Florence's church memorial service...

Hi Steve,

I hope you're doing well.  I'm sure by now you've heard about Neal and Michaela's wedding plans. Apparently they are tying the knot on December 5th.  Woooo.  I'm wondering if you care, and/or if you're going to show up??  Will you even be invited??  Ahhhh if you could just talk BACK to me on this blog, I'd have a lotta questions for ya like that.  Probably a good thing you can't, huh?!

This is going to be a very busy week for me, with Pete's last procedure for the kidney stone (removing the stent), and on Friday we are driving to New Jersey for the church memorial service for Florence.

The memorial service is being held at her favorite (and last attended) church, where she still has several friends who remember her.  I've made a collage of photos of her on a 3-part presentation board to put up somewhere, and made some copies of photos to give out to anyone who wants them.  I still haven't been able to take her stuff out of her closet to get rid of it.  I open the closet, and it's like she's still here. I guess that's just the hard part of dealing with the death of a loved one.  In her medicine cabinet, there is a hair brush that still has her hair in it.  I can't bring myself to get rid of that either.  It might be silly to most people, but when you miss someone you love who dies, it makes perfect sense.

I am sure you've had similar thoughts about things that Kellie left behind that you cannot part with yet.

Once this week is over, I will probably collapse into a heap.

The thing that is keeping me busy right now is making mini-hats.  I actually got my first sale from a total stranger today, she sent me a check and I'm mailing the hat tomorrow.  I now have a display idea for them, which is a group of three or four DVD racks.  It looks rather nice and organized, actually. So I am trying to work on a display for all of my stuff, along with my friend Julie's stuff, and my mom's crocheted items too.  It'll be a tight squeeze to get it all arranged on one table, that's for sure.

Sorry it has taken me awhile to write (again).  I'm a slacker, you should spank me.  GRIN!

Seriously though, it has been a whirlwind chaotic time for me lately.  I hope you understand.  I'm really not a slacker, but there hasn't been many free moments where I can sit here in front of the computer for longer than 5 minutes.  With only one vehicle right now, though, we are taking turns using it every other day. Today is my day to stay home, so I'm making more hats and doing some house cleaning before our trip to NJ this weekend.  (I hate coming home to a messy house).

In addition to all the memorial service planning for Florence, and doing some car shopping, we are also looking into getting rid of my stupid student loan once and for all.  Damned thing never did me a bit of good.  It'll be like a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders.  I'm eligible for a forgiveness of the loan, so I'm going for it.  We've been dealing with car insurance companies, going to the doctors for check-ups after the accident, Pete's kidney stone surgery, and lots of other stuff that just gets in the way of my sitting here writing to you daily like I used to.

But as fast as this year has been flying by, I know if I don't sit and make these damned hats NOW, I won't have a lot of time in November to do it, (we're going away for Thanksgiving week), so I really don't have a lotta wiggle room at the moment.

Doesn't mean I don't love ya though.  In fact, I do.  Always have, always will.

Hope you have a great week, and I'll write as soon as I possibly can.  If I didn't get car sick by reading and/or writing while I ride along to New Jersey, I could do it then....but alas, it makes me nauseous.

Well, I'm off to get more done around here.

Love you lots....xoxoxo

---Rebecca