Stef, Jake & Joe

Here's the last picture we have of Joe. This was taken this past Christmas. Rest in peace, Joe....we loved you dearly.

2 Month 5 Day Recap!!

Many apologies that I haven't made any entries lately.....it's been a whirlwind summer and I'm not as committed to this as my brother and sisters. Sorry, sorry, sorry......

My sister, Peggy gave me some ideas for posts and I'll just cover them all here:

• Stefanie is gainfully employed!!......Stef got a part-time job at Applebee's this summer and her tasks include busing and hosting. She likes the people interaction but it didn't take her long to figure out that many people in the work force are quite lazy and will do only enough to get by. She came home and said, "Mom, now I know why you do what you do!" She also recruited two of the servers to become Mary Kay consultants!! Guess she sold my job quite easily.
• Cabin.....We haven't been back up to our land since the beginning of the summer but we are making plans to go over Labor Day weekend. Scott....the man who can find a diamond in a goat's a**.....found a nice pair of waterskis for only $5....We'll definitely be taking them with us as Stef has taken a liking to the skis and Jake finally tried tubing and doesn't find it to be as scary as he first thought it to be.
• My friend was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident......One of my dear, dear Mary Kay friends LOVES to ride her custom-painted pink Harley with her husband. They go on several big group rides every summer. In mid-July they were on their way home and a 29 year old woman driving her vehicle crossed over the center line and struck 5 of the 22 Harleys in the group. My friend happened to be one of them and she suffered the most injuries. It really is a miracle that she is alive. The car hit her cycle head on, Jodi's head hit the windshield and literally scalped her from above her eyebrow to the back of her head, she broke her C2 vertebrae and is in a traction halo, she broke her right arm and did severe damage to her pelvic area....they put her back together with pins and screws. She flew 15 feet in the air and came down on the top of her head. She never lost consciousness and suffered no brain injury. When I stood over her bed I really felt I should be standing over her casket, but God, in His infinite wisdom decided it was not yet her time to go home. I would have liked to have heard the dialogue between her guardian angel and God. She was medflighted to UW hospital in Madison, WI and stayed for a couple of weeks and as of this writing she's in a skilled care nursing facility closer to her home in Iowa for intense rehabilitation. She earned her first Top Director luxury trip to Sweden, compliments of Mary Kay, and she, unfortunately won't be able to go. The company will "bank" the trip for her and allow her and her husband to go on next year's trip to Munich Germany.....
• Am I an Advocate of Helmet Laws? My friend and her Harley buddies never wear helmets......I was always bugging her to wear one. She chose not to....it was her choice. The newspaper article made the distinct point that the cyclists were NOT wearing helmets and said how the woman driving the car was wearing her seat belt and her airbags deployed. Like that really matters....what about the fact that she crossed the center line and was ticketed with inattentive driving? I am certain that if it's your time no helmet will save you. Would I wear one when riding or driving a cycle? YES...Did my husband just sell his motorcycle? YES....Am I thankful? A little bit.
• MK Convention....At the end of July Scott and I headed to Dallas, TX for our annual convention. Our unit was recognized in the $450,000 Unit Sales Circle. I was proud of them. The message that I heard that hit me the most was: "If you're avoiding disappointment, you end up living disappointed."
• Joe....Our dog Joe is no longer with us. This morning we decided to put him to sleep. We had been having behavioral issues with him and he was growling quite a bit and even snapped at Scott. We were fearful he might bite someone. Also, he had begun peeing and pooping in the house and he was 12 years old and quite arthritic and going blind. When we took him to the vet's office I wasn't ready for the surge of emotions that came over me. I'm sad....I'll miss him.
• School started for Stefanie and it starts this week for Jake. Stef's a junior in hs and Jake is in the 7th grade. Stef opted not to go out for cc after much thought and prayer. She wants to focus more on basketball and track...her 2 loves. Football has started for Jake. He's doing great and seems so excited to go to practice. His first game is next Thursday. I'll be sure to post....tune in.

That's it for now.....a recap of the quick summer. Thanks for helping me "blog, blog and get off my log."