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We received some pretty awesome news for Mama today. She has been awarded a subsidy! This means that her rent on her brand new gorgeous apartment is going to drop by about a hundred and forty bucks! This means that she is paying the same amount for her incredible apartment as she was paying for the moldy, dark, basement apartment that she has been living in for the last eight years!

To celebrate, Sean and I surprised her with a Snickers bar and flying saucers.



She lives so close that we can drop by and see her anytime. I love that about her new location.





Sean just said to me, “Is it me, or is she glowing?”

Glowing might be an understatement. I’ve never seen Mama this happy before. She’s just so alive.



Congratulations on your excellent news, Mama!

We decided that Mama needed a better place to live back in early 2009 and put her on the wait list for an incredible retirement community close to our house. Since she doesn’t have a car and she walks everywhere, we wanted a place for her that was convenient. And she has a thousand things nearby for her to have easy access to the simple luxuries in life: a laundromat, a church, a library, a grocery store, some restaurants, a bank, a doctor, a pharmacy. She has a beautiful church right outside her window, and better than all of this, she has companionship. Women were constantly stopping by today to wish her well and introduce themselves. There are parties, and dinners, and card games, and knitting sessions. So much for her to do. A brighter life for my mother, at last.

She’s been jumping up and down for weeks waiting to move in to her new place. And today, thanks to my hero husband, she moved in to her sparkling new apartment. Sean moved her in alone all morning, hauling her old apartment into our tiny SUV. My father-in-law came over later in the afternoon to help with the rest of the furniture and to give my mother a beautiful couch. She and I just got home from a supply run to Wal*mart for necessities. We’re all plumb exhausted.

Here are her new diggs:









































And so that my sisters a million miles away can take a tour of the new place, here is a video:



I’m pretty sure my mother is falling asleep tonight asking herself, “Is this Heaven?”

It seems all we do around here lately is sleep. And it’s pretty marvelous. Don’t take my word, take theirs:







You know they’re tired when they let down their guard and cuddle with each other like little babies.

I found some old pictures of when I was a mailman. My goodness, I’m glad I no longer work there. It sure took a lot out of me working six days a week, twelve hours a day.

We adopted our little girl two years ago today. It was a day not unlike today, wet with snow and rain. We hoped Sam and Jazzy would get along and were lucky that they were instant buddies. She’s been the sweetest pup, and oh so smart. We love you little Meanie!