MERRY CHRISTMAS

I can hardly believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve...where did this year go? I miss Jennifer every minute of everyday, but the holidays seem to amplify the emptiness. I just keep recalling all the wonderful holidays that I was so blessed to have shared with her and with my parents.

Last Friday, our grief support group had a gathering and shared how hard this time of year is without our loved ones. There is nothing, nothing at all, that we can do to change it. We just have to somehow go on with life. One thing that I have learned for sure, is that God is in control and we have to put our faith and trust in Him to get us through the hard times. I have also learned that we should not ever take for granted our family and friends. We should let them know that we love them. We need to slow our lives down, give thanks for what we have, do for others, and follow God.

I am working this Christmas. We will be celebrating Christmas tomorrow, Christmas Eve, with my wonderful sister, Kimberly. She is so loving and giving. I am so blessed to have her for my sister and friend! We will have dinner with her and then go to Christmas Eve Service at church.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, and Peaceful New Year!

EMMA GRACE

Since the passing of little Ginger, we have really felt a loss. Yesterday, we were blessed with a very special Christmas gift...Emma Grace! My wonderful friend, Stephanie, gave her to me. She is just adorable! She has been with us less than twenty-four hours, and has already won our hearts. Jazzabelle wasn't too thrilled to meet her at first, nor was she when we first got Ginger. Jazzabelle is such a loving and accepting dog...she will love having company when we aren't here. Little Emma is so sweet and it seems like she has always been here. It has been rainy and icy here all day. It is wonderful to see her new "Daddy" get the leash and ask her if she is ready to go out. She is longer and taller than Ginger was, but has alot of Ginger's facial features and her eyes are like Ginger's. Her "Daddy" calls her weenie dog...but she looks nothing like a weenie dog...she looks like Emma Grace....our new little angel!!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

Yesterday, we had all my in-laws over for Christmas dinner. It was a good day...lots of food...too much food. It was good seeing everyone and being together. It is rare that we can all get together in these busy times. Life is so short, we all need to slow down and take the time to be with friends and family. Our great niece, Brianna, spent the night with us and she says she is never going home. It has been a long time since we had a four year old around and she has been a joy...life through the eyes of a child!

I am still working on finishing my Christmas cards, and plan to get them in the mail for THIS Christmas...I hope that I can start earlier next year!

My sister, Kimberly, said that she knew it was really Christmas when I told her that my sweet husband was making pecan pies for the Christmas dinner...something he does every Christmas.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

December is Here!

I can hardly believe that today is December 1st...where did this year go? Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. I went to North Little Rock to church, then to Kimberly's to do some major crafting. Kimberly and I ended the day by attending our friend Lisa's program - Advent Lessons and Carols - at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. Lisa is in the choir there and it was a beautiful service. We really enjoyed it.

Kimberly was on vacation this week and worked very hard getting the Jennifer Project Christmas bags ready to be delivered to the hospital. Lisa made some really cute things for them too. I am so proud of this project and so happy that we are keeping it going. I am sure that Jennifer would be very happy for this project.

This is such a busy time of year. I hope that we will all be able to remember the reason for this season, slow down and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is so good to be with family and enjoy being with each other and giving thanks before the hectic season really begins. I have to admit that the holidays are very hard since the loss of my parents and my precious Jennifer. Turkey was one of Jennifer's favorite foods....except cheese, of course. This is the first time I have been able to bring myself to buy a turkey and cook one since her death. My precious sister, Kimberly, has been doing that for us. This year, I am going to cook for her!!! Bless her heart, she has been the hostess of all the holidays. I am looking forward to having Thanksgiving here this year. We will celebrate on Wednesday this year because we will be working on Thanksgiving. Even with all the heartache we have had, we know that we are truly blessed and we are grateful for what we have. Our family is shrinking, but we have many friends that are like family to us. I have a huge in- law family and they have done alot to help us through hard times. Hopefully, we will all be able to get together soon for a dinner. Everyone is always so busy, but life is very short. This Thanksgiving, I will give thanks for all that I have, my family and friends, and for all the wonderful memories that I shared with my loved ones....Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our Precious Ginger

After Jennifer passed away, my sweet nephew in Illinois gave me the most precious gift....a little Yorkie named Ginger. She won our hearts within hours after coming to Arkansas. Jazzabelle was Jennifer's beloved cocker spaniel. She was not too happy at first having someone in the house that quickly became her shadow. It didn't take Jazzabelle very long to accept or at least tolerate little Ginger. Ginger followed Jazzabelle everywhere and did a good job keeping up with her. After our move to Hot Springs, they really became almost inseperable. Everday they would run and make their rounds around the garden and the pond. Ginger would come running as fast as she could behind Jazzabelle.....then they would take a long nap together before going out again. They were so well mannered and good natured. Richard would always call them Mutt and Jeff because they looked so funny and cute together.

Yesterday morning Richard was cutting wood up by the creek. They didn't like the sound of the saw, so they came back down. Richard cut a tree down and went inside to get some tea. He saw Ginger lying in the yard in her usual place. When he came back out, he sat down beside her to rub her back as he always did....but she was dead!! We can't understand how if the tree fell on her, she could have gotten out from under it.....or maybe when the tree fell, it knocked her over, or maybe she had a heart attack. I would always say that when she ran, it sounded like she had asthma or CF, because she breathed so hard. The vet never found any problems with her when she went for her checkups...the only thing she had to have done was four baby teeth pulled that didn't come out. We will probably never know what happened to her, we can only speculate. What we do know for sure is that she brought us so much joy and happiness....and that we will always miss her.