Dear Liz,

It has now been exactly 9 months since I lost you.  :(

This past month has been very busy with the Book Fair...Dad's birthday...Pioneer Days...Halloween...driving my adopted baby sister's kids home from school...your online Memorial Service...your FB Page...Joshua's tutoring...Katelyn being in Chorus...Joshua and Katelyn being in a club after school...and Volunteering in the school library.
 

Not to mention being ignored by my husband for a week, and feeling sick for a few days where I couldn't do much else besides read my Kindle.   

It seems as if our Thanksgiving plans have changed.  Instead of having a simpler one at Mom and Dad's house...they are going to Ohio and going out to eat for Thanksgiving dinner...and for the first time ever I am making Thanksgiving dinner!!!  I strongly suspect that you had a hand in that!  Thank you.  Now we will have a very different Thanksgiving than last year...and a Thanksgiving to talk about...other than the one last year...for years to come. 

 
I had the owner of a venting group that I belong to ask if anyone wanted to be the administrator/owner of her group...as she was starting over with a new group.  I jumped at this chance that fell into my lap!!  And so now I have my very own group that has a couple hundred members in it! 

Just yesterday a friend of mine created an online Memorial Service for both you and her brother Tim.  As I'm sure you know...we became friends when we realized that both you and her brother died on the same day.  I spent hours on Facebook yesterday with her about the service.    

 
And then she got the idea of sharing with me and you the private group she has in honor of her brother.  So this is now the 4th group I am an admin of!!!

 
My husband, kids and I have gotten closer to my adopted baby sister and her family.  I've gotten to see Dawn a few times.  And that was so sweet when two of her kids got to ride a horse at Pioneer Days...and even sweeter that I got pictures!!!  Katelyn absolutely loves it when I'm the one who takes Dawn's kids home.  By the time they have a place to call their own...and things aren't so crazy...we'll all be such great friends!!!  Something else that I'm sure you had a hand in!!  :)    

 
These next few months are going to be challenging to say the least!  There's Thanksgiving...and even worse the next few days after Thanksgiving where I'll be remembering your last visit, and the last time I will ever see you in this lifetime.  There's your birthday, Christmas, New Year's, your angelversary, and Valentine's Day.  I am glad that I have had some time to prepare for all that...but I am dreading it all the same.  Please help me get through it if you can. ♥

 
much love,
your big sister,
Cricket