2009 - so far...

It has been a blessed year so far. Really I am so glad to be past the holidays and getting back to a regular schedule.

We spent New Year's eve and day in Baton Rouge with our friends Harry and Johnette. We stayed at a really nice hotel and enjoyed our time there. On New Year's eve we ate at P.F. Changs and then went about Baton Rouge trying to find something to do.....not a lot going on for non-drinkers and non-gamblers. We finally went back to our hotel and watched the countdown on the television there. The next day we went to Harry and Johnette's house and enjoyed the New Years meal she prepared...black eyed peas, cabbage and a pork roast. It's tradition to have that on New Years day....I've never ate it on New Years, so we will see if it makes this year any better than the past years. After that we shopped and saw a movie. It was a nice couple of days.

Since the new year has begun, my washing machine broke, so we had to get a new one. One of our vans has some serious troubles, so we have been shopping for a new car, I don't like car shopping at all - the whole dealer, salesman thing drives me crazy. We were suppose to go today to some more lots, but Terry has been sick with sinus/allergy junk and it is cool out today. I suggested he stay home and rest and we will go later this week.

Brittany has been working for a temp agency and they have kept her very busy. She starts back to school next week and will still be working for the temp agency as well. She keeps herself very busy.

Ashley started back to school today, she will have a busy semester and then will do her student teaching. She is more than ready to finish. She changed her name today - kind of sad. She called me from the DMV and told me it was official - then she went to the bank to change her name there and later this week we are going to transfer her car title from us to her...Ashley Ramirez.

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my brother's death. I went back and looked at my e-mails from that day........and re-lived that afternoon. I had been e-mailing my friend Elizabeth back and forth that afternoon, so I was e-mailing her while I was calling and trying to get a hold of my brother. Finally the police answered his phone and gave me the news. I then e-mailed her that information while I was talking to them before I called my parents. So those e-mails hold a lot of memories and details of that day. In some ways it seems like 5 years ago and in some ways it feels like yesterday. I talked with my mom this morning and she is trying to keep busy today.....of course for them, not a days goes by that they are not thinking of my brother.

Life goes on.