Thanks to the Blairs for having 2 babies, so I didn't look like the Odd Man Out
Sunday, March 31, 2013
It's Not Easy Being Green
St. Patty's Day...such a different holiday for me than what it used to be. My St. Patty's Day used to be one of the highlights of the winter-almost-spring time for me. St. Patty's Day Pub Crawl...one of my favorite events. My biggest decision was always what to wear for my night out and how we were going to get downtown. How the times are changing. This year? No pub crawl, no staying up til the break of dawn...but instead, a lunch with one of my besties and my favorite little one year old, the Springfield Patty's Day Parade with friends and their babies, and then sushi and wine with a friend (but no worries, I did get in a green beer for the event). Here are a few pics from our fun day!
He Is Risen!
Easter...such a special holiday to me and my family. I don't decorate for it like I do for Christmas, but I love it almost as much...almost. :) Easter is such a humbling, yet joyful holiday. I love the music in church on Easter, the message that we hear, and the family time we have. I am so grateful to have been brought up in a Christian home. We have a wonderful, amazing God who sent his Son to die on the cross for my sins, your sins, everyone's sins. That humbles me. I don't deserve that, nor does anyone. But that is our gift...our very special gift from our God. It's because of Him that we will have eternal life.
We started the morning out with a little breakfast at church, then on to the 8:00 service (and yes, I do get to attend church with my entire family....and yes, we DO fit in one pew...even if it is a tight fit). It was a beautiful service with a most amazing message. This morning, my heart was being tugged in all directions...first Easter without dad. It was tough, but with every song, Crown Him With Many Crowns, Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, and so many more, I could hear my dad's sweet, sweet tenor voice. I cried...not because it was sad, but because I know he is singing in that heavenly choir right along with us...trying to sing his heart out all the while. Then the church choir sang In Christ Alone and it was beautiful...this also tugged at my heart strings because this is one of the songs that they sang at the funeral...and although it brought back a rush of emotions from that day, I found peace in the words of that song. After church, mom and I hurried home to start the ham, quiche, breakfast casserole and fruit. Everyone came over for lunch, including our extended family, the Williams. We feasted on some pretty yummy food! We ate, we had some yummy drinks, and then it was time for our traditional Easter Egg Hunt for the young ones...complete with 140 eggs for the 4 youngest to hunt. We had so much fun with them. We napped, we took a walk, and now we rest.
On our walk tonight, I was able to reflect a little on my life...I feel like I am a different person than what I was even 6 months ago. So many things have changed...my outlook on life and even the people in my life have changed. Not in a bad way, but in a very good way, I feel. I know I was in a pretty negative place for so long, but I finally feel better. I have surrounded myself with friends I know truly care, I've tried to look at life from a more positive aspect, to realize that no one is perfect, and certainly not me, so who am I to judge someone. And all of these changes I've made in my life have made for a stronger "me". And I love it. So, on this day when I take a look at all the sacrifices that were made on my behalf, a sinner, from someone who WAS perfect, I like to think that this more positive me with a more positive outlook on life will maybe touch someone else's life.
I hope everyone had a blessed Easter with loved ones! Happy Happy Easter!!!
A few pics from today...
We started the morning out with a little breakfast at church, then on to the 8:00 service (and yes, I do get to attend church with my entire family....and yes, we DO fit in one pew...even if it is a tight fit). It was a beautiful service with a most amazing message. This morning, my heart was being tugged in all directions...first Easter without dad. It was tough, but with every song, Crown Him With Many Crowns, Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, and so many more, I could hear my dad's sweet, sweet tenor voice. I cried...not because it was sad, but because I know he is singing in that heavenly choir right along with us...trying to sing his heart out all the while. Then the church choir sang In Christ Alone and it was beautiful...this also tugged at my heart strings because this is one of the songs that they sang at the funeral...and although it brought back a rush of emotions from that day, I found peace in the words of that song. After church, mom and I hurried home to start the ham, quiche, breakfast casserole and fruit. Everyone came over for lunch, including our extended family, the Williams. We feasted on some pretty yummy food! We ate, we had some yummy drinks, and then it was time for our traditional Easter Egg Hunt for the young ones...complete with 140 eggs for the 4 youngest to hunt. We had so much fun with them. We napped, we took a walk, and now we rest.
On our walk tonight, I was able to reflect a little on my life...I feel like I am a different person than what I was even 6 months ago. So many things have changed...my outlook on life and even the people in my life have changed. Not in a bad way, but in a very good way, I feel. I know I was in a pretty negative place for so long, but I finally feel better. I have surrounded myself with friends I know truly care, I've tried to look at life from a more positive aspect, to realize that no one is perfect, and certainly not me, so who am I to judge someone. And all of these changes I've made in my life have made for a stronger "me". And I love it. So, on this day when I take a look at all the sacrifices that were made on my behalf, a sinner, from someone who WAS perfect, I like to think that this more positive me with a more positive outlook on life will maybe touch someone else's life.
I hope everyone had a blessed Easter with loved ones! Happy Happy Easter!!!
A few pics from today...
Sunday, February 3, 2013
January 2013.
New year. New outlook on life. New me.
At least I hope I succeed with the last 2. This last month, specifically January 14th, would've marked my dad's 61st birthday. Did I think it would be tough? Yes. Was I afraid I would be a depressing mess? Yes. Did I let the fact that he is no longer with us bring me down? No. In fact, though I've had my share of breakdowns this month, I realized that this has been one of the most rewarding months of my life. A friend of mine did random acts of kindness this past fall in honor of her birthday and I loved reading about them, so I thought, what better way to honor my dad than to do 61 random acts of kindness in the month of January in HIS honor. Never would I have imagined how much joy this would bring to my heart by doing these things. I didn't get to see all of the acts received by others, but the good surprise that I can imagine it brought them, makes my heart smile. So, while I would've much rather had my dad celebrating here on earth and eating ice cream cake with us, I hope he was able to watch the show from heaven (while eating his ice cream cake in heaven, of course). I kept a list to keep me on track, and even took a few pictures. I'm hoping that this blog post will be a good reminder to me of how these things made me feel if I am ever have a crappy day, which I feel happens more often lately.
So, here they go:
1. Sent a good friend a text to remind her that I was thinking about her and all that she went through with breast cancer.
2. Donated to Scout's Angels (program that brought PTSD therapy dogs to Newtown, CT).
3. Sent a stuffed monkey to a friend's sweet newborn baby who was in the hospital in St. Louis.
4. Dropped off card and hot chocolate mix for one of our Pastors at church thanking him for all he does for our church.
5. Mailed a card to my dad's high school teacher who has been so kind in the last few years to mom and dad.
6. Mailed card to one of my dearest friends letting her know that I was thinking about her and praying for her.
7. Brought extra fruit and cheese to share at my volleyball tournament.
8. Paid for friends lunch,
9. Mailed a card to another one of my bestest friends just to say how much I appreciate her,
10. Donated 2 jugs of laundry detergent to HLFCS (no kill shelter where I adopted my new dog, Buddy).
11. Left box of peanut butter fudge for our mail lady (who in turn left me a sweet note about my dad).
12. Left inspirational quote in locker #61 at the gym.
13. Made a point to tell one of the SLS Saints basketball players how well he did in his game.
14. Called a friend to see how she was doing after losing her mom last month.
15. Went to lunch with a good friend I don't get to see often and paid for her lunch.
16. Bought popcorn at the movies for friends.
17. Dropped off candy during the work day for a friend.
18. Took donuts to the Alzheimers Association office in Springfield.
19. Visited SWMOA (where my dad used to work) and took them all the fixings for an ice cream social. Apparently they all joined together that afternoon, had some ice cream and shared memories of my dad...this made my heart smile.
20. Bought donuts for my sisters and mom.
21. Took a plate of cookies to Gorman Scharpf funeral home (I appreciated all they did for us when my dad passed).
22. Took Valentine art supplies to Lost & Found Grief Center.
23. Made cookies for the staff at the Arbors .
24. Paid for an elderly man's lunch at Bootleggers in Aurora (this was one of my favorite things...When he found out, he came over to say thank you. He was such a kind man.).
25. Prepared and took dinner to a friend.
26. Paid for my cousin's lunch.
27. Bought a friend breakfast.
28. Opened the door for an elderly couple.
29. Took the trash and recycling out for mom.
30. Printed a picture for 3 guys at my office of them with one of their close buddies who passed away recently.
31. Bought Valentine M&Ms for my office.
32. Mailed card to an elderly lady in our congregation at church who's health is deteriorating, letting her know that she is in my thoughts and prayers.
33. Bought a friend dinner when we met to catch up on life.
34. Surprised a family at the Lutheran school with a gas gift card. They recently adopted 2 children (siblings) from Columbia, South America.
35. Gave encouraging words to a friend when she was having a rough day.
36. Helped a lady save money at Kirklands by showing her a new app to download.
37. Bought goodies for the entire team at a volleyball tournament.
38. I was extra friendly to a difficult client.
39. Volunteered to drive everyone to Cole Camp for a tournament.
40. Bought a round of drinks for friends.
41. Made a point to talk to a young highschooler at church about her freshman year.
42. Made a special point to go over to an elderly couple that we see every week at Panera.
43. Sent an electronic Andy's gift card to a friend who was having a case of the "Mondays".
44. Bought a brownie for our receptionist at work who does so much for us all!
45. Mailed card and Andy's gift card to friend and Pastor who did my dad's graveside service.
46. Gave pedicure gift certificate to a new mom in the NICU at Cox.
47. Dropped off a gift bag of magazines, word searches, and candy for a breast cancer patient. The nurse wanted me to deliver it to her myself so I got the opportunity to meet her. She was a woman about my mom's age, and couldn't get over the fact that I had gotten her a gift. One of my favorite moments I've ever had.
48. Mailed card and Orange Leaf gift card to a lady in our church who also has a husband with the early onset of Alzheimers. I used to tell mom all of the time how strong she was and how much I looked up to her while caring for dad for those years when his health started to go downhill, so I wanted to let her know the same. Until you go through something like this personally, it's hard to understand the life these people live. It is so hard and both her and mom are so strong. I just wanted to let her know that.
49. Left 2 lottery cards on a random van at Pricecutter.
50. Dropped off flowers to a new mom at Cox that didn't have a lot of family.
51. After looking through pictures on my computer, I ran across a picture of my boss with his granddaughter and emailed it to him.
52. While in heavy traffic, I let a car sneak in on Battlefield from the parking lot.
53. Brought my mom's lunch to her after she left it at home.
54. Bought an extra frosty for the car behind me in the drive thru.
55. Bought frostys for the principal at the Lutheran school and my mom.
56. Helped the cart boys bring in the carts in the parking lot at Pricecutter.
57. Left money to pay for dad's favorite ice cream flavor on the bottom of the gallon at Pricecutter.
58. Donated to Care to Learn.
59. Left the change for a kid to ride the Flinstones car ride.
60. Bought Starbucks for a stranger.
61. Sent a card to a veteran thanking him for his service.
Here are a few pics of a few of the things I did:
At least I hope I succeed with the last 2. This last month, specifically January 14th, would've marked my dad's 61st birthday. Did I think it would be tough? Yes. Was I afraid I would be a depressing mess? Yes. Did I let the fact that he is no longer with us bring me down? No. In fact, though I've had my share of breakdowns this month, I realized that this has been one of the most rewarding months of my life. A friend of mine did random acts of kindness this past fall in honor of her birthday and I loved reading about them, so I thought, what better way to honor my dad than to do 61 random acts of kindness in the month of January in HIS honor. Never would I have imagined how much joy this would bring to my heart by doing these things. I didn't get to see all of the acts received by others, but the good surprise that I can imagine it brought them, makes my heart smile. So, while I would've much rather had my dad celebrating here on earth and eating ice cream cake with us, I hope he was able to watch the show from heaven (while eating his ice cream cake in heaven, of course). I kept a list to keep me on track, and even took a few pictures. I'm hoping that this blog post will be a good reminder to me of how these things made me feel if I am ever have a crappy day, which I feel happens more often lately.
So, here they go:
1. Sent a good friend a text to remind her that I was thinking about her and all that she went through with breast cancer.
2. Donated to Scout's Angels (program that brought PTSD therapy dogs to Newtown, CT).
3. Sent a stuffed monkey to a friend's sweet newborn baby who was in the hospital in St. Louis.
4. Dropped off card and hot chocolate mix for one of our Pastors at church thanking him for all he does for our church.
5. Mailed a card to my dad's high school teacher who has been so kind in the last few years to mom and dad.
6. Mailed card to one of my dearest friends letting her know that I was thinking about her and praying for her.
7. Brought extra fruit and cheese to share at my volleyball tournament.
8. Paid for friends lunch,
9. Mailed a card to another one of my bestest friends just to say how much I appreciate her,
10. Donated 2 jugs of laundry detergent to HLFCS (no kill shelter where I adopted my new dog, Buddy).
11. Left box of peanut butter fudge for our mail lady (who in turn left me a sweet note about my dad).
12. Left inspirational quote in locker #61 at the gym.
13. Made a point to tell one of the SLS Saints basketball players how well he did in his game.
14. Called a friend to see how she was doing after losing her mom last month.
15. Went to lunch with a good friend I don't get to see often and paid for her lunch.
16. Bought popcorn at the movies for friends.
17. Dropped off candy during the work day for a friend.
18. Took donuts to the Alzheimers Association office in Springfield.
19. Visited SWMOA (where my dad used to work) and took them all the fixings for an ice cream social. Apparently they all joined together that afternoon, had some ice cream and shared memories of my dad...this made my heart smile.
20. Bought donuts for my sisters and mom.
21. Took a plate of cookies to Gorman Scharpf funeral home (I appreciated all they did for us when my dad passed).
22. Took Valentine art supplies to Lost & Found Grief Center.
23. Made cookies for the staff at the Arbors .
24. Paid for an elderly man's lunch at Bootleggers in Aurora (this was one of my favorite things...When he found out, he came over to say thank you. He was such a kind man.).
25. Prepared and took dinner to a friend.
26. Paid for my cousin's lunch.
27. Bought a friend breakfast.
28. Opened the door for an elderly couple.
29. Took the trash and recycling out for mom.
30. Printed a picture for 3 guys at my office of them with one of their close buddies who passed away recently.
31. Bought Valentine M&Ms for my office.
32. Mailed card to an elderly lady in our congregation at church who's health is deteriorating, letting her know that she is in my thoughts and prayers.
33. Bought a friend dinner when we met to catch up on life.
34. Surprised a family at the Lutheran school with a gas gift card. They recently adopted 2 children (siblings) from Columbia, South America.
35. Gave encouraging words to a friend when she was having a rough day.
36. Helped a lady save money at Kirklands by showing her a new app to download.
37. Bought goodies for the entire team at a volleyball tournament.
38. I was extra friendly to a difficult client.
39. Volunteered to drive everyone to Cole Camp for a tournament.
40. Bought a round of drinks for friends.
41. Made a point to talk to a young highschooler at church about her freshman year.
42. Made a special point to go over to an elderly couple that we see every week at Panera.
43. Sent an electronic Andy's gift card to a friend who was having a case of the "Mondays".
44. Bought a brownie for our receptionist at work who does so much for us all!
45. Mailed card and Andy's gift card to friend and Pastor who did my dad's graveside service.
46. Gave pedicure gift certificate to a new mom in the NICU at Cox.
47. Dropped off a gift bag of magazines, word searches, and candy for a breast cancer patient. The nurse wanted me to deliver it to her myself so I got the opportunity to meet her. She was a woman about my mom's age, and couldn't get over the fact that I had gotten her a gift. One of my favorite moments I've ever had.
48. Mailed card and Orange Leaf gift card to a lady in our church who also has a husband with the early onset of Alzheimers. I used to tell mom all of the time how strong she was and how much I looked up to her while caring for dad for those years when his health started to go downhill, so I wanted to let her know the same. Until you go through something like this personally, it's hard to understand the life these people live. It is so hard and both her and mom are so strong. I just wanted to let her know that.
49. Left 2 lottery cards on a random van at Pricecutter.
50. Dropped off flowers to a new mom at Cox that didn't have a lot of family.
51. After looking through pictures on my computer, I ran across a picture of my boss with his granddaughter and emailed it to him.
52. While in heavy traffic, I let a car sneak in on Battlefield from the parking lot.
53. Brought my mom's lunch to her after she left it at home.
54. Bought an extra frosty for the car behind me in the drive thru.
55. Bought frostys for the principal at the Lutheran school and my mom.
56. Helped the cart boys bring in the carts in the parking lot at Pricecutter.
57. Left money to pay for dad's favorite ice cream flavor on the bottom of the gallon at Pricecutter.
58. Donated to Care to Learn.
59. Left the change for a kid to ride the Flinstones car ride.
60. Bought Starbucks for a stranger.
61. Sent a card to a veteran thanking him for his service.
Here are a few pics of a few of the things I did:
Sunday, January 13, 2013
In honor of a special birthday...
Hope you're having some of your favorite icecream cake today in heaven, Dad...hopefully heaven is full of chocolate, sweets and ice cream on this very special day!!! I know you've got some pretty awesome people helping you celebrate today, but I do, selfishly, wish we could celebrate with you! Perhaps I'll cheat on my diet today and have some Andy's in your honor...I wouldn't want to disappoint you! Happy birthday from all of us here on earth that miss you, oh-so-much.
Miss this grin. He loved to laugh!
Three of my FAVORITE people
Dads.
So, while there are things that I said to him that I wish I could take back....days that I wish I would've sucked it up and apologized for something stupid that I had done...days that I can kick myself because I didn't go to see him at the nursing home because I was too tired...days when I didn't say "I love you" enough...I know that, even in his last hours, he knew he was loved and he was able to pass on into heaven knowing he had done everything he could to lead me in the direction of being the person he wants me to be. And I love him for that.
Give your dads an extra hug next time you see them...tell him you love him every chance you get...call him up, just because...do all of this because Dads deserve every bit of it. I mean, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. And to my friends who have also lost their dads, I know how you feel, and I will say a little prayer for you! I just hope you have as wonderful memories of your dads as I do of mine!!!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
#61randomactsofkindness
My dad's 61st birthday would be this next Monday, January 14th. It is a bittersweet day...although I know he is in a much better place and free from that nasty Alzheimers, we sure do miss him like crazy...even more so in the last few weeks! I took the day off just because I wasn't sure how I would feel, but I think I am going to be okay. I decided to take the opportunity to honor him for his first birthday in heaven by doing 61 random acts of kindness during his birthday month. I'm loving it...it's such a great feeling and makes me smile knowing that he is watching me from heaven and smiling himself. It's kind of kept me from getting so sad...it's giving me something to focus my attention to. So, stay tuned because after the month and the 61 acts are done, I will blog about it.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A year in review in the form of pictures
Okay, so now that I've written a book, here are pictures from special 2012 moments!
Hamlet's Baby Shower!
Sertoma Chili Cook-Off
Sawyer makes his entrance into this world
Silver Dollar City with the Richter kids...what a good Aunt
Ashley was the lead in her school play
Rock'n Ribs
Doula Foundation Benefit
Girl Dinners
Helicopter ride on Kauai
My favorite beach on Kauai...Polihale Beach.
Sunset cruise on Kauai
Dinner cruise on Oahu
Movin' Day...thanks to this awesome crew
Marriott Branson pool day
Dance Party at the Arbors
Sawyer's baptism
James Taylor concert
Dierks Bentley
Vegas for Kari and John's 30th!
Viva Las Vegas!!!
Branson weekend of fun with Joni
My dad and I in Buffalo the Saturday before he passed.
Cousins.
Walk to End Alzheimers
Appelquist Foundation Golf Classic
Nixon & Lindstrom Bowling
Hallowish - with the Price is Right contestant, Megan and the Biebs
Kansas City Shopping
Meeting Santa!!!
Christmas Ornament Exchange
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