In Memory of Gary Reavis

I've talked about my step dad a little bit here and there, but today my blog is completely dedicated to him. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of his death and it's important that I write about how I feel, but also so I can remember him and his life here on earth. He is missed very much everyday, but I know that he is in heaven and he's being well taken care of.

When my Mom first married Gary, I hated, and I mean hated him. I was angry about a lot of things in my life that time ( I was 12) and he fueled the fire. Through trials and tribulations(a lot of them), we grew anincredible relationship. Despite our differences, we grew to respect each other. He was there for me in many ways I didn't even realize until I got older. I learned a lot from him and he helped shape who I am today.

As an adult I learned to appreciate his kindness and his willingness to go out of his way for others. He treated my children like they were his own because to him they were. He and the princess had an incredible relationship that she will never forget. We talk a lot about him and some days she is sad and the others she has very happy memories. The princess remembers him as the silly Grandpa and that he was. It saddens my heart that the ruler will never know his Grandpa.

My sister is a Daddy's girl and this has been a tough year for her. Not only did her father pass away when she was 19, but she also moved away from home to go to school. She was the apple of his eye and he was so very proud of her. The relationship was very special and I knows she misses him so much.

Gary died on December 10, 2007. It's taken me a couple of days to write this post. I keep sitting down to write and then it feels too sad and I stop, but I wanted to keep his memory alive and try to remember all the great things about him. He was a great cook and taught me most of what I know today. He taught me how to do simple things like laundry and how to keep a house. He also taught me about hard work and where to find a good deal which translates into he was cheap. His family was his life and he put all of his energy into it.

Although I'm very sad that he is not here, I know that he is with God. I was there the moment he took his last breath. I got to give him a kiss and tell him that I love him. He was surrounded by his family who held his hand when he died. His pastor was there we were able to say a prayer before he passed. I hope that when it's my time that my family will do the same for me. As much as we didn't want him to go, he went peacefully and with all the love of his family and friends. That's the way it should be

So I'll end my post with, I love you Gary and I miss you terribly, but I'm glad you're with God living comfortably and not on this earth suffering. I think about you everyday. You gave me so many gifts in my life and I'm truly grateful for everything you did for me. Thank you.

May God bless you all.

Weekend Re-Cap

Back to the real world for me. I was on vacation last week and boy was it nice. I'm back at work now and can't believe last week went by so fast. We had a very mellow Thanksgiving. We went to my Dad and step mom's house and it ended up being just my family. It's usually it's very chaotic and crazy with a bunch of kids running around and people talking over each other. Very different atmosphere this year. We ate a little later than usual and this year just had a weird feel to it. I think part of it was that it was the first year Thanksgiving without my step dad and I was a little sad. I don't think I realized that until Thanksgiving was over.

Friday I decided to get up at 3:45 and join the masses to do some shopping for Christmas. What was I thinking. I went to Kohl's which opened at 4:00 a.m. By the time I got there at 4:15 a.m. it was a complete mad house, but since I was there I decided to shop. In the end I got what I wanted plus a little more. I waited in line for and 1 hour and 15 minutes. Longer than I shopped. I don't usually go out on black Friday and now I remember why. It's wasn't worth. Sure I got a few good deals and I did get a big chunk of shopping out of the way, but I was totally exhausted and when I got home the hubby had to go to work and I was left with 3 hungry children that wanted all of my attention. Late in the morning my best friend Jen came over with Violet and we baked cookies, brownies and pumpkin bread. We went a little crazy, but it was fun. I brought a bunch of the goodies to work today just so I don't eat them all. These pictures are the kids frosting some brownies we made and adding sprinkles. They had so much fun!At about 1:30, the ruler was ready for a nap, but there was so much going on in the house that he was having a hard time settling down. So I decided to lay in my bed with him, hoping he would snuggle with me a fall asleep and that's exactly what he did. I also fell asleep and Jen let me sleep until 4:00 p.m. with him. What a fantastic friend. She took care of the queen and the princess and finished baking the cookies. I felt like I had totally left her hanging and she teased me for a while, but I know she really didn't mind. Jen always has my back. Whenever I need he she is there for me no matter what it is. She loves my kids like her own. After I woke up and stopped feeling guilty for sleeping all afternoon we finished baking and the hubby brought home dinner from Subway. We hung out the rest of the evening and when everyone was settling down around 9:00 p.m.and Jen and Violet were getting ready to leave, guess what happened? Bet you can't guess. I couldn't believe it myself. The queen stuck a bead up her nose and couldn't get it out. It was pretty far up there. Now let me remind you that the queen is 9. Yes 9. This is something I would expect from the princess(which happened last year and we had to make an emergency room trip) or the ruler because that's what a 2 year old would do, but no it was the queen. Needless to say she was embarrassed and had actually had in stuck there for quite some time, 3 hours to be exact, and waited until 9:00 p.m. to tell me. Thank God Jen was there. The hubby had left for his second job at 8:00, so if she had not been there I would have been dragging a sleepy 2 and 4 year old with me to the emergency room on a Friday night. What Fun! We got to the hospital a little before 10:00 p.m. and left at little after 12:00 a.m. When we finally got to see a doctor, it took about 2 minutes to get the bead out. What a night! Jen was watching Mork and Mindy when I got home (love that show) and still giggling about my trip to the hospital. I am amused by the situation now, not so amused on Friday night. So we said good night and she laughed all the way out the door. I'm sure she is giggling as she reads this. She is the greatest friend and I don't know what I would do without her. Thanks again Jen!!

The rest of the weekend was pretty mellow. I cleaned house, did laundry, took another nap. I needed to recover from my late night in the emergency room, and of course the ruler woke up at 6:30 on Saturday morning. That boy will sleep in every day during the week, but if it's Saturday or Sunday, 6:00 a.m. seems to be a great time for him to wake up. Murphy's law I guess.

Yesterday I went out and did a bunch of errands all by myself. I don't very often go out without taking one of the kids with me so this was a real treat. I went to Starbucks and sat inside and read the paper. Usually I hit the drive thru because I have 3 kids in the car with me. I went grocery shopping alone, to Costco alone and I had a couple of things to return at Kohl's. What a sense of freedom. No buckling and unbuckling of car seats. No arguing about sitting in the cart at the store. I didn't have to tell anyone to stop touching everything. It was great. I wasn't planning to buy a Christmas tree, but they were so nice at Costco and such a good price that I squeezed a 7 foot noble fir in the car. It smells so good. It's not decorated yet, but I'll probably do it Friday night when I have time. When I got home I felt refreshed and ready to conquer dinner, bath and bedtime. I made a yummy butternut squash soup which no one seemed to like but me. Their loss and that means more for me.

So here we are knee deep in the Christmas season. I LOVE IT! I always wish I could do more for my family, but money is tight this year so it will be a little thin. I can say that the sense of family that comes along with the holidays is what I love the most. My big crazy family gets together and we are crazy, but I just love us all be together despite how dysfunctional we can be sometimes. I love the smell of the Christmas tree and gingerbread. And I really love eggnog lattes from Starbucks. YUM! I do truly believe that Christmas is the most special holiday of the year. Not only because all the fun stuff, but the true meaning of Christmas. The day that Jesus was born. That's the most important part. I don't talk a lot about religion or push my personal beliefs on anyone, but I do believe in Jesus and I celebrate his birthday. It's not any of my business whether or not you believe, but I know in my heart that I'm a believer.

I hope that everyone has recuperated from their Thanksgiving holiday and is celebrating the Christmas season.