Dennis & Laurie

Last night Dave officially mowed the lawn with the Dixon. Just the other day out of the blue Kyle said I am so glad we got the lawn mower. It reminds me of grandpa. It really does but so do so many other things. I can't quite thinking about Dennis and Laurie and how amazing they are. I miss them so much. This last few months has been the hardest of my life. But I told Dave last night how blessed I have felt to be able to be here. Since day one I adored Dennis and Laurie. One of the first times I meet Dennis I was answering Dave back to go to the dance with him. I gave him a huge stuffed pumpkin man. He say hu that's creative or something like that. When we were cleaning out under the house pumpkin man was still there. His head was missing, but his whole body was there. It made me laugh. I am sure almost everything they had in there house was sentimental or just a good deal at a yard sale. After cleaning out a whole ton of stuff and this is not an exageration, I was talking to a friend about there house. I said they had a lot of stuff, because they loved people and wanted to serve. I said if I told Laurie I liked stamping, she would go out and buy a case of them. Or if our dishwasher broke, Dennis would get a new one and then decide to have a back up on hand just incase we ever needed another one. This last 4 almost 5 years has particularly blessed our lives. Living so close gave us an oppurtunity to see them on almost a daily basis. I loved going on a walk to Lauries to visit in the afternoon. It was always so good and you walked away feeling filled up with life. I so miss Dennis's suprise visits in the morning before I had jammies on, or at lunch or when it was suppose to be time to put the kids to bed. He often would just come in when I was gone and I would find chips or the leftover pizza from goinf out after Chemo. He spoiled us rotten. He wore his personality on his sleeve and I loved him for this. I feel like it was so easy to love Dennis, because he reminds me so much of my own husband. What a man. Laurie was always there with a listening ear. She didn't quite listening and helping with encouragement. She was one of the most charitable people I know. I will continue to write more, because I have a ton to write about this. But for today I just miss them. I know all of my family does a ton. But we are trying to work through it. There has been many little blessings along the way, but I have to say that I am grateful for Dave's family. They are amazing. I was so glad to have Dan and Shalee here they are a strong and serviceful couple. There is no way we would have survived this last few months without there help. I also have to say that I love my family. I echo the same thing without all of my families help, my little family could have not made it. I am grateful for the little miricales and people who are helping through this trial.

Moving on....Mostly

We have finished cleaning mom and dad's house along with Dan and Shalee and the renter's will move in this weekend. The last 7 months have been crazy. Finishing the cleaning is somewhat closing a chapter-it was sad to see the house empty for the last time. I think going over there gave me peace, because I was still close to mom and dad's stuff-and frustration because of all their junk, but at least it was their junk and cleaning the house helped me still feel close to them. Our lives have been centered around mom and dad the last seven months in one way or another-and I wouldn't have it any other way. I miss mom and dad terribly, and I think they will always be present in my mind, not in a drag me down way, but in a loving help me to always remember them way (don't know how to explain it-I know it sounds weird),but am also mostly excited and ready for a fun summer, to give us all some other things to focus on. We need to do a little relationship building within our little unit. Melanie and I are going on a little get away next weekend and are excited. My kids who have been the best little kids I could ask for are in for a great summer. We have an awesome list planned and I just want to see them be little kids and have fun. Many times we were cleaning at the house and they had to fend for themselves, not to mention they miss grandma and grandpa too and have had some struggles dealing with them being gone. It's time to bond and build our little family unit again. We are planning a party hard summer with lots of great things and I am really looking forward to going and playing on the weekends rather than cleaning and I think mom and dad would want it to be that way too. Bring it on summer 2011!