Some Sad News

So yesterday I was checking out facebook and found out that my sister-in-laws father passed away unexpectedly on Friday night. My sister-in-law was on a cruise that docked on Sunday morning and she came home to this. We have known Roy Rushing for many, many years and are so saddened at his passing. He wasn't very old, in his 50's I believe, and it is such a sadness we feel at his passing. His wife should be having his memorial this Saturday. He will be missed by so many. Till we meet again Roy.

Daniel's papers are in, finally!!!

So Daniel had his interview with the stake president today and his mission papers are in...YIPPEE!!! I can't believe that they are truly in...we have been waiting such a long time for this to happen. We should know within 10 to 14 days where he will be sent for his two year mission. I am so proud of Daniel for all of his hard work at preparing to serve and losing the weight that he needed to lose for it. Daniel, you are AWESOME!!! I love you my son. I'll post when we find out where in the world the church will be sending him...whoohoo.

This week...

Catherine is now living here with us. It has been a hard week getting her room cleaned out so that she can put her stuff in it, getting the things that were taken out organized and put away once again, getting her belongings situated once again. It was my spring break this last week and I am so tired from all of the work. It's a necessary thing and I know that it had to be done. I am happy to have Catherine living here for the time that she needs it. Chuck made sure I knew that it could only be for a year or two...I figured that is more than enough time for her to get situated here again. It's where she needs to be for now and we'll worry about the future when it gets here.

The thing is poor Catherine moved in with what she thought was just a cold and she ended up so sick. She was having a hard time on Thursday with her breathing and when we got home from Christina and Ray's we got the rest of Catherines belongings in the house, got her bed set up, and she ended up making it and had to go straight to bed as she was feeling so weak and was having a hard time breathing. So...she gets in bed and I go and check on her and she is having a rough time. I was thinking I was going to have to take her to the hospital. Instead I told her to go to the bathroom and turn on the hot water and see if the steam helps. She did that and it did help her, alot. So she goes back to bed and I feel her forehead and she has a pretty good fever. She slept with the humidifier and had her meds and off to sleep she went. She was much better on Friday but still weak. She thankfully didn't have any massages that day so she was able to relax and get over this illness. I am happy to say that she is doing much, much better and will be ready for work this next week. She sure scared me though. I guess it doesn't matter how old they get, we still worry about them, I am her mother after all! :)

So, yesterday was Rennaissance Faire and boy, it got hot. Not as hot as we had last year but that will probably come too. By the time we get home Chuck, Michael, and I are so exhausted we go straight to bed. I am enjoying the faire so much and spending time with people we know and love down there. It takes a lot of our time and some money but it sure has been fun. It is a fun place to visit but I like being a part of it even more. It is fun to portray a character and create what they are like through your own interpretation. The best part is the people that we have known for years and getting to see them. Some of these people we have known for over 20 years now. Such fun, even though it can get so HOT!

Happy Birthday Christina

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL CHRISTINA!!! She is 28 years old today. I can't believe how quickly time flies by and that my first baby is 28 years old now. I took her and her sister, Catherine, to lunch today and we had such a nice time. We had dinner at her house and opened gifts. I love her so much and am so thankful for such a beautiful daughter. She is a wonderful mommy to my sweet grandchildren and a good wife to her husband, Ray. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments...you are amazing Christina! I LOVE YOU!!!

We had to bury our beloved Rottweiler

Well...yesterday we finally took our Izzy into the vet to check the huge growth on her right leg at the joint. Her poor leg was so swollen and was looking worse so I had to get her in to the vet to get her checked. She has been having some problems with her leg and not using it for the last few months but it was getting so much worse. I knew that taking her in might mean putting her down...so I was very nervous about taking her in. Well, I called the vet and they said we could get her in in a little over an hour so we got her ready and in we went. Michael and Catherine went with me, Catherine drove. Our poor Izzy couldn't walk so Michael had to carry her in and when he put her down she face planted...not good. We get her in to the room and the vet comes in to check her and yes, she has a tumor that has grown huge and is running a fever. Izzy has been our sweet precious girl for 8 years now and has been such a beautiful girl. Michael had to make the choice of putting her down and we knew that this was the best choice. She was running a fever and wasn't going to get better. With many tears we had to let our beloved Izzy go. She wanted to stay alive for all of us and was licking us to comfort us before she was let go to run free without the tumor in her body.

I want to say what a beautiful blessing our Izzy girl was for us. She was always so loving and loyal. She would run up to say hi and get so excited her whole body would wiggle and her butt would get wiggling and she would grin at us and prance around in her excitement. She brought so much joy to our lives. We were so blessed to have her be a part of our family and look forward to seeing her again one day. She is buried in our back yard alongside other beloved pets and we are mourning the loss of our beautiful girl.

I have to say that last night I had a bit of time that I felt so guilty for letting her be put to sleep...I felt like I had murdered her...but I know that it was for the best and we couldn't let her live in pain any longer. She will forever be our Beloved Izzy Girl. Till we meet her again...

Today is the day...Changes once more

So...today Catherine is moving in. I was so lax I didn't start cleaning out the room yesterday until around 3 pm...I just had to take it in small doses. I got the closet cleaned out pretty good and then worked on getting the bookshelf unloaded and out. I had to work and then take a break so that it was more manageable. I have to reorganize and don't have alot of time to do that so I have to do what I can and take care of the rest later. As long as Catherine can be comfortable in that room...that's what matters. She will be moving rooms in a few months after her brother moves out so I don't have to totally empty that room, just make it pleasant for her for now. It will all work out and it will be nice to have Catherine around some more too. She will have some adjusting to do living with her brothers once again, but it really won't be for that long and it will be good for them to get a better relationship as adults also.

I am so grateful for my blessings...now I have to go and bless others lives with belongings that I don't need any longer. One step at a time, right?

My daughter is moving in...

So...tomorrow my daughter Catherine is moving back in with us. It is so crazy to have her move back in as she moved out about 7 1/2 years ago. Such a long time for her to be gone and now come home, but I am glad that she is. I am so grateful for her sister, Christina, and my son-in-law, Ray, for letting Catherine live with them and their family since August when she moved back from Utah. I know it was a challenge to have someone else live there with 3 small children but it was good for Catherine to get a relationship with the grandchildren. Not it's time for her to move on once again and our home is the place for her to come. Whe has choices to make and we will hopefully help her to acheive her goals as she continues to be successful in her life.

Daniel has his interview with the stake president this next Sunday so his mission papers should be going in after that. He has acheived the weight that the bishop said he needed and is continuing to work on losing more. He is doing so great and I am so proud of him. I will miss him so much when he goes on his mission but wouldn't want him anywhere else right now than serving the Lord.

Michael is going to be going to BYU-Provo and moving up in June so that is another change for me. Wow, things just keep happening, but it's all wonderful and I am so thankful for that.

Gotta go and try to clean out a room for Catherine...she moves in tomorrow...so much to do!