My father-in-law passed away Sunday evening. We are all, of course, grieving his passing . . . but are also grateful that he is at peace. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.
Funeral arrangements and family time will be keeping me busy for the next few days, but I will return next week with a few new posts, including my 41@41 list and my son’s latest hobby!
This is my family. The one I inherited when I married Michael almost 16 years ago:
Okay, we weren’t quite as numerous back then . . . but this is pretty much the entire gang today. (Minus one . . . who was born to the woman in red in the front row — her 9th — just days after this photo was taken last summer!)
The family I was born into is tiny by comparison. Just me and my sister and my parents. Even with marriages and children/grandchildren, we’re still tiny. I’m grateful to be a member of two very different kinds of families.
Today’s post is about the one I married into, though.
Here are the Flynn originals:
Nine amazing children born to two extraordinary parents. And I’m not just saying that because I happen to be madly in love with one of those kids. (Yeah, he’s the handsome one in the gray shirt!!) I remember the first day I met the Flynn gang . . . and I think it was pretty much the entire gang at once, too. I was completely blown away by who they were individually . . . and more so, how cool they were as a family. From the moment I met them, I could feel their family pride. I loved hearing the kids tell stories from their childhood. And – oh! – the stories!! It quickly became obvious that it was no accident that 9 children, with different personalities, all turned out to be remarkable, successful, wonderful adults. Their parents, Joan and Larry, were the reason. The foundation. The cornerstone. With that many kids, it could have been easy for one or 2 to slip between the cracks . . . but not with the love and dedication and hard work of two incredible parents.
I am an “outlaw”. Like my 8 other outlaw brothers and sisters, I was born into the Flynn Clan, not by blood, but by union. Because of this fact, each of us could probably tell stories about our entry and acclimation into this big tribe, and they’d all be unique. But the one thing we all have in common with each other and our Flynn partners . . . is the intense love and respect for the matriarch and patriarch of this family.
My father-in-law, Larry, is very ill right now. He’s actually got stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and no one is really sure how much longer he’ll be here. This news has absolutely rocked my tribe to its very core.
Larry is . . . something else. I love spending time with him, because each time I do, I realize why my husband is the way he is. Joansie and I have spent many occasions chuckling over their similar behaviors, even when they are things that could potentially be deemed . . . well . . . annoying. But Mike has inherited so many wonderful traits from his dad, too. Like his impeccable work ethic. His attention to detail. His crazy sense of humor. His quiet, but deep, faith. His unending devotion to his children. His loyalty and crazy-deep love for his wife. (Oh, and of course, his handsome good looks!) How blessed am I to have not one, but two, extraordinary men in my life?
Perhaps the only down-side to having such a large family is the fact that sometimes it’s hard to spend one-on-one time with anyone. I know that everyone, right now, wants to spend time with Larry. I respect this time and it’s sacredness, and I want his own children to spend these precious days with him. I think they need this. But by the same token, I hope that my dear father-in-law knows how much I love and appreciate him, for who he is as an individual and for what he’s contributed to this big, amazing family. His should be proud of the legacy he will leave when he takes on his heavenly body. (And yes, Larry, I just called your body “heavenly”!)
So, dear readers . . . if you wouldn’t mind . . . please say a prayer for my sweet father-in-law and for the rest of my tribe, as we navigate these difficult times together. Many thanks.
Well, hello there!
Yes, I’m back from my bloggy break, with lots going on and lots to post about. Let’s hope it stays that way. 
Anyhow, unless you’re reading this post in a reader, you will notice that I changed things up a bit around here. I was going for clean and simple . . . but darn it, as much as I try, I always gravitate to a little bit vintage. So this is the new look. For now. I’m still not 100% positive I’m good with it, but I’ve got posts to write . . .
But before I start in with the heavy stuff, and in keeping with the “new” theme of this post, I have to share what else is new in my life.
I am sooooooo happy to say that I am no longer a mini-van momma. For the last 9 years, I drove a Town & Country van. A fully-loaded, full-of-cool features van to lessen the pain of driving it, but a van nonetheless.
Last year, one week after Mike began his furlough . . . the van started it’s slow and painful (to us, in the pocketbook) death. I tried to detach myself from it and the happy memories associated with it. Like the fact that Meg broke her front tooth at the car dealership the day we picked it up. And, shortly after that, Meg drawing on the entire length of the driver’s side. With a lava rock. You know. Those kind of things.
And after I was “so done” with the van, the only thing I had left to do was convince Mike to head to the car dealership.
I should really interject here, and say that I am not a “car person.” I come from a family of them, and yet I somehow didn’t inherit that gene. So my requirements were simple. 1) It could not be a van. And 2) It could not be silver. (At that time, we owned 3 silver cars.) Show me any vehicle which was not those 2 things and you’d hear me say, “Ooooh! Pretty! Let’s take it!” Mike threw a few budgetary restrictions in there which I paid no mind to, since he is “the money guy”. I knew up front that a new Audi was not gonna be living in my garage, no matter how much I loved them.
Anyhow . . . this is what we ended up with: A 2011 (yes, 11) Kia Sorento. I don’t know what happened to the 2010 model, but they skipped it entirely. Whatever. Here’s my new baby. (Pardon the yucky photo. This is what happens when you buy a car during the winter.)
I really love it. It has lots of really cool features, like push button start and a backup camera. And Sirius radio (which has me hooked on 80s tunes at the moment!). It also gets much better gas mileage than the van. (Plus it has working seat belts, isn’t loud, and doesn’t show off it’s check engine light — unlike the van!) It also has this, thanks to the Kia Sorento Superbowl commercial:
I still need to find the Yo Gabba Gabba guy so he has a friend. 
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