I'm in Love...and so is my Husband!

With eachother? Well sure if we want to get technical. Levi has found love with his new PS3 game Call of Duty: Black OPs and I am in love with my Kindle (gifts for our anniversary). I didn't think I could love something this much, but I absolutely love it. (And I kind of feel weird, like the Jetsons.) I figured it would be just like reading any other old book, well...it is. But it is super convenient. I know most of the adoration for this item is the novelty of a new toy. So next month, I'll just have to love my husband again. ;) But now you know, if you can't get ahold of the two of us it's because we are in love.

One...two...three...

...years of marriage! Happy Anniversary my love!

Puzzle Pieces Welcome

Sunday Levi and I helped move his grandparents into their new home. They made the move from New Mexico and this was the first time I had the pleasure to meet them. I loved seeing and learning about this part of my husband's life. We are all made up from the life experiences we have endured, and the people who have come into our lives. We each are a puzzle that can, from time to time, feel as though we are missing the pieces that make us up. Meeting Jim and Emily, having them close is like watching another piece of the puzzle that makes up Levi come into place. Sometimes those pieces are ragged from wear, from the long journey they had to manage to finally be combined so that the complete work of art can be revealed. Sometimes those pieces fall into place with ease and are immovable from the moment they find their home. Sometimes we have puzzle pieces that are small, reserved for those people and events that come and go from our lives quickly. Sometimes the pieces are large, taking up real estate and filling the holes of pieces long gone. And then there are pieces that have been in place since birth; too large to be replaced by anything else than the original.

It's wonderful to be close to family, to have another piece of my husband's life close, another line to his father available. For me it is a way to learn more about my husband by seeing him through two new (new to me) pairs of eyes and two new hearts that hold an abundance of love for him only adding to the incredible love that already surrounds his life, cultivating his puzzle into a priceless masterpiece.

For Tess

I can’t imagine the depth of sadness. I can’t sympathize with the ridged hole that forms from losing a parent. Words escape me and I find myself repeating the only thing I know and feel with your news, “I am so sorry.” I wish I could reach out and hug you over the miles we are apart. I wish I could help take the sadness and hurt you feel away, along with the many others who love you so dearly. I feel small in comparison to the sudden change your life’s path has found. So I send you my love and prayers…and my words.

Death is the ultimate finality, a fate no one escapes. The angel approaches, gently lies his hand on your shoulder before calmly whispering, “That’s enough, come with me,” just like that the restless soul finds peace. And we are left to deal with the loss, to process the pain, understand the anger, and fight the heartache. A parent is irreplaceable regardless of how you want to judge that parent. They offer a love that is unique to any other love you feel in your life. They are your champions. They are your guidance. They are the kids sometimes when we must stand up and be the adults. But in the end, they are still a part of you. They were the first to delve into the depths of your heart and carve out their own niche. The holes that echo in the caverns of our heart remain long after they are gone. They leave their mark quite literally on our hearts so that in the moments of stillness they can blow through the hollowed caves reminding you of the joy, the smiles, laughter, tears and love they brought into our lives.

I have posted this poem before, but I think it is fitting for anyone who has lost someone they loved. There is no replacement. I realize a few words are insignificant to the loss and sadness you feel, but with nothing better to offer, and no tangible hug to hold on to, I send you this my friend.

Death Finds Family (modified for a friend)
Something grand is awaiting
It’s time for me to go
Death comes to us all
When? No one knows

We’ll meet again
I know this much is true
This isn’t the end
Of the love I hold for you

He’s calling my name
I’m not sure that I’m ready
It’s time to make the journey, though
Unfinished work now seems petty

I’m scared and I’m frightened
There's no time for goodbyes to you
But He’s taking my hand
And guiding me through

My dear, please don’t cry
Remember the laughter
Know that my love for you
Will remain long after

I’ll be seeing you again
We’ll meet at the pearly gates
For now I must go
And follow my fate

I’ll always love you
And when death comes to your door
Know that I've been waiting
And I'll see you once more

Jimmy.

We were skyping with Arianna and Antonio yesterday, when Levi decided to get out of storage a "buddy" from when he was just a little boy. Jimmy. He showed the kids this toy - a kind of a creepy doll now that it had been worn down from years of play and then stored for such a long time - when he began making the doll attack me as if "Jimmy" was "Chucky". Tonio was laughing and Arianna was a little freaked out...I don't blame her.

I should have known that would not be the end of it...

Last night when I was getting ready for bed I walked into the bathroom only to turn around and find Jimmy hanging there. It scared the @#$% out of me and I gave a blood curdling scream.

Levi, of course, was laughing so hard he couldn't talk.

I thought I would share the pics of what I found in the bathroom last night.

I must admit, after the initial horror wore off, it was pretty funny. :)

Technology Bites

Stupid computer.
Crashed.
Thursday morning.
Ugh.
Luckily pretty much everything was backed up. Only lost my sister's 30th birthday video. :( (At least she has a copy.) And lost some programs my old boss loaded for me. :(
My company got me a new laptop. Plus.
It is previously used. Minus.
Stupid computer.

Reuniting the Class of 2000

Saturday night we had Levi's 10 year high school reunion. It was so much fun! I had such a good time meeting all these people that are part of my husband's past and being able to put a face with a name or a story from his childhood. It was so much fun to see Levi reconnect with all those lost or forgotten friends as well. When we first arrived we sat with some of Levi's friends with whom he he still keeps in touch. Levi kept looking around and saying to me, "Oh my gosh so and so is here," or he would say, "wow, that is so and so." It was funny to me that he seemed so surprised to see these people at the reunion. But it was so neat to see his excitement at seeing all these old faces and to see Levi through the eyes of people who knew him when he was younger.

It was a great night, unfortunately, cut short by food poisoning for me. Here I thought we were thinking ahead by having dinner and then munching on the heavy finger foods - but I definitely had food poisoning from...Chipotle. Bummer. At least up until that point where I got nauseous it was fun...and even then, after we had to leave, Levi and I found something to laugh about because if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?