Coming along...

So the apartment is coming along slowly but surely! We have our table and chairs, sofa, tv, and bed set up. We are just waiting on our mattress to come in next week and the bedroom will be almost complete! The house still looks naked, but it's going to have to for a while because it's just so hard to furnish all at once! We did find some super cheap curtains at Big Lots and we opened them up and they actually came from Target! Heck yea! Of course, with the good comes the bad...turns out our new microwave's leg is bent and it wobbles. But leave it to my handy man to give it a temporary fix by cardboard! And trust me, we have a LOT of cardboard! We have a pile sitting by the trash can of nothing but cardboard boxes that our things have come out of! Which is a blessing to see how much stuff we have accumulated already from our family and friends! We still don't have a garbage can to take out to the road...since Monroe Utilities won't drop it by! Grr. We also do not have an ice maker, so I'm proud to say that we are living in the stone age with ice trays. But at least we have working appliances. We still do not have our washer and dryer, and we may end up having to go buy one. But things are coming together, and it's all in God's hands!

Maw Maw came home from Heritage Eastside Tuesday back to Park Place. I'm not quite sure if it was a good transition as change really sets her off and causes her to have worse days than normal. Paw Paw always looks hopeful that she will be having a good day, but it's so hard to see him when she is not. I wish she would get better and I hate the dementia does this to people....such suffering. I have faith in God that He will take her up when He is ready. I'm sure she still has something left here on earth to complete.

Emotions

There are so many emotions going on in my head right now. Not only are Chris and I trying to move some of our stuff into our apartment, but today and tomorrow there will be memorials for Joseph. It still doesn't seem real. He was such an inspiration to those around him and had such a presence about him. His body will be brought through Monroe this afternoon between 4 and 5, but I will not be able to attend because we have to pick up that blasted washer and dryer in Morrow. I'm not complaining, but timing is horrible! At least mom and I will be able to go to visitation tomorrow during our lunch.

Also, I meant to update this weekend, but Maw Maw looked pitiful Friday when we went to go see her. She definitely didn't look like herself. She had given herself a black eye on one eye, and cut her other one with a tray that her food was on. I just cannot believe how much she has changed within the last 3 weeks. She went from a normal functioning, bathing, feeding herself person, to someone that cannot comprehend her surroundings. It's the most heartbreaking thing I believe I have ever seen. I try my best to not question God and His plan, but why allow her to suffer like this? She has peace with herself and I have no doubt where she is going. I can't question, just trust that He knows the right timing for all of us.

As I mentioned before, Chris and I get our keys to our apartment today and will start moving things in little by little. Chris will move in once we get our bed and then I will move in once we get married. It's stressful, but I wouldn't rather have it any other way!

Back and Forth

So, yea, I'm wishy washy. We both are. So many things have been going on at once, but we have decided to wait and get married October 30th. Some of you may know that we were considering just getting married one night at the church in the coming weeks by our preacher with our parents there, but we have decided against it. We want to share it with our closest family and friends and we want it to be memorable. We don't want to regret not having those that are most important to us there. So, therefore, it's still going to be a very small wedding (we're talking less than 100 people), but it's still going to be how we like it. That is our final decison and we are sticking to it! Chris is going to live in the apartment by himself and with Jaxon until we get hitched, then I will move in. Yay! Only 50 days!

On a sad note, the world has lost a wonderful man: 1st Lt. Joseph Helton. He was killed in Iraq when his vehicle ran over a roadside bomb. I graduated with him and he will be greatly missed. I still can't believe that he is no longer here. He had such a presence when you were in the same room with him. Rest in peace, Joseph.

Holy blessings from God! I'm trying to put Him first in our money situation. This is something that I am struggling with right now. I am trying to find peace with it.

Decisions, decision...

Why has it been so hard to make decisions lately? It just seems like our life has been nothing but a whirl-wind of feelings and emotions. From finding our apartment to thinking about Maw Maw, it has been hard! Chris and I did a personality test with our preacher last week at our pre-marital session. We had to mark 1-4 in a group of adjectives that best described ourselves. In one of the group of words was the word indecisive. That is one word that I AM! I, of course, placed a 4 for that word since it best described me. I'm not exactly sure why I'm so wishy washy...maybe I'm just worried that something will not work out that way that I want it to and it will get screwed up. I accuse Chris of being wishy washy, but I'm the true culprit. In our Sunday School class our teacher was talking about in a marriage there are things that one of us cannot do that they other can do perfectly. Maybe that's my flaw. I hate that being a flaw because there are so many decisions to make in so little time that will effect our lives forever. Maybe I'm just being too dramatic. I can get that way sometimes as well. Anywho, the purpose of my rambling is that we have decided to go ahead with our original date for our wedding, which is October 30th. We do not want to regret not being able to share this special day with our friends and family. This is it. Our decision.

We also got a new puppy Friday night. Mom has been so sad that Jaxon will be leaving when I move out that Mike wanted to get her a "replacement" Jaxon Bo. So, Chris and I drove down to Fort Valley/Macon to get Jasper Lee, an 11-week-old red dachshund. He is so precious! Pictures will definitely be coming soon!

Busy Bees

This week and weekend are going to be so hectic! Chris and I are going to pick up the newest addition to my mom's family.... a mini dachshund! Mom decided to name him Jasper and figured it would be a good replacement for Jaxon Bo since he's moving with me and Chris when we move into our apartment. Poor Jaxon, he won't be the baby anymore! We are thoroughly tickled about picking him up tonight and cannot wait to get him home and love on him!
Tomorrow, I have to take him to the vet to get him checked out of course and then tomorrow night, we are FINALLY getting to hang out with Brittany and David! Things have been so crazy lately, I think I sometimes forget to breathe. Hopefully Monday we will be able to rest and catch up on things. I have wedding showers the next three weekends in a row, be it mine or friends!

Heritage Eastside told mom today that they were thinking about releasing Maw Maw the first of next week...and we are both sick and they will not allow us in if we sick, so we have to get better so that we can see her...soon! I miss her and I know I don't need to go up there with my nose running and sneezing and what not.

Please enjoy the pictures of us and Maw Maw and Paw Paw.

Downhill?

I know God gives us peace about things, but why is it still hard to let go of our human lives when we clearly know that Jesus tells us that will have such better things await us above? God promises us that when we get to Heaven, there will be no more suffering, illness, and, of course, sin. But it's so hard for us to give up what we have here on earth. Our earthly belongings....something that belongs to us. Something that we think we own. But it's all in God's timing to where and when it's our time to go. I have no doubt that when this day comes (we all know that's it is inevitably going to happen to us one day or another), that I will be ready to walk...no, run, into the arms of my Savior. I have been struggling with peace about this for my grandmother. I have no doubt that she will go to Heaven, but when she goes, it will be hard to let go of her here on earth. I say to myself and to others that I have peace about it, but do I? This wonderful woman is a true part of me through and through. She helped raise me because when mom and dad were at work during the summers, that is where I stayed. She let us do some of the craziest things, and I can't help but sit back and think of the glorious days I had with her and Paw Paw. We were all sitting at dinner tonight talking of all the good meals that she used to cook us and how she would make us any cake we wanted for our birthday and Christmas. Oh, those salmon patties! :) Haha...what ever she touched was good and yummy! Tonight when we went to visit her at Heritage Eastside, we was sitting there moving her hands in the delicate motion as if she she was sewing. Mom and I both regretted for a brief moment that we ever went to go see her. Well, no. I do not regret it. Because, every little moment that I have with her here on earth is precious, even though she may not remember me, I will remember her always. And her beautiful white hair.

Chris and I just completed our second counseling session with our pastor, who instructed us to learn about our love languages. This is turning out well, and some of the mis-communications that we have had the past are all coming into light now that we are getting to know each others languages. Now all we have to learn is the certain dialects! It just gets better and better everyday getting to know my future husband a little more.