Loved

One of my favorite songs contains these lyrics: When it's all said and done, no one remembers how far we have run. The only thing that matters is how we have loved. She loved well. We all knew how much she loved us. What a gift.

Tough

It's been a tough day. I've spent much of the day looking through old photos, smiling and remembering the good times. I got to talk to my cousin and share her grief. I talked to my mom and realized we're all really just going through the motions right now. How long will the motions last? I don't know. Numb is the word that best fits. Our family is making plans to gather. To celebrate her wonderful, crazy, delightful life. To celebrate who she was to each of us. The thing I can't get my mind around is that she won't walk in the door. Right now, I can't bear that thought.

Treasured

In the Blink of an Eye

Yesterday, I got a text message from my sister: "Call me." I called. I don't remember much after that. Eric filled in the bits and pieces. I was apparently yelling at my sister on the phone. "No, this isn't happening, no this can't be real, this isn't true." It was true. My Auntie Les was killed in a car accident Thursday morning. A routine trip to the airport to pick up my Uncle John changed everything. My heart is broken. Broken for my cousins, my uncle, my grandparents, my mom, my sister, myself. For anyone who knew her. She was funny and smart, strong and tenderhearted. She was a blessing. She IS a blessing. I'm stunned. I can't process. I can't grasp the hole that her death leaves in our family. I don't want to see what our family looks like without her here. Friends are praying. Friends are loving, sending texts, calling, hugging, bringing Pepsi and ice cream. Friends are doing what they do best and loving me. I am so incredibly grateful and blessed to have these people in my life.

It's March!

I've been horrible about taking pictures lately! Maybe because I don't want to take pictures of coughing, feverish kiddos, and snotty noses? :) Morgan had strep throat and is on the mend. We've all fought something in the last few weeks. I can't wait to be able to open windows and and have fresh air! We've had some stressful days and nights lately, with a few minor (right honey?) hiccups in the sale of our house. Long story short, closing is now March 25 instead of March 18. A week in the grand scheme of things isn't much...we're just going to be glad to be done! We're narrowing down our options on our next house - and we're planning to build. The process is a little daunting but exciting as well. Look for progress pictures once we sign a contract and start the process! It's funny how many people I have talked to that had the February blahs. For a short month, it sure causes all of us lots of UGHs! I'm glad that we're moving towards spring...sunshine, riding bikes in the evenings, grilling, fresh air. Love it!

Catching Up

Life got in the way and I totally failed on a "picture a day". But as I look back at my camera, I have some great pictures of everyday life from February! So here we go...Loving the warmer temps!

My handsome guys!

Friday 2/11

It might hit 40 this weekend! That IS the highlight of this blog post :). We've been running right along, busy with work, school, scouts, church, bible study, baseball and more. It seems like life is kind of crazy but the 'normal' kind of crazy if that makes any sense. Will and I have both caught the bug that's going around. For Will it was 3 days out of school with a high temp and for mom it's been losing my voice - a treat to those around me for sure. :) Will recovered just in time for his Cub Scout meeting and Valentine's party at school...lucky boy! We're thrilled that we've sold our house! Everything is going smoothly towards closing so far. We're planning to continue to live in Eric's parents' home for a few more months, while we take our time finding the perfect home for our family. We're so grateful for them allowing us to live there and the gift of time so we don't have to make rush decisions. We've looked at several homes and are exploring building, but haven't made any firm decisions yet. We have friends who are dealing with sadness and grief and our hearts are so heavy for them. One friend lost her mother very suddenly with no hint of trouble until she was gone. Other friends are dealing with a parent's serious illness. I'm so grateful that God is our strength. I'm grateful we can pray and receive comfort and peace. More pictures to come...this weekend, we have baseball practice, pinewood derby cars to finish, packing to start, storage units to re-organize and more!