A rare shot of just Seth and I...no kids, no dogs, no dead animals...just us. This was taken Christmas night while we were checking out the falls in Sioux Falls. It was beautiful. Cold but beautiful. So many lights. I've never seen the falls in the wintertime, much less Christmas...it was spectacular! I just love this picture. I'll treasure it. Happy New Year to you!!

Along with the holiday season, I get a little sentimental about some things. And this is no different. But it's a good feeling and a reminder about how miracles really do happen.


A friend and teacher at our school was diagnosed with lymphoma last March. We were all devastated with the news. She is only 32 years old, married with 2 beautiful little girls ages 3 and 1. After the shock set in, we all set into action. We planned weekly meals for her, we sent cards, we held the most successful benefit for her..."A Day for Susan" raised more money than we could've ever imagined. We all prayed and prayed and prayed. After her first round of chemo which lasted all summer long, bad news came that it did little to her tumors. So a new plan was in place for Susan which involved a much stronger chemo treatment. Each treatment meant a 2 day stay in Omaha. It took a toll on her body. She missed a lot of school and almost looked like she was giving up. Her emotional state was waivering. But we all held strong and rallyed around her. The chemo needed to work. The cancer needed to be gone before they could do a stem cell transplant to totally get rid of all the bad cells. We all kept praying. Even through all of the chemo treatments, Susan would come teach when she could. It was always great to see her even when you knew she was feeling low. Finally, her second PET scan came back...bad news again. Tumors were still there and no chance for the transplant. Our spirits at school were broken. It was a sad time for everyone. Susan sent an email saying her doctors said her chances of being cured went way down. She just went through the strongest chemo she could have and the cancer was still there. I cried. We all cried.

But Susan didn't give up. The doctors ordered another round chemo, a different kind, hoping they would find the ingredient that would work for her. Another PET scan would be done right after Thanksgiving. So more chemo for Susan, more prayers said, more encouraging cards and words sent to Susan. We all knew that things didn't look good but remained hopeful. It's hard to watch a friend go through this. It's hard to imagine the medicine not working.

I'll never forget Tuesday, November 30th...the best day ever. Susan sent an email with her results of the scan. THE CANCER WAS GONE!!! She beat the odds. She did it!!!!! Now she could do the stem cell transplant, radiation and get back to life! We were all hooting and hollering. The kids in the classroom didn't understand why were we all cheering. If only they understood the magnitude of what just happened. It truly was a miracle.

So now Susan is in Omaha for 6 weeks undergoing a stem cell transplant and we can't wait to see her again! She is going to be okay and it's what we have prayed for for so long.

BELIEVE. Always BELIEVE. This is truly a Christmas miracle. We love you, Susan!

Emerson just turned 9 years old! Can she just stop growing up now?