Took A Little Time Off...

Well, I started this blog and then had to suddenly leave home for a few weeks...I returned home and have been busy catching up with this crazy life of mine! I am now attempting to jump back in here...please be patient with me as I learn "the ropes" of blogging, uploading pictures, adding pictures to my post, etc.


Here is the e-mail I sent out to my Mom's Club that will explain where I went for almost 3 weeks in March...





I received a call from my sister, Jennifer on Saturday afternoon, the 8th... that my Mom was passing & I needed to get there ASAP! B/C it was the beginning on Spring Break...there were NO empty seats on ANY flights until MONDAY NIGHT!!! I knew that would be WAY TOO LATE!!! Luckily I was able to get on a military flight early Sunday morning that took me to Charleston, S.C. The commercial airport there doesn't have any outgoing flights after 8p.m....I arrived at 9:30!!! Ugh! So, I fed Sam & rented a car & drove until I was too tired to go any more. I arrived the next day in Knoxville. I had about 4 hours with my Mom that I know in my heart that she heard me...her eyes were shut but she made sounds & facial expressions that were in correct responses to what I was saying...she also moved her lips when I placed Sam's forehead against her lips...I know she was trying to kiss him!!! Then she slipped into a coma. She did not want to die in a hospital hooked up to machines...she was at home...hospice did a wonderful job getting things set up & they showed us all how to care for her & give her the morphine. My Mom's sister, my Dad, my 3 siblings & their families & I took care of my mom until she took her final breath on Friday morning, the 14th. My Mom was a very strong lady to battle this cancer the past 2 & 1/2 years...I am so proud of her!!!!My parent's church had a BEAUTIFUL memorial service on Sunday. There were so many friends & family...it was a wonderful celebration of my mom's life! B/C my Dad is turning 69 tomorrow & not in the greatest shape himself ...getting difficult to get around in the two story house that they owned...We needed to get their house sold, packed, & moved...so I have been EXTREMELY busy here the past week...they are HUGE packrats...WOW!!!!! So, I will be continuing to help my family out this week. I get back home Thursday night.Please say prayers for my Dad, he lost his BEST friend of 44 years! For me & my siblings...I can't believe my Mom is gone...even though I have known since September that this day was going to come much sooner than it should...it doesn't make it any easier to say good-bye! I am thankful that my Mom is no longer feeling the horrible pain that she was experiencing these past few months though!!!Paul has been holding down the fort back home with the other 3 munchkins!





So as you can read...I lost my Mother a month ago now...I still shake my head in disbelief. So unfair!!! I wanted her & my Dad to see all their grandchildren grow up & go off to collage...just as all but one of my grandparents did!

I found out the day I gave birth to Sam, 27 September, that the cancer was back & the tumors were too big to remove & chemo. & radiation would not help at this point...she was given 6-12 months to live. When Sam turned 2 months old I flew with just him down to Tennesse to be with my parents for 10 days. I am THANKFUL to God for not taking my Mom before I had the opportunity to hug her one last time, to say how much I loved her, to tell her how thankful I was that: she & Dad did such a great job raising the four of us; that she supported me no matter how crazy my ideas were; and most of all for forgiving me for giving her a hard time as a teenager. I am sooooooooo very thankful that she got to hold Samuel, her 9th grandchild!