Any-who, things are going well. Shawn opted nto to come with me for this visit. And although I was a bit irritated about that, I'm getting over it. Now I can stay right at my Dad's house which means even more time with my family. Hoorah for that!

My niece and nephews are growing like weeds! Cassidy is getting so big and she's so smart. Last ngith on the way to dinner, she started spouting out something that she knows about the "Core democratic Values." Umm, ohhh-kay. What the hell? that was all so chinese to me. And this kid is only 8! EIGHT fucking years old. She made Aunt Sara feel like she got jipped settling for the hooked on phonics program. At least she's getting the state's moneys worth in school- but damn. Yikes.

Carter is a doll. Still tiny, but ever the cutie. And so active. hoo-boy. He's gonna kill me. Tyler is walking and starting to talk. His favorite word of choice is "shit." He says it with great enthusiasm. And most people think it's an Aunt Sara thing since I taught Cassie to say it when she was Ty's age. But this one isn't owed to me unfortunately.

Ethan is getting big. He has more rolls than a bakery. We tease that he could be the next Michelin baby. And indeed he could. He's teething right now and has a terribly furious case of the runs. Gena is pretty frustrated as he doesn't calm down easily and she gets to feeling helpless. I keep assuring her it's natural. But like any Momma, she still gets upset... nto that I blame her.

Everyone here is doing well. We'll be headed out to see my Aunt Brenda later. That's a hard thing for me right now to deal with. My Aunt Bren is the one that's been fighting brain cancer. Well, it's back with a vengeance. And they've moved her to hospice. She's not going to make it much longer and this saddens me. She's only 52 years old. She is still quite young. And she still has so much to live for. But yet, isn;t being given the chance to do so. When I think of my cousin Chrissy and how she's losing her Momma- it kills me. Chrissy hasn't had kids yet. Hasn't been married yet. And now, her Momma won't be there for any of it. My cousin Joey has 2 beautiful kids. And they're losing their grandma so soon. I'm almost 29 and still have mine. It's sad.

Losing anyone is sad. But someone so young. And losing a Mom? Ugh. I have not yet lost a parent thank God for that! I hope I won't have to for a very, very long time!

My family went into attack mode per say ad begged me to postpone my wedding. They think we need more time to plan and finance everything. It was a huge blow. I think a few of them even think Shawn and I might need more time to be sure also. Maybe they're right on both counts. I don't know. But they caught me off guard that's for sure.

Later, I'm cooking up Chicken tetrazzini for the family. It's a yummy dish that I am especially proud of when I make it. I'm learning... thanks in no small part to the FOOD network and shows like Easy Everyday Italian.

Well, off to hit the showers and go see my Aunt. It's definately a weekend for family. I just wish it didn't have to be bitter-sweet.

Thanks for tuning in...

Simply,

Sara