Back to Blogging!

It is about time I get back to blogging! Where does the time go? A perfect example of that is my nephew Henry! I was just looking through my most recent (last summer) blog entries and saw the pictures of my super cute (I am not biased) nephew and can't believe how grown up he has become so quickly. Well, he will be two in June, but compared to when I was there last summer he has really become a person all his own in the last nine months. This is the most recent picture of Henry during his first visit to our house.


So, where has the time gone? I guess when I look back we have been pretty busy. I finished shows at Rockford, IL in three days of solid rain. Quite anti-climactic after such an amazing summer. What is it they say about predictably unpredictable? Once done with shows, I poured myself into the finishing touches on the remodeling project on which my husband and I have been working. Also known as our home. By the end of October we were well on our way to moved in and living like grown ups. A very much needed change from the basement we had been camping in. We then set out to finish the kitchen and bathroom. First cabinets, then counters and appliances. The kitchen is together and is the best kitchen I have ever called my own. The bath, well, we recently bought a new tub :) It will be finished soon I am sure.

Then came the holidays and the hopes of a great show. The economy put a rapid end to that dream. On the positive side, I have lots of new work ready to share with the world. About a week later I found myself in PHARR, Texas after my mother-in-law fell and broke her foot. Sickness came upon return which led to the most peaceful Christmas I can remember. I think I need to get sick every year ;)

The new year started with a rapid series of events that have forever changed my outlook on life and what we put our hope in. It started on Friday, January 16, when I received my first colonoscopy, during which a polyp that was found to be of the type that could become cancerous was removed. An eye opener, but not earth shattering. Until Sunday, Jan. 18 when we got a phone call that my husband's sister, in her mid-fifties, had a massive heart attack. There is no more helpless feeling than seeing someone you love connected to machines and tubes. Then on Mon., Jan. 19, Tom came home and had been laid-off.

So, you might be thinking that I am kind of angry at the world right now. Well, I'm not. In fact, I am happier than I have been in a long time and hopeful. Last weekend we celebrated Easter with my sister-in-law, and celebrated the fact that she is still with us. I know it sounds cliche, but these events have helped me realize what is really important in life. It is in times like these - personally, economically, professionally - that make us realize we really are not in control of anything. I have learned to celebrate life today, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Until next time, Linda