Life Goes On...

Well...it's been just over a year since my Kenn passed away
I've spent this year trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do now.
I finally figured out that since I'm still here, the only thing to do is...Live Life.

Every day is a gift and since no one knows how many days they have left in this life...it's best to enjoy each day as it comes.
I think I finally figured out what people mean when they say, "Life is what you make of it."
Believe me when I say, Life truly is what you make of it.

So if you have lost a loved one, be happy for them that they have finally found the peace that we so desperately search for and know that they would want you to enjoy the life that you have been given today.

I love you all and certainly would be willing to email anyone who wants to talk.

Always Remember,
God is Merciful and Life is Good...
So Be Happy.

I love you All,
Janet

After Christmas

Kenn's parents came over a couple days before Christmas.
It was a good visit and I'm so grateful to them for their support.
They gave me the most beautiful picture of my Kenn at the very beginning of his military career.
He was so young.



Sometimes it feels impossible to go on, but I keep going because I know that God has a plan and as long as I know that God is in control, I know that everything will be okay.

I love you all,
Janet

Well...Still Getting There

We had to wait until Sunday to get back to Salem but that worked out just fine.
Met my boys at the house and got the rest of my things from the house.

My Kenn was a member of the local Faceters Guild and had a love for rocks so we had a whole outbuilding full of rocks. Even though I supported his desire to be a rockhound, I didn't share his passion for the hobby. So that left us with a bunch of rock to deal with. Fortunately my brother in law knew somebody who was interested in all those rocks. They met us on Sunday and it took them the better part of the day to go through all the rocks but they took them all.
As it turns out, they are members of the local Faceters Guild here in Eugene and they have a rock identifying program for the schools. I'm sure Kenn would be very happy to know that his rock is going to be helping so many kids.

While my aunt stayed at the house and cleaned out the garage, myself, my boys, and my other aunt went over to the storage place and cleaned out the big one. It wasn't as hard to go through as I thought it was going to be but I'm sure that's because of all the help I had. Kenn's mom called while we were cleaning it out and she encouraged me and made plans to come up this weekend to visit.

I just can't stress enough how important it is to let your family know how much you love them and to thank them for what they do.

If your family has helped you at all during your life, this would be a great time to let them know how much you appreciate them.

I feel that I would be lost without my family and I am so grateful that God has blessed me with such wonderful family members.

Hug one of your family members for me.

I love you all,
Janet

Friends

I am awed to be blessed with such wonderful family and great friends.
One of my friends recently sent me the link to a charity collab kit that some great designers have put together.
I have cried and shared and I feel so overwhelmed that designers would volunteer their time and talent to help me.
Thank you so much everyone.

If you want to see the great kit they've made, go to
Janet's Floral Fantasy Collab at So Sweet Scraps.

Thank you again and ay God Bless All of You.
Janet

Getting There

We've got all of the house stuff moved except for just a few things.
Saturday we're headed back to Salem to start clearing out the storage units.
Fortunately there are only 2 of them.

My kids are coming to help so hopefully we'll get the storage done in 1 trip.
When the storage is done, I'll be moved out of Salem.

Leaving the house this last time was really hard. I was sure I'd have another 20 years with Kenn and sometimes my brain has a really hard time accepting the fact that he's gone.
I'm glad for him that he doesn't have to live with anymore pain but I sure miss him.

Remember that we don't know how long we are destined to be on this earth.
So don't take anyone for granted.

Hug one of your loved ones for me and Happy Holidays.

I love you all,
Janet

Miracles

Kenn's brother George came up yesterday and we got the big stuff out of the garage. None of us realized how much there actually is in the garage so there is still another load of things to be packed and moved just out of the garage.

Fortunately on the road from Salem to Eugene, George was following us with his truck and trailer. So he noticed when our trailer tire popped and shredded right off the rim. Fortunately Melba safely got the truck stopped and she and the boys sat in the truck while George and I came on into Eugene to get a new tire and rim. We made it into Les Schwab 2 minutes before they closed.
Talk about everday miracles.
We were able to get a tire and rim that fit perfectly and safely got back to the truck to change the tire and by the time we got both trucks and trailers into Eugene it was dark, cold, and rainy. We unloaded our first load into the storage units in Eugene. We were wet, cold, and tired by the time we got unloaded but we were all safe.

I am so greatful for the love and support of my family and totally awed by the way God is taking care of us through this whole ordeal.

This next week will be spent boxing up the rest of the garage and hopefully we'll get to start on the storage units in Salem.

It looks like this move may not be complete until the first weekend in December. I certainly would like it to be done by next weekend but we just have too much stuff to go through and because of the weather I think we're getting sick again. So please keep us in your prayers.

Remember that God is always there for us watching and waiting to take care of us and he has everything under control.

Hug one of your friends or family members for me.

I love you all,
Janet

The Weekend Starts

Well, my son came over and helped us move some of the heavy things last weekend.
He's a teacher and the Wrestling coach at a local high school so he was tired when he got here but he put in the hours to help anyway.
I sure do love my family and feel very blessed to have them in my life.

Today is when Kenn's brother is coming up to help load the heavy tools and empty, or at least start on the storage units.

We've made so many trips with the truck and trailer that by the time the big move day comes, I'm thinking that it won't be such a big thing.

Just a couple more weeks and I think we'll have everything moved or at least packed and ready to move and I'll be glad when it's over because it gets harder and harder to come back into our house without my Kenn here.

Thanks so much for all the encouraging words and emotional support.

Remember that people are put into our lives for a reason so do not take them for granted because we can't even fathom God's master plan and we don't know how long or short a time we will have these people in our lives.

Hug one of your friends or family members for me.

I love you all,
Janet

Family is Important

I talked with my dad for 2 hours last night.
He lives in Florida and is having his own health problems and can't make it back here to Oregon to help but talking with him was more helpful for me than having his help with the packing.

The packing is actually the easy part. The hard part comes at night when there is nothing to distract my mind from running wild.

The house phone was shut off today so my computer and my cell phone are the only communication avenues I will have with anyone not helping us move until we actually get moved.

My Aunt, Cousin and her 8 year old son are taking me into their 5 bedroom home and I'm sure it will be a good thing because we all get along and care about each other so much.

My oldest son is coming over this weekend to help pack the rest of the house up. Then we'll only have the 2-car garage and the 2 storage units to go through.
My Kenn had lots of hobbies and he did things in a big way so we have way more stuff than we know what to do with but now that his brother is getting involved, the thought of this whole thing is not so overwhelming.

Remember that family members are gifts from God so hug one of yours for me.

I love you all,
Janet

The Move Has Begun

We were supposed to start moving last week but so many of us have been so sick that we just couldn't.
The weird thing is how it has affected us all differently.
At first it just seemed like a cold. I knew it wasn't the flu because I got a flu shot a couple months ago.and then my Father-in-Law got a secondary lung infection, my Aunt thought she had pneumonia, and I was throwing up and had a wicked headache and have had that deep cough.
But we all finally seem to be doing better and yesterday we got the first load moved.
Some of the paperwork has started falling into place and since that was such a big strain on all of us, maybe that's part of why we're all starting to do better.

Anyway, Thank you so much for the thoughtful gifts, kind words, and positive thoughts and prayers.
Without friends and family my life wouldn't be half as rich as it is and I feel so blessed to have all of you in my life.

Hug a family member for me.
I love you all,
Janet

Update on me

I know I don't use this blog for personal info but I've been tagging, tut writing and scrap making for over 2 years now and have come to know many of you as family.
And I am proud to have you as my family and appreciate that so many of you have sent some much needed positive thought and prayers my way in my time of need.

My Kenn, whom I was with for 18 years, passed away on Oct 13th.
My heart broke when I lost him, but Kenn's family and my family have been here for me every step of the way.
I love them all so very much and Thank God for giving each one of them to me.

Hug a family member and tell them you love them because they are all gifts from God.

I am losing my house that we have lived in for 10 years but have wonderful family members who are taking me in because I have a hard time making small decisions right now let alone the big ones.

Where I am moving to is 100 miles away so this move will involve storage units and carrying many trips from here to my new home.

I appreciate the offer that I have received from several of you about helping out and since I am going to be able to keep my coinmagnate@comcast.net email address, you can use this address to send any donations to me thru Paypal.

Please don't feel obligated to send money but please do keep me and my son in your thoughts and prayers.

This is something I never thought I'd be going through and now that it is thrust upon me, I hardly have time to breathe between all the decisions having to be made so I really appreciate all the positive energy and prayers being sent my way.

Remember that our time on this earth is sometimes shorter than we expect so don't take things for granted and make sure your affairs are in order because only God knows when it will be our time to leave this earth.

I love you all,
Janet

Kenn's Notices

My Kenn's notices are in these two papers.

Eugene Register Guard:
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/obituaries/25421292-41/eugene-died-oct-esgate-service.csp

The Coos Bay World here:
http://www.theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/article_7b71ba84-db9e-11df-b398-001cc4c03286.html