Update

Not much is going on these days. We are on the home stretch before school starts up again. I actually go back to work next week for pre-registration. So the girls and I are trying to cram in as many pajama days as possible before we get back to the daily grind. Gracie will start 2nd grade in August. It was amazing one day this summer when she instantly turned into a 2nd grader. She was telling me a story, and suddenly (mid-story) she began to talk and look like a 2nd grader - snaggly teeth and all. Lily is totally 3, opinionated, stubborn . . . a mess! Good luck to her pre-school teachers!

My mom's biopsy was yesterday. It went well, no complications. The doctor was pretty positive about what he saw, so hopefully the test results will prove that she is fine. It may be a week or two before we get the official results back, though. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, e-mails, texts, and support.

Mamma Mia!

The movie was fabulous! My mom, sister, and I had an impromptu girls' night out and decided we would give it a shot. We could sing along with most of the songs, which is always a plus for the "Smith" girls, and we laughed out loud through the entire movie. We actually don't get out often (just the girls) without the rest of the crew, so it was nice to do something together that the three of us all enjoyed.

It ended up serving as a great distraction the night before my mom went to see her specialist to get the results of her "pet scan". (No, it doesn't involve man's best friend.) Apparently live (possibly cancerous) cells love sugar. So during the pet scan, they injected sugar into her body and watched to see where it went and if it attracted to any cells. Hers did clump up around the suspicious spot on her lungs. So, the next step is to have a needle biopsy so that the doctor can determine exactly what type of cells we are dealing with and where to go from here. This biopsy is scheduled for next week. Please continue to pray for her healing as well as comfort and strength as we all wait in limbo for the results.

Colorado Vacation Shots

The Rollmann's Hit the Road

Colorado is beautiful! We have had a blast and totally enjoyed the change of scenery. We have spent the past week in Granby, Colorado (near Winter Park). The picture below is the view from the pool at our condo.


One day we rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain . . . quite an experience . . . (who knew that Brad was so afraid of heights). At the top, we walked the trails and took a few pictures.


One day we drove to Breckenridge and rented a jeep for the day. It was definitely an adventure! There were moments of terror as we hopped and slipped through narrow passages, wondering if we were still on the trail or not. Then there was the moment panic when (after slamming the bottom of our jeep on a huge boulder) Brad calmly told me that we were out of gas . . . OUT OF GAS . . . in the middle of nowhere, on the steepest hill in Colorado, with no one in sight . . . We turned off the jeep, got out to "discuss" the issue, and I began to PANIC!! We decided to get back in and try to keep going (since there really weren't many other options). When Brad turned the jeep back on, the gage started working again and showed that we still had plenty of gas. At that point, I was ready to find an "easy" trail . . . forget this "moderate" stuff!! We eventually found our way out of that trail and enjoyed a few hours of easy 4-wheeling. While we were clinging for dear life, we didn't stop to take any pictures, but here is one of the girls later enjoying the ride.


Yesterday (our last day) we went 4-wheeling. It was overwhelmingly our favorite day of the trip. We all had a blast riding. Our timing probably wasn't the best, though, because we were on the trial during prime nap time. At one point Brad actually had to pull over to figure out why Lily kept rocking back and forth. She told him that she was tired and he knew that all of the head bobbing was because she had fallen asleep. But when she was awake, she insisted that we "go faster".



At one point, Brad actually let Gracie take the wheel. It was a little frightening when they sped past me and he held his hands up to show me that she was in control. She loved it!

We had a great time, but are anxious to be home. The girls can't wait to see Mimi and PawPaw and pet Sadie, and Brad and I are ready to sleep in our own bed. Colorado is great, but there is nothing like home sweet home!

Kindred Spirits

Who knew? After 26 years I'm pretty sure that our moms would still ground us if we didn't make up and become friends again. But I guess that they knew what they were doing. After all, they are the ones who forced us to watch Anne of Green Gables in the first place. (Which is where the quote, "I think you may be a kindred spirit after all" came from.)

I am amazed to look back over the years and see how God has been working. It is hard to put into words the bond that we have. Keely's dad and my mom were actually friends growing up, who lost track of each other after high school until her parents moved back to Azle when I was in the 2nd grade. Their friendship was renewed and Keely and I began a friendship that is still going strong. We grew up together, and at times were inseparable. We were baptized on the same day, along with Keely's dad. And today our husbands are great friends as well as our children.

Their family is precious to us. It is so unique to have a family that totally "gets" you and loves you - the good and the bad. Through the past couple of years they have challenged us and loved us as we have grown spiritually and had our eyes opened to many new possibilities. I am aware now of God's hand working on us from day one. I know that Brad and I wouldn't be where we are today without His help and this precious family that he knew we would need in our lives. And I can't wait to see where he will take us from here.

Who knew . . .

Here's another great Anne of Green Gables quote . . . "Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"

And the winner is . . .

I spent the past five days in San Antonio at a technology conference with a few people from our school district. Overall it was an overwhelming experience. I typically consider myself somewhat computer savvy . . . I do know how to use my IPOD and I have figured out some of the features on my blackberry. But I had NO CLUE what all is actually out there. We had a good time, but for the most part were blown away by the available technology and lack of money to purchase any of it.

The most exciting news, though, is that while we were there we happened to walk by one of the thousands of vendor booths to watch a demonstration at the end of the day. After the demonstration, we added the product to one of the things that we would love to have but have no money to buy. Our demo rep convinced us to stick around for a few minutes, though, to enter a drawing (along with the hundreds of other people who had wondered through during the day) for one of ten prizes they were giving away as they wrapped up the first full day of the convention. So we stayed. They drew names and called people up to "reveal" the prize that they won . . . we sat and oohed and awed with the crowd. After 7 winners names were drawn, the girl beside me said, "I don't know why we're here. I never win anything." I agreed with her and picked up my phone to listen to a voicemail from Brad. That's when they called my name!

I actually won one of the BIG prizes. It is a free active board. (Like a computer merged with a dry erase marker board. Completely interactive.) They are too cool! Take a look at this video if you don't know what one is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIUci7bj6Og&feature=related . Anyway, I'm thrilled to be home. It was a great adventure, but I missed Brad and the girls tremendously!