Okay, this post will begin with pictures I guess! That's how blogger wants to do it, and I don't know how to change it!
This was actually snow we had on Christmas Eve! We had a white Christmas 2009!
Jake told Pop Pop he really wanted to build a bird house with him, so they did! With some help from Nana and T of course! This was the beginning of February, 2010!
My mom with the not so great birthday cake I made her! She loved it though! She was having a real bout with her health this week, but I am glad to report she is better now!
Okay, so I can't believe I am including this one, but oh well! At Christmas time at the Gaylord Texan Hotel (close by), they build a whole exhibit out of ice! This year it was The Grinch! Jordan's friend Daniel was working there and got us some half price tickets! Good thing or we probably would not have gone! It's a little pricey! Here I am going down the ice slide!!
They give you these lovely blue parkas, because inside it is a whopping 9 degrees!!!
Here is a couple of us outside of the exhibit. The Gaylord is such a beautiful place!
Do you see Brent here? We are in charge of the activities for our ward, and here is our attempt at decorating the cultural hall. It still looks like a basketball court, but it sure did look nice!!
All of my mom's hospice team! From left, back row: The pastor, the nurse (and the owner of Autumn Journey Hospice), mom, the videographer and his wife - he made a really touching life history video for my mom that I will one day post on here), a lady who works in their office; front row: her social worker, and Mary, her aide - who does all of the things that I can't and won't do!! She's our angel!!
I bought a new camera back in November with the specific intention of being able to update my blog more often. You see, I have a terrible habit of losing cameras, and so I had not replaced my last (lost) one for quite a long time. Well, as usual, Jordan was still the only faithful blog updater in our family. Well, I am finally getting around to doing an update, but it will be a lot of pictures, since I don't do this very often! Hopefully, I will get better because I really do think that blogging is a great way to keep a family journal. It's public, true, but it's still a great way for your friends and family members to see what you're up to. It really makes me feel closer to everyone when I check out their blogs! We've been pretty busy, although I have spent a lot of time just sitting around with my mom. She's not very active anymore and we don't get out very much together like we once did, and it can get pretty boring at times for me. It's hard to think about new things to talk about all time time.
A few things we have been up to though:
Brent's company sold to a bigger company, so instead of trying to find another job in this economy, he decided to start his own company. Thanks to a great friend in Florida who already has his own medical supply company who has been funding this venture, Brent has officially started Novel (like the book, not No-vell!) Surgical. It's going okay, although it really has been a big financial sacrifice for us.
I am working p.r.n. (as needed) at Carrell Clinic in downtown Dallas. They are the doctors for the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Stars, and I absolutely love it there. I spent all of October and November there, and a week at Christmas. I'll be back there for a week in March and then most of the summer I think. I also am doing transcription work at home for a couple of different companies - not a ton, but enough to give me something to do when I sit with my mom.
Jordan came home from college and has stayed home this semester. She's enjoying being back home amongst her family and friends. She is now a certified phlebotomist (blood drawer), but is having a hard time finding work b/c everyone wants experience (same old story, right!)
We had a great, but very quiet Christmas. Devin, Chelle and baby Asher stayed in UT and Kevin Amber and Jake went to AZ, so it was just a little celebration here. Brent played Santa for a couple of families at church who only speak Spanish (I love to hear him speak Spanish!) and so we had Christmas Dinner with them - Hispanic style. We had an amazing time and the food was unbelievable!!!
My mom celebrated her 71st birthday in April.
As we speak, we are in the middle of the biggest snowstorm Dallas has ever seen and I just came in from playing outside in it! I lasted an hour before I just got too cold, but it was a blast! It is so much fun to live somewhere where we get just enough snow each year to be fun, but not a lot of work! Now, this year we have had quite a lot, but still not THAT much!
Okay, here goes with the pictures!!
Taking care of my mom tonight. It's been a rough couple of days. We've been doing some talking about Heaven and what is waiting for her there. I'm so thankful for my testimony that there really is something after this life. Something wonderful. I told her that just like she came to this earth before me to get everything ready for when I came, she's just going ahead of me again to do the same thing - just to get things ready for when the rest of us get there! I wish I could just peek over to that other side to see who and what is waiting for her....Don't know quite just when, only that our time with her is likely getting limited. I have never felt alone in this role I have in taking care of her. Not ever. Nor do I wonder how I am doing it, and how it all comes together each day. It is a string of tender mercies from the Lord, for sure, with a few small miracles thrown in too. It's so obvious, and I just needed to acknowledge the source from which my blessings flow. 
