One heck of a day

Fair warning, this is probably going to be all over the place and may not make sense in some places..


     My day started off like any other day today.  Did hardly anything during the day until the boys got home.  I helped them with their homework and listened to them argue all afternoon.  Made lasagna for dinner and then was out the door once Dan got home to go to my orientation class at the Chiropractor.  Pretty normal day..that is until I walked into the door after the class.  Dan was standing outside and asked me to walk out there so he could talk to me.  That's when it felt like the bottom was pulled out from under me and my heart broke.  You see, nothing means more to me than family.  I lost my father when I was 7 and to be quite honest I still can't cope with it well at all.  My Grandfather died almost 4 years ago and I was devastated then too.  Soon after he died we found out my Grandmother had cancer.  She spent about 2 years getting treatment and was then cancer free..that is until today.  The cancer is back.  She said last time that if it ever came back she was not going to seek treatment for it, and honestly who can blame her.  She is 81 years old and has had to endure things that were horrible.  She has buried two sons and a husband.  She worked extremely hard her entire life and has always been there for everyone.  This woman has always been a huge part of my life.  I look up to her so very much.  I hope that one day I can be half the woman she has been.  I feel like one she is gone that I will have lost the last tie I have to my dad.  My heart is breaking, knowing that she is suffering and there is nothing I can do about it at all.

     See, everyone keeps telling me that I need to immediately go to her and stay with her.  While I would love to do that, emotionally I just can't do it.  I know it seems selfish and like I'm only thinking of myself but thats not it at all.  I will go see her, but I just can't go for an extended period of time and I know she wouldn't want me to.  The boys are pretty devastated and so is Dan.  I just love her so much.  She has always been right there any time I ever needed her.  For my high school graduation she gave me the best gift I've ever been given.  I received a photo album full of memories of my father that I never would have gotten otherwise.  I will never be able to thank her for all that she has done for me, but I pray that she knows how much I love her and respect her.  She will always have an impact of just about every decision I make.  I honestly don't think I would be the person I am today had it not been for her.  She never let me talk bad about anyone, even my other grandmother that wasn't so nice.  They're just aren't many great women like her left in this world.  I love you Maw and I am who I am because of you!

Our Trip to Washington DC

     Have you ever had a moment where you question yourself as a parent?  I have.  I've had many of those moments.  All of those moments that I've had in the past were swept away this last weekend when we took a trip to DC to see Shannon, Ernie, Gaby and Katie.  Standing there, at the Lincoln Memorial, watching my ten year old son Danny read the Gettysburg Address and hearing Matt answer Shannon when she asked him if he knew why Dr. King chose to stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to give his speech.  That one moment right then made me realize that Dan and I are raising two very intelligent, compassionate, extremely funny, thoughtful little boys.  Are they a handful sometimes?  Absolutely.  Would I have it any other way.  Absolutely not.  Dan and I have managed to raise two boys that don't care about the color of someone else's skin and are actually confused as to why that matters to some people at all.  They both love small children and animals and are always the first ones to offer to help with either.  I think in this day and age we are doing pretty good especially when they have to be without their father so much because he's in the Navy protecting us from the bad in the world.

     Now on to our trip.  We left here Thursday, the 13th, around Noon.  We arrived in DC that night around 10:30.  Friday we met Shannon in Chinatown where she works for lunch and then we headed over to a few of the memorials.  We got to see the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial.  Boy was it cold that day!

     That night we all went out to dinner and had a great time.  Saturday we got up and went to Arundel Mills Mall.  Shannon and I walked around and did some window shopping with Katie while Dan and Ernie took the 3 big kids and went to Dave and Busters.  That night all of us adults had Sangria.  Lots of sangria.  Matt ended up sick that night but seemed better the  next day.  Sunday was Medieval Times :)  That was so much fun!  Dan woke up not feeling that well Sunday but seemed better by the time we got to our 2:30 dinner show.  We all had a wonderful time.

     Monday when I woke up Danny and Gaby were sick.  Stomach flu seems to travel fast.  We all sat around most of the day and watched the movie How to Train Your Dragon.  Awesome movie!  I can't believe it took us that long to finally see it.  Not long into the movie I started feeling the effects of the stomach flu.  Around 4 or so I was pretty much down for the count.  I laid downstairs and watched tv and tried not to throw up.  Lets just say that didn't work to well.  I ended up in bed early that night.  Yesterday morning it was time for us to get up and start our drive home.  Wouldn't you know it the weather didn't like us.  There had been snow and freezing rain the night before.  You know what that means.  Ice.  Lots of it.  After finally getting on the interstate our trip home was uneventful.

     I love Washington DC.  I love spending time with Shannon, Ernie, and the girls.  I do have to say though, I'm happy to be back home again.  I'm also overjoyed that my husband is home from Deployment and with us again :)