Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Bittersweet.

A quick trip home is a putting it mildly, due to the 6 hours of driving that it takes to get there. But in this case, I needed to be here. I needed to be home.
Today is September 21st. On this day, ten years ago, my first niece was born, Lauren Michelle. I cannot believe she is ten years old. Time goes by so quickly, and my baby girl is becoming a young lady… wow. I am so very proud of her for many reasons; she is super smart and practically obsessed with her school grades, she is a dancing queen, a gymnast, a ballerina, a spelling bee champ, and a crafty little gal, and I love her more than words can say. Happy Birthday to my precious Lala!!!
The reason I journeyed home… my dad has been diagnosed with cancer of the lung, and possibly the lymph nodes and a fear has taken over our family. Though at this point, we are all helpless and playing the waiting game, I had to be with them, all of them… my dad, my mom and my sisters. You always dream of moving away, breaking away from your life and starting in a place all your own… that is until something happens that would make you crawl your way back, on your hands and knees if that’s what it takes.
So here I am… at home. And my dad will be ok, this I know.
Regardless of any situation going on in the Smith Household…my mom will get to work, take charge – and make an apple pie like nobody’s business! God love her!
On a brighter note, I was blessed last week with my seventh niece, Ava Victoria. And she is an absolute beauty!!! Being home gave me the opportunity to spend 
time with her, Savannah, and Christian.
I will be leaving on Wednesday to go back to South Carolina, then will have a short amount of time to pack and sleep before flying to California. I have excitement about going, but I’m also reserved with fear about missing something. I know there is nothing that I could do to make anything better, but leaving is so hard when you have a very good reason to stay.
I love my Dad because he is the epitome of what a father should be, and always has been. I just never thought cancer could affect him. But then, who really does? I will end with my favorite picture of the two of us, one of us laughing, as we both always do.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

September is here... and fall is NEAR!


I can't believe September is here. It feels like just yesterday I was getting excited to go swimming and to go to the beach... and it's now September. This summer has been so wonderful… two amazing beach trips with our families, a visit with Jane and a trip to the Biltmore, a visit from Jess and Nick - getting krispy creme for breakfast and seeing Jack Johnson, seeing Patty Griffin and The Swell Season... I know I'm leaving out so much - but it was all so wonderful. Now that summer is winding down, and things begin to change....
IT'S TIME FOR FALL!!!!!!!!
Things I'm SO looking forward to...
- Decorating my house with pumpkins and mums and the sweet smells that autumn brings!
- Fall eating - soups and appetizer dishes always put me in a fall mood!
- MARSHALL FOOTBALL!!! This weekend we are going home to celebrate the MU vs. WVU game with family and friends. There will be lots of tailgating going on for this game! Also, my sister is having another sweet baby girl, Ava Victoria, and she should be arriving hopefully around this time!
- My amazing niece Lauren celebrates her tenth birthday... double digits... oh. my. god.
- CALIFORNIA!!!!!! We are leaving on the 24th to go to Cali and I am so very excited. We will be spending the first half with family in LA and seeing BAND OF HORSES at the Greek Theater (so freaking excited), then David and I are heading north to Monterey, Carmel by the Sea, Big Sur, and Salinas - then ending the trip with wine tasting in Santa Barbara... god, I can't freaking wait.
September will be gone before we know it… And October will be upon us! October is my favorite month of the year, and not because it is my birth month… it’s just a fabulous month.  This will be another busy month. Once returning from California, it will be October - and the very next week, we leave for Jekyll Island, GA for David's committee! We are staying on the ocean, and I’m sure I will have lots of down time while he is in meetings…. So I’m packing loads of books and a beach blanket and plan on doing absolutely nothing, which is completely fine by me.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the pre-fall season! Pretty soon the pumpkins and gourds will be available for purchase and our homes will smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon! 
 

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