The Only Constant in Life is Change

Moments before they hoped into their van and rode off for Idaho.

If the smile on my face appears pasted on it's only because it was!

Breakfast on our last sleepover morning with the kids.

Last swim in our sweet neighbor's pool. She has welcomed us "whenever". She always says, "Diane, my pool is your pool."

I am going to blog about this life changing event and then try to never think of it again. Our prayers were answered when Travis got his job transfer to Idaho. It was a difficult thing to pray for in spite of the fact that we believe getting our precious grandchildren into a better area and in a state that values education was of the utmost importance. It meant losing the sunshine in our lives. It has been bad enough not living where we can enjoy Aubrey's family but now to lose our Kaity and Brayden seems unbearable. I can't count the times one of us has to turned to the other and said, "I'm bored. Let's call the kids and see what they're doing." Bryce is also sad that they are gone but he does keep busy with single's ward responsibilities and activities. I'm grateful for that. Ariann has been such a big help to me in planning and carrying out the ward activities. I don't know what I will do without her. I don't know how I will get my house ready to sell without my interior decorator here to help me. Travis is my tech guy whenever I have a computer question or problem. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have a single "tune" on my IPOD. Gary's breathing situation is not improving much. He has pretty bad asthma attacks quite regularly. I don't know if it's safe for him to fly all the way across the country and as much as I am dying to hold my new grandson, I am too afraid to leave him home alone. Besides, I think I would have to hog tie him and run for the airport because he wants to head west as much as I do. Life holds challenges but joys as well and I have faith that one day we will feel joyful again. I hope I can develop patience as I wait for that day and for God to reveal his plan for us. They had only been gone from our house about 15 minutes on moving morning when Ariann called to say, "Kaity just remembered your wheelbarrow is still in our backyard. You'd better go get it before someone else does. Take anything else you want." We jumped in the truck and remembered to take a shovel to dig up some of her flowering plants that attract butterflies. I told Gary as we walked around the empty, dead feeling place that it reminded me of a cemetary and I felt like a grave robber as we dug up some of the plants that Ariann had taken such great care of. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I don't think I will ever go back. The last thing I said to Kaity as I hugged her and checked her seat-belt was, "It's your job to pray us to the west." I may have to remind her often of her assignment from grandma but it will be worth it. How could Heavenly Father refuse a sincere request from that sweet little girl of mine?! Life goes on, I just have to find a "new normal" while I wait for the time when I feel like I'm living again and not just existing. It will come. I know it will!
This was a very scattered post and a bit of a downer. I apologize and promise to do better next time. Really, I will.......it just may be a while!

These Shots Go With the Post Below

We Finally Spotted One!

In fact, we finally spotted 3! Gary has seen alligators on this particular board walk several times and Bryce has been with him to see them too, but every time I have gone along for the ride they have been non-existent. Today we had Brayden and Kaity with us and got lucky......3 different sightings. It was hot and sticky but the first day of summer vacation and we thought it would make for a fun outing. It did. We also spotted a huge congregation of turkey vultures. They are without a doubt some of the ugliest creatures on this earth. The tree that was full of them was right in front of the lighthouse we were walking to and we literally ran under the tree hoping to dodge any droppings. Not one of us got hit! The park had a fabulous play area and the kids had a ball while we sat in the shade and recovered from the walk. Finished off the day making cookies and playing UNO and Boggle. It was a fun day.

You know you're bored when you're willing to endanger your life!

The first blue shack is typical of what we experienced on our afternoon outing. Thankfully there were a couple of bright spots on the tour!

We decided to take a ride after church and explore the historic district of a town not far from home. I had discovered a walking tour of Longwood and in spite of the warning posted on the website, we decided to give it a try. Here are a few lines from the warning: "This trail may pass through one or more neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood....If you hike the trail, you accept all risks involved." Okay, I think you get the picture. We decided we were bored enough to give it a shot. (no pun intended) Anyway, it was a huge disappointment. Having lived in a home on the historical registry in a neighborhood in Moscow Idaho that had beautiful mansions on it's historical walking trail, we know what a walk like that should look like. Granted, our home looked like the servant quarters of the mansions that surrounded it but it didn't look like a falling down garage. In fact, just this past week Aubrey called to tell us that she had seen our Moscow house on the television show, "If Walls Could Talk". Our's wasn't the featured home but because it was across the street, it was shown 2 times. What fun! I'm feeling sad that I missed it. Anyway, the Longwood walk was comical. It was filled with descriptions like: "On this site in the late 1800's was a lumber mill." That's nice, but it would take an overactive imagination to picture it in 2009 because today it is the site of a Circle K gas station. We saw dozens of houses lacking any sort of archetectural charm but plenty of junk bicycles, tires and falling down porches. We did manage to find a couple of honest-to-goodness historical homes and an old hotel/boarding house that looked pretty cool but they were few and far between. I guess we just have to be happy that no one tried to accost us in our locked car as we "drove" the "walking" tour.

OOOPS!!!

This post goes with the pictures below. I was so excited to see them I forgot to type the script. I don't think I will ever get good at this blogging thing!

Last week it was a bear in the backyard, this week it is a snake in the parlor! I don't know why the blog cut off the end of the snake---it shows up on the computer. It was about 40 inches long. EWWWWW!!! Anyway, this beauty was discovered by Gary yesterday in the parlor as we were headed out the front door first thing yesterday morning. That means he at least spent the night with us! I could hardly make myself get up last night to go to the bathroom for fear he had a friend curled up on the floor somewhere. I am so grateful I wasn't home alone. I'm also very grateful it didn't climb into bed with me! Gary got a flat nosed shovel (so as not to damage the wood floor) and carefully chopped off his head. I know there are people who will be outraged that we killed the thing because for all we know he is the harmless kind that eats rodents. I DON"T CARE! ANY SNAKE WHO HAS THE NERVE TO COME INTO MY HOUSE IS A DEAD SNAKE!!! After all, he knows the way in now and what was to stop him from returning! We wish WE knew how he got in!

The other pictures are from the Leu Gardens that we found yesterday. They are beautiful even though it's coming into our hot season and many things are not blooming now. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk through miles of beautiful trees and flowers. The highlight was a tour through the old mansion. Very interesting. If you come for a visit we will take you there. But only if you're here on Monday morning (just kidding) but we discovered it's free admission on Monday morning before noon. That was a fun surprise! Enjoy my snapshots of Florida, especially the snake!

Oh the Joys of Florida!

Who'd have thought?!

No that's not a gorilla up the big old oak tree in our back yard, it's a 400 pound black bear! Who would have thought I had to add that to my list of critters to watch out for! Alligators I get, snakes, I get, racoons, possums, ardvarks......I get that, but who knew a big black bear would invade the yard at 5:00 in the morning and hang out in our shade tree until it got dark at 8:30? We could have sold tickets and made a few bucks because he was the entertainment of the neighborhood. The backyard neighbor called the police this morning and an officer came out but said as long as it wasn't acting aggressive they wouldn't do anything. Poor thing is stumbling around in the bushes as I write this, trying to find one of the two gates we left open for him to make his exit. I'd turn on the lights to watch him but I'm afraid it would frighten him right back up the tree. If I had known we were going to have so much company in our backyard I would have mowed it yesterday. It's looking pretty bad and Gary was embarrassed. Oh well, it didn't bother the bear.

Today is Brayden's birthday and we went to his house this evening for a barbeque and cake and ice cream. I can't believe he's 6 years old! We had a good time visiting with the Johnson's, Douberly's and Matt Nalley. Trena is still in Idaho. Friends sure make life fun! Travis and Ariann took the kids to a Monkey Joe's playland last night and we joined them for a little while until Gary had to lie down. His strength and stamina are slowly improving. We have to be patient and we are counting our blessings that he is not having to worry about finding a good cancer doctor! It was bad enough to lose 2/3 of his lung. I so admire all the countless people who endure that trauma then start down the chemo road. We are Blessed!