Sweet Saturdays

It's Saturday morning and we are quietly working at the computers, playing Wii and in Ryan's case...still snoozing...the life of a highschool senior.
Today we will run errands and hopefully go see our friends compete in a swim meet as well. The Miller kids all joined a swim club here in Abu Dhabi and this is their first meet of the season. Debbie told us that it is run very differently than back in Colorado(no surprise there) ...certainly an experience for her kids. I'm looking forward to watching it today.
Jeff and Mary Kenney invited us to their home for Thanksgiving on Thursday. We are looking forward to it. Although Ryan does have the day off from school, for Mike it is a workday. We have been scouring the stores for Thanksgiving items....still on the hunt for green beans for the casserole..:) and we probably need some more Stove Top stuffing. My sister would cringe but as she is not here to make her delicious stuffing...this will have to do. :) Neither Mary nor I claim to be Martha Stewart...good food, lots of it...and hey! We call it a day.
In less than two weeks we are heading to Sofia, Bulgaria to visit the Ford family. Affectionately known as the Hildefords..or Fordebrands..depends on which set of kids you ask. We are extremely excited to see them. Mike is whining a bit about the cold but the rest of us are hoping for lots of snow!!!!(One of the sheikhs must be looking at something..his helicopter keeps circling around our building. It always makes me think of that movie, Red Dawn..yeesh.)
Then, after we get back from the Fords... Russell will be coming....Yay!!
Not a whole lot to report today. Time to do our errands. Maybe grab some coffee at Starbucks. God Bless you and yours this Thanksgiving.
Mattie

Miss You...

Periodically, over the past week, I've struggled with mom and dad's deaths. Today is the one year anniversary of daddy dying and also this week, a year ago, was the last time I saw my mom. If I don't think too long about it..I'm fine. But when I stop and see Momma waving goodbye from the Luby's where we had that last Thanksgiving dinner...her favorite holiday, then it's hard. I've had more dreams lately, too. I still see daddy's face, when I was leaving after seeing them to say goodbye, before moving here. I know he knew it was our final goobye..I just know it. But I wouldn't go there...just couldn't. I really had no idea that last year was my final goodbye to mom.... Sometimes it is so stinkin' hard. You know? I thought maybe I would mark this day in some way...like sit at the beach and cry or something. Daddy loved the water and instilled that same love in each of us, but I didn't go today. Maybe another day...but not today. I'm glad the first year is over. The first birthday, and Christmas, and the kids birthdays and so on. Glad that's over. I guess I'll never know if the the hardest stuff last year was grief, culture shock or what...or both...both, I suppose.
This year has been much better....Thank the Lord. Good news coming from the States like new babies as well as a newly engaged nephew. That's nice. Makes me smile. And it's nice that we get to go see the Fords in December...and our friendships here continue to deepen. Yes. It is all good.
Just some days are hard..some days I want to tell them something...hear them laugh or say, "Hi honey."... "I love you, Matt." "How are the kids?" "Have you heard from your sister?" "We're watching JAG..." "Got a letter from your Aunt Sally. The kids are doing well." "Miss you sweetheart."
Me too...