Another Angel Gets Her Wings . . .

My dad's mom, my Grandma Johnson, passed away on Sunday April 15th at the age of 81. While it's never easy to say good-bye to someone you love, we couldn't be more happy for my grandma and the new journey she is now on. She has not been in great health for several years now, and it really seems like such a tender mercy for her to have passed on into a better place and life.  

 

My grandma was best remembered for her incredible memory.  She has 38 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, and 7 children of her own, and I can honestly say that she never once forgot any special occasion for any of us.  We got a birthday card and some kind of remembrance every single year of our lives, anniversary cards, get well cards, good luck cards, etc.  I got the chance to take my girls to the hospital to say our good-byes the day before she passed away, and even then, she was asking each of us about our current life events and interests.  What a gift! 

She was a very kind and selfless person.  She was an amazing listener, and very compassionate.  She always made everyone in her presence feel very important and very loved.  

I had the privilege of taking pictures of the funeral like I did at Rod's dad's funeral.  

It was so sweet to be able to watch the events unfold through the lens of my camera. 

No words are necessary to see why  . . . 

We love you Grandma!  

God be with you 'til we meet again!

Ever had one of those weeks???

I'm starting to think that I should change my blog title from Maddog Moments and Memories to 

Maddog Moments of CHAOS! 

We have had quite the adventurous life for the past couple of months . . . hence, NO blog posts!  

NO TIME!  

I was positive that if my kids were just a little bit older, my life would slow down . . . 

WOW!  Did I ever get a rude awakening!  

We go 100 miles an hour around here lately, and just to keep things lively, we try to throw in a curve ball once in a while . . . 

My goal is to blog all of this in the next few days, but until then, here is a breakdown of our last two weeks:

My grandma died on Sunday, April 15.  

 Carsyn had Hope of America on Tuesday, 

Viewing for Grandma on Wednesday,  

Funeral on Thursday (along with play practice for the girls), 

all followed by a crazy weekend.  

Saturday morning, I OPENED the door (did not even go outside) to hand the phone to Carsyn, and got stung by a wasp - which I am allergic to - through a long sleeve shirt, none-the-less. 

 I had vein "surgery" on Monday - which I had an awesome reaction to - that caused my legs and ankles to swell to the size of tree trunks!  SEXY! 

Dentist on Tuesday for a broken crown, and gum "surgery."

  The girls performed their play on Wednesday morning . . .

And being the awesome mom that I am, I made them go back to school . . . 

only to get a phone call an hour later saying that Carsyn had fallen at recess.

My reaction? 

Give her an icepack and Tylenol and send her back to class.

The secretary's reaction?

Um, you're going to want to take her to the doctor . . . just in case. 

Which led to this . . .

Our first (and please pray, last) broken arm.  Carsyn tripped over a ball that was thrown and not noticed by her until it was too late, and ended up with a buckle fracture in her wrist.  

The rainbow in all of this?  

It's only a three week cast and she'll have it off before summer, 

it's waterproof, 

no surgery, 

and it doesn't slow her down a bit.  

The downside?

Soccer started the day after she got her cast on.  

AWESOME! 

Heaven help us all! 

Hope of America

Carsyn was so excited for her turn to do Hope of America!

This is such a great program and makes me so proud!

Sweet Phil loves this program too and was so happy to come support these girls!

He always comes in his best USA gear as he is so proud to have served his country!

Grandma Sal came this time too!

Utah Jazz!

We took Phil to a Utah Jazz game! It was so much fun to have him there!

He is such a joy and our family loves him so much!

 

For Real???

I just registered my sweet Camryn for Junior High . . . 

FOR REAL???  

I'm SO not ready for this!  

(Tips, comments, and chocolate welcome!)

Love

We had a quiet, but fun Valentine's Day!  

Rod spoiled us all with beautiful roses in the morning, and we had a 

yummy "candlelight" dinner later that night!  

The girls decided they didn't want the "boxed" Valentine's from the store this year, 

so thanks to Etsy and Gram, they got some pretty darn cute Valentine's to hand out!

So, from our house to yours, Lots of Love! 

The weekend before Valentine's Day, Auntee T had a pink, red, and white party with all the girls 

(minus our cute Canada girlies)!  

They made a kazillion darling crafts and had a blast . . . and would like to live with her forever

because she is MUCH more fun than the mom! :)  

One of the crafts they made were these Minions from Despicable Me . . . CUTE! 

And these yummy mini-doughnuts! 

We were spoiled by sweet friends and neighbors!  

 Our "candlelight" dinner

 And my poor attempt at heart shaped rolls

These creative girls came up with their designs for their boxes almost all on their own!  

They turned out so cute! 

Roses from Rod/Dad

We definitely got bit by the "Love Bug" at our house!

Stand a Little Taller

Five years ago today, I had a hysterectomy . . . with a lot of complications.  

I bled . . . a lot . . . for a long time.

But, for some crazy reason, my time here wasn't done. 

And, boy, am I grateful for that.  

In the last couple of weeks, we have had our own experiences with losing a loved one, 

but as I type this, someone else is going through the same thing.

A beautiful lady lost her fight with life last week.

She was only 31.  

She has three little girls . . . the same ages as mine. 

Her oldest is in Camryn's class at school.

She loved the outdoors, being active, and spending time with her family.

Her life doesn't seem too different than mine.

So how come I got to stay, and she had to go?

Somehow, it doesn't seem fair.

My heart aches for her daughters. 

As I got to hug and kiss mine last night, I wondered what hers were 

thinking at that very moment.  

As we enter a new phase of grown-up changes at our house,

I can't help but cry for what her daughters will go through without her guidance and support. 

Rod and I had a conversation a few weeks ago that has really stuck with me. 

I was in one of my "poor me" modes when I got a Christmas card from someone who "appears" to have it all.  

It added to my mood of all the things I felt that I wasn't at that moment. 

When I was finished making my list of things she has that I don't, 

Rod asked me if I wanted to hear what he had to say about it all. 

Keep in mind that we don't know everything about this person's life, 

so any judgment is unfair, but Rod asked me what I thought she stood for. 

I wasn't sure. 

Then he asked me what I stood for. 

It's got me thinking. . . 

I have definitely been given second chances in my life.  I must need them to finally figure it out! 

But as I realize how precious life truly is, and how fragile our mortality is,

I have decided to make sure that I stand for something, and that my daughters will know exactly what that something is.  

I am determined to stand a little taller, and be a little better, so that there will be no questions about how I lived my life when my time comes. 

Five years later, I am stronger, happier and more at peace than I've ever been.  

Today, that's enough.  And today, I am so grateful.