Home at last.....

Hello....I know, it's been ages since my last post...we've had quite a week or so of whirlwind activity....I don't think I'll even try to recap each day...well maybe a little bit...but FIRST...I want to thank you all for your prayers and love this past week or so. Husband and I have so felt God's arms wrapping around us and your prayers and love. So thank you very very much.

So I think that I last journaled on Sunday soon after we heard the news about Weezie passing...I had to go to work on Monday to tie up some loose ends because husband asked that I take the rest of the week off to be with him. Ok, so I think I've explained before that Weezie was his aunt, his father's brother's wife. However, husband's parents divorced when he was around 11 and he lived with his mother for just a little bit after that. Then she started to move around the country sporadically so husband went to live with his aunt Weezie and Uncle Herb...and so she basically raised him through adulthood (her husband Herb died around the same time that she took husband in) and from what I've seen and from what husband has confirmed, he would not be the person he is today if it weren't for her influence on his life. blah blah blah...I just felt the need to clarify because we all love our aunts, but Weezie was more of a mother to him than an aunt. She actually considered him to be her son. Incidentally, his mother now lives in Alabama and she didn't come up for the funeral, she didn't send flowers, a card, a phone call to anyone to express sympathy or anything else. Husband did call and tell her but that was about it.

anyway, so last Monday I worked and husband went up to be with his cousins (Weezie had three daughters (well four actually but one died very young) and one of the cousins (K and her husband W) husband has always been closest to and Weezie lived next door to her so they all sort of gathered there on that day and did some crying and some laughing...he came home on Monday night and then on Tuesday he and I did some Christmas shopping and then we went to K&W's and visited...we came back home late that night then on Wednesday got up and headed that way again...the visitation was that evening (mom and dad and sister came and that really meant a lot to husband...he has said that that day that we went to Beef O Brady's and watched the Bengals game and I belly ached about it because that was the day after we had visited Weezie and we knew the end was near for her and all I wanted to do was go home and cry, he said that he wanted to be with my mom and dad because they made him feel better and comfortable and that touched me so much).

If you haven't figured it out...this is probably going to be a longggg entry...lol...feel free to skim....it's theraputic for me to get all this out...after I journaled about Weezie after we went to see her that helped me so much...it just helps to put it all in words I guess...

ok anyway, so after the visitation we all (husband's cousins and their families) went to Frisch's and ate and then back to K&W's for a little visit and then husband and I went to stay at mom and dad's...K&W offered to have us stay with them but we would have had to sleep in the living room and K stayed up all night writing the euology....plus...they live in filth...lol...there is no polite way of phrasing it either...dog hair, cat hair...three men live there plus K...I had to constantly take Claritan so that I didn't get all sneezy...I'm allergic to cats...blah blah blah...anyway, we declined and went to mom and dad's...it was like 1:00 am when we rolled in there but I hopped in the shower...because that's the other thing I forgot to mention K&W chain smoke...so you are getting the picture about how lovely their home is...ok...enough whining about that...anyway...so quick shower and quick sleep we got up at the butt crack of dawn to get ready and go to the dreaded funeral...I got ready a little bit early so that I'd have a little bit of time to cuddle my niece and nephew - I-man and FAB were spending the night...so then we headed off to the funeral...it was one of the neatest funerals I've ever been to...K had anyone who wanted to to write out their favorite memory or something about Weezie and the preacher read those along with the eulogy and they also opened it up for anyone who wanted to to get up and say something...a few people were able to speak and a few tried but broke down in to tears...needless to say, it was a laugh and cry funeral...after the funeral we gathered at a firehouse for a meal...I know it's a thing we do in our family too...but I'll never understand why it falls to the immediate family to try and put together a meal after the funeral...anyway...after that we went to a friend of the families house and had a litte birthday party/wake...yep I said birthday party...you see the day of the funeral was the youngest daughter's (K) birthday...what a wonderful way to spend your birthday huh burying your mother and best friend...ugh...anyway...back in 1988 Weezie was taking a trip to Pasedena and I guess she was afraid that something would happen to her because she wrote a letter telling them what to do with her stuff if she died...she updated it in 1990...and put it in a lock box...so they read the letter at this little gathering...and so we all laughed and cried some more...there were four pieces of funiture that she specifically named and husband recieved one of them and also a gun that has been in his family. It was all very touching and sweet...

Also, for whatever reason, I volunteered to have them all down for New Year's Eve...so lol...actually I think it will be fun...but keep us in your prayers!! lol

ok so then we came home late that night and then Friday I had to finish making a couple of t-shirts and then wrap all my presents....busy busy busy day....husband went and did some more Christmas shopping and came home and wrapped presents too and then Friday evening we headed to Ohio...husband went to the basketball game and I went to mom's and then mom and FAB and I went to Walmart for some last minute items...Saturday morning we got up and spent some time playing with FAB and I-man then got ready for the day...it was kind of like Christmas because we did all our exchanging of presents with sister and BIL and mom and dad...it was a nice day really....Christmas Eve with the whole family...the kids were so cute...they loved the singing of Christmas carols before opening presents...all the little ones got in front of the tree kind of in a line-up and just danced and sang at the top of their lungs...it was really a moment to cherish!

When we got back to mom and dad's that night husband and I realized that we hadn't opened our stocking so we did that and then mom brought out two more presents...she'd gotten us toys!!! lol...she got husband some sort of ball launching game and she got me this mini band thing which had a microphone/pa system on it...so I annouced their ball launching game tournaments...we had fun just playing...lol...we actually got to sleep in a little on Christmas morning...which was really good for husband because he had not slept much all week with everything going on...

we've both done a lot of crying this week and just really gotten closer to each other...I guess that happens when bad things strike...you draw closer to people...he and I have done a lot of that this week...he keeps saying that I married a girl...lol...but I tell him that crying just means he's healthy...I'd worry more about him if he weren't crying and talking about stuff....

so anyway, Christmas day we slept in just a little bit and then got up and were off to do all our Christmas visiting....I'd really secretly love to spend Christmas at my house one year...but then we wouldn't get to see anyone...lol...so for now anyway, Christmas is this hurry up and visit ordeal (which I really thoroughly enjoyed this year!)...so anyway, we went to visit his best friend from high school...that was really nice to see them...then we went and had lunch at his dad's girlfriend's mother's house....(did you get all that!) lol...we had a really nice visit there...so his dad has been living with this woman for years, so for all purposes she's a step-mil...and her parents are step-grandparents to husband...well step-grandpa died this year too...so it was nice to visit with step-grandmother...her name is Flossie and she is just as cute as she can be...step-mil was telling me that Flossie has a gentleman that comes and takes her to dinner on Thursdays and he has been trying to get a little frisky...lol!! Flossie is not down with that...it's a little too soon...but anyway, she's just as cute as she can be...so we had a really pleasant visit and step-mil even took some pictures...it was very enjoyable...almost normal...which, I'm not used to from his father (he's weird lol)...and then we went to get together with husband's cousins (who we've seen a lot of this week)

I'm almost caught up aren't you glad!! lol

Weezie had her Christmas shopping done...so we all got presents...oh I forget to tell you that the Monday after she passed, we recieved a Christmas card in the mail from her...it was dated 12-13-05...it should have come with a tissue!! lol...anyway so Christmas, we all got Weezie presents...husband got a really cool tractor puzzle which I think he's going to put together and then glue it and frame it with the gift tag below it...just a keep sake...and I got a wooden wall plaque and I think I'm going to decopauge the gift tag on the back...she liked windchimes so one of the cousins gave her sisters and husband a big nice set of windchimes...it was a nice Christmas...so after that I went back to mom and dad's and husband went home...he had to work yesterday (Monday). When I got to mom's, mom and I visited for a little bit...she had gone to grandma's for Christmas...it was kind of a strange Christmas because dad had to work....

Monday slept in a little and then got up and went shopping with mom, sister and FAB...FAB is sooooooo stinking cute...I think she is just the cutest lil girl ever...of course I'm biased lol...but she totally has me hook line and sinker! lol...it was really very nice to spend time with mom and sister too...sis and I bought some new clothes at Kohls and we liked em so much, when we got to O'Charley's before we went in we decided to put something new on...lol...so we are in the back of the van pulling off price tags and hangers to put on a new jacket and sweater...

then we went to Hobby Lobby and I bought a bunch of beads. Sister picked out some fabric to make her first vest! YAY her...good luck sis!

So then we dropped sister and FAB off at her house and mom and I went home...I had decided that I was leaving that evening...I hate leaving them at all! but I haven't been home at all (well to sleep maybe lol) and I just needed some unwind time before I go to work for two days and then have twenty people crash in on me this weekend!! lol so today I'm vegging and putting away Christmas gifts...lol...when I got home last night I played my new karoke game for hours....it has a lot of great songs on it...we have to have a cousin party soon so we can try it out!! lol...

I'm going to work tomorrow and Thursday, we're closed on Friday....I just know that work has piled up and the sooner I get in there and get caught up the better I'll feel...I know my boss would be ok if I took the rest of the week off...but it's driving me bonkers to know that work is piling up! I really don't get paid enough to worry about it...lol...but I still worry...anyway....

I think we're caught up! wahooo...whew....that was a lot of typing....feel free to read at your leisure...or skim...I feel better just typing it all out...now I'm off to catch up on ya'll.....

thank you again for your prayers, love, and encouraging...I appreciate you all very much...Happy New Year!!!