I can't seem to shake this homesick feeling. This is the worst it has ever been. I talked to my mom yesterday and after I hung up the phone I bursted into tears. Mom said that she wishes we were there this coming week because my aunt and a few of my mom's friends were going to visit with her for the next couple of weeks. I wish I could be there with her to help with her house guests. Mom always asks when we are coming back and how long we will be there. I'm so thankful that I've been keeping busy with the financials and the dogs, but at the times I don't have anything going on I think of my family and how much I miss them. Melissa's great about sending me phone pictures of Eva, but I feel like I'm missing watching her grow up.

Today is Jazzi's first birthday. I can't believe that she's already a year old. My baby girl is now a big girl. I couldn't imagine my life without the dogs. They always seem to know when I'm sad and give me love when I need it. Sure, it's tough getting up in the middle of the night to take them downstairs to go potty, or to take them out first thing in the morning when I'm exhausted and they want to play. This weekend is the first time we are putting the in a petshotel. I'm so nervous about doing this. I know they will be fine because they like the people that work there and the people there just love the girls. I have guilt for leaving the girls so we can go out and have fun...silly huh??

As I sit here looking outside it depresses me. The weather is sl gloomy. The sky is a dark grey, the wind is blowing, and it's just a matter of time before the rain begins to pour. The girls are snuggled up next to me...one under the blanket and the other on top of the blanket. They are both used to each other...finally!! Potty training with Abby is so much better. She's learning that she needs to tell us when she needs to go out.

I've been keeping busy with lots of financial statements. They've done a great job of keeping me busy and from what I hear from them they are so glad that this is working out so well. I love having the extra money, which we are putting away for our weekend trips.

I'm super excited to be getting another tattoo with Frank. From the moment I saw the St. Valentine cross I knew I had to have it put on my body. My dad's name is Valentine and this will be my tribute to him. Everytime I look at it I will think of him and all the love he had for me. When I was a little girl and he was over at Vietnam he would send me letters and he created this character which he named "Block Head". I have all the letters he wrote me in storage and I think once we have time to go through the storage I want to get my box of letters out and have a tattoo of Block Head done.

How the heck did we already get into March?? What happen to January and February?? Seems as if I haven't had time to sit and type in my thoughts, hopes, and or dreams. I've been busy with working on financial statements for LL&Co...it's fun to have some "mad" money. I've been busy with the new puppy, Abby, and trying to get her potty trained, which seems to be a loosing battle. My patiences seems to be worn thin lately. I miss the weekends that we were able to put Jazzi in daycare and we could go to the grocery store and out to lunch together, but now since we have Abby we aren't able to do that. One of us must stay in the truck with the dogs while the other goes in to shop. But that will all change this weekend. Abby will be old enough and have all her shots so on Sunday we are putting then both in daycare for the day. Abby has been sick the past couple of days and for some strange reason it seems to only hit her in the middle of the night. So the past few nights I've been up with her every hour taking her outside...poor thing, I feel bad because I can't seem to make her feel better. I get a bit frustrated with Frank because he's the one that wanted to get another dog...I was fine with having just Jazzi, heck she was trained. But he thought she needed a playmate, and yeah she did but I'm the one that is dealing with the dogs. I'm the one taking the out for their potty breaks, I'm the one feeding them, I'm the one that is scolding them when they are getting into things they shouldn't be and it's really wearing on me. I love having Abby in our lives but man, I could really use some help from him.

I've been really homesick the last couple of weeks. Everytime I talk to my mom or sisters I get off the phone and just cry. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I realized how precious life is when we lost my aunt. I hate missing time with my mom and sisters. Flying home for a weekend now is pretty much impossible. I can't take both dogs with me and I wouldn't just take one of them and I know Frank can't keep both of them so I just have my phone calls to them. I'm so looking forward to going back there after this job is done. Although with our luck we will probably end up going somewhere else right after this job. I'm hoping we are back in California but you never know.

We've been in Texas for about four weeks and we really having done much. I'm so looking forward to our trip to Houston in three weeks and maybe we'll make it to San Antonio in a couple of weeks.