Counting my many BLESSINGS

I feel that I  we have been very blessed this week.  My dad made it through a very high risk surgery on his heart and is now at home recovering.  He was in the hospital for 11 days undergoing some sort of testing every day including frequent dialysis.  He made it home though and that is a Blessing!  His kidneys no longer function and so he has to go to dialysis 3 times a week for 4+ hours.  He has had cardiac problems and diabetes for several years now but added to that is his renal failure now; so you can't even imagine the diet he has to be on.  It's crazy!  But we are blessed.  We were planning for a funeral so to have him home and have a little more time with him is truly a BLESSING!!

I have been in Utah for 10 days now and will be here a few more days. We are helping mom care for my dad, and getting other important things in order.  We  my brother, sister and brother-in-law are completely gutting mom and dad's bathroom and redoing/updating it to be more "disabled" friendly.  Tile floors, tile shower, new paint and bars installed so dad can balance himself while showering.  When it is finished it will be the best room of the whole house!   I am so thankful that I have been able to be here for so long spending the time with my dad and with my family!  To not have been able to be here these past few days would have killed me.  This is another BLESSING!!

And since I have been here in Utah I got to spend some quality time with my son.  He was able to come up to Salt Lake and be with me and the family for a few days; and when I took him home I was able to spend an evening with my daughter.  That was really a BLESSING!!

Another blessing is that I found a school that offers the degree program I want, sent them my transcripts and learned they will accept ALL OF MY CREDITS plus give me an ADDITIONAL 9 credits because of the types of classes I have completed.  This means that I have already taken all of the prerequisites and can jump right into the core classes.  I am so happy about this!  So ya this is most definitely a BLESSING!  I will graduate from CTU on April 14th and then begin the bachelor's program at Kaplan University on April 19th.  I am still a little sad that I won't be able to continue at CTU because I really loved it there and am leery to go somewhere new and unfamiliar.  Who knows though, maybe it will be an even better experience.

The final blessing I will share with you is the blessing of having a terrific husband who loves me and supports me in all I do. He works very hard to provide a good living for our family and takes care of so many things just because he wants to make me happy.  I am truly BLESSED!  I have missed him so much!

Of course there are many more blessings that I have received that I have not shared with you, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize them or that they don't matter.  I am very grateful for all of my blessings especially for a loving Heavenly Father who has watched over me and my family in our time of need.  

I really am a Blessed woman!

Freedom Is Not Free

I want to thank all the soldiers and veterans for their sacrifices on my behalf.  I live in the best country in the world, where I have many freedoms other people in other countries do not.  But that Freedom is not Free.  It comes with a price.

Today I honor all those who have paid that price by death or who are still with us but suffering from the traumas of their service to our country.

This past Friday here in Bozeman, we had local wounded soldier return from Afghanistan.  He came home missing his legs and one arm after stepping on a land mine.  You can read the story here and here.

I especially want to give thanks to my dad and father-in-law for the sacrifices they made while in Vietnam.  

My dad is suffering from the effects of agent orange he was exposed to in Vietnam.  He is only 66 years old but has lost so much of his health and quality of life directly related to this exposure.  He may be 66 but his body is like that of an 86 year old man.  He has lost his right eye, he suffers from diabetes and heart problems, as well as many other issues... all brought on by this chemical.

My father-in-law as a helicopter pilot witnessed and experienced much bloodshed and violence.  There are events he lived through that no one should ever have to see and be a part of.  No one knows everything he experienced.  But I can imagine he relives it in his mind often.... too often.  I have witnessed a little of his emotional feelings about his experience there and my heart aches.  

They both are very lucky to make it out of Vietnam alive as they each experienced their brush with death. However, thousands of soldier's did not make it home.  In Vietnam alone there were over 58,196 casualties.
 

So please make sure you give thanks and respect to our soldiers and veterans.  Because we would not have the freedoms we take for granted every day without their service and sacrifice to our country.  

Thank You to both of my Daddy's!  Love you!

This is what pays the bills....

It's also what brought us to Montana.   

Yup, you guessed it!  My husband's job.  Thats my sweety right there!  :)

We are grateful for his job. It pays the bills and provides a fairly comfortable lifestyle.

 

It brought us to Montana where his job is more stable.  And even though he drives every night (M-F) about 470 miles round trip, at least he is home everyday, and I am grateful.

Even though the economy has been rough, rather than laying off their drivers, they cut out things like bonuses and company parties, which didn't make a lot of people very happy, but I am glad because at least my husband still has a job.

We are blessed and I am grateful!

Next time you go to the store, think about how the stuff you buy gets there. And remember, to thank a Trucker. They are out there risking their lives on our highways, days, nights, weekends, holidays, in good weather and in very bad weather. Some truckers are gone for days, weeks and months at a time, leaving their families behind, just so you and I can purchase the items we need.

Yes.... let's all thank our Truckers!