Bzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Yep, thats all I hear out of my right ear. I never knew how much I loved my right ear until now.

I suffer from hereditary sensorineural hearing loss, and I get this from my Dad. He has it too, only his is much worse. So yesterday was plain miserable. All I heard was RING RING RING. For the medical folks, that would be Tinnitis. I thought I was going to go crazy. I always have it, off and on, no biggie. I have learned to "deal with it". But yesterday it had me in tears. It was the closest to schizophrenic I would ever like to become. I had to drown it out while I took care of the kids, and put on a fake smile while I wanted to ram a pencil into my ear. I kid you not. Then this morning I woke up to a faint ringing, off and on. But I can hear probably at 25% out of this ear. Nada. I hear Charlie Brown fuzz, so if you are talking to me, and I put my finger in my ear and stare extra hard at your face, that is why. Not because I'm crazy or anything, but we all know that I am crazy ;) So I am getting phone calls, that I cant hear. I'm in a depressive place. I want to cry because I cant hear. People who know me best, know this is the my one insecurity that I deal with on a day to day basis. I catch a lot of grief for my disability, yes I'll admit it, its a disability. At work, at home, at church, in my marriage, with my kids, friendships, and phone conversations with random people. Why not get a beltone? I'm not sure. I guess I will when I am good and ready. I just dont want to wear a hearing aid, but I dont want to not hear either. So, I'm putting this out there, in writing. I'm deaf and stubborn :) Still wanna be my friend LOL

Alas, the mom must go on. I'm going to work out, because there I can do something other than rely on communication. This WILL get me into a better mood.

Its also my Best Friend Julie's birthday! She is 28! Her Golden Birthday 28 on the 28th :) We are going to our water aerobics, then to grab lunch. If the work out doesnt get me out of my deaf funk, she most definately will. Love this girl. We have such a strange story the two of us. God pushed us back into each others lives for a reason, after a lot of hardships, and loss. Because when one of us is at our breaking point, its the other one who brings us back. I'm lost without her, My Fast Taco Bandit friend :) So Happy Birthday JULIE!!!!!

And if you havent heard the latest news......
My husband is joining the Air Force Reserves. As a nurse. And ultimately a flight nurse after certain training. We are a ball of emotion about this decision. Happy, excited, scared, sad, worried, and proud. I am asking for all of your prayers and support as we make this journey. And when he deploys, notice I say when because it is a definate possibility, I will need you to hold me together. This is another blog in itself, as I get more information I will post it, and share my experience.

Well I'm going to go swim, work out, and get some positive vibes going!
Thanks for reading!
Love ya'll

Water Boot Camp anyone??

This summer, the BRiCk opened up in Burleson. (Recreation Center). Our family decided to get a family membership. We figured it would be cheap entertainment for the kids :) So in June we started going, we would take the kids swimming in the awesome splash pad/natatorium. Then Martin & I would go workout off and on. We introduced the Kid Zone (daycare) slowly. Because Madelyn wasnt having it, like at ALL! Gavin on the other hand wakes up asking when he can go back. Crazy, I guess I bore him that much ;) Now Madelyn has fun, the play-doh & painting probably had something to do with her change of heart. So I conned my neighbor into getting her membership, and started to drag her to hour long workouts. Now, she & I are the best workout partners around :) I really learned to love the elliptical machine, especially since I can get on, turn the TV to the kid zone channel and watch the lil ones, make sure the dont have the teacher crying LOL. After a few weeks of our routine, I was starting to get bored. Not good when you are wanting to lose weight. I happened to con my neighbor into trying a "water aerobics" class! I thought, it might be fun, we can play in the water without the kids :) Riiiiiiiiiiight! We opted for the free class for members. Its called the "Lunch Crunch Aerobics" only 30 minutes. CRAZIEST 30 min of my day, I assure you!

Let me start by saying, we showed up for our first class on a Tuesday. We were by far the youngest in our class. We kinda giggled and cut up, but after stretches we were working LOL. She "took it easy on us" the first day she said. BWAHAHAHA! We swam 200m, which in my lingo is 8 there and backs, she wanted the "American Crawl". She was going to critique our forms, good lord. I honestly didnt want to know, I was lucky to make it without drowning! Then after we completed our laps, me - hardly, she had us fill our weights up with water and do the over our head pumps. WHILE we swam the lazy river THREE laps! Okay, my arms were mush by the end. THEN we had to reverse and go against the current of the lazy river. Yeah, about this time I was watching the lifeguard to make sure she would be able to pull my big behind off the bottom of the pool, tee hee. Oh and to end this class, we do a lot of crazy ab workouts, on noodles of course. I left there thinking, OMG I almost drowned! Little did I know it was literally the BEST workout I have probably ever gotten in 30 min! I was WAY too sore to return the next day, then a sick kiddo kept me gone the next day. The poor instructor probably thought she scared me off! I mean, I could NOT believe how sore I was!

Dont worry, after playing hookie the first week, Julie (my dear sweet accountability partner) urged me to GO back. So we have been hitting it steadily for going on our third week now!

This is the Natatorium @ The BRiCk, see the swirly river over here on the bottom right? That is the lazy river, that friggin' current is STRONG!

And this is the lap pool, where all the "there & backs" take place

So, todays class was FUN and HARD all the same. I cant believe how sore I get doing this class, these older women are BRAVE! Its called Lunch Crunch aerobics, so its only a 30 min class. But it is packed full of cardio. I'm not a "couch potato" by any means, but I am not a work-out-a-holic either. I can keep up with P90X, so I'm not that outta shape. This class I would compare to P90X, I kid you NOT! So today she had us swim 350m (14 friggin there and backs) WHAT?! I did remember my goggles this time, so I attempted it professional style and I actually impressed myself. Atleast this time we could freestyle. This is ridiculous cardio, I am not kidding! My heart wanted to leap out of my mouth :) Ok so that sounded nasty. Then when we were done, she put us into pairs with a kickboard. We were water kickboxing! FUN FUN! I think this might be my favorite part :) A lot of kicking & punching. Then a lot of abs to finish up. I am already sore and its only been 2 hours since the class. If that isnt any indication as to how hard we work, I dont know what is peeps!

I think this class is quite possibly the best stress relief/therapy ever. I get to swim laps, burn off some stress & calories! Talk about whats bothering me with my friend. I mean, I literally walk out of this place feeling like a million bucks. I mean, I smell like a bleach bucket, but whatever I take what I can get!

I can definately feel a difference in my body! I see more definition in my arms & my legs. My belly seems flatter, and my waist feels smaller! My JEANS FIT! And not only do they fit, but they are kinda loose :) And my swim suits, well lets just say going against the current of the lazy river isnt a wise idea in my two piece. I have almost lost the bottoms TWICE!!

I would like to challenge anyone out there looking for a new workout regimen to try this! Sure I get a lot laughs out of people when I say I'm taking "water aerobics", they dont take me serious. Heck, I didnt either at first ;) But if I can see results and feel emotionally, mentally, & physically refreshed, then why the heck not! Right? Julie and I are on a mission to make water aerobics cool! We are trying to pull in a younger crowd. But who knows, maybe this will be my little secret ;)

Thanks for reading!

Lots of LOVE

Jess

Hello out there...

So I know, bad blogger. I've been busy. Its been crazy in my parts. I know, full of excuses :)

Lets see.......

The summer came and went, always too fast for me. In July Madelyn had her 2nd Birthday! It was a grand time. Yo Gabba Gabba themed of course!

This is a picture from the aftermath of her 2nd Birthday party. She fell asleep so no presents were opened until conveniently, all the guests left. Party Pooper! She got this awesome Foofa pillowcase dress from my friend from work. She loves it. So now Madelyn is 2, and oh my gosh does she act it. If you call her Princess, she will correctly snap at you "Im NOT a princess, I'm a baby", dont get it twisted people! We are still working on potty training, wowsers I dont remember it being so trying, maybe thats why God has you spread out your kids, so once you have forgotten all the trials of parenting a toddler or baby, you get a second (or in my case third) heaping ;) Ahhhh

We also went to Cozumel! We took the ENTIRE crew for this adventure. It was a blast. 8 days of beautiful beach, suns, and sands. And my kids enjoyed the fact that all the food was "free" or in Gabrielles mind never ending. It went off without a hitch. It was hardly crowded since the hurricane blew through the DAY before we got there. Everyone else was scared. But not us, we needed a vacation! We snorkeled, built castles, conch shell dived, laid out, jet skiied, iguana watched, ate, drank, and slept. That my friends, is perfect! We already want to go back. And why not, it was so much fun. We had very little fighting, which is worth every penny in my book :) Here is a picture from the snorkel trip we took (if your wondering why I am holding so many bottles of beer, its not because I was going 'Girls Gone Wild', Martin always hands me stuff then forgets I have it)

August came around, and we celebrated Martins 37th Birthday :) We went to see a good friend of ours band play, The Joey Green Band, they are a good time! Check them out on itunes, you will not be disappointed! We also sent Martin & Gabrielle off to school! Gabrielle started the 3rd grade this year! And Little Martin started 8th grade! Wow. Gabrielle is still doing her gymnastics, and doing really well I might add. Martin is doing 8th grade athletics, and started off the school year playing football. I'm really wanting him to try track, but with baseball we are not sure. First Day back pics: In September, a very busy month for us, we had many things happen. First and foremost I turned the dreaded 28. Why is it dreaded, because its almost 30! I remember being a little girl, thinking "God, 30 is OLD, I dont want to live to 30", now its here, and I'm thinking "Oh crap". I cant tell you how much grey hair has sprung loose this past year. Enough to keep my hair lady busy ;)

Also, my baby sister got married! Such a fun trip. My older sister came in, I havent seen her since MY wedding! We road tripped with mom & dad to Louisiana. Martin stayed home with the kiddos, since it was in a bed and breakfast, not really child friendly. We met up with my Great Aunt Sis, if you ask me, she is my Grandma and always will be. And we met Rosemary there as well, I dont think I can tell you how long its been since I have seen her, but it was wonderful. I cant tell you now nice it was to see them. I feel like I dont ever see my Aunt Sis, but when I do, its such a wonderful experience. I see so much of my Grandpa in her, and I just cant convey the importance she holds in my family's life. This trip really has made me appreciate the value of family. When we got all unpacked and situated, we met Mikes family. Awesome people. Erica chose an amazing family to join. His mother was simply the most adorable woman I've ever met, so sweet, and charming. His dad, stole my heart upon first meeting. Great people, he should be proud to come from such warm friendly people! His sister, well I honestly think my family scared her a bit LOL. She kept to herself for the most part :) His brother, great guy. He offered to let me come gator hunting with him, I'm gonna cash in that offer one day Kyle!

I was super sad to see my sister get married, I dont know why, I dont suppose you can put it into words. I just feel like she grew up all too fast. She will always be the "little sister", and now she is the little sister who is married! I think that I was an emotional wreck. I knew she would grow up and get married, but then it happened and I felt like the ground came out from under me. The wedding was beautiful, interesting. The JP was a crazy Brett Micheals girlfriend type. I mean she looked like Gem, you ladies know who I speak of ;) Erica's huge brouch, was glimmering specks of light all over Mikes face, he resembled Edward Cullen :) I KNEW Erica would some how tie in Twilight :) :) I made some great friends, and we made some incredible memories. I cant put into words the beauty of seeing a garden full of servicemen at the wedding. Men in their dress blues, and a Navy boy in his, well waiter get up ;) It made me proud to know that Erica & Mike are a part of that world. There are several pictures from the wedding posted on my facebook, but here is my most favorite three from the entire weekend:

If you read this far, THANK YOU :) Love you

I'll be better at this, I promise! Too much excitement to stay quiet ;)

Day as a "Stay at Home Mom"

Let me tell you, those of you who think this is a glamorous job. I have one thing to say to you....HA! Dont get me wrong, I LOVE being home with my kids, love to see everything FIRST hand and not a report from cousins, aunts, grandma, daycare, or neighbors. You get the gist. Sometimes I have to step back and appreciate that my kids can run, scream, cry, & destroy my house. The alternative is a depressing thought. I live it at my "other job".

Yesterday I got a phone call, a reminder that me, Martin, & Lil Martin ALL have a dentist appointment at 7:45.! (I must have been CRAZY to schedule an appointment that early). Well, thats simply NOT gonna work. Martin had to go to work, shocking I know. So I tell them that it might not work out, they then proceed to tell me that "they dont have another appointment available till January". WHAT?! So I had to cancel both mine and Martins, and kept Lil Martins. Who knows if I will ever get to go get my teeth cleaned. I mean sitting in the waiting room this morning for Lil Martins appointment was HELL. Madelyn and Gavin I think woke the ENTIRE neighborhood. Like I could have gotten my teeth cleaned at that time. Geeeez.
So my job is to keep the house clean for my husband to come home and throw his stuff around in disarray, and make sure the kids are fed, clean, & well adjusted. I'm lucky to have them fed some days. I'm not kidding! Oh yes, and the grocery store, add that in there too :) I dropped Lil Martin off at school, which was a fun task. Both babies want to go in, run the halls, and scream to hear their voices echo. Ah, to me this is cute, to the neurotic receptionist, this is unacceptable and she looks like she is about to BURST into flames :) So Martin makes it to school, only 15 minutes tardy, I'm impressed! Him, not so much :) Then off to Walmart. I'm convinced this is the most fabulous store, its cheap & big. I waltz in there with my two hyper active toddlers, fighting over who gets to sit where in the cart and who gets to pick the cereal and bananas, and not one person thinks Im crazy :) Well, I havent seen myself on People of Walmart to date :)
One hour later, groceries for two weeks for a whopping $75! I impress myself. I remember as a kid going shopping with my parents for one week (for 4 people) and watching my parents drop $200! I would be living in a cardboard box, for sure. We make due. My kids are never starving, and lets just say I'm not starved :) LOL, dont agree please! Anyways, everyone is happy! Gavin got his Spongebob yogurt & Madelyn got her bananas. Gold Stars all around!
By the time we get home, both Madelyn & Gavin are hungry for their second round of breakfast. The first one burned off in Walmart I think. Then after everyone has eaten, and been cleaned. Its P90X time. Dont be fooled, this is NOT an everyday occurance. Only when my kids allow me the 1 hour to work out. Today I did the Yoga. I feel so stretched and revived. I love doing the Yoga because I think its stinkin adorable to see Madelyn and Gavin doing downward dog. They are too cute for words some days. So, now here I sit. Listening to Yo Gabba Gabba run in the background, type out this blog, and run over my to do list. Which consists of lots of things that are boring to you, but seem like mission impossible to me.
I did want to take a minute to talk about Gabrielle. She is excelling at her gymnastics, she is making me so proud. I'm happy to announce that I let her move up. I will let her see how she does this summer. I KNOW she will be great. I have no doubt. The only worries I have for her are the catty moms & kids. Everyone thinks they are better than everyone else. I try to humble Gabrielle and at the end of the day, she appreciates her hard work, and she doesnt compare herself to others. I have friends though that will talk about how their kids are the "bomb" and how perfect they are. Not so much, but whatever. Reminds me of a show I heard on Kidd Kraddick, about parents who over inflate their kids. Tell them they are the best and they are sooooo good at something. When they are at best, average. Its a downfall to the kids. It sheilds them from the "real world". They grow up thinking they are AMAZING and untouchable, only to be sadly dissappointed later in life. But whatever, it is what it is. I'm proud of my daughter. When I do want to gloat, and share my pride. I get shut down. For instance, the owner of the gym called me and told me that they picked a certain song and dance for Gabrielle because she has some of the best dance skills and talent, so her song is a dramatic tango, which will be a more mature routine. When I was talking about this, I got "Thats weird, Gabrielle cant tumble like that". Well poo to you. I think she can, and you cant bring her down.
I have decided that the Negative Nancy's of my life can get to stepping.
Anyways, my neighbor is walking across the street now, I guess I better get off this blog. Because YOU KNOW I can talk all day! Thanks for reading this, I LOVE YA (whoever you are)

Yes, I'm THAT neighbor.......

So yesterday was a good day, I got up, went to skills fair at work. I got to play with the new similator dummy! His name was Hal, he is a 5 year old boy and is pretty much like a real kid! Cost about $50,000! He was super cool! He would tell you "Dont touch me", "I want my mommmmmy", and all kinds of cute little things :) Makes doing mock codes pretty interesting. It always amazes me the way a pretend code flows so smoothly. When in a real life situation, its chaotic like nobodies buisness! Code Blues are not interesting, in fact its what I dread each time I go to work. I say a little prayer, "please dont let any of the patients where I am working code". Its not something I think any of my nurse friends enjoy about our job. This may suprise you about me, because my husband is Mr. Advanced Life Support. He walks, talks, eats, & breathes the stuff. BLECH!
Best of all, this week is nurses week! They had a massage table for the nurses. I got myself a NICE long full body massage! The lady was like "You have ridiculous knots in your back" to which I replied, "Yeah I have 4 kids". I think she about flipped out. So I left there feeling like Gumby. I've never had a massage before in my life. So, I'm thinking this might have to go on my Mothers Day wish list, along with a babysitter so I can go get one :) Ugh, well the nice relaxed mom came home to the horror of all horrors.
If you know me, you know that I am the most paranoid over protective mom in the world. I am a pedi nurse that sees horrible things ALL the time, so I tend to bubble my kids to avoid the things I see at work, yeah yeah you can stop judging me now :) Well, Gabrielle asked if she could take the babies outside to play, I let her because I had to get dinner started. Then I hear blood curdling screams and Gabrielle comes running in! I think OH CRAP which baby took a nose dive from the playhouse?! Apparently two of the neighborhood boys were being little animal sacrificers in my side yard! We live in a new housing development, so we see random rabbits & coyotes, foxes and whatnot. I love it as do my kids, I do think its sad that they have no where to go because of all the houses taking over where they live :( Anyways, its always a big production when my kids see a rabbit in our yard. We watch it until it goes away, we have a little family that frequents our backyard, so so so cute. Well back to my origial horror story.
These two boys (10 & 6ish) were PICKING up these teeny tiny baby rabbits (think the size of a hamster) & slamming them on the ground, sending the girls of my neighborhood screaming and wailing. One girl scooped up a few and ran them home to protect them, good girl! But in the midst of this, the older boy picked up a huge rock and began smashing them down on the rabbits. All thats left is blood, guts, & fur. And my kids witnessed this from my backyard. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Gavin had nightmares about it, he woke up this morning asking me "why?," and "are the bunnies in heaven." Sick. What does that say about parents of kids who murder sweet, cute, helpless rabbits? Apparently a lot. Because they just stood in their front yards and watched me direct other kids away from the crime scene. I'm like your satanic kids just killed animals by my house, and all you can do is stand there like the white trash garbage you are and watch. There is a special place in hell for people like that. Not knowing what to do, I called the Police. Two officers came out. They said they could go down and talk to the parents and kids, but other than that, nothing. No laws were broken. Well, they did say if it had been night time or someones pet, then charges would be filed. Are you kidding? Night time? So if they had decided to murder these rabbits an hour later they would get in trouble. Wrong on so many levels. I hope these boys got in trouble. I hope they learned their lesson. I hope the parents are embarrassed beyond all get out. I will tell you, after school I will stand in my yard and I will tell those boys to stay away from my house. Can someone tell these parents that their kids are out of control?! And if the parents are going to let the kids run a muck and cause neighborhood trauma to do it on the opposite side of the street? Not where me & my kids are affected. I tell you what, those boys better stay away from my house.
The one thing I did take away from the talk with the police officers: "Thats sick, I wonder if the parents know thats how SERIAL KILLERS start out".
You have got to be kidding me!

There is no crying in baseball.......

Unless, you are me. Then you cry when your husband plays baseball and grasps a new injury EACH time! My gosh, its like a weekly thing! So Sunday I got home from my trip to Georgia, and Martin wanted to go play in his baseball game, he plays in a 30 & up league. Against my better judgement, I let him go. My last words to him were "Be careful and DONT GET HURT".

I got a phone call, his coach had to drive him home. Why you ask? Because he hit a foul tip ball off the end of his bat, into his EYE! He couldnt drive. He is lucky he can see, thats for sure.

I cried when I first saw him, it was AWFUL! He has the most perfect nose, Madelyn, Gavin, & Lil Martin all have his nose. But his was smushed and crooked. His eye was swollen shut, and nose was bloody. He had blood stains on his uniform, yuck. We took a picture, and I begged him and begged him to go to the dr. But as you have probably heard, nurses are the WORST patients. He refused to go :( UGH



We settled, or I won :) Because he went to the dr on Monday, the did 8 xrays and his nose is broken, no kidding? I was worried about his brow bone being broken and causing permanent damage to his eye or vision. Thank God. Now its

become a game to the kids, each morning when he wakes up its a differnt color and shape. It being Tuesday, its changed so much. The swelling has shifted to a new area and the color is AWFUL. It looks like Madelyn colored his eye with purple marker while he was sleeping. Which if I might add, is something she would totally do.


So because he asked me not to post a picture on facebook, I decided I would post a picture here on my blog, for private eyes :) Look at your own risk, that is my own warning to you, my fellow blog followers :)
Can I go ahead and say, No I did NOT do this to him. I cant tell you how many people ask me (joking or not), "Did you punch him", "Did he step outta line", "Dang Jess, you showed him". Right, because physical abuse is so funny, geeeeeeez
Its getting better. I suggested that he not go to work until it looks a little better. He looks scary, cant be scaring patients and families now can we?

So who votes that he stop playing sports? :) He is a handful. I love him, but he is a big kid!

Georgia on my mind.....

I just got home from a visit to Georgia, a trip I'm not so sure I was quite ready to make. Dont get me wrong, I am glad I went. But I had to say good bye to my last living grandparent, blood line grandparent (we have several step Grandparents). I wasnt particularly close to my Grandpa, he lived in Georgia, we visited a couple of times. The last time was 10 years ago, that sounds AWFUL to even type, but it is true. This was only the 4th time I had ever seen him, in person. I felt a huge burning in my stomach when I saw him at the viewing. He wasnt anything like I remembered him, he had aged, he had lost weight, and he just wasnt himself. What I remember of him, was a beaming personality. A funny man. Very impatient. A mirror image of my own Dad, only years older. I caught me off guard to see him, lying there, peacefully. But with no movement. He was always tapping his foot, and rocking. My sister and I also had a hard time seeing "Franklin Andrews" written on everything. Thats my DAD's name! So my dad had to bury his father, it was emotional to watch & experience. How my dad will go day to day knowing he cant call his dad, its beyond me. I think my parents are my lifeline! I cant remember going a day without calling or emailing them! My Grandma (step Grandmother), Margie, was very sweet, welcoming. And made me feel welcome and a part of the funeral. I felt my heart breaking for her, she had to come home to a house she shared with my Grandpa for 30 years alone. She said "it doesn't feel like he is gone". That breaks my heart, who will be there when it does feel like he is gone?! To me, his absence was screaming from the house. And mind you, this was only the 3rd time I had ever been there. His chair was empty, the calender wasnt marked with a red 'X' past his birthday (he died two days after his birthday), his clothes were still layed out in his bedroom, his shoes still on the floor, his razor and aftershave still on the sink counter, his medicine bottles still visible. It seemed gut wrenching to have it all still there, so fresh. Yikes, I cant even imagine, and I dont want to.

We arrived to Georgia Friday afternoon, hopped a rental car and drove from Atlanta, to Griffin, where we stayed in a hotel. I havent shared a hotel room with my mom, dad, and Erica in FOREVER! Fun times! Just like our old road trips :) We changed quickly and drove to Barnesville, where Grandpa & Margie lived, to the funeral home. We were expecting to not view him right off the bat, I wasnt mentally prepared for that yet. But as soon as you walked in, there he was. He had picked out his casket himself. It was a beautiful silver US Navy casket. It had a crisp American flag draped across the bottom. And flowers were surrounding. From family, friends, and my dads co-workers. What a nice gesture. We met TONS of people! People who had stories of my Grandpa I hadnt heard before. I honestly enjoyed hearing all the memories people had of him. My memories are of when I was a little girl, and I was shy & timid around him. I wonder what he had remembered of me? After we left the funeral home, we went to his house. It looked the exact same as I remembered it. Margie had fed us, lots and lots of food. Let me tell you, the food in Georgia is something straight out of a Southern movie. Best pecan pie & sweet tea I've ever had! When we left Margie's house, we went back to the hotel. I had a hard time falling asleep that night, because I didnt have my kids with me. They are as instrumental to my schedule as I am to theirs. Gavin plays with my hair, and holds my hand, and Madelyn lays on me and talks till she falls asleep. So I played Words with Friends till I passed out. We woke up Saturday morning, had pancakes for breakfast and then headed to Barnesville for the funeral. It rained and rained and rained some more. The little church was cute. Tiny, little Pentacostal church. Where the occasional "Amen" & "Praise God" is shouted out. I found myself watching all the other people crying, and found it odd that I hadnt cried. Until I looked down at Margie, and she was clapping, singing, and crying. The pastor was telling about how God was ready for him, and how Margie didnt have to watch him suffer any more. When I looked at my dad, I lost it. Would I be clapping & singing at his funeral? Nope. Dont want to even imagine it.
At the grave yard, I looked around to see the many service men there. There were three sailors standing behind the casket which was fully covered by the flag now. There was another sailor standing in the middle of the cemetary in the POURING rain, without so much as a flinch. A little further back were three soldiers wearing dress blues with guns. After the Pastor finished his speech, the gun salute took place (that was neat), then the sailor played "Taps" which was really emotional. When the sailors folded the flag and handed it to Margie, I was emotional. Symoblic. The way Margie hugged that flag. It was beautiful. I know it was exactly as he had wanted it to be. Driving away, I just watched the green trees pass by. So pretty. Georgia is beautiful. The tall green trees. You never truly appreciate trees when you are from Texas, well from Burleson anyways.
So I am back, and reflecting on my trip. So many things I wish I could have done. Regret is my worst enemy. Could I have known him better? I bet. Should I have tried harder? Absolutely. I wont live wondering what if. I will just take all of the stories I gathered this weekend, store them, & thank God that he touched so many lives.
82 years, what a life :)

Franklin Andrews 4/20/1928 - 4/22/2010

TAPS
Day is done, gone the sun
From the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
Safely rest
All is well.
Fading light, dims the sight
And a star gems the sky
Gleaming bright
from afar, drawing nigh
Falls the night.
Dear on rest!