April 14th!!

Today is my birthday!  I love my birthday!  It has always been a great day!  I love living an my birthday is the perfect day to celebrate that.

Today however, I am sad.

Not because it is my birthday.  I am sad because yesterday, one of my favorite people and very best friends returned to Heavenly Father.  He has been battling brain cancer for several years.  We were able to visit him last year in June.  It was so fun to renew our acquaintance and spend time with his family.  Oh how dearly I love them!!

copyright: Karen Larsen photography

I will miss him!!  I am mostly sad for his wife.  My heart goes out to her.  She has been so dedicated and diligent in providing for his care.  I want to be there to help her, but I am here.  This is where I should be, but it doesn't change the longing of my heart.  I know she will have love and support.  I just wish I was there to show mine.

We had so much fun together!!  So much growing and learning in those early years of our marriage and our friends were right across the street.  Here are some of the things we did together.

Big D had just had surgery on his back for some work injuries.  He was walking the block to rehabilitate himself.  I was home babysitting and was new in the ward.  I would take the kids I watched out into the sunshine at lunch, the same time D was out walking.  We started visiting each day.  Pretty soon, he suggested that Drew and I come to his house for dinner to meet his wife.  I had to pull Drew's teeth to get him to go with me to the dinner appointment.  He didn't want to go and socialize with more people.  But he relented and finally went over there.  It took 30 minutes.  30 minutes into dinner, D and Drew became immediate and best friends.  For the next three to four years, Drew would go over to D's house, almost nightly to keep him company when he couldn't sleep because of the pain in his back.  They could talk politics, sports, religion, anything!   They had different views about things and different favorite teams.  Drew loved California and D loved Utah.  But on the important things, they loved and supported each other.  Kimmie and I just kind of watched in disbelief.  We had our own friendship, but with Kimmie working full time and me with babysitting and then with our children who came along, we didn't have as much time as the guys to be friends.  But it was awesome to know that our husbands had such good friends in each other.

When our oldest baby got so sick, D and Kimmie stocked our refrigerator with a week's worth of quick foods. 

D and Kimmie couldn't have children right away.  It took them six years.  We would take our babies over to their house to play.  Drew was a counselor in the Bishopric of our married ward.  Kimmie was called as the Primary President.  Drew set her apart.  In her blessing, he promised her that she would have children in this life with D.  A few years later they had their daughter, then two sons, all within three years.  Then they had their last little son a few years later.  Drew was pretty stressed about that promise.  But the Lord fulfills His promises and it was He who gave the blessing.  Drew was just the voice.

We attended their first baby blessing, and their second and maybe even the third.  I don't remember.

But those are just some of the highlights.  We love you Big D!!!  We will miss you!  You will forever be a part of our hearts :-)

All our love!!