Sheeps Blood, Gee-Tars ... Feeling My Loss

This weekend and beginning of next week I'm in Nashville for a convention.  It's actually been a really great convention so far.  The vendor exhibits (that's is) are open from 10:30 until 1:30 and so far every day has been crazy busy!  A lot of great leads and interest.  Ed and I have out sales thing - I draw em in with intrigue and he finishes them off with a sales pitch.  

Sheeps blood!

That's how I get em in!  It's an amazing display actually!  Remind me sometime and I'll show you!:)

After the show yesterday, my neck was all tensed up from my travel adventures on Friday night and so I opted for a massage!  Amazing place that uses olive oil for their massages!  At first I felt like a rib roast, but then I actually relaxed into it and it was amazing - admittedly a little painful, she tortured my back for a while and told me to keep breathing - but u made it through and actually feel much better!

Then my cousin Isaiah picked me up and we did dinner together.  He's a foodie so he always knows where to go.  We are at a place on Germantown that was amazing!

My sadness during the day however came from the fact that my beloved IWO outreach for the international six flags students, the Welcome picnic was going in as I was demoing Sheeps blood removal:(. I was extremely sad and dejected not to be there - the first time in 7 years!  But at least I knew it was in the capable hands of the one person who shares my love of IWO.  Sean was there running things and it turned out to be a great welcome!  Next year though!!!!  I will not miss again!!!

I'll Cut Your Face Out!

I thought that title would catch your attention:). It's rather Silence of the Lamb-sy!

18 years ago on a cold Feburary morning (I'm making that up because I really don't remember what it was like..), I walked into Carl DeMasi's office, VP of The Herbert Stanley Company, i interviewed for a job for about 2 hours (I do remember that!) and a day later, I was told that I had to take a test, but the results didn't matter because Carl wanted to hire me!

For a year in customer service I worked one on one with him.  I learned, I grew, I was forgiven many mistakes, and then one day he wanted to promote me.  

He's been the best "boss", an educator, a father figure and a friend.

And a month ago we were told that he was retiring!

In a few weeks were having a company goodbye party for him and part of the plan is apparently that were all going to greet him with his face!  So they ordered all these copies of his face and then had to cut them out.  And me being the amazing person that I am, volunteered to cut a stack of Carl's faces.... I don't think I ever dreamed when I interviewed 18 years ago that some day I'd be sitting cutting Carl's face!

Happy Fathers Day!

I decided that since Sean was down in Jacksonville one last weekend and that since it was Father's Day and since his mom was doing so awesome - I needed to do one more weekend visit.

So Friday afternoon I left the office a little earlier and I hopped on a flight to Jax!  It was supposed to land at 5:15, but thanks to storms over the airport, we circled for about 40 minutes, had to detour to savannah and land there and refuel, then get back in the air and finally land in Jacksonville at 8:15.  Ugh!  We got there so late that I wasn't able to stop over and see his mom who they had just moved over to the Jewish home. 

Instead we went home and took a dip in the pool and then headed to bed so we could get up in the morning and head over.  We picked up uncle Nels, mess gartlands brother and spent the afternoon at her new digs!

Sunday, Sean and I hit the beach church in sawgrass and then I took him out for breakfast for dads day and then we went over to take mrs Gartland to lunch and a concert.  

Overall the whole weekend gave us lots of extra time to just hang out with her and finish some more house packing up!

She's doing well - looks good - has a great appetite - doesn't yet like being where she is - but she's overall in good spirits!

And Sean had both daughters call him, a healthy and alive mom, and a good breakfast!  I think his dad's day was pretty enjoyable!

More Prayers Please!

Please continue to pray for Seans mom.  She has pulmonary artery disease so a bump she got on her leg about 6 months ago has turned into a pretty large wound.  She just doesn't have circulation for it to heal.

So today, at mayo in Jacksonville, they're going to do a procedure where they put artificial veins in her leg and then do a skin graph.  She's 93 but has a strong heart and is in great mental condition and as of Sunday she was doing impressively well.  However she still needs lots of prayer because anything could happen!

Please pray for the surgeons and for mrs Gartland and for healing!

It's the end of the day and I'm adding- I just found out she's ok!!!!! She made it through surgery and is complete with her leg and is ok!!!!! I have been SO emotional all day and now I have complete peace and relief because I know God had all this for a reason and He is good!  Even when things were bad to begin with - He's still good at the end! Thank you for your prayers!!!!!!

You Can Dress Him Up....

Back down in Jacksonville again.  I just came down for the weekend but Sean is staying through his mom's surgery on tuesday and leaving on Thursday, God willing everything goes ok.  

Spent some more time working on the house, some more time at the beach, some more time with his family...

And one night doing dinner at a beach restaurant that Sean took me too.  I know he's a beach boy, but I discovered that when he runs around all afternoon in "beach attire", he dresses up nice in the evening 

But the bottom half sometimes is lacking...

Yes, we got all dressed up for dinner and he dropped me off at the front to get our table.  They led me out to the deck and then a few minutes later Mr Sean joins me... Barefoot.  He forgot to put his shoes in the car, so now we have a new tradition we do every time we leave the house .... shoe check!

Sunday evening we went downtown jacksonville (which btw I discovered that jacksonville was named after Andrew Jackson!  Never knew!) Anyways, we went down to this place called The Landing where Sean hadn't been before and we walked around, and discovered why Sean hadn't been there.  It was not the most awesome place but now we can say we've been!

 Now I'm leaving him down there - don't like that - but we'll look forward to the next time we'll be down there again, God willing, with his mom at the beach!

Wednesday Waterbugs

Last night Sean invited mom and I to go to by him and see the waterski team in Muskego - the Waterbugs!  It's a special place for him because he was on the team with his daughters when they were younger.

We went up and had dinner while we watched the show.  It's started at 6:3 with little little kids who weren't official yet (like 5 years old ... I don't even think I knew what waterskiing was at 5!).  And then went on with the team doing flips and pyramids and all kinds of things.

And here's my impressive and amazing Sean.... A man of many talents!!!:). 

Prayers Appreciated

Sean and I have been down in his hometown of Jacksonille, FL.  His mom was supposed to have surgery last Thursday for a wound in her leg that hasn't healed.  They got her in and found out she had some infections so they're waiting to do the surgery.  Please pray that she heals, gets strength and that the family would have wisdom with her!

In the meantime, we had good visits with his family, spent time with his mom, started going through her house....

And had a little time for the beach:)

Thanks for your prayers!!!!!!  Headed back today after a little more cleaning and a visit with his mom.