And Chia in the background! Oh...that horse...

We all held our breath as we waited for Doug's test results to determine if he was a candidate for the Whipple Surgery.  After months of chemotherapy to shrink the pancreatic tumors, this was the true test of his recuperation.  Sadly, the tests showed that the cancer had progressed and there would be no surgery.  When Joe and I received the news we were broken hearted and we felt very far from home.  Joe immediately came up with the idea to fly Doug and Evelyn to Florida.  His plan was to give them a much-needed break from the unbearable stress they were feeling. 

We called them in Houston (where the tests were being conducted at MD Anderson) and suggested that they drive straight to the airport -- airline tickets would be waiting for them.  But they wanted to think about it...they wanted to go home to Azle and rest a little while before making a decision about the trip.  A couple days passed and we finally got a call from Evelyn; they accepted our offer!  We realized that the fourth of July weekend was coming up, which is Evelyn's birthdate and our wedding anniversary (7/3).  What a great time to spend together!  Before they could change their minds, we quickly arranged the flights and made a hotel reservation on Hollywood Beach for them. 

It was a precious time for all of us.  Playing in the ocean, deep sea fishing on the Shaker of Salt, rocking out to Mustang Sally with a band on the beach, walking the boardwalk and finally watching the fireworks explode over the water while we buried our toes in the sand.  This was a dream we all had for many years...to get together when the kids were grown and play in the sand together.  Although Doug would tire easily during this trip, the smile rarely left his face.  He could not have given us a more precious gift than his smile.  He was our brother and we will always miss his voice, his humor and his love.  More importantly, I will never forget his smile as he & Evelyn kicked back and relaxed for a little while with their toes in the sand.

"Laundry on Saturday..."

In 2003, shortly before I went to college, we went out to eat at El Paseo (our hometown family fave!). We were talking about what I should expect at college and Daddy had some ideas. His advice seemed so archaic and silly to me at the time, and I think I may have even laughed outloud at him: "I know you're probably gonna drink when you get out there and that's fine, but you need to have a schedule. You need to have days set aside to get things done. I always did my laundry on Saturday..." I have no idea why this still makes me laugh today, but that's just the way Daddy was - everything in its time and place. I still strive to have the schedules that man had and actually get the laundry done on Saturday...maybe someday...

"Study Hard"

Two things Daddy said to me that echo in my head when I'm sad and can't get anything done are "Don't cry" and "Study hard." I can still hear his voice saying those two things (DEMANDING them, really!), and it really helps me buckle down and knock things out when times get tough.

"You'll Know"

One of my favorite memories of Daddy was when he and Mama were sitting on our back porch of the house on Dusk in Azle, talking to me about love. I was 21 at the time, still sowing my wild oats and being a crazy college undergrad. This was after Daddy was diagnosed, and the importance of having that conversation was not lost on any of us at that time or any time after (although, in retrospect I do feel a bit selfish and naive for flaunting my silly boy problems at such a gloomy time).

I wanted to know Daddy and Mama's love story, wanted to hear all about it and have faith that someday it would happen to me. We were all very candid with each other, and it was a fun conversation, filled with both tears and laughter. I got the advice I needed that day, and it reeked of the romance and love that Daddy and Mama shared. Daddy spared no emotion or strong word in telling me to wait, that real love was on the way, and I would KNOW when it was right.

Two years later I found that kind of love in Matt, a longtime friend that had been under my nose nearly all my life (we've been to every school EVER together and finally sparked love in law school). I know Daddy is looking down on us now and approves the love we share, because it's the exact kind of love that I watched Daddy and Mama share all those years that we spent as a family.