Oh my...

It has been a crazy few weeks (hence my lack of posts).

So, we went to Disney World and had the time of our lives. AMAZING. They know how to do it upright. With the exception of a hiccup with the airlines that resulted in a delayed flight on our way home, everything went smoothly. I will definetely post photos soon (of which I just ordered...oh my...almost 700). I definetely need to get details of the trip documented so I don't forget.

But more important right now is what has all happened since we got home.

A few weeks ago, we found out Dan's dad had cancer in his esophagus. Shortly after we got home, he made the choice to go into full hospice (ie quit eating and drinking, it was too painful). He passed away on September 30th, after 8 days of not eating or drinking. Though we knew it was coming, and knew he was at peace with everything, it was (and is) still hard. He was such a great man and we miss him so much. Dan's parents are both gone now. They lived just a couple blocks from us and were a huge part of our lives. This will be a major adjustment for us and our daily lives here, now that they are both gone.

Thankfully, we got to spend a lot of time with Dan's family. (He is one of 8 children). It helped that our house was so close to dad's as family from out of town was able to stay with us and yet still be close to him. Also, we became a place to eat, so that he would not have to endure others eating around him. We had company for just about 2 weeks straight, not to mention multiple weekends before. Definetely cherished time, even for such a sad occasion. The girls just loved having their aunts, uncles and cousins around. Keaton literally cried when she had to say goodbye to everyone after the funeral.

The day after Dan's family left, a close, cherished friend of mine endured an absolute horror. She lost her baby at 21 weeks.My heart still breaks for her as she is attempting to heal from this tragic situation. So sad. As a friend, there is always difficulty in these situations deciphering what is the right thing to say, do, etc. I pray everyday for guidance as I want to be there for her in whatever way she needs me to be...

During the craziness, my friend also found out that her sister's breast cancer had come back. My goodness.

And lastly, my mom has not been feeling very well at all. She has been off chemo now for a few weeks, but she just is still in a lot of pain. She is due to get rescanned in November-praying for good news, but not counting on it.

Man, I am so thankful that I have faith. Faith in God. Faith that Jim is up in Heaven with God (and with his wife, Dan's mom). Faith that baby Millie is in heaven, sleeping in the arms of an angel. Faith that all of us here on earth will get through these hard times. Faith that my mom is on a journey to Heaven and that God has control of when that happens...and that I trust Him with that control. Faith that we were put in each others lives for this very reason...to be there for our friends and family going through hard and difficult times. Faith that everything will be ok.

I promise I will have a happier post soon. (What can be happier than Disney World, right?). For such is life-sometimes real life has to be...well...real life. And that is definetely what these last few weeks have brought.