The Windy City: delays, spices, and love

I am back from Chicago. Here is the recap of how it all went down...

Day 1: Departure

On Friday I woke up around 4am, since Jubin's family and I had a 6am flight. We got on the first plane, which unfortunately never took off due to sleeting in Chicago. We desperately tried to switch our flight. At one point when Jubin's dad was flustered he asked for my boarding pass in Malayalam, before realizing he needed to speak English. We shared a good laugh over that. We were able to take a later flight which left Chicago around 9:45, and landed in Baltimore around 12:30, but we were delayed there for a while and eventually landed in Chicago. There was only a 2 hour window in Chicago before it got super foggy, so we were really blessed that we were able to get there. Everyone's main objective was to get Jubin there and then we would worry about the rest of us. We got a standby flight for her at 9:15. Right as we were about to board the 9:45 flight, they called her for the earlier flight which was also a direct flight. She ran to that gate, only to be told they were wrong and that the plane was full. She ran quickly back to our gate to rejoin us. She had called saying she was coming back, and I admired her dad as he stood at the front of the plane telling the pilot and flight attendants, "You will not leave without my daughter. This plane will not takeoff without her. It is not her fault this happened." She did eventually make it, after getting re-entered in the system, since her boarding pass became invalid because the computer thought she was on the other flight. So despite the fact that a two hour plane ride took ten hours from start to finish, we were just so happy to get there. Other members of the family and friends were re-routed all day. 100 flights were cancelled to O'Hara airport and 35 were cancelled to Midway on Friday. The pastor who was leading the engagement was one of the people that we didn't know if he would make it. That was upsetting but Jubin's family has so much faith that they knew it would be ok. Her sister and brother-in-law's flight from Buffalo was cancelled, and there weren't anymore flights for Friday or Saturday. So they decided to drive around eight or nine hours overnight to get there. They arrived around 6 am on Saturday, but everyone was so happy they made it. Despite all the weather problems most of the guests were able to make it to the ceremony.

When we arrived we went to Jonathan's parents' house where his mom had a lot of food waiting for us. We all gobbled it up, before realizing that was just a snack and that we were going for dinner next. One of the members of Jonathan's family's church had a huge gathering with lots of food. This allowed time for a lot of us to meet one another before the ceremony.

Day 2: Jubin and Jonathan's Engagement Ceremony

Jubin and I shared a hotel room and we woke up as early as we could the morning of the ceremony. We worked on her makeup together, and then her future sister-in-law Joanne picked us up for Jubin's hair appointment. They pulled her hair up and back into a bun. She wore a beautiful red sari. Jubin is so naturally beautiful, and doesn't need to do much with her hair or makeup. But it was a special occassion, and in the words of Jon, she looked "so beautiful." I sat with some of the youth from the church who I met the night before for most of the ceremony. The ceremony began at 11am. We had some small appetizers and then the ceremony began. In the beginning, there was a lot of song and prayer as everyone worshipped God for bringing the two of them together. The couple sits on high chairs on a stage, while different speakers and singers go to the podium. Then, the presiding pastor spoke to everyone introducing Jonathan and Jubin to everyone. This pastor actually baptized Jubin in her teens and is the head of Jon's church in Florida. That is just one example of many of the connections that have been discovered about these two. Then both fathers went up to the podium and spoke about how they want their children to be married. Jubin's dad announced the wedding date officially for June 27th. Then Jon, Jubin, and their dads signed a betrothal agreement. After that, we had some dinner, and more prayers and songs. Then an elder from Jonathan's church spoke on his behalf explaining how he is such a gentle and caring man and how he will make a great husband. Two of his friends also shared stories about how great he is. Then, Jubin's cousin gave a tearful description of how she and Jubin have been together for their whole lives, including their births and early childhoods in India. Both girls actually lived in India with their grandparents when their parents first moved to America, so they share a special bond. Then, both fathers introduced their family members to one another. Jubin's dad included me in his introductions, and I beemed because I felt so honored to be considered an honorary family member. After the ceremony, there were lots of prayers and well wishes for the happy couple.

After the ceremony, we went back to our rooms to change our clothes. Then all the youth went ice-skating. I think we all enjoyed a little freedom and leisure time. There was a lot of flooding in Chicago so the parking lot was deep with water. We were all slipping walking in. I didn't fall fully, but I caught myself and got mud on my coat, pocketbook, and sneakers. Oh well, it will wash off. I haven't been skating in a long time and it felt great out on the ice. Poor Jubin and her siblings have never gone, so they mostly hugged the walls, but I think we all had a good time. Then we went out for pizza which was delicious. We had been eating non-stop Indian food so I really enjoyed that!

Day 3: Church and relaxing

We went to Jonathan's family's church and it was a great experience. I was so tired and it was really long (from 9:45-12:00), but it was a great service. The Indian women need to wear veils to cover their heads. Jubin explained it not as a means of submission but rather out of respect that Jesus is the head of the church and the men are the church leaders. First, Jon's dad prayed, then Jonathan preached a little bit and his message was great. Then they have an open forum of sorts, where any male can call out a song they want everyone to sing, or speak a prayer or message. Then the members share the bread and the wine. I didn't take any since it wouldn't be proper being I am Catholic, but it wasn't a big deal. Then the guest pastor from Florida shared a message from the Bible. At one point, I missed which verse he said and I looked at the Jubin's mom's Bible and the women next to me, but both ladies had Bibles written in Malayalam, one of the languages of South India. It was really funny. Then we shared some delicious lunch together and cake for one of the uncle's birthdays and a cake for Jon and Jubin.

After that, I went with Jubin and Jon to pack up since I would be staying at a relative's house for the last night, since our flight was so early. I enjoyed that private time with them. While they are still learning so much about each other, watching them fall in love is beautiful to witness. The way Jubin tries so hard to look good for Jon, the way he looks at her, and the way they tease one another are just a few examples. At one point Jubin was in the bathroom and Jon and I were talking about my ability to make Jubin laugh uncontrollably. He told me he is a little jealous and has been trying his hardest to make her laugh like that too, because he loves to hear her laugh, but that hasn't happened fully yet. I told him he'll get there, as they get more comfortable with one another.

Then we rented a movie to watch at Jonathan's house. Myself, Jubin, Jonathan, her sister, brother-in-law, Jon's sister, brother, and cousin all watched the latest Mummy movie. His mom is so sweet and set-up all kinds of snacks for us. The funny thing was most of us fell asleep halfway through since we were all so exhausted.

After the movie, we went back to the house where Jubin's parents were staying. That family cooked us a nice dinner, and we just enjoyed spending time together again. It was a little awkward for me that night, because that was the house I was staying in without Jubin. We were so used to being constantly together that when it was time for her to leave, she forgot and told me to put my shoes and coat on. We hugged and I told her we need to get together before school starts for her again. I went to bed soon after that.

Day 4: Heading home

I tried to find an alarm clock on my cell phone but I couldn't figure it out. I set my I-pod instead but I must have done something wrong because it never went off. Jubin's mom said they wanted to leave at 4:45am and that if they didn't see my light on they would wake me. Well she knocked on my door at 4:40 and I scrambled to get ready. I threw on clothes and was ready by 4:50 but we left the house around 5am. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 for our 6:15 flight. The airport was absolutely packed! We waited forever to check our bags and pass through security. We finished at security around 6:10 and ran to through the airport, to the farthest gate. Jubin's brother and dad were able to run ahead of us and hold the plane, but we were pretty much the last ones to get on. We all had to sit separated, but the main thing was we made it and got home safely.

I called Jubin when I got home and she told me she misses me. I told her the same. I got very used to being an honorary Indian these past few days. I love the closeness of their family and how everyone is pretty much almost related to someone else or knows someone that someone else knows, etc. I made some new friends, and was so happy to be there to support someone who has done so much for me. I got to experience what it feels like to be a race minority for the first time in my whole life, and I think it was a good experience to walk in someone else's shoes. I felt a little out of place at points, but everyone we were with tried so hard to make me comfortable, including Jubin and Jon's families, and all of their friends and families. They mostly spoke English in front of me, warned me everytime we ate which foods might be too spicy, and I was always included in their prayers. I also have a deeper appreciation for the Indian Christian culture. I loved how seriously they take their faith. They pray aloud, as a family multiple times a day. Before a meal they bless the food and the hands that made it, before traveling they ask for journey mercies, and I value the respect the children have for their elders. Someone might question a situation like Jubin's, getting engaged to someone after only a few months. But after this weekend I can understand why it works. Their community is so strong and tight-knit, that if you find someone whose family your family trusts, it will be a good match. They knew enough about each other's families to know that they would work well together. Its hard to understand from an outside perspective, but I think their choices should be respected. They prayed so much about all of it, and their prayers were truly answered from the moment Jubin caught Jonathan's eye. Sure they will have their tough times, like any marriage, but the fact that they have their faith to back them up, I truly believe they will make it through anything. The divorce rate is low if not non-existent in Jubin's community. Some might ask but are they all happy, and I would say yes. I witnessed so many couples, young and old, with so much love and concern for one another this weekend. Because there is a third member in their relationship, God, they really have the strength to make it through anything. They put God first, then one another, and lastly themselves, so I think they may have discovered a formula that works. And in this country where the divorce rate is up around 50% , I think they are doing just fine.

Continued prayers and blessings upon both Jubin and Jonathan, and I am so glad to have had this experience...

Jubin and I on the plane.

The happy couple! Isn't Jubin's sari beautiful!

The honored couple.

Me with the happy couple.

Closer-up

Me and the future bride.
Our close-up.

New friends!

My dinner table.

Look at those smiles!


Jubin's tiarra and all the bobby pins I pulled out of her head after the ceremony! We thought it looked liked a giant spider.

At church the next day.

Back Row- Visamma (Jubin's mom), Jubin, Grace (Jon's mom)
Front Row- George (Jubin's dad), Jonathan, Jon's dad (I don't know how to spell his name :)

Blue Christmas

I am writing this post not for pity, but because I really need to get my feelings out. We are having a really rough December. I can't even begin to explain how hard I was trying to enjoy this Christmas season. I have been trying to count my blessings, despite missing my mom so much this time of year. I have been trying to listen to Christmas music in my car. There are some songs I still can't get myself to listen to, but considering I used to boycott Christmas music entirely, I thought this was a step in the right direction. Even though my family and I have zero desire to decorate, put up a tree, etc I was able to do all that with my students this year. We have a cute little tree, we made stockings, and we are practicing for our version of the nativity for the school Christmas play. We have been doing so much charity work, that my class truly is in the spirit of giving. I really have been trying to be joyous, but we are having a really rough time of it. And I have an internal struggle with myself, where I remind myself of all the good things I have, while remembering all the difficulties others have. And yet...

A few weeks ago we had a lockdown at my school. It was truly one of the scariest moments of my life. A lockdown happens when there is an intruder in the building. I had to quickly hide my students in a corner, close the blinds, and lock the door. I knew it was a real lockdown because I could hear the panic in my principal's voice. She forgot to use the code word, and actually said, "This is a lockdown!" Then, a few minutes later, she returned to the loudspeaker and said, "All the children need to be in a classroom now!" It was so scary, I had kids crying, and one who begged me to "help him not to die, because he didn't want to get shot." I tried to keep everyone calm, and prayed with my students while my own hands were shaking. I really had thoughts in my head of what if this is the end, how do I keep them safe, clearly I have to stand in front of them if someone opens fire, but I am afraid to. So I prayed with them, told them all that I loved them, and that I would do my best to protect them. That seemed to comfort them, but it was such a scary 20 minutes. Ultimately, it turned out to be a custody problem, and fear of a non-custodial parent abducting their own child. But at the time, in that moment, I had no idea what the problem was. It was a very scary situation and I didn't cry until I stepped into my house that afternoon. I've had some nightmares since, and since my reoccuring dream is of myself getting shot, this didn't help any.

Then, I would say that this time of year is really rough on myself, Eric, and my dad. We all seem a little more tense than usual as we all wish that Christmas would just hurry up and pass us by already. Well, the three of us had a fight last Sunday, then we fought again this past Saturday night, and again this Sunday. Our fights have been over such trivial stuff. The thing is we all fully know how short life can be, and that we shouldn't be wasting time fighting over the little stuff. But that tension is there and anytime people live together it's bound to happen. Everyone does it. We are the meanest to the people we love the most because we think they will always be there, so we let our true selves shine through because we know we can get away with it. In our case, Eric's selfishness, my dad's hypocrisy and unbalanced personality, and my nerves which turn into nastiness, create a volitle combination that we tend not to let the outside world see. We go through cycles of where we are fine for awhile, have a fight, promise to try harder, and then it all starts again. Yesterday we all promised to earnestly take each other's feelings into consideration and put one another first. I hope it lasts because fights over raisins and showers does not seem like good enough reason to act the way we do sometimes. And like I said it's not like we don't know better, which makes it even worse, because we should value each other so much more than we do.

Finally, Ashley had been doing so well, up until today. Without going into the gross details, let's just say I found bodily functions from both ends of the body in literally every room of the house. Two trips to the vet later, this has been a horrible evening. She just doesn't seem herself and now she has to be confined to one of the bathrooms because we just finished scrubbing the entire house, and we can't physically or emotionally handle anymore messes tonight. She was doing so well, and things just don't seem good this time. I don't know what is going to happen, but to say my heart is breaking is an understatement. She was doing so well, and I just don't know what happened today. To think she just slept in my bed all night last night, to this is just awful. I pray that God will give us even more time with her, but I wonder at what point do my wishes stopped being granted.

In any event, I just really needed to get my thoughts out because it has been so bad. I don't want to have a pity party, I know I shouldn't, but I think the three of us are just having some feelings of being lost. It is not that my mom being here would change any of these circumstances, but that when things get rough, I see how incapable and weak the three of us really are without her. Everyone from the outside thinks we are all doing so well, but it is hard to see what its really like around here sometimes...

Thankful List

Here is my attempt at a Thankful List. I have a feeling I could go on forever, I have been so blessed...

1. A family that loves me: My dad, Eric, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I could list each one specifically, but that would be a very long list. I am happy to know my grandparents think about us all the time, despite that we live so far away. I love my Aunt Jean and Uncle Tony so much, and all that they have given us. My Aunt Annette who always emails me and takes the time to ask me "How is your day going?" which means so much. Aunt Anna who I love going to visit. We went out for lunch yesterday, and the laughs we shared did us both so much good. And all my other family members who care about me, I appreciate it.

Eric, my dad, and me at Christina's wedding.

My Papa, me, Grandma, and Eric

Uncle Tony

My dad, Aunt Jean, and my mom.

Me and Aunt Anna



Me and Aunt Annette

My Papa, my dad, cousin Wendy, cousin Steven, Aunt Annette, Eric, and Grandma

2. Friends that love me: Kate, Stevi, Joe, Jubin, Jenna, Ripley, Paige, Kathleen, Michelle, Giuseppe, Natalie, Alex, other friends from Admissions, Mandie, Danielle, Melissa, I could go on but these people stand out in my mind as people who always have my back and who make their friendship known.

Jubin and me.

Some of my old co-workers.

Giuseppe after he let us tease his hair.

Me, Ripley, Stevi, and Kate at Stevi's bridal shower.

3. The best next door neighbors anyone could ask for: Ellen, Jimmy, JT, and Mikey who have been kind enough to share their home and their hearts with us for the past 3 Thanksgivings and making us feel like we have somewhere we belong. They have given us so much love and support and it is nice to have people so close by who care about us. We have been neighbors since I was 4 years old and I can't remember my life without them. I know if I ever need anything Ellen will always be there for me. I trust her opinion as much as I trusted my mom's, so that says a lot.

Ellen and me at my graduation party.

4. The fact that I live in the USA! So many people critize this country, but we have so much more than most of the world.

5. My dream job with my wonderful 18 students, a supportive principal who is a leader not an intimidator, and good co-workers. I am thankful for all the children in the world who bring smiles to our faces.

My empty classroom. Sorry I can't put up pictures of my darlings.

6. My house where we live in comfort with electricity, food, warmth, etc.

7. My cat Ashley who is doing so well with her kidney treatments. It's rough bringing her to the vet once to twice a week, but her results have been coming back well and we are so thankful for that. Ashley brings so much joy to our lives.

A new picture of us.

8. My memories of my mom and how my family used to be. Although we can't turn back the clock, I had 19 years of a stable family life. The holidays sure can hurt, but I am really trying to enjoy the holidays, even if I don't always feel completely happy this time of year. It hurts to think about how the holidays used to be, compared to how they are now, but at least I did have a time in my life when holidays were great. Some people never had a nice family to make memories with. So while my 19 years with my family complete were short, it is better than none at all.

My parents one Christmas.

9. My education that helped me reach my goals. I was blessed with a scholarship for school, I have no loans at all, and I am working on my master's degree.

Me, Kate, and Stevi at Graduation

10. My faith which puts my life into perspective. I am so grateful to have God in my life, which gives me hope and support in my daily life. I am so happy that God opened my eyes to my Christian beliefs, because so many people search for answers in this world, and I feel like I have some clarity in regards to life on earth and the afterlife. While I don't claim to know how it all works, I do believe from the depths of my soul that there is a purpose to it all.

I could go on and on, but I just wanted to write something to recall all that I have been given.

Thank you Lord for allowing me to count my blessings this Thanksgiving.

Catch-up

I have been meaning to blog for the past two weeks now, but just haven't had a chance. It's report card time, so that has been keeping really busy. I had to enter all the grades for my 18 students online. Then I decided to take it to the next step and do a write-up on each student. It was totally not a requirement, but I thought parents would appreciate being able to take with them from conferences, something in writing regarding their child's progress. Hopefully its appreciated.

There are three things I want to briefly talk about.

1. Eric's birthday- We had a really nice time. My dad and I got him a Jets jersey that he wanted. I also got him a couple of t-shirts from Old Navy. Ellen, Jimmy, JT, and Mikey came over which is always fun. Eric won $250 on a lottery ticket from JT, which was really exciting. They were also kind enough to invite us for Thanksgiving again this year. Their continued invitation to us on Thanksgiving has really made that holiday a little easier on us. I made Eric an awesome basketball cake if, I do say so myself :) I dyed the cake and the icing. Then I literally, made the little bumps so it would look like a basketball using a straw. Here are some pictures.

2. I went to my first women's group meeting last weekend and I absolutely loved it. I was so inspired by the women I was surrounded by and I think we are going to get so much out of this. We laughed, we cried, and shared a lot of stories. It was the first time some of us were meeting, but we were very comfortable together. Paige is an amazing hostess. Her house is beautifully decorated, she set up this amazing dessert table, and made a bunch of different teas in cute teapots, plus homemade apple cider in her crockpot. Who could ask for more? Look for more on this in the future, after our next meeting.

3. Crochet for a cure exploded after the sale. But in a good way. After my disappointing night of earning just over $200, our current total is at $535 for a donation of $309.50! And its still not over! I have orders I am still filling and I have so much hope for next year and our website which we will be creating. Thanks to everyone who loved and supported us.

That's all for now, I am off to bake some pumpkin cookies!

Girls Weekend in Providence

This weekend Stevi drove the two of us up to Providence to visit Kate. We had loads of laughs during the 8 hours we spent in the car on the ride to and from Rhode Island. We sang at the top of our lungs, talked about everything and anything, and laughed like crazy. We also discovered that Pecan Rolls are big in Pennsylvania, as per our stop at an awesome rest stop called Stucky's. Stucky's had lots of fast food as well as a variety of novelty items. They had a million varieties of Pecan Rolls in a bunch of different sizes. We each had a celebratory bite as we neared Kate's new home, and it tasted pretty good.

It was fun to see Kate in her own place. She seems to be adjusting well to independent life, and I am very happy for her. We explored the city and the 5 level mall. We bought a bunch of stuff at Old Navy, and went to this cool soap store called Lush. They make all these fancy soaps that smells like a lot of different things and that look like cakes. We witnessed a crazy road rage incident while exiting the mall parking garage. There was a woman cursing out some guy who cut her off. She literally jumped up and down, practically jumping inside his car, as she threatened to "F--- him up." Then she told him to stop making a scene because her three kids on the car. It was pretty hysterical, while pathetic at the same time. We went out to dinner at this really cool restaurant, where we each got a 3 course meal for only $18.50. Then at night, we went back to Kate's place and watched a trashy, but funny episode of Rock of Love Charm School. Before drifting off to sleep, Kate told us a hilarious impromptu bedtime story, involving a teddy bear named Buddy. We laughed until we cried as she did her best impression of what a teddy bear would sound like if he could talk.

The next morning, Kate made us homemade waffles which were quite delicious. Then, we parked by the mall again and walked around this pretty river. We also saw a cool 9/11 memorial made with a bunch of tiles decorated by kids. We walked around a little bit more and then Stevi and I hit the road. We had an enjoyable ride home and stopped for some McDonald's. Stevi and I were very tired and eager to sleep in our own beds, so we could get some sleep before the next workday.

Overall, the three of us had oodles of fun and I am very glad we took the trip. It was nice to get away for awhile and hangout together again. I am eager for us to be together again when Kate returns to Long Island for Thanksgiving.

Kate and Stevi at dinner.

Kate in her apartment, wearing a Crochet for a Cure scarf.

Kate's 1980's bike she bought off Craig's List.

A pretty bridge.

Can you find Stevi?

How about now?

Part of the giant 9/11 Memorial.

The Capitol Building.

A closer look at the Capitol.

Finger Prick

Our cat Ashley has been going through some health problems. Ashley is fifteen years old and we have had her since I was about the age that my students are now. I remember so clearly the day that we got our twin cats Ashley and Graycie (Graycie past away from cancer when she was only 9, which is pretty young for a cat). The two cats we had prior had passed away. I was pretty young so it didn't really affect me too much. However, when Graycie passed away we were all devastated. My mom read us a poem "The Rainbow Bridge" about how our pets wait for us in heaven. It was beautiful and I really do believe it.

So Ashley hadn't been feeling too well. Months prior she had eaten a poisonous plant. That was a really scary time for all of us, but she was fine. About two weeks ago, she was very weak and not really eating for a couple of days. Previously, she had seemed fine. She would throw up sometimes, but it was only in the mornings and it seemed to lessen since we started putting her food away overnight. We were all very concerned that she wasn't eating, because normally she loves eating. I came home the day before we took her to the vet with the most expensive tuna fish I could find, something normally irresistible to a cat. At first she wouldn't even look at. I fell to my knees sobbing, and I pleaded with her, telling her she had to eat. Next thing I knew she started to gobble it up! We knew we had to take her to the vet anyway, because she still wasn't herself. She was diagnosed with a slew of problems: anemia, a thyroid problem, a heart murmur, and kidney problems. All of a sudden she had all these troubles. Now she has to take medicine for her thyroid each day. She has a new food that she has to eat because of her kidney problems. The biggest problem is the kidney trouble. She was dehydrated because they are not functioning fully, and basically her condition is not curable. It will only get worse over time (there is no saying how much time it will take) but there is something we can do to help her and make her more comfortable. The vet told us she needs fluid treatments through a needle and portable IV every 3rd day. The vet taught the three of us how to do it, so we wouldn't need to bring her back each time. Basically, she needs to have a needle inserted into the back of her neck, and the fluid has to go down the tube into her.

We tried it last night and we failed miserably. My dad and I tried it together first. I held her down and he inserted the needle. I tried to hold her down but it was so hard. I held her still while he put the needle in, but once the fluid started dripping she jumped and I couldn't hold her as she clawed out of my arms. My dad quickly took the needle out so she wouldn't hurt herself. We decided to wait for Eric to get home to try again. First we had to change the dirty needle, but we had trouble getting it off the IV. Eric tried to pull it off and he pricked himself! My dad flipped out because he thought Eric wasn't being careful enough and he panicked over whether something would happen to him. Honestly, it could have happened to any of us. While my dad was busy freaking out, I quickly washed his finger with antibacterial liquid, and then I put Neosporin and a band-aid on it. We also squeezed out a lot of blood from his finger. Then I called the doctor who said we did the right thing and just to keep an eye on it, to make sure it doesn't swell up from an infection. He said the main thing is that Ashley doesn't have anything contagious. My dad eventually calmed down and so far Eric is fine. But what a disaster! The three of us are so bad at stuff like this. It probably would be hard for anyone to do, but a lot of people do this for their cats at home. In fact, kidney trouble is a major problem for older cats.
We didn't want to have to bring her to the vet for her treatments, but that is what we are going to have to do. She sits still for them because she is petrified, but at least they will be able to do it. It is just too difficult for us to do. So tomorrow she will get her second treatment.

I hope and pray that we will have Ashley for a long time. If and when something does ultimately happen to her, we are all going to be a mess. My dad and my brother don't openly cry too often, but when we found out all her troubles, we all wept for a long time. As we all know, I am really bad with change, especially since my mom passed away. I struggled a lot with changing my closet, getting rid of her car, and getting a new dryer. Ashley is more than a cat to us, she is a family member. She greets each of us at the door each day, follows us all around, and sleeps with us at night. She never misses an opportunity to sit on one of our laps and she sits under the table when we eat. She likes to sit on my yarn or my lap when I crochet. Cats sometimes get a bad rap, but Ashley truly has personality. She makes us all so happy when we come home and see her. She is also a reminder of when our home was a happier place. My mom used to make this cute little voice as Ashley and Graycie's translator. She would talk for them. Ashley and Graycie were always included in all of our birthdays and holidays. Her name was always signed to any cards we have given each other for our birthdays. Overall, she seems to be a lot better for the time being. She actually really likes her prescription food, and she is much livelier, like her usual self. We have all been praying for her constantly and hopefully she will stay well.

My Parents and Ashley

Aren't they cute?


Ashley's Close-up.



Ashley loves to sit with us. This is on my birthday.

Ashley on my bed with one of my elephants.

Ashley and me after a day of student-teaching.

Ashley and the ladybug puppet I had to make for school.


Ashley is only allowed outside if she is sitting with one of us.

Ashley laying down in the screen-house.


Ashley on my bed again with one of my baby blankets.


Us again.

Ashley's 15th Birthday.

Eric and Ashley on her birthday.

Ashley helping me crochet.


Ashley wearing my jacket.


Ashley sitting on the blanket my mom crocheted for her.

Ashley and I on the morning of Christina's wedding rehearsal.

Ashley and I after Stevi and Joe's Wedding.