Oh how we miss our sweet Nan

Dear Family and Friends,
They say this will get easier and the people saying it have lost loved ones so I know they are right. However right now the only way it gets easier is to get so busy that for a brief time I just forget.
I've stayed in today trying to clean up a mountain of paperwork that comes with the job of appraising. Since values are so bad right now lenders are suddenly very nervous and really make our job even less fun than usual. Yet I am thankful to have this profession, it has allowed me to care for nan in a way I never could have if I had a normal 8 - 5 job. I could pop around the corner to check on her, rub her feet, get her ice water or just love her for a minute, what other job could have been better. The kindnesses shown by many of our clients are quite amazing. Some were able to attend services, others have sent cards or emails, all have understood what we were coping with over the past few weeks.
We continue to have challenges with getting clients to pay us in a timely manner. Things seem to be tight everywhere and here in our little office is no different. So we have our work cut out for us, work quickly, build a rep for being fast, good and reachable, encourage COD when possible as that keeps cash flow going.
Marilyn made an amazing discovery today. She decided to tackle the box we have which holds all the blue cross statements of what they have paid and not paid for the past year. One caregiver is billing us $2,900 so Marilyn decided to wade into this deep stack of letters from Blue Cross which they send whenever they pay a bill. She had only been into the stack about 5 minutes when she made a great discovery, nearly $500 in two checks from Blue Cross to us that I had missed. That will certainly help with things. Marilyn continues to amaze me, she has some abilities that are just special, she used to work in the governors office filing things. She can find directions, she ran errands today to Tracy and Brentwood, taking the tape of the graveside service to George in Tracy and returning the wheelchair to Brentwood medical supply.
This evening I had sat in the chair working long enough so we dashed into Brentwood to see little Keanna in action in her swimming lesson. Its something Nan and I did often before she was too ill to get in and out of the car. Keanna is doing well with her lessons and is looking forward to seeing green turtles in Hawaii. There is a great snorkeling beach near the time share they will be staying at. Keanna is starting to get anxious about her trip to the big island, she loves the place but its been a couple years since she has been there. Our time share was paid for years ago before they got expensive but comes fully furnished, you just buy groceries and sit on the back lanai and watch the ocean from a distance. You feel the warm breezes, you read, you nap and you rebuild inside.
This weekend I'm taking the dogs and pointing the motorhome toward MBA. Along the way I'll do an appraisal in Pacifica near the ocean and then do another on my way back on Monday. Sunday night I'm going to stop by Art and Connies to show them how to play domino's!! Right like I'm going to teach anyone a game, anyone that knows me knows I really don't do games very well, hate to lose, hate to look silly and I had to invest too much mental energy into a game when I have so little left. On Sunday Jason has me giving a presentation about being an appraiser 5 times in a row, each time to a different group of kids. That will be fun. I'll print up some appraisals showing big houses, little houses and even smaller houses and talk, something I do well at times.
I was happy to learn about a blog today for my friend Laurie Dunston. She is attending graduate school in the east and has a very interesting blog so that will be fun to follow.
This morning when I rose at 5:30, I had back pains too strong to allow me to stay in bed any longer, I came downstairs and built a fire. It slowly raised the room temp from 59 to 68. Boy its cold lately. I'm trying to cover the lemon tree with a sheet to save it, can anyone tell me why putting a blanket or sheet over a tree will keep it warmer? But Nan always had me do it and the tree was saved so I'll keep doing it now.
After we watched Keanna swim we hit a local mex. food place for some decent grub and then home to a cooling house. Marilyn is still busy sorting papers and finding that there are other medical bills that I am paying on that insurance should have paid. She is really helping out with things and soon the office will get tackled. She will have to go home fairly early next week or she will not be able to find any openings as she flies standby thanks to Dana and Tim her son who works for Southwest. I am so glad Marilyn can be with her family at Christmas time, she has provided such wonderful help to Nan and to the rest of us as well. She deserves to enjoy her own family.
Several friends and family have called today to just check up on me and to see how I'm doing. Well I'm functioning, just not enjoying it a lot. Frankly I just miss her so much and can't believe that for some cosmic reason she needed to go.
Our neighbors come home tonight, they were so kind to loan their house for our family while they were gone to the Midwest. Thanks so much Ken and LeAnn. Hope we didn't hurt your house, sheets are all clean thanks to Sharon and family.
Well I guess its time to try to get some sleep again. Nothing seems OK but nothing seems impossible either. Everyone has been so nice to me, to our family and we thank each of you for that kindness.
We send our love to each of you and thank you for the flowers, the cards, the money and mostly for the prayers that have helped us stay sane.

tim and marilyn