The next 7 days in Charters Towers are a bit of a blurrr...

I remember caffeine every day!

.love.

Flowers arrived!

.heart.

I went for walks in the afternoon, and listened to worship music and prayed, prayed, prayed...

.i.loved.these.pink.trees.ask.my.sisters.

.molly.walks.

Daniel and Adele arrived! They drove (yes, drove!) up from Canberra to Charters Towers in two days (about 2500 kms) This was serious...

.daniel.and.adele.brother.and.his.wife.

Kim and Beth organised the removalists and, all of a sudden we were having to pack up the house (the house I had watched mum pack up just 2 months previously) and move everything back to Ballina.

.fragile.iron.toaster.kettle.knives.penguins.ha.

Mum was very sick, all she could do was rest. Mum put her iphone on her ipod dock and listened to the new C3 album 'Send Down Your Love' she worshiped, often. She loved the song 'Here and Now' - you should totally listen to it! I'd hear that song coming out of her room, often. Wow. In the midst of everything, her pain, her sickness, her discomfort, her vomiting she worshiped (I think we can all learn something from this) Through all of her resting she had her faithful bodyguard with her the whole time, what a good dog!

.molly.the.dog.and.the.mum.

Over the next few days, we had two trips to Townsville! Us girls took Clare to the airport to FLY back to Brisbane (a nice 2.5 hour flight) Kirsty, Daniel and I had a 12 hour car trip back to Mundunbberra.

.roadtrip.to.Townsville.with.sisters.

That Sunday mum and dad flew down to Brisbane...

.dad.and.mum.lovers.for.life.

I'm doing a two day working week at the moment. Please be praying as I return to work. Thanks for popping by, I'll update when I can. Big love to you all, return soon for more of my story!

This is where it gets tricky....

We spent Tuesday & Wednesday just being with mum. I went up to the lookout by myself to watch the sunset and feed the wallabies... I enjoyed doing that, I got time to think and pray.

.charters.towers.sunset.=.beautiful.

On the Tuesday I went and visited my dad at his new workplace - it was his dream job. The people he worked with were just LOVELY...truly! I was so happy for him

.library.

.my.dad.and.me.

.funky.modern.dream.job.

I slowly started texting friends, sharing what was going on... it was hard, so hard to tell people, seeing it written was so difficult, I couldn't talk about it, all I could do was text or email. I occasionally answered a phone call. My mum is so special to my friends.

.my.message.to.the.ones.who.needed.to.know.

Wednesday morning, Kirsty and I decided to go see Eclipse... good times... movie was ok, I'm not a real vampire movie fan, but in the midst of everything going on, I just wanted to go do something different.

.aj.likes.eating.maltesers.and.popcorn.at.the.same.time.

After the movie, we went home, mum was in bed, REALLY unwell. Mum asks to go to the hospital. We wait for dad to come home from work, he rings mum's kidney specialist in Lismore, he tells us - mum needs to get to the closest major hospital to get her kidney stabilised (mum had a kidney transplant 5.5 years ago - another long story in itself. If you are not organ donor go to Donate a Life )

That afternoon, I'm sent on a round trip to Townsville, an hour and a half away. Scarey drive. Dad prays the whole way in the back seat, mum and I listen to a Hillsong CD, I worship, she's too sick, but i know she was worshipping. We arrive at the gynecologist, as they suspect it's ovarian cancer. Mum and dad are with the specialist for over an hour. I'm praying and texting a friend the whole time. Mum is referred to a gyno-oncologist in Brisbane. Three kangaroo's, Two rabbits and an owl later, we're home.

.charters.towers.

More to come...

We laughed, we chatted, we cried, we had really bad coffee and we sat on our butts for around 10 hours... it was a really long trip, and would have been longer, but I drove!

At 4:30pm we arrived in Charters Towers, unannounced, as we knew mum and dad would have told us not to worry about coming up. We walked through the front gate as dad came around the side of the house... we all sobbed... a moment I will never forget. I was so glad to be there.

We walked inside (after I battled with the sliding security door!) and there was MY mum, lying on her blue leather recliner, just so, so sick and weak... I cried. I was so happy to be there, so happy to see her, but so sad to see her so sick.

That evening, mum walked us around the garden, no, not a pretty secret garden type garden, but a weirdly shaped hexagonal type, with weeds, red dirt and lots of dry and dying plants....ewww! She wanted to show off her new place.

She walked us around the house, approximately 20 metres, she struggled...severely, I was so scared.

The next day (and week) we sat with her, lay down on her bed with her, cried, got her water, watched telly, did anything we could to make her feel better or more comfortable. I loved just being there with her... such valuable time spent together.

The next evening we went up to Charters Towers lookout. I knew mum loved going there, with Mollly (the dog) to feed the wallabies (that we found out later we weren't supposed to feed) I look back now and think how tired and exhausted she must have been, but she went anyway...

Feeding the wallabies apple...they don't like carrot or bread!

Check out my mum and me... She's hot!

So it's been awhile since I blogged...

I went on a secret squirrel mission 7 weeks ago to surprise my sister in Mundubberra!! The plan was to stay for a week then go home to Ballina. Good plan!

THEN, Saturday the 10th July 2010 came around... it will now be a date in my life that is very significant for me and my family. We knew mum was sick and that she was going for tests... we thought it was just mum being sick, the normal usual sick, but no, we were wrong, so very wrong.

That afternoon we got a phone call, about 3 o'clock - a call I never thought I would EVER have to deal with or face...but no, again, I was wrong. It was my mum calling us to tell us she had cancer. Errr that yucky word... Dad was unable to talk.... I was gutted.

That afternoon mum called each of her kids to tell us. As soon as my sister Clare found out, she travelled out to Mundubberra, a 5 hour trip...

The next morning, I got up at 3 am, woken by a dream - I started praying and journalling, I updated my Facebook status to 'writing down the vision' mum commented on it at that time, telling me, she was also up doing the same...how precious. At 6am Kirsty, Clare and myself travelled over 1000km's to Charters Towers

You can not imagine the absolute shock, devastation, sadness, anger, hurt and fear that I felt after that phone call...

More of the journey of the last few weeks to come.... stay tuned...

Welcome to my Morning, it is glorious!

The house is empty....

There's a coffee machine on the bench....

There is soy milk in the fridge....

A fresh bag of coffee has been opened up....

THIS morning is glorious!

I'm having a latte with Jesus this morning!

Life is Sweet!!

Hello fellow bloggers!



Well, I am trying to pick up my act in the whole blogging department...I don't know how to work many of the contraptions on this site...which makes me struggle a whole lot!



I am over my emo time...life isn't perfect, and never will be, but life is a journey!!



Life this week has slowly getting better! The last week and the next week has and is massive for me I had my work Christmas party last night - good times! Youth Christmas party tonight - fun times, Swan Lake up in Brissy tomorrow with my sister, sister in law and lovely cousins!! I have Youth leaders christmas Party on Sunday, HSIE department Xmas party and have had 2 xmas parties previously! So busy, busy busy! I am also trying to fit in gym time...life is full and hectic!!



Another thing!! My family is comin ghome for Christmas - minus Danny and Adele...but they will be up a few days after, but I am totally excited!! Can't wait to have everyone back and get a new family photo...I looked so icky in the last one!!!



There's my life this week!! Catch ya next time!



xxx

I've been away for a while now...this is a bit emo....

Hey!

So I am sitting here at 10:30 at night listening to Brooke Fraser's song 'Shadowfeet'. It's currently on my MySpace profile - check it out www.myspace.com/beautiful_aj - I love this song!

I am feeling a little emo at the moment! I feel like things around me are in chaos, that things for other people are happening for everyone BUT me - I am still at home (a boomerang child at that!) AND feeling like I can not handle things anymore!
But then as I think over my life, I feel so, so blessed! I have the two most amazing and loving parents on the planet, a job I completly love, a church that is just the best, and a God who is so faithful to the dreams and desires locked in my heart! I think about the chaos around me and know that there will be a calm in the midst of the storm soon, I know there is a man out there who God has entrusted to me and who God has devoted fully to me - handpicked! And I know that when I feel I can't do it anymore - that God doesn't give me anything I can't handle!! God is so much bigger then all of this!

Thats me!

xxx