I work for the American Cancer Society; my aunt passed away from pancreatic cancer last year. Even though pancreatic cancer is rare, I’ve met so many people affected by it since she was diagnosed. So naturally, I’m passionate about the cause. Yesterday when I was grocery shopping, I saw this hydraulic lift (or whatever it is) in the Hy-Vee parking lot. Not only does it promote cancer research, it’s pancreatic cancer research. Even better, it was named “Duke” on front side (not pictured). Our Relay For Life team is named Dukes of Hazzard, after my aunt’s abbreviated last name. A coincidence? Or is Someone trying to tell me something?
I'm so glad to see others in my community are passionate about pancreatic cancer too.
This summer, Platte Woods United Methodist hosted “Hot August Nites” – three Wednesday evening jazz concerts with free ice cream. The Beach Nuts, featuring the famous Walter Bryant, entertained us last night. They were both nutty and talented. 🙂
The drummer from Beach Nuts jams during Hot August Nites.
Our cat, Esme, hurt her paw a couple of days ago. We aren’t sure what happened, but she’s been limping and favoring her right paw. I’m taking her to the vet tomorrow to figure out what’s wrong. In the meantime, I can’t help but spoil her. Yogurt is her favorite treat!
Esme tries to finish off a container of yogurt, but it's a tight squeeze!
This weekend Jerod and I went on a mission trip to Joplin, Mo. to help with tornado cleanup. I hope these photos give you a glimpse of what a tornado can do. I have seen so many tornado destruction pictures in my lifetime, but none of them prepared me for how it looked in person. I know these photos don’t even begin to show the trauma these people went through. Yet talking to the Joplin residents, it’s amazing to see how resilient and grateful they all are. The rest of my photos are posted on facebook.
One of our pastors and his sleepy son saw us off Friday afternoon as we traveled to Joplin, Mo.We cleaned up a family’s yard, even though rubble still surround it from all sides.These flowers, growing amidst all the destruction, prove that life continues after tragedy.The moon rises behind the Joplin high school, which is still in chaos. The kids will go to school in the mall and several other locations this year.Our fellow helpers worked hard on painting the ceiling, as you can see.
When I got to work yesterday morning, I found this box of chocolates waiting for me at my door. So what if it was accompanied by a long list of edits to the 30-page program I’m working on with the coworker? Whether it was a bribe or not, the chocolate was definitely appreciated later in the day.
A box of Sweet Granada Chocolates (from Emporia, Kansas) from a coworker.
As far as weather goes, yesterday couldn’t have been any more perfect. It started off with a gorgeous sunrise, followed by a sunny day in the low 80s. That’s what I call perfection!
The sun begins to rise beyond the clouds, creating a beautiful morning hue.
Here in the Midwest, we’re finally getting some relief from about a month of 90-100+ degree temps. With the lower temperatures, naturally, comes storms. Unfortunately damage was done to some homes in the area, but our apartment complex didn’t suffer any damage besides this fallen tree.
One of many fallen trees after damaging storms blew through Kansas City Sunday afternoon.
Yesterday I helped out with a photography project for the upcoming Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Kansas City. One of my coworkers brought her adorable daughters to work for a mini photo shoot. I pray that my job at the American Cancer Society will eventually lead us to a world where these girls will never have to worry about cancer.
We are the future. We are hope. These little hands will be used in an upcoming Making Strides Against Breast Cancer presentation.
This weekend left no room for sleep. Friday night, despite all of Jerod’s homework, we made time to go to the {free!} Gladstone, Mo. Theatre in the Park to watch Thoroughly Modern Millie. We had never seen that show before, or been to the Gladstone amphitheater, so it was a fun new experience. Jerod had to work Saturday morning at 6 a.m., and I got up shortly after him to get stuff done around the house. When I woke up, I saw just one baby barn swallow left on our patio. He flew away later that morning. I hope the little guys are doing ok out on their own now. Later in the day we drove down to my parents’ to stay with them for a night. Sunday morning we were up at 5:30 for the Cider Mill Century bicycle ride. Since we’ve been training for runs lately, this is probably the only organized bike ride we’ll do all season. We averaged about 14.5 mph for 50 miles, which wasn’t too bad considering our lack of time on the bike this summer.
A cute young couple cuddles up to each other at the Gladstone Theatre in the Park.One lone baby barn swallow remained near his nest Saturday morning, but he managed to find a companion.Early morning light and unique clouds make for a picturesque corn field. Amazingly, this photo was taken on my point-and-shoot camera while riding down the rode on a bicycle. (Notice the shadow in the corner.)
Photographic Rhodes 