It has been a little while since I wrote. I have missed journaling, but things have been both hectic and unsettled for our family. It is a season of changes...
Chrissy and I went on our annual trip to Disney World with Best Friends, Dru and Logan at the end of January. It is one of my favorite things to do, but is bittersweet for me now. Emily loved Disney so much too, and it makes me a bit sad to know she is missing out on our family trips. Chrissy and I started a new tradition last year, and we continued it this year, by buying a beautiful balloon at Magic Kingdom, taking it up to the rose garden on the side of Cinderella's castle, and talking a bit to our angel Emily, and then releasing the balloon for her. We watched it float up and away this year and imagined that it reached her in Heaven! Chrissy was all smiles when we released it, and I feel she knew what we were doing. I also felt Emily's spirit with Chrissy and I when we were riding the Small World boats. It was her favorite ride and I got teary when we were riding, and just had the strongest impression she was there with us, enjoying it with Chrissy and I . Maybe silly sounding to some, but it was a good moment for me.
My dearest Katie did pretty well the last part of January and beginning of February. She was due to leave for basic training on Valentine's day. Unfortunately she got sick the morning she was to ship out, and because she was throwing up they decided she could not ship on schedule. It caused her to lose her place and job in line, and she will now be going into a health field job and will be leaving in May 2011 instead. She will now be going to Fort Sill in Oklahoma, but will do her advanced training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. She seems happy about the change. I am saddened by the fact that she has decided to move out of our house until she leaves. She is 18 now and will do what she does, but I sure miss my girl, and miss the closeness we used to have. She is more interested in spending time with boyfriend and friends than she is in her family and that is a hard adjustment for me, though it sure doesn't seem to bother her! I understand that young adults have to find their way and parents have to let go, but boy it is difficult when you feel they are making some poor decisions and will have to learn the hard way that life is serious business and the choices you make now can and will affect what happens to your future. I just pray daily for her and hope she is able to mature and grow and come to understand how important family and faith is to her life. She is a good girl and knows right from wrong and has been raised with morals and faith, so I just have to trust she will make the right choices as she goes about her daily activities. I hope she knows how much I love and support her....
Andrew and Dana are settled in Alabama. Andrew finished Warrant Officer training and graduated on January 12, 2011. He is now an officer and has started the first phase of flight school (which is actually ground school first). Dana is registered for her college classes at Troy University and continues to work toward her business degree. They have a new "baby" (chow puppy) named Domino, and are enjoying having their three dogs! So I am still waiting, waiting, waiting to become a grandmother.....LOL...but it will happen when they are ready. Another one of those things that is on God's time and not mine!
Stephen continues in second grade and in cub scouts. He wants to start swimming lessons in the spring and we will probably be signing him up soon! He will have cub scout day camp coming up this summer and also Spina Bifida Camp. He wants a trip to Disney (again) for his birthday, so we are planning a special trip for him the first week of June. He loves animals and science so much, and we are going to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge, where he can see the animals on the Savannah from our balcony. He will absolutely LOVE it! Can't wait to share that with my little man! He is such a special little guy and deserves some excitement! He has been after Kevin and I to adopt again....think he is lonely without his little sister! We keep telling him we are too old to start over again but he is pretty insistent!
Kevin likes his job at Sunoco Logistics and has settled in well. He and I have both been sick off and on the last month with coughing and flu-like symptoms. I have actually had laryngitis since last week! Hardly any voice at all! It is very frustrating!
So, as winter SLOWLY gives way to spring, so does our family SLOWLY move toward normalcy, with changes coming for each one of us, personally and spiritually. I find myself thanking Heavenly Father daily for Chrissy and Stephen and their sweet daily presence and sweetness in my life. I still miss Emily horribly, but I find myself (especially when I visit her grave site) finding hope and a little peace that I will see her again some day. What a sweet reunion that will be....
I love my family so much. I love my Heavenly Father, and am so thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am praying so hard that this year will be a good one, that I am open to what Heavenly Father wants me to do in my life with my future, and that I can continue to be a good wife and good mother to my beautiful children and my husband. I continue to pray for peace and calm and endurance to bear the loss of my Emily, and for my Katie to return to the family fold and have her own peace and comfort. I know part of her "independence" is that she hates being here with us and Emily not being here. Emily's loss has been very hard on her as well as me. I pray for our family to have strength and love and unity in 2011, so our seasons of change can go smoothly and peacefully. Love to you all and I pray all our friends and family have a good 2011 too!
