Special Birthday

Today is a special birthday...Miss Caylie turns 3 today!!

This is the first birthday that Caylie will celebrate in the U.S. She's been home about a year now and she has adjusted extremely well and is the sweetest thing ever. Everyone that meets miss Caylie falls instantly in love with her. Her Mommy says she's a total Diva. She loves Dora and she loves to swim (swims like a fish) she loves dancing and coloring and dressing up.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl and we hope all your birthday wishes come true and many more.

We Love You!!

Pattie & Rob

Thank You

Thanks so much to My Family and all of our friends for the overwhelming amount of love and support we've received from all of you in the past couple of days.

My Mom was truly loved and what a huge compliment and a great celebration of her life when 200+ people showed up to her memorial service. Mom was loved and adored by her family and her friends, more than she will ever know and what more can anyone ask for in a lifetime.

My Sister & I are forever grateful to all of you, thanks for being there for us and more importantly thanks for being there for my Mom and for sharing her life and making it special.

I will keep all of you in my prayers......and remember Mom is watching over us now.

My Heart is Breaking

I wasn't sure if I should post about this or not but it is part of our lives.

We lost my Mom, she passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 21, 2008. It was sudden and unexpected. She wasn't sick. She was a young 64, still full of life and not ready to leave us. But I guess God had another plan for Mom.

I won't get into all the details. It's the hardest thing I've had to go through. Watching someone you love slip away is not something I ever thought I would have to do. If felt like I was trapped in a bad dream. I still feel like that, it doesn't get easier, it never goes away, as the days go by the pain is just different. I don't know if I will ever stop crying myself to sleep at night.

My heart is so broken, I don't think it will ever be repaired. I get some comfort, at least that is what I keep telling myself, in saying that now she's an Angel watching over me. Call me selfish but I'd rather her be here with me on earth holding me or scolding me, anything as long as she was still here with me.

For the past couple of days my Sister & I have been at Mom's house packing up her things. Everyone keeps asking, is that hard. No it's not hard, it's just things and It comforts me to be among her things. The hard part will be when everything is gone.

I just don't understand any of it, and mostly I feel anger. I am so mad, why did it happen like this? No warning, no signs, nothing. I keep trying to make some sense out of it but I can't.

So I am telling all of you to please see and hug your loved ones as often as you can, because you never know when it will be your last chance.

The picture above is a favorite picture of my Mom, when she was a bit younger and she was so beautiful. It's a picture of a picture, so that's why it's so fuzzy.

We've received an incredible amount of support from our family and friends and for that I am forever grateful.

Bad News in Texas

Well the whole world knows that hurricane IKE missed South Florida, but it made a beeline for Texas. And the damage is indescribable.
It brings back bad memories of Hurricane Wilma three years ago. I am glad Texas is getting the coverage I see on the news, so everyone can see the help they need. When South Florida was hit by hurricane Wilma, it seemed only the local news knew about it. We were without power for over two weeks and some had no power for over a month. And many homes and businesses were lost.
I pray for everyone that was affected by Ike. I pray the power and water is restored quickly and they find strength , have good health and get the help they need as quickly as possible.
I am so thankful that all the blogs that I read & their families that live in the Houston area made it safely through the storm.

Update on Evan & Alex

Remember the boy I blogged about on 8/13 our friend Evan who was attacked by a Bear in Tennessee? He and his brave brother Alex who helped save Evan are doing great. We went to visit the boys a week ago, and had breakfast with them. Evan showed us all his wounds, he has more than I expected all over his back, arm, neck and head but the stitches are out and he's healing fine. I call them both superhero's.
They are really the sweetest boys ever. They run to us and hug us when we visit. We are so thankful the boys are home safe.
Here is a picture of the boys actually destroying a bear balloon someone had given them when they returned home.

Look at those beautiful smiles....sweet superhero's
We love you Evan & Alex

Birthday Stuff

Happy Birthday Frank!!!

We'd like to say Happy Birthday to Frank!! Frank is married to my cousin Jen. (I fixed them up). I have been friends with Frank since we were little, even before Jen was even born. So it seems that Frank has always been part of our family even before he married into it.
We didn't get a chance to celebrate with the family yet because things have just been crazy on the weekends, hurricane prep, softball, football...

I couldn't find any pictures of Frank by himself, but I found this one of him, his sister and his brother. He's the hunky guy in the red shirt.

Frank, we hope you had a GREAT Birthday, and we hope all your birthday wishes come true!!
XOXOX
Pattie & Rob

Soggy South Florida

Things are looking pretty grim here in Soggy South Florida. Yes, that’s right, soggy, not sunny. This sure has been one wet summer.

I tell ya, I just don’t have the strength for these crazy hurricanes anymore. I have lived here my entire life, born and raised, a true Floridian and never has it been so bad.Is it global warming? Or is it just normal cycles the earth goes through? Whatever it is, it needs to stop already.

The potential for disaster is just overwhelming. We lived through Hurricane Wilma and it was horrible. No electricity for 2 weeks, no work for a week (okay that wasn’t so bad), no gas, nothing, our entire infrastructure was shut down. It took Rob three days to dig his truck out from under giant trees. And that was using his chainsaw; the FPL guys would not help us. They would not hang the power lines until we got the trees out of the way!!!

You really don’t know how good things are until all the stuff you take for granted goes away. We have just finished paying for the repairs from three years ago to our condo. We just can not handle anymore, financially or emotionally.Our first thought is secure our place as best as we can and get out of town, but when do you make that decision, we have jobs and responsibilities and we have family and friends that might need help.

I know I should not complain because those poor people in Haiti, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Baton Rouge are suffering so much from the storms already. It’s just frustrating.

So we continue to pray. Pray with us people!!! I believe in the power of prayer. Pray we are spared this hurricane and pray for all the people already suffering; pray they get the relief they need as quickly as possible.

This is the current path of Hurricane IKE... that Red Arrow is our place...yikes