Where we are...

What a week it has been and I know I won't be able to post for about another week so I wanted to do a quick update.

We had our return to TX delayed a week due a remodel project that wasn't quite finished and basically our house is unlivable. Mark flew up last Thursday to drive us home Saturday and we had planned to come home to a house put back together and clean (remember, I have been gone 6 1/2 months). Thursday afternoon we got a call from Mark's sister that a dear friend of Mark's and classmate had just been diagnosed with luekemia and wasn't given long.....Friday night as we were packing the car to leave at 3:30 am to drive home (17 hours) we got the call she was brain dead. We drove home, dropped the kids off in an unlivable house as it was not done and kept driving to Dallas to say goodbye to Kiana. She died early Sunday morning. We were already going to be heading to New Braunfels this Friday for Mark's high school reunion (Hill Country Christian School in San Marcos) but left Tuesday to get here for family night Tuesday night, funeral Wed where Mark (and friends) sang, drove 4 1/2 hours to the grave site yesterday (Mark was a pall bearer) and drove back to New Braunfels to attend the reunion this weekend. Mark is back in Sherman tying up some work things, we have had a HUGE snag with our remodel (we are redoing floors) and aren't sure when, if ever our house will be livable without spending MEGA bucks which we don't have. Anyway.....we are emotionally spent but also SOOOO trying to keep things in perspective..."In The Light Of Eternity"....with our house situation as we said goodbye to Kiana and watched her husband and three kids (19, 16 and 14) grieve. Mark grew up in such a unique situation in his small school and we have had so many laughs and so many cries in the last few days with his gang who are still best friends. We had already planned on leaving the kids down here at Mark's moms as we were going to go to Mexico but with the house situation we have to go home and deal with that...I still haven't unpacked from MN and have work waiting for me so that next week or so will be crazy but at some point life will get back to normal.



This weekend will be fun but also so bittersweet as Kiana was to be a part and was SO excited to spend time with old friends. Please pray for her husband Rikki, and kids Lauren, Landon, and Lacey. Her funeral was the sweetest time with over 400 attendants....she was so very loved, an incredible wife and mother, daughter, teacher, coach, friend and she will be dearly missed forever!!!! We all know without a doubt she is with our Savior and her legacy will live on!!!!