Things have been very busy in the Garner household since my last blog post! Two weeks ago Tracy, Addy and I drove to Greensboro to pick up the new van! On the way down we stopped in Ridgeway to meet Maddie’s mom, Amanda. We hadn’t seen her since the summer and it was great to chat even it was for only a few minutes! Picking up the van was very emotional on many different levels! James and I are so grateful for Jocelyn’s families and that they thought to contact us about it. It is such a great opportunity but honestly I didn’t even think about how emotional getting this van would be! I wasn’t even thinking that we were purchasing this van from the Lee family who had lost their sweet daughter back in August. It didn’t cross my mind until Jennifer (Jocelyn’s mom started crying) and then I soon realized what was happening and it became a HUGE reality check for me. I never think about the “what if’s” and the fact that I could possible lose my sweet Addy to SMA but that day and the next day I did. I was definitely in a funk and luckily for me I have a WONDERFUL support system of friends and family who helped me through it. I try to always take each day one day at a time and thank God for every day we have with Addy. I never focus on the Devils work and how cruel he is but every now and then when you are down that Devil finds you! We haven’t started using the van yet because it’s too difficult to load Addy in the van with her stroller and equipment while parked on a hill for a driveway! We are waiting to use the new van once we move.

The weekend of October 7-9 James and I went to Williamsburg with Randy and Lindsay to celebrate both of our anniversaries! Friday we met up with my nephew Zac and my older sister Tina to get our Busch Garden’s tickets. Tina was sweet enough to get us B.G. tickets at a much cheaper price! It was great to see Zac again and finally meet up with Tina! After our quick trip to Yorktown we headed back to Williamsburg for dinner at the Green Leaf. Dinner was full of LOTS of laughs which isn’t anything new when the four of us get together! After dinner we headed to Colonial Williamsburg to find a Historic Tavern that Randy wanted to go to. We learned after finding the Tavern that you have to have to get their early if you want to get in! We didn’t get to go but definitely plan to go next time!! Saturday we spent the morning/early afternoon at Busch Garden’s. The park was dead which was great! We decided to leave for lunch (especially after Lindsay and James decided to ride the Rapids and get SOAKED!) After lunch we headed to the outlets for a little shopping and then went back to the park for Howl-O-Scream. Tina and Zac were supposed to meet up with us but Busch Garden’s had reached their maximum capacity and weren’t letting anybody in the park unless they had been there earlier in the day. We didn’t do any of the Haunted Houses (not mine and Lindsay’s cup of tea not to mention we didn’t want to wait in a 2 hour line) so we rode a few Roller Coaster’s and headed back to the Condo. The park was SOOOOO packed that you could barely walk and since we were able to ride so many rides during the day we decided leaving early was the way to go! Sunday we spent a few more hours at the outlets and then headed home! Addy spent the weekend with James parents and definitely didn’t’ want to go home when we picked her up! She loves having sleep over’s at Nana and Grandpa Smokey’s house and staying two nights was even better!!!

Happy 5 years!!!

Silly Lindsay in Colonial Williamsburg!

The following weekend (Oct 14 and 15) was Homecoming for Byrd. Christina and I spent my Birthday going to the Byrd football game to watch Allison cheer (we were hoping to get to watch her boyfriend Dalton play football but he has been injured). We had a great time catching up on our busy lives and I know my mom and dad loved watching Christina do the Alumni cheer with the current cheerleaders (many Christina and Allison got to cheer together). Saturday was Homecoming so after many hours of furniture shopping we met up with the group for pictures at Virginia Western’s Arboretum. Allison and Dalton make the cutest couple seeing them dressed up made it even better!

Friday night at the football game

my sweet Grandma

dance pose!! :)

four beautiful girls!

cuddling with Daddy 

Addy LOVES her Auntie's!!!

Next Tuesday (November 1) we sign the papers for the new house. For the past 2 weeks we have been furniture shopping, packing, more shopping and more packing and I’m ready for a break! I guess that break will come when it’s time to start unpacking everything! We are so excited and ready to move. We have spent 5 wonderful years at our home and are sad to leave but looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us at our new home! As James, Addy and I spend our last week here on Salem Turnpike we have been constantly remembering all the memories, good and bad! James proposed to me here, Dock living with us for the first year, bringing our sweet baby girl home to this house, meeting our neighbors Matt, Stephanie and eventually Mason and soon realizing they would become some of our very best friends, TONS of Garner/Sink family nights including lots of Addy and Aubrey play dates and receiving the worst news we would ever receive in our life…Addy’s diagnosis of SMA. Those are just to name of few but the list goes on for miles and miles, Cannady I will NEVER forget the day you slid down the front stairs or all the dinner dates we had with Christina and Dock and the many sleep overs we had with Allison! Thank you ALL for all the great memories!!