grandpa

i debated on whether or not to post this...

today is the 3rd anniversary of my grandpa's passing. i can't believe 3 years has gone by already. so much has changed in 3 short years. i still miss him dearly and think of him often.

Japan help

last week, i posted about "for Japan with love"....and when i decided to participate in the shelter box donation, the fundraising goal was set at $5500. at the time, about $3500 was raised. well, i checked back today at the fundraising site and the amount of money raised is now at $56,303. that isn't a typo, guys. FIFTY SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. amazing! giving a little bit from a lot of people CAN make a huge difference. if you want to check out shelter box and their program, go here. and if you want to see that number keep rising, go here!

another blog i follow, called SWOON is hosting a giveaway from PalmerCash vintage t-shirts. PalmerCash developed these shirts to support Japan at this time of tragedy. All the profits from these t-shirts go towards the relief efforts in Japan. Here's a couple of my favorites:

pic from PalmerCash

pic from PalmerCash

i have a close friend who has a ton of family in Sendai. she still hasn't heard from many of her family members with whom she's been trying to get in touch. please keep them in your prayers.

for Japan with love

like pretty much everyone else, i've been reading of the awful news coming from Japan. the amount of destruction is unimaginable. and from what i've read, Japan was one of the most prepared places for a disaster like this. i have friends & some family there too...thankfully they are okay. my heart goes out to the survivors of this tragedy.

i read about For Japan With Love:

if you want to help, here are a couple of ways:

(information below from ever ours post)

fundraising:

For Japan With Love has a direct link on the website to our fundraising page for ShelterBox.

ShelterBox was one of THE first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. Please check it out and whatever you can contribute will be so appreciated.

bloggers day of silence:

Anyone that has a blog can help out with this one. The aim is just raise awareness and respect and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.

take care and stay safe out there friends.

masons boys

early last week, our friend's brother-in-law passed away suddenly. he was only 32. he left behind a loving wife and three little boys under the age of three.

a family friend set up a website (www.masonsboys.org) to honor mason's memory & provide a way for others to help this devastated family during a very difficult time. if you are interested in helping or just want to send some encouragement their way, please visit masonsboys.

also, if you remember from a couple weeks ago, we were pet sitting for a friend who had two dogs & a cat. the cat, nala, was sadly laid to rest due to being sick a couple days ago. RIP nala.

so much tragedy makes my heart hurt.

sad news

in the last few days, we've been hit with an onslaught of sad news. without going into detail on many of these stories, there is one in particular i feel i should mention.

if you've been watching the news over the last couple of days, you've no doubt heard of the plane crash that killed ted stevens and a number of other people. two other passengers on that flight, dana tindall and her 16 year old daughter corey, were also victims of this tragedy.

when i first read who the other victims were, i had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

......

one of the parks hubby & i take our pups to is next to a gorgeous view of the inlet - there are huge, beautiful houses that sit right at the top of the hill and overlook the scenery. we've met one of the residents of these houses, a very pleasant man named virgil. his lab/great dane mix jake comes out to play with vito & mia on a pretty regular basis and the herd of pups tear around in the open field while we visit with virgil. he's mentioned his wife in passing and told us what company she worked for. occassionally we've met & chatted with virgil's step-daughter, a shy teenager, when she's taken jake for walks.

and this morning's news article confirmed was i was afraid of - virgil's family was killed in that plane crash. my heart goes out to him & his family.

sad day...

one of my parents dogs, who we got when i lived at home many years ago, passed away yesterday. freckles was a sweet, loving cocker spaniel with a carefree & positive attitude. she didn't let anything bother her. we were her fourth owners. she came to us with her daughter maisie and she was such a good mom. we think she survived a lot of bad situations and due to that, she took advantage of every opportunity to eat or drink whatever was around. one of her favorites was my dad's lattes :)

she was diagnosed with cancer last december. she did quite well and i think a big part of that was her great attitude. she lived to be almost 15 years old!

we miss her and love her. rest in peace freckles.

maisie (angel costume) & freckles (witch costume) halloween 2008