October in a Nut Shell

I feel like tonight I can take a little breath.  October has been a very busy month!  I cannot believe it is almost over!

Volleyball is over.  The C team had their last game on Tuesday and the JV and Varsity had their last game on Thursday.  I am really glad I coached this year.  And when the time comes for Stony and I to talk about next year, I would like to do it again. :)  I met some really great girls.  There were a couple of senior girls on the varsity team that I was really impressed with.  Very helpful, very good leaders, not loud or arrogant, confident, but somewhat quiet--until they got on the court.  They were just great!  It was fun seeing so many of the girls get better and gain confidence and a better awareness of what it means to be a team.  I had one girl tell me, "I'm glad you coached this year.  Usually first year coaches kinda suck, but you did good."  =) 

Stony and I celebrated our third anniversary last weekend.  My parents gave us some money to go out to dinner.  We had a lot of fun!  And I am very very thankful that the Lord blessed me with such a wonderful man to marry!

This weekend my cousin Pam gets married.

I saw my roommate from my freshman year of college.  She was in Denver for a conference so we went to an Avalanche game on Friday together. 

Since this is the first weekend I have really been home in a while I cleaned like a crazy lady.  I did SO many loads of laundry and dishes.  Cleaned out the cars.  Got out my winter clothes.  Disinfected everything (I'm still kind of scarred from the MRSA thing...I disinfect at least once a month, but haven't done it in about 2 months.)  And I cooked...and I baked.  I love baking!  And I am going to do some more.  I'm sure Stony was thrilled, I cooked 3 nights in a row!  It feels so good to just be home and do some of the things that make home feel better. 

Today we had some of the Sundeck cooks at our house fixing our fence (it was unplanned until about an hour before they showed up).  They are all looking for work since the Sundeck closed for the season and they all like Stony, so they came over today.  It was a little crazy around here, but it was fun.  Those guys are so goofy, but they are good guys.  I'm just glad I felt like baking cookies last night so I had something to offer them. =)

Last weekend we were in Estes for family pictures.  My grandparents came over to my parent's house for pictures and then we all had dinner.  My mom has been telling us how quickly Poppa's health has been declining, how much pain he is in and how hard it is for him to transfer from his wheel chair into any other chair.  But it is different when you see it.  The only thing that really makes him smile is Alyssa.  He can hardly hold his utensils because his hands hurt so bad.  And dad had to hold him up and then lift him into the car.  He decided today that he was not going to take any of his meds.  We don't think he is long for this world...and that is okay.  We are getting a clearer picture of how miserable he feels and that makes us more understanding of his desire to just be done with the pain.  Talking like that just makes Gram mad.  I think she might be in denial because whenever my parents bring any "end of life" topics us, she says things like, "We'll talk about that when the time comes" or "We will worry about that next year when we get back from Arizona" or she just walks out of the room or changes the subject completely.  I'm sure she is terrified of loosing the man she loves, the one she has been married to for the last 58 years.  That would be scary!  But it's real.  And its probably close.  We know Poppa believes in God.  We just are not sure what he believes about Jesus.  (Every time we have ever tried to talk to either of them about that, Gram changes the subject or makes us leave.  Sometimes she lets us pray at dinner, but that is the closest we have ever gotten with them...when she is around anyway.)  So, we are just praying that when Poppa goes, it is peaceful.  And that he knows who his Savior is.  And that Gram's heart will be open to being comforted our Heavenly Father.

Stony's mom and 2 brothers are planning on moving to Texas in a couple of weeks.  We knew one brother, Cory was leaving, but Vicki and JJ just decided today.  We will see if it really happens, but I kind of think it will.  And as much as we will miss them, I think it would be a good thing for both of them. 

That's October in a very tiny nutshell.