Piece of the Puzzle

Thanksgiving was great, the weather was great, the food was great and the whole family being together was great. This was the first holiday Lamont spent with us and so it was a special time for all of us. I think he got a little bored here in Baton Rouge since it rained the last few days while he was here. We shopped both of those days. On Friday we went downtown to listen to a band and dance. Saturday we took him tailgating at LSU and Sunday I took him to the western store to buy cowboy boots. We had some fantastic talks. When he got home he thanked me for being patient the past 14 years. That meant so much to me. I can see this will be a permanent thing and I just never dreamed it would be like this. God has answered this prayer for me in ways I never thought possible. One day we were at the health club and we were doing some exercises together. As I looked in the mirror and saw the 2 of us together I just thought it was the most surreal thing ever. Never did I imagine he would be at the club with me let alone sharing an exercise together. It is just the most awesome thing. I cannot even begin to tell you how content I feel with all of this. It is like I have had a puzzle piece missing and it has been found and now we are a complete picture.

Pictures

My mom in the teal, Emily Jane in the middle and JoAnne in the red, they are all sisters! This is Chamberlain, SD, it isn't my home town but I have to go by it and it was pretty so I took a picture.

This is Alicia and her new husband Andrew. Aren't they cute?

Sorry...

I am sorry I didn't post right after the wedding. I totally forgot! Anyways, the nasty texts went on for the rest of the week, there were texts telling us that she won't be around after the wedding, that I should go back to my "hick" town. Mom tried reasoning with her but everytime she called she yelled at mom and then would have cell phone problems and then all of a sudden on Thursday Cammy and I got texts from Brenda saying she is sorry for everything. WHAT??
So now everyone is suppose to be ok..it is hard to turn that switch off. Mom and I prayed for our attitudes. Everyone was on edge and apprehensive. Mom, stepdad and myself went to the rehearsal dinner and Brenda was her sweet self and everything went well. Saturday Brenda comes by the hotel and gives Paula (older sis) a card apologizing for everything. Paula doesn't text. We arrive at the wedding and Brenda makes sure Paula has a corsage and all was good. After Brenda apologized I suggested we talk but she didn't want to have anything to do with that. She said she didn't want me to shame her, so I said never mind. Brenda has had a very traumatic life, as a teen ager she had 2 abortions, that will mess anyone up. She had a 4 year old daughter that drowned and her ex in laws have blamed her for that for over 20 years, then her 18 year old son was killed in a car accident. She is divorced from the father of her children. Mom and I have talked about this situation many times and we all agree she is slowly killing herself. Everyone in the family has told her she needs help but she just gets angry. She has been on crack, presently smokes dope and drinks every evening. She is a sad sad person.

Hey Ya'll..

I am sitting on a bed in a hotel room in Sioux City, Iowa. I have been driving all day and decided this was as far as I was going to get. The fall foliage has been awesome but later today it started to rain and so I thought it was time for me to quit for the day.
My day started bad. Last night my niece called to tell me my younger sister was causing alot of trouble. It is her daughter's wedding and she thinks she can dictate who comes to the wedding and who does not. My younger sister and my older sister having been fueding for many many years. I am not sure anyone knows the whys or whatfors but they haven't spoken for along time. So my younger sister thinks my older sister is coming to the wedding to upset her, she also thinks her ex husband is going to hurt her at the wedding. Doesn't this sound like Conspiracy Theory? Wasn't he a little nuts? Welcome to my world....
So I was on the phone all morning while driving listening to all the drama. At what point does a grown woman realize IT ISN'T HER WEDDING? Sheesh..

On the road again..

Well, Sunday I will be hitting the road for South Dak. again. There is a wedding that my mother and stepfather want to attend and I said I would take them. I kind of want to go to the wedding although there seems to be much drama around this one that I am not looking forward to the uncomfortableness around some people. What a blessing family is..
I have been told that there is snow up there. It is in the 80's here in Baton Rouge and so it is very hard to pack for snow when you are in shorts and flip flops. Can I get an Amen?
Later.....

God is sooo good!

This young man I gave up for adoption is 38 years old. I have prayed for him for almost that many years. I have prayed that I would get to know him, that he would get to know the sons I was able to raise and that he would feel a connection with us. When I first met him 14 years ago it was a very scarey time and he seemed to be uninterested in me or my family. We parted ways but I kept tabs on him he had no desire to speak to me. Finally, these last few years he has slowly come around. Last weekend he was invited to the wedding by the bride and accepted that invitation. I was in shock. At one point during the week before he arrived I had a panic attack, worrying about what he would think of us. There was so much riding on this visit. I wanted so much from just one weekend. I prayed and prayed and begged God to make this a life changing weekend. God has done was I asked and more. Friday night Lamont arrived and we took him to eat, Natalie and her girlfriends took him out for partying. Saturday he was able to meet the boys and everything was perfect. The kids played soccer at the park, the etouffee was delicious, everyone got along, no drama, Sunday the wedding was so much fun no one wanted to leave. Lamont has written to me that he feels a connection with us and wants to fit in and I am on cloud 9.

Big Surprise!

As the wedding got closer Natalie (Lucas' fiance) decided along with my suggestion to invite Lamont to the wedding, I told her he won't come but being the sweet person that she is did it anyway. Lo and behold he has said yes. I am so in shock and excited. He will get to meet Gabe and Lucas and vice versa. I get to take a picture of all 3 of them together. I get to cook for him and have him in my home. He gets to see me in my element. I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep since he said he might make it. I am just in shock...did I already say that?
I will post a picture the minute I get one. Please be praying he won't think we are a bunch of hicks or hillbillies.
I am making crawfish etouffee for 30, I may need prayers for that too. tee hee. I have never cooked by myself for that many. Etouffee is quite easy so I think I can do it especially if no one is here to distract me.
We are having a play day at the park the day before the wedding so everyone will be able to strut their stuff and the old people will just be stiff and sore. :-)

A busy October

We have a very busy October coming up. Lucas and Natalie are marrying on October 4. We are so looking forward to meeting her family. They are from Philadelphia. Her mom is Vietnamese and her dad is American. Natalie is a lovely young lady and truly committed to Lucas. October 24th my niece in Mitchell, SD is getting married. I have volunteered to drive up and pick up my mom and step dad and take them to the wedding. I am looking forward to that trip.

I forgot to post pictures about my finished bathroom so here they are, didnt Stanley do a fantastic job?