5 years...seriously?

Oh man, where has the time gone?  I can't believe it has been 5 years since I have posted here.  It's been an emotionally hard time since I posted last.  

My dad's passing has been harder on me that I expected it would be.  I think of him every day.  Every. Single. Day.  I think of all the things that should have been said, that should have been done...I feel like if I had known he was depressed, then I could have tried to get him help.  I struggle every day with the things that should have happened and did not.

Just as hard is the fact that a good friend passed about 6 months after my dad.  We didn't talk real often, but when we did, I felt like he really listened.  He was one of few that really understood me, and I felt like I could really be myself around him...I think of my friend every single day as well.

I've been in the band all these years...got voted in my 14th year of president this past January.  I'm getting tired of this as well.  I'm looking for new things to keep me busy.  I do have a travel blog that I try to post to once a week...been doing that for several years now.  I'm now talking of starting up a youtube channel of the things we find out about when planning and traveling, and also the non profit things too.  I'll have to keep up some videos stockpiled so we can post every week, if we decide to do it.

New ideas for blogging

I've been thinking about starting a scrapbook / vacation blog.  One where others can get ideas on how to get vacations paid for inexpensively and also get supplies for the vacation scrapbooks inexpensively as well.  Let's see how this will work!

Dose of Disney

Jeff and I got married in September 2012.  We honeymooned at Disney World, and had a great time while there!  While at the parks during our honeymoon, I would email pictures I took of rides I remembered from my childhood to my dad. 

After my dad's passing in November, I was looking for a way to make more happy memories at Disney World and not associate the rides with my dad.  I was so pleased to hear that Jeff wanted to go there for his 50th birthday this year!

We went in May, along with Mom and David, and Uncle Jim and Lisa.  a great time was had by all, and I only had a minor meltdown while there.  Success!

a different kind of TMEA

It is that time of year again.  A group of us leave to go to the TMEA convention this coming Friday.  This year will be a little different though...we will be staying the night!  I cannot wait for the trip this year.  It is a much needed outing.

Christmas and New Years

This was the most difficult Christmas and New Year's that I have had to endure.  We survived through it though. 

 

I find myself wanting to call or email Dad to let him know things that are going on.  I did not hardly call or email him when he was alive - now I am fighting the urge to do it. 

 

I realized not long ago that I had buried some bitterness towards Dad's side of the family.  I thought I had released it and let it go, but after the confrontation at the Arlington house after Dad's death I realized there were some things I needed to work on.

 

I am going to have to get myself through this.  Each year should be better from the last.  But I have a feeling it is going to be hard for a few more years before it gets better. 

 

I have to remind myself though that whatever feeling I am fighting to work through, I cannot allow it to interfere with my relationship with Jeff.  I have fought too hard for our relationship to be as successful as it is to just let myself destroy it.

Divorcing Family

When we met with Harold and Janet, they informed us that they had gotten rid of the cat that Dad and Sharon had.  That cat was one of the last things Dad bought for her.  We were later able to recover the cat from the kennel.

They did not want to pay anything for the funeral, even though the note blamed them for everything. Michael and I ended up getting into a screaming match with them, and it took Jeff and Renee to keep Michael off of Harold.  He pushed Leslie to the spot that Dad committed suicide, and made her stand there.

Harold told me that I was a dishonor to the family.  Leslie tried to tell me to leave the house, even though it was not her house.  I put it right back on her, and told her it was not her house and she could not kick me out of it.  I also told her if she had nothing positive to say to me, to just not say anything positive at all.

It took Mom going over to smooth things out a bit, and even at that, they said that Michael and I were not welcome at the memorial service they were holding at the house.

Michael is seeing a therapist for his anger issues.  He cannot hold these feelings in without doing damage to himself, Renee, and their marriage.  I am struggling myself, but not as bad as what Michael is going through.  I realize I am allowed to be angry while grieving, but at some point I need to let go of the anger.  I know they will have to answer for being responsible for Dad's death.  Maybe not in this lifetime, but they will have to answer.   That is the only consolation I have.  I know I will be able to let this go when I am done grieving, and know that God will take care of them when it is their turn to stand in front of Him.  I would love to be there to see that, but more than likely will not.

But, I am no longer related to any of them.  They are no more family to me.  They have killed my father, and for that they will answer.

Life and Death Part 2

Yesterday morning, while I was doing some research to help Michael and Renee get the ball rolling for Sharon, I got a phone call from Jeff's sister, Mendy.  Jeff's Dad passed away yesterday morning.  We now are dealing with two deaths in the family within a week of each other.

Life and Death

On Thursday, November 15th, 2012, I got a phone call from my brother.  He had something to tell me, but would not tell me until I was inside the house and sitting next to Jeff.

Sharon had gone out of town earlier in the week.  She had spoken to Dad on the phone Wednesday evening (November 14th), around 8 pm, but told him she would call back when she could hear better.  When she called around 10 pm, there was no answer, and no answers the few times she called the next day.  At that point, she called Michael to ask him to go by and check on Dad since he was not answering the phone.

Michael had to crawl in to the house through an open window in the back. All the lights were out, but the TV was on.  Michael knew immediately that something was wrong.  He found Dad in the front entry way (it was actually hidden from the back of the house - where Dad would know that whoever came home would come in from).  Dad had shot himself in the chest.  Michael would swear that Dad had shot himself in the head...it wasn't until he read later on that it was a chest wound.

Dad did leave a note.  At the time of this writing, Michael is the only one who has read the note.  The police kept the note for a few weeks, but has finally released it to Michael.  From what I understand, the note was pretty much blaming Harold for Dad's death.

After I got off work on Sunday, November 18th, Jeff and I headed to Austin to get Sharon's car, and drive it to Ft. Worth so she could have her car.  We stayed up there until Wednesday, November 21st, when we came back to Houston.  Jeff and I bought groceries for Michael, Renee, and Sharon (Sharon is staying with Michael and Renee until she can find her own place), and cooked meals for them while we were there.  We plan to still have Thanksgiving at Mom's house tomorrow, with Sharon there as well.

We are married!

At the Harris County Courthouse, Clay Road Annex

September 17th 2012

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At the Wedding Reception

September 22nd, 2012

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Honeymoon to Walt Disney World

September 23rd - 27th, 2012

things happen in multiples

Just a few weeks ago, one of my cousins (Bobby) passed away from cancer...just found out that my great aunt had a stroke last week, and is likely not going to come out of that itself, but to top it off she has also been diagnosed with late stage lung cancer.  They have unplugged her from the iv's.  Now we just wait.  It has been a rough few weeks.

Convention work

On February 12th, a group of friends and I went to San Antonio for the TMEA convention.  It was a much needed break and we were able to purchase several large percussion instruments for the Band.  Success!

New Start to the Same Thing

Tonight is the Band's Annual Meeting.  Tonight I will be giving my speech on how the band did this past year, and what we have to look forward to.  This is the eighth time I have given this speech, every year since January of 2005.  I feel that I have grown in my time on the podium, and although I am nervous about tonight, I don't feel that I am as nervous as I have been in the past.  This is a great thing!

I do feel excited about tonight too.  We are voting in board members who are up for re-election, which is normal.  But we are also voting in 2 new board members tonight, one of which I have wanted as a board member for a couple of years now (the piccolo player).  She agreed to do it, finally, and I suggested she take the remainder of a 2 year term, just to see if it is really something she wants to do, and can commit to.  The other position is going to the String Bass player, who has been coming to the after-band-executive-committee meeting every Sunday for several months now.  He's already seen how things kind of work, and how we each take things on, etc.  He's been already committing himself to some things that the board is doing, and offering his services where needed.

This has the potential to be one of the best boards we have had ever.  Everyone has their own opinion, and voices it during meetings.  But, on the other hand, almost everyone chips in and has taken on a project they can call their own.  There is only one member who has not really taken anything on as his own, and that is bothersome.  This one member just shows up to meetings and rehearsals.  Instead of taking tickets to sell, he just writes a check for $50 and calls it a donation.  He always says he is on the stage committee, but then shows up to rehearsals and concerts well after the stage has been set.  He has not been to a retreat yet, because he goes out of town that particular weekend every year.  He once wanted to step down from the board, when his wife passed away, but we did not let him, because at that time, he needed to remain active so he would not sink into even more of a depression than he was in.

But even still, I feel optimistic about this year.  I am not up for re-election tonight as a board member, but will be up for re-election at Wednesday's board meeting, for the President position.  Even though I have complained in the past about all the things I have had to do as President, I am glad to see so many of the board taking on responsibilities that I used to take on.  The ones I have left are the ones I really enjoy tackling.  Program design, program notes, and press releases. 

The Beginning of the End?

Here it is, the first day of 2012.  Many people say that the world is going to end this year, on 12/21/12.  Will it?  Who knows.  What I do know is that as I sit here on the dawn of a new year, I once again ponder my priorities.  Not that I am too overwhelmed with things to do this time around.  But, instead, knowing that this past year was one of ups and downs.  goods and bads.  And I am trying to decide if it was a year of mostly ups and goods or downs and bads.  If it was a year of mostly good things, than I will keep the status quo and continue on as planned.  If it was a year of mostly bads then I need to look to see what the problem areas are and change them.  Most of the question areas have to do with work.  

Things with Jeff are definitely good, and have never been better.  We are planning for a wedding and a honeymoon this year, as well as working on home improvements.  We have a plan, and hopefully we can stick to it.  I am looking forward to that this year!

Traveling Abroad

For 4 1/2 years Jeff has heard me talk about wanting to go to Europe...more specifically anywhere in Ireland, and Paris.  I'd also love to travel to Australia as well.  For the entire time that I have told him about wanting to travel to these places, he has told me that he has not had any desire whatsoever to travel outside the United States. 

The four years that he spent in the Marine Corps jaded his view of other countries.  It wasn't really the Marine Corps fault...it was more military in general.  I think that if he had spent time in any one of the four branches, he would have felt the same way.  I'm also not sure if I would call it "jaded" either.  He says that he has seen first hand how and what other countries feel and think of Americans.  I do not doubt this.

The point that I have tried to make to him was that I was not planning on trying to blend in with the locals in these countries.  If and when I was to take these trips would be to go on an all inclusive trip where we would have an English-speaking guide, most activities and meals set up for us before hand, and be able to stay in well known hotels. 

Nope...not going to happen, according to Jeff.  If we want to see Paris, we can go to Las Vegas and go to the Paris Hotel and Casino.  If we want to go to someplace tropical, instead of going to Cancun, we can go to Puerto Rico so we won't need a passport.

This Christmas, I read to him, the Christmas letter one of my bandmates sent to us.  In the letter, she spoke of going with her daughter and high school band to Europe for a Band Trip.  They played all over Europe, sight-saw, and experienced local food.  It was all-inclusive, and they had a fantastic time. 

Now, Jeff is all for going overseas!  We've done some looking online, and Disney has a service that will set you up on these type of trips, albeit for a price.  But, you know you are getting top notch service since it is a Disney vacation!  I sure hope he continues this, and follows through with his word that we can now go to Europe or Australia.  One of his former co-workers has also invited us to come stay with them in New Zealand.  Hello!

Christmas and Richness

It is amazing how things come into perspective at certain times.  Here we are at Christmas time...the time of sharing, of giving, and of spending time with family.  It has also been one of the most difficult of years for everyone, with the economy horribly in recession, Texas dealing with a severe drought, and finances being tight.  But, we still managed to have a wonderful Christmas, full of surprises, presents, and good food.  We all sought out the best deals in the stores and online for presents, and were looking for deals in the grocery stores for food.  It feels like we have a lot more money than we do right now, and that is the way it ought to be.  We are not rich because we have a lot of money - we are rich because of the family and friends we keep around us. 

Of course, there are family members I wish were here with us, but that is a part of life.  We have done remarkedly well with what we have and how we have prepared everything.  That is the most important part.  I wish we could feel this way the entire year.  But that is what makes this time of year special. 

Christmas Concert

This past Sunday, the band had its annual Christmas Concert.  It was a bittersweet day for me.  My manager had allowed me to take the day off to attend the concert, and my supervisor actually attended the concert.  We knew we needed a very good showing because we were financially strapped for the year, and needed to get as close as possible to ending up in the black.  What actually happened was beyond belief!  We sold 710 tickets to the concert, and ended up in the black for the year because of all the tickets sold!

One of the new things we have started doing since being at the church is that we have access to use the screens behind the band to put images on.  The youth group has also set up a concessions stand to sell drinks and snacks at, with proceeds helping out the church...of course the band also gets a little part of that as well. 

Thanksgiving

I have lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.  I am living with an absolutely amazing man, who loves me very much.  I have a job, a roof over my head and food on the table.  Even though we have our struggles, we come out ahead of the game on most everything.  On the things we don't, we try to find a way to make things positive

There are a lot of people who are out of work, who are struggling to put food on the table and pay the bills, and who are giving up on being able to have the life they once had.

Celebrating Labor Day

Jeff and I are once again celebrating Labor Day by spending time with Mom and David, and Mama.  It is really good to spend some time with them, I just wish that we could spend more time with them more often.  But, our schedules conflict too much too often.

Jeff and David went out to the firing range today and shot off David's pistols.  After they got back, everyone (except David) went out to Dollar Tree and Big Lots to look for stuff to use for the reception next year when we get married.  We found some great stuff and at very in expensive prices!

Wedding Planning

Jeff and I have decided that we will go to the court house to get married, and have a large reception for family and friends.  We are going to have a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs themed reception.  After doing some research on the fairy tale, we found out that it was a Bros. Grim story, set in Germany.  We've asked my step-dad and my brother to do the grilling of German food, and my mom to make the Apple Strudel and German Chocolate Cake for the cake table.  I'd like to have my sister-in-law be my right hand help on getting the theme and setting just right!

We decided that each party favor bag will relate to mirrors, apples, and mining.  Each attendee will get a handful of gems!

This will be the centerpiece, along with each of the seven dwarfs, on the cake table.

New Beginnings

Tonight when Jeff and I get off work, we will be heading down to Texas City to help move his parents into an assisted living center. We think this is going to be a great move for everyone involved. His oldest sister has been taking care of them for a couple of years now, and has been able to completely finish up all of her schooling to become a nurse. They will now be able to get the complete care they need and couldn't get from Mendy. win-win situation!