Finally back!

Whew! Finally back! I kept meaning to get back to my blog, but life happened :)

The past 13 months have been busy....full steam ahead busy! We painted and moved into the foreclosure we bought.

I'd love to say we have accomplished all the projects that need to be done, but that would be a big ole lie! We are still making progress.....slow progress! We have light fixtures now (they were all missing!) and we painted a good portion of the house. The colors before we moved in were interesting....

We also had the house we were moving out of painted and prepped for the market. Loved our little house! I picked out everything for that house, and for the previous 4 years it was our home. It was our first house after leaving the military, and was the only HOME by baby (who is 6 now, so not really a baby...) even remembered. It has a million dollar view, great neighbors, and lots of good memories in that home. I was going to be sad to see it go.......

Unfortunately, the market was flat and it didn't sell. So now we are accidental landlords and already on our second tenant! I think we have great tenants now, and am actually a little glad our first renters totally bailed on us. I still wish it would have sold, but we are making lemonade with the lemons!

Last year was a hard one personally for our family. We lost my grandfather, learned exactly what family means to each other as we supported each other through the trials that we all face in life, and I believe strengthened relationships we may have forgotten or taken for granted.

In the above picture, my Grandmother is being presented with the American flag. I am sad to say that just two weeks ago today, we also lost Grandma, just 10 short months after Grandpa's passing.

Above is my dad and Grandma shortly after my Grandfather's funeral. I have learned a lot by seeing the love, service, and care my dad has given to both of my Grandparents in the last years of their lives. They had no doubt that they were loved and that they left behind a legacy in their children.

Here are a few photographs from happier days! Kayleigh and my Grandfather (and Sophie-our very spoiled dog) at my parents home visiting. Grandpa lived just down the street from my parents. Every school day when i was a girl about Kayleigh's age, I would see him walking to the gas station to get his newspaper. He was the one the school would call (if they couldn't get our mom) to pick us up when we had tummy aches or bumps and bruises. You could count on a little Debbie and a soda while you waited for mom to come take us home. He had an amazing yard and an even more amazing garden. And I think he had a way about him that EVERY one of his grand kids believed they were his absolute favorite! (though I know I really was!)

And here is my immediate family at my "little" brother's wedding a few years back. What a crowd! Most of the young men in this picture are now about a foot or so taller!

Family is so important! Grandma made an effort to be at our special days. Baby blessings, baptisms, weddings, dance recitals, etc. As we were reminiscing after Grandma's funeral, we recalled the traditional birthday dinner Grandma would treat each of her grand kids. It was a one on one dinner, and we got to pick the place! For a kid from a large family, that was like gold! Grandma also worked at a bank and would include a special coin and a two dollar bill in our birthday cards. I have a collection of coins and bills that remind me of her and my history each time I see them. I also have outfits she made for my babies to be blessed in that I will cherish and pass on to my kids.

Losing almost a whole generation of my family within a year has made me pause and realize how fragile life is, how important history, memories and records are. This is one of the reasons I have dusted off the blog.

Many good things happened this past year too! My daughter crossed into her teen years (Yes, that is a good thing!), our oldest son got his driver's permit and made all-star soccer, our 9yr old made all-star baseball, our 8 year old got baptized and our "baby" started kindergarten. My husband and I celebrated another year (we are almost to 17 years now!!!) of wedded bliss.

Life is continually moving forward and changing, and now that I'm back, I hope to record a bit of it here along with some crafty fun! :)