A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. ~Author Unknown: June 2009

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Happy Fathers Day!

Father's Day is always a day that is hard for me because it makes me miss my own Dad so much. Father's Day has taken on a new meaning for me in the last few years as I have been blessed to have my two beautiful babies with the love of my life. Troy, I love you so much and I am so happy to have Bella and Max, tying us together forever. It is funny to see how two such different people could create such adorable babies! We are so blessed.

Thank you for bringing me into such an amazing family, the Fisher's. I love them all so much and thank God everyday for being part of your family.

A tender moment between a Daddy and his "baby girl"

Finally holding our handsome son!

Mike, thank you for all you do. I show Bella & Max pictures of you all the time and ask "who's that?" Bella says "Papa," what a legacy and tribute to your father. Your family loves you and we all wish we were closer. You are such a good son, father, and grandfather. We love you more than you will ever know.

Papa, we miss you everyday. You are truly one of a kind. You will never leave our hearts, you have a special place there always!

Happy Father's Day!

Special Thanks to Special People!!

I wish every time I had a thought, feeling, or emotion that I had the time to sit down and write about it. This is probably why I was never a good journal-keeper because I do everything on the "fly" (on the run)! At this precise moment in my life I feel so fragmented, stressed about everything going on, hoping I am doing everything to the best of my ability (highly unlikely)! In the midst of all the craziness in my life, I am so blessed to have my "angel friends" (this includes family) that glide in and out of my life almost constantly. The tears are flowing as I think about the amazing heros in my life. There have been many times when I have actually questioned my Heavenly Fathers love for me because of the seemingly unending stress. When I feel like I am going to burst, I look around at all the angel faces that I am so blessed to have in my life, and I know how much he does love me. I just want to thank a few people specifically for the phone calls, texts, and emails just saying "what can I do."

Clarisee - you are one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. I love seeing the world through your eyes, and what a beautiful place it is! I love you dearly my friend, and I love you for loving my kids! You are such an amazingly talented woman, you have definitely reached the next level!

Carol - you are my eternal friend! You are my sister from another mother, we are so much alike it is scary! If I have to give up chocolate, diet coke and salt, you are the one I want to do it with! You are always in my corner and I know it! "I love you more than my luggage!"

Jenn - I know I already wrote this on your blog but if I have to be in a world of chaos, I want you nearby! You are my rock and the one I can count on. You make me laugh through my tears and you never quit until it is done. I need you in my life, always. You are my sunshine!

Mom - What would I do without you, you are always here for me and I am so eternally grateful! I must be the luckiest person in the world to have a mother like you (along with my other 7 siblings)! I don't know how you manage to be there for all of us, but you do it somehow. When God created you he must have sat back and said "I have really outdone myself." I hope you know how much I love you because I really need to step it up if you don't. Thank you for always working elbow to elbow with me no matter what I am doing. I think you, me and Jenn make a good team. I love you.

There are so many more of you that I need to thank, but I just wanted to take a few minutes and "document" exactly what I was feeling at the moment. I am so blessed. I know I don't seem like myself right now but I want you to know that I am still the same person underneath it all and I am so grateful to those around me. I am just happy that circle is a big one!

Have a Fabulous day everyone!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

"...people will never forget how you made them feel."

Memorial Day is always a time that is spent together with family reflecting on the lives of our loved ones who are no longer with us. It is a time to laugh and cry, reflect and ponder. This year was a very difficult one because my stepbrother Mike passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack at the age of 46. He left a beautiful wife Julie who was his best friend and 5 children ranging in age from 23 to 9 years old. It was so hard watching Julie try to be so brave and it brought back memories of the emotions we went through when my father died, both men so unexpectedly and both so young.

One thing that kept running through my mind for days and days following the funeral was how blessed I am to be part of such a loving family. You don't realize how important people are in your life until they are gone, I learned this lesson way to early. Many of you who are close to me always hear "I love you" when we end a conversation or a visit. I say this because those whom I love will never wonder how I feel about them, there will never be a question in your mind of how important you are to me. I do this in tribute to my Dad. I never had the chance to tell him how much I loved him or how much he meant to me. We had an argument right before he had the surgery that took his life. I was broken-hearted for months, wondering if he knew how much I loved him. I honestly can't remember what we were arguing about, was it really that important?

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." --Maya Angelou

Take a minute and think about the people in your life, ponder the feelings you have for each other and remember you may not have a chance to say "I'm sorry" or "I love you" and decide if that is something you can live with. I love you all!