Heaven on Earth

As with everyone, life goes on. Over the past few weeks I have been able to see countless blessings happening around me. My daughter Mauri had a garage sale to raise money for a cure for breast cancer. She raised almost $300 and donated it to the Susan G. Koman foundation. We'll find a cure if it's not from my own family doing all they can to support me and join the crusade to find a cure. My loving thanks to my family.

That same day I went to the circus with Mauri and her family. We go every year, it's a family tradition.

The cotton candy is always a big hit.




I thoroughly enjoyed conference last weekend. I was able to go Sunday afternoon with Mauri and we had a terrific time. The day was beautiful and the spirit was uplifting. How blessed I am to have the gospel in my life.



What added to the wonderful weekend was an enjoyable reunion with some of my Boston missionaries. I gave birth to three children but I have hundreds of sons and daughters. How grateful I am for the time I was able to spend in Boston. How grateful I am for the years I was able to teach seminary and for the association I had with some terrific high school students eager to start their day on the right foot. For all those whose lives have crossed my path, I will be forever grateful for the influence you have been in my life.

You may be aware it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I've been on the hunt for any pink paraphernalia I can find for the cancer walk I'm participating in next month with my daughters. Pink, pink, and more pink... If you would like to make a donation the link is on the left of this web page.

Speaking of pink, I've got an adorable little grand daughter coming in two months and she'll be pretty in pink. Her mom, my daughter-in-law Holly, is on bed rest for the next two months, so lucky me I get to go down and help out and play with my Arizona grandchildren a couple of times.

Augh yes, I did have an Econ test last week. Thanks to my terrific visiting teacher Mindy who majored in Economics, she came by to help me study and she was a great help! I took the test in class on a Tuesday evening. The teacher passed out the bubble sheet for me to fill in my answers. At the top of the sheet I had to fill in my BYU ID number. Well I did that and promptly took the test. It wasn't at all like the practice quiz I took online so I was anxious to get the results back. The teacher had to take the bubble sheets down to the BYU testing center and run them through the machine that grades them and then posts my score on my BYU route Y link. It wasn't until the next morning that the scores were posted. I opened my route Y link and there was an 84%, well imagine my surprise. I thought for sure I had bubbled in someone else's BYU ID number and the tests got all mixed up. I checked and doubled checked looking at my name thinking I was looking at someone else's grade. Who would have guessed!

Wednesday found me at the hospital again getting another PET Scan. My cancer marker is rising and the chemotherapy I've been doing for the past six weeks isn't working so the doctor wanted to see if the cancer is spreading. Another anxious couple of days waiting for the test results to come back. Hummm, I wonder if the lab tech might bubble in someone else's ID number and I'll get someone else's PET Scan results.

Today I had a visit with the doctor, Mauri is always a great support and came with me to hear what the doctor had to say regarding the PET Scan results. Would I pass this test as nicely as I passed the Econ test? Come to find out, the cancer has NOT spread and it has even diminished in my right hip where I had the radiation in August. He gave us a few options of what type of chemotherapy we should start next and after a little more test results we'll probably start something new the beginning of next week.

Yes, I am feeling like a pin cushion and it's hard to schedule all my fun trips around all these doctors appointments.

I left the doctor and did my traditional stop at Sonic. I sat in my car at Sonic facing East, looking at beautiful 'Y' mountain, four or five dozen seagulls flew overhead. I counted my blessings... Overlooking those gorgeous mountains that I love, wondering if people ever questioned why Utah has seagulls when we don't even have an ocean, being extremely grateful for Mauri for supporting me through all these doctors appointments, rejoicing over the fact that I will be in Arizona next week with the rest of my kids and grandkids, and appreciative that the cancer has not spread since the last PET Scan. I wondered if the joy in heaven would equal the happiness I felt at that moment in the Sonic parking lot that day.

I'm a game player at heart. I wouldn't consider myself competitive, maybe my family does. But I was playing a game the other evening and the thought occurred to me, "I can win". Yes, Darla, you can win. Maybe I am competitive, I can beat this and any other challenge placed in front of me.