Today I got some of the most heartbreaking news I’ve ever had. One of my very best friend’s father passed away very unexpectedly yesterday. Ashlee and I met in our first year of college and within a few months I felt like I was an adopted member of her family. They have always been so good to me and her dad especially loved me because I knew how to operate heavy machinery. (I drove a roller for a road construction crew in another life.)
Their family owns a landscaping/snow removal company in Utah and they also raise animals. Some of which are raised for eating. Beef, Pork and Bison. When I was a poor college student they always sent me back to college with enough meat to fill my freezer. I love them and this has left me so deeply sad and absolutely heart broken.
He was so young, only 56. My poor friend is not only dealing with the loss of her father, but is still recovering from and processing the 8 week premature, emergency c-section, delivery of her little boy less than two weeks ago and he is still in the NICU. How do you even begin to comfort someone at a time like this.
All day I prayed for my friend and her family, I cried and cried and had to rely on autopilot to get through things like homework and making dinner. My mind was totally consumed with trying to figure out what I can do for my friend from 2000 miles away.
Trever woke up happy from nap and was happy to just play in his crib (never happens.) He is currently obsessed with cars and insists on sleeping with one or two.
He was so silly. When he finally got out he found one of Charlotte’s little hair elastics and begged me to put it in his hair for him. He’s so silly.
For an after school snack the kids begged for the 2 day old donuts I had almost forgotten about. Yuck!
In case you are wondering what the best husband/dad in the world looks like, here’s a picutre. Sorry it is hard to make him out. I took it through the kitchen window, so the screen is in the way. It was cold today, but two little ones were begging to jump so dad bundled them up and went out on the tramp with them.
For dinner we had a Broccoli Chicken Casserole with egg noodles instead of rice. It was good and really easy to throw together. The kids liked it, especially Trever. That kid is picky these days, and I was so happy to see him eat seconds and thirds. I served cantaloupe with it and Charlotte was thrilled. I think she at 2/3 of a cantaloupe. I forgot to take a picture at the dinner table but I took some pictures to post the recipe on the blog.
After dinner I just couldn’t shake the sadness funk. I knew I needed to do something to clear my head. Even though I had already gone to the gym today, I decided to go back and do a class my friend said she was going to go do. I took Conner with me so he could do a little science type class they had tonight.
It helped but, now I am scared to go to my hard class tomorrow, I’m going to be so sore.
As usual Conner spotted the dirt hole by the parking lot. And me, being the super nice mom that I am, I let him play in it for a little while. I sat in the warm car and browsed Facebook.
He came down and begged me to come take a picture of his ships.
On the way home he was looking at the picture above on my phone and kept saying. “This is literally the coolest picture ever!” I was trying not to laugh because when I took it, I thought it looked terrible and didn’t do the real thing justice at all.
He even asked me if I would put it on the blog and said, “Maybe you could add a few puu, puu’s” (boys and their sound effects.)
Keep it Real!
Maria
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