Thanksgiving...jumping into Christmas...to the New Year

This past couple of months have flown by so fast. I'm happy that Win will have almost 2 weeks off starting Christmas Eve. I'm looking forward to some down time with Win and the kids. We had a nice Thanksgiving at the Ross Ranch with my Dad, Joyce, Carol, Jeff, Sarah,Ryan,Sean and Lyndsey. Dad made the best smoked turkey ever. We all voted on having that than a traditional on for now on. We had all the traditional fixings. Friday went shopping at a crazy hour in the morning and with a bunch of crazy people too. I did get all the kids taken care of for Christmas which was nice since Win and I headed to Japan on the next day.

We left on the 29th for 10 days. It was a great trip. Lots of training for Win and Michael for their Japanese Sword. I did get to rest some and sleep in a little, chat with the kids most morning there. Afternoon here. Then took my time getting ready for the day and a walk to the coffee cafe. Then most days lunch with everyone and some sight seeing. Then training again for about 4 of the afternoons/night. Many of the Japanese spoke english this time around. Most spoke pretty well. Everyone is very nice and polite. Lots of walking, riding trains,subways, and buses there. We stayed in Gotanda, Tokyo. I pretty much remembered the area and could get around Gotanda just fine by myself. I did take a train ride by myself on afternoon. It was a first for me. Also many different kind of food to try too. You can see our pics on my fb if you would like. The American team got 1st in best team and other awards too. Win did well in his cutting and comp. It was good to get back and see the kids and sleep in my own bed. We came back with many goodies for the kids. My Dad and Joyce took care of the kids while we were gone. They were well taken care of and loved the time together with Pa Paw and Me Maw as well. Thanks so much Dad and Joyce!

So we got back to jump into the Christmas Season and finish up some shopping, to Christmas Practice, Christmas on the Creek with my Mom, more shopping, Christmas musical/program at Church, Will's Karate trounament, and more shopping. Abby and Will were in the Choir and Rachel was Mary and Grace an Angel for the play. Very cute! So that being said it lead to me being really drained and tired from the busy week/weekend. So most of this week I spent time trying to get rest as much as possible. I have wonder friends who offered to make us dinner and help out. Thanks you guys so much! What a blessing you are. When times are hard to keep going it's nice to know our family and friends are there. You all know I hate it when the fatigue from the MS kicks in and won't let me go anymore. Well, I'm feeling better for the most part.

This weekend was busy too but not as bad. We had dinner with my Mom's side of the family on Sat night and today Church, lunch and naps for everyone. Abby and Win went Christmas Shopping for the evening. I thought I was going to get some wrapping done and pick up a little but it lead into having to talk on the phone a lot with my Mom and Sister. To avoid all the drama and stuff I will just say. Please Pray for us girls and my Mom. She is having a Heart Cath done tomorrow and will be home on Tuesday. We are dealing with a lot of emotional stuff with her Medicalyl/Emotional stuff and we are having a rough couple of days with her emotionally. It's draining. I'm up way too late tonight and ready for bed.

I pray we have a good Christmas Eve with her and my Granddaddy and Sisters. That is our tradition to spend it with each other. Christmas day is with just us and then Dinner at Win's parent's and spent with his family. I'm looking forward to both. Now need to get started on wrapping gifts and more of baking cookies. So I'm looking forward to sleeping in a little bit this Christmas break and watching movies in bed with the kids and hot Chocolate and cookies. :0) Just time together. After Christmas we also plan to see my Dad, Joyce, Carol, and Jeff on New Years day which we are all looking forward to a few days at the Ross Ranch too.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

We Love you!

Pray for the Blankenship's.

A friend of mine lost her husband last night. He had fallen from a ladder while working and his heart stopped for over 10 mins. He was on life support for 2 days and they decided that he had no brain function. They removed him from life support last night. He left behind his wife and four children. My heart is so heavy with sadness. Please pray for them as they take one day at a time going through this hard time. I pray for comfort and peace for them.

busy,busy,busy

So how is it that so much can go on at once. I went to bed at 8:30 last night. I still feel tired. I think it was 3 days of non-stop walking and shopping in Canton. For First Monday. With my MS my body doesn't take it well when I go and go. I am feeling it now. Today is a busy day with Roots Bible Study, picking the twins up from pre-school and then the big kids home for homework and then off to dance for Abby and Home group. I made chicken enchiladas for Dori to put in the oven for dinner at her house before home group.

It seems as every night and day is full of something and Thanks giving and our Japan trip are coming near. Win will be out of town next week and I'm going to have to get a babysitter for 2 of those nights. The next three weekends we have a Baby shower for my step Sister on this weekend, next we have a work weekend at my Grandfather's house, then Abby's dance recital, which takes up the whole day, and then Thanksgiving and Japan. It all runs together. Anyways...I'm off to take the twins to school and then Roots. Looking forward to it. We are studying Psalms and making vision boards today.

Yesterday Win helped our friends the Donnell's cut down their tree that was laying on their neighbor's house and a fence post. It was a busy afternoon. Always happy to help out our friends and community. We had a pizza party afterwards to celebrate the taking down of the tree.

Also, our friends who have been staying with us finally got power back. It's a little quiet this morning with now extra children running around and not sharing a pot of coffee with them. Before that we were at my Dad's and much noise going on with 6 kids and 5 Adults there. Plus Sarah, Ryan, Sean and Carol and Jeff there at times too.

Hopefully school will start on Monday. Life is starting to get more normal around here. Although I know many are still with out power and need help cleaning up too. Our church has a hotline to call for those in need, so we can get help out.

Well off to make coffee. I'm in need of Hot Tea this morning as I'm feeling a little under the weather. I ran out yesterday, Dori said she would bring some tea bags by later. :0) Seems that a cold is going around.

Home after Ike

We came back home yesterday. We have friends staying with us, the still have no power. William is excited because they have 3 boys so now the boys out number the girls for now. LOL We have power,cable,internet and phones. We are out of school until Monday.

Today we went to the park and about five other families came too. It's nice out today with a nice breeze. Lots of clean up around the neighbor hood of Meadows. Tree limbs on the curbs ready for trash day. We are able to get milk,eggs and frozen foods in the grocery stores. I have a full tank of gas, since I filled up before the store and left it here. We have a little clean up to do still, and need someone out to check the roof. Besides that we are good. We may have company for a couple more weeks until they get power. Well, I'm beat and going to try and get the twins to take a nap with me.

Ike

We decided to leave to my Dad's on Thursday. All the kids were at school and Mother's Day Out. As I began to do laundry to prepare for now power and get ready for Ike. Win said let just go. I was all for that and we got our stuff together and picked up the kids early from school. Went over to his parents to move their patio furniture to the inside and then told them to leave and go to his Sister's house in Tyler. I know they got bad weather too, but not as bad as the Houston area. We didn't have much traffic on the way to my Dad's. Jenn and the boys followed us out and Efrain stayed to work. He works for the prison. Sarah and Ryan decide to stay at first and then on Friday left up here too. They are with my Step sister Carol and Jeff. We all did not sleep much for two nights until after the storm. I was up with my friend Dori as she texted me with updates. I couldn't sleep after hearing from them at 2am. As she was texting about the wind and rain. I watched the news until after 3am. I was praying away for everyone! When I woke up around 8am I texted her and she responded. I was so glad to hear from her. Then we began trying to call everyone that stayed. Thank you God that everyone seems to be fine. My Mom said my Grandaddy slept through the whole thing.

We got news that our house has power, and water and is almost fully functional. No internet, obviously, but worse things could happen. No visible signs of roof damage, but it's a tall house, so it's hard to tell. Fence line seems good. Some friends of ours moved in because their house doesn't yet have power. We are still up at Canyon Lake in the hill country. News from our friends is to stay put because the grocery stores are all depleted and people (convenience store owners) are acting crazy in regards to selling what they have. No school on Monday and Tuesday. We also aren't sure how easy it would be to get back into Houston and our neighborhood because of down trees and such. I think we've heard from all the Ross side and Erinn's mom that everyone is OK. A lot of that part of the family lives on the east side of town which would have been harder hit. Some down trees and fences and other property damage, and probably some roof damage, but I think I heard that everyone is otherwise fine. I don't know if Sarah and Ryan's house has power yet. It seems to be sporadic - some houses on the the same street have power and others don't. Most did lose power though at some point. All in all it sounds like one giant mess to clean up, a good deal of repairing that's going to happen. We did hear from our friends Charlie and Dori that a big tree of theirs got blown over and is resting on their neighbor's house. It didn't penetrate through, but is just resting on it. But it's a big tree, so that's very dangerous. We don't think we will be coming back home until Tuesday. We did not even get rain out here. The kids have been swimming riding bikes and going down the drive in the Soap box car they made with my Dad.

Erinn and Win