Peace Interrupted

On Tuesday, January 3, 2012, My Aunt and Uncle watched as volunteer firemen worked all night, putting out the flames that destroyed their home. 

Peace Interrupted

Dedicated to Dan & Kelly Olson

There was no warning, No sign that said beware.

The flames they were not picky, The fire, it did not care

That the home it was destroying

Was filled with thirty years of living

A life we built together, you, me,

The children - Our Family.

The walls, they crumbled. The roof, it fell,

Turning our home into a vision of Hell.

Now here we stand sifting through ashes

Soot on our hands and tears on our faces,

With hopes of finding something - anything

Left untouched by the flames that went raging

Through our home, and in every room.

The fire tried it's best to consume

Everything that stood in its path.

Each room of our home suffered its wrath.

But no matter how hot, no matter how strong

The flames could not take everything that belonged.

Our lives are only momentarily disrupted

By a beast that raged and peace interrupted.

We have each other and we have love,

We have hearts full of memories and help from above.

Those things, the fire could not steal,

And together, our pain will begin to heal.

We will rebuild, we will overcome

Our lives will not be left undone.

Live, Laugh & Love

So here is Part II...
...to the Dr. Pepper IV STAT

Like I mentioned before, Melissa and I weren't very serious about the doctor visit the other day.  We laughed and joked the entire time she was getting the iron infusion.  You know the delightfully, tacky ladies who talk too much, laugh too loud, but you just can't help but keep listening to them and you try not to laugh because they are being obnoxious, but you just can't help yourself.  Yep, that's us.  But all laughing aside, I did take in the seriousness of those around me that day, and reflect on how we should be thankful for our gift of life.

The majority of the individuals in the infusion room were there for the same reason, chemotherapy.  A treatment for a disease we have all been personally affected by whether it is family, friends, or yourself.  While medicine has advanced and cancer is being treated and even cured, the disease continues to take the lives of the ones we love.

I watched and listened to those around me that day, and thought about how much of a person's life cancer steals.  It isn't just a couple of days trying to get over a cold.  Cancer consumes your life. 

One of the patients was there for chemo., and it apparently affected him worse than others there that day.  He sat there with his two companions he knew too well, the IV pole and a little blue bag for vomit.  Although, he continued to get sick in a room filled with strangers and acquaintances, he seemed to be in good spirits, and continued to tell the nurse, "Now that I got rid of that, I'll take that shot of whiskey."

Another man was there for what he thought would be a final follow-up visit with the doctor, he had taken his last chemotherapy treatment the week before.  He angrily accepted the truth, when he was told another round of treatment was needed the cancer was still there.

Sitting next to us, a elderly woman was waiting to visit with the doctor.  She was going to come back in for another round of chemo.  She was a spunky little lady, and was definately not allowing the disease take her spirit away.  They called her name, and she walked down the hall to hear her fate.  When she returned, I immediately noticed the tears.  As she wiped them away, she said, "I can't make my eyes stop."  And in the next second, through laughter, she told everyone around her news.  The cancer had not spread, her scans were good, her labs were good, and the cancer was responding to the treatment.  Her beautiful smile lit up the room as she told every nurse and every patient around her.  She laughed through the tears.  I found myself caught up with her news, and could feel the tears trying to show in my eyes.  I was laughing and wanting to cry with this complete stranger like I knew her for years.

Others walked in, appearing very healthy.  Some entered the infusion room for their first time, and their face - an expression of fear.  Another arrived in a wheelchair, it was obvious cancer had taken its toll on her.  Bald heads, spikey wigs, those just happy to be alive, and others longing for the end, many different types of people entered that room while were there, and it really got me thinking...

Life is precious, live it to the fullest, laugh often, and love those around you. 

Until next time...
...We're gonna keep on doin' it Townley Style.

Dr. Pepper IV STAT

I'll take a Dr. Pepper IV STAT please...
...Or perhaps a little bit of iron will do the trick.

Part I:  So quite sometime ago, a friend and I went in to the Carter mobile unit to donate blood.  She didn't make it through the screening section - yep, that's right, she was a Carter Reject.  The told her she was anemic.  You know the drill, Dr visit here, draw blood, Dr visit there, draw blood, run this test, run that test.  It took a little while to figure out that what she needed was an iron infusion.

I made the journey with her, in case she needed a driver (which she did), and since neither one of us can take to many things serious we made a joke of the entire morning.  The IV bag looked like it was filled with Dr. Pepper.  Which is a great photo op.  So, after having the nurse position the IV pole just right to avoid glare from the window, she snapped a picture.  Then the BIG question..."Will this make me look like an oompa loompa?"  I'm not so sure the nurse knew quite what to think. 

Three and half hours later, the bag was finished, and it was time for us to head back to the office.  Out the door we went, everything appeared fine.  I jump in the passenger seat and Melissa to the driver's seat.  (Not thinking a thing about the bag of iron, bag of steroids, and benedryl injection she received)  It didn't even take a block for us to realize, I really should be doing the driving.  I don't know if it was the giggles, the don't give a crap feeling, the long gaze at the medical supply boutique, or the discussion of whether or not Melissa really stopped at the stop sign that made us realize she was in NO condition to drive. 

Of course, we switched seats and with me in the driver's seat, we made it safely back to the Ville. 

Until next time...

...We're gonna keep on doin' it Townley Style.

Wings to Take You Home

I went to visit you the other day

Even though it is just a grave.

I talked to you until the sun went away,

And the skies of blue began turning gray.

My thoughts, my words traveled above

Carried to Heaven on the wings of a dove.

Even though your home is in another place,

Every corner, every road I see your face.

It’s been a little while, but still seems untrue

I often wonder what am I to do?

In my mind you were never going to leave,

But you did, and I still don’t want to believe.

That the strongest woman I have ever known,

Was given wings to fly on home.

How do you get mad at that?

The little boys have an 8:30 bedtime....
...And that's just so they'll be asleep by midnight.

Maybe midnight is a slight exaggeration, but they will stay up as long they can think of excuses to keep those little eyes of their open.  They have to get a drink, another trip to the bathroom because the little sip of water was on a fast-track through their bodies, they forgot if they said, "Good-Night", they forgot if they gave everyone a hug, they always have to fight a little bit before falling asleep, but the best excuse for staying up later happened the other night.

They were watching a show with dad, and were totally involved in whatever it was they were watching.  So they asked if they could please stay up until it was over.  Dad gave in, but only if they went straight to bed and straight to sleep as soon as it was over. 

Nine o'clock rolls around and they quickly get up, say their good nights, and go right to bed.  It didn't take five minutes before I heard the commotion of two boys fighting coming from their bedroom.  I go in there with a stern look on my face, swing open their door and ask, "What is going on in here?"  Corey replies with, "Cameron is reading, so I hit him and told him to go to bed." 

Keep in mind their room is dark, with only a faint ray of light from the back porch light coming in through the window next to Cameron's bed.  Cameron peaks his head out from under his covers and looks at me with his big brown eyes.  I'm already thinking, I can't get on to him as much as I was going to because he IS reading, and reading IS a good thing.  Next to me, Corey is consistently reminding me that they were to go straight to bed and straight to sleep, but Cameron decided to read instead.  Sure was trying to get his brother in trouble. 

Here comes the real kicker though...Cameron pulls the book he was reading out from under the covers...He is holding his Bible.  He tells me, "I just wanted to read a couple verses before I went to bed."  So, any and all punishments flew right out the window right then and there.  How do you get mad at that? 

I ended up explaining to them, even though reading the Bible is wonderful, they still have to go to bed when we tell them to, and to Corey..."You don't hit your brother in the head when he is reading the Bible. 

Until next time...
...We're gonna keep on Doin' it Townley Style.

Our Rock

The strongest woman I have ever known...

...Was given wings to fly on home.

"Mamaw"

Donnie Olson

July 18, 1935 - November 9, 2011

I have sat here for a couple hours typed my thoughts, deleted them, and then done it all over again.  Cameron was sitting beside me and asked, "Do you just keep deleting everything?"   

The only thing I come back to is, She was supposed to live forever. 

The Perfect Dress

It's funny how you walk into a store with an image of what you want in your mind...
...but you walk out with something totally different.

I'm not sure that guys have ever done that...perhaps it's a girl thing. 

Brooke spent several days searching online for what could possibly be the perfect Homecoming dress.  Short dresses, long dresses, royal blue dresses, animal print dresses, dresses that are strapless, dresses that flow, dresses that are sleek.  Fifteen websites and three-hundred dresses later - the only way to know which dress is the Perfect Dress is to try them all on.

Being female, we all know you can't shop by yourself - you MUST have the opinions of several different people, especially when shopping for the Perfect Dress.  Also being female, we all know men aren't the best shoppers, but that didn't matter this go around.  At Brooke's request, the men were going with us.  Two girls, two guys - one common mission.

We were off.  The first store lacked a little bit in options, so we didn't spend a lot of time there.  A little unsure of where we should head next, Dad said the words I'm sure Brooke was hoping to hear, "Want to go to Watchamacallit?"  For those with all boys or girls who are not quite at the prom homecoming age, Watchamacallit is a teenage girls dream shop. 

Brooke picked out several dresses and headed to the dressing room.  They were all beautiful, but nothing was screaming, "That's the one".  She tried the last one on, and was still trying to decide when all of a sudden a light shined through the ceiling and on a dress that was hanging on the dressing room door.  This one had to be the right size, because there was no other dress like it in the store.  I grabbed it off the door and Brooke and I begin looking for the tag to check the size.  Surprise, Surprise it was the right size. 

While Brooke was trying the dress the lady helping us with the dresses disappeared, only to come back with the most amazing pair of shoes in hand.  Once again, a light shined through the ceiling this time it was shining on the shoes.  It didn't take long for all of us to realize...

"That's the one - The Perfect Dress"

Mario let us know the dress was found in what he thought was record time - 2 1/2 hours.  And, after we left, I'm pretty sure Mario and Dad felt a strong urge to go do something manly like heading out to some land somewhere to shoot something or belching the alphabet while watching football with the guys. 

Brooke was beautiful in the Perfect dress, standing on the football field, Homecoming Evening.

Until next time...
...We're gonna keep on doin' it Townley Style.