So much has happened in the last 6 months....
2009 was such a challenging year. So many ups and downs...
(in chronological order mostly...)
The good stuff:
Getting Engaged
Planning the wedding
Trip to LA
Trip to Hawaii
All of our day trips around the state
Our Friend Sean coming home safe from Iraq
Trip to Utah
The wedding
VEGAS!!
And all the great nights out
The bad stuff:
My dad being sick
Finding out there was no surgery we could do to "fix" dad's belly
Kelly losing his job
My dad passing away
As I was making this list of all the good and bad stuff from last year it is interesting how some of the bad things also seem like good things.
First, my dad getting sick (that sounds bad.. keep reading). Watching dad struggle was the hardest thing I have done. My dad was the strongest person I knew. He could unscrew any bolt (and tighten a bolt so strong I couldn't unscrew it) or open any jar. I had seen him have surgery and not take pain med's. To me, he was Superman. Knowing there was nothing that could be done to heal him, I wanted to spend time with him. I am always so wrapped up in Whitney that I often forget that I won't always have people in my life. The last year of my dad's life I was there almost every Thursday (unless I was sick... Didn't want to pass it to him). Also, when mom wouldn't be home with him Kelly and I would go over. He didn't always need someone around to help him, but he got lonely and needed people to talk to. I am sure my mom asked us because we are the one's without kids (they take a lot of time I've heard) and our schedules are so flexible. I know my dad felt bad that he was "ruining" our night. More than once he told me that he was sorry we had to be there and that he would be OK if we left. I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen, that I loved those nights. There were even a few times I took the day off work to be with dad. Dad and I never talked about anything important but as I look back, I cherish every minute I had with him.
One of the times mom asked us to come over was on 09/15. She had things to do. Dad had gotten worse and she didn't want him alone. Kelly and I were over. My dad had gotten his appetite and taste back. He wanted milk chocolate covered cherries. I went to 9 stores to find them... Let me tell you, NO ONE had them (dark chocolate, no problem, but milk... not a chance). I finally called and told him that like it or not, he was getting homemade ones. As I was making them, Kelly mentioned chocolate covered bacon. Scott had seen something about it on TV. Dad thought that sounded interesting. So I made chocolate covered cherries, blueberries and bacon. My dad loved them, especially the bacon (it sounds gross, I know, but it is good). Kelly and I stayed at the house awhile. I didn't want to leave, but had to work early the next morning. That was the last time I saw my dad.
Being able to be of service to him up until the end was a blessing to me. He was always there to help me with anything from moving 1,000 miles to spelling. I am so thankful for all of the moments we had together, good and bad. I think that losing him quickly would have been too much to handle, but having him get sick allowed me time to show him that I love him. It also allowed other people to show how much me meant to them. There was not a single time I was at my parent's that someone wasn't stopping by to visit him. So while him being sick was bad, it was a good way to say goodbye.
Kelly losing his job is also one of the bad/good things. Bad because we need the money to live, as well as to support my shopping habits. Being on a budget does not make me happy. There are 2 reasons this was a good thing (well maybe there are more reasons, but right now, only 2 things). First, being on a budget is g...go.... good for me (even though I HATE HATE HATE it!!). I have needed to learn to control my spending for a while. This has been a great way to learn.
The other good thing is that Kelly got to take care of dad for the last month of his life. My mom had to go back to work right after Kelly got laid off. It was nice to know dad was always taken care of. And it also gave Kelly time to get to know dad better.
Now, the wedding stuff... That was ALL good!! I had a great night and I love being married to Kelly. I love being with my best friend and sharing all of our fun times together. I have all of the pictures on Facebook.. To see our wedding picture click
HEREI am hoping 2010 is a great year. We are trying to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon as soon as possible. We are just waiting to hear about a job for Kelly. I hope we get to go :)
