*phew*

Yes, it has been a while -- I just have not been able to manage 2 things at one time this month. Now if I had TEN things to do, I would just do them, but TWO things, forget it!

I'm so excited that TWO of our adoption buddies are going back to China again to get two little girls. Ally will have a 5-year old sister, (much to her surprise, I'm sure!) named Alayna (spelling Lucy?) and Shelby is going to have a 13-month-old sister (she'll be closer to 2 by the time they meet...) named _______. What blessed kids to have the Harknesses and Straights for families you two!

We went backpacking yesterday up in North Georgia and my phone actually took some good pictures of Frannie and Kevin in the great outdoors. We had a great day with fantastic weather and no one fell off a cliff or sprained an ankle on the way down from our 5 mile trek.

*blech*

That's all I can say today is *blech*

I found out last night that my crazy, fun, resilient, caring, thoughtful, loving, devoted and spiritual aunt passed away very suddenly. Aunt Veronica (called Bunk because my father could not say Veronica as a kid so he called her Bunk) had just turned 80, smoked a lot for most of her life, had this sarcastic edge to her, loved her family more than herself and was a very, very devout Catholic lady. As a widow she had very little income, but managed to always have a gift for us, sent me $20 when I was broke in Spokane (oh yes, how I remember that) and had just given Frannie two stuffed animals and a beach hat last Tuesday in St. Augustine. Frannie does not like to wear hats, but she wore Bunk's hat those 3 days at the beach for some strange reason. Please pray for her kids who are all completely crushed, I am sure. I'm so grateful to God for taking her quick, sleeping in her chair and not from some horrible, long-drawn-out, painful ailment. Although she was 80, she took care of my Mom every Tuesday. Her six kids were her life. This is my favorite picture of her because she is laughing, as usual, has her crazy glasses on and is leaning against her Mom, not shown, which is what she is doing right now, I just know it. I'll miss you Auntie.