Buttons & Beaus!

My dear friends Gabby and Kevin Bolton are the proud parents of a precious three-year old boy, Kevin. Kevin, born on February 2^nd, 2011, is a high-energy toddler who loves nothing more than to spend his days on the golf course or driving range. On March 19, 2014, everything changed for Gabby and Kevin, when what started as a high fever turned into a nightmare as they received the awful news no parent wants to hear, "Your son has cancer." After a doctor’s visit where Kevin’s blood was checked to determine what type of viral infection he had and a ambulance ride at night to the children’s hospital, Kevin was diagnosed by a hematologist with acute lymphocyte leukemia. Kevin has already endured a bone marrow biopsy and his first round of chemo. He has many more rounds of chemo, spinal taps, and biopsy to brave as he battles leukemia. In a situation that most adults would find difficult to face, Kevin has handled everything like a champ. However, this is only the beginning of a long and emotional journey for Kevin and his family.

          The Bolton family is in need of our support and prayers, so Buttons and Beaus are joining the fight to help Kevin beat cancer. Therefore, we will be offering two items from our website for a $5.00 donation to Kevin’s family. The full proceeds of any fairy dust & wand or lego necklaces purchased will be donated to the Bolton family. In addition, 20% of all sales until May 31, 2014 will also be donated to the Bolton family in order for the the family to stay focused on Kevin’s battle rather than the financial burdens they will incur.

           Use code Help Kevin Fight to donate 20% of your purchase, receive free shipping and leave a message for Kevin and his family!

Click Buttons & Beaus to shop!

 

 

Please do whatever you can to help spread this message and also to help send people to Buttons & Beaus to shop! This is a great store, doing a wonderful thing to help a child in need. If it was my child, or yours, you'd want everyone you know sharing this far and wide! So, please, spread the word, let's help this family!

 

 

Sirens grab my heart....

Pretty much everyone knows that my Pawpaw Bazil passed away 8 years ago. He was a firefighter and had a fireman's funeral. Every time I hear sirens my heart stops. I am always taken back to the day we buried my Pawpaw and the "final call" they did on the radio at the end of the funeral.

When Seth is off work we sometimes go out to eat with his Dad during his lunch hour. Most of the time we go eat pizza at Mazzio's. I've started noticing that most times when we are there, there are firemen there. This week we were there and I noticed that a truck full of firemen came in to eat lunch. I always notice them. I have a soft spot in my heart for them, naturally. This time, they barely got their food and sat down and the walkie went off, calling them out to a fire. They got up, left their food, and ran to the fire truck. The sirens started, the truck pulled out, and they were off. Their food sat as they went off to save a structure, nature, or whatever the fire had engulfed.

I write this blog about the firemen today because this is something I have seen more than once. Firemen leaving their food or coming back to cold food because of a fire. Firemen having to put their lives on the line to save someone or some structure or nature from danger. It's a job they choose. It's a job that they love. It's a life.....I know this because I remember just how very much my Pawpaw loved it. People don't get to see this part very often. I am so thankful that my life was blessed by a fireman.

When Seth and I were first married, maybe 7 years ago, there was a fire that came through and burned our entire pasture. It came within 6 feet of our house, 2 feet of our propane tank, and burned our fence around the pasture to the ground. Without the firemen that came to our house that day, I could have lost my husband. Seth was sleeping that day because he was working nights. It is still one of the most vivid and scary memories I have.

These firemen go out and put their lives on the line every single day. They get home late, miss many meals, have very sore bodies, and they miss so much time with their families. I hope that they know just how much they are appreciated for all that they do. Seeing the men at Mazzio's get up and leave their plates this week and not hesitate even a second, just shows me how dedicated they are to their jobs. I have a great respect for them. They all deserve a pat on the back and a "thank you" when they least expect it.

RIP Riley

For almost eleven years I have had a constant side kick in my life. Riley. I remember the first day I saw him. Those beautiful golden yellow eyes and that pink nose. He melted my heart and I had to have him. He was covered in fleas and ticks and just plain filthy, but, I didn't care. I was in love. 

I brought him home. I begged my boyfriend (now husband) to help me name him. He refused because he didn't

want me to get the dog. After three days, I finally picked a name on my own. Riley fit him perfectly. This dog was mine. He went with me everywhere. Back and forth to my boyfriend's house, to get a soda, to my grandparent's....everywhere. He was my best friend, my baby. 

Seth eventually came around and loved the dog too. He taught him tricks. Riley knew how to shake, sit, crawl, roll over, play dead, and balance a treat on his nose until he was told "okay". He was smart. He was also very loving and patient. He rarely met anyone he didn't like. I always knew that if Riley was cautious of someone, I should be too. He was the best dog. 

We took naps together, walks together, and even had a few good cries together. He always seemed to know just when I needed a friend the most. He would come snuggle up next to me and let me lay there and cry. He always made me feel better. 

To people who don't choose to have pets, this all sounds crazy. But for me this dog was part of our family. He was as much a part as my husband or child. He lived and was loved. He loved us back. He wasn't just a cute furry thing taking up space and shedding everywhere in my home. He was family. He was my best friend, first baby, and the best dog a girl could ever have. 

I was so blessed to have this amazing dog for the last 11 years. There will never be another that comes close to him. I am heartbroken and sad tonight. But I know Riley died in my arms knowing he was loved. He is at peace and no longer feeling pain. I'm thankful that I will always have his sweet memory to carry with me. 

I will love you always, Riley! 

Reunited...

Three years ago I decided I had to walk away from a friendship that I had been in for almost 10 years. At the time it was not a healthy relationship for either of us. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. From the day I decided to walk away from the relationship, I regretted it. I hurt, I longed for that relationship. I missed my friend more than I could put into words. But, at the time, I just didn't have the strength and the energy to put into it anymore.

She was going through something that I just couldn't understand. Something that she never really shared fully with me. I was pregnant and had all kinds of hormones going through my body. I ended up getting my heart hurt and decided I'd had enough. I'm not placing blame on her. Lord knows that I could have handled things in a MUCH better way. I chose not to. But, things in this relationship were complicated. When things were good, they were good. But when they were bad, boy were they ever bad.

After three years of being without this person in my life, I heard that she was pregnant. She had gotten divorced and remarried. Her sister was in the hair salon at the same time as me one day. She started talking about the pregnancy and I couldn't help but want to reach out. You see, the last time my friend was pregnant, she had all kinds of issues once the baby was born. He was born with a hole in his back, he had some form or Spina Bifida, and a tethered spine. He has had many surgeries and may still have to have more. So, I knew that with another pregnancy she was probably terrified.

A few days after seeing her sister, I decided I couldn't hold out any longer. I took the step to reach out. I messaged her on facebook and apologized. Admitting when I am wrong is something I'm happy to do. It's never easy, but I can do it. I apologized, she apologized, and we decided that we wanted to try and start our friendship over fresh. We've had three years and a lot of growth between us. We have both changed quite a bit. We have talked off and on over the last 4 weeks and I have to say, it makes my heart happy.

Julie and I had lunch a week ago. It's the first time we have seen each other face to face in three years. We both broke out in the biggest grin when we saw each other. There were big hugs and a lot of laughs. Honestly, it was like nothing ever happened. Three years apart and we were able to pick back up where we left off. I am so glad that I decided to take that step and email her. I needed her back in my life. I didn't realize just how much I had missed her until I saw her again.

Sometimes we close a door thinking we are done. How wrong I was. I thought that friendship was something I couldn't mend. Turns out, we just needed some time to heal and be apart. I'm so thankful that we are able to come back together and mend this friendship. She and I have always had such a close friendship. Not having it has been heavy on my heart since I let it go. Having it back feels right to me. I'm thankful for forgiveness. I'm thankful for second chances. I'm thankful for friendship.

Choice.

I've written about this before, but, I'm going to write about it again. Lately my Facebook feed has been flooded with all kinds of anti-abortion videos and links. Let me start with this. I am a mother. I love my child with every fiber of my being. If I lost him tomorrow I don't think I could ever function normally again. I am not a hater of children. I think adoption is a beautiful thing. I really do. 

Now, with all of that said, people are getting to a point where they think abortion is just so black & white. You are either pro-life or pro-choice. I recently read an article that referred to pro-choice as "pro-murder". Well, I for one am deeply offended and here is why. 

How many women and young girls in this country have babies every day? Millions. How many of them are because of rape and incest? Probably more than you care to know. Many women are too scared to come forward when they have been raped or abused so we probably don't have accurate data if you want to know the truth. The problem with this abortion argument is that people see that you are either for or against. They don't see this gray area here. But it's there and it needs to be recognized. 

Women who have become pregnant by rape or incest have already suffered so much damage psychologically. Many turn to drugs and alcohol for comfort. Some take their lives because the emotions and shame they feel is just too much for them to bear. Others move on to other abusive relationships. Then there are the few that actually make it out on the other side and realize that they can make a better life. Whatever happened can stick with them for years. After all someone took a piece of them without permission. 

What bothers me is that I see my "Christian" friends posting all of the anti-abortion messages and videos. I get that you don't like the thought of murderig babies. I get it. I don't like it either. But, do you like the thought of a man holding a women down and forcing himself on her? What about two men? Now, tell me that if that results in pregnancy that she should carry that baby. Tell me your reasons why she should be put through even more hell than she's already been put through. Tell me. I'd really be curious to hear. I don't think God ever intended that to happen. The God I serve is a loving God. To me, this does not seem loving. 

If you want my opinion on the matter, which you're going to get anyway. I think women with loose morals who sleep around and don't use protection should not be allowed to have an abortion. They made the choice to have sex. But these women who had their rights stripped when they were raped, in my opinion, they do NOT deserve to have another thing taken away from them. They already have nightmares. They are already afraid of men in general. They are already nervous and scared of most things. They are so fragile and scarred because of the past that they lived through. Why take away the right to choose what happens to their body? And unless you have been raped, you can't say you would be able to carry that child. I'm betting you wouldn't. Most women wouldn't. 

So I'm asking you, please, stop being so narrow minded. This isn't a black and white issue. Look at the very large gray area. Look at the life in front of you that has been so deeply effected. Don't just look at the life that hasn't even been fully developed. 

In closing, I hope you realize, I do love a rape victim. I know that her life has changed the way that I view this argument in a very big way. I know how hard she struggles with the past. I have stayed up many nights with her on the phone because she was too scared to go to bed. I have listened on one end of the phone as she cried because she was overwhelmed by the nightmares. I have hugged her as she shook because her nerves were shot. And I've been scared many times that she would fall into a state of depression that I wouldn't be able to help her out of. I've prayed with her. I've prayed for her. All I'm asking is that when you go about spouting off all of your hatefulness about abortion, you think about those that were put in a situation not of their own making. That gray area is awfully big. And it deserves just as much attention as both sides of the argument do. 

And just for the record, I'm pro-choice. Only because, I would never want a rape victim to be forced to carry a child to term after going through all they have already gone through. It just isn't right. As a woman, as a friend of a rape victim, I know how much it could damage a person. I think we owe those women more than that.