We Are Back !!

We are back!!! From Kansas. We took a quick trip to visit Terry's sister and brother-in-law and their two children, Hannah and Garrett. Caleb, Daniel, Elijah and Micah all thought this trip up.....so we went! The going trip was a bit difficult. Mercy, Hosanna and Dooley (the dog) got car sick. It was not good. Terry and I sat and held plastic bags a lot of the trip. The children all wondered "why" we were a little "tight" when we arrived :) We had a very nice time in spite of the trip going. The younger children played hard with their cousin Garrett. From Nerf gun bullets flying to riding old couch cushions down the basement stairs to playing hide and seek in the dark in the basement, I think Garrett was given new ideas by their cousins from Oklahoma!! I hope Aunt Tami can get her house back in order!! The older guys went hunting with their Uncle, they saw a few deer but was not able to get a shot at one. They helped put up some kind of deer stand, rode 4 wheelers and Kubota's. Our trip home,( Sat.) morning went well......no one was sick and they slept much of the way home. Since home we are getting washing done, getting things ready for church and Terry and the older ones went to a 13th birthday "Rights of Passage Ceremony" for a young man in our church fellowship. I thought I would stay here, get the little ones baths, do my walking and just rest too.

To be honest I am feeling a little down. As hard as Dec.2006 was for us, Joel's diagnoses and all, I surely at that time felt like we had a long road ahead but with the Lord's grace we could walk through this, the cancer. The month of January as it approaches is just heavier and darker. In Dec. Joel still had his personality, he was so full of life, but Jan 3rd, all that changed. Sometimes you wonder how the dark can become darker, but it can and it did. I know, I know, I know what scriptures say and I think the Lord has shown me some incredible ones, nevertheless, its terribly hard. It seems Satan brings the replay of events and memories of that night to torture me. It is really like a nightmare that will not go away. I know you have heard this so much and I likely will never stop writing about it, this is my little place to write and I just have to keep on telling Joel's story. Two years, seems like so long ago, on this night he was full of life and acting silly.....always missing him!!!

Remember Danielle? She's coming to visit Bethany this week and then the next weekend Caleb, Daniel, Bethany and her and John-Clay are heading to San Antonio Film Academy. We'll get to play with her this week and see what we can get into!! I do not know exactly what we are going to do for the New Year. What do you all do, any special traditions that you want to share with all of us? Anna is using her new camera now, its a lot more to learn and has a bigger scale of capabilities, so she's trying to figure it out. I am looking forward to her using it.

May the Lord grant you all a blessed and restful day.....

Cindy