Going Home

This week has been a rough one.  Last weekend, I finished moving out of the home I shared with my husband.  I have no idea where he moved.  Not my business.  I wish him well. 

Then on Tuesday night, I caught wind that something just wasn't right with my grandmother.  In July, she was admitted to the hospital with a broken femur.  I am not sure how long it was broken, but at 88, a broken bone is never good.  She started having problems with her kidneys, and by early this week, there wasn't much hope.  Wednesday I was able to spend some time with her, along with a minister from our church and several family members.  Unfortunately, she was already pretty far gone.  At 5:30 am Thursday, she silently passed from this world.

Two years ago, almost to the day, we lost my grandfather.  Grandma and Pawpaw were married 64 years when he passed.  They were the most adorable couple I have ever seen, and she was somewhat lost without him.  Grandma had a strength and determination that I have always admired.  I remember spending many hours with her in my childhood just listening to stories, watching her quilt, and learning piano under her watchful eye.  Of course, I was mostly there for the pickles... but I loved having one on one time with her.

Grandma was always concerned that she would pass earlier than she planned, as both of her parents died in their 60s.  I would say that after 88 years, 64 years of marriage, 6 children, 20+ grandchildren, and a gaggle of great-grandchildren, that she lived a long and happy life.  I know that Grandpa was waiting to welcome her home.

Some of my fondest memories of my grandmother:

1. Lightning Cookies - These lemon flavored bars were amazing and I must remember to locate the recipe.
2. Elephants - she LOVED elephants and collected them.  Grandpa brought her an amazing table home from India during WWII with elephants on the legs.  I bought her a Waterford Crystal elephant for Christmas a few years ago and you could see in her eyes that she cherished it greatly.
3. Pulling my brother out of a swimming pool by his ear.  I mean, sure... my cousin Heather and I convinced him to jump in there... but it was still funny.  To us.  Not Chris.  Sorry bro.
4. She used to pick me up from school when I was sick and my mom was not around.  She was very comforting.
5. Sonic - She loved going to Sonic and would always get me a grilled cheese.  Mmmm Sonic.

I will miss my grandmother very much.  It still hasn't really sunken in that she is gone.  But she will live on in my memory and my heart forever.

I was very fortunate to sit down with both of my grandparents a few years ago and have them tell me all about their lives growing up and their lives together.  We did the same a few years before my paternal grandmother and I was always happy to have not only my memories, but her's as well.  If you still have your grandparents, go to a bookstore and find a "Grandparents' Book".  You just fill in the blanks.  Trust me... you will thank me later!!!

New Digi Scrap Pages

So I realized it has been forever since I updated this thing. I have been going through some stuff. Anyway, I have been doing a few more digital scrapbook pages, so I thought this would be a good time to upload them. Tell me what you think!

Sisters

I promise to get Easter pictures up ASAP, but in the meantime... here are a couple of pictures with my sister, Sarah!!



Sarah is my baby sister! She is 5 years younger than me, and I couldn't imagine life without her. We talk nearly every day and her gorgeous daughter, Madison, is the love of my life. I am so proud of my sister... in addition to being a mommy, she has been working her tail off at the hospital while also attending nursing school full time. She will graduate next month and will be a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) taking care of little babies. Her determination and tenacity to get what she wants all on her own has always taken my breath away.

We didn't get along when we were growing up, as expected, but she is now my best friend and I love her dearly!!

Congrats on your upcoming graduation and pinning, Baby Sister! I love you!!

Be Careful...

Be careful about the things you ALWAYS say you will NEVER do...





I ALWAYS said I would NEVER let my hair go brown...





But, today I did this:

Well, to be truthful... my AMAZING hair stylist, Summer at Studio 3000, did this.

And I FREAKING LOVE IT!!!!

Thoughts??

Happy Birthday Jeff!!!

Happy Birthday to one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world... Jeff!! Hope it is a great one! Thanks for being such an amazing friend and a rock during hard times.

More Pages

Week 4 - My Wish

Here is my Week 4 entry for Casey's challenge! My wish for 2009 is for health, happiness, and success. It has been a rough year already... but I just know that it will get better going forward!

Catching Up

Whew... it has been a rough month for me! I know it has been a long time since I posted anything but scrapbook pages, but I had a BIG health scare this month. I spent some time visiting with my sister, niece, and cousins earlier this month, and that night I ended up coming down with a stomach bug. No fun!! That stomach bug ended up turning into a big mess and I ended up in the hospital for a week. After several inconclusive tests, I was released on Friday night (2/20). Once we made it home, I ended up sick and anxious all night long and by Saturday morning, I just couldn't take it anymore.

We called my bariatric surgeon (I had the lap band surgery in October 2006) and told him that I was having a lot of problems and that I couldn't stop throwing up. He told us to meet him in the Emergency Room at Memorial Hermann - Memorial City. After examining me, we all agreed that the lap band needed to be removed. I told him that I just couldn't handle it anymore. Even though my band has been open (not restricted) for about a year, this was just an ongoing issue that I couldn't deal with anymore. They did surgery that day and removed the band. When I awoke, my blood pressure and blood sugar went down immediately and I felt better almost instantly.

I was released from the hospital on Sunday and have been recovering at my mother's house since then. I will be off work the rest of this week and should go back on March 9th. I went to see the surgeon on Friday for my follow up, and we have determined that I am allergic to the dissolving stitches they used to close me up. Bah! I am itchy and red, but feeling MUCH better than I have in a long time. It was like I had a transplant that my body has been rejecting for the last two years.

More Digital Scrapbooking

I started making a silly album to chronicle our time as Hurricane Ike Refugees a few months ago, and since I had some down time this week, I decided it would be a good time to finish the album. We were evacuated for 6 days... 11 family members in a 2,300 square foot, one-story house... things were a little tense from time to time! *This album in no way means to make light of a very serious situation which left many people, including my own uncle, homeless. It was more to laugh at ourselves. Enjoy!

Digi Scrap Challenge - Weeks 2 & 3

I missed Week 2 of the challenge due to being in the hospital (more on that soon!), but I went ahead and did it anyway this week.

Theme: About Me

And here is the Week 3 entry:

Theme: Love Is...

To see all entries, visit Casey's Blog

Weekly Digiscrap Contest Entry

So, Casey recently posted a challenge to come up with new digital scrapbook pages based on a weekly theme. As I am trying to get more into digital scrapping, I thought this would be a great way to work on some layouts and push myself more into this realm, since I am often too busy for traditional scrapbooking.

The theme for Week 1 was "My Favorite Place" and my entry for the week is below. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

A Family Affair

My family pictures are now proudly featured in the galleries of

Lori Brown Photography's website!

Lori is an amazing photographer and one of my very best friends! Check out her work and schedule your sessions ASAP!

Picture Perfect Tuesday

This is what happens when you leave me alone with my niece... and a pink wig.

Prayers Needed

I don't normally do this, but I could really use some praying hand and hearts on this one. I recently found out that two of my cousins are dealing with some heavy medical issues with their children.

My cousin Wes' son, Nate, has recently been diagnosed with Cancer. He is only 2 years old. They live in Dallas, so I don't have all of the specifics. I know that they almost lost him a few days ago while trying to put in the feeding tube. I believe he is responding fairly well to his treatments, but serious prayers are needed.

I also found out that my cousin Amy's newborn, Emma, is afflicted with a heart problem. I am not really sure what is going on there, but again - prayers needed.

Even if you don't pray, please send some positive thoughts out for these two children. I know my family will appreciate it!

Update

Things are weirdsville right now. It isn't something I really want to talk about, but I am very thankful for great friends and having a wonderful support system. And especially for a certain 4-year old girl who was willing to pack up all her toys in Ziploc bags and move into the closet (not really, CPS... back off!) to help a friend in need.

Thank you, dear friends.