Soon?

I just reread my last post... "I will post pictures soon"... hmm...  I guess that is all relative.   I technically am doing this less than a month since Relay which based on my recent posting frequences is VERY soon. ;)

I have figured out how to get pictures off of Abi's iPod easily!  It only took me a year to sit down to figure it out... that's pretty good, right? ;)  But now I need to figure out how to load them onto here. :)

Just a silly Elaina face to make you smile. :)

But in the meantime, here is a video of Elaina to entertain you. :)

Relay for Life Recap

Last weekend was the Relay for Life for our team.  We had a great time even if the weather was less than perfect.  It was a dreary day most of the day with rain mixed in, BUT it was not a monsoon like in years past and we weren't melting. :) 

Our team managed to raise $1,700+ towards cancer research which is a pretty cool thing in my opinion.  The girls were super excited to make a difference and had an AWESOME time playing games that other teams had at their booths as well as bouncing around, literally, in a bouncy house brought in by another team. 

While this is a small Relay event of only 15 teams, the grand total raised was over $52,000.  There are two really big teams, but otherwise a small grouping of teams working towards the Cure.

I will post pictures soon, as soon as I manage to get them off of Abi's ipod. :)

Dreams

Do you have any strange, but memorable dreams?  What triggers them for you? 

I often have some strange dreams and usually seem to occur on nights where I have eaten strawberries the day of... I am not sure how strawberries cause such craziness, but it happens way too often to be purely coincidental. 

This past Friday I had a very real-feeling dream.  It was not like my other dreams... ones that seem to include random people, locations that change in a moment within the same dream, etc.  This time I dreamt of my dad.  It is the first time that I can recall him specifically in a dream.  Does that mean I didn't have dreams with him in it before?  No.  It just means that I can't remember them! 

This dream was amazing and truly wishful thinking.  Dad called to say that he wasn't gone... to say he was at his house... I can remember just responding to him in that typical tv show style of disbelief and anger and fear.  Not believing that he was okay, angry because I was put throught that pain if he really was okay, and fearful that it was all a dream.  Of course it was a dream, but when I awoke I felt calmed.  I felt touched.  I felt sad, but also as though that was my 'sign'.  My sign that he was okay, just not here physically. 

No matter the message or the interpretation of the dream... I love you Dad! 

Relay for Life

For the past few years, we have been a part of the Relay for Life team sponsored by the church we belong to.  The Relay in Sauquoit is small, but it is still such a memorable experience.  Abi and Mikayla look forward to the event every year and were practically bouncing out of the house this morning in anticipation of the day.  The girls have a great time playing games, collecting prizes, and walking (or running in Mikayla's case) around the loop. 

Of course Relay is about the fight against cancer... all kinds.  Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back.  Each year, I stop to ponder the people that I know that are victims of this disease.  Of course, given my profession, I am probably exposed to a few more than some others, but even still it is amazing.  The luminary ceremony where people purchase white paper bags in honor or in memory of someone is the most amazing to me...

The bags illuminate the entire track on both sides and up the stairs to where the original flame is lit.  It truly is a beautiful ceremony and humbling.

I will try to post pictures of the event. 

Happy Halloween!

Halloween in our house is a bouncy time... The kids (okay, really just Abi and Mikayla at this point) really enjoy Trick-or-Treating.  It is fun to watch them get so excited about it.  

This year I made costumes for both Abi and Mikayla.  Abi chose to be a black cat with a purple nose.  Mikayla chose to be a baby jaguar (or a cheetah, depending on the moment).

Elaina wore the costume I made for Abi at this age... a soft, cuddly bunny.  She fought us on the ears most of the time though...  I managed to get a couple of decent pictures.

   

**Yes, I am behind... I started this draft November 5... so much changed in the short days after then.  Sure I have had the time and the desire, but it just never seemed 'right' to post the happiness of life, the simplicity of life...

Words and Time

This is a post I'm not sure will ever be published to the blog...  I am sitting on the couch at 3:30 in the morning just hours before we head to North Dakota to celebrate my dad's life.  How do I put into words what I am feeling?  I know that I am not the first person to lose their father, nor will I be the last.  I have so many emotions running through me of which includes sadness, joy, fear, anxiety, calmness... It is amazing the strength of emotions and the conflictions.  How can I be exhausted and unable to sleep?  How can I be sad at one moment? and joyful the next? 

I am sad for our loss.  I am sad for the Thanksgiving without my dad.  I am sad for the Christmas' without him... I am sad he will not see his grandchildren graduate high school.  I am happy that I had 35 years with my dad.  I am happy that I got to see him belly laugh at stupid comedies on tv.  I am happy to have seen him survive cancer, a stroke, and open-heart surgery.  I am glad for the work ethic he instilled into me (which I don't think he realized).  I am glad for all the friends and family I have to support us through this time.  There are so many more things I could put on this list... and I will.  As the next few days pass by, I pray that I have the strength to support my mom, brother, and family in a way that they support me. 

I am fearful for the 'unknown'.  I worry for my mom.  She is a great lady.  My parents are a wonderful example of what a marriage should be: respectful, loving, hard-working, sincere.  I have learned many things from watching them.  Even at 35 years old, I learn from them.  I worry that I can't be there to hug my mom when she needs it.  I worry if she'll take care of herself. 

I feel calmed by knowing Dad is in Heaven without pain or fear or sadness.  I feel calmed by the outpouring of sympathies from friends near and far and friends old and new.

Dad holding Elaina ... trying to comfort her when she was sick (Feb 2012)

Dad with Abi... with a grandchild on his lap, in front of the tv... two of his favorite things

Dad with Elaina, still trying to comfort her.  Dad always was the 'go to' guy when we were sick...

My Mom and Dad made this rocking horse for the girls... a Christmas tradition to have a picture with it every year.

**I found this draft from November... So much still applies, and so much more added.**