Picked up hubby from the airport this morning and I can't describe my joy in having him back. We headed home and decided to stop for lunch at Chevy's on the River. The sun was shining as we sat on the patio overlooking the still river in 70 degree weather. No people were on the dock nor on any of the boats; I suppose they were at home getting ready for Halloween. Hubby enjoyed it even more since it had been storming in Michigan just last night. Days like this make me thankful I was born and raised in California. (At least for the time being anyway until the wind comes up again!) And now he's busy in the front yard doing some raking and getting things in order as he wants our home to be inviting to the trick-or-treaters tonight. I, on the other hand, dug out the dog's Halloween costumes. Zack, our pom, will wear his pirate costume. He does't mind at all, in fact he loves the attention the kids give him when he greets them at the door. I dressed Rusty, our curly-coated Doxie in a prisoner's outfit and took pictures. He stood still, afraid to move a muscle, other than following the camera with his eyes, so the pictures were easily taken. Obviously he doesn't like wearing costumes, so he only wears them for pictures! If he wasn't so darn cute, I would bother!
 

One more day until my hubby comes home. Saturday can't come soon enough. Today brought so many mixed emotions spanning opposite ends of the spectrum. This morning Don's brother and his family met with the doctors for a plan of action. Unfortunately there is none. The only thing the docs could do was give him meds to stop the tumors growing, which will give him 4 or 5 more years. Devestating for a 50-year-old man. When it hits so close to home, you start questioning your own mortality. As a teenager and young woman I thought I was invincible, nothing could happen to me. The older I get, the wider my eyes have opened and I thank God for the gift of each day he has given me with my family.

And our family is indeed growing. This afternoon my step-daughter had another ultrasound and she's having a girl! This time there wasn't any question. She ahd her husband (along with the rest of the family) are so excited. They don't care what it is, as long as it's healthy. I, however, secretly was hoping for a girl - I even started buying some pink outfits!
 

What an enjoyable evening I had. Dinner with my two daughters, C & C, and C's boyfriend. The time I have with them I treasure as it's not often we can get together. But Don and I had been dog-sitting Rock for C and her boyfriend while their apartment got repaired, and it was time for Rock to go home, so we took this opportunity to have dinner together.

Rock was so excited to see them, running back and forth, his large, sturdy body jarring into them as he passed by with his favorite yellow tennis ball in his mouth. When he was told it was time to go, he carried around his leash in his mouth. He is such a good dog. I'm really going to miss him, and I'm sure Meeka is too.

It's now getting late, so I checked on Meeka for the last time tonight. I peaked into the garage and saw that she was cuddled up in her bed sleeping. She was probably dreaming about all the fun she had the last two weeks playing with her cousin Rock!

At least the wind stopped blowing.
 

Did I mention I hate the wind? Don is still gone, and my daughter, my older brother, Joe, and I went out to dinner last night. Once we got there it was quite enjoyable. Getting there was awful! Seemed our feet hardly touched the ground as we walked (or should I say sailed) from our parking spot to the restaurant. The dinner was good, but then again, I haven't met a Mexican food I didn't like. It wasn't authentic, but my taste buds still savored every morsal.

My brother stayed over like he does once every week, but I think he was worried about me. He checked on me constantly as I tried to get some writing done, and I eventually gave in and accompanied him to watch some TV program on the History channel about a cowboy in the 1800's.

And tonight both my daughters are taking me out to dinner. Somehow I've ended up busy every evening while Don is gone. But I'm not complaining. In fact, it's giving me more to write about!
 

What an evening last night. The 30 mph wind started at dusk and continued all night. The trees in the yard are bare now, the gold and orange leaves have blanketed the grass. Our dog Meeka's personality of part Greyhound was coming through as she paced back and forth outside in front of the dining room window. Little did she know I was as nervous as she was!

Don called me from Michigan where he's having a nice visit with his brother. We're very optomistic but the doctors won't have a plan of action until Thursday. His brother's spirits are high and they are enjoying their time together. His brother even cooked a pork tenderloin with all the fixins for dinner! And I enjoyed my TV dinner. :)

After playing and feeding Meeka and Rock outside, I retired to my craft/computer room. The quietness of the house allowed me to do some writing and I was able to get over the writer's block I had on a short story I'm writing. I'm anxious to get it finished - it's about my daughter's recent engagement. I hope to have it completely finished and edited by Christmas so that I can give it to her - just a little something from a mom's point of view. The "short" story, however, is getting longer and longer; I'm sure I will have quite a bit of editing to do! I just need to remember what my focus point is and start trimming it down. But as a mom I don't want to leave anything out, so I will probably save the parts that I edit from my story to use in my memoirs.

I haven't really written anything since winning some high school competitions, and now as a fifty-ish woman, I'm remembering again why I used to enjoy it so much. And another bonus is that it's really helping me to pass the time until my hubby comes home!
 

This is the first time I have been alone since Don and I were married two years ago. His brother, whom I have not met in person, lives in Michigan and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last Tuesday. We immediately booked a flight for Don to visit him. He left on Saturday. And here it is Monday. Don is the oldest of five children and has always been the rock and a natural "counselor". I always tease him saying it's like being married to my very own therapist. The decision to stay behind was not easy. But I felt he would be able to help his brother and his family more without the awkwardness of a new wife tagging along. But boy do I miss him!