We're Off...

We're off to say so long to the helmet for-ev-a! Here's a little something to keep you occupied until we return...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Hats Off to You, Jason!!!

Welcome to Jason's virtual Hats Off to You party! Thanks for stopping by on this momentous occasion! We've got a lot of things planned today to celebrate, so come by throughout the day to check for updates. We don't want you to miss a thing! :-)

Now, wouldn't you know it that the star of our little party is still sleeping. (I'm lucky, I know.) So while we are waiting for the main man to wake up, I'll start by explaining Jason's Hats Off to You presents...

HeHe. His gift is a survival kit for this new world without the helmet.

1. several hats - now that he no longer has a helmet to wear around, he's going to need something to keep his head warm and protected. (don't worry Shawn, Jason is going to share with you, too)
2. suntan lotion - again we've got to keep that handsome, round head looking nice.
3. eyeglass wipes - I figure now that Jason will be helmetless, we're going to have a lot more trouble keeping those glasses on his head. (he already likes to take off Shawn's) So the eyeglass wipes are there in anticipation of all of the times he's going to be sticking his glasses in his mouth throughout the day.
4. baby shampoo - the helmet was a stinky apparatus because it is worn 23 hours a day (it smelled like dirty feet!), so the shampoo will help him wash that helmet right out of his hair!
5. hair gel - when you wear a helmet, you don't really have to put a lot of effort into a hair style...the gel is to help him find a new "do" to wear on the playground.
6. combs and brushes - yeah for combing his hair! Finally!

Stay tuned for the next update when the dynamic duo finally wake up today! (my guess is in about an hour or so)

Obsession

I am obsessed with my mission. Sometime today, Old Navy will update their coupon page. They do it every Thursday at some point during the day. You have to keep clicking back to see if it has been updated. (If you click the link and see the dog holding the Frisbee on the left side of the page, they haven't updated yet.) There is always an opportunity to "find" a coupon for $75 off of a $100 purchase. That is not a typo. There are also $50 off and $10 off coupons, too.

Darn it if I am not going to get that stupid $75 coupon eventually!!! I am already imagining the kids' clothes I can buy with it...

Don't forget to read the invite below if you haven't yet! :-)

Hats Off to You, Jason!!!

Make a Smilebox invite

Click on the invite above to find out the details. No need to RSVP...just remember to check on the fun happening throughout the day! We'll see you on Friday!

But...feel free to leave good wishes for Jason! (and give him lots of complements on that round head of his)

Today I Turn Two!!!

I started my little blog two years ago today. I wasn't even sure if I would stick to it. Incredibly, I have. (yeah me!) Thanks to everyone who has been around for the ride! :-)

What I Learned Today

I met Maya today, and although I am glad I got the chance to talk to her in real life (her voice is so not what I expected!), I wish that we didn't have this chance. I wish that because we met at little Maddie Spohr's service.

I won't comment much about the service itself, because it isn't my story to tell, other than to say that Heather, Mike, and their families are truly inspiring people. The service itself was beautiful, and the love that they have for their wonderful little girl is evident by the celebration of her life I witnessed today.

But, while I was there, amid my tears (oh boy, were there tears), I started to get very, very angry. At first, I couldn't pinpoint the exact reason behind the bubbling rage I was feeling. It wasn't directed at anything before me; there was nothing but love in the church today. Until it hit me that all of this was just incredibly unfair.

I am angry at the unfairness in this world. Children should not get sick; children most certainly shouldn't die!

I am angry because as little as a year ago, it very well could have been me sitting in Heather's place.

I am angry because at that time I thought that it WAS going to be me sitting in the front pew of a church at any moment.

I am angry because there came a point during the very dark days when I expected my son to die.

And these thoughts, which I had tried to bury deep in the recesses of my mind, hit me with full force today.

Afterward, I felt guilty, as if having these feelings somehow took away from the celebration before me in that church--because the people who could have and probably should have felt the anger and rage didn't seem to. Instead they choose to focus on the gifts their daughter brought to them rather than be angry that she was taken from them much too soon. What a beautiful way to live, to focus on the gifts.

With that realization, another small chunk of the past fell away. Another piece of the pain and heartache I carry from those days lifted. My wounded heart healed a little bit more. Another paradigm shift happened for me in that church. Focus on the gifts I have in my life...

I'm getting there, I think. I will get to the point where these feelings are released completely.

If Maddie's parents can do it, then surely I will be able to do it, too.

Lemon Meringue

Tonight we had lemon meringue pie, my dad's favorite, as a way to celebrate his birthday...

...and boy did Shawn like it.

He kept following my plate around the room trying to get at the pie. It was hilarious! My dad would have loved seeing that. :-)