Friday, August 21, 2009

A long line of strong women.....

Or should I say the changing of time. How did I get such a smart, strong, confident daughter? As she likes to say, she comes from a long line of strong women and I guess that is true. If you were to read her Blog, you would see where she says my sisters and I can turn EVIL in a heartbeat but I really think that is an exaggeration. Let me see - she moved to GA in 2002 - wow in February, it will be 8 years! That is long enough. In 2004, my sister Ruth and I went down to support Page when she rode in the MS Bike Ride to support a co-worker with MS.She rode 94 of the 100 miles and we were all so proud. I think I was voted the best "fan"! A wife of one of her team mates asked me the second morning if I had any other children and I laughed and said, yes, a son and I'm as crazy about him! They all laughed. So sad that they think how much I love Page is strange. In September of 2004, we all went to the beach to celebrate her successful bike ride, Little D and Leah's wedding anniversary .and Page2 potty success!Woo Hoo.Our friend Ann was with us part of the time which added to the fun.Then in September of 2005, Page came home for a visit. Little D and his family always try to come when she comes so we can all be together.This is one of my favorite pictures of both of them. I tried using it as a screen saver but I cried every time I looked at it (because they were NOT HERE) so I gave that up. Then this picture of Page in Lisbon in 2006.I know she will treasure all the adventures she had while traveling for the company...especially those she had with her previous boss who lived in Belgium but was a world traveler who now lives back in Africa.She showed Page so many wonderful sites in Europe while she was there on business trips. Experiences she will never forget I'm sure. They also had some fun in Rochester when a co-worker from Belgium was placed there for three months after they bought a company there.I love this picture from one of their outings there I believe in 2005! She has had many adventures and met some interesting people including her friend from Belgium, Raphael.What a delightful young man! He comes to Atlanta from Belgium to work frequently and they always get together. He helped me buy my iPod and back-up hard-drive the last time I was down and he was there. If he is in town when I am, we always try to get together. He LOVES being outside when he is in Atlanta - if you have ever been to Europe - you will understand this. They don't have as many pretty days as we do here. His family has a chalet in Switzerland and Page got to go there with him and some friends for a wonderful adventure. They went in the summertime (which was very unusual for him since it is where they go to ski in the winter) and they hiked, drank ice cold water from the mountain streams, ate delicious food and visited tons of little villages. I could have sworn I had pictures but can't find them for the life of me....He has also been helpful with Bentley recently getting the information he needed to pass some pretty tough exams for work. Then in 2007 we all gathered for our family time together in Roanoke at Little D and Leah's house.In November of 2007 we all traveled down East to our favorite Beach House where I.T., Mae, Ann, Lee, Isaac and our friend Mapp were able to join us. Everyone had a wonderful time and I got a nice picture of two of my girls with their pretty eyes.Little D's beloved Max was with us at the beach that year. He was already sick and we lost him shortly afterward. Every so often you have a pet you never forget and he was one of ours. Just think one word - LOVE.Now you are beginning to think to yourself - is this entry going to ever end? Shortly my pet - have a few more updates. Let's see it wasn't too long after this we learned about Bentley. He got really, really sick but made a miraculous recovery for which we are all very grateful. We had our annual family reunion in June and I got "another" great picture of my babies. I am always amazed by how beautiful my children are. Bentley's Mom had been battling cancer for several years and not long after he got back on his feet (still shakily) his Mom died. I went to Atlanta in 2008 and met Bentley for the first time. I already knew what a good son he was and how he had taken the responsibility his Mom's care on many years before. While I was there, she had a terrible reaction to a new chemo treatment and we rushed down to Newnan to be with him. I got to see her for a few minutes (beautiful with beautiful white hair) but she never woke up while we were there. Over the next months, Bentley and Page gave her the best of care during her last weeks and were both with her when she died in September of 2008 She had a lovely private memorial. In November of 2008 we went down East and it was only our family this year. Ann was pregnant with Little Ann and I.T. and Mae wanted to be there for her arrival. It was a nice lazy four days with family.Whew - so that kind of gets us caught up a little bit. What can I tell you, once I get on a roll - I'm off. Hoping to feel better tomorrow. Hope to get out in the ministry tomorrow and go to a little housewarming for a dear older sister. So many things to do, so little time (or energy).

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