The thing about life is, you never know when it's going to be a party!

This is one of my favorite lines from The Homecoming.      We had a very unexpected snowstorm yesterday and dear friend Holly could not drive home so she and three of her children came home with us to stay the night.    We put on a big pot of soup, cut up some fruit, made cookies & popcorn, watched movies, made crafts, played cards, hide & seek and just enjoyed having a house full of friends.    The kids piled up in the living room on couches and pallets to sleep.   Holly managed to survive in a house full of cats by taking a couple of Zyrtec.    Alyssa and Ari made us some muffins this morning and the kids had some more fun in the snow.    We were all a bit sad to see the roads clear and our friends head home this afternoon.  

It's the small things

I was sad a few nights ago, upon discovering that quite a few of the Christmas ornaments that I had collected during my travels did not survive the flood.   After so many years of unwrapping them, I could list what was missing easily.   My mother had not put up a tree in several years and so she sent her Christmas ornaments to us today and I just opened the boxes.   Inside were not only glass balls that are older than I, but exact copies of most if not all of the ornaments I lost.   I had forgotten that while traveling,  I always bought two ornaments, one for me and one for momma and daddy.     What a sweet surprise!  I can't wait to call her tomorrow.

6 months later

6 months after the flood of 2010 and neighbors all around are rebuilding.   Although I am happy for them and know their journey is still not easy, I find myself envious. 

Emotionally, life is hard right now.   Much harder than at first.   It was easier to remain strong and optimistic in first weeks post flood.  Now I am simply exhausted.   I cannot seem to bring myself to go over to that house and take care of things I should. 

Putting up the Christmas tree was sad for me last night.   So many ornaments from my childhood, my mother and all my travels are gone.   Some were older than me.   Alyssa's stocking, the angel for the top of the tree, the advent calendar...   I KNOW they are just things.  It is still sad.

I just want this nightmare to be over, the bankruptcy, the uncertainty, the loneliness...

Alyssa moments

Little moments.

How she was crying just after she was born, then stopped when I held her close and sang, "You Are My Sunshine".     Ahhhhhhh, something familiar!

The helpless feeling of not being able to hold her and seeing her in the NICU with tubes and lines for those first few hours.    The relief when she was strong enough to come out of the incubator.   My heart hurt for the parents who were not so lucky.

Wondering if we would ever get the hang of nursing....  We did and did....  She nursed til just after her 5th birthday.   We still talk about it now and again and she remembers :-)

 Watching her take her first steps when she was only 7 months and 2 weeks old.   Delighting in the dance that soon followed.

She would not even taste her first birthday cake!    No messy pics for posterity.

The first time she initiated peek a boo by putting her head down on my shoulder.   Later, the first time she played hide and seek with Papa and me at Lakeside.   She hid behind the curtains.

First sentence:  "Mama go up, down."

Halloween costumes:
Baby Clown
1 yr old Lady Bug
2 yr old Witch
3 yr old Peter Pan (with Ari as Tinkerbell)
4 yr old Dorothy ( Rae as Wicked Witch, Charles as Lion, Dad as Scarecrow and Mom as Tin Man)
5 yr old Tie Dye Butterfly Fairy (she designed this one and we dyed it ourselves)
6 yr old Velma from Scooby Doo (and her Velma twin Ari)
7 yr old
8 yr old
9 yr old
10
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12
13

Birthday Themes
1 - Bunny Cake by the pool at Rolling Hills
2 - Elmo Cake, pool party at Rolling Hills Cathy Rigsby as Peter Pan at TPAC that night from Papa
3 - Dora Cake and Dora her self at Dog Creek!  Mom as grumpy old troll on the bridge.
4 - Tinkerbell Cake at Dog Creek
5 - Scooby Doo Cake and Scooby him self helping solve the mystery of the missing gifts at Dog Creek
6 - Giant cupcake cake decorated by Alyssa & Ari, little cupcakes for guests to decorate @ splashpad
7 - Crazy awesome cake by Radmila and Harry Potter birthday at the splashpad.
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Going to Disney World at 5 years old, when Papa and Connie got married.    What fun!

Dancing, dancing dancing.   She's a dancin' machine!

At 2 years old Alyssa had her own one girl version of "Wicked".

At 5 Alyssa made her stage debut in Oliver! as an orphan.   Followed by roles as an Oompa Loompa in Willy Wonka,  Downy in Honk Jr and chorus in Oklahoma and Miracle on 34th Street.

At 7 she adores listening to all kinds of musical theater, dancing, taking karate and gymnastics.

Alyssa was invited to a birthday party when she was 6, where the birthday girl asked for donations to Heiffer International instead of gifts.   Alyssa gave everything in her piggy bank, which included her Christmas money $103.

Visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was big stuff this year (2010).   Alyssa was brave enough to get on a lot of rides, but also kept her eyes closed for quite a few.

May 2, 2010, the day the water came...

May 2, 2010, the day the water came...

The water, took away the life we knew and so begins a new adventure.   Yet,  we are weary and it is difficult to imagine the future when there is so much to be done, cleaned, rebuilt or not.   Even 3 months later it seems so endless...  Adventure does not seem to be the word for which I am looking.   Perhaps, journey.

Alyssa, our 7 year old daughter, full of possibility and hope, tireless in her love and affection is the reason to get up each day and keep going.  For her we can do this. 


October 11, 2010 , our neighbors are rebuilding...

We are still waiting, unsure of what to do.  unable to do anything until the bankruptcy is filed.   Limbo.