We Have a Routine Now

The day starts at 5:00 a.m. for Del.  He's up, dressed and takes Lacey for a walk.  When he gets back, he goes to his office and starts his personal scripture study.  My alarm goes off at 6:15.  I shower, dry my hair, dress and am out to the kitchen by 6:30.  I give Lacey food and water, make my lunch, eat my breakfast, brush my teeth and I'm out the door by 6:40.  Both Del and I work until 6:00 p.m., when I drive home and he goes outside to work in the yard.  I get home at 7:00 p.m. to find him knee high in dirt with a shovel and sweat literally running down his back.  I make dinner, do dishes and watch some football or prepare my Primary lesson.  I read my scriptures and then get out of my scrubs and get ready for bed.  For the past week, Del has finished his day literally SOAKING wet with sweat, his long sleeve shirt shredded in the sleeves from the tree branches and the rest of his clothes wet and filthy dirty.  He's dehydrated from not stopping to drink water, he is sunburned from not putting sunscreen on and he's happy from working hard and getting dirty.  A typical man.  There's not been a day that he comes in before it's dark.  He'll shower, eat dinner and crash in bed after our prayers.
Then we do it all again the next day.
We're happy.  We couldn't be happier even though we are working harder than we have in years.  I even help out in the yard when I am able and will do even more so when it's time to actually start putting the grape arbor and fence up and then planting the garden.  Right now, all the work Del is doing is 'preparatory' work...moving dirt, removing brush, branches and dead trees to clear the space we want to plant our grapes and berry patch.  We will finally build and plant by the beginning of September.
There is so much to do...along with being Papa and Nana, mom and dad, employees, neighbors, members of a ward and friends, we are trying to keep our heads above water.  But there is no rest for...well, I can't say 'wicked' because we're trying to keep our noses clean, but there certainly isn't any rest for US.
We keep our hearts and prayers with nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters and parents who all have special needs in their lives.  I am very much looking forward to going to Utah the end of next week to see my parents.  I have been wanting to go for a few months, feeling the need to be with them and spend some precious time with them...There is not a day that goes by where I don't feel 'anxious' about the shortness of time I have left with people I love and the excuse of 'we have been so busy' will just not be comfort enough when the time has passed. 
I have felt the same about family down here.  There was a time that we had family get togethers often and I spent time with nieces and nephews on a regular basis.  Since many of them have now purchased homes and even moved into other wards, and we have moved out here, the time together has been scarce and not near as often as we would hope.  Even with our own children.
I have to change that.  I need to make time to be with those I love...so I will be inviting them over more and even making the effort to be in their homes also.
Anyways...just some thoughts I have been having.
But Del and I are settling in...to a routine, to some good habits and to our new lives here.
Nice to know we won't ever be moving again...at least according to OUR hopes and dreams.  We hope this is it...where we will be forever.  But we can only hope OUR plan is the Lord's plan.  We planned it that way but only HE knows what's in our future.
But for now...we have our routine and we like it.