Mom's 1st Anniversary

Wow, what a year. Mom, you were an amazing impact in my life, and I miss you every day. The three years I spent with you before you passed, I wouldn't trade for the world, even if I knew what this last year would be like. I'd do it a million times over. I love you, and I know you're happy where you are. I'll see you again someday. Until then, thank you for being my guardian angel, for sending me dragonflies, and for being in my life for 32 years. I'll never forget you. I love you Mom. *kisses and Mom hugs*

Mom's Interment

It's taken a little while, but Brooke and I have got plans set for Mom's interment. There will be a graveside ceremony on September 24th at 2pm in Iowa. Brooke and I will be flying in for the ceremony. It's going to be hard, but it's the last thing we need to do to get Mom resting, so hopefully it will provide closure for all of us.

Mom, I love you and miss you every day. There's times when I can hear your voice in my head, singing the songs you used to sing to us, and it warms my heart. I wish you hadn't been taken from us so soon, you were just too young, but I'm glad you're out of pain and at peace. I love you always.

Updates on Us

Well, Brooke is back in San Diego, settling back in with her husband in their house.

I made it to Florida on Saturday, and am working on settling into my new place with my roommate and really good friend John (Mom really liked him when she met him, and she's only really liked two guys I've brought home, so I know he's good people).

The house is being staged this week, and the Open House will be Saturday. If anyone is looking to move into a gardener's dream home, pop by and check the house out. =)

I think that's about it for now... I'll keep y'all updated on the house sale progress.

GOTTA SELL STUFF

Sorry for the Caps Lock, but this is a big deal. The furniture buyer flaked out, so we have a bunch of furniture that I don't want to see going to the dump. I've posted pics of pretty much everything on my Facebook account, so check it out, let me know if there's anything you're interested in (even things you don't see, we probably have it). Best way is to call the house. 925-462-9459.

Spread the word! =)

Nearing the end of all of this.

Today is the second day of the estate sale. Yesterday went pretty well, there's still some good items to sell today, including some big ticket items, but things are moving along. It's not as hard as Brooke and I thought it would be, maybe because we're so tired of going through everything.

I've decided to move back to Florida. I have some wonderful friends and family up here, and my aunt and uncle have been wonderful throughout this whole thing (we couldn't have done this without them), but I don't feel like this is where I belong. This is where I grew up, and I love Pleasanton, the Bay Area, and California, but this isn't home anymore.

Starting the end of this week or the beginning of next week, we'll be having the house touched up and staged, and the first (and hopefully only) open house will be the first weekend in March. While the house is being worked on, Brooke will be here at the house, and I'll be packing my stuff into a truck and moving it to a storage area in Florida (except for my furniture and essentials, which will be moved into my new home). If I'm needed back in California for anything, I'll fly back out here, but if I'm not, I'll be in Florida by the end of the month (I know, sooner than I expected too).

Some of you have met my friend John, he came out with me when I was moving my stuff back here from Florida, I'm pretty sure it was the middle of 2009 (_not_ the John that initially came out with me in the RV with his black lab Dudley). He lives in a two-bedroom place in Clearwater (in the Tampa area), and I'll be moving in with him, taking the second bedroom. He's a wonderful friend, has been support for me through all of this, and from what I've heard, all of you that have met him really like him, so I'll be in good, positive company, that will help keep me from falling into a funk again, which is something I really need. =)

We're all hoping for the house to sell relatively quickly, just so all of this can be over with and we can get on with our lives. I'll be kidnapping John and bringing him to Trinity with me at the end of May, and I'll be coming out probably every year to visit (I have some Christmas dishes I have to bring with me every year if I want my aunt's cooking... darn bribery *lol*), as well as other times of the year, but I'm looking forward to having my home again, not just a PO box and a place to store my stuff.

I'm keeping Mom's Facebook up, as well as mine, so if I don't update the blog as much (or at all), y'all can still keep in touch with us there. She's listed as Pat Mensing in Pleasanton, CA, and I'm listed as Olivia Mensing (in Pleasanton, CA, for now, then Clearwater, FL soon), so if I don't know you personally, just put a memo in the friend request that you followed the blog, and I'll be sure to add you.

God bless all of you for following along on this journey with us. It's been a hell of a 6+ years, and I know the next couple still won't be easy, but time will help heal the sharp pains, I hope.

We love you all, Mom, Brooke, and I.

Estate Sale

We set a date today for the estate sale. It will be February 11th & 12th, the second Friday and Saturday in February. We have a lot of work to do before the estate company comes in, but things are going faster than we thought they would.

Happy Birthday

Today is Mom's 60th birthday. She almost made it.