Hi/Lo Thursday

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.


Welcome to "Hi/Lo Thursday!"

My Lo:
It's midterm week at school! It was not has difficult as in past years, but stressful none the less. I made it through my hardest test this morning.

My High:

My classmates in my Special Education classes have formed a team in the Relay for Life at our school. This is something I have never participated in before, but I am very passionate about the cause.
I Relay because cancer has effected my life in many ways. In 2004, I lost my grandmother to pancreatic cancer. She was someone I always looked up to. She helped me through many things; she was my special best friend. I still miss her every single day. I watched the cancer slowly take over her body. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I Relay to support the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission by fighting back against a disease that has already taken so much.

• I Relay in memory of my amazing grandma, Muriel Pauline Snow.

• I Relay in support of Lindsey Jean Marlow. She struggled through 2 years of chemo-therapy while in high school. She stayed strong and is currectly in remission and is in her third year of college.

• I Relay in support of Ruth Diana Abrahamson. She is my boyfriend's mother and a 3 time cancer survivor.

• I Relay in support of Abigial Riggs. She is a strong 4 year old girl battling through rough chemo-therapy now. To read her story, follow along on their blog.
  

• I Relay in memory, honor, and support of all those battling with such a life threatening disease.

Please support me as I participate in the Relay for Life. I realize times are very tough for most people right now and many of you do not have a lot to give. Please do what you can if God moves you to do so. Even just a couple dollars will help.
Visit my personal page here to read more or to donate to this cause.
If you would like a luminary in honor, support, or memory of someone, we will be display them at the event if you are willing to donate just $10. They can be made through the site (click on luminaria on the left column.) If you would like to make your own or have me make one for you, that is another option. Please email me for more information on that.

If you are not able to contribute or even if you are, please keep me, my team and all event members in your prayers. We really want to do our part in the fight against cancer.

Happy Thursday!
The smells of SPRING BREAK are lurking around these parts...


God's blessings,

Stella

I've been a bad, bad blogger

I've been a bad, bad blogger. I haven't written anything since August! Yikes. I'm on here constantly reading numerous blogs too many times a day, but I never make time for my own! Oh well.
Just a little update on life...
I'm in my 2nd semester at my new college and I've actually started my special education classes. I am absolutely loving them! Of course, I don't LOVE school like you do when you're in second grade and your teacher is your best friend... but things have improved since last semester. I miss my "old" college a lot, I felt like it was just the place for me. I still see some friends from there fairly often, so I get my fill of the ones that matter most. While I don't think this new school is the best fit for me, I know that I am where I'm supposed to be. I feel that God is truly calling me to work with children with special needs and I don't know a better way to do it than this. I just reminded my friend Jenn this weekend how thankful I am she suggested a job for me as a personal care assistant (PCA). It truly opened my eyes and helped me figure out what I should do. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I've been saying I want to be a teacher since about 3rd grade, but I could never pick one area that stuck out a lot to me. Working as a PCA made that decision for me. I absolutely love working with Kari and her family. Though it can be a challenge, it is one I have truly learned to appreciate. Both Kari's children have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Before meeting Kari, I knew next to nothing about this. Wow, has that changed. I've attended a seminar, worked numerous hours in their house and even attended a Day on the Hill lobbying for FASD with the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS). I enjoy this work a lot and I know it is what God wants and needs me to do. I'm learning a lot in my classes and can easily say a learn so many new things every day.
That's about all I have for now. Time for some homework and studying.

Until next time,

~Stella

Wordless Wednesday