...absence makes the heart grow fonder???

Either that or it drives all the readers away. I really didn't have that many to begin with so perhaps not posting a new entry form MONTHS is not such a great idea. But life has had me busy. Here's a rundown of what has been keeping me away from the internets...

1. January 6th my brother-in-law was killed in a tragic crash. Geoff was an amazing person and this world would have been better off with him in it. This huge loss turned our world upside down for a while and we're just starting to adjust to this new normal.
2. While we were in Birmingham 1 week after Geoff's death, I fell and broke my ankle. Technically it is my heel bone (the calcaneus) but where I broke it is a lot closer to my ankle than it is my heel. I was on crutches for 2 1/2 weeks and in a walking cast for another 4 1/2 weeks after that. I have have bone fragments just kinda hanging out there that will never heel, but rather will "scar into place". I have also started Physical Therapy and am finally gaining back some of my mobility.
   
3. I was the chairperson for my daughter's school's annual silent auction this year (yes ... again, I also chaired the committee last year). The event is huge for the school and is the biggest fundraiser of the year bringing in roughly half of the annual budgeted amount. Two years ago the event brought in roughly $9,000. Last year we raised $18,000 net and this year we brought in around $22,000! Preparing for the event kept me very busy ... lots of time away from the family. :(
4. We are closing our office doors and moving home. Times are tight, the economy is rough and we've tried to make the best of things but you can't create projects out of thin air. So we are closing our office down. We are still hoping to make a go of things, but it will have to be from home, where the overhead is more manageable.
5. We're trying to buy a house. We've had enough of our current living situation and are tired of paying a ton of our hard earned cash to live in someone else's house. So we will no longer be renters this May. We've been pre-approved for a mortgage and have been searching for our dream home. I'll keep ya'll posted on this.

So there ya have it. Yes, I have been away, but for good reason. I'm back now and will try to post with some regularity .... starting now ...