Here We Are

I've had a hard time sitting down to write anything here. My last entry was written for my stepdad, Steve, just a few days before he passed away (because he was in the hospital, and I wanted a way to tell him how much he means to me). His death came as a total shock, and I am grateful that I'd organized my thoughts before they were grief-stricken.

The interim month has been hectic, so how about a rundown- bullet style- of happenings in our life?

* At the beginning of January, we took the girls on a quick, budget-friendly trip to Disney World. No details, other than we had a wonderful time and the magic is alive and well.

* From Florida, we drove over 1000 miles to see my parents in Texas. Why? Well, Steve was in the hospital, I'd had a tearful conversation with him just days before and I honestly just broke down in tears after talking to my mom. It wasn't that Steve was in dire shape or anything. I just needed to be there. And my wonderful husband just pointed the car west.

* I spent the last three days of Steve's life at the hospital, and I am so happy that I did. I got to be there with my mom at one of the most awful moments of our lives, and as much as it devastated, I would not change a thing.

* The girls and I stayed in Texas for another two weeks after the memorial service. We got to visit family, play with friends and hug my mom a lot.

* My brother got to come home from Navy boot camp for several days. As sad as we all were, it was awesome to see him. He looks great, acts proud and it made me happy to see him doing so well.

* Jason got his grades from last semester, and he did well. Guess that procrastination push worked for him!

* We got the list of possible places we can be stationed last year. It includes most major United States bases, along with some dream assignments, such as Hawaii and Germany. Horror of horrors, it also includes Fort Sill. If we are ever unlucky enough to go back there, I may commit a crime just so I can avoid that hellhole in favor of prison.

* Caitlyn has had a hard time dealing with her feelings about Paw Paw. She is so intuitive and wise beyond her years, a gift that makes this sort of thing harder on her than it should be for a 3 year old. That is enough material for an entire entry on its own.

* Lorelei is talking so much lately, although she still prefers to lazily gesture and play charades for most requests. She learned to say Paw Paw on our way to see him, and he got a kick out of that.

* I was selected for another special writing project for a client. Plus, as I was submitting my final article for that series, I had an email requesting that I work on a project for another new travel client. I'm thrilled! (Especially since I did not work at all in January, although I'm glad I had that option).

*We bought a new car while we were in Texas, a GMC Acadia. While we thought we'd found a car in our Mazda that would work for us for a decade, there were some minor issues that became significant over time (super long doors, no towing ability, limited access to the third row) that our new car remedies. The car was an adventure, but I'll blog about that later.

*Smoky and Nermal missed us while we were gone- to the point that our giant dog climbed in my lap when we got back. Luckily, we have some amazing friends that took care of him in our absence.

Ok, I think that is enough of an update for now. I've got more stories to share about this month, but this is getting long!