Leveling the Kitchen Floor

 When we pulled up the existing kitchen floor. We found the unexpected. Of course.

The Giving Machine

Post copied from Instagram:

We finally got to visit the Light the World Giving Machines! I have so been looking forward to this. They are such a BRILLIANT idea and provide an easy way to tap into the true, giving spirit of Christmas. Give clean water, goats, chickens, meals, toys and other items by vending machine. 100% of the donation money goes directly to local and global charities to help change lives all around the world. We decided to purchase a college course to benefit a local charity helping battered women.
Search “giving machine” to find a machine near you! (Open 24 hours.)

 

Christmas at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

Adam took us on a date to the a Christmas lights display at the Forth Worth Botanical Gardens. It had some magical moments! And it's only the second year they've done it so it wasn't crowded. I imagine it will get better every year and I hope we go again. 

Flooding and Sinking

When we had the chimney removed in March, we noticed our lawn was mushy between our house and the neighbor Bill's home. We contacted him and he consequently ignored the issue until I saw the flooding had gotten MUCH worse—and it was September. 

Surrounding 1/4 of our house was a swamp. The flooding had reached the base of the large oak tree in our back yard, cracks had started showing up inside the house, and our back door suddenly wouldn't close anymore. So, of course I started panicking. 

Thankfully we have no landscaping to speak of yet. So there was no loss in that area.

"Call insurance! What happens if the tree falls on the house. Who covers it?!? Bill or us?" 

"Our house is sinking on one side...what if our pipes crack? Who covers it?!? Bill or us?"

Adam reached out to Bill. We found out he had purposefully been ignoring the leak all spring and summer because of the heat, because he was mourning his recently deceased wife and out of work, and his very poor eye sight. So we realized this was a time to be neighborly and Adam literally dug in to help.

He and Bill spent a couple of days digging and fixing the pipe, but only to find another leak. Adam dug as far under the house as he could and couldn't reach the second leak; he would have ended up under water. 

In the end, Bill still had to have plumbers come over to fix the issue.

Also, the cracking in our house made us curious enough to try a laser level on it. We discovered the foundation truly was shifting and had already shifted by 3 1/2 inches over time. Shifting and settling is normal in Texas because of the clay in the soil but obviously it was starting to be a problem. So, we had a structural engineer come. According to his analysis the west side of the house is sinking. He recommended piers.

Piers will be installed this month. More on that to come. At least I'm not worried about the tree falling on the house anymore.

Cotter Trout Dock

Adam and Lee and their Dads went on an all inclusive, two day, floating fly fishing trip in Arkansas. It was the perfect way to fish for the older gentlemen and they would all return to do it again.

They enjoyed nice weather, wildlife and very good food.

Each person was allowed to keep five fish per day. Our freezer is full of fish who are just waiting for us to have a kitchen again.

 

Kitchen Renovations: in Progress

We picked up on the kitchen renovations where we left off—how many years ago? Four?

Several weeks ago while Adam was traveling for work, I decided to kill the kitchen and started demo work. I took out all the upper cabinets. (It was HARD. They were built in place, ONTO the wall. I couldn't simply take out screws like modern cabinets. I had to break them apart to get them off the wall.)

Here's a picture as a reminder of where we're starting.

Advent Calendars 2023

 The next installment. Sometimes they include me and send a video of the unwrapping—and I LOVE it!

Above: A screen shot of Irie's family singing a song. (The advent prompt said to send a video message to Dwynnie and they sent one to me too as a bonus! It was adorable.)

Process video:

Kitchen Window Install

I've been dreaming of more light in our kitchen since we moved in. And finally after TWO wrong window orders (the fault of two separate companies) the third order finally came in correctly (1ft. x 4 ft.) and we got it installed! 

Big Thanksgiving

Finally, after years of tiny Thanksgivings, we were able to be with A LOT of Adam's family this year. It was really wonderful and I am VERY grateful they decided to host it in Texas this time.

Watch on YouTube. 

Jeri's Graduation

My Aunt Jeri's passing was emotionally hard. And it was extremely hard for her too. She was only 65 and had only just retired. She had cancer which spread too fast for treatment, she was in so much pain. And though in my adult years I had almost no contact with with her, I loved Jeri for who she was to me growing up. She was a great aunt. Always cheerful and so kind.

The funeral was good and honest. Her children did a sketch of her life and broke it into sections, including how she was at the end. Bob, her brother spoke. Jim, her husband spoke. Dwynne sang. Dad was in Ghana but recorded his goodbye to her while she was still living. He returned in time to catch family after the funeral and stayed in Utah for her burial two days later and spent time with her immediate family.

It was incredibly good to see my uncles and cousins and I felt love for them so strongly. I don't know if they enjoyed seeing me after all these years, but I have always yearned to be close to them in the way that we used to be growing up. And seeing them again was wonderful.

Jeri was such a center of love for her family. She is sorely missed by them.  

More on the Tate Mortuary

 

Above: Husband Jim and Jeri

Below: Stan, Bob, and Jeri

Above: Jessica, Marie, Jeri, Stephanie, DIL, Melinda
Below: Jim and Jeri with new grandbaby

Above: Jeri's emmediate family, Stephanie, Melinda, Marie, Jessica, Robert, Jim

 

How my Parents Met and Became Engaged, Plus a Few other Things

The following video was recorded over the summer of 2023. My mom started talking about how she and Dad met and I was lucky enough to get the camera set up before she really got going...Dad was sucked into the conversation. He had no idea what was going on when he sat down.

Click here to view on Youtube. 

The Passing and Funeral Services of Irene Moon

After only a few weeks on hospice care, and a few days on morphine to help her stay comfortable, Mom Moon passed in her home surrounded by her children, their spouses and her husband at 6:05 on a Monday evening in July.

Never have I been bedside to witness the death of someone I love. It was humbling, sacred and bittersweet for me. The hands of her children touched and held Mom on a leg, a hand, an arm, a shoulder...as she spent her last breath. She was quiet and calm as she slipped away, supported by her family, through this life to her restful heavenly home. And we cried.

In that moment I looked around the room at her children and husband, and I considered mortality. How miraculous it was that this body before me brought ten children into this world, gave them their bodies and life. And in a reverse of events, they now were surrounding and honoring her and the miracle of her body as she was now finished, ending her life's purpose here with us. Life is short and meaning can be found in family.

We waited a while for the hospice nurse to arrive so she could begin paperwork and declare time of death. She then reached out to the morgue. A husband and wife team, dressed professionally in black, both slight in stature, came into the room and were kind and accommodating. They carefully swaddled Mom in a white sheet and the man easily cradled her in his arms as he carried her down the staircase as watched from above. Her body was laid on a gurney in the entryway and covered from the neck down with a blanket. The two then left the house to wait outside while we said our last goodbyes—to which they said, "Take as much time as you need." After which she was taken out of the house, family following—and lifted into the hearse. They quietly drove away into the night.

We gathered and ate lasagna around 10 p.m. I marveled at the day's events. And our emotions were spent.

The next week Adam and I were with his family. We visited the funeral home where arrangements were made. We went through boxes of photos and memorabilia while sitting in a circle in Larissa's attic. We worked through a few funeral details and ideas at the dinner table. We ate meals together. (Adam's company provided a catered barbecue meal for the family. I was once again reminded of the kindness of his employer and coworkers.) It was a good—but emotionally exhausting time—which I will share a little more of later.

We then left to be with our families to grieve the week before Mom's funeral.  

Mom's obituary can be read by clicking here. Heidi put it together with input from family. And then later at the pulpit explained some of it in detail.

At the church where funeral services were to be held, was a viewing. In the funeral director's words, Mom looked so peaceful and at rest

To accompany the proceedings Heidi, Larissa, Laurel and Shayla put together a table full of selected items in the foyer to build a picture of who Mom was. 

 Travis helped the sisters put a slideshow of photographs together as well. Click here to view on Youtube.

Adam was asked to give the eulogy. He worked on it for hours and days. It's an intensely difficult thing having to summarize your mother's life while also deeply grieving the loss of it. Click here. He's content with how it turned out.

Below is a recording of the service. View on Youtube for better quality. 

After the service we drove to the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery where Mom would be interred. This is done at no charge since Dad Moon is a veteran. Due to the high number of service men and women who are laid to rest there, we had a very short time to dedicate the grave—15 minutes. The dedication also did not take place grave-side. The cemetery asked that families handle everything under assigned covered pavilions.

Below is a recording of the pallbearers and Dad Moon thanking everyone and then dedicating the grave. (Dedication starts at minute 3:14) Watch on Youtube for better quality.

After asking Adam to be the last car to leave the cemetery, I rolled the window down and in the Zenk family tradition yelled our own farewell, "Bye Mom! We love you!" 

Later that Day

We enjoyed a luncheon provided by members of Dad Moon's congregation and then ended up at Larissa's house where extended family members played catch-up on old and new gossip.

Above: Irene's Sisters, Rosa, June and Colleen.

Above from left circling clockwise: Dave, Rosa, Colleen, June, Aaron and Dennis.

Above from left circling clockwise: Ned, Mary, Terri, Tom, Heidi, Marsha's daughter and Heather.

Above: Marcia and child, Alisha, Adam, Anna, John and Rosa.

Above: Adam, Rosa and Alisha

Dinner that Night

During lunch I had mentioned how fitting it would be to have dinner at Freddy's, Mom's favorite restaurant, noting that it was probably impractical. But someone must have said something because it happened.

I truly, truly love that we ended the day in a place eating the food that Mom loved. It was the PERFECT thing to do, just like sharing her chocolates. Here's to you Mom!

Moon Family Reunion 2023

This reunion was different. Mom Moon has developed Alzheimers (which can't be 100% proven until after a person's passing) but all the symptoms of progression are there. The family decided to change plans from a full blown reunion this year, to a mini reunion at Adam's parents' home at the end of May.

Only one family didn't attend. Some couldn't stay the entire time, but I'm grateful most were able to get together even if it was for just a moment for family pictures. They were taken just in time. It's now mid-July and Mom Moon isn't doing well. It won't be long before she leaves us. I am grateful to know that families are forever and we'll all be in the company of one another again after this life. 

View video on YouTube for best quality.

 

The children of Dennis and Irene from left to right: Heather, Aaron, Heidi, Nathan, Jared, Larissa, Adam, Laurel, Jordan. (Missing: Dennis Jr.)