Finally Arrived

Ok Everyone, I am now officially the new owner of my own website.  I will leave this site up becuase it has a lot of my posts that didnt get transfered over. 

My new url is as follows.  Come Check me out and drop me a comment, tell me what you think

Trebled Experience

Moving On

Hey all.  I am getting ready to move on from blogger.  I have discovered that I have out grown this site, but I have also not out grown this site.

Basically what I want and what I see are totally different than what I actually have.  I love blogger, it is a great beginner for those that are just starting out.

I am looking at purchasing my own domain and getting the look that I have been dreaming about for my blog.  This move will hopefully help me improve my fan base.  I love you all, so be on the lookout for another post with all of my new information about my new site.

Bernhoft

So this is something that I saw on Ellen last week.  This is a one man band, and I have to say that I love his song.  So here is Bernhoft from Norway singing C'Mon Talk

Let me know what you think about him!!!

Whale or Meraid?

Delphine Fieberg


A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.

They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.

They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?

They would have no sex life and could not bear children.

Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.

And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.

We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.

Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

The girl in the picture is a French model- Tara Lynn

This is so true to me.  This really hits home to a lot of hearts of my friends and family!  What do you think about this?  Leave me a comment below with you opinion

Pinktober

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This cause really hit home in my heart because it has dramatically changed my life forever.  My mother was taken by Breast Cancer.  Now I know that many of  you already know this story, but let me once again share it with the world.

My mother, Linda D Knatat was born February 23, 1954 in East St. Louis.  She married my father Randy Knatat on March 20, 1976.  They were high school sweethearts.  In 2007 she attended a Senior Choir trip with me and my high school to San Antonio, TX where we attended a ranch.  She was in a hay bailing race when her partner got her foot stuck in a mole hole and fell face first.  My mother went down shortly after, busting out all of her scar tissue in her chest and breaking her right foot.  Several weeks after returning home she noticed that the brusing on her chest wasn't healing, in fact as each day passed it hurt more and more.  She went to see her doctor and he told her to have a mamogram, and so she did.  They found a mass and decided to biopsy the mass. Test results came back malignant.  My dad and she returned that day to tell us the bad news and to tell us what is being done to fix things.  I at the time was a freshman in college, my brother, an eighth grader.

The following week she started chemotherapy, had had it for 6 months.  The did surgery and removed it.  The tumor was originally the size of a large lemon, and after chemo the tumor was about the size of a grape.  They had cured her and to make sure that things would stay healthy they told her that she needed to go to radiation, just to make sure that they got everything.  She went to Siteman Cancer Institute in St. Louis and had 36 radiation treatments, and an aditional one that she called the "boost".

My mom was in remission for about a year and a half when she noticed that there was a spot on her neck that was growing.  Eventually she could no longer wear her favorite neclaces.  She went and had it looked at and with her history they ordered a round of imaging tests and another biospy.  Sure enough, she was sick again.  This time it was classified Stage 4, terminal.  This time when it came back, it came back in 5 different places in her body, liver, lungs, stomach, adrenal gland, and a hernia that she developed as a child.  All hope was not lost, in fact they thougtht that her chances of survival were tremendious. 

She was enrolled into a study and was in that for about 6 months, until the study no longer worked for her cancer anymore.  They put her on a detox to make sure that all of the drugs from the study were out of her system before they started another round of chemom, this time with a different set of drugs.  She went on a trip with my brother and the band from high school to Washington DC.  When she came back she was so worn out that she took a week off of work and in that time she started to bloat around the stomach.  Eventually she looked like she was 9 months pregnant and was taken into the hospital to see what was going on.  She was admitted into the hospital for a weekend, suffering from renal failure, sclerosis of the liver, kidney failure and retaining of water.  She had a small chance of surviving the weekend and against all odds, she did. 

I got home from Kansas July 29.  I finally got to see my mother and family again after three months.  I was, on the inside itching to come home.  My mother wouldn't let me.  We took her the ER at BJC because the morning of July 30 she woke up and her eyes were yellow.  August 1 They scheduled her for surgery to put a system of tubes in her stomach to pull off the fluid that was sitting there and told her that she only had about 2 weeks to 2 months to live.  We were all devistated.  How could things have gotten so bad so fast?  We worked with the hospital to get her into hospice and got a hospital bed to our home.  She was in surgery and brought home on August 2.  I told her that I would take the semester off of school to take care of her, but I wouldn't do it unless she would let me.  She said as long as I go back, that she gave her blessing.  So I did.  I took care of her for 6 days before she passed away. 

In the hospital they took another round images of her body and found that the cancer had spread through out her entire body.  including the lining of abdomen.  She is now just another statistic to the rest of the world, but to me and my family she is the best thing that happened to us.  The world's greatest mother. 

To the world's greatest mother:  In Memory of Linda D. Knatat February 23, 1954- August 8, 2011

I invite you to share your story with me.  If you or someone you know has been touched by breast cancer, please share there story!

The things my dogs do

So these are just a few pictures about the light my dogs bring into my life.  I have shown them on here before, But this gives you a little peek at their unique personalities.  Enjoy

 So I tried to take a picture of Brooklyn, but being the curious one that she is, she had to sniff the camera

 My poor Roxi, she has a hard time on the hard wood floors and so just about every chance she gets she has to spread out on the rugs.  My mess on the floor is from Brooklyn....

 All tuckered out from playing, and of course she has to take over my bed with Mr. Piggy, that is it pink thing by her head

 She was jealous of the bug...so she stuck her tongue out at it. 

Summertime

Since we are at the end of summer I thought I would share with you one of my favorite pianists of all time.  George Gershwin.  Now there is a little history behind this song for my family.  For some odd reason it has kind of become a theme song.  This summer took a toll on all of my family.  With me being gone for three months and the passing of my mother, the funeral and figuring things out, this song brings back so many memories of my childhood, be it with my mom, or dad or even the wonderful employer, the YMCA.  This song also just happens to be one of my moms favorites.  So with out further ado, I give you George Gershwin's Summertime Performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

There Goes my life

No while this song is about a teen couple becoming pregnant in high school and watching there futures pass them by, this song made me cry today on the stand.  I was listening to the radio and the lyrics of the chorus hit my emotions out of no where.  There is a reason for that.  Those words are similar to what my dad said to my mom just as she took her final moments.  Its ironic that this song would come to me today.

This weekend was the 25th annual Italian Fest in Collinsville.  It celebrates the Italian basis that Collinsville was build on.  My family is one of the founding fathers of Collinsville.  This weekend was filled with thrills, shrills, good times and bad.  Partying, drinking and of course rekindling the lost, but not forgotten relationship with people from our pasts.  Yes Italian draws everyone back home for the good food, amazing music, and all you can handle beer...the drink of choice. 

So as you watch this video I hope that you think about the message in the words, whether its all of them or just some of them.  Think and act on them!

For those of you that are reading this and we caught up over the weekend.. Thank you for your kind words and sympathy.  It helps with the healing process.  I hope that all of you realize what an amazing, strong and heroic woman my mother is.  She is truely missed!

Keep in touch all!

Flashback

I was sitting on the guard stand this morning while Joan played one of her cd's for her aerobics classes.  And as I listened to the music that she was playing, there were several that reminded me of all of the memories that I have with my mother.

The first song is Ricky Martin-Livin la Vida Loca.  This memory is kinda funny, I can remember going to Best Buy and seeing that cd on the rack.  I begged and begged and  begged for her to buy it for me because everyone was listening to it.  It was the thing to listen to.  She did, and told me not to ask for anything else, but we would listen to it in the car on the way home!  I was so excited, I could hardly stand still.  We listened to it and rocked out all the way home!

The next song is a more recent memory.  My High School Graduation party out at woodland park.  It was rainy and muddy, but we still had a bbq with most of family and friends.  She decorated the pavilion with mine and Ryan's help of course.  purple and white streamers everywhere.  And then she surprises me with this giant balloon that said "Celebrate and Congratulations."  And when you hit it it played the song, Celebrate.  She thought it was the coolest thing, and every time someone would hit it she would stop what she was doing and rock out to it.  I can remember being so embarrassed by it, but now that I think back on it, I think she was just happy that she got to celebrate my graduation with me!

Grease.  Enough said right?  My mom and I used to sit down and watch it together.  It was our favorite movie, besides most of the classics.  She was a huge fan of Olivia Newton John, so much so that when she came to St. Louis we went to go see her live in concert.  My mom always looked up to her because of her battle with breast cancer.  I was a little girl when we went to see her.  So this next song is Greased Lightning!  My mom also thought John Travolta looked as she put it..."smokin'" in this movie!

The YMCA is of course a huge one for me.  From being in swim lessons at the Granite City Y to being in summer camp in Maryville, to a CIT and a camp counselor and recently a lifeguard and swim instructor, lets just say that the Y has been a big part of my life.  I remember listening to JC Corcoran in the mornings on the way to school or camp.  My mom is also the reason for the latchkey or what is now called SACC before and after program in Collinsville school district, so all you parents remember that when you go to put your children in that program.  My mom has been there for me through thick and thin for as long as I have been either a member or an employee of the YMCA.  I can remember listening to radio and whenever this song came on we would drop everything and dance together in the living room.  Some of the moves she would pull were quite hilarious.  Some of them are actually pictured in the music video below.

Those are the most stand outish songs.  Now of course there are more, but if I added them you would be reading and watching this post for like an hour.  So I decided that three is plenty.  I guess I could could this as a music post to since its been a while.  So there you have it my happy memories with my mother, brought on by song.  Its amazing how something so small can remind you of the good times with someone that has passed.  I hope that she is reading this as I type it and smiling down on me in Heaven.  I love you mom, and I know that If you were to really be able to read this you would love it.  So here is to some of my funny memories of you.

We Remember

Today marks the tenth year after the attacks on the WTC Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA.  It is a sad memory of everyone.  Where were you when all of this happened?  I was sitting in Mr. Kovarik's Geography class, 2nd Row, 8th Seat.  Seventh Grade.  I can remember every detail of that day.  I can remember crying all of those who were effected by all of this. 

It is hard to believe that it has been ten years since the attacks.  I can't believe it.  It also means that my grandmother passed away ten years ago.  No, she wasn't apart the terrorist attacks, something a little different.  But that is a story for another time. 

 This post is to get all of you to talk about what you remember what happened that dark day in our history.  Do you remember what happened, do you remember what you were doing, where you were?  Leave me a comment and share your story.  I will post them on a separate post later today!