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Showing posts from November, 2005

Thanksgiving

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 1:12 AM CST Well, we made it through Thanksgiving. That's about it. We made it through. It was hard. Just as hard as I expected. Harder in some ways. Dave was missing at every corner. Denise and I kept looking at each other, saying, "Dave would love this." There was no Dave to do funny things to the turkey, no Dave to get in the way when I was making dill rolls (which I didn't make), no Dave to say a prayer before the meal, no Dave to remind us what we were gathering for, no Dave to fight with Dad over the peach pie, no Dzve to dance silly dances, sliding through the kitchen. No goofy hats. No unexpected hugs. No toll gates. No shouts at the football games. No sense of wonder. No child-like delight. No Dave. Just a hollow feeling. The sense of something missing. Someone missing. Us missing someone. It was good to see Denise, Darren and kids as well as my mom and dad. We were glad to be with them again, it was far too long. The kids

Quarter

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 10:33 PM CST Okay, I was wrong. I am grateful. For all of you. You are such steadfast supporters, always there in deed, thought and prayer. I am thankful. I am thankful that I got to have Dave in my life at all, even though it was far too short. Many, many blessings have come our way, and I am indeed grateful. And yet, still, there is this part of me that screams....TAKE IT ALL AND GIVE DAVE BACK! Talking to Claudia, she said something that resonates with me...for instance, yesterday, I wanted to get back in bed, pull the covers over my head and wait. Wait for him to come home. I wanted to say, "Okay, God, I'm done. I did well, I've been strong, I passed the test. Now give him back." Three months. Three months. A quarter of a year. That "quarter" does weird things to my mind. I keep thinking about when Doug (Dave's college best friend) brought me a cake with the word "HAPPY" and all these squiggles on it. He
Monday, November 21, 2005 1:39 AM CST I found this note from Dave today. Not the first time. Not the first time I've seen this note, it's been tucked away for years. And not the first time I've found a note from Dave since he died. I've found many. Hundreds probably. Dave was a note-leaver. On the bathroom mirror, under my pillow, in my pockets, on my windshield. His love language was "acts of service." And that was how he showed his love. By doing the little things, things that showed he cared. When I got ready to leave the house in winter, I'd find my windshield already scraped. When I stayed up late, and Dave was already asleep, I'd find my toothbrush sitting next to the sink, toothpaste already applied, and my contact case waiting there, too. When he was gone late to football games, he'd leave messages on the answering machine, singing songs, so I'd be able to hear his voice when I got home. I can't tell you how much I miss hi
Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:57 PM CST That should say, "Kate." We love you all. 'Chelle

Quick Update

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:16 PM CST Hello everyone, Just a quick note. Zach had his first basketball game today. To check his schedule, click here: PiHi 8th Grade Schedule Kate is enjoying choir and dance at school and preparing for her dance recital at Cordiner Hall on December 17. She seems to be doing well with not having to switch schools and feels more secure. Kenny is trying out for basketball at WaHi. I'm quite proud of him, because there must be at least 40 freshmen in there, and only room for about 24 players on the teams. He's working hard. Watch the paper, everyone, on Thursday, I put a note to you all in there, with a pic of Dave. I'm working on the handwritten "Thank You" notes, but with tendonitis in my right arm and 600 to write, progress is extremely s...l...o...w! I apologize for that. I hope you know how very much all your support is appreciated. Thanks Wendye for the soup, "Spouting once, spouting twice, spouting chicken soup with rice!
Tuesday, November 8, 2005 8:31 PM CST NEW ALBUMS WITH ALL THE ROCK PHOTOS, ALL THE COUG PHOTOS AND ALL THE TOUCHDOWN PHOTOS--CLICK ON THE FAMILY PHOTO LINK ABOVE (THE YAHOO ONE) Union-Bulletin article entitled "Rock Solid Tribute" Bear with me, this page keeps getting revised as I learn more of the story behind this awesome memorial. Keep checking to be sure you've read the latest version. Another amazing, heart-warming, gut-wrenching day in this journey. Val told me to bring the kids and be at the WaHi gym at 3:30. We gather, the day crisp, clear and cool, the sun shining brightly, not a cloud in sight. Football season is over, bringing a sense of sadness coupled with a new freedom. Anticipation fills the air. As this huge flatbed semi pulls into the parking lot, with a mysterious, huge lump wrapped in plastic on the back, I find myself looking for Dave, truly expecting him to come jogging out from behind the weight room, keys jingling, the ever-present bounce in his ste

Surprise

Tuesday, November 8, 2005 2:22 AM CST CaringBridge is acting funny, I know the guestbook is taking a long time to load. I saved all the journal entries and all the guestbook entries to a cd, just in case. I tried to change the background to COUG colors, but the button says "create page" instead of "update page" so I'm afraid to click it and lose everything. I lost all the formatting of the front page, but was able to retrieve it from history, whew! Zach and Tiff had a ton of fun at the Cougar game, we were all jealous. Kenny and Zach get to go next weekend with Uncle Bob and Granpa Bob. The girls are getting pedicures. Conference week already. Whew, that was fast. The kids all have stellar report cards. Amazing. I'm very proud of them, since many, many times the last thing any of us feel like doing is what needs to be done. And in comparison to the monumental task of learning to live without Dave, schoolwork, housework...all those daily things just seem pret

Learning

Friday, November 4, 2005 1:24 AM CST Wow, what a couple of weeks it's been. Kate came down with the flu. Nothing like a sick kid to bring everything into sharp relief. Everything is put on hold. Nothing matters but the moment, no matter what else is going on, it waits. It was hard. Not just for all the usual reasons, but because I was so alone. Dave was the sick-kid-guy. Nobody is better at cleaning the carpet, rinsing the towels, bringing a cool cloth, running to 7-11 for gatorade, running to WaHi in the middle of the night to be sure there were plans for his class for the next day. As a teacher, Dave had sick leave and a substitute system to call on. At the college, for most years, I didn't have benefits, and we don't have a sub pool. If I'm gone, my supervisor covers my classes or we cancel. So, Dave has been the stay-at-home-rock-the-sick-baby Daddy for years. So, as I'm holding Kate's hair back so she can throw up at 4 am, I just cry. I cried because I was

Dare You To Move

Tuesday, November 1, 2005 11:28 PM CST Music Video Codes by VideoCodeZone.com Dare You To Move by Switchfoot Welcome to the planet Welcome to existence Everyone's here Everyone's here Everybody's watching you now Everybody waits for you now What happens next? What happens next? I dare you to move I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor I dare you to move I dare you to move Like today never happened Today never happened before Welcome to the fallout Welcome to resistance The tension is here The tension is here Between who you are and who you could be Between how it is and how it should be I dare you to move I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor I dare you to move I dare you to move Like today never happened Today never happened Maybe redemption has stories to tell Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell Where can you run to escape from yourself? Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go? Salvation is here I dare you to move I