3rd Post Today!

I have posted three separate times today. Why? you ask. Well I felt like there were three separate stories I wanted to share. The first was a little too depressing, so I wanted to share something more upbeat. I threw in the second one, because I had finally remembered I had been wanting to let everyone know that. This third one is to bring everyone to a happier state I hope. Read from the bottom up if want to read it in order.

Did you go read "Memorial Day" first?

Really, seriously, go there first.

I'm not typing anymore unless you start at the beginning.

Alright, I guess I can't force you. If you insist on reading this one first, you'll be sad at the end instead of happy.

Last weekend something wonderful did happen. Mark's best friend, Demetrios, from Law School got married. My sister-in-law Stacie went with me to Houston for the festivities. It was a spectacular event. I can honestly say I've never experienced anything so beautiful and fancy and fun. I was so glad to finally meet Kim, the woman Demetrios married. She was absolutely beautiful. We ate wonderful food and got to know Demetrios' family. Everyone we met was delightful. We were going non-stop the entire time. It was fun to Houston. I fell in love with the area around Rice University. We ended up in that area a lot, and it was so beautiful. I felt like a little kid looking out the window and "oohing" and "aahing" at everything. I was also able to meet Joel Lester and Sara Hinkley. Joel's wife Kelly died from the same cancer as Mark. Sara was one of Kelly's best friends. Even though I'd never met them in person before, there is an amazing connection to people who have experienced the same things. It was a great weekend.

I have to tell you that Lucas finally waved "hello" a couple of days ago. I was so excited I probably made a fool of myself over it, but I didn't care. Those are the things that make it bearable to keep going. Another one of those moments: Tessa played her final soccer game of the season, and in the final quarter she kicked not only the winning goal but her only goal of the season. It was so exciting! You know what I love most about Tess, she talks about Mark all the time. She is always saying things like "daddy would have liked that movie," or "daddy loved eating here." The two of us cry, laugh and talk about Mark together often. I hope that never changes. The boys don't bring up Mark much at all.

I cried over the funniest thing last night. The news was talking about the cable station that was showing the Mountain West games last year and how they were trying to change things around so a bigger fan base would be able to see the games. Anyway at the end of the report as she was wrapping up, she commented that they were trying to fix the problem by the time the Cougars played their opening game in Arizona on September 1. I'm even tearing up again as I type it. An opening Cougar Football game without Mark, that is going to hard. That is second only to all the things he misses that our kids do. Wait---------this seems to be going down the sad path, and that's not what this was supposed to be.

A huge weight was lifted when I heard about a week ago that the investigation was over on the life insurance. The check is coming. Now I just need to pray that the stock market will do well enough so I can still stay at home and raise the kids without having to go to work at least until Lucas is in school. I think by then I'll want to be doing something. I'll probably go back to substitute teaching. I guess we'll see what life brings over the next few years. Maybe I'll find a whole new career idea by then.

Lucas is awake, I'm going to go "get me a little Lucas." Chase came home from school the other day and Lucas was still napping and he said, "Awe, I NEED a litte Lucas." I just love it. It's so true. Lucas is good medicine. From me all the way down to Tessa and even some outside our immediate family, we sometimes just "need a little Lucas" to brighten our day.

Love ya, me