Enjoying Every Moment

On May 15th, my childhood friend, Amber, lost her husband. He was murdered, leaving her with two small children and one on the way. My heart is broken for her. I can't imagine what she must be experiencing. Here is an article about it. I can't believe someone would kill someone over something so silly. I can't wrap my head around this tragic, unnecessary loss. In the days following, whenever I would get upset or cry, I would look at the donation site that was created for Chris' family. It was so re-assuring to see how our small town had so quickly come together and how generously people were donating money to help Amber and the kids. If you are interested in donating, here is the website.

On May 20th, my Uncle Rudi passed away. He had been quite sickly lately, so it wasn't shocking like my friend's husband, but it was sad nonetheless. My Uncle was somewhat of a unique guy, mainly choosing to keep to himself. He only joined us momentarily for holidays and it was usually when I forced him to be in the family photos. My brother Tyler said it best though when he pointed out that Uncle Rudi played a huge roll in shaping my dad. Uncle Rudi introduced my dad to boating, flying, motorcycle riding, and camping. When we take part in those activities in the future, I hope we will all remember Uncle Rudi and be thankful for the time we had with him.

Instead of sitting at home and crying, I decided that these losses were a reminder of just how fragile life can be and that we should try an enjoy each moment we have with our loved ones. I decided that I should worry less about how clean my house is, how long my to do list is or how stressful work is. What is most important is the time spent with the ones you love because you never know when they will be taken from you. So, Nic, Hudson and I went to Gymboree. There is nothing like watching the pure, innocent joy of a child to brighten your day. 

After Gymboree, we went to dinner at Islands. It was so nice to be out as a family, enjoying delicious food (I can eat a Hawaiian burger without cheese and mayo!) and great company. Hudson was so good the entire meal! He even posed for a family self portrait and gave Nic kisses! (His kisses are my second favorite thing in the world after his laugh!) It was just the evening we needed after a rather sad week.