The past two months have been life changing for me. My life suddenly feels like it has two parts-before and after. In this case, before refers before the accident and after refers to after the accident. In early March, Sara, one of my very best friends, was in an awful car accident caused by a drunk driver. Sara, with all of her amazing strength and persistence, fought for her life for an entire month before she got her angel wings, as her wonderful mother, Carol, would say. I spent countless hours at the hospital, reading to Sara, talking to Sara, and just sitting with Sara. During that month, I do feel like I was able to say good-bye to my dear friend, but honestly, I wasn't ready. Sara was the friend to me that everyone wishes they had. Sara was the friend that I was in constant contact with-if we weren't talking, we were texting, or emailing. A day didn't go by that we weren't communicating in some way. When I think back to the memorable moments in my life, Sara was always present. She was one of the first people to welcome us home at the airport when we arrived home with Graham and eventually Amelia. In fact, when our long awaited travel call for Amelia came, Sara was the first person I shared the news with....sorry, Jeff! :) I called Sara at work and from her desk in her very conservative work environment, she let out the type of joyful scream that only a best friend could scream. She was a constant fixture not only in my life, but in the lives of Graham and Amelia as well. She attended every birthday party and loved to call them on special days specifically to talk with them. I will never forget talking with her on Christmas morning and how she took the time to chat with each kid as she showed such a genuine interest in what Santa surprised them with. Sara's passing has left a hole in my life that will never be filled but I'm moving forward and am trying to live each day to the absolute fullest...exactly the way Sara would. And, I will make a real effort to stay on top of this blog. After all, it was always Sara who would remind me when I was falling behind!
The emotion of the past two months brings me to where we are today. The kids and I had the opportunity (Daddy Jeff had to be at work) to spend a few days in California with my Mom. Sunny warm weather, a great resort, and a change of scenery...did I even need to give it a second thought? Needless to say, we had a great time. We swam, we relaxed, we shopped, and the kids were good little travelers. Does it get any better than that?
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| Thankfully, the kids love the beach just as much as I do!! |
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| This is Amelia's dream come true. She's in a serious "I LOVE horses!" phase and talks constantly about wanting to ride a horse. Well, a street fair in Palm Springs came through for her and she rode that pony with pride! |
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| Amelia sure loves her Grandma! |
