Saying Good Bye to 2017. . .

  I am delighted that 2017 is hours away from no longer existing. I honestly think it has been the worst year of my life. However, as bad as 2017 was at times, we made it. The journey was not pretty or easy by any means. Tommy went through hell and so did our family.  Tommy is alive and is doing well. We have a three month check up in January. The 3rd,4th and, 5th are the days the VA checks Tommy out from top to bottom to see if he is still cancer free and everything else is working as it should. We are believing the results will be good news. He still has pain from the shingles in his left arm but Lyrica is doing wonders for the PHP. There are a couple other things that need to be healed but in the long run, he is fine.
   The girls and I can actually sleep and breath almost like normal people. There was a time when I thought this would never happen again. I am so glad I was wrong.
    Not everything that happened in 2017 was bad. We had many blessings come our way. Tami moved to Troy and purchased a new home. She fell in love with Jake Gordy. His family has doubled our pleasure. The holidays were so nice with all the young people, his brother, and his Mom. We needed all that laughter. 
    Melodi, Lacey, and Rowan visited us in April. Most of our family members were born in April so they came in to celebrate. We all took Rowan to the zoo. I think it was my favorite day of the summer.  There were six adults and two children, Logan and Rowan. The laughs were bouncing off the bricks as we rambled around the zoo. It was a wonderful day trip.
    When Tommy got sick, Lisa and Lisle came in to help out. Lisle had to go back to Florida but Lisa stayed with us for weeks while Tami moved into her new home. Tami had been staying with us off and on for days at a time. It was a cluster smuck in every sense of the word. Everything that happened to Tommy was unexpected, coming somewhere out of left field. For several months we did not know if he would live or not. Live he did!!
     Tommy and I missed our families back home. We had a break in doctor appointments and took off for home in Kentucky and Tennessee for five days. It was a brother and sister kind of visit. The trip was filled with laughter, good food, and several trips to Reelfoot Lake. Tommy and I really needed to spend time with his brothers and sisters. We had a wonderful time, remembering old memories and making new memories. It did us a world of good to get away for awhile.
    Today is Dec.30th. We have snow on the ground and wind chill advisories until Monday or Tuesday. Our home smells like cinnamon spice with a touch of the wood stove thrown into the mix. We are warm and toasty. Life is good, not perfect but good. For me, that is enough. Happy New Year to all our friends and family. I thank you all for your prayers, gifts, cards, care packages, messages, and love. You all have made this year easier on us. Thank you and Happy New Year to each and every one!