A little update from the last two years...

I know it has been a while.  I have so much I want to blog about and kinda mad/sad that I haven't before now.  I should have blogged and shared what God has done in my life since I have NOT been blogging...as I posted in the last post the "test", I am NOT that great at consistency in blogging.  I wished I were, but I am just being REAL.

As I view the last blog real blog post from a trip to Hot Springs, I quickly think "Wow, I lot has happened in my families lives since then!"  I will do a quick update and then share what I was wanting to blog about today and as stated in my Test blog post, I would really like to randomly start doing this again.  It is after all...my memories and it is amazing how quickly we forget when we don't journal or document them.

SINCE THE LAST REAL BLOG POST:

•  Cari is no longer dating the guy in the photos at Hot Springs.  She dated another guy last summer from our area and is now currently dating a guy she met at college who is from New Orleans.  We'll just leave that at that until things are more serious or change or whatever.  She has changed her majors a few times and is currently majoring in business with no definite plans of where she wants that degree to take her.  But that's totally okay!  She is still young and I totally get that.  She is working two jobs this summer at two different restaurants:  Fieldhouse, a local sport bar & grill, and Sage, an organic restaurant.  She is also actively involved in her sorority, Kappa Delta, and is a Greek recruiter.  She will soon be starting her junior year of college.  Times flies by quickly!  Wasn't she just a senior a few days ago preparing her Valedictorian speech?
• Cameron graduated LSU last spring, May 2012, with a degree in Business Finance.  He is currently working here in Frogmore managing Cotton Diversified, a company that Randy created that currently makes a feed (deer and cattle food) using by-products of cotton.  He and his wife, Brittany, and Natalie, their daughter, stayed much of the summer here and her parents home since May of last year--with him living here full time and the coming here and staying weekends and holidays and some with her parents too.  He has also been very active recently in running and biking.  
• Brittany graduated LSU about 2.5 months ago in Early Childhood Eduction, the Pre-K--3 program being certified to teach those grades.  She student taught several grades over the last two years (4 different grades--one per semester).  Her favorite was pre-K, however, she will be teaching Kindergarten this upcoming school year at the new school, Delta Charter School, where Huntington School used to be.  My kids went there for awhile and so did Brittany...so how interesting will it be that Brittany will be teaching there and Natalie will be going to school there.
• Natalie has had two birthdays and is now 8-years old...TODAY IS HER 8TH BIRTHDAY DAY!   She completed the 2nd grade at her school in Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Center for Visual & Performing Arts, the magnet school that she attended since Kindergarten.  She took gymnastics from LSU the last two school years and violin lessons at school last school year.  She loves to sing and is looking forward to singing in the children's musical at church this Sunday (the August 4th).
• Randy along with his employers went in business together to develop and sell the feed product mentioned above.  He continues to run the gin and contribute to this business as well while giving much of the responsibility to Cameron.  Randy is also now serving as ministry leader at Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step, Christ-centered recovery program for life's hurts, habits and hang-up and celebrates 2.5 years of sobriety.  He is also in the process of leading a men's step study as a part of Celebrate Recovery as well.
• Ellie joined our family as Cari's baby the fall of 2011.  She is a hyper little Yorkie.  That turns two next month.  She recently came to live with us because Cari felt like didn't have time for her working two jobs this summer--not that she ever really did being a college student and all.  After two-episodes of her "escaping" toward the horse pasture in front of the house, then once almost to the highway and once over and back, giving me--"dog-grandmother" a almost heart attack, I called Cari telling her if she did that again that she would have to take her back.  Not really thinking it would be necessary, but Cari took her back to Monroe last night. (Sniff, sniff...)
• Pixie...well, she's about the same.  She still gets excited easily and loves to announce her presence barking uncontrollably when comes or goes or over most anything.  She has spend much more time here the last year since her parents have and I guess you say, we've bonded with her finally. (smile)
• Buck is the newest member in legged-members of this family.  He is an apparently a chocolate-lab looking dog that just "showed-up" and adopted Cameron as his daddy.  He is chocolate lab that was very sick when he arrived.  He cried and whine a lot, but after two rounds of heart-worm treatments is a much happier and loves Cameron to pieces.  He is a has sweet disposition and not the typical hyper lab.
•  Me....(Jami)...well, where do I begin?  How do I describe/update my life in a few words?  First of all I can say my life has been quite an emotional roller coaster.  Apparently I was and have been codependent much of my life.  I have had a very difficult time over the loss of the same type of relationship that I had with my daughter as I have had to let go and trust God to be with her as I can't be as we were when she was living at home.  I found healing, self-discovery, and drawn closer to God through Celebrate Recovery.  I am now in the process of leading a women's study study group as well and am finding even more healing (from other issues that I am facing) and growing through working the steps again and being blessed through others that I am leading.  My business has taken a back seat and I've struggled with my direction in this area, but I do think now that I will eventually proceed forward with probably some major changes ahead...not sure, but that's what how I think things are going with that.  I spent some time in Baton Rouge this fall and spring helping Brittany out with Natalie.  My most precious memories with her are the times that we have for the two of us!
• Precious passed away last week on my birthday just a few months shy of 15 years old, which is what leads me to finally blog again.  I wanted to do a blog post, a memorial type blog post about her life and share a few memories...just a documentation or journal entry of her life.  I see this source as the best way for me to do this.