Friday, October 11, 2013

THINK PINK!


It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We've come a long way in the fight against Breast Cancer.  When I was growing up, you never heard about breast cancer.  I knew nothing about it.  But I was soon to find out a lot about it when my mother got it in 1964.  

Back then she had a mastectomy where her left breast was removed and the lymph nodes under her left arm were removed. Then she went to have Cobalt treatments.  She survived, which at that time was a miracle. She lived another 37 years and the cancer did come back in her lung and brain before she passed away.  But she lived to be 87. A good long life.  

Fast forward to 1993.  First of all, I want to say that my mother was in a car accident before she got cancer. A driver ran a red light and hit her.  She was bruised up, but otherwise fine. In the fall of 1993 I was driving home from my second job at 11 PM on I-95 when a drunk driver going northbound in the southbound lanes hits me.  I am bruised up but otherwise fine.  I was more upset about my car that I had just bought 6 weeks earlier!  


The following spring I had this nagging thought telling me to go get a mammogram.  To this day I swear it was an angel nagging me.  It was a stressful time then as my dad had been in the hospital for almost 3 months and with 4 children, 2 jobs and running back and forth to Gainesville to bring my mom to see him, it can wear on you.  I had my mammogram and was told that they saw something suspicious in my right breast and wanted to do a lumpectomy.  Following the minor surgery, the doctor told my husband that it look good and he didn't think it was cancer.  Well he was wrong!  It was cancer.  So they schedule another lumpectomy to make sure they got it all.  I then had 25 radiation treatments.  Since we had caught it so early, I did not have to have chemo. I was thankful for that.  

Did you notice anything in my story?  Both my mom and I were in a car accident.  After each accident, we both got breast cancer. My cancer was located right where the seat belt went across my body. Could that seat belt have caused my cancer?  I don't believe so, but I think it just helped start "the ball rolling".  I am so thankful that my little angel nagged me.  My mom and I were around the same age when we got breast cancer.  She was a survivor and I am a survivor going on 20 years next May.  God was looking over both of us.

We have a daughter.  I would be lying if I didn't admit that I worry about her.  Hopefully she won't follow in my mom's or my footsteps.  She has already started getting her mammograms because of our history.  But I believe they say to start getting your mammograms at 40.  Don't ever, ever put off getting a mammogram.  It could save your life! 


As Always,

Marilyn






 






Sunday, August 25, 2013

GO BLUE!

Do you know who this is?  No!  Why it is the University of Michigan!  In our family we are all "Wolverines". Oops!  There is one daughter-in-law who is a Gator (University of Florida). We don't hold that against her. The rest of us including our other daughter-in-law were all born in Michigan and are Michigan fans!

There are some very famous people who went to the University of Michigan.  And they played football for the Wolverines.  Do you know who this is?

President Gerald R. Ford

He was one of the nicest presidents in my opinion.  Of course, I am prejudice as he is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, which was 35 miles east of our home town.

Bo Schembechler

This is my favorite coach of the Michigan Wolverines.  They called him BO.  Back when he was the coach, Woody Hayes was the coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Michigan and Ohio State is probably the most popular of rivalries.  When Bo and Woody were coaches, the games between the two schools were Awesome!  Bo used to be an assistant coach under Woody at Ohio State before he became the head coach at Michigan.  To this day, the meeting between Michigan and Ohio State is "The Game".  It is always the last game of the regular season for both teams. This is the game we Wolverines wait for all year!  Michigan is the leader in this series with Ohio State with 56 Wins, 37 Losses, and 6 Ties!  Woohoo, GO BLUE!!!

BO & Woody

Here are some Michigan Wolverines that have gone onto play in the NFL.
                                                     
                                                            
Charles Woodson who is now with the Green Bay Packers.

Tom Brady who is with the New England Patriots.

Brian Griese went onto play for my "DA BEARS"!

Jim Harbaugh is now the head coach for the San Francisco Giants.

Denard Robinson (Florida Native) now plays for the Jacksonville Jaquars.

Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy in the early nineties. He went onto play for the Washington Redskins, the Jacksonville Jaquars, the Green Bay Packers, and the Oakland Raiders.  While with the Green Bay Packers, he ran a 99 yard return in the 1997 Super Bowl where the Packers won.  He became the fourth player to win a Heisman Trophy and the Super Bowl MVP Award in history at that time.

Desmond Howard

The University of Michigan Football Stadium

Did you know that the U of M Football Stadium is the largest college stadium?  It seats over 107,000 football fans.  That is HUGE!

So, again, as you can see I am a huge football fan!  In the fall you will see me carrying my U of M purse and wearing my U of M earrings on Saturday and my Chicago Bears earrings on Sunday.  I have even worn one Michigan earring and one Bears earring.  I love my Wolverines and my "DA BEARS"!

And one more thing.  The best fight songs ever are "Hail to the Victors" followed by "Bear Down Chicago Bears".  Enjoy your football season!

As Always,

Marilyn



Sunday, August 11, 2013

"DA BEARS"!


Football season!  Yes, I love football.  "DA BEARS" from Chicago is my favorite team!

Remember, in my previous blogs I told you that I LOVE Pinterest.  I have several "boards" on Pinterest. One of my boards is titled "DA BEARS".

On Pinterest you can follow other people and they can follow you and your "boards".  I have to say that the board that I have that is followed the most or that people "pin" pictures off of the most,  is my board "DA BEARS".  I cannot believe how many people have pinned pictures off it.  Every time I find and add new pictures to it, those pictures are going onto other boards.  It blows me away!

Of course, my favorite year for the Bears was 1985.  They went onto win the Super Bowl in 1986.  What a team and my favorite "BEAR" of all time was Sweetness.  Sweetness was the nickname of Walter Payton, number 34.  What a player!  And his nickname said it all!  He was the sweetest guy ever!

Walter "Sweetness" Payton

My other favorite Chicago Bear was Jim McMahon.  He was the quarterback for the Super Bowl Bears. He was always the one who liked to "fight the system".  He used to wear head bands.  The NFL told him he could not wear any that had name brands on them.  So he wore them and put different names on them.

  This head band says PLUTO.
My two favorite BEARS!
I just LOVE this picture of Jim and Walter!

The coach of this winning Super Bowl Team was Mike Ditka.  What a coach!  I have a football that is signed by Coach Ditka.  Have to tell you that one Christmas I caught our two oldest boys out in the yard tossing the football back and forth.  What?  Noooooooooooo! I was a little bit upset!  You don't play with that football!

 Coach Mike Ditka, William "Refrigerator" Perry and Walter "Sweetness" Payton
                "DA BEARS" doing the Super Bowl Shuffle

Now the guys on the Super Bowl Chicago Bears made a record. One of the songs was called "The Super Bowl Shuffle". We own this album and will not part with it.

This year the Chicago Bears  have a brand new coach.  Hoping they can soon repeat history and win the Super Bowl again!

   
As Always,

Marilyn