A new day...

We are all moving forward after yesterday...and looking forward to our vacation. We leave tonight, and the boys think we are leaving tomorrow! It's been fun keeping that from them. The real reason I did it was because getting them to school, speech, and swimming today would have been impossible if they thought we were leaving today. We will let them know later! I am finishing packing and cleaning...and looking forward to an escape.

Please pray for my dear friend Traci and her husband Brian...as well as their son Andrew. In a turn of circumstances he had to have colon surgery yesterday and is in the PICU at Emanuel. Please pray for comfort for his parents and quick, painless healing for him. Thanks.

Devastated...

Well, if you don't want to be depressed.....stop reading right now. I am going to use my blog, to help myself right now. I thought today I'd blog about being 1 day away from our trip, but instead we found my cat dead on our deck this morning. Talk about shock! I loved this guy so much, like I have loved no other animal in my life. There was just a connection. He made me laugh, was my companion and just genuinely liked me exactly the way I am. No matter what. He waited for me after work....and just the sound of his bell was music to my ears. My eyes are swollen, to the point of ridiculousness...and I can't eat a thing. I am sick with sadness. We have last minute errands, and packing to do...but I don't care. I just can't make sense of it. He's 4, taken care of, and totally loved...and he is TAKEN from me! Why? I just don't and won't understand. He brought me joy, why must that leave? I have SO many questions for God right now......starting with why him? why me? why now? Watching Ian cry today...going to the crematorium and picking out an urn...why me? why now? why him? So many people don't care about their animals....and they get to live....why do mine live such short lives? We love them so, would do anything for them...why? People mistreat animals...and then stock pile 100 of them...I love mine...and they are gone too soon. People chain up their dogs, kick them, beat them, and lock their cats outside....not me! And why? Because they mean something to me. They are a part of our family. I adored this cat! He was awesome. He waited at the bus stop with the kids, hung out in the treehouse, and hid behind the door to startle his brother. Garfield meant so much to me. He was my dear loving cat...who lived up to every part of his namesake. He was a bit chubby, lazy, and would jump on my chest every night, and sniff me right in the face...twice....just to let me know "I'm here Mom!" and I loved it! He'd knead in my leg or arm...yeah it hurt...but he loved it...so, I tolerated it! I am SO SAD! I love you my Garf! I would do anything to bring you back....

Bumps in the road....

Pink eye....really? That's what I've been saying and thinking ALL week...and now it is continuing into this next week. ARGH!!! It started last Sunday night with Gavin, lots of goop and red eyes, then by Wed..he was better, and Ian started....Ian has had a more resistent strain and ended up on a second antibiotic on Friday night, and then I went to bed last night knowing it was coming for me in the morning. I so far have only 1 eye red, but we leave 10 days, and Kevin hasn't gotten it yet! I remember it as a kid...but seriously so much worse as an adult! Hopefully, I'll be better tomorrow (I am trying to be so positive, because if the other guy starts...I will have to call in sick Wed...which I don't want to do.) So say a little prayer for us! Kevin is certainly keeping his distance from ALL of us! Smart guy!

Fourteen Days...and counting!!!

In 14 days, I am going to be sitting on a beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I can hardly wait. Both kids have had pink eye this week...and all this rain! Yuck. The only sunny day over the weekend...I worked, and I spent Sunday and Monday at a conference...I'll share more about that another day...it was awesome! So needless to say...those colorful chains can't come off soon enough! The boys and I built a colorful countdown chain for days until Mexico and every morning Ian runs out of bed and pulls one off! He then announces how many days...and so he gets us thinking vacation first thing every morning! I have cabin fever so bad, but after today, I have only 3 days of work left until we leave....I'm kindof funny that way...I count backwards continuously...it's a wierd little thing I do! I always cross off days off my calendars...lists, and I know how many days until whatever it is that I am looking forward to. In nursing school I had a list too...it started at more than 300 days...you could say I have some OCD in me! It does bother me when I think about it because I wonder if I am always waiting for the next "big" thing and not enjoying the little things...but truthfully...each day counts!