For Bill

It's been 25 years and I still miss you everyday.


Forever
Stuck in time, forever a teen
Never growing up,
Somehow it seems
That time has flown by,
The years have gone fast
But I remember the past.
Watching my children,
Remembering my own childhood,
Brothers and sisters
Should grow old together.
But you’re gone forever.
Stuck in time,
Forever a teen.

Not a happy anniversary

This New Year's marks the 25th anniversary of my brother's death. I've realized lately that many of you didn't know about my brother until recently, or at all. It took me over 20 years to even really be able to talk about it. In March 2010, I started speaking at Victim's Impact Panels and it has really helped me deal with some of the emotions I had been stuffing down for years. I'll try to tell the story briefly here.

New Year's Day 1987, my family's life was changed because of drinking and driving. I remember waking up super early that morning to the phone ringing. My ex-husband and I were in San Antonio visiting his family for the holidays. My aunt was calling to tell me that my brother Bill had been killed shortly after midnight. Turns out he and some friends went out celebrating New Year's. They had all been drinking and had a wreck on a deserted county road. Bill was thrown from the pickup and killed instantly. It is hard to even remember the emotions that ran through me when I heard. I didn't believe it. I was screaming "NO, NO, NO". I was angry. I was heartbroken.

Bill was 18 years old. He had just finished his first semester of college. He didn't get to get married and have a family. He didn't get to know his nieces and nephews. They only know him through pictures and stories (and there are some good stories!).

It's hard to lose someone you love. But it's even worse when it happens because of something that could have been prevented. With that being said, I beg of you, please don't drive under the influence!!! Call a cab, call a friend, stay where you are, call me! I want to be able to spend time with each one of you in 2012.

Happy Anniversary to my husband Tom!

Today, Tom and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary! I like him and love him just as much as I did the day we were married 19 years ago. He is kind-hearted, understanding, loving, and can almost always make me laugh. I am looking forward to the rest of our lives together!

Happy First Date Anniversary!

Twenty years ago tonight, Tom and I went on our first date. You know how he woke me up this morning? By giving me a kiss and telling me happy anniversary. How lucky am I to be married to someone who still remembers the date of the first time we went out?

Interview tonight

I have an interview tonight (Monday, December 5th) to fill an opening in my child care. Please pray that if it is God's will that this work out.

Thank you!

Have you liked my friend's Facebook page?

Have you liked my friend's Facebook page?

When she reaches 500 likes, she'll be giving away one of her new books Jungle Friends: Mack the Missing Monkey and a copy of her first book Jungle Friends: Leo the Lion and the Big Bug Dilemma plus a set of finger puppets!

Our Dreams & God's Dreams for Us

You know what I love about Women of Faith? The speakers are all real women who sin and aren't afraid to admit it and talk about what they've learned from it.

Anyway, Sandi Patty spoke about her dream. As a child, she dreamed of singing at Disney Land. She auditioned there as a teen and felt like it went really well. But when she called back a few week's later, they told her that while her voice was beautiful, she was too heavy and couldn't dance well enough. She was devastated. Little did she know the plans and dreams that God had for her.

What dreams of yours have been crushed only to find out later that God had a better plan? When I lost my job at Taco Bueno, I was heartbroken, especially since I was unfairly fired. The manager that fired me got fired herself just a few days later and I probably could have got my job back, but I decided not to even try. It's a long story, but the short version is that I got fired after reporting the manager to the business abuse line for stealing. When the district manager found out, he fired the manager.

Anyway, little did I know that God would lead me into child care. I've been doing it for 18 years now. I love working at home, I was able to be here for my kids everyday when they came home from school. I've seen lots of kids grow up over the years and some of them even have kids of their own. It may be sign that I'm getting old when a former child calls and asks me if I have openings for their child. LOL!

I don't know what God has next for me, but I'm trying to listen and follow His lead.