My birthday and a great story!

First I want to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes. It really made my day! I had a lovely birthday. The night before my birthday a friend of mine and I went to a scrapbooking crop at our local scrapbooking store. We get to go to free crops during the month of our birthdays and our birthdays are 3 days apart. :D So we went and had our fun. The next day I had many emails and messages here on my blog wishing me a happy birthday! It was so fun! My sister's birthday is the day before mine and while I was out scrapbooking my sister and mom tried to call me. I told my sister several years ago that it's not fair that every year I call her on her birthday and then she doesn't need to call me the next day for mine. So this year she and my mom decided to call me on her birthday and surprise me! How fun is that? Since I wasn't home they talked to Jessica. She enjoyed talking to them. My mom has been helping my sis for about a month since Marcus's cancer came back and she will be going home next week. She will probably spend a day or two here in town so we'll probably get to spend some time together then.

Karl took me out to dinner on my birthday and that was really nice. The day after my birthday I got to go to church. It was so good to go again! It's been awhile since I've been able to go either because I didn't have anyone to take care of Jessica or I wasn't feeling well myself. I also got some phone calls and a couple of cards in the mail wishing me a Happy Birthday. Thanks everyone for making my birthday so great!

Here is a great story for you. If this doesn't make your day, nothing will.

There is a little boy named Derek Andrews who lives in Clarence NY...right outside Buffalo.
He is presently 7 years old and will turn 8 in October. Derek has a muscle disorder and doctors told his parents that Derek would never be able to run or play sports.
Apparently, however, no one ever told Derek.
He plays hockey at the Amherst Pepsi Center , baseball and soccer in Clarence, and participates in gymnastics. Maybe the word 'plays' is a bit misleading.. Derek was on the baseball league all-star team, the ice hockey select team and was the leading scorer on his soccer team! All despite that condition that continues to weaken the muscles in his body.
To make the story even more heartwarming, after winning a local bank's essay contest (who in the world writes essays at 7 ????), Derek used his prize money to put on a magic show at Children's Hospital, help organize a book drive for a Buffalo school and buy supplies for elephants at The Buffalo Zoo.
Derek's uncle says that Derek has been nominated for 'Sports Kid of the Year' by Sports Illustrated for Kids and is now a top 10 finalist. I can't think of any more deserving kid than this boy. To help Derek achieve that honor, all you have to do is vote for him at the following web site Sports Illustrated Kids

It literally takes 15 seconds to do. You are allowed to vote as often as you wish.