Gammys and Blogs, LOL!

Ok, second time blogging and I promise you this will be as bad as the last one! Haha! Uh, is there a "blogging for dummies" book out there anywhere? I need a link, quick!

Let me begin with a quick note on my thankfulness to my Saviour this morning! God has truly been good to this ole gal! I will not list my blessings because I would be here for days! But I want to continually let them run thru my mind with praises chasing them. I do not want to be "unthankful"!

Kari did great at chemo Tuesday. It is a different phase but she seems to be settling into the clinic routine very well. It is an all day affair and she was wiped out but everything went great! PTL! She doesn't go back until next Friday.

Ashlee does such a great job keeping us all informed. She is so honest, sharing her ups and downs and the wonderful pictures of the babies. She is one awesome girl! God is using her to touch so many people!

I am not sure if you know but she had to make a very hard decision and a step by faith concerning her job. Taking in consideration Kari's condition, her being the sole caregiver (since Matthew is gone trucking so much) and one worn out Gammy, she decided to resign her job until we see the end of this (high maintenance) journey. This was not an easy decision but one she invested a lot of prayer in and felt she needed to make. On the other hand, since making this choice, the babies have loved it! Ashley's dream to be a full time, stay at home mom is now in full swing! I am not complaining (I LOVE MY GRANDBABIES) (AND I WOULDN'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR OUR TIMES TOGETHER)but I am thoroughly enjoying being a Gammy instead of the babysitter!

Which brings me to the reason for this post. No, regardless of what you think, I am not blogging because I love it nor am I addicted to it!!! LOL!!! We are planning a benefit singing for Kari and I wanted to get the word out! So many people have helped (and we thank God for you) but others have said, "How can we help?" We are planning this fund raiser in order to help relieve the stress of finances through the end of the year. November 10 & 11 at our church, Olde Path Holiness Church in Danville, KY, Bro Jamie and Sis Jennifer Holcomb and family from Hollywood, AL will be ministering and then on Saturday, the 12th at 12.00 pm we will be hosting a benefit singing for Kari. The Holcombs, the Baldwins from IN, our very own choir and KARI will be singing! We will be taking a freewill love offering which will go to Kari. Also we will be selling concessions afterward with proceeds going to Kari. We plan to have a glorious time in the Lord with all our friends and family, basking in the beautiful anointed singing and presence of our Saviour. We hope you will make plans to attend!

Also, my sister's son-in-law has organized a car show called "Kars for Kari" at Wildcat Harley in London, KY on Saturday, October 1. I think it lasts from 12 - 7. Kari will be there awarding her favorite "hotrod"! Hope to see you there! We are so thankful to family and friends for all they have done on our behalf. God is so good and so many times He uses His people to bless and help others.

We have set up an account with Farmer's National Bank in Danville as
"Kari Kontributions". Donations may be sent straight to the bank at
Farmers National Bank, PO Box 28, Danville, KY 40422 or sent to our
home address at Karen Noe, 229 Highland Court, Danville, KY 40422.
Please make checks out to "Kari Kontributions". A great big THANKS to
all those who have given, called, prayed, sent cards and/or bought gifts!
We try to reply back to each individual and hope we have not missed anyone
in our efforts. If so, we have not overlooked you on purpose and please
accept our apologies. You are ALL important to us! We love you!!!

Ok, before I go, have you got time for one Gammy story? Since Kari has not been
staying with me, we have been having Gammy days where I get her for the day. She has it planned to the hilt, with trips to the Gorilla carwash, the library, Cracker Barrell, making chicken and dumplings etc. (there's no end to her imagination) Last night after church she decided to stay all night. She has this big Perdita dog that Pappy rescued when someone moving lost it on the road. We had to put a "Port" in Perdita and doctor her with "magic milk". lol It is amazing what this four year old knows. Anyway, last night, Malachi wanted to take Perdita home with him. Of all the crying and kissing and loving, Kari bestowed on Perdita, you'd have thought she was losing her best friend. Malachi finally caved and let Kari keep her! She lit up like she had swallowed the sun. lol! Yes, she is a mite spoiled and massively overdramatic!!! At midnight after not being able to go to sleep, she raised up in bed and said, "Gammy, I am just gong to have to go home". She called her Dad and told him to come get her. Then said, "Nevermind, I will just have Pappy bring me". She proceeded to ask Pappy in her sweetest voice, "Pappy, would you take me home"? Pappy said, "Why sure baby", and she grabbed him around the neck and in her Kari way said "Pappy I love you and I knew you would!" Now you can see why she might be a little spoiled! "OH WELL, LOVE THEM AND LIVE EACH DAY TO THE FULLEST BECAUSE YOUR WORLD CAN TURN UPSIDE DOWN OVERNIGHT."

Hey, I might get to liking this blogging! Seriously, maybe I will sneak on here
and share embarassing secrets or something about Ash!! (giggles) Just Kidding!
Thanks for stopping by!

In The Storm

I had some quiet time today while the kids were napping and actually had time to read God's Word and pray without kids running around me. I was praying and honestly having a hard time getting words out. You know those times when you have so much to say and so much to pray about but you just can't get it out?

Right about that time, the song Praise You In This Storm came on the radio. It's one of my favorites and I've heard it a million times but it really spoke to me today.


When you're going through the great times in life when everything is good (bills are paid, everyone's healthy, you're standing on a mountain), it's so easy to just praise and praise the Lord for the blessings. But when you go through those hard times when EVERY SINGLE THING in your world is upside down...it's so hard to even lift your hands up.


Kari is doing so good right now and I'm so thankful for it. But it's like I've reached this point in this new journey where I'm struggling to accept the changes. I was looking at some old pictures of Kari, just 2 weeks before she was diagnosed, and I completely had a break down. My beautiful, innocent 4 year old is no longer innocent. She's still beautiful and always will be but she's changed so much emotionally and otherwise. It's heartbreaking to see it. Our lives have changed from normal (a crazy normal) to...well, I don't really know what it is now. And I've struggled to praise God the past few weeks. I've struggled to accept that He is God and what He does is right. In the beginning of our journey, it seems that I had an easier time accepting things but now, it's sinking in that this journey has and will forever change us.

But when that song came on today, I realized that even though life is hard to accept and it's hard to deal with at times, God truly is with us in our storm. The chorus of that song says this:

I'll praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That you are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I cry
You hold in your hands
You've never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise you in this storm

Sometimes I feel like God doesn't see all the tears in the middle of the night. That the all-knowing, all-seeing God doesn't hear the cries of this heart-broken mama. But to know that he holds our tears in His hands...wow! I was so encouraged by this song tonight. I was also a little rebuked. God is the God over the good times and the bad times. Should we not praise Him through both? Should we not trust Him enough to know that He is in control even when things are not the way we think they should be?

Yep. And I haven't been. God has been so faithful to us. To ME. I don't doubt His ability to take care of us but at the same time....can I trust Him enough to PRAISE Him through these hard times?

Whewee. That's a hard thing to do but I'm asking the Lord to help me to praise Him through it all. Because it's not MY will, but His. My mom sent me a text message the other morning from her daily devotions and it said this: The great thing is to suffer without being discouraged. Another rebuke. LOL!




So, anyway, that's my sermon for the day! We have clinic tomorrow and we will start a new phase of treatment. Please pray that this treatment goes as well as the others! My mother in law will probably be posting next. I'm sure you all will be glad not to have to read my ramblings! LOL!

Thank you for praying for our family! It carries us through! :)

We're Here!

After getting a dozen texts and emails asking if we we're okay, I decided it was time to update the blog again. Honestly, sometimes I have trouble forming my thoughts into words and not sounding ridiculous. I have a lot of emotions running through my person day after day and this past week has been a doozie (doozy?). I don't have any pictures to post because I don't have time to load them but I promise to post them ASAP.

Last weekend, you can see what the kids and I did here. Thank you, Jess, for a wonderful evening! I had a blast and the kids obviously had fun too. It was so nice to have adult conversation and to look around in stores without kids running around everywhere! I definitely enjoyed the 4 hours we got to spend together!

Last week, we had Clinic and it was the best trip there yet. We still had some issues accessing Kari's port but it's getting better each time. Her counts are still good as are her other counts! We get a break this week from Clinic and Kari has been sure to tell everyone!

This past Friday, the kids, mom and I loaded up and headed to Ohio. We made a fun stop at the Newport Aquarium to meet Jess and Chase. We had so much fun although I must say that going to the Aquarium with kids is a whole different ball game than going as a teenager! LOL. Jess, mom and I all agreed that when we got back to our cars, we felt like we had been to work! Ha ha! The kids enjoyed snow cones, ice cream cones and a man on stilts that made them stuff out of balloons. I would like to visit Newport on the Levee again when it isn't 110 degrees outside. The whole area was awesome!

Currently, we are in Ohio visiting family. We wanted to come spend time with my aunt Ellie and my cousin is also getting married today. However, last night we had a scare with Kari and a fever that kept spiking and lowering every 30 minutes so I decided it was best to keep her in out of the weather today. It is rainy and muggy outside and the wedding/reception is outside??? We are sooo not up to that right now.

I want to say thank you AGAIN to Farmers National Bank. They have been so good to me through this whole ordeal and have gone above and beyond time after time! I miss you ALL so much! Cassie and Chrissy, thank you all for coming over last week to visit us. Kari had a great time with Macey and Kyndall and I loved catching up on everything. I got really emotional because I realized that it may be a while before I can return to work. It's a hard decision to make and an emotional one as well. I know God is in control and will work this whole situation out for our good but sometimes it's so hard knowing what choice to make when you can't see the future.

I know what everyone is thinking....that's where faith and trust come in. We can't see the future and have to put our faith and trust in the One who can. Trust doesn't come easy for me and maybe the Lord is trying to teach me a few things???
Anyway, God knows best and I do know that. Playing over and over in my mind, this song that Davy, Kelly and Odie sing reminds me to just leave it in God's hands and let go. I can't say that I'm there yet, but I'm working on it.

Faith gives you hope, hope gives you strength
Strength gives you courage to go on each day
When you're praying for answers to things you can't change
When it's out of your hands hold on to faith

I love you all and appreciate all you do for us! Kari wants to say to Macey and Kyndall that she loves and misses you all very much! Also to her cousins Cameron, Casey, Sammie and Brandon she says she loves you all too!
And to Gammy, Pappy, Uncle and Lacey she says she misses you and will be home to see you soon! :)