Camp Darby 2012

 Alright, I am going to do my best to stay focused for about three days in a row and give the whole story of Camp Darby.  Again, it is at an awesome camp at the home of Dennis and Darby  at Lake St. John in Clayton, LA... near Natchez, MS.  And this place is nothing less than sa-weeeeet!  Check out this back porch!

 And two of the grandmothers brought their granddaughters or nieces to come together for a week of crafts, fun food, hide and seek, boating, swimming, fishing, etc.

 We were very honored that aside from my being the "art director", I was also invited to bring my little girls along to join the show.  You see Miss Ellie Sue already finding her place among the "big girls".

 and there's Miss Gabbi Girl... deciding in the midst of the fun to make a pallet on the couch and just kinda chill.  So typical of this little girl of mine.

 This was the official Camp Darby tee shirt presentation.

 Paige is getting hers. 

 And then the big girls got theirs.

 MK made a big spectacle of each tee presentation.   Aunt Darby never even got out of her bathing suit! 

 There was clapping.  There were iPad photos by Aunt Sue.  And laughing by Nora. 

 Kelsey was presented with her little shirt.

 And I think she was pretty much cool with it.

 and then we witnessed a little hide and seek action.  This is Ellie and JK (Kelsey's sister) being "it".

ANd might I add, thanks so much for all those nice comments on my "remembering Jake" post earlier this week.  Wow, Maggie.  Such a NICE comment!  Thanks so much.  I had many messages sent to me via private messages on Facebook too, and I am most grateful.

So, expect more camp pics soon.  Riley, I am seeing what I can do about those retreat dates.  Anyone else immediately interested in coming to another art retreat?! 

MO

Gabbi and her buddy, Kelsey

 So, after jumping from our adventurous weekend 2 weekends ago, to my disorganized closet, to my grieving Jake, to.... well, let's get back to the adventure weekend! yeah.  Let's do that!

Ok, so here's the story.  My little Gabbi Girl, I think I've mentioned is a bit of a loner.  In a room full of kids, she is the one over in a corner, playing with a pillow or a rope or definitely some dog or cat.

And then there's Kelsey.  Kelsey would want to be rip roaring through that house with all those big girls, but she doesn't have that option.  She has cerebral palsy and can't walk.  Yet.

 So, as it is, it kinda works out.  What I mean by that is that their personalities totally support this sweet little friendship. Kelsey is passive enough for Gabs to enjoy some calm one on one time with a pal, and for Kels, someone takes the time to skip the big hide and seek game going on in the neighboring rooms and plays with her teeny Snow White doll.   When Kelsey shows up at therapy and Gabs is there, there is a huge grin on her face, and she says, "Gab-bi!".  And we make sure to let them have some bonding time in some sort of play activity.  After all, isn't friendship as important as walking?!  Maybe moreso?!

 I also love that Gabbi thinks absolutely nothing of Kelsey's braces since she has been around them since she was less than two weeks old and going to the therapy clinic with me in her infant seat.

 Kelsey has an extremely supportive and loving family.  This is her MK, (aka her grandmothe)r, who invited me to the annual Camp Darby experience.  It is a camp for all the grandgirlies in the family to gather at Aunt Darby's camp on Lake St. John.  And they invited us.  Because I am now officially the art director.  As it should be.  ha

 Back to these two.  They also hooked up later with cousin, Darby (namesake, obviously, of Aunt Darby), from Atlanta.  She is two years old, and she found out she kind of liked hanging out with this Terrific Twosome.

 Kelsey's mom had the foresight to pack her Tumbleforms seat to support her enough to allow her to sit alone.  And lucky for these three, it is on wheels!

 They were spinning her round and round, and she could not get enough.

 I'm telling you, I am surprised that her little chest is not bulging from the HUGE heart it holds.  She has more drive and spirit than just about any kid I have ever treated.  If "want to" could get her to walking, she'd already be running!

 And while MK loved on her sweet angel, I loved on mine!

 Now, just in case these videos actually show up, here's one for your viewing... please note Ellie trying to get Kelsey's ponytail back in shape while all the other three want to do is play!!  So typical.

I am blessed that my girls have friends of all abilities.
 And what a special thing a good friend is!

Enjoy.

MO

Remembering Jake today.

Warning... I am having a bit of an epiphany today and this post is a bit deep.... for me, anyway.

WOW.  I watched the movie, My Sister's Keeper, this weekend.  Staci watched it earlier this summer and warned me.  As you may or may not recall, I have not returned to St. Jude since the last day we walked  out of there with Jake.  I consider myself a pretty "tough old broad".  I am relatively strong in general, so why is it that I have this resistance to returning?!  I don't really know.  I have definitely kept a distance to all things related to pediatric cancer.  The only thing we do is try to keep his memory alive in the most joyful and happy way.

So, let me just say, this movie was the most accurate portrayal of a family living through the process of seeing a child live and die with pediatric cancer that I have ever seen. Let me give you a few examples of why the movie struck such a cord with me and basically why I cried throughout just about the whole movie. 

First, there was the family unit.  During Jake's ordeal with cancer, our families (Raborns, Masseys, and extended as well), bonded like never before and never since.  We had a routine of joining or exchanging places in Memphis with Staci or Don, on a weekly basis.  I had a regular date at the Monroe Airport to fly directly to Memphis and be in his room by 8:30 and before they were even awake.  There was a time in the movie where the family takes a trip to the boardwalk.  They are totally giddy with each other.  They smiled and laughed and take photos together in the silliest  poses.  That so brings back memories of our attempts to live in the present, never guaranteed another day, and just loving Jake and giving him every opportunity to live normally as a three year old, despite a variety of lines coming out of his chest and oxygen tubes giving him good air to breathe.  The nosebleeds, the spontaneous vomiting, with whoever is the closest running to his side to hold the trashcan. Wow.  Watching this movie, it all seems so unreal, but until you've lived it, you can't realize that it is totally real!  They depict it perfectly.   They remind me of our family in how they would bring levity in the midst of a very serious and dire situation.  For instance, the family realizes Kate (the character in the movie with cancer) is on her deathbed and they are all somber.  The mood in the room is too heavy, and they break the ice with "Anyone want a pizza?"  That, too, seemed like a crazy Raborn/ Groves kind of thing to do.  Wearing LSU costumes (all 15 or so of us) to the hospital, blowing up that jukebox on the second floor of St. Jude, and going to the beach TWO times in the same summer that we went to Disney World TWICE.  We were gonna definitely help him LIVE while he was alive!

The movie family takes Kate to the beach, per her request.  She is wearing a nasal cannula and cannot run and play with the rest of the group.  The doctor allows this because he knows the ultimate end to the journey they are on and wants Kate to fulfill her every wish while alive.  Many of you who read my  blog were along for the journey when I was documenting it on Jake's Caringbridge site.  So you will likely remember our trip to the beach (both of them!!) during the summer before his bone marrow transplant.  You will likely recall how we spun him around to wrap him in Press and Seal Saran wrap to keep his "buddies" (central line) from getting wet.  As if!  We knew it was just to make us feel better about letting him jump right on in that pool, which he did over and over and over, against the warnings of the doctors.  Sometimes you just gotta go for it.  There are things worse than dying.  Dying having not lived being the main one! 

And so we tried to help him live every day of his young life.  Another movie similarity is the impact the disease had on the siblings.  They were so strong, just like Hunter and Hayden!  The entire focus of a famly whose child has cancer is that child.  Everyone else takes a back seat.  The only thing that matters is getting that unhealthy child well.  Avoiding death.  It is so sad for the siblings.  Sad in the  movie, and sad in real life.  They had to be so strong.  They had to watch when Staci and Don would carry Jake to the operating room, again, to have a procedure that noone would be sure of what the outcome would be. And little Jake didn't even know what he was being carried in for.  But, I can say with certainty, that he was rarely scared.  He was loved, and he knew that.   And that was all that mattered.

In the movie, when they go to the beach, there is such pleasure taken from Kate when she is on the beach and just feeling the sun on her face.  I recall the same great satisfaction with the simplest things with Jake... jumping in a water puddle, playing McDonald's, singing his favorite song at the top of our lungs.  ANd what a coincidence that it was Tim McGraw's "Live Like You are Dying".  That was the whole thing, and the whole point of this post today.  To remind you to do just that.

In the movie, Kate's sister is suing her mom for rights to her own body, not wanting to be used anymore for bone marrow donation or kidney transplant donor, etc.  She is in the courtroom where the judge has just come back after losing her own child to an accident.  When someone tells the judge, "I'm sorry".  She says, "Don't be.  There is no shame in dying."  I really liked that line.  I find myself saying something similar when I am telling someone about Jake.  Obviously, Jake was not my son, but he was about as close as anyone could ever be to being my son! And I for sure felt like I loved him as much.   And so, I will tell you that from my standpoint, as his aunt, I have always felt the same way.  I don't allow anyone to say to me, "awww, that's so sad" without my response being, "No it's not. A whole lot of good came out of his life.  An entire foundation was born out of his death, and over a million dollars has been given to families in the same situation."  How many people can say that?  Not only that, but I usually go on to remind that person that we are all going to die.  We don't know the length of our lives.  Only God knows that, and He knew that Jake's life would be short but very influential!  At the end of the movie, Kate's sister, Anna, says, "Death is just death".  And that, too, is pretty profound.  That's all it is... death is just death.  So, live while you are alive! And now that he is gone, we find ways to remember him.  Kate's family would go to visit Montana every summer, as that is where she said she'd be when she died. In our case, we say "Hey, Jake", when we see 11's.  And I see them EVERY single day.  STILL!   Also, we celebrate his life when we let balloons go or when we visit the beach and still use his floaties, his sippy cups, and see his little bald head in the photos in our condo. 

When they are visiting the beach in the movie, the song, "Feels Like Home" comes on.  It was my one and only song sung at my wedding.  It's one of my favorite songs in the world.  And one more thing that made me feel that I was meant to watch this movie and to feel the things I was feeling.  And ultimately, to write this post today. I was crying on and off during the movie, and trying to hide it from my curious little girl.  Gabbi walked in on one occasion, looked at the tv and said, "That's Jake".  I am being totally serious.  I am sure she was relating the bald heads.  But Kate was a teenage girl.  Jake was four year old little boy. And still she saw her as Jake.  Or did she?  Did God maybe have her come and say that to remind me that it is ok to sometimes grieve.  And remember.

Just my thoughts.

MO

Random house pics

I really have no idea if the above video will play.  I never have very good luck out of them.  It is Ellie sending Robin a thank you video for cutting up her tie dye shirt to have swingy fringe, and although I asked Robin to IGNORE her requests to have it off the shoulder, it seems the neck was cut just wide enough for my oldest to stretch that puppy right on over! 

And this is my realization moment that I have WAAAY too much jewelry. 

I think it is a "big girl" thing.  We go to a super cute shop, and can't fit into anything. But one thing we CAN buy... jewelry!

And then, you add in all the jewelry I make myself, which is totally overboard!

These are all older earrings that I hardle wear at all anymore.  I need to have an online jewelry sale!

These are my new hooks that I've recently added to hand some of my faves on.

And just to get an idea... this is the second drawer.  It is full of my thin bracelets.

And this is the top drawer of the dresser.  It is full  of mostly jewelry made by me.  They are mostly the thin ones, that I'd wear when I am not trying to be all gaudy like.

Here is the total cabinet.  It is smack FULL of jewelry. I kinda need to work on this section of my closet, I'd say!!

This is one of the older ones I wore this week.  It's one of my faves.

And yet another totally random Mo post for the week! 
Been cray cray round here.  Maybe things will slow down soon.  And, Riley, you decide on the next retreat date, and hopefully it'll mesh with my schedule, and we'll just nail it down.  And that'll be that!

MO

Like MMPT on Facebook

So sorry, but it is LATE and I have to get up EARLY!  Going to work in my Shreveport clinic in the morning.  And that's about an hour and a half away!  I am not used to getting up that early!  Bring on my Keurig!

So no big long story line tonight.  But I do have one request...
If you haven't already, I need you to go to the Melanie Massey Physical Therapy facebook page and "LIKE" us.  I was going to have a contest with Keith, aka Keif, who thought he could get more likes that I could.  It started out as a joke.  And then, he said he could get 1500 by the week's end.  He started somewhere around the 1150 mark.  He is only missing it now by 136.  I would've never dreamed he could have done that, but he got busy.  So, in my doubt, I told him, if you can get 1500 likes, I'll give you a bonus.  Although I never said what KIND of bonus he'd get!!

So, if you love me, and you want to help Keif, go LIKE us here...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Melanie-Massey-Physical-Therapy/333060581411

And then tell about three more of your friends to do the same, or your co workers at work, or post it as your status even.  I can guarantee you that you will not regret it.  We post at least one uplifting, happy, motivating status per day, and who couldn't use more JOY in their day, right?!

Thanks for helping a brotha out.  He has until midnight tomorrow!! 

MO

Closet cleanout

As you all know, I have a short attention span!  And with that, I digress from the adventurous weekend we had last weekend and show you, Project ORDER!!  I am again fast and furious on the clean up/ out mode in my house.

Today I actually had an upper GI scope.  FINALLY!!  And before anyone freaks, it was A-OK.  They basically found nothing. But as many of you may know, my reflux had gotten out of control. (Here I go again... there's a bird!)  Anyway, I was up ALL night long for months!! I mean, sleeping on a wedge, about three pillows, a prescription med twice a day, handful of Tums before bedtime, and usually again when up with the coughing and choking, and sometimes an extra over the counter reflux med midday.  And then..... I gave up Diet Cokes.  And I mean cold turkey like.  And guess what.  GONE!  NOTTA.  Not even taking a single pill!!  I wouldn't have believed it if anyone had tried to tell me.  Not even sure how I figured it out myself.  I actually think it was God if you really wanna know.  He let me know, time to quit, then He let it be.  No headaches.  No real cravings even!

Ta Daaaaah.  But,  kept my appointment at the GI doc.  I still had some other symptoms that were plaguing me, and still can't eat normally.  And as I predicted, it's all lapband related.  Ugh.  Oh well. 
Now, what was I talking about?  Oh yeah... my closet.

So, you are seeing the BEFORE pictures.

No rhyme or reason to the short sleeve, long sleeve, summer, winter, etc.  And I can't wear about 1/2 the stuff in there.  (again!)

We've taken so many trps this summer, that half the bags I packed are still full, just sitting on the floor, waiting to be attended to

I mean, seriously.

I don't even have any organizaton to my purses, bags or shoes anymore.  And it has to STOP.

I am having a jewelry OVERLOAD problem.  I think I am about to sell a whole bunch of it.  I have found a "swap" place on faceook, where it is basically like an online garage sale. 

 I think it is primarly for local folks, as you have to meet to exchange goodies for moolah.  Today, KK and I did Gabbi's closet.  OH MY!!

I kid you not when I say we have about 30 pair of shoes.  And probably 75 or more items of clothes.  And then there's this... the top of my closet.  See all the little tabs of paper?  That is where KK helped me about a year ago sort my clothes into the ones I could actually wear, and the ones that are about a size too small.  I couldn't bear to throw them away, sure that I would lose some weight.  But, look at those piles. 

And that was just on one side... here's the other.  It is time to get rid of them.  Especially now that I have found an outlet to make a little side cash.  I am NOT a waster!  I cannot stand to throw ANYTHING away!  I usually do the hand me down deal with my girls' clothes.  ANd as for mine, I called someone who I knew was about a size behind me and let them take a big wad of what they wanted.  But, there's so much more to deal with now.

If you are from West Monroe area, be checking out the Twin City Swap Swap (or something like that  on Facebook), because ol Mel is about to RID herself of clutter... that means my clothes, the girls clothes, suitcases, extra bags, scarves, jewelry, housewares, etc.  I am kinda looking forward to it.

And this is the after... please note the color coordination.

And the fact that all the hangers are the same.  I just about can't stand having mismatched hangers.

And guess what... I can wear EVERY one of these pair of pants.

And these too.... at least for the meanwhile.  I hate that Labor Day rule on white pants.  Oh, who am I kidding... I dont' mind silly rules like that.  If I wanna wear white pants, I wear em!

WoW!  Would ya look at that pants rack?!  Bliss.

As I was working on the shirt rack, I had an epiphany.  I really, really, really like black and white striped shirts. 

And I kinda favor black in general 

MOre on this later.  Or maybe more on mine and the girls' trip.  Or maybe what's up at MMPT.  Or who knows... I'm a little flighty lately.  Look.  There's a bird!

MO