Hip, hip, hooray to my little sister for graduating from high school tonight. It was great to watch all the kids walk across the stage and get their diplomas. She’s currently caught somewhere between feeling that great relief and crying that her friends won’t be joining her at college. It’s so hard to grow up! She’s definitely a people person though, and even though she may not see it yet, she’ll have plenty of friends soon enough I’m sure.

So here’s to you, little sis! I’m so proud. You have the world at your fingertips now, so go get ‘em!

Yesterday we went to my little niece’s graduation from kindergarten. They gave all the kiddos graduation caps to wear and let them line up on a stage. It was very cute. My niece is shaping up to be a very intelligent little girl. There’s an inquisitiveness about her that I don’t see in a lot of other kids, they are the ones that always fascinate me. She really enjoys taking the time to figure things out. So, of course, we get along great together.

The other day when we visited she said they (they being her and her little brother) wanted to play teacher with me. I laughed, a bit curious about what the game could be. So the two of them sat side by side and handed me a book. Teacher is a game where I get to read to them, showing them the pages. I got a kick out of it, I remember when it was just asking me to read a book.

I’ve always thought it would be fun to teach kids that young, but I feel I would be more useful when they are a bit older. I’m glad to get to help out with these kids though! It’s always a fun getting to be around them. Now that it’s summer I imagine we’ll be going swimming quite often. No complaints here!

I had no intention of taking a month off the blog. I am sorry about that. Some of my last posts said our grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and was going to start treatment for it. Well, sometimes these things just don’t end well despite all the hopes and good thoughts coming from their family and friends. David, Daddy Dave to all his grandchildren, passed away in the hospital, his body was just too weak to fight everything going on inside it. It all seemed to happen very quickly.

His death hit me a lot harder than I thought it would, I thought I was pretty much ready to accept whatever happened. Even now it doesn’t always feel real. Everyone in the family will agree that the best thing we can do now is try to show as many people as we can why he was so special. It has meant the world to me how much Samantha’s family included me these last weeks.

One thing I do know is that DaDave wouldn’t want me to stay away from my writing or from my blog either. If anything he would keep urging me on like he always did, hoping I would strive for more. So I will not let my grief control me, because that is what I think he would want. Anyone still with me here, thanks for sticking around, I really do appreciate it. And in many ways it does feel good to be back.

After much deliberation, Samantha and I have decided not to move to San Marcos. The decision came first and foremost because we really don’t want to leave her grandparents with DaDave in this condition. This is a time when they need us most, so we can’t just up and leave on them! They have been such pillars of strength and wisdom, always there when we’ve needed them.

So we’re looking at it in a positive light. It is true that San Marcos would have been beautiful and probably much more “us.” Who knows, perhaps we still might try to live there eventually (hopefully very near the Guadalupe River if so!). Since we’re not leaving, the plans have changed to fix up the house and the yard. We did a whole lot in the yard today. It was fitting for Earth Day, though we didn’t remember that until after the fact. We were just that attuned with nature I guess!

So I can cross moving off the 2010 to-do list! Which makes me think I need to do a post with updates about that.

I’m getting back into things this week. I want to thank you guys for hanging around! I thought surely my subscribers were going to drop these last couple weeks. Happily, it has not been so! DaDave has had some positive news. His cancer hasn’t spread past the liver, and they expect a good outcome. We still have the highest hopes for a speedy recovery!

Next Tuesday we’ll get back into the weekly podcast. Next Sunday or Monday I’ll probably do a catch-up post to remind everyone what’s going on in Adventures Through The Window. I also have some reviews to catch up on, and a number of other things. Consider this fore-warning of many posts to come.

To get back into the postings, I’ve decided to share something I wrote recently. David, who narrates our podcast, has decided to get back into music and we’re talking about making some geeky rap songs with a medieval theme. I’m told the official term is Geek-hop, dig it. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! This is the first song we’ve been working on. He’s a lot better at beats and such, and he’s helped me a lot with editing. I don’t know that this will be the final draft (I’m actually quite sure it won’t be), who knows what will happen once the recording starts. I feel like some things need tweaking, but I’m curious how he’ll interpret it and read it.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Ridin’ through the forest on the back of my horse,
behind me come shouts as they follow my course,
A glimpse of my face was enough for their advance,
Not all blindly came, but most would want this chance.

I leapt from the back and ducked quick into a roll,
the horse kept on running, knowing where to go.
I hid behind a tree as the guards rode on by,
the price on my head brought greed to their eyes.

As they pass I depart back the way that we came,
Snatching up an old cloak and dark, withered cane,
In seconds my appearance looks nothing the same,
Back at the gates to the castle I seem quite plain.

The guards seem suspicious but don’t sound the alarm,
All was going fine till that hand laid on my arm,
I snatch at a knife tucked safe in my cloak,
I slash across his neck and his blood starts to soak.

The alarm bells ring, but it’s part of the plan,
I dash toward the cellar of the King’s right hand,
I sit above the wine racks quietly in place,
A natural chameleon, a mark of my race.

The cellar door slams open up top of the stairs,
the heavy boots of guards pounding hard in pairs,
I watch as they search for any possible threat,
Then they push the king in panting, covered in sweat.

Convinced the king safe, most guards swept from the room,
Little did he know the guards were sealing his doom.
I leapt down from the racks throwing two daggers hard,
Each dagger flew true to the neck of his two guards.

Now alone with the King, I turned and drew my sword,
He falls to his knees saying feeble prayers and wards.
I claimed the Gods would answer nothing he said.
Those eyes showed defeat as I took off his head.

My duty complete, there’s no time to waste,
I had to get away and I knew they’d give chase.
I tossed the worn cloak in need of new garb
Beneath the old rags I was clothed as a guard.

Two more of them died outside the cellar doors,
A flash of surprise as they fell to the floor,
Along the west wall stood a gate to the drain,
A dozen gold coins meant that it wouldn’t be chained.

A breath of relief for the lock was open wide,
I grin at the convenience and then slip inside.
It’s now a straight shot right to the ocean,
That cool morning breeze there to greet my freedom.

We’re still awaiting results from our grandfather’s biopsy. I hope everyone understands why the blog has been pretty silent this last week or two. We’re hoping for good news this week. I’ll do my best to get back to regular posts soon, thanks for your understanding.

I’m sorry to report there is no TNS this week. Last week Samantha and I found out her Grandfather, DaDave, has lymphoma. They don’t know what type it is, it comes in dozens of forms. No matter what form it is, a cancer of the lymph nodes is not happy news after weeks of testing.

Writing has had to sit on the back burner these last few days. Luckily we had a good Easter to bring up our spirits a bit. I hope to be back on track by next week. Hopefully you guys will be understanding. We’re hoping for a speedy and full recovery!

So, this is a late Easter post. A friend at work cut himself pretty bad with the box cutters we use. He’s alright they say, a few stitches and couple days of rest. I said I’d work for him tonight, so it was straight from Easter to work.

Easter brunch was a blast. My family doesn’t often all get together like that. The niece and nephews all got to hunt down Easter eggs after having their fill of the dessert table. Brunch was basically endless buffet of goodness. Fruit, soup, shrimp, waffles, bacon, oh yeah, I could keep going. Samantha did say I had to mention there was a hot pink chocolate fountain. It was most excellent. My sister took some pictures so I figured I would share.

I hope everyone had a good day!