One Month

I have put off posting about this for a long time, but tonight I finally feel like writing. One of our good friends passed away one month ago after a twelve year battle with cancer. He left behind a young wife and three little girls. My girls are good friends with them, and we all absolutely adore his wife. Paul was Tink's Sunday School teacher for almost two years. He loved those kids he taught so much and worried so much about them. I hope Tink never forgets what she learned from him.
There have been so many tears shed in our house in the past month. Many times I felt like I wasn't "worthy" to cry for his passing as I know how much harder it is for his wife to get through this. But then I would remind myself that I have covenanted with God to "mourn with those that mourn." And honestly, I know Paul is much better off where he is now, free from physical pain. But my friend is struggling. My tears are for her. My heart wants to leap out of my chest and comfort her somehow, but everything just comes out in tears. She is an absolutely amazing woman whom I have looked up to since I've known her. She has a strength within her that I know will get her through this, but I also know that she cannot recognize right now. But she's taking it one day at a time, and she is recognizing the good days.

The funeral was beautiful. His dad shared some funny and sweet stories that had us laughing, nodding our heads in agreement, and crying, all within a few seconds of each other. I took a half box of tissues, and we used every single one. Probably should have taken a full box.

 One of the best quotes from the funeral was, "There are two kinds of people: those who loved Paul and those who hadn't met him." So true.

Great Friends

Today we went to the retirement ceremony of a dear friend. He was called to be our bishop when our ward split three years ago, and PC and I loved serving with him. They lived just a few houses down from us, and we just absolutely love them. Their son was baptized this past weekend. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony. This particular son has Down's Syndrome. He and his siblings sang a special musical number where part of it was this sweet boy singing and signing "I am a Child of God." There isn't much sweeter than that!
And today was another beautiful ceremony that highlighted our friend's career in the military and recognized his family for all their support. He has faced many trials throughout his life/career, but they don't faze him and he always comes out stronger. We have learned so much from this wonderful family and we feel so blessed to know them. PC couldn't attend the ceremony with us today, so I was a little worried about how the little girls would behave. Rosie and Shortcake sat at the end of the row with Bucko. A few minutes into the ceremony and Rosie had laid her head down on Shortcake's lap and fell asleep. She slept through the entire thing! It was so nice to just sit and relax and enjoy it all. I am so grateful for good friends, but I am eternally grateful for my sweet family.

Mother's Day gift

 I wanted to make something for PC's mom for Mother's Day and I decided a welcome sign, Colorado flag theme, would be a great idea! Of course, I had to make one for myself as well. I think they turned out pretty nice. I sure have gotten a lot of compliments on it from others who wish they had one. :)

Sky Sox Game

 We went to the Sky Sox game! It was Air Force night and we stuck it all the way until the end so we could see the fireworks!

 The best part of the night was this guy behind the boys. He was a fan that talks to the players! And he had this deep gravelly voice that was pretty funny all by itself but was magnified when the three cute boys in front  of him would repeat every.single.thing.he.said! Luckily, he was a great sport and just laughed about it. (And his buddies would joke with him to make sure he kept his language clean so they weren't copying anything bad.) It was so funny!

 And so fun that they all had cousins to hang out with and play with the whole time!

Prom

 Tink went to the spring formal with her friends. A couple of them came over and got ready at our house. I was able to do their hair. (Tink's is below.)

 Since it was May 4th, they had to do some fun pictures with light sabers. May the 4th be with you!

Almost Heaven

At the beginning of March, I was able to fly to Washington, D.C. to attend the sealing of my brother to his wife and children. It was a whirlwind weekend, but so much fun! I arrived Thursday afternoon, so my parents picked me up and we went to the temple to do some work. My friend, Lisa, was able to drive down and meet us! So fun to see her again! We went out to eat at a restaurant called Chatter. I was exhausted and slept as soon as we got to the hotel. My parents had to go pick up my sisters late at night, but I had my earplugs in and slept the whole night long. 

 We woke up to some pretty fierce winds. When we got to the temple, their power was out! So the sealing was performed in the dark with lanterns! What a neat experience. It was so nice to be with family and friends. We then drove to Morgantown for a reception in their honor. I was able to see even more friends I hadn't seen in years. So much fun!

 We drove home after the reception, so didn't get there until really late. The next morning was relaxing and so fun to just be in the home and area I where I grew up. I went down to the basement and took pictures of the pictures my parents had that I had painted. The bottom two are the basement wall they let me paint! I was young, but they were so sweet to let me do it.

 We then drove into town so we could see my nieces. We played a little basketball with them and just loved getting their hugs. I even bought a WV hat to take home to my family. Unfortunately, I lost it in the airport on the way home!

 Val and I were able to fly from D.C. to Dallas (the first leg of our flights home) together that evening. We had about 45 minutes in the airport so we walked around together. My flight left after midnight, so I was really tired by the time I made it home around 2:00 a.m.

 Let's Go Mountaineers! It was so nice to be able to go home and be with my family for such a special occasion.

February

 On February 10, we got a couple inches of snow but also the frozen fog on everything. I just love how it turns everything into a beautiful winter wonderland. The little girls helped me sweep the snow. They are just so much fun!

February 17--Bucko had his first girl/boy game time. They played a couple board games and then ended up on the trampoline and down at the park. It's so nice to have good friends to hang out with!