Kid talk round 1

SO, I have decided that I should keep a list of some of the things that kids have said to me:
Round one:

Little R,
So in my kids grief group we were talking about how things change, and I was using the moon for an example, and talking about the different shapes ( crescent, half etc...) and little 4.5 year old R, stopped me and she said that the moon is round all the time! It is just the shadow that is different that makes it look like a different shape.
I just sat there and looked at her, she had shown me up!!!

Hello over there...

Dear Heather,

Thank you so much for hanging out with me yesterday. I love snuggling with you. And thank you for the cool nike shoes. I know my mom never would have bought me those and now I will be the coolest kid in the nursery at church.

You are the best!

Elijah

Its been a while

Yes, It has been a while and I have many posts running through my head, however they are not as fun with out pictures.... so I am going to have a blog expert aka my friend Ali try and see why I cannot post pic, so stay tunned!

3 more days!

So this time each season, I get really excited for the final rose to be given out on the Bachelor or Bachelorette. This season is no different.
Brad is the bachelor of choice this go around ( and really frustrated why I cant get pictures on here!)

My pick is Emily, but rumor has it that Chantal is the one who he chooses. So we will see!!!

didn't think it would be so hard

So this past weekend, I was able to head back to NE and witness the wedding of AshLea and Tate. I used to babysit/nanny for Ash and her younger siblings, so it was crazy to see how grown up she was and what a beautiful young woman she has become.

As soon as the doors opened and she began to walk down the isle with her father, the tears started and they would not stop. I am sure the older couple beside me were wondering what on earth was going on..... but it hit me right then and there, that I would never get that. I would never be able to hold my dads arm and walk down the isle at my wedding.

I know that my father will be there with me in spirit that day, but it is just another thing that I feel I have been robbed of.

Happy eh Valentines Day?

So why do we have to listen to Hallmark when they tell us to make today the day we profess our love for each other? Why today? Why not June 3 or September 7? Why Feb 14th? Why are we encouraged to just say it one day, why not the rest of the year.

I have always hated Valentines day, even when I was younger, I would get excited to see what mom and dad had gotten me for Valentines day, but it wasnt the one day out of the year they told me they loved me... they told me a lot.

In my college years I delivered flowers on V-day to random strangers, and the looks on their faces made me smile....... a tiny bit. They were so happy, as they were anxious to look at the card, I stood there in the door and would think to myself " duh its from your special someone, the person who has chosen today to profess their love to you". Why else would you be getting flowers on Valentines day?

And now that I am single and in my 30's I still hate valentines day. In fact I practically refuse to go down the direction in Wal-Mart where all the decorations are, ick! Even when I was in a relationship, I made it a point to tell them that I dont like Valentines day and that we should not just use that day to celebrate each other, but the rest of the year.

So this year, I am working and then playing volleyball, yes I will come home to watch the Bachelor where the girls on there will profess their love, but I will jsut laugh as it never works out.

I had a great wknd in the mountains with some dear friends, and we had a nice Steak dinner with some drinks to celebrate. ( I found 120$ so that was a good treat for us all).

Happy Valentines day to you all! Even if you love today, I still love ya.

From Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light… My story in a letter of thanks to everyone who helped my family and I get through the first 2 months without my father.

Our tragedy crashed into our lives and brought all to a screeching halt. The holiday's were approaching, but we were paralyzed. In my house, there were no decorations except for a snowman in his winter attire that perched on the back of the couch. The few presents I bought were wrapped but placed in a box, the annual ugly Christmas sweater party went unplanned, no holiday parties were attended, no cookies were baked, and the house was thick with layers of extraordinary sadness.

But then light came flooding in, in the shape of random acts of kindness. Angels came in all forms of tenderness and support showering compassion and hope upon us. The beauty of it has left us truly breathless and helped us to gather the pieces of our broken hearts, so that they can begin to mend. We have been awash in the love of friends; some lifelong and familial, some merely acquaintances, some absolutely new. Yet, the common chord that rang true throughout was that the human heart is large and humanity, lovely indeed. It is empathetic and bleeds for others who are hurting. It yearns to provide comfort and help carry the heaviest loads. It is self sacrificing and gives freely and creatively. This is the magical gift you blessed us with at our darkest hour; The renewed belief that love wins out.

We have the most sincere gratitude for these generous acts to which you so thoughtfully contributed; from flowers to photos, quilts to casseroles. We thank you so kindly for the heartfelt donations, the gift cards and meals, the memorial planning, preparation, attendance, the travel and time, the amazing words and tender memories shared that will remind us of my dad’s spirit to warm us and carry us through our heart’s dark winter with a blanket crocheted from authentic grace.

I am so grateful to have had you show outwardly how my dad has touched your life, I am also so happy to be able to have witnessed and feel firsthand what good friends and family are, what true love looks like, what makes God smile and say “job well done.” You have been that to our family and our hearts are full of awed gratitude for the outpouring of genuine benevolence you have given during this time. We are truly humbled.

Thank you from our hearts
Heather and Family