Time Keeps Slipping Away

What a year it's been!

Shortly after my last post Rachel graduated from high school. She's our only child, and we've been through so much as a family in the last 18 years, but she is such a light in our lives that it seems like it all went by in a flash.

This whole last year was huge; senior year, Stewart came to live with us, Rachel's boyfriend came back into her life after moving back from Idaho, and then announced he'd be leaving for the Army in May. We crammed a lot into that 9 month school year.

Jonah gave Rachel a promise ring for Christmas, which was huge, and the kids spent as much time as they could together, in between school and dog training, before Jonah had to leave again. 

There was prom...

And a month later it was time to say goodbye, as Jonah left for boot camp...

He did great, and graduated, moving on to AIT in August...

We took a short family trip to the coast after Rachel's graduation, and we bought a one year membership to OMSI. Rachel planned to take a gap year before going to college, because we all needed a break, and because she and Jonah need to know where he's going to be based before deciding what the future holds.

Rachel and Stewart outside the Oregon Coast Aquarium...

October 19, 2013 will be the one year anniversary of Stewart coming to live with us. He has changed our lives in immeasurable ways. He is a wonderful companion to Rachel, loves to do his job, and is just a lot of fun. Rachel is learning every day how to be more responsible for herself, and taking on more duties around the house. 

We stay busy, we have fun, we laugh every day. It could be a lot worse, and we are grateful. 

-Kelly

Big Things

After my last update I got very busy picking berries, making jam, managing our household, and then we had visitors from out of the country. Brett's father and stepmother came down from Canada, and we had a few days where we spent every hour we could with them. It was lovely, and then they moved on to the coast, and the cottage they'd rented there.

The morning they left, we got them packed up, and then we drove down to my Mom's for her annual family BBQ. The next day, Monday, was quiet and lovely, but I had a bunch of chores to catch up on, and then Tuesday we all joined Brett's folks at the coast for the night. That brings us to Thursday, when a friend of Rachel's showed up on our porch unexpectedly, and hung out with her for a couple of hours, so we dragged him out with us to do our shopping, lunch, etc.

And now it's Friday again. Now I can see why my fatigue levels are what they are. If this kid complains on the first day of school about having done nothing this summer, I don't know what I'll do.

In the middle of all this activity, I had occasion to help out a long-distance friend with a problem she was having. I got it taken care of, and then moved on to the next thing, but a few days later she thanked me by reaching out to her extended friends, and imploring them to help out with Rachel's dog fund.

As a result of her effort, and a sale of more garlands, in a span of 3 days, we received $730 in new donations! Check out the thermometer. ---->>>> :) The first donation was from the friend I'd helped out, and I cried. Then more started rolling in, and by the time the 4th donation had reached the mailbox, I was a mess. I am so glad to have the people in my life that I do, whether they live near or far, or I have met them in person or not. These aren't just pixels on a screen to me; every one of my friends is real, and I love them.

Jam-making came to an abrupt halt when our visitors arrived, and I'm having a hard time finding motivation to begin again, but I have a bunch of berries to use before they get freezer burn, so I'd best get a move on. Still, this will be a much smaller effort than last year, when I canned almost 200 jars. It's just too much for one gimpy person.

So, as is often the case, I close this entry with gratitude. There is so much good in our life, and even on the bad days, we know we have friends; people who genuinely care, and want us to do well.

Thank you all so much-Kelly