Finally finished for Josh !

I started working on this pendant a year and a half ago.I was taking a lapidary class at Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology.We were given our choice of stones to cut and polish. There were a fewsmall pieces of a rock that had small fossilized snail looking designs in it.The stone is called Turritella. I cut the stone and polished it not sure whatI was going to do with it. The stone was extremely hard to polish but once I finished, I was very delighted with how it turned out.


When Josh came to visit last year, he was looking through my collection of
cut stones and really commented how awesome the the Turritella stone was.

My instructor helped to carve the wax for lost wax casting. I had never done
anything free handed like that. I was quite nervous because I wanted it to be
perfect for Josh. I wanted to make something for him that he would like and
hopefully wear. I didn't want it looking girly as my fellas call it. I wanted
it to have a mature look to it since he was in college and no longer in
high school. One thing that I have struggle with is the imperfections in the
metal work. My instructors have reassured me that imperfection is part of hand crafting a piece.


I think that we captured that nicely in this simple design. The stone was chased into the setting. What do you think?

Today I did my final emory, tripoli and polish on it. I crafted a black leather
cord to hang it on. I love the simplicity of this also.

I hope Josh likes it. I have not given him anything but life and pictures. This is the first true gift I have ever given him. I hope that he like. I don't think that if he didn't like it that he would ever tell me. I really don't think I would want to know.

It is the first piece of jewelry that I ever made that was not intended for school use.

A most generous Christmas gift.

Angelina was one of those wacky women that you never know what is going to come out of their mouth, but chances are it will be the truth. Good, bad, or ugly...however the truth looks, that is how it comes out, pure and unadulterated. I never recall her intentionally hurting anyone with her words, she always used them to speak the truth with mercy. If the truth she spoke, caused a sore spot, she helped to bandage the spot before sending you on your way.

When she moved away, I missed her daily presence and ongoing sense of humor.


As Christmas approaches, my heart reflects upon this phenomenal child of God. She was a diabetic and dealt with a weight issue most of her life. She had chosen to have an elective surgery to deal with the the weight and to hopefully get healthier.
She underwent surgery on December 23rd. I am not sure what all went wrong with the surgery, but the hospital was not prepared for the worst case scenario. Angelina became their very worst case scenario. She died on the operating table.


What happened next was such a wonderful Christmas gift given to most of those who knew her and loved her dearly. It is exactly how she operated in life. It was Christmas eve when her body was taken to the morgue. The funeral home had two whole days to prepare her for her friends. Nobody was told of her death until after Christmas. The only ones that knew of course were those at the hospital, the funeral home and her very immediate family.

While my "brother"(I adopted him) Lanny spent his Christmas day with his beloved at the funeral home, We celebrated and had a wonderful holiday. Totally ignorant of what had happened. He waited until the day after Christmas to have her obituary put in the Dallas paper and our local paper. He also waited until then to have the news given to those who loved Angelina.

This generous gift, is one that I hope my family will bestow upon my friends and loved ones if I am to die so close to a holiday. I have personally requested it. I have looked my adult children and husband in the eye and told them of my request. There will not be anything that anyone can do for me, so they may as well have a joyous celebration empty of grief.

I have pondered this decision many times. It is something that I think Angelina would have decided to do herself. It is also the character of Lanny to be so generous. I don't know when this decision was made, but it is one that has affected my life in a way that I have problems putting into words. I say, thank you for your love and for your generosity.

Angelina, I still hear your laughter in my mind and feel your love in my heart.