Childhood home....

My cousin Jason had his 21st birthday a month or so ago. With everyones schedules and lives (My Aunt and her Hubby are correctional officers so time off is rare) it was hard to plan anything. For a few reasons, one in which I will touch on at the end of this post. As a family we have made it a priority to get together more.

So HAPPY 21ST JASON DALE! Im not sure what it is, but I cant call him anything other than that. He goes by Baby Jay now, a little strange, you would know why if you see him. Also his Dad is Big Jay. anyway....

I loved that my kids and my nieces get to experience what I got to experience at my Grandparents house. My Grandparents live on 5 acres in Lincoln. Anyone that knows that area know how much it has grown in the last 10 years. There was a period of time when I didn't go to their house they seemed to always come to us. So when I went to visit them, I felt like I was in a whole new town. Everything was different around me and what I knew had changed. That old familiar driving to Grandmas house. My Grandparents were going to sell their home/land a few years back, everyone was selling around them and their were in prime location for investors. The housing market was booming and going up around them. My grandpas health was not at its prime and it takes allot to maintain that much space, they were thinking about moving into a retirement community like Suncity, which they may still do in the future. For now Im glad we still have my childhood Grandparents home and memories to hold on to. Its amazing how much larger it is in our memories.

My sis, myself, My cousin Jordan and cousin Jason

Jordan and Grandma, the heart of our family.

The crowd

It was a long day, the girls were getting tired

My sweet Grandpa. This picture really hits me. This is very unusual for him, he would normally be up and around mingling with everyone. For this party, he was comfy in his chair with his little precious puppy. My Grandpa has gone through a tough time with his health over the last few years. To give you a little history. He was diagnosed with cancer about 9 years ago, he went through surgery and they removed it and he was clean free. The family has always been cautious, especially when hes not feeling well. About a year ago they found cancer in his lungs, they went in and removed 1/3 of his lung and thought they got it all. Some were in the back of our mind we knew it wasn't good, the return of the cancer. In February he came down with Pneumonia and spent a few days in the hospital. During that time they did a body scan and found a few spots that needed to be tested. So we all waited for the results. I will never forget the Monday when we got the news, my mom called me as I was on my walk into work. She wanted to wait until after work to tell me and I knew it was bad. I made her tell me anyway, the prognosis wasn't good, the cancer was back, in his lungs, liver and spleen and it was inoperable and chemo is not an option. So OUR job as a family is to make his time as fun and comfortable as possible. Cancer is such an evil disease and each case is unique and trying and exhausting. My poor Grandpa is so tired and so defeated. He has fought and fought and still fighting and still wears that smile on his face especially for my Grandma. After he was diagnosed they knew they needed to get away, so they went with my Aunt and Uncle Robert and camped on the coast for a few days. That is where their bodies and minds can relax, in the outdoors with the salty air whipping them in the face.