My First Post

Ok so this is my first post here. I have been reading some other blogs and thought I'd give it a try. Seems like a good place to keep people updated and also to vent a little if needed.

Here's a little about me and my family. My name is Christy, or as some of you know me, Crissy. I'm 34 years old....oops, make that 35. and I've been married to my wonderful husband Tony for 16 1/2 years. Tony is my best friend, my partner in crime, and the love of my life. He is my other half and without him I'd be nothing. Even though it sounds so cliche, he completes me.

Then there's my kids. Danielle, who unfortunately will turn 16 in a few weeks, is my only daughter. She is a typical teen girl. There's almost always some drama in her life that makes it feel like the world is coming down around her and everyone is against her. Luckily she is growing out of the worst of it which makes her much more pleasant to deal with. She loves cheerleading, music, and her cell phone. You will almost never see her without her cell phone texting her bff's. Much to Tony & I's dislike, most of her friends are now boys. Her excuse for that is because most girls her age are mean and so over dramatic. Ok, so that is true and being a cheerleading coach and around the cheerleaders for so long, I've seen first hand just how cruel girls can be to each other. That does make sense but that doesn't mean we have to like it. We just hope that we've raised her well enough that she always makes wise choices and keeps herself safe when we can't be there to protect her.

My son, Devon, is 11 years old and my goodness he's a handful sometimes. It's not that he's misbehaved (although he use to be horrible), he's just a typical boy. He's rough and tumble and seems to get hurt a lot because he has no fear. He makes me nervous most of the time. He has a passion for football and baseball. He has 3 pretty close friends that mean a lot to him. These same boys have been with him through school, baseball season, football seasons, and they're in scouts together so they're pretty inseperable. I love seeing them interact w/each other and I think it's really special that they have such a closeness. Not too many people in life can say that they have some best friends that they've had throughout their lives. I hope these 4 will be close forever. Devon seems to be growing out of his mommy's boy stage and I hate that. He's become so independant and unlike his sister who is a self-proclaimed daddy's girl, he doesn't really favor either parent at this stage of his life. I miss the days when he would come sit by me on the couch and snuggle or when I was the one he would come to with a problem or he was upset. Now he just tries to work things out on his own. When did my baby become such a little man? :-(

The past year has had some very trying times for me and my family. My brother was deployed to Iraq back in early June. We've missed him so much and hope for a safe return in May. We've kept in touch w/him a little through e-mail and have sent him care packages but are very anxious to be able to see that he is well in person and to be able to hug him again.

September 8th, (his funeral occured on the 12th....you'll see a pattern by the end of this blog) my favorite uncle, with whom i was very close to, passed away due to a cancer. He went very fast from the time of his diagnosis to the end and thankfully I was able to be with him right before he went. It meant so much for me to be there to help my grandma and my aunt to care for him and though by that time he was unable to talk well enough for anyone to understand him, he was able to communicat

e his love and appreciation for me in only a way Uncle Albert would and in a way he knew that only I would understand. I love him very much and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and miss him. I know he's still with me somehow and i take comfort in trying to feel his presence.

The following month on Oct. 12th, my paternal grandfather passed away. He had been a resident of an Altzheimers ward in a nursing home for quite some time after my grandmother passed and was progressively getting worse but it was to be expected. He had lived a long and full life and he is better off but it's still very heartbreaking.

November & December gave us a short break but then January made up for it. On January 8th we had to attend the funeral of an aunt of Tony's. She had been failing also and finally passed on. I didn't know her well but Tony was somewhat close to her when he was younger and he was heartbroken. It was hard for me to deal with another loss of a family member and even though i didn't know her well, it reopened the grief i had suffered in Sept. & October.

Hoping that the grief would begin to heal was useless because on January 12th we got a horrible phone call that rocked our world. Our 20 month old niece (Tony's brother's child) had died due to complications from a virus and other medications she was on. To read more about that you can refer to my sister-in-law's blog at www.themaxeypad.blogspot.com . There have been deaths in my family over the years but I have to say that this is the WORST i've ever experienced. Little Tori, a 20 month old baby.....WHY? I ask myself everyday, how is this fair. My heart breaks so much for my brother-in-law and his wife and family. I am grieving in a way I've never known before. I am grieving as an aunt for the loss of my beautiful niece, who I don't feel that I had enough time to get to know and I am grieving for my husband who hurts so bad but the hardest is that I am grieving as a mother who can not even fathom losing a child of my own. That has to be one of the worst things a parent will ever know. I love my sister-in-law greatly and admire her strength through this tragedy we somehow made our way through.

Ok so did you see the pattern? 8 & 12 are not my favorite #'s these days. Unless something great happens to prove me wrong, i would say that the 8th & 12th are my unlucky #'s and I would prefer to stay in bed through those days.

Well, this has become quite a 1st blog and I realize now that I didn't even mention what my husband & I do for a living or even where we live. Guess I'll save that for my next one. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or give me tips on how to make this a better blog.