FINALLY SUNSHINE!!!

I can't even tell you how much difference my whole mood is when the sun is out! After what seems like weeks, we finally have a day with the sun shining, blue sky and just a few light clouds!! I have never been too particular about sunshine, but now that I am still not quite back to myself, sunshine makes a world of difference.
It's amazing how much comfort our crazy cat brings to all of us, especially me. Stella knows when I am upset and comes running into my room. I am not sure if she likes get the tissues that I use, or if she really is concerned about me, but I don't care. Of course I was ready to throw her out last night! Yesterday when we bought her cat food, we bought her a new toy. She loves it so much she kept bringing it in our bed and tried to play with it there. I think I will be hiding that thing tonight! I have to remember, she still is a kitten and she wants to play! OK, now I know I have lost it.... I have "blogged" about my dumb cat....lol.

Merry Christmas!

Well, it has been a very difficult Christmas for our family, I am not going to try and hide that. We did have so many good people give us a lot of great gifts and many were dropped off at our doorstep, which really was a fun thing and cheered us up. Thanks so much for all those endearing gifts that let us know that you are thinking of us. We truly are so grateful for your tender and beautiful thoughts and gifts. And for whoever dropped off the Jars, it touched our family so deeply. Thank you for and may the Lord bless you all for your service and thoughtfulness.
OK... to liven things up a bit and to include Marcus this day, Melanie had the idea a while ago to build a snowman out by his headstone. So that is just what we did. Our boys, Brian and some of his kids came out and we built a Uof A snow man. The little boys built some forts and had snowball fights. It really turned into a fun activity even though it was raining. We felt Marcus' presence a lot the last few days and know he is near us. We are so blessed to have that.
I thought that this really captured his face. The 1/2 smile we really had to include because that was his pleasant smile. (you can see kids in the background playing... don't worry, no one is burried back there...lol) Brian gave up a University of Arizona hat for the occation. Thanks, I am sure we can get you another one! The next picture is Melanie, Brian, Aaron and John. Also not in the picture was Ruth, Lisa, and myself. We never thought that making a snowman would ever be so much fun until today. It is so different when we are doing it for someone, especially Marcus. The only thing is, that right after we left, the big blizzard started,
and we aren't sure what is left of our snow dude. We will have to head out there tomorrow and see what is still around. I sure hope he is still standing. He looked AWESOME!

I need a Donut pillow!

I have lived here 5 yrs almost and I still don't know how to walk on ice and snow! I went out to get the mail yesterday (I even put on my snow boots, so I wouldn't slip) and I wasn't paying much attention (reading CARDS!) and I stepped on the ice. I know it must have looked funny, because it was just like in the cartoons... my left foot slips so I catch myself with my right, it slips, I try to catch myself again with my left leg but to no avail... I was on my tailbone and my back... BAM! I hopped up so that if any of my neighbors saw me, they wouldn't call 911 and make a huge ordeal of it. Oh man, after sitting down for about an hour, I could feel the burn starting from my legs, through my hips and tailbone, my back and my arms (from where I tried to catch myself). This morning I am doing ok. Bending, sitting and lying down are a little painful, but I don't think I really hurt anything. I know my knee is kinda bothering me (the one I had surgery on 4 years ago after falling on ice) but I think it is OK. I can walk just fine. But we are getting more snow and the Temps aren't supposed to get up higher than 25 degrees for the next few weeks. OH I LOVE UTAH!
The boys are happy though. They LOVE the snow. Aaron is excited cause he wants to snowboard. Noah especially loves it, he and Jackson were out playing in it after dark last night, thanks to a rather large streetlamp right across the street. We have a little hill and the boys love to sled down it and try to snowboard down it as well.
Tomorrow is the High School's program of "Christmas Fantasy". It is a play-like concert and all the band members dress up in toy costumes. It is really cute. Aaron wants to wear Marcus' old band uniform and be a toy soldier. Not sure how that is going to work... but OK. That will be fun to go to and get in the holiday mood.... I HOPE.

The Headstone Pictures

As you can see, I got a nice pretty day after the snow storm. The sky was so blue, I had to include it along with the jet trails. I thought it was great that I could hear them while I was there. It is amazing that he is around me in so many ways.
While I was there, I was trying to take a picture with my cell phone. Well, amazingly my memory was full...(imagine that! Jackson and Noah love to take pictures). So I sat there deleting all these crazy pictures that the little boys had taken. I did keep some cause they do make some funny faces. Anyway... Close to the end of the pictures I found a picture that I had totally forgotten that I had taken last summer. It is a picture of my 4 boys sitting on a gate a Lagoon, all wet from going on one of the wet rides. All of them smiling like they are having the time of their life, except Aaron, he got the wettest and was probably the coldest. But there was Marcus's cute smile staring at me while I stand at his grave. VERY surreal! I sat there and shed a few tears thinking he just wanted me to know he was there. I am so thankful for the little Tender Mercies I receive everyday. They get me through each day.
I also had to include the beautiful view from Marcus' graveside. It was such a beautiful day that I had to post it. This is why I love living here. Whether there is snow, rain or sun this Valley is so beautiful. I just love it. It is a very peaceful place to live and raise kids. Not to mention the people here are just remarkable. They have blessed me and my children. I honestly believe that it takes a community to raise a child, and this place sure does a great job!

I hope you like the stone, it is a dark green color, and when the sun first comes up over the mountains you can really see the beautiful green colors. I am sure he is happy with it.

(p.s. in the last picture, the headstone in the far right side is Clarissa Packer's)

Its Up.

I got a call from my friend (Kristin Packer, Clarissa's Mother) and asked me if I had been out to the cemetery today, which I hadn't because we had an inch of snow and still some coming down today. She told me that Marcus' Headstone was up. She had been out there to put something by Clarissa's headstone and she saw it. This was around 4:30 p.m. and the sun goes down around 5:30 WITHOUT clouds and we had a lot of them. So I ran out there and was able to see it a little, but not the full effect.
What a bittersweet moment. Kristin was right, it sure brings closure, but it makes things so real and permanent. Pretty strange to see his name in stone, with a birth date and that death date. Very surreal. When things dry out a little, and the sun is out, I will go and take pictures of it. It really is beautiful.