Our trip to Europe

A year ago in March Jim was given an opportunity to go to Europe. Specifically Italy. There is an Olive Garden in Tuscany somewhere and he spent a week doing some culinary training. He had a blast! They spoiled him rotten. I was able to join him the following week and we went from Italy to Switzerland to Germany to Austria and back to Italy... in 8 days. NOT RECOMMENDED! Take your time! I would love to endulge in the details of my part of the trip, but there isn't enough computer space to tell of my nightmarish adventure. But, to give those of you who haven't already heard about it a taste, I sat on an airplane on the tarmat for 11 hours at JFK and then they ended up cancelling the flight. This was after my flight has been delayed or cancelled at least twice. They lost my luggage and Jim put the wrong gas in our rental car my first day there. (yes.. that means we killed the car and had to pay to fix it) But all in all, there were some great things too. Our favoite place was Fussen, Germany. We visited the castles and it had snowed 36 inches while we were there. It was so pretty. We hope to someday take the kids back there. I also really liked the Trevi fountain in Rome. To realize how old those places are. They were around when Christ was on the earth. It's an intersting feeling.

Well, I guess it's time to get back to reality. Only... what if I don't like my new reality. There is definately a different feel to each day. My dad was a bright light in my life and I will miss the short but sweet phone calls to just say hi! I have to find a way back to my personality.

The will of the Lord

I have sat here at my computer for the last 20 minutes trying to figure out my next post. So, I'm going to just start writing. Two weeks ago tonight I started this blogging thing and was very excited to spend all day Monday putting it together, but that didn't happen and it has sat the same way for two weeks.

That same Sunday night as I worked on my blog, my dad started to not feel good and by morning he had passed away. When my mom called to let me know... as the tears streamed down my face, I actually asked her if she was joking. How dumb is that? As if it is something anyone would joke about, but I didn't know what else to say. After I got off the phone with her, I sat numb on the floor and then called my husband at work. As soon as I heard his voice, I lossed it. All I could say was... "He's dead. My daddy's dead." Jim was home within about 20 minutes and had me on a plane to California that afternoon.

When I got to California that night and we gathered as a family, there was an overwelming sense of unity and love. There were phone calls and flowers coming from everywhere. We talked a lot about the will of the Lord and how we know that Heavenly Father needed dad for something greater. My dad always said that he wanted to work really hard up to the end of his life, go out of this world with his hair on fire and in his sleep. He did ALL of that. He was only 57 and he promised he was going to live forever. I sooo did not see this coming. I did okay for the time I was in California, but being back home has been a challenge. I have had a hard time being away from my mom, brothers and sister. I can't seem to get my emotions is check and I feel very useless from so far away. Someone will say hello to me and I start to cry. My dad's brother called me tonigt and said that he was just checking up on me. He knew that my dad would often call "just to check up on me."

I haven't wanted to leave my house much and when I finally ventured to Walmart for groceries, I found myself starring at something on the shelf for several minutes before realizing I wasn't anywhere near what I was looking for.

My mom has been Super Woman strong and I hope to someday be half of what she is. My parents have taught us to walk with "Faith in Every Footstep". To put the will of the Lord before our own, to walk a little ways into the darkess and the light will come. I'm very grateful for the Gospel and the plan of Salvation. It doesn't make the shock or pain any less real, but it does give us comfort. (If we let it) My heart hurts and my "hay fever" is out of control, but I know that if I will go to the Lord, he will help me.

Sorry this is so long and you will probably hear a lot more about my dad. For now... good night.

Look whose blogging now!

To all those of you who I said I would never do this... I appologize. I don't have time for ONE more thing, but apparantly I just made time. My friend Camille has trying to convince me that I need to blog, so she came and set it up so I would'nt have any more excuses. I am now a member of the blogging community. I'm a little worried about how obsessed I could become with this. At the moment I'm eating a bowl of cereal, watching Footloose and writing this post. Hopefully somewhere in here I can throw in some laundry and a wash the dishes. If not... well, I have a problem.

Since I actually just admitted to watching Footloose, let's talk about what a goofey movie it is. Don't get me wrong, it's a classic. But it's seriously goofey!