Whirlwind Month

This past month has been filled with emotional ups and downs. Around the end of June, Dave's dad was taken to the hospital because he was extremely weak (he couldn't even get up from the couch). They learned he had pnemonia and was severely dehydrated. They took the fluid out of his lungs and tested it, and they found cancer cells. I'm not sure if the cancer was too much, or if he was too weak, but they determined he would only live for another 6 months at most. We went in to visit him over the 4th of July weekend (he was released from the hospital by then), which was nice. Dave had planned on traveling to Buffalo at least every other weekend. This past weekend (Dave's scheduled weekend to visit) his father deteriorated rapidly. Dave went in on Thurs, Dave's dad was trasferred to a hospice facility on Fri and I came in on Fri night. We spent a great day with him on Sat. He opened his eyes and was able to say a few words here and there, but he was very drugged up. He passed away on Monday, July 21 at about 9:30am. The wake was Wed and the funeral Thurs. Dave and I stayed with his step mom, Claudia, during this time so she wouldn't be alone. Dave is handling things fine, and we're coming together as a family to make sure Claudia is taken care of.

The entire process was short lived, but so many blessings came from it. The reunion of family (I got to meet Dave's four half brothers and get to know one of his half sisters a bit better), the support from all aspects, the miracle of a good day with Jim (my father-in-law)...there are so many things to praise God for through this...I wouldn't even know where to begin!
So that has taken up much of our time. However, the adoption has been proceeding quite nicely. We've received all our paper work back for the adoption (including the state police clearance letter), Dave has finished all his education requirements and we're forging ahead with some requests for funding. Dave found an interest free loan we'll be applying for, as well as some grants and some fundraising opportunities. I'll keep you posted on everything. So far, we've been denied a couple grants because of Dave's income. But we know without a doubt God will provide for us.

I have a few activities coming up. First is my brother's visit from Montana the 9th of August. He and Katy are driving to my parents house in IN, and we have lots of family coming in to see him. The next weekend, my mother in law and an aunt are coming to visit. The following weekend, my sister in law and her family are coming in to visit. We are really looking foward to August!
Dave also finished the garage project for the summer...epoxying the floor. We're still working on getting everything back in position, but it looks pretty cool. Now it'll be easier to clean up after working on the car.

I'm working on getting more pictures up, but I have to find where Dave put them on the computer. I have some great ones of Bermuda, and I'll see if he can get some pics of the garage to share.