June 18, 2010

Mom will have appointments, labs, and infusion today. She has been feeling very good the last couple weeks. Just a little tired, but no other problems. My renters have finished their house and have moved out. We spent a couple days this week up there measuring and planning and then Mom and I have spent the last two days shopping for home improvement supplies. She must be my good luck charm because we ended up being fortunate all the way around! On Wednesday we started out in Fairmont at Builder's Surplus looking for options and checking prices. Since we were already practically in Clarksburg we called Justin and met him for lunch. While we were then in Clarksburg we stopped into Lowes to compare prices and I ended up finding tile on sale for my kitchen and 2 bathrooms. The kitchen tile was 13 cents a tile and I ended up getting 23 boxes for under $30! I also found one I liked for my upstairs bathroom, but they didn't have enough matching wall tile to do the whole project. I got what they had and they checked other stores in the area and Uniontown had 60 more.

Soooo, yesterday after I let Mom get rested up we headed up to Uniontown. Just to satisfy my curiosity, we stopped into the Builder's Surplus there, first. We found border tile that coordinated with my bathroom tile and the guy had 4 boxes. It ended up being on sale, as well, plus buy one get one free. I got all 4 of those boxes for $1.91! Wooo hoooo! We went to Lowes to check on the other wall tile for the bathroom and instead of 60 tiles, they had 120, which should be enough to do the whole bathroom! And to top it off, I found a dining room light on sale and the guy gave me an extra 25% off because it was the last one in stock. I told Mom she had to clear her schedule because I couldn't go house supply shopping without her anymore.

We had a fun two days just the two of us. I'm so grateful for the time I've had with her and Dad since I've moved back home. Most people would have a difficult time moving back after being away for so long, but it certainly has been a great experience for me. When Dad is on night shift Mom and I have crafting nights. We spent one evening quilling together just this past week. Mom's diagnosis hasn't necessarily changed the quality or frequency of the time we spend together because through the years we've always had this special time together. I've always enjoyed our Mommy and Me days! I look forward to many, many more years filled with laughing, singing, and bargain shopping!

I'll tell you a funny story from yesterday (sorry Mom). We took Dad's truck yesterday so we wouldn't have to pile 29 boxes of tile in the back of the Jetta again. The only problem with the truck is that the driver's side window is stuck in the down position and will not go up. I checked the weather channel yesterday morning before we left and there was no chance of rain. So we set out for Uniontown with our jackets and sweatshirts on, and avoided the interstate so the wind wouldn't beat us to death on the way. Each time we got out of the truck, it was our running joke to not forget to lock the doors because we wouldn't want anyone to break in... ha ha... After we had finished up at Lowes and were ready to head back home, we were discussing if we could take 857 back to Morgantown and then the interstate home. She then looked over at me in the parking lot and asked, "Why did we avoid the interstate this morning, again?" I laughed and reminded her that it was because my window wouldn't go up, and then she laughed at remembering our joking all day long. At least we still have our sense of humor!

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of Mom's seizure. It's hard to believe that's it's already been a year. Some things have changed over the past year, but lots of things haven't. We're still a close family and we love each other. We love spending time together. We have, however, in the past year felt the love, kindness, and concern of so many of our friends and family that it is overwhelming! I cannot find the words to thank you all of everything you have done for us. We have been tremendously blessed in more ways than we can count. We've found new strength within ourselves, due in a large part to the support we've found from you! I thank God daily for the blessings and miracles that he's performed in our lives--Mom's strength and healing, mended relationships, cooked meals, and good friends! I encourage you to reflect back on the past year, praise God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon you. Even in times of trouble and hardship we can still find reason to praise Him!

We're looking forward to another great weekend. Joanna is coming in for Father's Day and we're going to have dinner and game night with them on Saturday. Axle will turn 5 on Sunday, so in addition to Father's Day, we'll be celebrating Axle's birthday. I'm hoping to begin painting and tiling next week! I will try to remember to take photos!