Life...a precious commodity

Life is precious. I know a lot of people say it, but it is totally one hundred percent TRUE. This past week Grandpa Baxter passed away. When We found out, I spent aLOT of time crying. My grandpa is my hero, he has been at every important moment in my life. From my baptism, to when we got married. That is the best part, he was there when I got married. He had been getting progressively more ill as the past few years went by, more and more he wasn't able to come to family picnics and events. All I have wanted since I got out of highschool was for my Grandpa to see me get engaged and get married, he was here for both and because of this I consider myself greatly blessed.

To Lowell J Baxter and A. Reed Blomquist, My grandfathers

Love of country, love of freedom
Fighting for your family, fighting for your love
A group of people brought together as strangers
and leave forever brothers.
You trust them, and they trust you
Your thoughts are never far from why you’re there
Fighting not for yourself, but for others
Others you don’t know, and who don’t know you
But they know that you will be there
Fighting, loving, trusting, keeping them safe

Viewing from another ship the victory that means home
Celebrating with your comrades the freedom you have earned
Not for yourself but for others. Selfless acts of kindness bring
You closer to faith, closer to your god, closer to your goal, closer to your love.
With one stroke of a pen you have won, how does it feel?
Does it ease your mind, heal your heart? Do your heart and mind
Rejoice?

In the dark you hear the news, coming toward you, danger.
A torch that brings it closer shines bright
Golden gates, thousands of people and you can save them
If they help you, you can save them flying towards you, peril,
Brought in as the tide
That torch, that beacon, doused in the night, they are safe
You feel the relief and the ease as fear and danger, terror and peril abate.

Safety, it is what you bring us.
Courage, it is what you have shown us.

Honor, it is what you have that we want

Heart, What you have when all others fail you
Hope, is what you have kept alive with your service
Faith in a country and a cause that shines in your eyes
Bravery in the face of danger and in spite of your fear

Love for your family, love for your country
All these things are what you are, you are the people that we look up to, You are the ones who sacrifice all, you are the ones that we need, because of you, we believe. You ask what you are?
You are veterans, Fathers, Grandfathers, Brothers, heroes of a nation, champions of our cause, remembered always in our hearts.

To my grandfather, I love you forever

Life is Crazy...

So, I woke up this morning after a lovely morning of sleeping in to The Husband giving me a kiss goodbye as he heads off to work. I have decided I am extremely lucky. I have a job, an apartment, and an absolutely AMAZING husband. Work right now is busy for both of us. I work for JetBlue Airways, which is totally awesome! and The Husband, who shall be known as Zach from here on out, works as a Tester in the QA department of Imagine Learning Inc. We both, for the most part, Enjoy our work. Mine keeps me busy when Zach is not at home, and it lets me talk to a whole BUNCH of different people. Sometimes its funny, sometimes its sad, but most of the time my coworkers crack me up. Plus, you would not BELIEVE some of the crazy things we hear in the airline industry, things that are absolutely BONKERS. lol In the past year I have been Invited to go with customers to CanCun, Las Vegas, and California. Sometimes you get the crazies who won't hang up until they think that you have written down their number so that you can call them later, or their email so they can talk to you. Like I said, CRAZY. I will have more stories by the end of the year, I'm sure. Til then!

Alex

Newly Married...

A little late i know, BUT we're married. FINALLY! I thought that the "Engaged Period" (kind of like picaso's 'blue period') would never end. Life, while no less fun and crazy, has definitely slowed down. Things are settling into a more steady flow and routine for both The Husband and I, He works and I work, and when we're off we both chill and do whatever comes to mind. (including housework...shudder)

The Wedding was AMAZING!!! Absolutely spectacular! The cake was awesome (see picture to the side.), the Decor was beautiful (again, see picture to the side) and the food was DE-licious! Or so I heard. We spent so much time talking and greeting our friends and family that food was a fond dream that night, we could smell it but never quite catch enough time to taste it.

The day was beautifully sunny, the only weekend in may that wasn't wet and dreary, and I was so greatful. I woke up that morning, dawn had not even touched the mountains, and it finally dawned on me that we were getting married. We had made it to the most important day of our lives. The ceremony was in one word, Incredible, touching, tearjerking, spectacular, and wonderful. Pictures were a dream, our photographer was Adam Moore. Who is quite possibly one out of 3 people that I trust to take pictures of us. Not to mention he is a FANTASTIC photographer. (See attached photos.

Everything was perfect. But then, I married the perfect person for me. And that really is what its all about. Him, Me, We, Us, One life, One love. Oh gosh, I sound like a Hallmark Card. But who doesn't think like one, even if we don't say it out Loud.


More to Come on the adventures of our crazy, loony lives.


The Lewnyweds

Life...a bumpy road...

I walk through the glass doors into a building that smells like antiseptic and cleaning materials, my shoes squeak on the white linoleum tile floor. The elevator dings when i push the UP button and the doors slide open. I press the button for floor 2 and the elevator starts to rise, as it does my spirits plummet to the basement. No one likes going to a hospital, much less anyone in my family after what happened to dad (ie. death scares, icu visits, and a long long recovery) and now, another family member is there. My grandpa, the person who told me war stories and wrote my birthday cards, who used to tell me he was 'Fine as Frogs Hair.". He is a man who always has a joke on hand to lighten up any situation, and i adore him and always have. He is my hero, he went through World War 2, saw the signing of the peace treaty between Japan and The United states, he has had a full life.

I heard today from my parents that he is dying, and won't be leaving the hospital. You can imagine how i feel, devastated, sad, a little angry, and even a little relieved for him. As I enter the room to visit him, the monitor beeping in the corner as a reminder that we don't have much time left, and when I see a full face oxygen mask over his face I finally start to cry. I see 2 of my closest cousins, lance and meggan, standing next to him holding his hand making him feel loved and not alone in spite of what he faces. I hug them both and the tears fall harder. I don't know what to do, and feel a little lost.


As i stood there and carefully held his hand, he looked at me through the clear plastic mask and smiled at me and told me he was glad I came. Honestly I don't know how I kept it together enough to smile and talk to him. The Respiratory specialist came in long enough to take the mask off and readjust his oxygen, giving us cousins there a chance to kiss his leathery cheek and tell him we love him. I hugged him and heard his heartbeat against my ear, which made me cry again. Soon enough my sisters got there and The Husband (yes i'm married now. :) ) and I left the room to make room for more visitors.


I still don't know quite how to handle myself in the face of all this. Since then Grandpa has gotten a little better, the situation is not quite so dire and he his definitely looking better. It seems like we were gifted with a little more time with the man we all love.


Quirky