First "Paper Creations Workshop" 30th Jan. 2010

  Well, here I am, almost ready for my first "Paper Creations Workshop" & the kits are done & I am going over the last items on my list.  I know that I will forget something.  Isn't that how things normally go???
  Here are what the ladies will be doing in our first workshop....

     The class is full & I just hope that everyone has a grand time & walks away feeling as if they learned something new & that they had a fantabulous time.
    Wish me luck!!

Made it through!

LCpl Rhonald "Dain" Rairdan & LCpl Mirad Ragamov  

KIA 26 January 2005  Iraq

Well, our son's 5th Anniversary came & has past & here I am living to say "I made it through!". Of course, the true reason for making it through such a hard time is through the love of my husband, son, & all of my caring friends & family. I still become emotional, but it is less & less as time passes. I still become "Verklempt", when I recall Dain's laugh or his silly antics that were a constant in our lives.
I think of all the men that died that day with our son.  29 other men lost their lives.  29 other families know our sorrow in their own right.  I  think of them often.  They are from all different walks of life & all over the face of the country.  One thing bonds us all...our sons & husbands fought together & died together.  I pray that they all are finding their way in their recovery.
LIfe still goes on & time marches forward & so shall we.  Making a difference in someone's life...I'm trying to live by that. 
I miss you Pooh Bear!

My Guys

My Guys!

Where would I be in this world with out having the love of these men?  Thank you God for blessing me with them in my life. 

Dain's 5th Year Anniversary -- Forever Missed!

It truly can be daunting to wake up one day & just know that for the past 5 years, you have been coasting & just mucking through this wonderful world we have been blessed with. Time to cram all the "used tos" & "bad habits" away in a trunk to be locked up & disposed of.

Our lives can be changed irreversibly in a "blink of an eye" & it takes such a long time for us to be brought back to reality. After the death of my beloved eldest son, our whole family has been struggling to regain a foot hold on this Earthly plain. In just 4 days, we will be honoring our son Dain on his 5th anniversary of his death. It seems like yesterday/it seems like a hundred years ago...the hurt is still so fresh & raw. That is not entirely true, the pain has numbed a bit, but the sadness will always be present.

I told myself that on Dain's 5th Anniversary, I was going to emerge from my blackness & self pity & start to devour each day for "Me". I need to take better care of "Me", I need to strive to find the "Joy" in each & every day that God grants me. After 5 years of self abuse & neglect, I look in the mirror & see the ravages that depression can have on one's body & soul. I have 4 more days until Dain's anniversary, so all this prep work must come into play. Time to start visually seeing myself becoming well once again.

I will be using my blog to keep tabs on myself as well as keep my creative journey moving right along. It will be interesting to see how my travels have gone in the future. One can only wait to see.