In Memory

I learned this week that a high school classmate passed away. The funeral was this morning in Colorado. I sit here now, hours after he was laid to rest, collecting the thoughts and feelings that have been swirling in my mind and heart all week.

It's always a shock when someone so young is lost; we can't fathom how something so terrible could happen. Jon was a person full of life, living his dream, and on the cusp of starting a new chapter with a new love and family.

We were friends back in the day. The past 20 years I'd not seen him much, but had reconnected the past several years on Facebook, like so many classmates have. Sharing of photos and a few chats here and there have been my main connection to him in our adult lives. His posts reflected positivity; his photos full of his adventures in the mountains he loved. He was a person I truly enjoyed keeping in touch with, and admired for his obvious love of people and community as well as his dedication to fulfilling a dream and living life to the fullest.  Jon touched many lives, which has become apparent by the outpouring of grief and compassion by our high school community in the wake of his death. He had a warm smile (given readily), a love of the outdoors, good looks, intelligence, an appreciation of music and the arts,  a goofy sense of humor, and a gift for making people feel comfortable. His light will be greatly missed in this world.

This week I've turned to my memories to get me through. As I reminisced, I realized that I have some very singular memories of Jon that are frequently brought to mind as I go about my days. These memories are his legacy in my life. Here are two of my very favorites...

This is an unlikely pleasant memory, but one I cherish. Jon and I were part of a contingent of high school juniors and seniors who went on a Close-Up trip to Washington, D.C. for a week. The trip there was my first plane ride. Needless to say, my stomach did not agree with the flight. Jon was sitting next to me, and as I repeatedly hit the barf bag, he was appropriately concerned while simultaneously cracking jokes. It's such an encapsulation of who he was as a person, and it makes me smile every time. The whole trip itself is also a source of good memories.

My absolute favorite memory of Jon happened the summer before our sophomore year of high school, just before school started. I was at a sleepover with a bunch of girls, and Jon and our friend Jason came by. I was feeling down about a recent breakup and they stuck me in the back of a minivan (I think Jason was driving, but not sure), and we drove around for a bit. I was sitting in the backseat in my ESLEEP pajamas (remember those baseball jersey/boxer sets?), listening to those two loveable idiots screeching out the words to The Police's "Roxanne" and completely cracking up. It is a memory I recall every time I hear that song, and plenty of other times in between. I had so much fun with those two during our high school years.

I saw Jon a few times during college, but hadn't seen him much since then. As I think about his passing I lament that I didn't have the opportunity to know him better as an adult. I feel profound sadness for this loss but I know so many others close to him are grieving so deeply.  The only thing we have left are memories, but damn if they aren't some good ones. He had that effect on people. I wish it was something he had seen in himself, that would have turned him from the terrible, heartbreaking decision he made.

Jon's inscription in my junior yearbook reminds me that he always had this dream of living out West, and he worked hard to make it come true.

I only wish we'd had more time, and that I had been able to see him there, if only for a visit.

I hope you have found peace, friend. We are still working on it.

Summer Weekend Warriors 7/5: July 4th and 20 Years Go By Fast

Thursday night we headed down to good 'ol Storm Lake for a good 'ol Fourth of July celebration! It was also the weekend I celebrated my 20-year high school reunion.

I got to ride on a parade float!

Note for next reunion - more candy. We ran out before the end!

Cutie cousins heading from Aunt Laurie's house to the park.

Cardboard boat races.

All this excitement, and they're looking for rocks.

3 Musketeers.

We waited a long time at the park before fireworks...

...well over an hour...

...for this balloon penguin!

The reunion festivities really started on Saturday. There was a picnic at Chautauqua Park for classmates and our families. In the early evening, Husband and I went out for dinner with some of my close friends and their spouses, then everyone reconvened at the park for awhile for boat rides and drinks before going out. We went to the hub of Storm Lake night life, Puffs. (I'm happy to say the bathrooms are much cleaner than the original Puffs from back in the day).

I have to say I really had a good time at the reunion. It was a relatively small turnout, maybe about 25% of the class, and not all at the same time. People drifted in and out of the various activities. There were some notable absences (like the people who actually live in town and were spotted in town), but the crowd that was there was fun! I enjoyed the company of my close friends, reconnected with others, and learned a lot about a few of my classmates that I maybe didn't know so well back then. I really had no preconceived notions or expectations about it. It was relaxed and fun, and I hope we get even more people to show up for 25.

And can I say...I just love these ladies! So blessed to have them in my life since high school (and even before that in some cases).

We crossed something off the SUMMER list! parade fireworks

Summer Weekend Warriors 6/29: Roses and Friends

This weekend Lucy and I made a trip to the Lyndale Park Rose Garden in Minneapolis. It was a completely gorgeous day and we very much enjoyed strolling through the gardens to see and smell the flowers, soak in the sunshine, and make new friends (like a florist setting up for a wedding, and a Deerhound named Babe). I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Sunday evening, our friends Jacquie and Erik came over for dinner. It was a wonderful evening of catching up, and a perfect night to sit on the deck. Lucy and Erik were best buds, and he even read her a book in Spanish (Erik is a Spanish teacher). They are wonderful friends who have been through a rough few months with such grace, and we were so happy to spend this evening with them.

This last photo taken through Lucy's Lens. :)

We crossed something off the Summer List! Rose Garden

Big Birthday Weekend

Wow, are we exhausted! We now have an appropriately celebrated five-year-old. Parties and house guests and sweets, oh my!

FRIDAY - Our gift to Lucy was a redecorate of her room. She was surprised!

By Birthday Girl request, dinner at Red Lobster. With cake as big as her head!

Then Grandma and Grandpa arrived, and we stayed up too late.
Couldn't even make it to the bed...

SATURDAY morning - Show Week at Little Gym! Videos here.

Showing off in the gym.

Cousins arrived! Playtime ensued.

Then, party time! Lego cake as requested.
(Target cake with addition of candy Lego bricks and figures made from a mold purchase on Amazon - way cool!)

All four cousins!

Uncle Jason is a jungle gym.

Another late bedtime. Guess which one is sleeping?

SUNDAY - church, then saying goodbye to our cousins.

Then off to a "friends" party at the nature center.

Lucy surprised us by choosing a snake to take out,
and absolutely zero reservations about holding it!

The whole gang. 

And then...home at around 5:00pm, where we all took naps.

The End.

Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Easter in Iowa

Got to have "moms only" coffee with my dear friend Laura -
two of her kids (delightfully) crashed the party before we were set to leave.

Grandpa broke out the bounce house!

Great Gram.

And they're off! Saturday night Easter egg hunt.

The Easter Bunny always makes a good showing at Grandma's house!

Love.

Saturday night viewing of "Turbo."

They clean up pretty nicely!

Great family time!

Sting/Paul Simon

Lastnight I had the distinct pleasure of seeing and hearing two of my musical idols - Sting and Paul Simon. Somebody pinch me!

I had not been to a "big" concert in quite awhile, so the trip to Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul was a treat. But the REAL treat was the main attraction...and it did not disappoint! The concert started off with both men together on stage. They sang together, they traded off verses of each other's songs. It was pretty awesome. Sting then did his own first set, keeping things interesting by throwing in some repertoire from his Police days. Then Paul came out on his own, and the highlight of his first set was a pitch-perfect "Still Crazy After All These Years." Sting was in wonderful voice - he hasn't lost a bit of his mojo and sounds as good as his first Police albums!  Paul, for his part, certainly can't reach some of the same high notes as he once could, but still sounds fabulous, especially for being 72 years young! 

They sang a couple of songs together, and Sting came back out for his second set, which started off with a heartbreakingly beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "America" (I have always loved that song). Then, things kind of went downhill from there. In the middle of a song that I can't remember the name of right now (it was a newer one with which I'm not very familiar), the speaker started making a God-awful noise. Sting went off stage, and returned a couple of minutes later and successfully broke into "Roxanne." BUT - about halfway through, the speakers went wonky again and his whole sound system went down. He kept playing and the crowd finished the song for him/with him, which was kind of a cool moment. Apparently, the two singers/bands could not share sound systems, which is sort of confusing to me...but unfortunately it meant that Sting was done for the night. So we got a little extra Paul, and some additional Sting/Paul collaborations, and that was it. The biggest disappointment was no "Every Breath You Take" (one of my all-time favorite songs), which apparently was planned for his second set.

Despite the system difficulties, all in all it was a fabulous evening. The most fabulous part, though, was spending time and sharing the experience with my dear friend Kristy. It's not often we get to see each other, and what better way to enjoy it than share it with STING?! Love this woman to pieces.

Consequently, this wasn't the first time Kristy and I had seen Sting together. The first time was 1996 in Bonner Springs, KS - Sting and Lyle Lovett. What do you say, Kristy...maybe Sting again in another 15 to 20 years? :)