Happy Birthday Dad!

As I spend time in silence and memories of you fill my head, those of being a child and you tucking me in bed.

I often wonder where you are, if you can really see, those things that happen daily in this world where you used to be.

I think of your strength and selflessness and though I try to emulate, the task is too much to fill, your role was much too great.

Losing someone who was such a part of who I am has caused me to reflect, I try to remember what’s important and never to neglect.

I miss you every day and though we are apart, you are always watching over me and you hold a special place deep inside my heart!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I miss you so much!

Tears flowing again today...

"Thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday, and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake, with which I'll never part. God has you in His keeping, I have you in my heart."

Dad, not a day goes by when I don't long to be with you again. I miss you so much... I know I have said this many times before. I knew this separation would be hard... but I really had no idea how hard! I Love you!

Being grateful despite the cloud above you...

I decided today that I was going to try to adjust my attitude about the mishaps the last few days...

That being said I would like to state a few things I feel very fortunate about in my life:

1. I have amazing friends... people always seem to know when to just send a simple text to check in on a day when I feel like my world is crumbling.

2. As you've heard thousands of times, I am so lucky to have my rock, my best friend, my love, as my spouse.

3. I had the joy of being the daugther of an amazing man who showed me what true selflessness was all about... if I can only be half the person he was I will consider my life a success.

4. My sister... I feel so fortunate to have her in my life... life made us sisters... love made us the best of friends. I love you my sissy scout! :)

There are many other things I am grateful for but I just wanted to put down a few to remind myself that no matter how bad I have it... SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS IT WORSE. I need to stop complaining and look at the silver lining on the black cloud above!

When it rains it pours...

WOW... I used to think that if you were kind to others and stepped up to do the right things good things would happen to you... after this week I think that isn't the case.

For all my faults, I am a very dependable, realible and supportive friend/sister/daughter etc... I'd like to think that is recognized and eventually good things will come... however, I am just not so sure.

Sunday morning I got a call from my Mom that her water heater was out. Deven and I finished up a few things around the house and headed off to see what we could to do fix it. It was shot, we drained the tank and Deven loaded into the truck. Of course this would happen on a Sunday when you can't take it back to get it replaced. On our way home, I had a micro-seizure... a pretty good one too. I haven't had one for a while. I thought maybe it was stress induced until I realized I was exposed to carbon monixide in my mom's basement.

We finally got home and pulled into the driveway... our garage door would not open up. Deven thought the issue was with the opener in his truck so he hopped out to go open it from inside the house. YEAH... DONEZO... the whole opener broken... all we did was shut it to leave... and it was a gonner. You go to help out someone in need and come back to your own disaster. ARE YOU SERIOUS???

Needless to say my car was stuck inside... and so we just used the truck the rest of the day. Yesterday I got up came into work and was just not feeling it... I hadn't slept really great over the weekend and felt overwhelmed at trying to get the garage door fixed, the water heater replace and installed and felt crappy from my seizure. I worked from the office for a few hours and then from home off and on the rest of the day.

I stopped at home depot to turn in the old water heater since it was still under warranty (even though they didn't make that model anymore). An hour later I finally got everything sorted out, I paid for the "upgrade" and headed to my mom's to drop it off. Right when I pulled up to my mom's to unload it... DOWNPOUR... OKAY ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS??? Jim, Dawn and I all unloaded it and brought it inside. Later on someone came over and put it downstairs... but we came over later to hook it up.

While at my Mom's dropping the water heater off I get a phone call that my water has been shut off. MY WATER??? I paid my bill. Lucky me, as my lucky streak would have it... they ran the charge after I had received my new debit card, they used the old expiration date so the bank denied the charge. You'd think they'd notify you right??? Yeah supposedly I got a shut off notice. WOULD I IGNORE SUCH A THING??? I think not... Needless to say 6 hours later and a ridiculously expensive reconnect fee... water was back on.

Then back to my Mom's to install the water heater... first time fittings were missing... off to Lowe's... second time fittings we bought didn't work... off to Lowe's... third time fittings work and we are just about done. Then Deven tries to open a tube using my Dad's rusty scissors... not a wise idea... the remainder of the evening spent at the Instacare... a few stitches and a tetnus shot later he was good to go!

LIFE... yeah it is all about doing good so good comes your way right?

DAD, if you have any pull up there can you tell them we've had more than our fair share this week???

I am trying to use the power of positive thinking... just hope it turns things around because this isn't fun!