I am so so new at this and again NOT SURE WHY I STARTED A BLOG!!!  Maybe out of sheer social/peer pressure or perhaps I feel left out!!!

Anyway~~~a lot has been happening in our little world!!!

On November 8, 2009 my Precious Maternal Grandmother lost her fight against bladder cancer.  I had a "sleepover" with her the night before she died. While she was still coherent we played a game so to speak.  I started by telling her I loved her and she would say I love you too.  I then said I love you more and she would say I love you more.  I would say I love you the most and she would shake her right index finger back/forth and her head back/forth and in a weak voice say "NO I LOVE YOU THE MOST!!!"   I am so grateful for that special time I had with her.  I so wanted to be there when she took her last breath but it was just not meant to be. She was laid to rest in her beautiful pink dress and per one of  her last requests "Please make sure I have pink flowers." She had the most BEAUTIFUL PINK ROSES with white carnations. I got her three PINK sweetheart roses that stayed with her!!! I have something of hers nobody else in the family has.   Thanks to my father she and I share the same first name.  I LOVE and MISS you so so so very much Grandma!!!

I have been battling some serious health issues since October of 2009.  In a nutshell~~~kidney stones including a nephrostomy tube in my left kidney for 5 months because it swelled for some unknown reason, diverticulosis/diverticulitis, an emergency appendectomy, major surgery on my neck, a foot of my large intestine removed, several hospitalizations/trips to the ER and WAY TOO MANY antibiotics.  I thought I was FIXED in November 2010 but not so.  I am still battling the diverticulosis/diverticulitis and yet another kidney stone.  My doctors are a bit baffled as am I.  I am beginning to wonder if I should go on Mystery Diagnosis.

There are a whole lot of other things My Greatest Blessings~~Dale Jr./Amanda/Ashley and I are going through.  We are all caring some heavy plates.  We know Heavenly Father has brought us to ALL of it and He will bring us through it!!!  We know He will not give us more than we can handle and apparently He thinks we can handle a WHOLE lot!!!  I am trying my hardest to see the BIGGER picture and keep reminding myself Who is ULTIMATELY in charge!!!  While I am extremely grateful for ALL of my blessings I am more grateful for all the challenges/trials/struggles we have experienced/are experiencing/will continue to experience. They have strengthened my testimony, increased my faith/trust, and reminded me how much My Heavenly Father LOVES me and My Greatest Blessings.  I am very grateful that Father gave me LOTS of Patience!!!  If my precious grandmother were here she would tell me that Patience is a Virtue and Good things come to those who wait!!!