November? How did THAT happen? This year has passed like a speeding train. I barely remember it!

I'm happy to say adios to October though. It was a rough month. My sister had major spinal surgery and I can't even express how worried and scared I was for her. But, after a very rocky day or two after the surgery, she is coming along slowly but surely. It hurts to see her wearing such a restrictive big neck brace and knowing she has so long to go before she is feeling better but she is a real trooper and isn't letting anything her down. My hat's off to you, Laurie!

Around here, things were busy too. We had a week long contest and, while I didn't expect or try to win, I did write a whopping 52 reviews in one week and that was during my sister's surgery and after when I was supposed to be taking care of her kids. Don't tell her that they took off for four hours and I didn't notice because I was writing reviews! Just kidding. Really. It was only three. ;)

November came in with a bang. Every year between November and December, I break a tooth, lose a filling, or have some sort of dental crisis. I have no idea why but it's one thing I can count on. This year, I got an early start with a filling falling out today. My dentist knows I'll be strolling in when the weather gets cold because, for some reason, my teeth revolt at that time. I wish I understood the connection but hopefully this is the last tooth mishap this winter.

OK enough rambling. I'm going back to writing reviews and reading and rating. Please take a moment to click on the YES button after reading a review to indicate that you read our reviews and that you got some info from them. We really thrive on knowing what we take the time to write about is being read and possibly helping others make decisions. You don't need to be a member or logged in to vote. Just click and go! See how easy that is?

New members, if you need help with anything on the site, you can always go to the discussion boards or come to any Community Liaison. Our badges are displayed when you hover over our main badge. Send us a private message or a public comment and we'll do everything we can to help with any issue we can. If we can't help, we know people who can!

Until the next blog,

Patty

Just a quick update. My sister, Laurie (LaurieM here) got through her four hour spinal surgery and is at home now. She really had it rough the first night and will have it rough for some time.The neck brace she has to wear 24/7 is hard and suffocating, her throat is swollen and she can barely swallow, and naturally she is in a lot of pain.

But I think the biggest hurdle is behind her and now, all she has to do is recover and not go against doctor's orders and do too much. Right now, she is in too much pain to be worrying about doing much but I know her. It won't be long before she gets antsy and you see here here and Lord knows where else.

I am just grateful that she made it through and is on the other side of recovery now.

As I mentioned in my last blog, please do take a moment to rate reviews you read. We all love to see that someone has read our reviews and you don't even have to be a member to rate. Just click YES when asked if the review was helpful. No is used for reviews that really are just mumbo jumbo or not on topic. If we gave you an honest, fair opinion, even if you don't agree with our conclusion, please click on Yes. That tells us you were there, you read the review, and you went away with at least slightly more than when you came to site.

Back to work for me!

October already! So far, I am controlling my SAD symptoms fairly well but I did gain two pounds since August from giving into carb cravings. I'll fix that this month. I have been working out and I have been using my therapeutic light albeit not as much as I should. I even have been taking brisk walks in the cool weather to get some fresh air and whatever sun there may be. I wish it was spring not fall though.

Onto other things. My sister, LaurieM here on VP, is having spinal surgery on October 14 and I want to ask you all to hold her in your thoughts. She's very brave to be going through the four hour operation and to know that recovery will be a long process. She needs to do this for her family and, mostly, herself. She'll be fine. She's the toughest person I know. She's my best friend and I hope that I can be of some help to her after surgery.

I want to thank everyone who has been taking time to rate my reviews and to comment on them. I know it's a daunting task to rate. I'm having trouble keeping up too! But those rates mean a lot to us all. Non-members, you can rate as well. Just click YES at the end of a review where it asks if the review was helpful to you. Please only use No if the review really, truly gave no info or was total gibberish (which we try to keep off the site). If you don't agree with our opinions, don't vote although I vote Yes often when I totally disagree with a reviewer's opinion. I am not rating the opinion, I am rating the review and, if it has helpful info in it, it gets a Yes vote from me and maybe a comment.

I will be back after Laurie is home safe and sound, wearing the dreaded cervical collar she hates so much and complaining about not being able to go in 100 different directions like usual. I can't wait until she is on the road to recovery! I feel her pain if only by virtue of the fact that we're blood and best friends and we share everything - good and bad.

I love ya, Laur!

Today, I had an epiphany.

I was standing at the front door waiting for my little dog to do his business outside. He was on a run but I tend to stand there rather than sit down because he is an out and in kinda guy. My young cat came over and started to look out the lower window, standing on his back paws. I scooped him up and, together, we watched the wind blow through the bushes and trees and the little bugs flit around outside. We watched the cars go by and we eyed a big dog across the street to be sure he didn't even consider crossing the road and coming near Mickey who was still moseying along on the front yard.

As I stood there, alone except for my animals, I thought to myself, "I'm more content at this very minute than I have been in years."

Now, anyone who knows me knows I am a type A personality. I like to work on 10 things at once, be on the phone, glance at three TV shows in rotation, and shop until my wallet is empty and my credit card is full.

But today, standing there with this little cat who found everything so interesting, so worthy of watching and learning about, I realized life isn't about money or stuff or achievements or even a great pair of stilettos. It's just about being alive to stand at the front door, early autumn wind rustling lightly, observing life through the eyes of an innocent animal. Just as a child views life differently than we do, so do animals. They aren't caught up in trappings and stuff. They just want to be safe, eat, sleep, and maybe get loved a little now and then.

I think, deep down, that's really all people truly want too. They just get caught up in everything else and forget that life is pretty cool without the material trappings and the stress that comes with gaining, keeping, and getting more of those trappings.

Today, I took a moment to smell the proverbial roses and I liked it. I think I'll take more time to do nothing and not feel guilty about it. I've been calmer than usual all day and night and, for me, that's a miracle!

Take a minute to see the world through a child's or an animal's eyes. You may just want to do that more often!

I want to take a minute to address something that I feel very strongly about.

I have, in the past several months, encouraged anyone who read my blogs to become a customer of the clothing website, Red Tag Crazy.

I got great deals and the community was second to none. The staff was friendly and it was like a shopping party. I did receive some damaged merchandise but the prices were so good that I didn't get upset. I was compensated with RedTagCash (store credit) for the damaged items when I sent them back so there was no real issue there.

Lately, however, I have been receiving many more damaged items as well as experiencing items that I paid for not being shipped to me. The community has changed drastically as have the prices. Many items are doubled in price compared to just a month ago. I understand this is a VERY young, upstart online store and price adjustments do become necessary. I am OK with that. But the chat community is no longer a place to freely converse. People are getting banned for tiny things, things that they don't even realize are viewed as "disruptive or combative" in the eyes of the site's care team.

Rudeness has become the new customer service and higher prices and lower quality the new norm. The "care team" is said to be addressing the issues and has promised better service in the future. I sincerely hope for those still shopping there that it is true. I am not telling you NOT to shop at redtagcrazy.com. I am simply apologizing to those I referred over the months to the site and I am asking that you disregard any previous blogs I made praising the site. I once believed this new site would be the future of online shopping. I now strongly believe it will not survive the changes imposed by the owners.

If you choose to buy from the site, I hope you have the best of luck and that you get great quality and wonderful service. I am truly sorry if any of you shopped on the site due to my recommendation either here, in my reviews, on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else I may have advertised the site. I was excited to find such a great place. Now I am simply saddened to see it all crumble.

I will no longer buy from the site nor will my sister and many of my friends. It WAS great while it lasted!

If anyone knows of a great fashion site with good prices, please do tell me about it. I love to shop as you may have gathered from my reviews! :)

It was September 11, 1990. I had a very stressful day and was trying to settle down my wild 4 year old son and get him to bed. I sat down exasperated and BAM, my water broke three weeks early. I wasn't in labor but still had to trek to the hospital and stay there while they decided what to do with me. Finally they induced labor. I don't take any medications for pain so I was on my own. For 22 more hours. It was insane. They say you forget the pain of childbirth. Maybe due to the lack of drugs, I remember it all.

But at 10:06 p.m. on September 12, 1990, Christopher James Therre came into the word quietly and calmly weighing in a 8 lbs. 8 oz, just like his brother, and made it all worthwhile.

The next years would be both incredibly fulfilling and very stressful. Chris developed a severe seizure disorder which nearly rendered him incapable of doing anything at all. He was miraculously cured by the then controversial ketogenic diet at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Now, my baby is a 19 year old man. He's 6'3" and nearly 200 pounds. But when I look at him, I see the little boy in the protective helmet trying to ride his Big Wheel only to have a seizure and slam to the ground. I see the little boy who trick or treated then gave his candy to the other kids because he couldn't eat any sugar. He never once complained.

I see the shy young fifth grader who said he was not like the rest of the kids and would never have any friends.

Now, he's got so many friends, I can't tell them apart. He's healthy, unique, intelligent, and so very funny. He's a straight edge by his own admission and is proud of his stance as am I. I, too, am a straight edge although I never really thought about it that way before.

Happy Birthday, Chris. You have done things that have made me proud and so grateful to have you as a son. You have grown into the man I hoped you would be when I was told you wouldn't live past age 6. I knew you would defy the odds. You're that kid. The one everyone wrote off but us. The one who said, "I'll just crawl on the floor if I have to so the seizures don't 'break my head' anymore," and did. The one who said, "Keep talking, Mommy, I will answer you when the (absence/petit mal) seizures are over. I hear you. I just can't move."  You're the one who said "I don't care if I'm not in with the 'cool crowd', I won't do what they do just to be liked."

My baby, my son, my adult child. I adore you. Here's to 99 more happy birthdays and one extra for good luck. Muah!

It's September. There goes the nice weather, the sun, and my energy. But I am determined not to let Seasonal Affective Disorder get the best of me. If you get winter depression, winter blahs, or full blown SAD, I did write a review with several suggestions to feel your best all winter. Don't be SAD all Winter! Start Fighting Back NOW. I hope the suggestions help you!

This is the first year in almost 20 years that I haven't had to get a kid ready for preschool or school. My youngest son graduated in 2009 and is taking classes part time this year. I don't have to buy school supplies. I don't have to fill out 100 forms, I don't have open house to go to and I don't have to be sure the kid(s) wake up and get on that bus every weekday.

I think I'm going to love this! I feel like my tour of duty has ended. My 23 year old son started preschool at just over 2 and a half years old. He was (and is) super smart and he needed the stimulation and the interaction. My almost 19 year old also started at around 3 going to preschool. So, since then, my life has been about school. Did they do their homework, do they have clean clothes, do they have their text books, did they catch the bus, do they need lunch money, is it a snow day, are they doing OK in school, do they need any help, are they feeling OK, it went on and on.

The buses will be going by in a few days and my kids won't be on them. Weird. But not sad. My sons are moving on and doing well. They're taking life by the horns and doing what they want to do. I'm proud of them. And I can sleep in and not worry anymore that they did too and the bus zipped past our house without them on it!

I guess this is a new phase of my life! Wow. I look forward to this new phase and hope it brings new opportunities and opens news doors. I can again concentrate on myself after all this time but don't think for a minute that I am not totally involved with my kids' lives. They are every bit a part of my life now as they were when they were little kids. We're very close and I hope we stay that way.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out the new VIP system here at Viewpoints. Isn't it cool? Anyone can earn points toward badges and other things. Every year we start over so we're all on an even playing field. You can achieve whatever goal you put your mind to here. Just write thoughtful reviews, rate reviews, join in on some discussions, and enjoy helping others to make decisions. Having your say is so empowering. You can inform people about the good and bad of a product or service and help them to make important decisions.

There is a lot of info on the VIP program on the discussion boards as well as when you mouse over anyone's badge. Check it out and enjoy the new Viewpoints! It's a load of fun seeing points go up as you contribute.

Don't forget that Community Liaisons are here to help you every step of the way. We have badges under our profiles and we are listed on the discussion boards. Don't hesitate to come to us about anything VP related. if we can't help you, we now someone who can!

Goodbye, August. I will miss you. Hello, September. I'm ready for battle. :-P

I have returned from my family vacation in the mountains. I really enjoyed being with my husband and sons this week. The weather was perfect and we got to do just about everything we wanted to do. The guys even climbed a mountain! (I stayed behind to, um, make sure our stuff was safe. That's it. Ha!)

We awoke early one morning to a doe at our door. We fed her a sliced plum and she was content. One night, we saw a big bear clamoring through a local's trash bin. Although they locked it down, the bear managed to get it open and was feasting on garbage, making a big mess. He never even looked twice at us as we watched him from a few feet away (warily, I might add). We hiked along a "kiddie trail" as they called it (I was ready for a nap after that! I'm such a lightweight.) and signed a "rock wall" with a Sharpie at the end of the trail to let the world know that we were there. This year was the first year I made it to the end of the trail so I was finally able to sign that wall!

Those are moments that just don't happen here at home and I'm glad I got to share them with my sons who, at age 18 and 23, could have easily nixed the idea of going away together. They were more enthused than I was to go to the Adirondacks! I asked them if they would go back again with us again in October and they said of course. We'll always go together as a family. Maybe I'm sappy but that really made my day.

Kids grow up and go their own ways and, all too often, lose touch with their parents except on holidays and at large gatherings. I don't want that to happen with us. I want us to always be as close as we are right now. When they get married, their wives can join us and then their kids and...oh, I'm getting wayyyyyyyy ahead of myself! lol.

While we were gone, my sweetie of an abandoned kitty was neutered and he's doing fine. He's not letting me out of his sight and has been sprawled across me since I got home. My dog, who was at the same vet's being boarded and getting caught up on his shots, is on the other side of me. My kids aren't babies anymore but my animals sure are!

I managed to write some reviews while I was gone but couldn't rate much as I was using an air card and didn't have a lot of time. However, I plan to catch up on all your reviews this weekend so look for the phantom rates! :)

As always, I appreciate YOUR rates/votes and am always glad to see that someone has stopped by and paid my reviews a visit. Non-members, YOU can rate reviews as well so, after reading a review, if you were informed or helped at all, click YES at the end of the review when asked if the review was helpful. We all love to see that we helped someone make a decision, even if the decisions was to go against our advice! Everyone has different needs and opinions and we respect that.

And now, I'm going to get back to work. Playtime is over. 

Happy Birthday, Mom, August 15. I miss you and love you and always will. My birthday isn't the same without you here to share our days together.

Ahh, August. It once was my favorite month and now I see it as a sad one and one that signals the end of of summer. Around here, by the end of August, we're wearing fall jackets and have packed away our summer clothes.

My father's birthday was on August 9 and my mother celebrated hers on August 15. My birthday is on August 16. We always celebrated together so, now that both my mother and father have passed on, it's just me. And I don't celebrate anymore. I am, however, grateful for another year passing that I didn't!

I'm leaving for a short vacation in the mountains on Monday, August 10 and will be back on Saturday, August 15. I'm not sure if I will have Internet access where I'm going but I think I will. I have an air card which picks up signals almost anywhere so I should be able to get online. But I'm going to TRY to read and hike and enjoy my family and NOT be online too often. I really need the break.

I will be checking in though, if at all possible, and writing a review or two as well as rating as many as I can. I really think we need to rate more and not assume others are doing it because I have seen such a drop off of rates on reviews I rate as well as my own reviews that it shows that others aren't doing it. It seems there are just a few "committed" raters here and they can't possibly get to all the reviews on the site. I know I can't! So please take a few minutes and give out some Helpful Votes. You know you like to see that someone found your review helpful. So do we all!

And now I am off. I have to pack, prepare the dog and cat for their little vet vacay (One is being bordered, one is being neutered.), and get as much work done as possible before I leave.

The day after I get home, I'll be another year older. ACK! But it sure beats NOT being another year older, right?

Until I return, rate, rate, rate, and of course keep, writing those great reviews!

Summer is speeding by and I don't feel like I have had any summer yet! When the weather has been good, I have been so busy that I couldn't enjoy it. When I had some time, it was raining. Lots of rain this year!

I got a surprise the other day. I had written a story about my inherited hearing loss for a website in 2005. I wrote it for free to simply vent about the situation and come to terms with it in the best way I know how. Through writing.

A publisher of medical teaching books contacted me recently and asked if they could use the story in their upcoming book. I immediately thought of those scam poetry books that make YOU pay to have your poem published  in a book that never sees the light of day. I wrote back saying I wouldn't release my work for no compensation but thanks anyway.

Well, to my surprise, they pay 10 cents a word, And my article is 2300 words. I also get a byline of course and a free book which will be printed in early September. 

I have been published many times but it is rather unusual for a book or magazine publisher to approach a writer especially about a four year old personal story written for no other reason that to share with the world a situation that was happening at the time. Very cool.

Never think you can't get published. Never think that you aren't "good enough" to see your name in print. You are. You just have to love writing, to write from the heart, and to get out there and post your work where it can be seen. I used to write a story, send it to a magazine for consideration, immediately start a new story, send that out, start a new one, etc. When I got rejected (as I so often did), I sent the story back out to another mag. And I kept going until I was published. Every time I saw my work in a magazine or book, it gave me a thrill like no other and it still does.

Nothing is better than writing. ALMOST. Heh.

On a VP note, why the drop off of rates? I have been around rating (often phantomly but I do try to let you know I was there somehow) and have seen much lower numbers across the site when it comes to helpful votes. Come on people! I know it takes time to read and click that Yes button but don't we all deserve a little recognition from our peers? Let's vow to take some time to read and rate not just newbie work but people's work that have been around a while. It's no fun to write a review only to have it skipped over by the community so let's work together to not let that happen to anyone - newbie or veteran!

I am now off to.....read and rate! If you feel a ghostly chill and see a new Helpful vote without a comment, it was me. I generally don't comment on every single review I rate,. I just can't and you don't want to read some "I was here" nicety. But chances are I WAS there!

Non members, YOU can vote too! Just click the YES button after reading a review. We appreciate your feedback!

And, of course, I must once again post my link to Red Tag Crazy. Friday is another special sale day and next weekend is going to be a big event that the site won't divulge secrets about. Get $5.00 credit off of your first purchase by going though this link. http://www.redtagcrazy.com/refer/4811

One deal on designer clothing and accessories every 30 minutes or less 24/7. And now, men's items are popping up! Fun stuff and prices are so low, you'll never need to shop at WalMart for clothes again!

I just had to tell you about yet another sale at RedTagCrazy. This site sells designer clothing at very deep discounts, one item at a time. Saturday (Today), EVERYTHING that is being sold is under $10.00, all day and night long! You think you can't afford designer clothes? Think again!

Sunday, July 12, the site is having a crazy sale day. These events give consumers super deep discounts on everything. Sizes and colors may be limited and you have to have a fast trigger finger to snag the items you want but it's worh it. I can't get over the brand names and the low prices.

Now, here's what you do. You have to register before you can buy or chat on their real time chat board. Use this link: http://www.redtagcrazy.com/refer/4811 when you register. That will give you an instant $5.00 credit toward any purchase at any time you choose to make one. It will give me $5,00 credit only if you buy something.

Or you can simply put my email address: wotf_patty@msn.com in the "promo code" section of the registration page. You'll get your $5.00 immediately credited either way.

If you REALLY want to pinch pennies, after you set up your account, log out and go to http://www.dealsucker.com/cbuid/h/NzI0MUI5NDQ5RDE5QkI

This is DeaslSucker.com. They give you 2.4% back when you click through them to make a purchase at RTC. They also give you cash back at lots of other sites. You only need to go through them once and you can shop all day and they will track your purchases and credit you. I pay for my shipping at RTC with the cash back I get so it's not too shabby! (I have reviews of both RTC and DealSucker.com posted if you care tio learn more.)

I hope to see you in "Chick Chat" this weekend. The girls will help you to choose the right sizes and they will amuse you and welcome you. I'll be there under the name PattyT. Look me up and say hi!

JULY?? You have GOT to be kidding! Summer is half way over and I haven't even stepped out the door. That's not good. :(

Wanted to tell you that Red Tag Crazy is having a big special sale today (Friday, July 3). All they told us was that the items were "vintage" style and that there is a contest in which everyone wins!

If you haven't been to the site, check it out. They have new deals up every few minutes and all are high end designer clothing and some shoes (Handbags are coming, maybe today!) for up to 90% off retail. I have saved SO much money on that site.

If you are new to the site and want to check it out, you can use this the link below. If you choose to register (You don't have to buy anything when you register. You can chat with the chicks on there though once registered.), you will be credited $5.00 toward your first purchase and I will be credited with $5.00 when and if you make a purchase. It's small but it's better than nothing, right? And for the low prices, $5.00 goes a long way!

Here is the link. Join me in Chick Chat on the site (I am PattyT) and have fun talking about everything from clothing to relationships to anything goes!

http://www.redtagcrazy.com/refer/4811

My son's graduation ceremony is finally over. For a while, we didn't even know if he would graduate because he was going through a "no homework" phase. Then he thought he may have summer scool to make up for some things he missed and graduate in August. I kicked him into high gear after getting all his back assignments and making him do every last one of them including 10 hours of community service needed to pass "PIG" (Politics in Government).

He did that and then he had to take an advanced math test (Math B) to qualify for an advanced degree. He said he knew NOTHING on the test and he might as well not even bother going. The day of my mother in law's funeral, we drove him to school and said, "Take the test, do the best you can, and that's all we expect."

To my delight, I got a call that he did welll on the test and would be receiving a Regents dimploma with Advanved Designation. Don't know what it means really but it's RAD (Get it? Regents Advanced Designation?).

THEN...I got a letter saying the kid owed money for a book he lost and he could NOT graduate with his class unless that was paid and we had about 12 hours to get the money there. The school offices were closed and it looked bleak BUT THEN, we managed to get a teacher to help us and the book was paid for.

At 7:30 on Friday morning, Chris left to go to graduation practice. He returned around 10 saying that there were almost 900 graduates. GAH.

By 4 pm., we were fighting wicked Friday traffic making our way down to the big auditorium that wrestling, music, and theater shows as well as other big shows are put on. It was NOT the Carrier Dome, thankfully

By 6, the commencement started. By 8, they FINALLY called his name. I cried. Eventually we met up and went to dinner where we all (Hubby, our son Dan, Chris the graduate, and myself) overate as none of us had eaten all day and, at last, the men are asleep and I am chillaxin at 4 am. Saturday morning,

Oh, how I'd love to spend the weekend at the lake! But I have so much work to do, I simply can't. I'll be catching up on all your reviews this weekend and writing more of my own. With wakes and funerals and running around getting physicals for life insurance and graduations and 100 other things in the past couple of weeks, it's fair to say I'm so behind that I'll be meeting myself on the way back!

But it will all get done and then...I'm taking a Patty Day. Gonna sit in the sun and just relax. Let the world spin without me for 24 hours. Cyberspace will survive without me (but will I, without IT?).

Thanks for understanding my not commenting as much on your reviews. I promise, unless more unexpected things happen, I'll catch up on everything this weekend.

I'm so ready for July. It's a very busy month but I can handle it. I just have to manage my time properly. Good luck with that, Patty! Haha,

And now, I am off to read, rate, write, summarize,and do what I do!

PS: RIP David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. MJ's passing is surreal. SO surreal and I know the doctor did it, Maybe not on purpose, but he enabled... I won't get started on THAT now but I'm sick of people dying because those around them can't say NO. They see dollar signs and do anything for them. Even when they know what they're doing is potentially lethal! Grr.

And so it goes. My mother in law's funeral was today and the service was beautiful. I only hope she was able to look down and see what a great job her son did pulling it all together and standing on the podium calling her an "angel on earth" which, to him, she really was all his life. I can only hope my sons will respect and love me as my husband did his mother.

Now that the sad stuff is over - or at least the formalities of the sad stuff anyway - it's time to shift our focus onto our youngest son's high school graduation on Friday night. I am so nervous! It's very different when your baby is graduating, I think. This is a kid who wasn't even supposed to LIVE past 6 or 7 years old due to seizures but not only did he live, he thrived, stopped having seizures at age 5 (thankfully, due to the ketogenic diet) and is one of the smartest and wittiest people I know.

This week is going to be very, very busy so I will have to catch up on everything I missed over the weekend. I'm still here, still reading and rating, still reviewing, etc. I'm just not as visible as I was because everything is so rushed right now.

It will soon slow down, I HOPE!

If you see a "phantom rate" - or a number of them - know that "Patty was there" but didn't comment. :)

By the way, I wanted to wish all of you dads out there and all of YOUR dads a belated Happy Father's Day. Once again it was a bittersweet day for us, with both of our dads gone but our sons made THEIR dad happy by going golfing together and bestowing gifts upon him. It's funny how life is really just a big circle and things keep going round and round. Hope every dad had a great day on Sunday!

RIP Barbara Therre June 13, 1928-June 17, 2009

My mother in law died suddenly in the nursing home she was living in just a couple of hours ago. The entire family went to see her on Saturday for her 81st birthday and she enjoyed the chocolates we gave her and got to see all of her grandkids and even a great grandchild. She was surrounded by love and, although she wasn't quite aware of everything going on, her bright smile and remarks told us she knew...

She wasn't sick and had no particular health issues. But today, my husband got a call that the staff had found his mom "unresponsive" and blue. They administered oxygen and she was resting comfortably they told him. As he was driving there to see her, I got the call that she had passed away. We still don't know what happened and we may never know. 

I am so grateful that her last days were filled with her family around her and that she was able to enjoy her birthday cake. Barb was the last grandparent my kids had and the last parent my husband and I had left. A sad day, today is, but yet the knowledge that Barb didn't suffer like the my parents and Don's father is comforting.

I feel so torn because my son is graduating from high school next week, a feat that I thought would never come to pass. He's a man now and I'm so very proud of him. My happiness about his accomplishments this past year is tempered by my sadness over the loss of my mother in law.

She was proud of Chris. Proud of all her grandkids and her great grandson. She was VERY proud of her son, my husband Don. She adored him and he took good care of her. She's at rest now and I'm sure she'll be with her beloved husband and my parents watching as our son receives his diploma wearing his cap and gown next week. He will be honored for his major accomplishments in the hydrogen fuel cell car project he participated in and I will cry. Again.

A busy two weeks is upon me so forgive me if I slack a little bit. I'm going to try to keep rating and writing and doing what I do but there's so much happening that I may end up playing catch up in July.

And now I'm off, we're making funeral arrangements and graduation arrangements at one time. Kind of funky but this is life. And it's death. And it's always, always complicated.