12 weeks, 1 day (Ian's little sibling)

Rejoicing for the peace upon her now!

On Thursday September 15th, we watched our loved one slip away. This was the night that my Aunt, Faye Saunders Jolly lost her battle to lung cancer. I got a phone call from my mom around 7:15 that evening, to hear that Faye's breathing had slowed and if we wanted to spend time with her we needed to go now. I quickly got in my car and drove to Faye's home where most of family had already gathered. When I reached the door, I was surrounded by tear filled eyes. Upon entering the living room, I could hear Faye struggling to breathe. I think that overall, her fiance, Mark was the strongest of us all. He was a trooper as he continued to caress Faye's head and tell her that everything was going to be okay, and that we were all there with her and that we all loved her very much. As I rubbed Faye's hand and kissed her forehead, I knew that her death was expected but I never knew how hard it would be to watch someone lose their fight. Faye was a child at heart, and overalll I think the best lesson that I learned through Faye was that you should live each day as it was your last...just like she did. You should also tell those that you love and care about just how much you really do care and most importantly, you should never take anyone or anything for granted. My she rest in peace with Grandpa, Terry, Chris, and Johnny for I know they are rejoicing!

Ways to save!?!?

Since I am ultimately in charge of our finances, I have taken it upon myself to find ways for our family to save money. The most obvious option was to start couponing, which I have done in the past. When I coupon, I hear Cha Ching, Cha Ching which is the sound of money going back into my pocket. Oh, how I love that sound! I have managed to save $117.19 a month by paying off our TV that we bought on credit from Aaron Rental, in order to build Branden's credit score. Over the past couple of years, I have learned that having good credit is a plus, but the bills still come at the end of the month when you buy on credit. I have also cancelled our supplemental insurance policy and saved our family an additional $66.83 a month. Wow, it is amazing how much you can eliminate from your expenses when you put your mind to it. I am currently trying to break my husband down on the amount of cable that we REALLY need and his smoking. However, I really don't think these things will be as easy as the others. Now, if I can get my husband to see my point of view! Lord help me!