More of Sanibel

David and Cindi. Several people have asked how we are actually related, so here goes: David's grandmother, and my dad are brother and sister. My dad was 19 years younger than my aunt, and she raised him along with her two children, one of whom was David's dad. Both of them are gone now, but I think they would be happy to know that the families are still close. What better legacy can you leave?

Steve and I. Somehow we never got a beach picture taken of us.

My brother Randy and his daughter April. We celebrated his birthday while we were there.

Jason, Ty, Bailey, and Jordan. David and Cindi have 5 kids between them, plus they brought an extra. All of them are wonderful young people and lots of fun to be around.

Get an Island attitude!

These pics are from our recent trip to Sanibel Island. There were 12 of us, and I am quite sure Sanibel is still recovering! This mural was one of many painted on the walls of the resort we stayed at.

This bird was not one bit afraid of any of us! He was much more interested in his dinner.

The resort was full of beautiful tropical plants. I took tons of pictures. Thank goodness for digitals!

Another wedding!

My cousin, David, his girlfriend Cindy and their kids are visiting us, and decided to get married while they were here. They tied the knot on our dock, Monday evening. We were thrilled and honored that they included us in their special day. We wish them many years of happiness!

June's finished projects.

Some months are more productive than others. I managed to finish several things this month. This is another prayer shawl. Our church collects these to give to anyone in need of prayer and comfort. Sometimes it's nice to have something tangible to hold onto in times of trouble.

This is meant to be a cosmetic bag. I used fabric purchased in Alaska, and embellished it

with some fancy stitching.

What could be better in summer, than a big glass of lemonade? This is supposed to be a pin, but I made it into a refridgerator magnet instead.

I monogramed an entire set of bath towels for a friend that is getting married. I think this is going to become my standby wedding gift. Who doesn't need towels?

Remembering Debbie

Debbie was my sister in law, the wife of Steve's brother Gerry. We met when I was still in high school, and she and Gerry were engaged. We went through many of life's challenges at about the same time, and I like to think we encouraged each other through them. The one thing she encouraged me in , far more than I did for her, was in my Christian faith walk. We talked many times about God working in our lives, and she was always pushing me to read my Bible more, study more,and just accept the love He has for us.

We had a lot in common, one thing being our love of sewing and anything related to needlearts. She was always making something, and gave a surprising amount of it away. In one of the last conversations I had with her, she told me that she couldn't sew anymore, because she just couldn't concentrate, but she could still knit. She had put together a "whole stack" of premie sized caps, to be sent to their local neonatal unit. She was in her final days, but still thinking of others. So typical of her........

Debbie lost her 12 year battle with breast cancer recently. She far outlived every doctor's expectation, and I don't know how many times she was told, the chemo isn't working. Then suddenly, her counts would go down, and she would be ok for a while. But while she isn't here with us anymore, and I miss her terribly, I find great comfort in the fact that she is with our Heavenly Father, spending her days praising Him and free from the pain and indignities caused by her disease.

The last thing she ever said to me was, "This isn't goodbye, you know. I'll see you later". So...see you later, Debbie.