Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is that time of year when everyone reflects on what they are thankful for. So today I will tell you what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my friend Nancy Armstrong. If you have read my past entries, you already know that this family means a lot to me. As a matter of fact, they are family I choose. Nancy has been with me throughout the good times and the bad. She held my hand through labor for Trisha, waited outside the delivery room until she was delivered. She fed me when I was hungry, gave me a place to live when I needed one, and has loved me unconditionally for 40 years or so. And she does this not only for me, but for all of her friends and family.
So now it is time for us to care for her. In October, it was discovered that she had 4 brain aneurysms. Yes 4!!! One would be too many, but Nancy had 4. She also had a small stroke, pneumonia, blood infection, uti, infection in her heart valve. Over the course of hospital stays, she had two aneurysms coiled, biopsy of her temporal artery, 4 days on the ventilator, countless IV's. And once again, I struggled watching my friend struggle with the ventilator. And I struggled trying to act big and brave for Dick and the girls. Today Nancy is slowing getting better and I want her to know just how much I love her.

I added the picture of my son Scott and his deer. You can see he really looks like a happy hunter. Later that morning he came back with the boys for a few minutes. Jayden and Bryce were so excited to tell me that Daddy got a big deer! I love the excitment in their little voices.

We also added a new member to our family this spring. Mr. Bentley Douglas moved in at the end of May. He is a black lab and was running down the middle of the road, no collar, no tags, no microchip. At the time he still had his puppy teeth and was about 4 months old. And what a nice dog!!! He was calm, quiet, well behaved. I called the animal shelters and told them how he was just running down the middle of the road and that someone was surely missing him. The animal shelter kept saying that if no one claimed him in a week he was ours, and I kept saying someone surely will be missing him because he was such a good puppy. Well, needless to say, no one claimed him and on day 8 he turned into the monster dog. He has eaten my coach wallet, a watchband, the house payment, a roll of paper towel, Scott's new T Shirts, 3 pairs of slippers, countless dish clothes, the corner of the kitchen wall, basically anything that does not belong to him. Whenever I lay a throw rug down, he redecorates by moving it to his corner and claims as his own. No wastebasket or litter box is safe! But who can resist those huge chocolate brown eyes! Not me!!! I wish you could see how he looks away and sneaks looks at you when he is in trouble. Yes he still can sit, shake, speak, whisper, fetch. Now you notice I said he can, I did not say he will. As for the name, well we originally started out with Bentley. Then one day Scott said "Hey Douglas" and Bentley acted so darn excited that Douglas has just stayed with him. So now he is Douglas, Bentley, or Bentley Douglas. At 73 lbs, I guess he can be which ever name he wants to be.
So you can see, my days are filled with fun. I am the lucky one who gets to be just the grandma!!!