A Mama's heart......

Well, my heart is heavy......I know that it shouldn't be......I KNOW that kids grow up and they are SUPPOSED to leave home and be on their own in every way but I didn't KNOW that sometimes that means leaving home and going so far away! I think it is easier for the person LEAVING than it is for the person left behind. I think maybe because the person leaving is going somewhere new and making new memories. The person left behind is left with ONLY memories......and an emptiness. My family has always been close by....maybe not in the same city or even the same state but always within a half day's drive! Now Ryan is moving 652.59 miles away......mapquest says that is a 10 hour drive from MY HOUSE! I keep telling myself that it could be worse.....he could be moving to California or New York City......and he will be staying with a friend while he is job hunting and once he finds a job....Melissa will join him.....but it still makes my heart feel sad. I need to put on my big girl panties and I need to be excited for him! He worked so hard to get his degree and now it is time for his degree to work for HIM! This is what is supposed to happen I know.......but.....I still think of him as this:

And it seems like just yesterday that he was pretending to go to work doing this:

BUT in reality....he has grown into this:

A young man who has fallen in love with his niece and who will someday be a wonderful daddy to his own children. I can just see a little boy with Ryan's freckles and dimples and love of life!

Okay....maybe a little wine to go with my whining?! Let's see if that helps!

Love,

GiGi

Global warming?

Well, I think I just need to pack up and head South....somewhere warm and sunny and warm! I'm just not understanding this whole global warming thing that the 'experts' say we are experiencing. We have broken records in snowfall this year and broken records in low temperatures....someone just explain this to me! It is almost the middle of March.....Spring is just around the corner and it is 39 degrees outside with a wind chill of 30! I am so ready to get outside and work in my flowerbeds, dig in the warm dirt, plant some flowers, feel the sun on my face! I think March is the hardest month for me. It teases me with warm, Spring-like days and then we are back to bitterly cold windy days where the wind just chills you to the bone and no matter what you do to try to get warm......it is never enough!


See these temps!? I just looked out the window and a whole flock of little birds are lined up on the top of the back fence by the bird feeder. I think that they are also wondering what is going on! At least our extended forecast is calling for sunshine tomorrow and temperatures in the 50s and warming up into the 60s after that!

Craig and I went to 7 a.m. Mass this morning. We sat with Mom and Dad. After Mass, Dad treated us to Susan's for breakfast. Craig had to head off to work so he didn't get to eat with us. Mom and I shared a pecan waffle with strawberry topping and a little whipped cream! It was so yummy!

Stopped at Wal-Mart for a few groceries after Adoration this afternoon and then decided to fill the jeep up with gas. I had to pay $3.45 a gallon this afternoon! That is another thing that I need explained to me.....how gas prices can flucuate from DAY to DAY! Haven't they already paid for the gas that they have in their tanks.....wouldn't the price depend on how much they had to pay the DAY they had to order it!?

Time to get off of my soap box and share a cute picture with you! Ryan had given Chloe a 'few' cheerios one morning while I was fixing her breakfast. As you can tell from her smiling little face....she loves her Ry-Ry!

Just looking at that little face puts things in perspective.....doesn't really matter that it is bitterly cold out there or that gas prices are climbing higher and faster than the thermometer......we have our health...... we are part of a loving family who love spending time together.....we have a precious granddaughter.....our sons are doing well......life is good.....it really is!

Love,

GiGi

Long time since I posted!

I REALLY need to make more of an effort to blog more.....I want my blog to document the special times in my life....in my day. I think I will always remember those times but I don't and I won't. Special times spent with my parents, my husband, my kids, and especially my granddaughter. Since becoming a grandma....I realize how fast time goes.....witnessing this everytime I see Chloe and how much she changes from week to week! Seems like just yesterday she was an infant and now she is running around and talking. A whole year just flew by in a blink of an eye!



Here is a picture of Chloe taken last week when she was here. She is now a year old and is such a sweet little girl. She is so loving and I love, love, love hearing her calling me GiGi! The sweetest sound in the whole wide world! I treasure our time together at bedtime when I am giving her a bottle and rocking her. She just looks at me with those big blue eyes and it is like she can see into my soul and hopefully sees how very much I love her! After she finishes her bottle, she lays her little head on my shoulder and we snuggle and rock until she falls asleep. Doesn't get any better than that! She absolutely adores her Mimi and Poppy. Whenever they come over....as soon as they walk in the front door, she starts squealing and gets so excited! I am so glad that Mom and Dad live so close and are able to enjoy her as much as we do. Craig had to go to Muskogee on Friday so she and I packed up and spent the night with Mimi and Poppy. We had a lot of fun and they were able to see how much she enjoys her bath time and how happy she is when she wakes up! She is happy all of the time but when she first wakes up....she stretches and stretches and it is just so funny! The weather was so warm so we spent a little time outside before we headed back home Friday. She played for the longest time with a fly swatter. She was pushing it all over the back deck, under patio chairs, in the yard......

She keeps us all so entertained! Craig and I met her mommy and daddy in Clarksville Saturday morning. That is about half way for both of us. I love having Chloe but on the days that I have to give her back......it is really sad around here. Just miss her smiles and laughter so much. BUT.....I know that her mommy and daddy miss her too when she is up here so I put my big girl panties on and just try not to think about it so much! I usually take a day or two before I can pack away her toys and pack 'n play......

Mom, Dad and I started back into our walking routine on Monday morning. Dad is doing so much better now. Is able to walk without wheezing and/or chest pains. He is walking fast too! We are anxious for warmer weather so we can start walking outside. Walking at the Mall is nice but it does get pretty boring! We always go out for breakfast after our walk.....I enjoy just spending that hour visiting with them and we usually laugh a lot and solve a lot of the world's problems! It is a very special part of my day and I treasure that time with them.

I just talked to Mom and she said Dad was riding his bike patroling the neighborhood. He is the self appointed neighborhood watch dog! He is 73 so not sure what he would do if he spotted trouble but I'm sure he would do what he could! He kept riding back and forth down the little road behind their house she said. She waved every time he rode by and said he was probably tired of her waving. I told her that he was looking each time at her so probably didn't mind so much. I suggest that she 'flash' him the next time he rode by....she should kind of pull up her shirt! She said he would probably crash his bike! Unfortunately, he was on his last round so she didn't get a chance to do that. I suggested that she do it the next time but make sure it is HIM riding by when she does do her flashing thing!

Craig went to the chiropractor this afternoon. Said he laughed like a girl and could NOT stop laughing when Dr. Santos popped his neck. Said he worked on his back and hooked him up to a machine for his hip. Will go back Thursday. With being hunched over his desk and computer so long every day, I'm sure his back and neck are so knotted up. Next we are going to try to get him into a walking routine. It is probably a good idea to get his back, neck and hip lined back up properly before we do much walking.

Craig and I are going with Mom and Dad tonight to US Pizza.....having that pizza and beer before Lent starts tomorrow!!!! So.....on that note....I had better get ready because Craig will be here soon and we want to go early.

Love, GiGi