November 22

Hi daddy. Doing good. Wish I could call you, see you instead of just feel you around me, think about you. Memories are all we got left and they are some very wonderful ones. I'm thankful for every minute we got to spend together. Every time I saw you I was convinced it was the last time. I'm glad I kept your voicemails too. I'm really liking it at Walmart. It's so fun. I thought it'd be harder than it is but its so easy. There are a few things I'm still learning but I'll get it. 

Mom is heading to Richard's this week for Thanksgiving. Hope she has a good time. Hope he's nice to her. I told him he's basically dead to me. I'm so done with him. He's such a pompous ass. I know you guys would rather we just get along but hard to do when he asks like he's superior when he's clearly not. He acts like he has this big important secret life when he's just a maintenance man for the school district that has a wife and kids. He tells mom he doesn't want me in his business. HA! Like he has any business I'd want to be in. What happened to just knowing your brother/sister was OK, just being family. I was thinking back and I think since he lived in Liberal right before he got with Traci, he was dating this black girl, is when things got weird with him n I. There's only so many times you can make amends before you say heck with it. Ridiculous he's like that anyway, that you have to walk on egg shells just right to be on his good side. It is what it is. I still have a brother, named Brian. He can be a jerk and talk incessantly at times about nothing but I love him. 

I have to work on Thanksgiving. Don't think it's gonna be fun but it's money. I like the lady in HR. Her name is Cindy. She gave me some extra hours for this next week. She thinks I can go far if I apply myself. Said maybe by summer I can be a CSM. Idk, right now I'm just enjoying being a cashier. Don't know much else. I miss you papa. I love you. (forehead kiss) Talk to you in a little bit. 

November 12

Hi daddy. Been a bit since I wrote you. I started a new job. I'm at Walmart now. Hopefully my last stop for a while. A long while. So far I'm loving it, it is so much fun. Ask me again in 6 months. Heck, 6 weeks. Hopefully I'll say the same thing. Me n Joe are doing great. I love you daddy. (Forehead kiss) Talk to you in a little bit. 

September 30

Hi daddy. How are you? I'm doing good. Work is there. Deanna is ready to move me up but Joe doesn't want me to be a mgr there so idk what ima do or what will happen. He wants me to find a job over here in our area. I'd like that too but I'm not gonna even consider it until after I go see mom. Things around here are ok. Joe and I are great. He got promoted to assistant manager Monday. He's worked almost 24 hrs in two days. He did 11 yesterday get got called back in for another hour, then today he works just over 10 hrs. I just hope he can handle the hours, the stress, the stuff that needs to be done here for Denny. Doesn't run himself thin. I gotta get used to him having to close a lot. He's got 4 closes this week outta his 5 shifts. So not fair, there's other mgrs but two of them are mother and daughter, what mommy does, daughter soon does the same. Meaning Joe gets the short end of the stick all the time cuz of them. 

I so wish you had got to meet Joe and he could have gotten to know you. Daddy, you'd love him. He works so hard for us, takes such good care of us. He's into carpentry and you two would have gotten along famously. The Lord sure blessed me with a wonderful husband. We leave each other notes some days when we won't see each other cuz of our schedules..mine today simply said I love you, have a great night at work. His said, I'm special and the reason he's moving up the ladder. Not those exact words but you get the point. Made me tear up, to have someone that loves me like he does. Never had that before. It feels wonderful. I sure miss you, I wish I could call you. See you, hug you. 

I'm worried about Jake. He's been sleeping a lot the last few days, sleeping in the oddest places. Behind the front door. In the bathtub. In front of the refrigerator. I really hope he's ok, I wish it didn't cost so much to go to the vet. I know if I took him they'd want to run blood tests, etc and we can't afford that. All I can do is put it in God's hands. Past my bedtime. I love you dad. (Forehead kiss) talk to you in a little bit. 

September 8

HI papa. Nothing really going on. Work ok. Things with Joe are still great. Around the apartment is going ok. Some ppl getting evicted. That's the part I like. When they think they know more than me. And I'm like boom...holla! Joe justs goes day to day, doesn't bother him who does what. I try to keep Denny's rules in force. We've been here almost three years. Kinda nice to be setting roots again. I thought my life would always be what it was. Miserable. Never imagined I could be this happy. Always wanted to be and now I am.

Planning on going to mom's next month. It'll be for Aunt Norma n Uncle Al's 50 anniversary. I guess there's a big to do. I wasn't exactly invited but I'm going, I'm so excited all the family is gonna be there n they can meet Joe. Wish things were different and we'd be celebrating yours n mom's 50th soon. But there will be great celebration again some day. Better than a 50th anniversary. Bubby is/was visiting mom this past weekend. He called and told me mom needed me. Said her house needs me. I told him it was mom's business how she keeps her house. If I was 3 hours instead of 6-1/2 I'd possibly be able to make it up there more often but being 6.5 away and having a man that worries about me like he does, it'd be an issue. He doesn't like me going places, especially out of town, without him. I'll see when I go up there how things are. If mom needs me, she'll tell me. I think. 

I don't know much else. Won't keep ya. I'm sure you got a big fish to catch or something to do. I love you so much daddy. Miss you too. Some days are better, some are harder but I always miss you. (Forehead kiss) Talk to you in a little bit.

August 21

Hi daddy...

Love n miss you, (forehead kiss). Talk to you in a little bit. 

August 3

Hi dad. How I wish I could just call you instead. But this is all we get. Everything is going ok. Andy came over last night and told us his dad died, I felt bad for him.  I know how awful I felt when I suddenly lost you. Death is so sudden and unforgiving, when it's your time, that's it, ready or not. Andy was close to his dad but I don't know how close. He lost his mom when he was a teenager. To be 27 and without both parents. Wow. Sad. Andy isn't my favorite person. He comes over too much and is a mooch but Joe calls him friend. Can't go against him. He said his dad didn't have life insurance so they don't know what they are going to do. I told Joe him getting life insurance is a priority. I'll be up a creek if I suddenly lose Joe. :( 

I don't know much else. My new job is going ok. I hate the drive but I'm getting full time, decent pay for now and I somewhat like the ppl I work with. When school starts again we'll be in so much trouble cuz we have no help but high school kids right now. I had requested my birthday off but so did about 6 other ppl. Not for my birthday but for a concert and one of the other girls it is her birthday weekend. She's the 16th. So I told Deanna I'd work until 1 or 2 if it'll help her. She appreciated that. I'm gonna be 43. Joe has to work that day anyway so I may as well work a few hours. I'm also gonna ask her if I can maybe go to 4-10 hour days or 3-10s and 2-5s when school starts. Idk if she'll let me or not. 

Mom is ok. She keeps busy at the laundry mat. Seems to like it. I think she likes working with auntie more than the laundry mat. I think she's enjoying being retired but I know she misses you a lot. Keep an eye on her daddy. I know you do. :) She got Snick to start eating tomatoes. I think it's amusing all the veggies she's got him eating, never seen a dog eat raw veggies like he does. At first I was like no way when she told me, then I seen him do it. I was like No Way! Lol!! 

I love you. I miss you daddy. (Forehead kiss) talk to you in a little bit. XOXO. 

July 13

It's like technically the 13th but still the 12th to me cuz I'm still up. It's like almost 2. We're off tomorrow so we are being bad n staying up. Cuz...why not?! Lol. Hi daddy! Hope you are ok. I miss you so much. Mom was here all last week. It was great to have her here. You'd be so proud of her. I think she's lost enough weight but she looks great. She's happy...or appears to be. She's enjoying being retired, has made some new good friends in Robinson and that's good. We didn't do a whole lot while she was here but it was nice to be together. We did get to see bubby together, and that was kewl. The first time the 3 of us have been together since 2011. It was just for a little while but it was nice. The rest of the week Joe and I just worked. I started my new job at Taco Bell. I think it's gonna be ok. Have to learn a new way of doing things but it's nice to be with Deanna and Shay again. It's a drive too but I think it's gonna be worth it, I kept a good attitude all week and my week was awesome. So, I suppose going that way every day maybe...just maybe...:) idk, but it's worth the try. I met the area leader and he seems alright, willing to give me a shot at management so ima do my best not to mess that up. 

Joe is now running the store on his own. Both nights he met a small glitch but I know he'll figure it out. He's just made silly mistakes, and he will. I know I did when I first started running the show. It's nerve wracking and you feel the pressure to make sure you don't forget anything. But I know he's gonna be a great manager. I just wish he'd go in there with the I'm your boss attitude and not try being all buddy buddy with some of them. I know he's worked his way up and probably is friends with some of them but I just don't want it to bite him in the end. They are talking about making Joe assistant manager. Which means salary and benefits. Cha-Ching! And if I get shift manager, we'll be doing real good again. :) I don't know much else. Oh, have you seen Charles Parnell? Mom was sad to find out he passed. I'm sure you'll make him feel at home. I love you dad. (Forehead kiss) Talk to you in a little bit. ~XO