Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24

Believing that every day is a gift from the Lord, I hate the feeling that I may in any way be wasting one minute of one of those days. The new reality of my life, however, has in fact made me re-assess the way I define "wasting" a day.

In the very recent past, I was the kind of person who wouldn't stop, wouldn't slow down. I wanted to see, do, experience anything and everything I could. I loved to work and was blessed with an incredible job. For me, it has never been a problem to work a lot of hours - not because I had to, but because I wanted to. And this drive didn't slow down the personal aspects of my life either. I loved being involved with my girls', going to their activities - hockey games, concerts, etc. Girls' trips with Kim, camping, hiking, you name it. To maximize the hours in my day, I would leave my house at 4:30 am, beat the traffic and go to the gym for at least an hour each day, and then head into the office, often being on the run throughout the day and not getting home until it past dark. Oftentimes, I would take classes at night. I thrived on this type of schedule.

People would ask me how it was I accomplished so much, and I casually joked that was because God only built me to require half the sleep of normal people. Four hours and I was good to go. But even when I would joke about that, deep down I would always remind myself to be thankful for that gift - enjoy that extra productivity I was able to enjoy.

And then that all changed a little over a year ago. I wanted to deny it, pretend nothing was wrong, find an excuse for how tired I was, but it eventually got the better of me. Fatigue, joint pain, cognitive changes - my new reality. It has taken me months to accept it and sometimes I still struggle with accepting it.

I could say that last week was a very hard week, but instead I think about all of the great things that came out of it. I was able to do something I am very passionate about and I loved every minute of it. Instead of 14 to 18 hours of activity, however, it seems my body will only give me 8 or 9 hours and for those 8 or 9, I need at least 16 to 18 to recover. And there's a cumulative toll. I've heard that you can't catch up on sleep, but it seems that my body has pretty much proven that false. Having said that, I will still say it was a GREAT week!

I had a plan for today - clean my house, get my laundry done that had been neglected all week, get my floors washed (yes, still haven't been done since the luau), but a few minutes on my feet and I was wiped out. I was forced onto the couch, seemingly recuperating from the week's activities. I'm hoping tomorrow is a productive day and I'm able to get everything done before heading to the airport to pick up D.

This new reality is sometimes hard, definitely frustrating, and I often feel guilty that I'm not doing things I need to or used to be able to do for my loved ones. But then I recite Psalm 118:24. I rejoice in the day that God has made. I thank Him for all that I have and all that I can do and experience. I am so blessed with my absolutely amazing husband, my daughters, and a career that allows me to meet wonderful people. I know the Lord has big plans for me and He will give me no more crosses than I can bear. When it gets difficult to accept this new reality, I think of Psalm 118:24 and I am glad in this day!

The Blessing of Family and Friends

I am truly blessed. Although I don't ever think of myself as having a large number of friends, thre is no lack of quality in those individuals that I do count as friends. Yesterday we celebrated Brandy's graduation and her send-off to the Navy at our 2nd annual family luau. Over fifty people stopped by to enjoy authentic luau food, good drinks, and great company. Earlier in the morning, as I was working on cleaning the backyard, cooking the food, cleaning the house, and seemingly all alone, I was discouraged and probably more than a little cranky. However, by mid-morning the girls were pitching in, and before we knew it, people started arriving for the party.

The caliber and quality of our friends is unmistakeable. Although I consider myself to be a "bad friend" there are connections made with these people, mostly met through my work or through hockey, that are undeniable. I know that if one of them ever needed anything, I would be there for them and vice versa. It was so awesome to have kids at the house, playing games, playing in the pool. And I count kids of all ages - brand new little ones, toddlers, up through the hockey kids. It always makes me realize just how fast the girls' childhoods have gone. A blink of an eye, and they are all grown up. It's hard not to have a heavy heart thinking about them moving from this phase of their life, to start their own adult lives.

Although I ended the day thoroughly exhausted, it was a good exhaustion. Ready to start planning next year's luau!

A Day of Opportunities

One of my favorite movie scenes comes from Evan Almighty. Evan has been chosen by God to re-enact the role of Noah. His family, watching this role take over his life and potentially ruin his job, is at a loss. Frustrated and fearful, his wife packs up the kids and leaves town. On the road, they stop by a restaurant and God appears to them as their server. God said to her:
"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other? "

Since seeing that movie, I choose to think of everything in our life as an opportunity. We have a choice on how we react and what we make of it, but either way, it's an opportunity. So today is very much a day of opportunity. I could get stressed and discouraged by everything that is on my shoulders today or be encouraged by how much opportunity I have! (I'm really trying to go the "encouraged" route)

Brandy's going-away luau is day after tomorrow and I still have all of the cleaning and shopping and cooking to do for that. I want to make the day very special for her! It's going to be a little tougher because D won't be here and he's my main support, but I'll hold it together!

I have a number of school assignments due for class tonight and a lot of prep work for my class next week. All things I can get done with some time to focus.

Biggest frustration is the ability to coordinate with the doctors. I'm at a total standstill with my treatment as the wait to get into the specialists is two to three months out. I am anxious to return to work and it's obvious that I will have to return without any medical resolution. Back to this being an opportunity - I have taken control of my health and my life - trying to eat healthy, get lots of rest, take walks or do yoga when I can.

So my first instint upon waking up this morning was to be completely stressed and overwhelmed, but I'm trying to focus on this being just lots of opportunities crammed into one day!

Leaving Cancun

Well, all in all, I would still say it was a great trip, despite the fact that the last two days were spent in our hotel room. D's come down with a heck of sore throat/virus but seems to be feelinga little better today. Our flight leaves Cancun at 4:14, with a noon time check-out. Should work out pretty well. I'm really hoping that the flight home is better than the flight over and we can get some rest on the flight.

I'm ready to be home, see my girls and my puppies. Sleep in my own bed.

The Wuppies

People often ask how it is we came to have four dogs - and it's such a great story! Given that I am miles away from them right now and missing them terribly, I will give you the inside scoop.

Baxter came to us through special order. At the time, Brooke was showing signs of allergies and I wanted a hypoallergenic dog. After searching on the Internet, I found a Malte-Poo breeder in Texas. I fell in love with the pictures of the little white hairballs and a few days later, Baxter arrived at Sky Harbor Airport. Seriously, he had to be the cutest puppy ever - just this tiny little ball of fur. Like other pedigree or highly bred dogs, Baxter's definitely had his share of problems, not the least of which were two hernia surgeries. But he's a tough little guy and after being with us for eight years, he's definitely the alpha dog in the house, despite his tiny size.

Bangara's story is extra-special and one many people know. However, I could tell it over and over again. I hope that one day I'm truly able to capture the miracle of his life in a book or a screenplay (don't you think it would make a great Disney movie?).

One of the warnings we received prior to leaving for India, was to stay away from the dogs. They would be everywhere and they had a tendency to move in packs and not only carry disease, but could also attack. However, nothing prepared me for what I was about to encounter.

If you have ever visited a foreign country, you may have seen a stray dog here or there, wandering around. In Bangalore, the only thing more plentiful than the dogs are the people. Dogs are everywhere you look, some thin, some deformed, all beautiful. For the first few days, I did pretty good at avoiding them, but the third night I saw Bangara. He was injured and sick and I couldn't walk away from him. We had an instant bond, instant trust. I have a picture from that very first night where he came up to me on the sidewalk and just collapsed onto his back in front of me, letting me pet him. That night I decided I wanted to try and rescue him and bring him back to the US. It's a long story, and one I never thought would necessarily have a happy ending, but he's here with us, living the life of luxury in Arizona! For a wild street dog, he is very clean, never had an accident in the house, and is completely loyal to his family. He is the protector of the family and the other dogs and I am so happy I was able to get him home where he belongs.

And then there's the newest members of the family, with stories no less special than Bangara's. Brooke and I were volunteering for Foothills Animal Rescue and working at their adoption events. I was also on the list to foster, if necessary, but had let them know I was only able to accept puppies or kittens due to my uncertainty how Bangara would take to a new animal coming in. I received a call on a Wednesday in mid-January that there were two puppies needing a foster home. They were both under the four pound weight threshold to be spayed/neutered and as such, had been placed on the euthanize list. They were a brother and sister, golden retriever mix. Honestly, as much as my heart wanted to help these little babies, I was a bit apprehensive about D's reaction to bringing two more dogs into the house. Once I received his ok to pick them up, I excitedly went to the pound in South Phoenix.

Walking in, I was dismayed to see the many animals sitting with their owners waiting to be turned in. I knew that in reality many of these animals would never be adopted and they would end up destroyed, like the thousands of others each year. I wanted to smack the owners, but knew I couldn't say or do anything. They brought me into the back to see the little ones I was there to pick up. Both of them were still in with their mama, a tiny, thin, scared, and sickly looking golden retriever mix. She had been an owner turn-in, and like many of the dogs in the waiting room, I doubted she would ever be adopted. My heart broke and I wanted so badly to take her too, but I knew I couldn't. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this? But then they placed these two tiny pups in my hand, gave me some papers, and walked me out. I was in love.

A brother and sister, both little balls of fur, each acting like their sex. The boy, who would be named Rocky, was sturdy and tough, wanting to explore and get off my lap. Every so often, he would let out an oh-so-scary bark. His sister, Sierra, on the other hand, just lay quietly in my lap, looking up at me every once in awhile, seemingly more bothered by the trip the anything. She was covered with ticks, but other than that, looked healthy. I stopped at PetsMart with them to pick up a few necessities and had to keep people from touching and holding them. I quickly fell into protective mama mode.

I shouldn't have been worried about D's reaction to the babies. The first thing he said? "Do you want to live with us forever??" (said in a baby voice). I continued to insist to D and to the girls that this was a temporary foster arrangement. We would have them until they had gained enough weight to be spayed/neutered and placed for adoption. Two days passed and we were getting them into a routine, when I received another call. A pup needed to be rescued from the euthanasia list. While he met the weight requirement, he was very sick and could not be put out for adoption. At first we refused, worrying about the virus and getting the other pups sick, but it tore at my heart all day and I just had to call at the end of the day to be sure he found a home. He didn't. I was on my way to the pound to pick up my third puppy in three days.

Out back once again, and this time they placed a heavy, but very sick dog in my arms. He had green discharge coming from his nose, was congested, and appeared to be very dehydrated. He was so sick that he didn't even react to the fact that we were carrying him away from the pound and putting him in our car. Unlike Sierra and Rocky, our boy Sampson was found on the streets with his litter. Brooke had carrier duties in the car and that ended up being the worst seat to have. Half way home he started vomiting and didn't seem to stop until we got there. After a quick bath to get off the first level of dirt, I wrapped him in a towel and he slept on my chest without moving. We decided it was best to keep him separated from the other puppies because of the infection, but after a few nights of constant crying, we gave in and he joined Rocky and Sierra in the guest bathroom.

The first week was so sad. His nasal congestion was so bad, he could barely breath. We gave him antibiotics and IV fluids, but his recovery proved slow. After awhile we started to see his personality emerge and before long, he became one of the pack.

The time came for us to get them spayed and neutered and put them out for adoption. The thought of them leaving was heart-breaking. Rocky had fallen in love with my friend Jeannie and she was looking for a puppy, so it was an easy choice to let him go with her. But Sierra had become my little girl with crazy ears and Sampson had shown some nervous/aggressive behaviors with children and strangers. We just couldn't part with them, right?

And that's how we came to have our four babies....

Ending our trip on a high note!

I guess if you have to be sick, better to be feeling like crap in paradise, right? The sunburn on my lower lip is like nothing I have every experienced (and hopefully never will again). The blisters are starting to come to the surface and if I eat or drink they start to bleed. A stupid move? Try brushing your teeth with baking soda and peroxide toothpaste. PAIN! So no sleep or anything else for me. I'm totally embarrassed to even walk outside and have people see me, it's that bad.

And then my poor D. He came down with a wicked sore throat last night. For those of you who know him, he has a hard time with sore throats. So he's totally miserable and having difficulty sleeping.

Luckily, I brought my little emergency kit. My emu lip treatment (you too, can have some: www.sweetbodyspa.com) has been the biggest lifesaver for my lips. And I did bring some Aleve sinus and cold medication and some big ibuprofens which D's been taken.

So I'm not sure what the day holds for us... We will probably hang out in bed again for most of the day. At least it gives me a great opportunity to get caught up on my school work and prep for my other class. I wish the TV had a little bit more to offer, but we can always watch movies on D's laptop.

The Worst Place for a Sunburn!

Sunday, day five at the resort, and the original plan was for me to head over to the spa for a massage mid-morning. However, after a relatively exhausting day the day before, we ended up just sleeping in, well past the time of my spa appointment. We opted for a day at the pool instead. Our slight sunburns seemed healed and with no tours scheduled, it seemed like the perfect way to spend our day. The pool over at the Sunrise section of the hotel is absolutely incredible. Winding through the resort, the pool is huge with bridges crossing over the various sections. We found a spot that seemed relatively quiet yet in close proximity to one of the swim-up bars.

We ended up talking with another couple and it was crazy how much we had in common. As we talked about our kids, in-laws, houses and work, the time just slipped by. Of course, that was probably helped along by the mai tais (I think maybe six or seven?!). We finally started realizing that we'd probably had a bit too much sun and decided it was time to head back to the room. A bit too much sun proved to be an understatement. As many bad sunburns as I've had, this one tops them all. The worst place? My bottom lip, of all places. It's blistered and so sore. Not to mention completely swollen. What a downer on our trip.

So today has been spent holed up in the room, far away from any touch of sun. We've kept ourselves busy with work and watching movies, but unfortunately had to miss our trip to Chichen Itza. :-(

Isla Mujeres

Our day four adventure brought us to the beautiful Isla Mujeres - meaning Island of Women. This tiny island off the coast of Mexico brags beautiful white sand beaches, upscale resorts, and a quaint little town more reminiscent of the Caribbean than of Mexico. At this point, our Spanish is definitely improving and we have found it relatively easy to communicate with and understand the people we encounter.

After a short bus trip to the marina, we spent some time playing in the early morning sun, enjoying the soft sand of the beach and snapping pictures of three lazy pelicans while waiting for the boat to Isla Mujeres. Once the boat arrived, we all got on-board. I found the hazy sun and rolling waves rocking the boat to be almost intoxicating. I feel bad for those who get sea sick and are bothered by being on the ocean. To me, it's absolutely incredible.

Our crew on the boat was awesome! They kept it fun and entertaining, playing great music, singing, and making most everyone laugh. Devin and I had a great time and enjoyed their antics. I looked around and was shocked to see some people just completely unengaged. You're on vacation, have some fun!! The dj dedicated a song to the trip and everyone laughed when they recognized the titanic theme song. He grabbed an elderly lady out of the front row and brought her to the bow of the boat, telling her she was his Rose. He got behind and held out her arms, re-enacting the famous scene from the movie. Absolutely hilarious!

We were offered some different tour options once we arrived on the island and D and I were both excited when we found out we could go scuba diving - even though neither of us are certified. Ok, truth be told I was totally excited and D was partially excited, partially apprehensive. Arriving in Isla Mujeres, we were struck by the beautiful resort and the amazing turquoise blue water. It was breath-taking. And for a weather forecast that had predicted lots of rain and thunderstorms, the sky was totally clear.

After a brief lesson on the basics of scuba diving, we jumped aboard a boat with three other people - two of whom were certified scuba divers. Devin and I caught on pretty quickly to everything, however, the third lady didn't seem to be quite as adept. With all of gear, we take off and head out to the reef. Everyone got their jackets and tanks on, flippers set, masks on. And next thing you now, we were all going off the side of the backwards, one after the other. I was last and I couldn't wait. The weight belt seemed to weigh 100 pounds, but other than that, I felt pretty comfortable in the equipment. Then with a splash, I was in the water. Our guide pulled me under and put my hands on the buoy rope, indicating the way down. I could see Devin below me, already at the bottom of the rope. As we descended down the rope, my left ear wouldn't pop. I would be forced to stop every few feet and try to equalize the pressure, but as I hard as I tried, it didn't seem to work. I had a choice, deal with the pain and get to the bottom or go back to the top. I wouldn't have cared if my eardrum ruptured! This was a once in a lifetime and nothing was going to stop me.

Once I got down to the bottom and I could finally focus on what was around me, I was hooked. Schools of fish swam peacefully by, not bothered by our presence. The underwater silence that came with snorkeling was definitely not there, but rather in contrast, the only sound was my own rhythmic breathing, in and out. It was loud, but not overly distracting. I tried to take in every sight, every image, every fish, every plant - from the tiniest bright blue fish swimming between the rocks to the large schools with brilliant colors. At one point, we were lead through a narrow passage between these large rocks. I wanted to stay down there forever - it was absolutely incredible. But before we knew it, our guide was pointing up, letting us know that it was time to get back in the boat.

I emerged from the water with a slight bloody nose, the left over effect from my ear not popping. Other than that, we were excited, proud, and anxious to do it again! D and I both decided then and there that we wanted to get certified and that scuba diving must be a part of all of our future vacations. I was so pumped up that when we walked past the pen with the shark, I just had to jump in and touch it. Dragging D behind me, we walked down the steps and into the water where the guy was holding a 6' nurse shark. I thought the shark was going to feel like a dolphin, but it was much more like the skin of an iguana. So cool!

After our dive and our visit with the shark, we ate lunch and spent some time hanging out in the pool at the resort. The last stop on the tour was a visit to the little town at the end of the island. We walked around, stopping at the Silver Palace, the store that our guide recommended. Devin bought me a beautiful silver necklace and earrings with blue topaz. I love them! We wandered through the town, but between the heat and the events of the morning, we were pretty much wiped out. After looking in a few souvenir shops, we decided to spend the rest of our time in one of the little open-air restaurants. Despite the fact that we were outside, a cold drink and the shade made all of the difference. From our seats, we watched the people go by, many of them in golf carts. It seemed to be about a 50/50 mix of tourists and native, most people seemingly not bothered by the heat or the humidity.

More From Cancun - the Jungle Tour (minus the Jungle)

After getting settled in to our room, we spent the first day exploring the grounds and yes, listening to the sales pitch in exchange for credits at the spa and for tours. It is actually a pretty good deal, in that you can reserve weeks in advance and as incentives the company throws in some extra free weeks. There is no doubt you end up saving money with the deal. We almost caved in but then the impending purchase of our new home continued to ground us in reality. I was so proud of us! We were able to walk away without purchasing the vacation package!!

Our first tour was the "Jungle Tour", although there wasn't really any jungle involved in it! We jumped on a bus to head to the hotel zone and from there we all had our own 2-seater speed-boat. The tour took us through the Mangrove channels and out into the ocean all the way down past our hotel. Probably about a mile offshore (I'm horrible at distances) we tied the boats together and went snorkeling. Having snorkeled in Hawaii, I was excited to be returning to the cool, peaceful feeling of being surrounded by the beautiful water and interesting fish.

Our guide was excellent and brought up a spider starfish for us to hold and a large conch shell. Devin was the first to spot a large stingray buried beneath a thin veil of sand. Being Devin, he dove down to get a close-up look. I was just slightly unnerved remembering the fate of Steve Irwin not too long ago. But the ray seemed completely oblivious if not slightly annoyed by his presence. I got distracted, probably a little too easily, by a barracuda-looking fish and ended up becoming separated from the rest of our group. There's nothing more unsettling than looking for your group amidst a dozen or more snorkelers, all looking remarkeably similar. Thankfully our guide was keeping a close eye and when he realized I had become separated from the group, he quickly waved me over.

The water was much warmer than Hawaii and I could have stayed in the water for hours. But before long, we were being lead back to our boats. Devin had fun going through the mangrove channels, trying to go as fast as he could around the corners. Our guide, an older gentleman, must have sensed his desire and allowed us a little play time, speeding around and circles across the bay. Back on shore, we thanked our guide with the appropriate gratuity and met up with the other hotel guests to make our way back to the hotel. As we were waiting for the other guests, I kept myself amused with the multiple iguanas roaming the property. (I wonder how easy it would be smuggle an iguana through customs?)

Our Trip to Cancun - the Beginning

Greetings from Cancun!
Devin and I are on our first vacation as a married couple, just a few weeks shy of our first anniversary. Given the passion we both share for traveling, we are committed to documenting our trips and sharing that information with our family and friends. Not only are we planning to journal online, in order to capture the events as they happen, we are also going to hang a map of the world in our new house and identify all of the place we have visited.

We are four days into our first trip to Cancun and absolutely loving it! With everything that we've had going on over the past few month, we hadn't exactly put a lot of thought or energy into our upcoming trip. We did manage to check the weather once and awhile and were a tad disappointed to see that it was going to be rainy and thunderstorms throughout the entire trip. Although, coming from AZ, rain is not necessarily a bad thing!

Prior to leaving, we had so much stuff to do that we decided to pull an all-nighter. Well, not exactly "decided", it's just how it worked out! Although D did manage to get an hour and a half sleep before we left. My plan was simple - just sleep on the four hour flight from Phoenix to Cancun. Didn't quite end up working out the way I had planned, though. I've been completely spoiled flying United and getting my automatic upgrade to Economy Plus. Because we had no choice when we booked this trip, we got stuck on US Airways (aka America Worst / Welfare Bus of the Sky). I can't imagine how some travelers handle it. I'm all of 5'2", 120 pounds and I feel completely suffocated. There is no room between the seats and it doesn't help the situation that the majority of people are completely off in their own little world with no regard to anyone around them. Because this is not a venting blog, I won't go into detail here, but suffice to say somebody wanted one of our seats (rather, just assumed they could have one), the woman in front of me kept her seat reclined into my lap the entire trip, and then her kid spilled iced coffee all over my feet and D's backpack (and no, she didn't even attempt to apologize to us). So no sleep on the trip.

We arrived to cloudy skies in Cancun and had a bit of a time figuring out transportation. We were looking for just plain old ordinary taxis, but they only had private taxis at the airport. Despite the high cost ($45+ tip) we jumped in and headed to the hotel. The cabbie was very friendly and was asking us how much Spanish we spoke (paquito - LOL). Much better than a cab ride you would get in the US! The 10 minute ride to the hotel was relatively uneventful and gave us an opportunity to check out the local landscape. Similar to Costa Rica, the terrain was flat with somewhat tropical vegatation. While the majority of the businesses and signs gave us no doubt that we were in Mexico, US businesses were also quite common: McDonalds, 7-Eleven, etc.Our reservations were for Moon Palace, however, there are two parts to the hotel: Nizuc and Sunrise and I had no idea which one we were in, but our cabbie figured it out pretty quickly and dropped us off at the Nizuc lobby.

The hotel was beautiful and everyone was incredibly friendly. Check-in was in a conference room and despite the wait, it was an enjoyable experience, thanks to friendly people and free drinks! Definitely a thumbs-up for the all-inclusive concept - it was so nice to just order a drink and not think about the cost! Despite the wait for our room, we enjoyed the time to sit and relax, talk with the hotel staff, and people watch while sipping on our tropical drinks. There was a family in from New York with a wedding and they were an interesting cast of characters. The grandfather would be walking the bride down the aisle and he was well into his 90s - absolutely adorable. The mother was a wreck trying to keep everyone and everything organized. And the groom was more focused on the fact that the waiter brought him pina coladas instead of the drinks he ordered (again, remember, these are the free drinks they are handing out in the registration room.)We asked for an upgrade on our room to ocean-view (I read that's what you were supposed to do!) and we were able to move up to the 2nd floor from the first. Not a big upgrade, but definitely still better.

The resort grounds were absolutely beautiful and huge. Green grass, palm trees, water features, bridges, gazebos, beautifully groomed walking baths, and most notably, everything was immaculate. No trash anywhere, everything landscaped perfectly. Our room was fabulous! Marble tile floors, flat-screen tv (although the stations are somewhat limited), and the centerpiece of the room was a HUGE jacuzzi tub in the center of the room. The wall facing the ocean was all glass - with a nice little patio. Our view? Well, technically it would be considered an ocean-view, however, there is a big coconut palm trip right outside of our patio! But it's still nice and if you shift around you can see ocean through the palm leaves!

Inspired by Brooke

Over the past few years I have utilized an on-line journal to capture special or extraordinary events, such as my extended visit to India. However, I have come to realize that every day is made up of special and extraordinary events worthy of being captured, shared, and remembered. I was just considering this when my amazing sister-in-law sent me an email that she had her blog now online. So my thanks to Brooke for giving me the nudge that I needed!

I look back on my life and recognize that it's been made up of a series of events and chapters, twists and turns. But yet, one of the most remarkable chapters is coming to a close with a new one about to begin. For my entire adult life, I have been a mother. It has defined me, driven me, and been my reason for always seeking a better life. Until the day I die, I will be a mother, yet it is remarkable to me that within a relatively short period of time that role will be significantly reduced. My girls are all moving on to their new lives and as I set them off on their own paths, I pray that I have done everything I can to equip them to have happy and successful lives.

Brandy will be leaving in three weeks for the Navy. This is something we have been preparing for (well, she has more than I have!) since October 31, 2007. At the time, a July deployment seemed so far away and suddenly it's here. I have complete faith in her and I have a profound belief in her ability to be successful in whatever it is she pursues. She understands the commitment she is making to her country and also has a maturity beyond her years about the seriousness of that commitment. Her life for her country.

Brooke, forging her own path, has also enlisted in the Navy as of last week, pursuing a career in Nuke. To think of my baby leaving home within the next year is practically inconceivable. But as with her sister, I have complete faith and trust in her capabilities and her strength.

Brittany is pausing to take stake of her life and determine the path that she needs to take. With a beautiful heart and a compassion for people, I pray that she considers her God-given gifts and passion when choosing her career path. No matter what her choice will be, we will be here to support and love her.

So here it starts, a peek at the crazy life we lead, the changes that are coming, and the discoveries we make along the way.