Sanity and Happiness

2008-11-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

2008-11-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

A warm Thank You to all who have been following Michelle and Andy's Blog. This will be the final entry of their blog.

Michelle's funeral service was beautiful with nearly 500 relatives, friends and neighbors in attendance. The service was held at the Central Wyoming College Auditorium. The stage was covered in many wonderful and colorful floral arrangements surrounding her casket. She had chosen congregational singing and Oh! how beautiful the sound which reverberated through the air! It was therapeutic for each of us to sing those beautiful hymns and be part of Michelle's funeral. Michelle had chosen, #276 "Precious Thought" which we know was surely her personal testimony. Dean, Vernon and Devin all knew Michelle personally and it made the messages extra rich. It was comforting and encouraging to have 26 of God's servants present at the service, many who had driven several hours to be there. For those of you that were unable to attend the service, we wanted to post the service card, hymns, and notes from the funeral. Hopefully you are able to read it; you may have to click on each image to see it better.

Thank you again, and best of days to each of you~~~

Love, Andy Snelling, Wayne and Wanda Major, Brent Major, Shawna Major and Tiffany Rieckenberg~~~

We'd like to send out a blanket THANK YOU~~~ There were a few arrangements that had lost their cards, and other gifts that we do not know who the senders were... please accept our many thanks. Andy, Wayne and Wanda and family.

Funeral Service for Michelle Yvonne (Major) Snelling
November 19, 2008 – Riverton, WY

Dean Bruer – We will begin with a hymn that was very special to Michelle, #276 “Precious Thought.” All are welcome to join in as we sing together.

Devin Lerwick
(read obituary)
Prayer

Vernon Joyce
I would like to read from the 11th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, verse 25. “At that time Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight’.” Jesus was thankful that the plan of salvation was simple. It was revealed unto those that were willing to be babes. Michelle loved simplicity. One of her and Andy’s projects was the little apartment in the corner of the barn. We had been helping with that, along with many other people. We were at the stage of doing the texturing of the sheetrock. We were in at lunchtime and visiting with Michelle and we were going to try to do some fancy texturing, maybe put some horseshoes on the wall or we even thought about a horse at one time in the texture. Michelle just gently said, “well, weren’t we going to just keep it simple” and I said “thank you, Michelle.” It was her project really and we were just getting carried away wanting to make it nice, but simple is beautiful. Michelle had a simple life, but it was beautiful.
I have noticed in the New Testament when I have been thinking about the thought of simplicity that whenever Jesus was involved things that were complicated or impossible became simple with Jesus. The first miracle that he performed at a wedding they ran out of wine. What to do? Jesus just told the servants, “just fill the water pots with water” and they filled them to the brim. He said “serve now to the guests” and they served the best wine, the best wine. Very complicated, how did he do that? When Jesus is involved, solutions are simple.
In Matthew 14, and all the gospels record this, we read where Jesus fed 5000 men besides women and children. Now, those of you that have spent any time in the kitchen, if you knew you had 5000 people to feed it starts getting complicated. The logistics involved – how many potatoes do you cook for 5000 men besides women and children? Jesus was involved. He took a lad's lunch and he thanked God for the little lunch and he fed the multitude.
When Jesus is involved, overwhelming situations are simple. He just divided the bread and the fish and gave to his apostles and they took out and served to the people and they were all fed. Simple for Jesus.
There was a man that was blind. He was born blind. In John 9 you can read about his experience when Jesus was involved. Jesus made clay and he anointed his eyes and he told him to go wash and he went and he washed and he had eyesight. Now, I don’t know how complicated it would be to perform eye surgery, how many years a doctor studies medicine, how complex it would be, impossible maybe? When Jesus is involved it is simple. He put clay in the man’s eyes and he just told him to do something very easy to do: “You go wash” and he went and he washed and a notable miracle was his portion because Jesus was involved. Complicated, impossible situations become simple when Jesus is involved.
Back in Matthew 14, again, we have where Jesus came to His disciples walking on the sea during a storm. Unless the water is frozen, we can’t walk on it. It is impossible. I remember when I was a young boy reading in the Popular Mechanics magazine where some man tried to come up with Styrofoam shoes so he could walk on the water, not really. Peter saw Jesus and he said to Jesus “If it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water” and Jesus said “come” and Peter got down out of the ship and started walking to Jesus and he was afraid when he saw the waves and he started to sink. It says immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand. After Peter said “Lord save me,” Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and then they both walked back to the ship. It is impossible for men and women to walk on water in that situation, but not with Jesus. Jesus held onto Peter and they walked back to the ship. It is impossible for us to live above the storms of life on our own strength, but not with Jesus. In Michelle’s life a storm was brewing, but she had a beautiful countenance. There was something special about her trust in her Saviour, her love for the Word of God, and that with Jesus holding her hand she could walk above this storm. She could manifest the beautiful workmanship that God does in a yielded life. She showed forth that.
Compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion many times and helped people that were sick or blind or had lost loved ones. In the 9th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, at the end of that chapter, the 36th verse, it says: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into his harvest’.” Because Jesus saw the multitudes, it touched His heart and he sent forth a ministry, a simple ministry that He would be with and it would work as long as Jesus is involved. After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he visited with his believers for 40 days. It tells us in Acts that he showed himself with many infallible proofs to those that believed him. Just before he was ascended to heaven in the 28th chapter of Matthew, Jesus said: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” A ministry that Jesus is involved in is simple. It is overwhelming to the minister, but it is possible because Jesus is involved. Compassion is simple. It is not words so much – sometimes it is hard to know what to say.
I heard a story of a young girl, 5 or 6, and the little neighbor girl was her friend. They played all the time. That little neighbor girl had something medical or an accident, I don’t know, but she died. The young girl, she told her mother, “I am going over to the neighbor’s.” She was there for a half-hour or so. She came back and her mother said “what did you say?” She said “I didn’t say anything; I just crawled up on her lap and we cried together.” Compassion is simple. The act of you people coming today shows your compassion. You are here and that speaks a lot to the family.
It is hard to pick out sympathy cards sometimes. I just go with the blanks; I just like to write a little something simple. Thank you for coming. Jesus was thankful for simplicity and so was Michelle. What I am thankful for is that with Jesus a simple life is rich and we have witnessed that and that is a comfort to me. As the days come and go, may our memories of Michelle be a comfort and may it help us appreciate more and more the workmanship of our heavenly Father.

We will sing now hymn #105 “Life’s Short Day”

Dean Bruer
I would like to read and share from some scripture that became increasingly precious to Michelle in recent months, because it was her own experience. In I Peter 4, beginning with verse 12: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. In the 5th chapter and on to the 10th verse: “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Death helps to bring life into perspective. The gospel brings Christ into focus. Through the eye of faith we can see things which are heavenly and eternal. Death is a friend to the spirit of Jesus. Death releases the spirit from our limited human body. Death is not a stranger to those who have died daily. God did not plan that death would be an enemy. God did not plan that death would be a stranger. Death is not a stranger to those who have died daily and death is a friend to the Spirit of Jesus.
In regard to salvation, it has been said that “A long life is not necessarily good enough, but a good life is long enough.” Just some examples of that – we know that John the Baptist did not live a long life. He died at just a little over 30 years of age. But, he lived a good life and his life was long enough that the will of God for him was fulfilled in him and through him. James, the brother of John – we read of him being put to his death in the 12th chapter of Acts. James did not live a long life, but James did live a good life and it was long enough that God’s will was fulfilled in and through him. Of course, our greatest and foremost example is our Lord Jesus. He did not live a long life, but he lived a good life and it was long enough that God’s will was fulfilled in him and through him fully and completely and so at the close of his life he could say “It is finished.” As far as God’s plan of redemption, He completed the work that God had for Jesus to do on the earth. And Michelle, we know she did not live a long life, but she lived a good life and it was long enough that God’s will was done in her and with her and through her.
Three years ago, there were a few of us that were gathered together for Andy and Michelle’s wedding. It was a very special day. It was a solemn, yet a joyous occasion. On that day there were some tears and there was some laughter. It was a very, very special day. There were only a few of us gathered there together at Wayne & Wanda’s home. It was a very simple, Godly wedding. The presence of Jesus was there – the greatest guest that could be at any gathering. For those of us who were gathered together there, I can clearly hear those words that Michelle said and also that Andy said. And as they took those vows – “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do us part”. They did not know that day, nor did any of us who were there realize the full meaning of those words and what they would come to mean. Andy meant those words that day and Michelle meant those words that day. We are thankful that they were faithful to those words – “in sickness and in health til death do us part.” Last night Andy was sharing with me a little of the final experience. Even in those last weeks and those last days and those last moments.
There was a commitment before God and we are thankful for that and we are thankful for the faithfulness of commitment and today we are very, very thankful for Andy, as well as Michelle, in their faithfulness. None of us fully know what lies before us in the future, but there will be made commitments and vows before God. Wonderful if there can be faithfulness in that.
Isaiah 53:2 – Jesus was referred to as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We know that Michelle became acquainted with sorrow. She became acquainted with grief, but through all of that perhaps she was just able to enter into a deeper, richer fellowship with the Lord. No one knew more sorrow than the Lord himself and he was acquainted with grief. We have a hymn which says “Let Sorrow Do It’s Work” and friend, there is a work that sorrow can do that nothing else can do. And if we would ever try to avoid the sorrow, that work will not be done and completed in our lives. “Let sorrow do its work, come grief or pain.” So, even last night as we were watching the beautiful, beautiful sunset, we noticed the clouds accentuated that sunset. Like Michelle’s life – there were the clouds that made the sunset all the more beautiful. We are thankful that there is sorrow and that it adds a richness and it adds a depth to lives. And if we look at some of the greatest lives in the scriptures, they also knew sorrow and it added depth and it added richness to their lives. And even those in our own present day and age that have known great sorrow, it has added depth and it has added richness to their lives. Andy would say the same. I appreciated as he was sharing that Michelle helped him spiritually. Our best friends are those who help us spiritually.
I have enjoyed and will just share a little about precious things in these 2 letters of Peter. There are some very precious things which are mentioned and these are things which became more and more precious to Michelle and they can be very, very precious to us. We will just touch on 7 precious things which are not diminished in value by death. As we are gathered together here in the presence of death, we come to realize more the value of things whose value is not diminished by death and, if anything, increased.
1. First of all, Jesus is precious. In I Peter 2:6, we read: “Behold, I lay in Sion a chief
corner stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.” We read that He was disallowed of men. They didn’t think that He was valuable, but He was chosen of God and precious. Jesus was precious to Michelle. With the passing of life’s experience and even there Friday night when loved ones could only go so far, Michelle would know, as the Lord had said (Heb. 13:5,6) “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper.” Sometimes we can hold someone’s hand in death and we can go no further, but the Lord can go with them through the experience of death. Jesus is precious in life. Jesus is precious in death. Jesus is precious on the judgment day and Jesus is precious for all eternity.
2. In I Peter 1:19 we read: “But that the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Not redeemed by gold or silver, but with blood, precious blood.” Not the blood of an animal, but by the precious blood of Christ. As we come to understand that we have sinned, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but there is a provision for sin and that provision is in Christ and that provision is through the shed blood of Christ. Jesus was willing to go to Gethsemane and to Calvary to shed his precious blood for your sin and my sin. Perhaps in a degree, we value that today, but perhaps as we stand before the judgment seat of God we will value all the more the precious blood of Christ.
3. Precious seed. In I Peter 1:23, we read of incorruptible seed, “...the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” Precious seed. And also to Michelle the gospel was precious. The gospel is the only seed that produces the fruit of the spirit for an eternal harvest. So, we are thankful for the precious seed. I had the privilege of being in this area 2 years previously (not this year, but 2 years previously) and Michelle she loved the gospel and listening to the precious seed. She wanted that seed to be planted in her heart. She wanted the fruit of the spirit in this life and for all eternity. We are thankful for the precious seed of the gospel, the words of Jesus.
4. Now, in I Peter 3:4 we read of the “ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” A precious spirit – a meek and a quiet spirit. Precious in the sight of God. Michelle desired that, that she would have a meek and quiet spirit. We know that is not held in esteem in the world. So often the world is loud and proud, but the spirit of God is meek and quiet. A precious spirit. We realize, especially at a time like this, that time is limited for the body, but the spirit goes on to God who gave it.
5. Precious brethren. In II Peter 3 we read a number of times there “beloved, beloved.” “Our beloved brother, Paul.” Over and over in Peter, it says “beloved.” The brethren were precious to him. And to Michelle, the brethren were precious to her. Precious brethren. We understand through the experiences of life and at a time like this the precious brethren and the wonder of that and the fellowship that is in that. I had the privilege of gathering in fellowship, sometimes around the emblems and sometimes in the home for bible study there with Andy and Michelle and they valued the brethren. They valued the fellowship. It was precious to them. Michelle was kingdom-minded. Michelle, she lived close to the Lord’s people and close to the kingdom. She lived close to the ministry with her sister, Shawna, in the ministry. It just brought her all the closer and then her younger brother is an elder of this Fellowship. And the closeness of that and a meeting in her parents home and then the privilege of bible study in their own home. She was kingdom-minded. Precious fellowship.
6. Precious faith. We are thankful for that. II Peter 1:1 we read: “...to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God.” Like precious faith. That brings us into harmony of spirit. That brings us into fellowship. Like precious faith. Precious seed bringeth like precious faith. We are thankful for times that we have felt our spirit blending with Michelle’s spirit and Andy’s and others of the family and others of our friends here. It is precious faith.
7. In closing, as Peter was nearing the end and he was not speaking or writing about earthly things. He was not speaking about a precious boat, or a precious catch of fishes or a trophy fish, but these things were so precious. In II Peter 1:4 – “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” So now, as we are gathered together here, precious promises. It is true that our thoughts go backward over life today, over the life of Michelle, over our own life, over our interaction, our association, our relationship with her. And it is good that our thoughts go backward over life, but God has also planned that today our thoughts would go forward and our thoughts DO go forward. Precious promises. What is the future for Michelle for all eternity? What is our future for all eternity? At this point, when we have been softened and in the presence of death, it is true that our thoughts go backward, but we are thankful that our thoughts can go onward and forward and upward and heavenward. We are increasingly thankful, as we lower another body into the grave because of death, for precious promises of that which goes beyond, far beyond. What God has planned goes beyond death and far, far beyond.
Perhaps just in closing, I would like to share a poem that has meant much to us and it was written by one of our friends when one that was very, very dear to her died.
The Song of the Redeemed
Oh glorious Savior, Redeemer Divine,
To think thou shouldst enter this poor house of mine.
To think that Emanuel ever could be,
The guest of a poor, dying sinner like me.
And now I would pour on Thy blest pierced feet,
The tears of repentance and gratitude sweet,
I would bring all the gifts of my love unto Thee,
Because Thou hast died for a sinner like me.
And when the accuser would speak in my ear,
The things that would fill me with doubt and with fear.
My fortress, my stronghold, my answer shall be,
That Thou Lord hast died for a sinner like me.
And when in the darkness, the black billows roll,
And the wild, raging storm would endanger my soul,
Oh blessed Redeemer, my anchor shall be,
That no one can perish by clinging to Thee.
And when the cold waters of Jordan draw nigh,
On what can this poor dying sheep then rely,
Ah, Shepherd of Israel, my last words shall be,
I thank Thee beloved for dying for me.
And when I must answer before the great throne,
Can I mention my service or gifts of my own,
No, this and this only can be my one plea,
Have mercy, Thou Just One, Thy son died for me.
For what is the song of the great ransomed throng?
Are they singing in heaven of what they have done?
No, this and this only is all their refrain,
All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain.
All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain.
Those first scriptures we were reading from speak that “To Him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
We can sing another hymn before closing in prayer. Again, all are welcome to enter into it.

#93 “Only One Life to Live.”

Prayer

Graveside Service
Everyone sang #78 “Lead Me On”

Donovan Olson
I know I counted it a great privilege to know Michelle and to be in their home with her and Andy. I know that for all of us we feel that way. She had a wonderful influence, a Godly influence, and she was an encouragement and she was an inspiration to all of us. When the news came to us of her passing, the first thing that came to my mind was I Corinthians 13 about what the love of God does and the marks that it creates in the lives of those that have it. So, let me just read a few of those verses. We will just mention those 7 qualities that charity is. “Charity suffereth long and is kind. Charity rejoiceth in the Truth. Charity beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth; but whether there be prophecies they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity.” Like we have already heard, there was a time when the seed of faith through the gospel story was planted in Michelle’s heart, but we are thankful most of all that the love of God was present and it was visible and it was felt by all those that knew her. I always marveled at the love in their marriage, but I marveled more at the love that Michelle had in her heart for the God of heaven and because of that those marks were produced. I am thankful that those marks do not end at the grave, but the love of God it will continue and it is forever and I am thankful for that.

Prayer

2008-11-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone who has been following Michelle and Andy Ray's blog for the past 2 years. We all wanted to send a somewhat final installment of Michelle's cancer saga. She returned from Denver the last of September and we had seven weeks of quality time to share with her. She became gradually weaker but did not complain much of pain until Friday, November 7th when she suddenly began to have great pain in her neck and the back of her head. The pain intensified during the next week; fortunately it could be controlled with medication. She passed away at home very peacefully with Andy Ray by her side at 11:58 pm November 14th. Her funeral is arranged for 10:00 am on Wednesday, November 19th.

We are all so very grateful for each and every letter of encouragment, and all your thoughts and prayers that have been sent this way these past years. It has meant millions to each of us. Thank you so much from Michelle's family... Andy, Wayne, Wanda, Shawna, Brent and Tiffany.

Battling On

2008-09-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

To all of you dear, dear folks who’ve thought of us, prayed for us, sent gifts and packages and care our way… here is the latest from our neck of the woods. I haven’t had any energy to speak of due to pain and a roller-coaster ride of emotions, so haven’t blogged, but I believe mom has sent out at least a note or two to keep you somewhat in the loop. This won’t be much either, just a newsy blog instead of a fun one. Please accept my blanket apology. :)

I guess I don’t really know what all mom shared, but will add a touch more here, just because I don’t want another moment to go by without letting you know we are SO utterly thankful for all of you. Your care and prayers are getting us through this. How does one describe the inexplicable lifting of the spirits we feel when we know our names are being whispered before the Throne? Please know your efforts are felt.

We had over 20 days in the Denver hospital and unfortunately I am not much improved. They finally decided to send me home because they were doing very little except hoping for some intestinal movement, which of course, we can monitor at home. I have a nasal tube which is rather unsightly, so any of you who will see me in the next few days had best be prepared. *smile. But since nothing can move through my intestines the normal route, we have to prevent anything get down there – even water. Thus – the nasal tube. And of course, not eating for 3 weeks has left me pretty scrawny so I’m lookin’ pretty thin, sadly enough. Well, it’d be grand if I’d gotten this way through some superb diet-and-exercise plan, but I can’t claim that this time.

Don’t know how to put it other than to just come right out and say it. So : things are looking very grim. There remains a tiny hope that with the continuation of chemo the intestinal tumors will shrink enough to allow normal passage of food and fluids, which would constitute a miraculous change. So… we shall see. Such a bummer to think of my few short years here (especially those with Andy), but thank goodness for comfort beyond the natural!

My energy is failing fast here, so I’d best finish up. We’ll do our best to keep you posted. I’ll probably teach Tiff and she can drop you a line now and then if I’m not up to it. I’m on a fair amount of pain meds to control the discomfort, so between that and getting nothing to eat except something through the vein, I am quite groggy a lot of the time.

Good days to all of you – and MUCH love from our direction to yours

Off to Battle

2008-08-22T15:13:00.001-07:00

I bet you folks are as tired of my bad news as I am, but sorry all, but there's more to share...

My cancer is acting up again, something I've suspected for a few weeks now. I've had scans which show it to have seeded itself into quite a bit of my intestines and possibly neck and back vertebral bones. (For some reason they aren't 100% sure about the bones.) All my docs continue to encourage agressive treatment, so I begin chemotherapy again on Tuesday 8/26.

Tiffany's back now, so that's been splendid. She helps with everything when I don't have the get-up-and-go to do my share. I cannot imagine the state of our house or yard if she weren't here! She's also stacking hay during the day so Andy can sleep. During last cutting he had to bale all night, then stay up all day to stack it... it was atrocious. So thank goodness for Tiffany!

And we're doing well. We really are. Battles are a part of life now and these kind are really good reminders of the most important things... to not get bogged down with life's little irritations and troubles.

Let me tell you too, about miracles. In the last few days I've gotten so many emails and calls from friends who knew nothing about the current struggle we're facing, but they say, "Michelle, you've been on my mind so much the last little bit. I just want to check in with you, let you know I'm thinking of you." That is absolute proof to me of the miracle that someone greater than themselves is guiding their lives and thoughts. It is hard for me to take in, but it happens and it keeps us going. And Tammy C, far away in Europe, I hope you read this... this seems the quickest way to get a message to you and let you know your letter meant more than we can say. Thank you! And a heartfelt thanks to all the rest of you too, who are standing behind us, encouraging us in this battle.

August already!

2008-07-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well isn't this a fine kettle of fish! I wrote up most of this post over a week ago, came down with a wicked stomach bug and didn't ever get it published. Now I shall... sorry for the delay!

********************

I know everyone is getting utterly tired of the last post popping up whenever you check, but I just haven't had the wherewithall to sit down and get a new one written. Laziness, sheer laziness, I admit it. But it's high time, so here you go:
First of all, thanks for the wonderful comments last post! You make me smile. (And believe me, some days I need the smiles.) :) I've been re-reading them, just for the sheer enjoyment of feeling connected to you-all.

Our last trip to Denver for post-op visits went well. No unexpected news, just reinforced the plan for the future: radiation and a change in a few medications. They do feel the surgery went well, although the tumor was extremely large. After removal the edges were clear of cancer, which means they think he got it all and my dear doc says it's time to be 'cautiously optimistic'. Which we are - and have been, for some inexplicable reason. Of course, not being afraid of the future no matter the outcome of this disease, helps immeasurably.

In normal life news, we're doing fabulously. I am enjoying feeling good enough to do be out quite a bit. I'm loving the yard and garden and even weed pulling. It's been a wonderful addition to my mornings and excellent for some quiet meditation. So much in nature has spiritual correlations and I've been reveling in the lessons.

Here's a photo of why I try to do the mowing around this place... (I'm hoping Andy's mowing pattern shows up well enough for you to appreciate this:)

And here's our adorable little feathered friend. These little fellers are very hard to get good pictures of, I found, so this is the best I could do.

This is mainly for Tiff, so she can see how well these flowers are doing. I think they were just Wal-Mart specials, but they've come back with a vengeance.

And here are some pics of what we've been doing for entertainment lately. What a blast! This lake is only about 20 minutes away, so it's easy to pack the horse trailer full of dogs, a canoe, firewood, s'more-makings and etc and set off on a spontaneous adventure.

And that's all folks. Thanks for all your encouragement, both seen and unseen. You are dearly loved and appreciated.

2008-07-05T17:47:00.001-07:00

Beloved

....
These are some flower photos I took recently. I posted them here in this way in an attempt to provide a visualization of how we feel because of your care, thoughts, emails, and calls.
Beloved, heartwarmed, lifted above the ordinary, stunned, humbled, surrounded by beautiful things.
Thank you.

I made it!!!

2008-07-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

I'm still in Denver, hating this hospital bed, but glad to be gradually getting rid of the accoutrements of surgery that are tying me down. Whew, does that ever get old, to have to unhook 6 different tubes or lines just to reach the light the last annoying nurse left on when you want to sleep. We're hoping (desperately) for a discharge tomorrow. I know I'm sounding slightly frantic here, but somehow these places make me terribly nervous. I don't know what it is except maybe that business of getting clots in my lungs last time I was in a place like this, but I feel like the longer I stay, the worse I'll get, so I'm anxiously awaiting my first breath of non-hospital air, even if it is full of Denver's smog.

All went as expected though: every single test we had got lost and had to be repeated, all scheduled procedures were late, the doctors never showed up, the nurses were clueless, the nurse's aides were worthless ....
No, no, no I'm kidding!. (Those things only happened about half the time.) :)
Can you tell I hate hopsitals...

Anyway, quick report on things: They placed the weird little filter on Tuesday before surgery, but then just took it out again today. Evidently I don't have any genetic coagulation issues that are permanent, so the filter didn't have to be permanent either. The surgery went well I guess. Pretty weird, I'll admit, to go in with a chest and come out with incisions in their place, but my dear doctor is going to fix me up to look pretty normal. He promises me this. And of course I have no option but to trust him. Which I shall.

Mom has had her usual fun with the camera so I shall post some photos. The 'raggedy-ann' hat was a gift from a nurse whose mother crochets them. I find it rather atrocious (I hope she doesn't discover this blog someday. OOPS.) but I wore it for a change once in awhile. And to make the nurse feel good.

My healthcare team:

And the stunning view. (ha) Sorry Denver-ites. I much prefer the view back home.

Thanks all you dear, dear friends for the emails and calls that brought tears to my eyes because they were so heartfelt. Erk - I'm at it again. Just the thought of all of you out there thinking of us, worrying about us , praying for us, sends my thankfulness meter skyrocketing and makes me teary all over again. We need you and appreciate your care more than you can know!

Just some words and thoughts and pictures

2008-06-27T15:56:00.001-07:00

Convention is over... yes, for nearly a week now, but we're still basking in the post-convention peace. Thank goodness for those days. We love our home and we love our life, but it's amazing how easy it is to put it aside, to care about it FAR less after just a single hour in that precious place. Good lesson there, I'd say.

To all of you who commented, emailed, or contacted us at convention - thank you! Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement. As you know, we are preparing for surgery again, this time without Andy at my side as there's simply no way he can be away from home right now. Haying is crazy-busy, which of course is a good thing, but it'll sure be lonely coming out of anesthesia without him there. He's the best nurse in the world. NO exaggeration.

I am so proud and happy about our growing things this year. It's been an absolute joy to get out of bed, grab a cup of coffee and head out to weed the garden, water the flowers, plant some new ones, mow the lawn ... Ah - I love it. It's just so nice to feel up to doing all of this. And last year we had such an awful time with things - - between the heat, poor soil and our bad water, things didn't do so well. So that's why it's extra-special to have some good greenery and the prospect of a harvest. Here are some pics. First of all, Tommy doing his pose for the Tomcat of the Year:
(Okay all you folks out there with the "Spay And Neuter Your Pets" bumper stickers, he is NOT a tomcat, it just sounded a lot better than 'Tommy doing his pose for "Genderless Cat of the Year"'. )

Not the greatest shot of the lilacs, as it was a cloudy day, but I just love them. And they bloomed until June 18th this year because it was so much cooler. In fact, some that are in the shade are still in bloom, albeit not as full or beautiful, but nevertheless still lavendar and smile-provoking. :)

The hostas are thriving. (Now that Popsicle got put out to pasture and quit chomping them down.)

The peppers are coming!
And tomatoes too!

And this is how Tiffany solved our bad soil problem. With raised beds! How cool is this!?

I'll post some info about the surgery as soon as I'm able. Keep your fingers crossed that that's really, really soon after surgery. :)

All those details I warned you about...

2008-06-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard... The news from our visit to the docs in the big city is this:
There's NO new disease, regardless of the fact that my CA125 went up dramatically the last time. My brain is clear of any metastasis (which happens, unfortunately), the known breast tumors are smaller (although not completely gone, which explains the elevated CA125). Anyway – no surprises. I asked why the CA125 (the number which supposedly reports ovarian cancer) would go up if it’s breast cancer and he says, ‘Michelle you’ve got to get over those numbers!’ and goes on to explain to me for the 2nd time that those numbers are so archaic and nonspecific you simply cannot base your treatment regimen on them. Which of course, is what my doctors here do. Makes me crazy. I hope we can figure out how to give these docs a larger hand in my treatment in the future. I do NOT have a garden-variety cancer and really can’t be treated by doctors who aren’t specialists. Thank goodness I’ve discovered a few who’ll take a shot at me.

So bilateral mastectomy is tentatively scheduled for July 1st. Slightly nerve-wracking yes, but at this point one just hopes to get rid of the disease. Keep your fingers crossed for that.
One note of interest: The day prior to surgery they are going to place a filter into a large vessel so it filters out any large clots that could damage me, like the ones I got in my lung after surgery at Salt Lake. Isn’t that interesting? Might be nice not to have to worry about major clots this time around.

Again, this doctor is so positive, and he's filled with ideas for the future as far as new medications and things to prevent tumor regrowth, or ones that help chemo work better if need be. He says, ‘we’ve got things to use that the doctors in Wyoming haven’t even dreamed of yet’. *smile.

Basically we now feel we can breathe a sigh of relief… this is what we’d hoped. Now I can just concentrate on getting ready for convention. No way I can explain the feeling so I won't even try. We've looked that cancer-beast in the face again and lived to tell the tale. Victors again!

Thanks everyone, for all your thoughts our way.

Photo Journal of Recent Days

2008-06-05T09:36:00.001-07:00

Tell me this photo below isn't the cutest one you've ever seen! A person can't help but smile at it... well unless you're Bonnie L and you have some not-so-great memories of salamanders, but even she admits it's a cute one... as long as she doesn't have to touch this slimy beast. It's another WestonAlan original (Tiff's brother the awesome photo-chronicler), as are all the photos on this post.

This'll mainly be a photo post as I know nothing more about my health to share. I had chemo #6 last Friday and I have an appt in Denver on the 10th, after which I'll likely have more news than ya'll care to hear. Might be more chemo, might be surgery, might be radiation, might be throw-in-the-towel.... I have no clue. But I'll fill you in when I know more.

In regular news, Andy and I are doing great, we're still trying to finish up spring work which keeps getting postponed due to RAIN. It's amazing and I'm loving it.

So here are some spring 2008 photos...

Popsicle in wide-angle..... :)

A little more tasteful, a lot more beautiful..... (sorry Popsicle)

Through the garden gate ...

Day's end at the Snelling Ranch...

And lastly our 3 little ones - - the only 3 we're getting this year, unfortunately, due to some pretty sad circumstances - - so these guys are pretty special.

Happy Days

2008-05-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile again, but oh such beautiful days in between! The evenings are sheer perfection... warm enough to be comfortable and early enough to be bug-free. Sitting on the deck, chatting, watching the moon, listening to crickets and night birds has become our entertainment of choice. Chemo's this week, so I'm soaking up all the fun I can. :)

Check Mel and Jen's blogs for photos of the fun we had while they were here. Wow - we-all should get together more often - those were good times! And now we've got Tiff's brother Weston here to entertain us and photograph our life. He's a photographer and all the pics on this post are courtesy of him. They're fun and fabulous. I'll add some now and some in another post later - there are tons. So here's Weston in a self-portrait at our place:

And some of his artwork...

The dogs and the house.... LOVE the angle on this one:

As of yesterday (May 25) our lilacs are almost blooming. (2 weeks later than last year. Global warming? HA!)

And Tiff's greenhouse:

It has rained and rained here - more than we've had for many years. Here's a cool shot of the splashing:

And of Tiff after doing chores. Not a great pic of her (sorry Tiff!), but if you look closely you can see she's completely soaked her winter coat.

Here's Silverstar and Sasha - - our newest addition. She's beautiful!!! And sold already - how cool is that?!

Life Update

2008-05-06T10:13:00.001-07:00

I waited till now to update because I wanted to have some news. And now I do. I'm at chemo-land getting dose #5 (of 6) following my appointment with the doc. It never fails that I spend the night before and the morning of my appointments feeling lightheaded and panicky. I think it's due to:

Feeling so good and living it up like I don't have cancer - forgetting about it, even.

Hearing bad news often enough that a couple times of good news makes you feel like it's gotta be about time for bad news again.

But here's what he said: my heart scan was fine, so it's a go for a couple more chemo sessions. My breast cancer number came down nicely but my ovarian cancer number is up a bit (from 26 to 59). He's not concerned as he feels this number isn't as reliable as it should be. He basically blew it off which is a touch hard for me to do, but I'm working at it. He's just downright twitterpated that I do so well. He can't get over it. Makes me chuckle inside.

There's a tentative plan for surgery after chemo #6, then radiation following surgery, so now I have a bit of an idea about what's ahead. We were flying completely blind before - I thought maybe they were just playing it by ear to see how this strange, aggressive cancer was going to respond. But the best part of all this is that this treatment plan should easily work around convention and have me feeling halfway decent, besides. Wahoo! :)

...and we had this wonderful little surprise yesterday... our first one of the year!

Starting Over

2008-04-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

This will be a repeat of my last post on my previous blog, simply to get this thing rolling here. If anyone else has had similar problems with their blog and knows how to repair them, please let me know. Ah well... nothing wrong with a second blog... as the sanity and happiness at the Snelling Ranch does continue. Yes, good, GOOD days here, had a priceless gospel meeting this afternoon, and lots of good work to look forward to tomorrow... so no complaints.

Here's the repeated post so ya'll can now make comments. *big smile.

From 110, my CA-125 came down to 26, so that chemo is still at work. I got dosed again last Thursday, had a puny weekend, but am getting ready to take on the world again now. Should have someone take photos of me during the puny days... that'd dump a dose of reality on your head you'd likely not soon forget. The house gets messier by the minute, the bed never gets made, I barely brush my teeth or comb my hair. Oh wait! I don't have hair. I should say, I don't wear my wig or cute hats, or even try to look decent. Whew. It ain't pretty. Sympathy cards can be sent to Andy at our home address.

Here are some of our home moments recently that have made me smile...

Brently as our personal slave, getting more work done in a day than most people do in 10. And I'm serious. We're unbelievably lucky to have him help us out when he can.

Then just some fun ones taken recently: