, right? I’ll be the first to admit that one of the reasons I read other people’s blogs is to see what is going on in their life. That’s why you read my blog, right? Hopefully my life thus far has not bored you because my life is relatively drama free most of the time. That’s not to say that a little excitement doesn’t creep into my life here and there, but for the most part, I lead a pretty simple life.

My dating life, especially, has always been drama free. How is it possible to have drama in that department when there’s no guy in that department? That is, up until recently. The story I am about to tell you has become quite comical to me and my friends. I’m flattered, to say the least, but I never expected the story to end the way it does.

Almost a year ago, I went to Cancun, Mexico, with my dear friends, Abby and Kari. On the airplane, I met a guy. We’ll call him A. A and I hit it off right away. We found out we lived and worked in the same area, so phone numbers were exchanged, and we even spent a small amount of time together in Mexico. Once back from Mexico, we started dating. We dated from November through January. One night I got a call from A. He said his ex-girlfriend wanted him back, and he didn’t know what he should do. He liked me and enjoyed spending time with me, BUT he had been with his ex for four years, he had loved her at one point, and he just couldn’t decide who he wanted to be with. I, being as understanding as possible, told him to take some time to make a decision and call me when he was ready to talk about it.

I never heard from him again. I went through a lot of emotions during that time. I had really liked A, I missed hanging out with him, and we had a lot of fun together. On the flip side, I was a little angry at him. I thought he was a coward for not manning up to his decision to obviously choosing his ex over me.

Four months went by. I deleted his number and forgot about him (for the most part). One day my phone rang at work. I didn’t recognize the number, so I answered. Much to my surprise, it was A. He missed me, he wanted to work on our relationship again, he was sorry, he had screwed up, was I willing to have dinner with him? I did have dinner with him. I was very honest with him and told him how I felt and where I stood. I told him if we started hanging out again, it wouldn’t be like it was before. I told him he had to earn my trust again.

We hung out for another two months, and then he disappeared again. No phone call, no explanation. He just vanished. This time wasn’t as hard to move on because I hadn’t allowed myself to get that close to him this time. Several months went by and I got a text from him. He asked how my bike ride was. I gave a friendly reply back. That was in June.

Two weeks ago, he called a left a message. He said he missed me and wanted to talk. He wanted to hear about school, see how I was doing and possibly hang out with me again. I was angry by this phone call. Who does he think he is, just calling when he feels like it? I didn’t call him back, but I did send him a text and asked him why he was calling me. He replied back that he missed me, I was a cool girl, he had screwed up, he wanted to hang out with me again, would I forgive him? I thought long and hard about what I wanted. I prayed a lot about my decision. Did I see myself with A? Did he deserve to be with me? Did I want to date A again? Did God want me to be with A? After a lot of thinking and praying, I decided that, no, I do not see myself with A. He had hurt me several times, and while I held no hard feelings toward him, I also didn’t owe him anything. He was a coward who couldn’t even call me to tell me he didn’t want to date. So I decided to ignore him.

Last week, I got a text from him that said, “So you’re not going to call me back, huh?” I felt I had to take care of this once and for all, so I texted back and said, “I’m sure you can understand why I’m not going to call. Timing has never been right for us. I wish you the best in everything you do.” No reply, so I was grateful the situation was over. But, two days ago, I got another text from him that said, “Well, the timing is right for me right now. Do you have a boyfriend?” By this time, I’m really annoyed at A. Why can’t he leave me alone? Doesn’t he understand that we’re not going to be together? Doesn’t he understand that he messed up? He has to realize that he lost me because of his poor decisions.

I sent him a text back that said, “I don’t have feelings for you anymore. I am dating someone and I’m very happy with him. I hope you’re happy as well.” I felt like I needed to be firm, but I also wanted to be friendly. While I am dating someone, I would have made this decison with or without that person in my life. Hopefully this time he got the message. As weird as this sounds, I am so happy with my decision, and I know that we weren’t meant to be together. God has given me a peace about this choice, and I feel quite proud to be the one making the decision this time. I won’t allow a guy to hurt me and come back when it’s convenient for HIM.

I wish A the best, and I continue to ask God to lead me to the right guy. I’ve learned a lot through this situation with A, and I continue to be in prayer about the man I am supposed to be with. As much as I desire to find a great guy, I will not compromise and be with just any regular guy. He has to be pretty spectacular to hang with my family and friends.

No News is Good News

This week has been busy, so sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I experienced my first parent teacher conferences this week, and they went really well. All the parents were really nice and I didn't get yelled at once.

The one student that I've been trying to connect with came to conferences with his mom, and while he said English wasn't his favorite class, he really likes me as a teacher and he promised me he would do his homework (he's the really smart one that's failing b/c he doesn't do the work). But this week, he's been smiling and making jokes with me, so that's cool.

I've had some time to hang out with a few friends, so that's been neat. Tonight, I'm going on a bike ride with Kari, so I'm really excited for that. I haven't ridden a lot since our ride in June, so this will be good for us to get some exercise on this beautiful fall day.

I'm sorry I don't have anything exciting to report. I'll for sure have some stuff to write about this weekend, I'm sure. Until then, my life is pretty boring.

Why I Love CO

My parents were here for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, so my family headed to Estes Park Saturday morning to spend the day in the mountains. We found a beautiful lake at the top of some mountain, so we unpacked and had a BBQ picnic.

I got a new mini grill last Christmas, so I brought it along to grill brats. When we took it out of the box, it took my dad, my brother and me about 25 minutes to put it together.

We were all starving by that time, so those brats (when done) tasted unusually yummy. Carson, Kye and Case fed the ducks. We also took a family picture, so everyone will see that in the Nichols' Annual Christmas letter.

We then headed to Loveland for the remainder of the day where we ate pizza and watched football.

Today, we all went to church together (I LOVE my church). Kari and Sonya came over and we grilled salmon, chicken and steak and had a fabulous lunch together. Katie and Collin got me a fashionable laptop bag, and my parents got me a mini fridge to put in my classroom once I get a job. Shan and Jeff got me a cooler, so I used that to keep our drinks cold. I'm all set until Christmas.


Mom and dad just left to head back to NE. Kari and Sonya stayed for a while and we watched some football together. They left to go workout and do fun stuff while I'm sitting at home doing homework and school work. I think I might steal away from the computer for a while and go on a bike ride. It has been a beautiful weekend, and I need to get outside to think.

Three Hot Firemen

Grades were due today at 3pm, so I spent the entire day finishing grading papers and entering them into the grade book. I was right on track. The final bell for the day rang at 2:35. I had 25 mins to finish my task.

A kid pulled the fire alarm at 2:40, and the entire school had to be evacuated. Not only that, but since it was unplanned, we had to wait outside until the fire department arrived. They weren't very quick, so we were outside for over 20 minutes.

To top it all off, I was supposed to be home at 3:30pm in order to watch Case. Now I was in a dilemma. I was standing outside with 1,700 students, my phone was inside, my grades had to be posted by 3pm and I had to be home by 3:30. It was 3pm.

My day did start to brighten up about the same time the three cute firemen arrived. They were all dressed up in their attire, carrying an ax, oxygen, and the works. They perused the school, found that there was no fire and left. We got to go back into the school. I waved goodbye as they drove away.

Once back inside, I called Shan, who ended up dropping Case off at my school. I watched Case while I finished entering my grades (they gave us an extension).

Carrie Underwood

My friend, Kari, got six FREE tickets to see Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis, so we headed to the Pepsi Center last night for a fun show. It was a lot of fun, and Carrie is the most amazing singer I think I've ever heard. She was pretty amazing. And so beautiful.

There were two drunk ladies that sat behind us. They talked the ENTIRE time. And they knew every single word to every single song, so there were times when I couldn't hear Carrie at all; rather, all I could hear was the off-tune lady belting it out behind me. She was also making hand movements to all the songs. It was funny, but annoying. To make matters worse, she said the "F" word about every other word. I kid you not, she thought Carrie was the best thing to ever walk this world. This lady said about 50 times (I'm not exagerating) how F****** amazing Carrie was. This lady was even crying. She had tears streaming down her face through several of Carrie's ballads.

Other than those two ladies, we had a good time. Thanks, Kari, for the free tickets! I can hook us up with a cheaper rental car...Wait, that sucks. I'll work on my freebies.

Wine, Cheesecake, Margarita's and Friends

My friends and I had a great weekend. Friday night, we were supposed to go to Six Flags Theme Park, but it was raining and cold, so it was postponed until a few more week. Instead, we went to dinner at Cherry Cricket and got drinks at Govner's Park. Kari and Sonya got me the most fabulous clutch ever. It's orange, and I love itSaturday night, Kari, Sonya and I got dessert at the Cheesecake Factory, paired with a glass of wine. Then we went to The Rio for their classic margarita and ended up dancing the rest of the night away at The Cowboy Lounge, one of our favorite dance spots. Sunday after church, I came home and did hours and hours of school work and homework. I also watched my two favorite teams (Broncos and Steelers) win! I love great weekends.

27th Year

Shannon and Jeff took me out to lunch today, and Jeff asked me, "So, what have you learned this past year?" Apparantly, we're starting a new tradition of reflecting on the past year when one of us celebrates a birthday. I answered without even thinking, "Boys are stupid." Shannon nodded her head in agreement. Jeff glared at both of us.

I don't REALLY think ALL boys are stupid, but I had a few (or just one) in mind when I made that comment. But, that's a topic for another day if I ever choose to write about that subject.

I thought about his question a little bit longer and then answered that I had learned a ton in my Master's classes. I've also learned a lot in the past month alone teaching. That's all head knowledge, so what have I learned about life? I've learned that God is faithful in the big and small things of my life. I've learned that my best friend is a fighter. I've learned that I love my family more than they will ever know. I've learned that I have the most amazing friends in the world. I've learned that I am a very strong person (and not just physically). I've learned that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I've learned that I can handle a lot of stress in my life. I've learned that I can work full time, go to school full time, do homework and have a fun social life all at the same time. I've learned that I can go to God with anything that's on my heart. I've learned that I can survive losing someone I care about even when it's not my choice. I've learned to like myself. I've learned to be confident in who I am. I've learned that laughter eases my mind. I've learned that even when I can't "feel" God, he's still there holding my hand. I've learned that I can lose weight when I set my mind to it. I've learned that I'm a pretty special person to a lot of people.

I was talking to my friend's, Kari and Sonya, the other day, and we all agreed that I'm not the same person I was a year ago. One year ago, I was a timid, quiet, unconfident girl who liked to blend into the background and not make a lot of noise in certain situations. Now, I'll talk to just about anyone. I've gained that confidence that makes me Shiloh. I've accomplished a lot in the 27th year of my life.

Jeff then asked me what I was most proud about this past year. Without any hesitation I said, "Riding in the MS150." Without a doubt, I proved to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to, especially when I have such a huge passion for the cause. I rode for my dad. I rode for my family. I rode for all my friends who have MS. I rode for myself. I rode for God. To him be all the glory for making it to the finish line because heaven knows I might not have made it without Christ riding beside me. Jeff asked me if I was proud of climbing a 14er. Sure, I'm pretty proud of that, especially because a year ago I would have never made that climb without literally dying. But after a year of working out and losing weight, I accomplished that climb even when I hate hiking. I'm proud of a lot of things from this past year, but I don't think I'll ever forget crossing the finish line of the MS150 with my closest family and friends waiting to cheer us on.

That's a summary of my past year. There's so much more that would take hours to write about, but most of you have been there with me along the way of my journey. I'm so thankful that year 28 is already off to a great start.

Birthday

I had a fabulous day, and it was all thanks to my wonderful friends. I had a ton of text messages, facebook messages and phone calls. Unfortunately, I can't answer my phone at school, so I've spent a good chunk of time tonight calling people back, text messaging back and sending facebook messages. Thank you to everyone for making my birthday so special.

My cooperating teacher brought flowers and made a cake. The entire English department signed a card, so they helped make the day special. One girl announced my birthday to the entire class during first period, so everyone was wishing me Happy Birthday. My Journalism class wished me a Happy Birthday and clapped, and my favorite class after lunch sang me Happy Birthday. I even had a student come in his off period to wish me Happy Birthday. They are too sweet.

I've blogged about a particular student before. He's the smart one who doesn't do his homework so he's failing. I've really been trying to connect with him and get him to enjoy English. Today after school, I encountered him in the hallway. He was with a group of football friends, and I figured he would ignore me or pretend like he didn't know me. Freshman have a way of being awkward in the hallway. Much to my surprised, he yelled out, "Happy Birthday Miss Nichols!" I didn't show my surprised, but I was pretty shocked he went out of his way to say that to me, especially with all his friends around. Maybe he does like me after all!

I had to stay at school until almost 6pm tonight because I'm helping with the school newspaper and it was a work night. When I got home, Shan had made dinner for me, so we ate together then Jeff went to Cold Stone for my favorite ice cream. I took a long, hot bubble bath and now I'm sitting here writing. All in all, it's been a great, busy day.

9/11

Today is my birthday. I know what you’re thinking. I get the same reaction from almost every single person. “That’s a crappy day to have a birthday.” I had a student laugh at me the other day. He asked when my birthday was. I said Thursday. He asked what the date was. I said the 11th. He laughed at me. I asked him what he was laughing at, and he said, “That’s a terrible day to have a birthday.” Yeah, tell me about it!

It was my 21st birthday in 2001. I was in the shower getting ready for work. It was also my last day at work. I had worked at this daycare for five years to the day. I had started working there on my 16th birthday, and my 21st birthday was going to be my last day because I was moving to Oregon to go to school. I was in the shower, and my mom knocked on the door. Thinking she wanted to wish me a happy birthday, I told her to come in. Instead, she opened the door and said, “Shi, you need to turn on the TV as soon as you get out. Something bad has happened.”

I finished my shower and turned on the TV. I didn’t quite comprehend what was happening, even after seeing it on TV. I was confused, as was the entire world. I got ready and went upstairs to eat breakfast. My mom and I ate in silence as we watched the horrific scenes on TV. It wasn’t until I was in my car pulling out of the driveway when my mom remembered to wish me a happy birthday. She felt bad about forgetting.

I went to work, and needless to say, it was a pretty bad day. My mom called me at some point during the day to tell me that I might not be able to move to Oregon because the price of gas had shot up to $5/gallon. She said they couldn’t afford to drive me there. I was in tears a good part of the day as I watched the news from work. Not only was my birthday ruined, not only had thousands of people just died, but now I wasn’t going to be able to move to Oregon as planned.

After work, I drove to the nearest gas station to fill up my tank. Everyone in the city of Kearney had the same idea. I waited in line for over an hour to get gas. By the time I got home, it was time for dinner. Rather than being able to choose where I wanted to eat, my dad said we should just go to DQ because it would be fast and cheap. I ate dinner with my parents at DQ and went home to bed. That’s the story of my 21st birthday.

Since that time, it hasn’t been AS bad as that day. However, when I tell people when my birthday is, I get that sympathy look and a small, “Oh, I’m sorry.” I’m just glad that I get a little bit of happiness on this day when the rest of America is mourning that tragic day.

I share this birthday with many people, including my cousin Matt. I also share it with a high school friend, Matt; a friend from church, Scott; a friend from Kearney, Brad. That's all I can think of right now, but Happy Birthday to all of you, too.

Don't Mess With Me

I got angry at one of my classes today. It's actually my favorite class. They are right after lunch, and we usually have a lot of fun. They are full of personality, and I have fun joking around with them. However, today I wasn't feeling well and they were naughty.

Their homework for the night was to read a short story and come prepared to talk about it. I gave them a pop quiz, which almost every single person failed. Then, as we began to discuss it, I started calling on students who don't normally talk. One after the other, not a single student I called on had read the story. I asked those who had read the story to stand up. Out of 30 students, only 10 stood up. At this point, I'm pretty upset. I put on my angry teacher face and said, "I am so dissapointed in you right now. I don't even know what to say. I am not in a good mood, so don't even try to push my buttons right now because it will not go over well." For those that had read the story, I gave them 5 bonus points. My anger must have worked because I didn't hear a peep out of a single one of them until the bell rang.

I gave them another story to read tonight. We'll see how many of them do their homework. I already have a quiz planned. They knew Miss Nichols meant business today.

Service Charges May Apply

My mom thinks I need to take my day-to-day stories and publish a book. I told her my life isn't that interesting that people would want to read about my life. But then I thought about all the people who read my blog. You must find my life pretty interesting if you're reading my blog on a daily basis. So, I've decided to charge $5 per entry in order to read about me. Not sure how I'm going to do that since I don't even know who reads my blog, but I'll think of a way. If you're one of those fools who leaves messages, I know for sure you read my blog...Irish, Shannon, Holly, Kari, Gretchen, Katie C. Aunt Lisa confessed to reading my blog this weekend, so I'll charge her. And I know Katie N reads my blogs. Becca has admitted in an email she reads my work. Wow, I'm going to become rich just by writing about me! It's perfect. Thanks for the idea, mom!

City Girl Tries To Go Hippie

April and her boyfriend, Zach, were in Fort Collins this weekend, so I made a little drive up there Friday after school. They were camping in Poudre Valley, which is about 15 miles north of Fort Collins up a windy, curvy beautiful road. Once to the top, there is an amphitheatre called Mishawaka. It's an outside stage where both local bands and out of state bands come to play. While it was a cold night, it was so much fun. April told me to dress like a hippie, so I did my best to dress as plainly as possible. If you know anything about my style of dress, you know that hippie is as far away from anything I own in my closet. So, I chose dark jeans and a plain grey long sleeved shirt. I grabbed my teal vest (which has fur around the hood), and off I went to Mishawaka. I was quite proud of myself and thought I looked pretty hippyish.

When I arrived, I stuck out like a sore thumb, as the saying goes. I was so out of place. I was the only girl in pants. Every other girl there had a long, flowy shirt on. Dreads were common place, wool hats and scarves were galore and most of the guys had long, long hair. My hair was the shortest in the place among guys and girl alike (other than April's). April and Zach were making fun of my dress, and April goes, "I told you to dress like a hippie. You look like you just came from the city." I said, "I DID just come from the city!" While I didn't fit in dress wise, everyone there was super nice and non-judgemental. April told me not to give anyone money if they asked. I asked her why people would ask me for money and Zach said, "Because you look like you have a lot of money."

The music was bluegrass, which isn't what I normally listen to, but nonetheless, we had a blast dancing. April looks fantastic. Her hair is growing long and she's put on some weight. Check out the pictures from our night.

After the show, I drove to Loveland to stay with my brother. Saturday morning, my two nephews woke me up by jumping on me and screaming, "Wake up, Sioh!" Collin had made cinnamon rolls, so we ate breakfast and I played with the boys for a few hours. We played hide and go seek, built a fort with blankets and chairs and cleaned Carson and Kye's room. Then I took the boys to Sonic for a little treat, and we drove to Greeley for a jewelry party at Katie's mom's house. I spent about three hours at their house, then I headed back to Denver to go to a Rockies game.

I went to the game with Sonya and Kari and three guys we didn't know. Sonya kind of knew one of the guys, so she invited him and he brought along two of his friends. We didn't know what to expect, but they turned out to be great guys. We had good seats (only 23 rows up from the field), so we enjoyed the game (even though the Rockies lost). Then we went out afterwards for some food, drinks and games. We ended up hitting the dance floor at The Cowboy Lounge where we ended our night. Here are some pictures of the crew.

In The Mind's of Children

My class after lunch is a lot of fun. They have a lot of personality, so yesterday I told them about my bday, which is coming up next week, and told them they should start planning my gift now so it's ready for next week.

A kid raised his hand and said, "What are you celebrating next week?"
Not quite sure what he meant, I asked him what he was trying to ask.
He goes, "Well, I'm curious how many years you have lived."
I said, "You mean, how old am I going to be?"
He goes, "Well, I didn't know how to ask that without sounding rude."
So I told the class to guess. Most of them said 23-25. I'm sure some of them were trying to suck up.
Then one kid goes, "My real guess would be 32."
Ouch! I told him I was taking 5 points away for guessing I was that old. They all agreed that 32 wasn't old at all. I finally told them 28 and they said I was still pretty young. They are so cute!

Family Reunion Pictures

Kye playing on the water toy. Carson having fun in the water!Carson missed the ball! Takes after Aunt Shiloh :) Mom and dad dancing.

The entire Nichols/Fairchild/Schram/Anderson/Nelson Family My Grandparents, Reva and Leon My cousins, Rosie and Brandee-And my sis

She's a Survivor

Most people who know me know the story of my best friend, April. April was diagnosed a year and a half ago with cancer. It's a rare cancer called Rabnomyosarcoma. They discovered the tumor when it was in Stage IV, and they gave April a 20% chance of survival. The tumors were growing so rapidly and aggressively that the doctors basically told April it wasn't IF she survived the cancer, it was HOW LONG she would survive the cancer. They did a hysterectomy immediately, hoping to stop the spreading of the tumor. By that time, the tumors had already spread to her lymph nodes and parts of her kidney's. They started her on a VERY aggressive treatment of radiation and chemo. She did them both at the same time, and she did chemo treatments for an entire year. As most cancer patients do, she lost all of her hair. She went from a healthy 24 year old weighing 120 pounds to a very sick woman weighing 85 pounds. She was so sick that she couldn't keep food down. She got to the point where she couldn't eat anything because the thought of food made her sick. The doctors were concerned about her weight, and basically gave her permission to eat a milkshake everyday just to get some fat in her body.

There were days when April would call me in such agony that it made my heart ache. Because I live in Denver, there was very little I could do for April other than let her cry on the phone and cry with her. I couldn't hold her like I so desperately wanted. I couldn't take away the pain. I couldn't hold her hand. I couldn't be there when she was so sick. More than anything, I wanted to take away her agony. If I could have taken the pain from her, I would have gone through it for her.

As you can imagine, this was a very emotional time for both April and me. I didn't know two people could survive something like this, but we are forever soul mates because of the time we shared during this time. We cried a lot together. We a laughed a lot together. We talked about old times. We talked about our future. We talked about our hopes for the future. She talked about her desire for Aydan, her two year old son, to grow up knowing about her and remembering her. We talked about faith. We both agreed that the doctors were wrong. We decided that it wasn't about HOW LITTLE TIME SHE HAD LEFT but HOW LONG HER LIFE WAS GOING TO BE. Rather than talking about the memories Aydan would have of April, we talked about April living those memories with Aydan as he grew up. It never was, "I hope Aydan remembers me." It was, "Aydan and I are going to make memories together."

I have never seen a person fight so hard for her life. She wasn't going to let this cancer kill her. Everyday that she was puking her guts out, she was thankful that she was puking her guts out because it meant she was still alive. Those days when most people would have wished for death to end the pain, she was thankful for the pain because it meant she still felt. Everyday that she was so sick she couldn't get off the sofa to play with Aydan, she was grateful she could be in the same room as Aydan. It was a long, hard year for April, Zach and Aydan.

During this time, April ran to God. Her faith has grown in leaps and bounds this past year. We never stopped praying together. There were nights when I cried out to God to save April. This world would not the be same without April. I weeped to God to spare her life. On many occasions, April and I sobbed, asking God to spare her life.

I am happy to report that when the doctors gave her a 20% chance of survival, April is now eight months cancer free. She got the results from her scan today (she has a scan every three months), and they are negative, which is a positive thing! For now, we keep on waiting for that scan every three months. God continues to answer our prayers. God knows that I couldn't live without April, and God knows that Aydan needs April. I am so emotional right now because every time April calls me to share her good news, it takes everything in my power to keep from weeping. There is no other person like April, and I thank God everyday that she is still here. She is a fighter. She is my best friend, and I am so thrilled to report that she gets to keep on living.

The fight isn't over, by any means. Continue to keep her in your prayers. She still has a long road to travel, but everyday that her scan comes back negative is another chance to keep living her life.

Night's Like These Make Good Memories

Friday night was Abby's rehearsal dinner. Dinner was in Morrison at Tony Rigatoni's. After dinner, a few people from the wedding party walked over to the bar connected to Tony's, which is called Vinny's. Kari, Abby and I were WAY overdressed. We certainly looked pretty good, but everyone else was in Bronco's gear and shorts while we were in some hot dresses. Abby didn't stay very long because she needed her rest, but Kari and I stayed behind to enjoy a drink before heading back to Denver. Kari and I are both pretty social people, so before long, we had made friends with two guys, who happen to be brothers. Brooke and Jared were very friendly fellows, and we enjoyed our time with them. Jared was very complimentary, and he was very vocal about how great we both looked. It was fun to hear how good we looked :) Kari talked with Brooke for a while, and she found him to be very pleasant. They talked about church and their beliefs, so she enjoyed talking to him. Jared told me about a website he's creating where girls can send a photo of themselves and ask for fashion advice. If a girl is going on a date, she can send a photo of her outfit to this website and within five minutes Jared will reply back with ways she can improve her outfit to look the best that she possibly can. It's a fun, creative idea and I hope it works out for him.

Kari and I got a few good laughs out of the night, and Jared asked for my phone number. He asked if I would pick him up for our date. I told him he has to pick me up for our date, and he asked if I would ride on his motorcycle. Of course I will! He felt my head to make sure it was small enough to fit into his helmet. I must have passed the test because he kept petting my hair and said it was fabulous. All in all, it was a fun night. As we were leaving, my dress almost caught on fire, but Jared came to the rescue and patted me down to make sure all the flames were out.

Saturday night after the wedding, Kari, Sonya and I went to Little Bear. As always, we had a fun time dancing to a band called "Opie Gone Bad." I had some creep come up and put his hands all over me. What gives guys the right to touch? I finally told him to not touch me, and I even took his hand and placed it off my body. He finally got the hint and walked away.

Don't underestimate my flexibility!

Go, Kari. Show that Sass!

Sonya before putting on her going out clothes.

Abby Bevan

Abby and Corey finally got married. While it's been a swift romance to many people, it's also been a long wait for the both of them. Let me start at the beginning. Abby and Kamie have been best friends since 6th grade. Abby spent a lot of time at Kamie's house growing up, and Abby always thought Kamie's brother, Corey, was super cute. Corey was a few years older than Abby and Kamie, but he couldn't help but notice Abby, too. Abby never told Kamie she had a crush on Corey, but she secretly desired to spend a lot of time at Kamie's house so she could see Corey whenever possible. Corey graduated from high school. Then Abby and Kamie graduated. Everyone went their own seperate ways, and Abby ended up in Denver over four years ago.

Last September, Abby went back to Kansas for Corey and Kamie's mom's wedding. This is where she got reaquainted with Corey. Abby and Corey spent hours talking that night, but when the weekend was over, Abby came back and Denver. Corey, desiring to continue talking to Abby, asked Kamie for Abby's phone number. From September through January, Abby and Corey talked on the phone frequently. It went from talking once a week to talking every day. Then it went to talking several times a day with a few texts thrown in the mix.

One night in December, all us girls were dancing at Herb's when Corey texted Abby and said, "How would you feel if I came for a long weekend and we took a ski vacation together?" Abby was so thrilled that night she could hardly contain herself. She was giggly and jumping for joy. This was going to be the first time they had seen each other since September, and they were both ready for this next step. Corey came out for a four day weekend in January, and that's when they began to fall in love. From that time on, every other weekend either Corey came here or Abby went to Kansas. Their time apart became harder and harder for both of them. In May over Memorial Day weekend, Corey proposed to Abby on top of a mountain. Over the past three months, Abby has been busy planning a wedding, trying to sell her condo, moving her stuff to Kansas, and enjoying her last moments in CO.

The wedding was two days ago, and I have never seen Abby look so happy. Corey is so good to her, and I am so thrilled for the both of them. They no longer have to wait two weeks to see each other. The funny thing is, the longest time they have ever spent together is four days, so their honeymoon is the first time they will be together for longer than four days. Their marriage is built on love, faith in God and a relationship that is rock solid. They are in Costa Rica right now, and Abby will move in with Corey in Kansas when they get back. Us Denver girls are going to miss Abby so much, but we also know that her biggest desire has come true. Kari, Sonya and I wish Abby the happiest marriage. I already miss my Abbs of Steel, Gabby Abby, Abbers, Abbs, Abbilicious, but I wish her and Corey the best of luck in their new life together.

Busy, But Fun, Week

My friend, Abby, got married this past weekend to Corey Bevan. I'll blog about that next. But, before the big wedding weekend, we had a fun week preparing for the wedding. Monday night, we got together with the Bible Study Girls. Last winter and spring, there was a group of five girls that met every Monday night to share our hearts and learn about God. Megan, Kristina, Abby, Kari and I really got to know each other very well during that time, and Abby wanted to get together one last time before her big day. We went to Morrison Inn for a delightful dinner. Wednesday, we got pedicures. Thursday, we went to Grizzly Rose to show off our dance moves. I25 was closed due to the DNC, so we had to take a huge detour to get there, but it gave us an opportunity to show Kamie and Corey the city. Once at the Rose, we all decided to ride the mechanical bull. Although I did injure myself when I fell off, I am fine now and only have a small bruise to show off my injury.

Abby and Corey

Shi Town Riding the Bull! Joseph showed us how it's done!Once Sonya got on, she was hot, hot, hot!Kari and her spicy hat!Kamie, Corey's sister, knows how to ride. She's an Oklahoma girl. The Bride, Abby, looking mighty fine!Corey is just missing his boots and jorts (cut off jeans to make shorts).Kamie, Kari, Sonya, Abby and Me
We're so hot, we had to blow out the guns.