April 2022

April was full of all kinds of crazy moments.  I'm still recovering from it all.  We had a dear friend who passed.  It's hard to even write the words, because it's still very difficult to process.  She had been struggling with crippling pain that went from her stomach to her back for a couple years.  They couldn't find the source of her pain.  Until finally one doctor did a deep dive and found that she was in stage 4 pancreatic cancer. So hard to accept and understand how this happens?!

I found this online and it described her perfectly.  If you knew her, you know how much meaning this really has...

She was full of energy, life and love.  We miss her.  I could write an entire blogpost on what she meant to our family.  We were opposites.  She was outgoing and knew everyone, and most of the time she also knew their personal stories.  She was a reacher, always reaching out to others.  She would buy/do things for her friends and family and I'm sure many many others "just because".  She was a California girl who had an eye for design.  She preferred quality over quantity. She was young at heart and way more into trends and fads than I am. She loved her home that she and her husband(with his woodworking skills) had made a very homey home.  She would say, "All I need is my little home and I'm happy."  I remember one time I went up to her attic and it was like walking into the storage room at Hobby Lobby(not that I've seen that, but what I imagine it to be.) She loved her home and she'd decorate for each season.  We would go antiquing and she would show me things she thought would look good in our new home.  After Casey's accident she played a very big part in helping our family through the trauma.  When it was time to sell our house, she found "her people" to help with some upgrades before we put it on the market.  She was in the details as well - she helped me take down the kitchen wall paper(not a fun job), which ended up being 2-3 layers thick.  She was known for making her corn bags(heating pads of sort) for everyone.  And most of all she was REAL.  I appreciate the real.  If we  had disagreements she would make sure and talk it out.  She never left anything unsaid.  I'm thankful for that.  I joked with her that I tried to be more outwardly "serviceable" and say to myself, "what would Chris do?" She was a goer and a doer and left a part of herself in all the people she served.  We miss her tremendously and will continue to carry her memory/love with us forever.

  

Spring blossoms have made our yard very colorful, and I love it!  I needed the color and lifting of spirits.

I bought flowers for myself at Trader Joe's and made a bouquet.  They have the best flowers!

Easter came and went this year with not a lot of fanfare  - Mainly because I had two of my wisdom teeth pulled.  Wow, what an experience.  Casey cooked a ham and a few side dishes, but I could only sip on broth and applesauce.

One of my favorites I enjoyed.  They have different flavors, but it was a good variation from just the normal applesauce. 

Casey also picked up a couple of huge containers of onion soup from one of our favorite restaurants.  It's just a broth but it is so good.

And we had some Awesome sunsets, which always makes me happy💓

Bye-Bye April.  Hopefully May is a little less painful💓

Medical Board Exam

Cody decided to come home for 6 weeks and study for his medical board exam and take the test here in Athens.  Even though he spent most of the time studying, it was still so fun to have him home.  He would usually take a day off during the weekend to give himself a break, otherwise he was pretty disciplined with his schedule of 9-5 for study time(with lunch and dinner breaks).  

Ryan enjoyed not being the only child for awhile😃

We enjoyed watching a couple baseball games with Andy, Janelle and the boys! 

 And of course we ate at his favorite restaurant(Sr. Sol) a couple times while he was here.

Casey had to rent a car for a work trip.  He was given a choice of a minivan or a mustang convertible.  He chose the mustang(of course), so we took it for a spin😂

Cody sat in the back on the way to dinner, and I sat in the back on the way home.  I've driven in a car with a sun roof(totally different experience.) but this was my first time in a convertible. The wind wasn't bad for the people sitting up front, but the person in the back felt most of the (major)breeze, haha.

He (pre)rewarded himself with a PS5 while he was here.  They are hard to find, so he and Ryan waited in line one morning at GameStop for a promotion they were having, hoping to get one...and he did!   

I don't make cinnamon rolls often, so while Cody was here I made a batch for everyone to enjoy(they don't last long).

Angel-food cake is also a Cody favorite.  He would request it every year for his birthday, so we had an early birthday celebration before he left.

It was sure fun having him home.  He became a part of our household and we will miss him!  He is now enjoying some much needed and well deserved downtime before his hospital rotations begin in May.