may 1, '04 Ryan Recap

thanks for posting in here. I have stopped in at times to grab a recipe or an idea, but never posted. I miss you and the ladies over in the group journal very much, but I've been so busy lately.

I finally came over to the WC the other day b/c I wanted to get someone to save my old journal on a cd but I couldn't find the darned thing!

Anyhow, let's see. Here is what has been going on with me:

my sister's husband got sent out to war, so she has been an absolute mess. they just got married in sept... she called me and begged me to go out to utah and stay with her for a while. i jumped in my car and headed out there, but on a sunday, my NEW lemon of a car actually BROKE down on me! i had to rent a car to get to utah while the dealership nursed it back to "life." when i finally got there, i received a phone call from my best friend Ryan's brother letting me knowthat Ryan had died. it was a shock, but a weird coincidence that i was already in utah. I hadn't told Ryan that I was coming because I was planning on surprising him.

I stayed a little over two weeks. I still had to take care of my sister, who was very depressed. I was glad to get home, but the day after I got home, i got a call from my mom. She had been taken to the hospital with some major heart problems. I flew to Arizona immediately, and two weeks later, here i am still. I stayed at my brother's house last night, and while waiting for him to take his shower, i decided to jump on here to see if I could find my journal again. I'm glad I looked over on the cooking board today and saw your post. It makes me feel closer to home, somehow.

Right now, I am in the position of "strong" one. I have not had the chance to mourn Ryan properly, nor have I had a chance to deal with my mom's health problems (other than to make the necessary practical decisions regarding her care, etc.). I am utterly exhausted. I miss M so much! and Shaggy and kitty. and my garden, which I stared in friggin' january but will not get a chance to plant... I even miss that d a m n car of mine! :rolleyes:

Hopefully I'll be home in a couple of weeks. Please do stop by my house if you are in Rockford! I'd love to see you, I'm sure you know that. M has put one of the buildings up for sale, and has also been in contact with some realtors in a few states, looking around for property, but I'm sure that we will be living on Prospect for at least until Sept.