Missing Noe

So today is always a depressing summer day for me.  Since the summer of 2006, we have hosted a little boy from NYC in our home 2 weeks through the Fresh Air Fund.  His name is Noe Dominguez and he has come to be like a part of our family.  He is a well-behaved, mannerly and mature young man, now.  Being from Brooklyn, just walking outside barefoot to get the mail for me, is a rare treat for him.  As we was doing this yesterday, he said to me, "After today I won't be able to go out barefoot anymore."  I guess NYC really is a concrete jungle.  Sometimes he would wake before me or my boys and I would find him just sitting outside on the deck "listening" to the silence, or taking in the birds and the beautiful sounds of morning.  I don't know what life for him is like.  I wish I could trade with him for 2 weeks, to better understand his perspective of our life here, in small town, Salem.  I do realize I have lots to be grateful for.  I don't have to worry about my kids growing up hearing gun shots outside our apartment or hearing of drug busts.  I don't know...my heart and mind is heavy today, as it is every July something when I rise early to see Noe off to the bus, heading back to Brooklyn.

My 1st Post

So, I am totally new to this and excited about starting it. I thought to start, I should introduce myself and my family to you. My name is Courtney Dennis Jones. I am 32 years old and have been married to my husband, Bert, for 12 years. He is an incredible man. He just recently started a new job with Corning in Christiansburg, VA. God is so good and provided us with the perfect job at the perfect time! A cool fact about Bert and I is that we only knew each other 6 weeks before we got married...long story short, we fell in love, he lived in IN and I in VA and we couldn't stand being apart so we got married at the courthouse, classy, I know, hahaha....We have 3 sons and I could go on and on about how precious, handsome, smart, loving and adorable they are. Luke just turned 11. He is one smart cookie. Straight A student who is gifted. He has also been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. He is very intelligent with a memory like nobody's business, but his social skills and common sense lack a little :) I love that boy with all my heart! Adam is 8 and he's the lover-boy of the 3. He loves snuggle time, and don't tell him I told you, but still sucks his thumb when he's tired. He's all about cuddling up on the couch with a blanket and his mommy. He is humble and so precious. He'll make an excellent hubby someday, to a very lucky young lady. Samuel (Sam) is my baby. He is 6 and just finished kindergarten. He's the baby of the family and knows and uses it. Still talks in baby talk, but mommy doesn't mind, LOL!! He's a sweetheart, too! Not much going on with us right now...just enjoying summer break and time together.