MRI update-improvement!!!

Hi all!

Better news!! We found out from Dr. Woosley (mom's neuro here in Tulsa) that he thought the 2nd tumor had become "less bright" and had shrunk just a little bit, praise the Lord!! We are still waiting to hear from her chemo doctor, Dr. Trotman, tomorrow (Wed the 9th) to see what to do next. Also, we are waiting on the doctors at MD Anderson to let us know their opinion....

Thanks for all the love & prayers! Love, the Forrester's

Holiday Time!

Hi everyone!

Happy Holidays!

11/21 & 11/22--Birthday weekend! Dad, Mom & Hillary's birthdays are all on the 21st and 22nd. It's so neat that they all "share" them together! We had a good time...we had a great family dinner themed "italian night". We made lasagna, grandma brought over spaghetti & meatballs and uncle donnie/aunt ramona brought salad & bread. we also had a birthday cake & ice cream! We enjoyed having visitors over...thank you Brother John and Addie, Jackie B., Phyllis & Lana running over for lunch during the week....mom, dad and hill all opened presents that evening.

Thanksgiving day....we had a huge feast at GiGi and Gramps house with uncle Donnie, aunt Ramona, Ross, Hannah, Hillary, Ryan, Breck, Claire & I, Les & Janice. It was wonderful and abundant in every area from full tummies to great new memories made. Mom is so weak that it's hard for her to get out, so we made plates and sent them back home for her and dad to eat. After lunch and visiting we went back to enjoy the rest of our Thanksgiving Day with mom and dad. Hillary and I put up the Christmas tree, decorated it, and displayed her "Santa" collection while mom and Claire took a nap. Dad, Ryan and Breck put up the lights on the fence in the front of their house. Everything looks so festive and ready for Christmas! After we decorated, mom was up from her nap and we brought her in so she could see the decorated tree and outside lights from their window...she smiled, so we know she loves it! :)

12/6/09---Christmas with Nana!
We had a great day in Stigler today. Nana banana and gpa Carl came over to have lunch with us and to celebrate Christmas with the family. We had Charlie's Chicken, hot cider like mom always made and then opened a few gifts. Mom was more alert today...I think she stayed awake a little longer to enjoy the family and Claire opening a few presents. She still took her afternoon nap. Then we all said our goodbyes and had to head home...we miss her and dad every time we walk out that door and have to drive away!

We hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday season! We are continuously blessed daily by all the love, notes, calls, support & prayers that are lifted every moment!

Pray for mom tomorrow...12/7, she has her MRI appt. Thanks, love, and blessings to you and your family!
Love, The Forrester's

update

Mom & Dad on Hillary's rehearsal day!

Hi all!

Update on mom....

(mom sitting by the first fire in their new outdoor fireplace)

Mom continues to take her chemo treatments via IV every two weeks. They last about 2-2 1/2 hours at St. John's. Dad brings her up and sits right with her. They have a nice comfortable room for them though. It's very cozy...recliners, food/beverages, TV, blankets, magazines, books, soft lights, etc. They will do another MRI probably late Nov./early Dec. we should know more then about this 2nd tumor. Pray that it's GONE or hasn't grown!!!!

(Claire playing at Mimi and Poppy's...dentist playdough)

Grandma (GiGi) comes daily except Tuesday's and the weekends to help with mom. Thank you grandma for all you do for mom and dad. Mom is very weak and struggles with communication still. She likes to watch her shows such as the Price is Right, a soap opera and Dancing with the Stars! :) She rests a lot but enjoys her visits with people. Sorry to those that come by and she's sleeping....it's taken a lot out of her, thank you for understanding. Walking around is difficult for her, but she tries her best! We've gotten to take her out on the back patio to enjoy these past few days of beautiful weather. This weekend was fun for her to watch Claire ride her bike and the guys went fishing. We had a fun fish fry on Saturday! Thank you to uncle Donnie, Aunt Ramona, GiGi and Gramps for bringing the side dishes!

To the Stigler community, school, church, bank employees, friends/family, everyone that has prayed, brought food by, visited, called, sent cards, etc....our family is blessed because of YOU!

We love you all and thank you again for the support and prayers. love, the Forrester family!

Newest News...

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been a while since we've posted.

Sat. Sept. 26th:
Well the weekend of Hillary's wedding went smooth and beautiful! Mom did really well that entire weekend. Of course the bride and the bride's mom stole the show! :) Beautiful weather, beautiful wedding, we were blessed by lots of friends and family there.

Since the MRI on the 21st, we have learned new news that mom's tumor/ "the spot" had grown to about the size of a walnut. This had happened quickly since her last MRI (approx. 8 wks ago). Mom and dad immediately got an appt. in Houston at MD. They flew down on Tuesday and her team of dr.'s there told them to hold off on surgery and to try a new type of chemo called Avastin. This newly approved from FDA drug will hopefully "starve" the tumor and discontinue growth and spreading. Even though it is newer to the market for brain cancer patients, the docs said that they have seen great results with it thus far. We can only hope and pray that this is what does it! She will come to Tulsa every 2 weeks for approx. 90 min. sessions. She'll take the Avastin drug via IV. Pray that she has strength to continue to be healed from the inside...out!

Thank you all for your continued love and support. Keep dad in your prayers as well, he's been so strong and positive through this. Mom is pretty weak right now, pray that she can stay vibrant and alert.

Thank you to Janice Hawkes for all the help and support you gave mom and dad down in Houston. They appreciated the "taxi" service and visiting with you!

This weekend Claire and I came down to Stigler and we're having birthday dinner at Uncle Donnie's and watching the OU game tonight. It'll be good to hang out and relax!

Love and prayers to all, The Forrester's

MRI update

Hi friends and family,

So sorry it's been forever since we've posted...there has been so much going on! Hillary & Ryan will be married this weekend, Claire turned 4 on Sept. 21st, I'm 6 months pregnant now with another sweet baby girl, mom and dad are doing good...having fun together and enjoying their new outdoor fireplace they had built. Dad made a fire tonight in it. We're excited for many fall weekends at the fireplace with smores! :)

please pray for mom....she had another MRI done yesterday, Sept. 21st and they are sharing the results tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. They want to meet with her, dad and the neurologist & oncologist to discuss different options. Pray that they have a clear vision for what to do next, if something more is needed....thank you all again for the love, support and prayers. we'll keep you posted on what they say.

-the Forrester's

Bday weekend!

Happy Birthday to Ross & Mari!

This weekend was filled with birthday's and enjoying family time together. Ross celebrated the big 2-1 today along with cousin Mari who turned 9! We had pizza and angel food cake at the Forrester's and Mari celebrated her big birthday by dancing at her recital. Happy birthday to you...we love you both and enjoyed seeing the family today!

We did pack up some of mom's personal things from school and that was hard. Please pray that she'll have strength to get through the tougher moments, and look forward to bright and relaxing days ahead! Dad and Breck went to pick up more rocks for the future outdoor fireplace and then we enjoyed a southern dinner along with ooey gooey butter cake....if you've never had this...yum! I got the recipe from cooks.com (i did not use the one w/ nuts though). It's easy and ooey gooey!

Tomorrow plans are to work in the garden and pick more of those delicious tomatoes! Mom enjoys all the cards, calls and visits from everyone. Thank you again for the friendship, love and prayers.

Pics, Fun & Misc!

Mom relaxing on her bench purchased by the New Century Club of Stigler at Roye Park!

Last weekend Hillary and Ryan brought Ryan's parents, John and Ann down to Stigler to visit mom and dad. They drove to Tulsa from Palestine, TX to visit Hillary and Ryan and then they made their way to big Stig to visit as well. They all enjoyed lunch together and driving around to see the town of Stigler. Thanks for coming down to visit, I know mom and dad enjoyed it so much! Hillary and Ryan are getting wedding details finalized and they are very busy right now with upcoming showers and preparing for their marriage in September, please remember them in prayer too!

Claire and I drove down today (July 14th) to visit mom and dad. When we got here GiGi, mom and dad we eating lunch and GiGi was already busy cleaning and cooking. She's like a little merry maid...you can't stop her! Thank you GiGi for always being there and working so hard to help out at mom and dad's. Claire kept us entertained all afternoon with her funny comments and running around playing and changing into Cinderella, Ariel and Minnie Mouse costumes. We took mom for a spin around town to get out for a little while (while we were gone though, Kim K. and Kathy J. came by to visit)...sorry we missed you girls! Come back again, mom was sad she missed you!

GARDEN TIME! Poppy, Claire and I went to the garden to pick the BIGGEST tomatoes you've ever seen (see pics) and Uncle Donnie met us up there as well. Then Uncle Donnie & Aunt Ramona made a wonderful meal and brought it down. THANK YOU, it was so great!

TO THE NEW CENTURY CLUB OF STIGLER......THANK YOU!

After dinner we went to the splash pad to let Claire play and enjoy sitting on mom's new bench! It is a beautiful black granite bench that overlooks the playground. Thank you again New Century Club of Stigler for providing that wonderful seating in honor of mom! We hope it's enjoyed by many people for a long, long time! Also, thank you for the t-shirt orders you held, bench, and money to go into mom's fund. You all have been so generous and kind in ways we can't even imagine.

We hope your family had a wonderful 4th of July...sorry so belated! Here are a few pics of the 4th and of Claire at Branson and misc. pics. Enjoy!

Keep prayers lifted for mom and dad to have strength. She will go to her dr. again for another MRI on July 22nd. -Love and prayers to all, The Forresters!

Father's Day weekend!

PICTURES POSTED FINALLY! :)

Thursday, June 18th-Claire & I drove (along w/ bump and Cooper) down to Stigler to visit w/ mom and dad a few days longer. Breck stayed home due to work along with Hill and Ryan. They all came down Friday evening together. When Claire & I got there, we enjoyed visiting with MiMi and Poppy, playing, and eating Charlie's Chicken together. Claire especially loves the rolls with honey! Poppy even made a special trip to get Claire some more Play-Dough so she could make "ice cream" with her play-dough ice cream shop. We just hung out the rest of the evening, Claire dressed up like Cinderella and watched Poppy brush-hog while mom and I rocked on the back porch....very fun and relaxing! (pics to come soon--that brown stuff on her mouth is chocolate pudding....:))

Friday, June 19th-
MORNING: Claire, mom and I decided to take a little trip to Shady Point, OK to visit Nana banana (claire's great grandma) and Grandpa Carl. We arrived to them practically running out to the Tahoe to see us. Nana had lunch already made and ready to go! We had many laughs and giggles while eating our lunch together. Nana kept telling Claire over the phone many times about her strawberry patch....well we went for a little walk in the yard to find 1 ripe strawberry that Claire immediately devoured! She also is growing tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries! It's so fun to see the excitement and watch them find berries to pick and eat! We named their scarecrow that they made....Carl Jr.! Claire enjoyed playing out in the "playhouse" which is a little storage building with toys, crayons/coloring books and books in it. All the great-grandkids love going out there to play! Grandpa Carl had to show off his new scooter and mom wanted to try it out too and go for a spin! We laughed so hard! It was such a fun visit. We enjoyed looking at pictures, watching Claire play, hearing stories and enjoying coffee cake that nana made...yum!!! (pics to come!) What a BERRY fun time we had!

AFTERNOON: Claire & Mimi took cat naps all the way back to Stiger after a good visit w/ the great grandparents. Once we got home Claire was still asleep and mom and I wanted to drive around a bit. We went through the "old" neighborhood, Rollin' Hills Estates, where we grew up. It's changed so much, there are many more houses where Hillary and I used to play and run around with the neighbor kids. It was good to see the familiar houses and streets we ran around. Good memories. We drove by the lake in Stigler, not much going on there....a few swimmers and that was it. Pretty little lake though for a small town. We went back to their house and mom stayed there to rest while I took Claire to the Roye Park Splashpad. What a fun park/playground/splashpad for kids to play on! We also got to visit with GiGi, Gramps, (some of his family that were in for the weekend)....Les, Janice, A.J., Christi, Matt, Kyle, & Kerry. Claire enjoyed splashing in the water and playing. (pics to come!!)

EVENING: I went to the grocery store, got dinner ready, and we enjoyed Gumbo and cornbread together. Since reunion days were happening in Stigler this weekend, there are always lots of friends/families and alumns in town. Of course, there is the annual turtle race that the kids participate in....so we had to go out terrapin huntin'. We drove around backroads, by ponds, etc....not ONE turtle around...bummer. We hoped that we would find one on the way back home, no luck. Hill, Ryan and Breck came in later that night! Aunt Sissy had bought Claire a new Barbie DVD and Thumbelina DVD, sooooo we had to watch some of it....oh joy! :) Everyone was pretty tired so we headed to bed.

Saturday, June 20th-
Reunion Days of Stigler.....Hero Poppy!! The official turtle finder! What a great Poppy!! He got up around 6:30 a.m. or so because I heard him leave, and he drove 20 miles around.....finally he found a turtle....once he got close to home, he found ANOTHER one, and then he found one in the DRIVEWAY of his house! Can you believe that!?!? HA!! We were outside showing Claire when uncle Donnie came driving down to the house....we were watching her run around the turtles and then guess what...?!!?!?Uncle Donnie spotted ANOTHER TURTLE in dad's backyard crawling! That was the one we used because it was fast! I helped Claire paint her turtle aqua with black spots only to watch it crawl along the sides of the box to mess it all up. It looked like a splatter painted/camo turtle. We went to reunion days at 9:30 for the turtle race. Claire's got 4th or 5th, we're not really sure....anyway, it was fun to see everyone and race a turtle. Mom and dad liked watching and visiting with friends and then went back home. The rest of us stayed and walked around looking at booths and letting Claire jump in the bounce house. Thanks to all of you who talked with us and asked about mom. Keep prayers going! We headed back to have lunch and then went swimming over at the Lackey's. That evening we had hot dogs while we watched the movie, Hotel for Dogs...ironic huh!?
Sunday, June 21st-FATHER'S DAY!
Happy Father's Day to all the dad's! We had a wonderful day full of eating and visiting! Hillary and I detailed dad's truck for him while Breck and Ryan helped clean out the Tahoe for mom. Mom and dad enjoyed watching Claire and playing with her. Uncle Donnie brought Buddy the horse down for a visit. After we cleaned the vehicles, we started on lunch. We had a Mexican themed lunch along with homemade vanilla ice cream...yum! Dad and Breck opened cards/presents and we helped clean the house and do some laundry a little....gigi came over to visit for a little while then sadly, we all had to get ready to go back to Tulsa. :( We had such a great weekend enjoying the weather and family time! We hope you and your families were blessed as well.

Monday, June 22nd-Tulsa dr. appt.
Mom and dad had to come up for a chemo dr. appt. She is doing great...keep praying for her to be healed and for more strength, she is weak from the chemo. Thank you all for the prayers and support you give to all of us!

--The Forrester Family :)

GREAT weekend!

Hello everyone!

We all had a wonderful weekend!! Ryan and I drove down to Stigler on Friday night and beat mom and dad home by an hour or so....they were on their way back from Houston to Bartlesville and Bartlesville to Stigler all in one day! Whewwww.....They got to fly in a very nice jet!!! Our friend Christen Gullatt's neighbor was on the same flight and mom and dad got to talk to her (Tracy). They enjoyed getting to meet and chat with her!

We were all tired of course that night but....stayed up awhile watching "Australia". What a great movie! I encourage you all to go rent it! By Red Box of course - only $1.09! hahahah!

Saturday - didn't do much in the morning....Ryan and I went to Roye Park for a jog while mom and dad worked outside on the yard a bit. We all had to get ready for Brittany Beck's wedding at 4pm. Mom had a great time getting out and seeing her friends and the Beck's...It was a beautiful wedding! Brittany looked absolutely gorgeous! May God bless them many years to come! :)
We headed home after the wedding and spent some time with Grandma Charlene and Virgil! She fixed us some beans, fried potatoes, cornbread....YUMMY!!! sooooo delicious! As ALWAYS! Uncle Donnie, Aunt Ramona and Hannah ate with us too! So fun to be with your family!!
Ryan went to Red Box (at Walmart by the way) and got "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Also a movie I would suggest renting....a little strange but very neat! Mom and I REALLY liked it...BRAD PITT! :)

Sunday - We cleaned house and hung out together....Mom finished watching the movie while dad, ryan and I loaded some things for me to take back to Tulsa! We didn't want to go but knew we had to get back for work the next day....booooo!! :)

We hope you ALL had a fabulous weekend....I know lots of people from our community went to Afton Burris's wedding in the city, including Brooke and Breck, and heard it was BEAUTIFUL as well...Please continue to constantly pray for mom....She will have another MRI in approx. 5-6wks from now to check everything again...This will be an ongoing thing so please pray for patience, strength, energy and encouragement....she really needs it! We need it - she's got a wedding to plan and a new grandbaby on the way....!!!! :) PRAY HARD!!

God bless,
The Forrester Family

***side note- if you want to...please check out ryanhillary.blogspot.com! It's our wedding blog!

Made it to MD again!

Mom and dad had a great flight to Houston EARLY this morning. They will stay tonight and fly back tomorrow (Friday) after her appointment. Dad spoke to Dr. Rao (her neurosurgeon who performed her surgery) and he will be meeting with them along with her oncologist tomorrow to view the MRI and discuss further treatment options. Hopefully they will just rest today and enjoy visiting people they got aquainted with during their time down there. We'll update when we know more....thanks! The Forrester's

Mom at Roye Park & End of school year pics!

Here are some pics of mom, her students and fellow colleagues at Roye Park in Stigler. Aren't they so fun! I know her students missed her not being at school to finish out the school year, but she never stopped wondering about them and what they were doing at school! To all of mom's students and parents from this past school year....thank you for understanding, being loving and prayerful for her healing and recovery. She misses being at school so much and wants them to have a fun and safe summer!

To all of mom's friends/co-workers and administration...thank you for stepping in during this time, we all know that it takes a village to raise a child; especially when you have 20 students....so thank you for the help and support you put towards mom's classroom and her students this year since she's been out. Thanks again to Mrs. Bratton and Ms. Weaver for being amazing teachers to fill in for mom and to her first grade team...Lana, Phyllis, Michelle & Tracy! Mom loves what she does and hopes to one day be back! Have a wonderful summer break!

Today's oncology check-up...

Mom's appointment went well, all in all....her oncologist came in and pulled up her MRI scans on the computer. The scans looked overall really great! Where the first tumor once was...is now a little black space where there is NO sign of that tumor! WOW! Isn't God good!!!!! There is a little post-op "healing" areas that do show up but he said that is very normal after operations. Right beside the first tumor area, there is a spot that showed up that he wants to watch. Mom will continue her chemo and have another MRI scan done in 6 weeks to see if that spot has grown. Pray that it just disappears!!!

Mom and dad will go to Houston tomorrow, get another check-up with her doctor's down there, and they will let them know their opinion about that area. Pray for them to have safe travel and a good check-up in Texas!

Thank you all again for your prayers....I know we had prayer chains going today as well as texts/emails/facebook comments coming at us all day...thank you for those, it helps mom, dad, and the rest of the family to know that everyone is rootin' her on through this!!!

Love, The Forrester's

Day in Tulsa...

Claire being silly and cracking Poppy & MiMi up!

Hi everyone!

Mom and dad made it to Tulsa yesterday (Monday) for her MRI appointment which was RESCHEDULED without my parents knowing that!!?!?!??? So....luckily with the help of her cardiologist they were able to get her in to another appointment that afternoon. Glad that all worked out! They came over to our house to see Claire before we headed out to shop a little. We ate lunch at Mexico Lindo (see pics) and had a fun time letting Claire throw coins in the waterfall. Mom has still been tired from the chemo treatments, but doing amazingly well. Her and dad both have such an amazing, positive outlook towards everything. After lunch, they headed to St. John's to get her MRI done. They'll be back to Tulsa for another dr. appointment tomorrow (Wed.). Then they will fly out of Bartlesville on Thursday to head to Houston for her appointment on Friday.

Thank you all for the love and support you continue to provide for our family! Love, The Forresters

School Luncheon!

Here is a picture of the end-of-year teacher luncheon at Stigler Grade School. Mom enjoyed visiting and seeing her co-workers/friends/family of Stigler GS. In the picture is Phyllis, Mr. Cannaday, Mom, Lana & Mr. McClain. Go Panthers!

Busy Bee Doreen~

Hi everyone!

Sorry that we haven't posted much! Mom has been a busy bee though...from visiting her students before school was out, enjoying a staff luncheon, working out in her yard/garden/flower beds planting and weeding, visiting with friends and family members, and making a few more trips to Tulsa for appointments again~whew!!

Bridal pictures for Hillary! Mom came up the other day for Hillary's bridal picture shoot at the Philbrook Museum...gorgeous! Aunt Ramona drove her up and they went to see Hillary's new house, watched Hillary get her hair done (thanks to Natalie White-Renfrow!!!!) ate dinner at Panera where Claire and I met up with them....then we all headed over to the Philbrook to help with the pic shoot. They are beautiful pictures and Hillary will make a beautiful bride in September.

Shopping for mom....Mom, Dad and Hillary went to Ft. Smith a few weekends ago just to "get out" and enjoy some shopping time! She did well, a little tired, but now has two new cute hats!! Very sassy! One is a straw one and the other is a cute black hat w/ a buckle on it, she looks so cute in them, it makes me want to wear hats too! On the way back....they stopped to visit mom's mother, Nana, to chat and play dominos with her and Carl. They had a great time!

Girl Trip! Mom's fellow colleagues...aka....fabulous friends...."her girls"....called her up to see if she wanted to go to Ft. Smith with them. Of course!!! They ate at The Marketplace restaurant and enjoyed retail therapy at T.J.Max, Target, etc...

Please continue to pray for mom....she has a few upcoming appointments here in Tulsa and in Houston during the next few weeks. We know and trust in God that everything will be perfect, flawless, and that all tests and scans show no sign of cancer! :) Thank you all again for your uplifting spirits and prayers.

MOTHER'S DAY!

Better late than never...:)




Just wanted to post our wonderful Mother's Day weekend! We had such an awesome time at home in Stigler and learned exciting news from Brooke, Breck and Claire!

We all drove down Sunday afternoon and spent the rest of the day with mom, dad, grandma and gramps! The news came when Claire Isabella ran through the door to MiMi & Poppy's house with a BIG SISTER shirt on!! Aaaahhhhh! Yes, I said big sister! We are sooooo excited! Brooke and Breck are expecting precious baby #2!!! They are due sometime the first few weeks into January. She isn't very far along, but please pray her pregnancy goes well and the baby is healthy! Mom had the absolute PERFECT surprise face we have ever seen! We got it all on video! It took mom and dad awhile to get what Claire's shirt said and when they finally did....there came the tears of joy! We loved it!

Mom got new Brighton for Mother's Day....adorable earrings and a beautiful silver and gold necklace from dad! She loved them both! We hope everyone had a blessed and special Mother's Day! We all enjoyed being with mom on "her" day!
Blessings,
The Forrester's

There are a few pictures below we wanted to share!

Last day of radiation!!!!

Aloha everyone!

Friday, May 1st we all left and went to Stigler from Tulsa. Claire rode with Sissy and Ry-Ry because Breck and I had to finish up things here in Tulsa, get packed, etc...SO....then we all finally made it down there. We enjoyed time with mom and dad and then headed to bed pretty early on this rainy start to a weekend.

Saturday, May 2nd we got up, had breakfast and dad had to go in to work for a little while. Since the cable was out we enjoyed a lot of time reading the paper, magazines, books to Claire, watching birds and the rain, playing with the little turtle "tiny Tim" that Poppy caught for Claire and then Breck and Ryan helped dad haul some more rocks for their future outdoor fireplace/sitting area. That evening we all went to GiGi and Gramps for a birthday dinner. We were celebrating my 30th birthday with the entire family....we had grilled steaks, spaghetti, cake and everything in-between. The food was fantastic but the laughs around the table were even better! We were all laughing so hard it hurt! Thank you all for making my birthday so special! -Brooke

Sunday, May 3rd we stayed at home and Breck and I got up to fix breakfast for everyone while Claire enjoyed time in bed with MiMi! It's so cute to go look at the two of them piled up in her huge king sized bed all cozied up and giggling while watching cartoons. We had a fun little birthday party to attend-Izzy Renfrow (Natalie (White) and Garth Renfrow's little girl). She was turning 2! What fun we had over at Ralph and Sharlette's! Thanks for a great party and we enjoyed seeing friends from Stigler. Claire loved decorating cookies (one was for Mimi), watching little Izzy, playing with the other kids there, and blowing bubbles! Then we all had to head back to Tulsa to start another week.

TODAY! Monday, May 4th-Today is special because....it's mom's LAST and final day of radiation treatments and my 30th birthday, what a present, huh!!! Hillary and I had decided a few weeks ago to take 1/2 day off at our jobs so we could prepare a party and to suprise mom at St. John's radiation therapy. Dad was in on it as well. Hill and I spent the afternoon together going to lunch, picking up groceries and decor needed for the "luau" celebration and getting Clarie. GiGi and Gramps were also able to make it up to suprise mom & DAD! We arrived at the building, waited anxiously with butterflies in our stomachs, party horns in hand, and leis around our necks. People would walk by and say, "WOW are we in Hawaii?" and "is this for Mrs. Forrester?...she's so excited about today"....etc.... When we finally saw mom and dad coming through that hallway towards the waiting area, we were cheering her on, meeting them with hugs and kisses and topping it off with pictures and hawaiian hats/leis! Mom was so shocked she could just smile/cry and point! :) Claire is running to her in the picture and grabbing her leg....

It was such a great moment! Then we all headed back towards our house to have the party. Hillary and I had decorated with grass skirt table runners, palm trees, flamingos, "congratulations" banners, and festive foods (dips, salads, punch, etc...). GiGi even brought her yummy banana pudding. We had great fun, mom read a card from all of us that we had each signed, we laughed at Hillary and mom playing "dummy" as mom sat on her lap and she "talked" with her hands which were really Hillary's hands.

As they left we noticed the neatest thing.....another RAINBOW was in the sky! Can you believe that!!??! How neat that God would put yet another sign, another rainbow, in the sky for us to see. Isn't that crazy that there was a rainbow when we were driving down to Houston for her surgery, Stigler Community Choir/silent auction for mom was titled and themed around "Sing a Rainbow", and today....the LAST day of her treatments, we see another one!!!?!? WOW! We have always known and continue to know that it is and will be ok. Please continue to pray for mom, she has overcome so much and continues to put a smile on daily and a foot forward each moment! Thank you all for the love and support you've given our family, The Forrester's

CATCH UP!!

Hello fellow friends, family and bloggers!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic day on this gorgeous, warm afternoon! We have been super busy this past weekend and during the week!

Ryan and I traveled to Stigler last Saturday after I did the St. Francis Heart Walk in downtown Tulsa! We had a great turnout for St. Francis employees ( I think the most there)! It was fun to be with my team outside of work! My girlfriends and I dedicated our "walk" to a family member and mine of course was MOM! She has heart disease that is hereditary called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, non-obstructive. This means her heart is thicker than normal and therefore can cause her to pass out or go into a funny heart rhythm, this is why she received a defibrillator! It is a precautionary tool to keep her safe!:) The non-obstructive part means there is nothing obstructing her blood flow from the main artery (aorta) to the rest of her body! (which is a GREAT thing) Just thought everyone might want to know since this is what I do everyday! :) Deal with hearts! :) The walk was great! Below is a picture of some of the girls I work with! Ai, me, Krista, and Jen!

Ryan and I left after the walk and got to Stigler around noon or so... We got straight to work....loading rock, hauling rock, unloading rock.....we plan to use all this rock to build mom an outdoor area/fireplace that she can enjoy in the evenings, or whenever! She is super excited to get started! :) And of course we fished, a lot! It was a very peaceful, non-stressful couple of days at home! Below: Claire "hunting" Easter eggs at the Stigler Vo-tech. She was hilarious!

Mom is doing soooo incredible people! I CAN NOT begin to tell everyone how well she is doing! It's unbelievable, she is staying at home by herself, ironing, washing clothes, doing dishes, vacuuming, etc....I mean unreal! Her mood is STILL (after everything she has been through emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually) sooooo positive, she uplifts me and gives me strength even! GOD IS MIRACULOUS! You all are amazing! It's all because of prayers and positive attitude through this whole part of mom's life that is healing her! Please, please keep it up! She is sooo PUMPED that she only has 6 more treatments after today! Can you believe it! I mean she is almost finished and can't wait to get back to her normal routine of shopping and staying with us in Tulsa!! GOD REIGNS!!! We are so blessed as a family to have God in our lives and all of you who are reading and praying for mom! We love you all and hope you live well and laugh often! Have a blessed day! Below: Claire and Aunt Sissy on Easter morning!

Love forever,

The Forrester Family