Changes

I know I haven't posted in a long time, it just seemed for a while that nothing very noteworthy was happening. Well the month of November sure took care of that! Lots of changes came about and they seemed to come one right after another!
The first change was the addition of my beautiful new niece, Alexandra Grace.

She is so perfect and sweet and wonderful! I was so lucky to spend the first week with her and just enjoy holding her and snuggling her and having her fall asleep in my arms. There is absolutely nothing better in the world than rocking a baby to sleep. I am looking forward to seeing her grow and learn but I hope she stays tiny and snuggly for just a little while longer.

The second big change happened while I was gone visiting Ali. My mom bought a new house! This one will be much better suited to her and her needs. It's a little bittersweet, since it means saying goodbye to my childhood home, and that Mom will have to say goodbye to the home that she and my dad spent 30 years building together, but overall it's a good change, and we'll get through the hard parts together and enjoy the good parts!

Finally, the biggest change is that Jeff and I are ENGAGED!! We went to lunch together the day before Thanksgiving and the topic sort of came up in conversation (okay okay, so I might have brought it up, ever so subtly...) and we ended up deciding that we were going to aim for September. So that set the planning into motion and the official date is now September 18th 2010! I can't wait! We have spent four years building our relationship and it's exciting to take it to the next level and commit our lives to each other.

So lots of changes in November. So far, December has proven to be a little calmer. I am enjoying this time of just being able to enjoy being engaged, because come January things will really kick into high gear. We will begin getting my mom's new house ready for her to move in, and begin getting the old one ready to sell, I'll begin looking for a wedding gown (yay!) and sorting out all of the details that will go into making our day.

Phew, that makes me tired just thinking about it! I'd better go take a nap in preparation..

North Dakota hunting trip

Jeff was in North Dakota last week on his annual duck hunting trip. This wasn't a record breaking year for them but it was better than the last two years. He came back with some great pictures though (which is clearly the most important thing) so I thought I'd share.

these are a mix of blue geese and snow geese

Jeff, Russ, and Ricky

One Year

It's been one year. One year since I got a late night phone call. One year since my brother and I drove down to a Springfield hospital. One year since we walked into that hospital to learn that our lives would never be the same again.

We've made it through the first everything. The first Thanksgiving without him. The first Christmas, Easter, Father's day. On my 25th birthday I got a hug from my Dad. On my 26th I didn't. They say that the first everything is the hardest. Does this mean that the second everything will sting a little less?

We have navigated this new territory together as a family, settling into different roles and routines, trying to fill in the incredible void that he left. But we know that it can never be filled completely.

There are still days that I am just desperate for a hug from my Dad. Days that I just NEED to have a conversation with him. About anything, the weather, the Cubs, the fact that the refrigerator is leaking...

This next year will bring new members into our family, through birth and marriage. I so wish that he could be here with us to welcome them, but I know he is watching and smiling.

Dad, we love you and miss you so much.

just like Robin Hood

well, minus the green tights and feathered hat. And he'd better not have any girlfriends named Marian.

Btw, I just realized it looks like he's aiming at poor Ace. There is a target, it just didn't make it into the picture. You can tell how impressed Ace was with our presence though...

animal control

Four men using two rakes and an oil dipstick to get a squirrel out of the engine of the van. I don't think any further explanation is necessary.

Right Stone, Wrong Spot

My Mom and I had the task a few months ago of ordering a headstone for my Dad's grave. She had an idea of what she liked as far as the type of monument and the color of the stone. We went to a company that was recommended to us by the funeral director. This company has been in business in Peoria for a long time and has a very good reputation. Mom had a simple design in mind for what she wanted, both of their names and dates, their wedding date, and a cross with two wedding rings, which was the the topper on their wedding cake. Nothing too elaborate, nothing too complicated...simple and straightforward, like my Dad.
Well, the first proof that came in the mail read as follows:

Stephen Gale Bowman
September 19, 1949
October 11, 2008

Leslie Mower
September 18, 1947

Married August 19, 1949


Take a look at the wedding date, Mom was not quite 2 and Dad wasn't even born yet.

So back to the drawing board it went and they soon mailed a proof with all of the correct information. We waited patiently to hear that the stone had been completed and placed. Fast forward to yesterday, when the letter finally came saying the stone had been placed on September 9th. "That's funny," I told her, " I was just there Sunday and there wasn't any stone..." . So before she called the company I drove to the cemetery to see if maybe they had placed it after they sent the letter. Nope. No stone. So I called and let her know, and as I was driving around the lane to get back to the entrance, I see BOWMAN on the back of a stone. A stone that looks suspiciously like the shape and color that we ordered. A stone that's about two rows and for spaces down from where my Dad actually is. So I called her again and she in turn called the company and they promised to get it in the right spot.
My Dad has to have something to do with this. This is the man who would wrap bricks with Christmas presents, and who would wrap a small present in box, after box, after box. I have a feeling he is keeping us on our toes even from Heaven :)

It's Apple Season!

Susie, Heather, Miranda, and I had our annual Apple Pie Assembly Party yesterday and it was yet another success. In addition to the four pies in the picture there were even more in the freezer. We assembled regular apple, dutch apple, and even a gluten free version. Looking forward to caramel apples sometime in October!