Well...in my last post I said that I was ready for fall...todaywe kinda had fall! In typical Kansas fashion, yesterday it was 100 degrees and today the high was 67 or something. I think it's supposed to be in the 70s and 80s over the next couple weeks.
September has been a rough month, to say the least.
My Uncle Billy's service was on September 9th. He passed away on August 17th and then he had a memorial service at the federal cemetery in Winfield. He and I were very close when I was growing up. He always called me his baby. I was the first born of all my cousins and Billy was even living with my mom and dad for awhile. So I was the one he was around the most. He joined the Navy when I was a kid so we didn't get to see him much after that. But when I was about 11, my mom took us on vacation to spend three weeks with him in Chula Vista, California. His wife at the time was pregnant with their second child...their first was just a toddler. We saw all the sights from Hollywood to San Diego and even took a day to go down to Tijuana, Mexico. It was an amazing time that I've always cherished. It was also the first time I tried blueberry Eggos which I ended up having almost every morning...and since then, the smell has always reminds me of that vacation. He came back to Kansas a few times over the years, but usually not for very long. He always saw me whenever he was in town, though. The summer of 1996, he was in town and he let me drive his brand new hunter green Ford Taurus SHO when I was getting my learners permit. After that, I wanted a car just like his (ended up buying an older white Ford Taurus a couple years later from a family friend, actually, but it wasn't on purpose). He also came back through town in December 1998. He tapped on my bedroom window and it was dark so I didn't see him at first...but when my eyes adjusted, I just saw this face staring back at me and it scared the crap out of me. Now I don't look out windows in the dark anymore. :P We ate some Hawaiian pizza at Pizza Hut...because I was the only other person who would eat pineapple on my pizza. Billy did end up coming back home to Kansas in 2019 after retiring from the Navy. Shortly after he got back, I went with him to the DMV to get his truck registered. I remember him being so surprised that the background on my phone was pink...because he knew my favorite color was blue and that's why his favorite color has always been blue. That's just the kind of relationship we had. But his health started to decline and it got pretty bad the last couple years.
And then on the 13th, tragedy struck. Johnny's daughter, Ashlyn, lost her husband and 11-year-old stepson in a very bad car accident. Randall and Eli had gone to Wichita to pick something up and a woman was driving the wrong way on the highway and crashed into them head-on. All three died at the scene. Ashlyn and Randall were married in 2014. Ashlyn had a daughter from her previous marriage and then Randall had two sons...and they had a son together. They've had custody of Randall's sons throughout their marriage...so Ashlyn has raised those boys since they were toddlers. So the loss of both Randall and Eli has been devastating. Johnny spent much of that first weekend at Ashlyn's house until her mom arrived in town on Sunday. The memorial service will be next weekend.
So yeah...things have been tough lately. :(
We did celebrate (little) Ashlyn's birthday this weekend. It's hard to believe my youngest is now in her 20s! We had dinner at Olive Garden with my mom and grandparents. Then afterwards, Johnny went over to my grandparents' house to play cards with everyone. They played Hand & Foot again. I was going to go, but I haven't been feeling well today. My stomach has been bothering me all day. :( But Ashlyn loved that Johnny was there AND it meant they were able to play teams...boys against girls. Johnny, my grandpa, and Ashlyn's boyfriend Joe ended up winning against Ashlyn, my mom, and my grandma. And then tomorrow Ashlyn starts her first day of college! She's going to WSU tech for composite technology. I was surprised by her choice...I figured she would choose something like veterinarian technician. Aubry went for sheet metal mechanic a couple years ago, but I just never really thought Ashlyn would be interested in something like that. But hopefully it will go well! :)
Aubry is getting ready to deal with her first strike as an aircraft worker. The company she works for...the union voted against the contract and for the strike. So we'll see how that goes. She's a worrier so she's been pretty stressed about the whole thing. It doesn't help that she just recently had some car troubles that she had to pay for so the strike is kinda bad timing for her. :/
I've been busy working. I finally got all my listing photos done in my CandiMakerStickers Etsy shop. I also finished listing my newest product lines: kitchen stickers and magnets as well as "Hello I'm" nametag stickers and magnets. I have 5 regular "Hello I'm" nametag stickers and magnets where I've designed them with a phrase that I've chosen...but I also have listings where customers can make custom tags with their own names or phrases. So I'm excited about getting those things accomplished. I've wanted to get those things done for awhile and I always like getting things crossed off my list. I still have SO many other things I want/need to do...but every little bit helps. :)
On that note...I want to get some more stuff done before I go to bed. I hope everyone has a good week!