My Valentine!

My Grana always thought we had such a sweet love story, so today I would like to share it. When I was 21, still living at home near Austin, I went back to Physical Therapy to try and strengthen my foot/leg. So many times when I went, which was around twice a week, there was a male patient close to my age who was there. He was usually telling jokes while riding the stationary bike. I did notice him because he was funny, although he would say today that I secretly had a crush on the Physical Therapist. (no comment :) One day he stopped me as I was walking into the building and he was leaving. He introduced himself and asked me what had happened. He had torn his ACL playing soccer and had surgery. We chatted for a bit and then I left. Not too many days had passed when the Physical Therapist Assistant contacted me and asked me if she could have my permission to give him  my phone number. I asked why he wanted it and she said that he wanted to ask me a question. I had NO idea what he would want to ask me. Can you say CLUELESS??? So he called and we talked for hours. Even though we were very different it did feel like we had known each other forever. He asked me to go to a concert in Austin. The only reason this happened was because my dad was out of town! HA! We hit it off, married a year later, and moved to Dallas. Yes, this small town girl moved to BIG D. We have been married for 21 years. Transitioning to Dallas and away from my family and friends was hard at times and it is true what they say. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can never take the country out of the girl. This guy has inspired, encouraged, loved me unconditionally, cared for me, and challenged me to do things I didn't know were possible. Thank you, Kevin for always being there for me. "You're all I need, my love, my Valentine." (one of the songs that was in our wedding)

See you later, Grana! 1/31/20 ❤️

On Friday, 1/24/20 my 97 year old Grana got to go be with Jesus, something she was really looking forward to. I can’t imagine what the reunion between she and my Gpa or her son, Skipper must have been like. As a believer we grieve, but we grieve with hope. I already miss her so incredibly much. When I had some exciting news to share she was always at the top of my list of people to share it with. She was a faithful prayer warrior and prayed me through so many obstacles over the last 43 years. She was filled with God’s love and grace. I went to visit my family the weekend before she passed away. I got to spend two whole days with her and that was a huge blessing to me. She waved goodbye to me as normal. She would always stand at the door and watch me leave. As I drove away I  was overcome with emotion and couldn’t fight back the tears, something that doesn’t normally occur as I leave. It has been tough to say goodbye, so we are saying see you later. She will be waiting for us and then I will receive more Grana hugs. As we were about to hang up the phone I would say, “I love you,” but she would always end with, “I love you more.”