life happening...

i know there's been a conspicuous absence as of late and there will still be some time before i have the opportunity to blog regularly again but i wanted to at least attempt an explanation/update.  saraya's birthday  party was a huge success (post to come), but it was marred slightly by the fact that my family was absent due to my father's unexpected hospitalization.  saraya and i flew to florida to be with my family last week as my dad was in the intensive care unit.  it was hard seeing him in that condition but i have faith that he will recover soon.  he was already improving when we had to leave.  please pray for his strength to return and for my mom who has been constantly at his side.  i am so thankful that my sister is there to support her.

the day before i left florida, justin calls from alaska to inform me that he cut an artery in his hand and was awaiting medevac from dillingham to anchorage.  i know he was trying to reassure me that things would be alright but i was terrified and felt so helpless.  luckily, there was a renowned hand surgeon available that performed surgery that day.  and even luckier was the fact that he only scraped the nerves so he still has mobility and will hopefully regain full feeling and use.  please pray for a full recovery.  i'd like to also thank our good friend pat for agreeing to travel to dillingham at the last minute to help justin with his season.  it means so much.

and yesterday morning, after a long struggle with lung cancer and COPD, my dear friend denise passed away.  you may remember seeing her in pictures from last month's breath of hope 5K.  denise was an amazing woman.  i remember the first time i met her at work.  i actually heard her before i saw her.  denise had the most boisterous laugh.  it filled the entire office with its force.  she was opinionated, feisty, fiercely loyal to those she loved, and full of the most entertaining stories and memories that she was always willing to share.  i adored her and admired her as a mother, a wife, a friend and a woman.  i am happy that she is no longer suffering or in pain and pray that her husband and son, as well as all of us that mourn her loss, find peace in that.

they say when it rains, it pours.  i'm just trying to focus on what happens after the rain... lush, full life and growth.