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Its been a heartbreaking and beautiful year...

It has been a great year… Thanks for being apart of it.Sound familiar?It is the newest thing that Facebook creates to showcase a few of your photos through out the year.I of course created one but once it was completed I realized that showing myself and my FB Friends a total of 12 pictures was not enough to show just how amazing, tragic, heartbreaking and beautiful 2014 was….

January

I think I start each New Year reading this quote by George Carlin. It is just too true and it reminds me to DO MORE and spend LESS time wasting the present on things that don't matter!




February 

"Happy Heart Month - a full month to be mindful and raise awareness for Congenital Heart Defects.With awareness comes funding. With funding comes research. With research comes hope.With hope comes LIFE."




A couple of my favorite heart moms!

February is NOT on only Heart Month it is also the month that Mason was diagnosed with HLHS so it can become an emotional month as we look back on all he has been through.



You can read all about out February Adventures on this Blog... Just click here!HLHS gave us a life long accidental purpose and pushes us to love more, do more and give back more.I think we are doing a nice job of making Heart Disease our Bit&h! (Please excuse my language)









February also brought the month my Little Sister was born. This year she turned 30!!!!CHEERS!

March

The beginning of the month kicked off with closing on our home and MOVING!This is how Mason helped!


HOME SWEET HOME!




We also celebrated our spirited little girl!Kendall Grace turned TWO!

Then the unthinkable happened.On March 22nd, 2014 our entire community was turned upside down by a catastrophic mudslide that claimed the lives of many and effected the lives of many more."Live as if you'll die tomorrow, dream as if you'll live forever"James Dean




APRIL 
BASEBALL! This video sums up the season!











May

Spent a weekend away with a few friends!
 (all of whom I CHERISH)






PALEO LIVING!
Blueberry muffins with zero grains and zero sugar!


Begun making our house into a home!

This photo wraps up May nicely!COFFEE - Please and Thanks!

June

THIS MONTH GAVE US A SIX YEAR OLD!

 
He wakes up on his Birthday and says "I am Six now. I need to study"So that is exactly what he did! 


One of my youngest cousins graduated college... You know you are old when!!!

These kids celebrated the BEST DAD!

We mapped the Oso Strong 5K race!

 We spent time with extended family!
So needed and even more fun!





Lastly we spent as much time as we could in the pool!


July



How can you put words to describe such an AWESOME event. I can't. I am not that talented. No string of words that I could ever put together would do this event justice.

    
Together the community was able to give back SO much more than money.




August

After wrapping up what we thought was going to be our BUSIEST month of the year we took some time for R&R with family!








September

This month was by far the most productive, fun and heart breaking month of the year.


Mason had his wish granted!!!Off to Alaska we went!

 
 
 
 
 
 


We CELEBRATED the Amazing Christie Buie at the Annual Anytime Fitness Conference!

   


September then took a tragic turn...It happens in the blink of an eye and before tragedy strikes the day usually starts just like any other.September 16th was no different. I woke up in Portland. Early.Got ready. Packed my clothes and was off to catch a flight to Boise, ID.For a lot of different reasons all outside of my control I missed my flight. At this point I hadn't missed a flight in more than 20 years and considering I fly often that is a small miracle.Scrambling to get to Boise the agent at the gate suggested that I hop on the flight to Seattle (leaving in 10 minutes mind you) to catch the next flight to Boise....That is exactly what I did and by another small miracle I actually made that flight with probably 30 seconds to spare.Although, once in Seattle. I found myself stuck. I missed my second flight to Boise. I felt defeated.Scrambling to re-arrange my day and change my attitude I was interrupted by my sister. But instead of asking me some random question or wanting to come over to cook for me and my family she was calling to share horrible news.Our cousins daughter had tragically passed away.A beautiful young life was gone. In the blink of an eye.I have tried multiple times to write about the untimely death of this beautiful little girl but the words don't ever seem to do her life justice and at the end of the day this story of her life. It's not mine to tell. Its her parents and in their own time they will share it.What I can say is that from my experience when you learn of a childs death.... It takes your breath away.You lose the ground from under neath you.

I have attended more children's funerals than I ever thought possible. I have sat and mourned with families whose children have passed too soon and it does not and will not ever get easier.Losing a child is something NO PARENT should ever have to face and when it came to my family I fully understood that the chances of someone or one of us losing a child fell in our lap. The odds are stacked against us. We came to terms with that years ago. Even still we can not image living without Mason or Kendall. Its unimaginable.


 


I don't think any parent who has ever lost a child ever completely recovers. After all, children are a part of you and when your child dies I image if forever alters the way in which you define your past, your present and your future.









This family is facing some of their darkest days but I know that together they will find their new normal. They will never be the same again but I know they will inspire a new way of living.Life is fragile and must be lived in the present.

I encourage you to help this family bless others who suffer from losing a child. You can read more about their mission on facebook..Raise for Rowyn

Rowyn was a beautiful light in this world that will never be forgotten.

October

October was full of Basketball and dreams!









November

November was a calm month. I think our family needed to lay low. 
Looking back on my social media sites there wasn't a lot of activity...
I think by this point we had a 2014 hang over.

These kids!

Mason was honored at this year Festival of trees!

We kicked off the Christmas Season with our PJ tradition!

December


We celebrated the birth of our Savior!

We said goodbye to our beloved Elf! 
Until next year Charlie!

Greg and I continue to age!

Kendall was able to play with sugar - she is just NOT allowed to eat it!

Mason had a solo in his Schools Christmas Concert!
It was beyond cute and I am still trying to figure out how to post it!

Kendall and I both discovered red lipstick


We started new tradition with a cousin camp out!


We had a Christmas Day bon fire!

We celebrated and remembered Rowyn!


Well I think that is a wrap!
I have now spent most of this year recapping last year while Mason has been writing in his "dream" book and Kendall has been catching up on Bubble Guppies. Greg is on shift. 

I think it is NOW time to go make some memories in this NEW YEAR!

But before I go I must give props where props are due...
HUGE shout out to Facebook. 
If it wasn't for this social media site I would not have been able to tell you which small events happened in what month!

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST IN 2015!

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