Yes, I am Alive

have been so bad about updating lately. It gets worse the longer it goes because there's so much to write about that I don't know where to begin.
So I'll just go back to late last week. Will's sister, Liz, was married Friday night and many of us helped in food preparation for the reception. I went shopping Thursday for about a million grapes and strawberries, well maybe not a million, but it sure seemed like it when I was washing all of them Friday morning...
Thursday evening I went to a fellow homeschooler's home to make sandwiches. We had a lot of fun talking and working.
Friday morning dawned gray and rainy.... We went to the reception hall with the food we had at our house and helped with getting things ready there. Lots of excitement in the air! The boys and I went out for lunch and after we arrived home, it dawned on me that the boys had not worn their suits in several months and I should check to see how they fit. So four hours before we were scheduled to leave the house for the wedding, I discover that both boys were in desperate need of a new suit. Their sleeves were too short and John's pants were too short and tight. I would have laughed to see it if I hadn't been in a panic. I called Beth and she met me at Kohl's and we spent a lively 45 minutes finding new suits, shirts, and ties. We rushed home so that I could wash and iron the shirts, then Beth and I spent time getting ready.
The rain stopped but it was still gloomy, however it was a beautiful wedding. The bride was radiant and the groom was beaming....
We had a great time because so many of our friends were there. I also was able to meet some of Will's aunts who live in different parts of the country and his grandmother who lives in NJ near Philadelphia. What a lovely, wise woman! After the reception, we cleaned up and during this time, I had the opportunity to spend at least 15 minutes in discussion with her which I enjoyed immensely. We, however, did not get to bed until almost 3 AM.
Saturday morning we had bookpacking at the ministry center and Saturday evening was the homeschool prom. Beth and Steve were the DJs and Mark and I were chaperones. The boys were all handsome in their suits again and they had a wonderful time. Afterwards we had to clean up again and we didn't get to bed until after 2.
I was exhausted.
Sunday morning, Mark woke up with a migraine which made him sick to his stomach, so I took the boys to church alone.
Sunday afternoon found us at churchhome while poor Mark stayed home. We were all ready to get to bed early after that weekend!
Monday started early and I dragged around all day. It also brought sad news....the death of a fellow homeschooling mom from cancer....the mother of 5, ages 2 - 17; it also brought news that the father of a friend I've known since childhood, died suddenly from a heart attack.
However, life always conquers over death. Today, our friends, Paul and Denise became grandparents for the first time with the birth of Isabella Rose. Steve is now an uncle too...
Joy mixed with sorrow...
Birth, marriage, death....

I know I'm probably leaving out a lot, but that's the basics.

A blessed, peaceful night to all....