 |
| Here he is, nothing short of being his usually "ham" self. We'll miss you Bud and pray for your safe return. |
| In other news, I'll share some more posts tomorrow! I thought I should stick to the brevity of Wordless Wednesday for a reason. |
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
That One Phone Call...
It's my Wordless Wednesday post (sort of wordless I guess)...my brother left on Labor Day to serve our country for 9+ months overseas. I'm not supposed to divulge his location online so I won't. It was a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous day for him to leave. I thought this is going to be great to capture some photos. I should have known my brother was up to something. He showed up looking like a tourist (no uniform) at the airport! Ughhh...so this is the one photo I did get of him. I was pretty upset when I missed his phone call this week after he had already been gone a week. He said he has to wait an hour in line to use the phone and it made me feel horrible to be at work and to of missed him. I guess we'll just need to stick to Facebook to talk to each other.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
45 days and counting...
But who's really counting, right?!
The invitations are going out, checklists are being made, timeline of the day is nearly completed and RSVPS are coming back! It's really just hit me this is happening after waiting 16 months for the big day. I am very excited for a surprise Todd gave me last Friday evening, our honeymoon location. I should have known we were not really going to Colorado; he would always have to give me some sort of surprise. Remember the pool versus engagement ring story? Yah, why would I not think he was cooking up something?!
Cheers to us and the next 45 days!
Hometown Saturday Night...
This past weekend I went home to celebrate my brother before he leaves for overseas this coming week. We had a small get together with friends and family at my parents' home in Hiawatha. It was so great to see everyone and my mom and dad did a fantastic job with the decorations. Brandon got a little surprise from me since he won't be at my wedding, he received some early bridal portraits of me so he can take them with him. I also gave him a few iTunes gift cards and some other stuff as I know it will be needed while he is over there to remind him of home. As you can see below in the pictures, it was a great time and I'm really sad he is leaving, but I couldn't think of a better reason for his absence, to serve his country.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
He could be a model...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tough...
Bare with me on this one...
I still remember it like it was yesterday, my ex had called around midnight to tell me she was gone...no words can really express the sadness that came over me and has never left after I lost I feel like the biggest mentor of my life, Janet Libel. I never had dealt with the true understanding of loss and grief up until that point in my life, and it will always be the first one I feel like I lost without saying goodbye. Granted I wasn't part of the family, nor even her child or nephew or niece, but in the five years I knew her, she made a huge impact on my life.
I remember the first time I had met her it was at the Hiawatha pool while I was 17, a lifeguard, and had just graduated from high school and heading to K-State. She was with little Maddi and Lindsay, her daughters whom I had met a few weeks earlier while watching my ex's little brother Jordan's baseball game. She was also with her sister-in-law, Lora, and her little girl, Naomi. Wow, has time changed when I look at how much all of these "little ones" have grown up since then. I could have talked to Janet for hours and it was the first day I met her; she just had that way about her. So funny and always up for going out of her way to make you feel special.
I learned of how her and her husband, Pat, used to babysit my ex when they were a young couple, teach him how to ride horses, show him a thing or two about driving a truck and genuinely be involved in his life. She just was that type of mother, never missing a football or cheer practice, baseball game, volleyball match, whatever it was, she was there watching and being the biggest cheerleader for her four children.
She also married into the Catholic church. I think that was the biggest takeaway I had from her. She had a quiet, unrelenting belief in God and His love for us. She taught me to have a relationship with the Lord through prayer even if the church doesn't teach it, to always expect good to happen and things happen for a reason. She also made sure I didn't feel bad for who I was and how I was raised in the church even though I was dating someone outside the church at the time. And once again, she was the first to be the volunteer at any activity at St. Benedict's.
Janet was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years before I started dating my ex. It was in between my sophomore and junior years of college that she started to get really sick. She was a fighter though and we really thought she had beat it for about a year. Then it came back very aggressive in all parts of her body. But the biggest thing about Janet was she NEVER gave up. She never wanted to leave her children and fought so hard to be here for them. It was her body that gave out on her not her will to fight.
Her funeral was almost unbearable to get through, but I will tell you I have never seen such an outpouring of love for someone than at her rosary and funeral. You see, St. Benedict's is out in the middle of a corn field south of Bendena, Kan. People were lined up out of the church, down the steps, across the church lawn, and clear down the entire section of the cornfield to say their last goodbye to her. All of the guys wore pink too! It would have made her laugh and I'm sure say a funny joke or two about how no one needed to fuss over her. I'm still thankful my brother could come that day to help me get through it.
There are so many other memories of her...and even though lots of "stuff" has happened between then, both good and bad, I know she is still teaching me to be a better follower of Christ, sister, daughter and future wife and mother.
Long story short, it will be less than a month from now that I remember her last day with us, Sept. 12. It is very bittersweet for me because it is my niece's birthday (and that was an incredibly emotional day for me too) and the day Janet left this world to be with her Lord and Savior. I can't bring myself to be a part of the Relay for Life in Doniphan County any more, but I try to do my best to honor her with other things.
This past weekend one of my best high school friends, Mallory Sheeran, ran the Race for the Cure with me in Kansas City. Talk about an emotional high the entire morning. It was so energetic, fun and uplifting to know others have dealt with the same loss but are fighting to find a cure. One man I ran behind at about mile 2 totally made me break down and bawl because of his tribute to his wife on the back of his t-shirt. It said, "In loving memory, XXX, I cannot wait to find this cure and be walking beside you in paradise soon enough." Wow, it all came full-circle at that point, and the sadness came over me from losing Janet, but I truly with every fiber in my being and as hokey as it sounds believe she was helping me run that day. It was the best time I've ever had, the most fun I've ever had, the best I've ever felt; it was just an amazing day. And I'm so glad I could do something small to keep honoring her.
"And I thought I was tough,"....
They played this as the last song at her funeral...
Tough
Craig Morgan
She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough
She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough
We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know, the test showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough....
I still remember it like it was yesterday, my ex had called around midnight to tell me she was gone...no words can really express the sadness that came over me and has never left after I lost I feel like the biggest mentor of my life, Janet Libel. I never had dealt with the true understanding of loss and grief up until that point in my life, and it will always be the first one I feel like I lost without saying goodbye. Granted I wasn't part of the family, nor even her child or nephew or niece, but in the five years I knew her, she made a huge impact on my life.
I remember the first time I had met her it was at the Hiawatha pool while I was 17, a lifeguard, and had just graduated from high school and heading to K-State. She was with little Maddi and Lindsay, her daughters whom I had met a few weeks earlier while watching my ex's little brother Jordan's baseball game. She was also with her sister-in-law, Lora, and her little girl, Naomi. Wow, has time changed when I look at how much all of these "little ones" have grown up since then. I could have talked to Janet for hours and it was the first day I met her; she just had that way about her. So funny and always up for going out of her way to make you feel special.
I learned of how her and her husband, Pat, used to babysit my ex when they were a young couple, teach him how to ride horses, show him a thing or two about driving a truck and genuinely be involved in his life. She just was that type of mother, never missing a football or cheer practice, baseball game, volleyball match, whatever it was, she was there watching and being the biggest cheerleader for her four children.
She also married into the Catholic church. I think that was the biggest takeaway I had from her. She had a quiet, unrelenting belief in God and His love for us. She taught me to have a relationship with the Lord through prayer even if the church doesn't teach it, to always expect good to happen and things happen for a reason. She also made sure I didn't feel bad for who I was and how I was raised in the church even though I was dating someone outside the church at the time. And once again, she was the first to be the volunteer at any activity at St. Benedict's.
Janet was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years before I started dating my ex. It was in between my sophomore and junior years of college that she started to get really sick. She was a fighter though and we really thought she had beat it for about a year. Then it came back very aggressive in all parts of her body. But the biggest thing about Janet was she NEVER gave up. She never wanted to leave her children and fought so hard to be here for them. It was her body that gave out on her not her will to fight.
Her funeral was almost unbearable to get through, but I will tell you I have never seen such an outpouring of love for someone than at her rosary and funeral. You see, St. Benedict's is out in the middle of a corn field south of Bendena, Kan. People were lined up out of the church, down the steps, across the church lawn, and clear down the entire section of the cornfield to say their last goodbye to her. All of the guys wore pink too! It would have made her laugh and I'm sure say a funny joke or two about how no one needed to fuss over her. I'm still thankful my brother could come that day to help me get through it.
There are so many other memories of her...and even though lots of "stuff" has happened between then, both good and bad, I know she is still teaching me to be a better follower of Christ, sister, daughter and future wife and mother.
Long story short, it will be less than a month from now that I remember her last day with us, Sept. 12. It is very bittersweet for me because it is my niece's birthday (and that was an incredibly emotional day for me too) and the day Janet left this world to be with her Lord and Savior. I can't bring myself to be a part of the Relay for Life in Doniphan County any more, but I try to do my best to honor her with other things.
This past weekend one of my best high school friends, Mallory Sheeran, ran the Race for the Cure with me in Kansas City. Talk about an emotional high the entire morning. It was so energetic, fun and uplifting to know others have dealt with the same loss but are fighting to find a cure. One man I ran behind at about mile 2 totally made me break down and bawl because of his tribute to his wife on the back of his t-shirt. It said, "In loving memory, XXX, I cannot wait to find this cure and be walking beside you in paradise soon enough." Wow, it all came full-circle at that point, and the sadness came over me from losing Janet, but I truly with every fiber in my being and as hokey as it sounds believe she was helping me run that day. It was the best time I've ever had, the most fun I've ever had, the best I've ever felt; it was just an amazing day. And I'm so glad I could do something small to keep honoring her.
 |
| Sorry this is sideways, but my tribute to Janet on race day. |
They played this as the last song at her funeral...
Tough
Craig Morgan
She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough
She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough
We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know, the test showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough....
Monday, August 8, 2011
Blessed beyond measure...
I have to say I have been blessed beyond measure and words with the greatest friends. They all are my friends from different times of my life, but they all seem to be the most real, fun, down-to-earth women you'll meet. I guess that's why they are my friends! We celebrated my bridal shower on Saturday along with my bachelorette party in Kansas City. It was probably one of the top five moments of my life reflecting on how blessed I am to be surrounded and supported and loved by these women. I can't wait for October and certainly can't wait for more memories to come with more weddings, babies and fun times as friends.
Thanks for making me feel like a million dollars this weekend, ladies!
Thanks for making me feel like a million dollars this weekend, ladies!
 |
| All of us in the wedding party waiting outside at P&L. |
 |
| Our first shot of the evening, a chocolate cake shot, thanks to Katelyn! |
Cute gifts from Kansas!
I have a couple of blog posts to make but I wanted to share this new find thanks to the Pioneer Woman.
The Rusted Chain creates these fantastic necklaces and other pieces of jewelry and the awesome part? They are from Kansas! Whoot! Whoot! Love supporting small businesses in Kansas.
Anyway, I picked up a few and am looking forward to giving them as gifts this fall. You should check them out!
The Rusted Chain creates these fantastic necklaces and other pieces of jewelry and the awesome part? They are from Kansas! Whoot! Whoot! Love supporting small businesses in Kansas.
Anyway, I picked up a few and am looking forward to giving them as gifts this fall. You should check them out!
 |
| Photo courtesy of The Rusted Chain. |
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