Thankfulness?

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it has me thinking... What I'm thankful for?  I'm thankful for the 2017 to begin... because 2015-2016 has probably been the worse time in my life! :(

Where to begin?

Summer of 2015.  My uncle, who I hadn't seen in a few years because he lived and worked in Africa, comes home to the states because he's experiencing extreme pain.  Goes to the hospital.  Finds out he's dying of cancer.. all over his body.  He passes away not long after coming back... I never had the chance to see him.  So, we go to his funeral in Mississippi.  My sister comes down with her kids.  Her oldest, Arielle, comes down with her then husband, Dustin, and their son, Elijah.  That was a highlight, since we didn't get to see him very often.  They stay at my sister, Angele's house, in Thibodaux, along with us.

School begins in August 2015.  Wyatt restarts 3rd grade :-/  Yay for common core... highlight: we went to the Cracklin Festival in Port Barre for the first time.  Kids had a great time.

Thanksgiving 2015:  Jeremy made another Thanksgiving Dinner and we had family over.  Had a good time!  Friday; we, the adults, are drinking and having fun.  At some point, Jeremy decides he needs to go get more alcohol.  He doesn't come to a complete stop at stop sign on his motorcycle.  And the only other vehicle on the road is a cop!  Jeremy has a brain fart and decides to outrun the cop.  He speeds for a few miles and then comes to his rational state of mind and pulls over.  They bring him to jail :(  This incident eats up a lot of our money :(  And Jeremy had only started drinking again shortly before this... he had quit for like 5 years :-/

Christmas break:  Last day before Christmas break, Ursula's best friend and off/on boyfriend for a few years, Jean Todd Duos (14 yrs old), dies instantly in a 4-wheeler accident :(  We go to his wake and funeral.  He's buried on Ursula's 13th birthday :(

New Years:  Highlight.  We go to Angele's house and Aimee and her kids are able to be there as well!  We had a great time but miss not having Arielle and Elijah there :(  We make quite a few YouTube videos... of the kids doing contests and singing.


Mardi Gras 2016:  We, once again, go to Angele's.  There's a parade that passes on both ends of the street she lives down!  Great position!  We're preparing to have a great time that week!  My kids have that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off; and I think we left Friday, after the kids got home from school.  Aimee came down, alone.  Arielle and Dustin are going through a divorce.  No one knows if/when she's coming or what.  There was talk about her friend, Christine/Tina coming along for the ride if she decided to make the trip.  Early Sunday morning, February 7th, we get a devastating call from Arielle.  She's been in an accident and Elijah is dead :( We make 2 trips back and forth to Georgia in a week.  He's buried on Calista's 17th birthday :(

Jeremy's work:  Not sure when it began (but, its before summer break), but the company he works for I.P.S. (a Turner company) has 3 waves of lay-offs.  He makes it through them and remains a pipe-fitter.  However, everyone who's left, can only make 40 hrs/week :-/  This move leaves our bank account bleeding.  It's only since the last few weeks that he's made some overtime and our bank account is on the mend.

To top off this wonderful year; I've put on a ridiculous amount of weight :( :( :(  So, we're the poorest we've ever been and I'm the heaviest I've been excluding pregnancies...

So, HOPEFULLY, 2017 will bring about POSITIVE changes/vibes!!!  PLEASE!!!