Guinea pigs

Heather was home with Dad for about a week. Dad couldn't hide his glee from having his littlest girl with him. They did some work. (Heather was going to mow the lawn for Dad, which is a big job. Dad probably has an acre of lawn. But he hopped on the mower to show her how he wanted it done and ended up doing it himself. This after not feeling well in the morning due to monthly chemo...) They chatted, took walks. Maybe Heather can provide a full blog/report?

It was Heather's b-day on the 6th, so Dad took her to a local jewelry/art store and let her pick out a beautiful necklace. Dad is constantly thinking of other people, how to make them happy. Seeing his ability to help people shine makes him feel good, as it should. Linda made a birthday cake for Heather and they celebrated. Dad's celebrated 34 birthdays with Heather, 37 with me. That's pretty incredible when you think about it. He was there in the beginning, and he's still here. Heather sent me some pictures from family albums that I thought I'd share to show a snapshot of happy life in the Beecheler family.

Thinking about my life goals lately -- career, family, etc. Tossing around the idea of getting a PhD, writing a book, travel. But once all that stuff swirled in my head awhile, I thought of Dad, looking back at his life. I bet he'd say his greatest accomplishment is Heather and me. And I realize that my only real goal is to grow a healthy, happy family, like he did.

These pictures really say a lot if you look closely. Heather and I often fought like cats and dogs (maybe it was more like kittens and pups), but we loved each other deeply. We had a very silly adoration that included code words, made-up songs and just goofiness. I look at my two girls with a "deja-vu" as they sing their own compositions, call everything "funky," and call me "momster."

You can look up in that second pic and see Heather's ghingham yellow sheets and flower wallpaper. Is that the funniest shot or what?! Anna and MJ have held on to this guinea pig shot like it was a signed picture of Zac Efron (for Anna) or Luke Sywalker (for MJ). Living on an acreage Heather and I had pets galore -- cats, dogs, rabbits, turtles (temporarily, until we released them in the neighbor's pond) sheep, goats, a few cows. Now my kids beg me for "Just one guinea pig!!!" We'll see...

Dad made sure we had happiness, whatever form that came in at the time, even it it squealed and ate carrots and lived in a cage.