I hate death.

Hay's hamster died last night. I was holding him up until the very end because I didn't want him to feel alone. We had a vet appointment for today at 11, but apparently he couldn't hold on that long. We don't know what was wrong with him, just that he started eating less and less and wasn't drinking very much, and then yesterday we noticed he was wobbling a little when he walked. That's when we made the appointment, but we were too late. He went downhill fast.

This was the coolest hamster ever. If you put your finger in his cage, he would "bite" on it and act like he was trying to pull you back down with him. All four of his legs would flail and he would almost roll over on his back, hanging onto your finger the whole time. He was just a sweetie. Now he's gone.

Why am I taking this so hard? I've been crying since last night, and every time I think about him, or Hay, I start crying again. Maybe it's because he did the same things my father did when he passed away? I don't know. But even though it was her hammie, I loved that thing too. I always went into her room when she was sleeping or gone and I would play with him.

*sigh*

Why do things happen the way they do?

Settle in...it's update time.

Well, I go from no posts to two posts in one day. How's that for dedication?!

Me. What's been going on with me. Where to start??

As I stated a few months back, I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer in May. Horrible, horrible time in my life. I still have moments that I can't breathe, and it's unbelievable how much I miss him.

Since that time, my family and I have relocated to Arizona to be near my mom. The original plan was that someday she would join us in Nevada. But, after thinking long and hard about it, we decided that she had more "roots" in Havasu than we had anywhere else, barring D's work. So, we moved to be closer to her.

The kids had a difficult time handling it, especially my high schooler, although I think *I* was more stressed about it than she was. But they have all adapted so much better than I thought they would, and they are slowly making friends. They are all playing soccer, and loving every minute of it.

D still works in Vegas. He is waiting to transfer to Laughlin and then he will only be an hour away from us. This will make it SO much easier, not only on us, but on the car and the checkbook. ;) It's difficult, and to say that it's a test is understating things, but we are strong, and we are a strong family, and we see the greater good and the end result.

I'm still at home, and I'm ITCHING to scrapbook. All of my scrap stuff is still in boxes. We lost some rooms and some square footage when we moved, but other than that, I LOVE my house. We have a pool, we have a good-sized lot, and D has his "play" garage: a four car garage, separate from my two car garage. Six car garages. Wow. Still unbelievable, lol.

Although I didn't have many, I miss my friends in both Nevada and Utah. They were my scrapping buddies, my lunch buddies, my shopping buddies. But we'll meet again...soon. I've reconnected with my high school best friend, and it's great. I've been gone for 20 years, but it seems like I've been here the whole time. We're both busy, but we're finding time for each other.

I love living near my mom, and it's so wonderful to be able to pop in for a bit, or take the kiddos to see her. They've even had a sleepover with her...and they loved it. She's my bestest friend, and I'd forgotten what it's like to be so near to her.

So, that's where I've been, and what I've been doing. I hope that fills in a few blanks. ;)

Thanks for reading.
Steph

Check out this awesome scrapper!!

Okay.

So, I'm one of those "look but don't comment" people. That is something that I *really* need to change as I know that people love recognition...because I do too!! But...

I've been following a scrapper at TwoPeas. She does such fantastic work and I love every single card she's made. Another plus is that she's from Holland!! I have family that lives there, and I absolutely love it there. Hopefully I'll be back to visit the country soon.

If you get a chance, check out Nancy at her blog: Scrap This!

A "hello" and a cool product!!

Well, I've been gone for a really long time. I've checked my blog several times (for what, I don't know, lol), but never had the gumpf to update. I'm not doing an update today...but I will soon. I promise. Just a quick hello and...

...check out this cool site: SheetLoads

They have some cool ideas and even cooler product!!

Crossing my fingers!!

Please, keep checking back. I *will* update soon. *Ü*