Life is good

Our Ashley has brought such joy to our lives. It is a feeling that wells up inside of you when you see her. It is hard to believe that she is so fragile and that she has been so sick. She doesn't know and we have never told her. I love that through it all she continues to laugh and play and smile and giggle. Our Ashley, the one before transplant, is returning to us. There were many, many days when I honestly did not know if she would ever be back. My heart overflows with thanksgiving and I know that it is only by the very hand of God that she is here with us and that she is living again.

She looks so good today. She is playing at Nan's while I work in the house. We have been here since early this morning to meet with another contractor who could not take the job. I appreciate his honesty. Our little remodel is too big a job for a handy man and too small of a job for a contractor. We are stuck in the middle needing someone with plenty of experience and a couple of weeks with a couple of crew members to come in and knock it out for us. So we continue to plug away at our little remodel putting in an hour here and an hour there with really no end date in sight. I have spent most of the day packing up the things in the house that were not packed away before the guys came in and knocked out the walls and the floors. Everything is so dirty and covered in sheet rock dust. I just did my best to clean it all up and pack things away in totes until it is time to move back home. We still have no running water in our kitchen, none in the master bath(which doesn't really matter because there is no sink, toilet, tub, or shower in there either), none to run the washing machine or dishwasher, but I have been able to make progress by taking all the laundry and dishes that had piled up to my in-laws and get them all taken care of. I have also been simplifying our lives by getting rid of a lot of stuff. Stuff that I had not used in the six months I lived in Omaha, therefore I decided I really didn't need any of it. A simple, clutter free home is my goal and I hope to have it accomplished by the time we are ready to live here again.

We truly are happy. Even without a livable home to bring our family to we continue to laugh, fellowship, hang out, and enjoy our life together. I couldn't feel more blessed. Ash seems to being doing well and that makes our hearts happy. She loves her daddy, her grandparents, her brother, her sister, and her life. She is enjoying the spring weather, the trees, the flowers, the birds, the squirrels, and all that surrounds her. Her favorite place to be is outside in the sunshine. I am happy that she is so happy.

I guess I had better get back to work. I am expecting Dave to show up in the next hour. I'm not sure if we will make any progress tonight, but we are going to try. Thanks so much for coming to our Ashley's Story today. Your prayers continue to carry us through as we watch the pages of her life unfold. You have blessed us and we thank our God for each one of you. Have a great afternoon. Trish