Dear Grandpa

Dear Grandpa, Oh where to begin! So much has happen in the last 7 years since you went Home. The first thing I had to get through which was probably the hardest for me was my college graduation. I know you tried so hard to stay strong and wanted to be there for me, but I also know that you were in a much better place. I wish you could've been there. After graduation I moved up to Nebraska to go to Grad school at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. That place is windy! In January of 2006 Damon and Mandy welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Michael Solomon. He's 6 now and such an amazing boy, he's so funny and so smart! During this time frame Justin and Betsy moved from San Fransisco to Oklahoma. I think Justin wanted to be closer to the family down there and he was trying to finish up some college classes too. During my time in grad school I got married! Jeremy is such a wonderful man and you would've loved him! I wanted him to meet you before you left but we just never had a good time to come down, of course now any time would've been a good time. We got married in March of 2007, I wish you could've been there. Things in Nebraska were good for the most part, we liked the city we were in and had a great family that helped take care of us when we needed them. They hosted a graduation party for me when I graduated. I graduated in May of 2008, I wish you could've been there. A couple days after graduation we made the move back to Indiana and had to live with Damon and Mandy for about a month, or should I say got to :). About the same time that we moved, Justin and Betsy made a move to Seattle! Can you believe it... they are so far away now. They now have two "four-legged" kids who are so cute! You'd like them, their names are Dixie and Brody (but I can never remember which one is which!) Justin is finishing up college and graduating in December and Betsy is tearing it up with her artwork out there! After we finally got a place in Indianapolis I started working at Hobby Lobby and Jeremy started serving, we both just needed to get jobs right away. We got our first little one in October of 2008, don't worry, it was just a puppy! He's so adorable and fun, his name is Mac and he loves grandma! I bet he would've loved you too, he's the perfect size dog for you and he's so loyal! Damon and Mandy welcomed their 2nd baby in August of 2008, Micah Lynn, she has the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen! She is a beautiful little girl and she's so funny. Her and Solomon are definitely 2 peas in a pod! Damon and Mandy are doing well, Damon is working hard as a youth pastor and Mandy is fabulous teacher, I'm sure you guys could share a few teaching stories! Mom and Dad are doing great, they are wonderful parents! They have a big camper that you would be super proud of and they camp out multiple times through out the summer. They even drove the camper all the way to Nebraska for my gradation! They go to Disney World almost every year now :) And finally, Jeremy and I had Paige in August of last year. She's amazing, I wish you could've been there. I remember you constantly, from the American flag pin on my purse, to the old car driving down the street, to the random person smoking a pipe on a nice spring day. You are everywhere. I love you and miss you.