bennieboo

At Ben's memorial,  I celebrated that he's the only one that has ever been able to pull me up and out of the water. Each time, he'd  patiently, very patiently, work with me until that happened!  I know I said that somewhere I have pictures to prove it! I really didn't know if I still had them, but I knew that they did get taken at some point.  

Early this morning, while shuffling through some old books and boxes, I found my proof. 

Pictured is one of the three distinct times (each during a different trip to the lake) when he worked with me, and worked with me, finally pulling and popping me up and onto the water.  He was able to get this uncoordinated, rickety, little engine out of the lake! 🙌 

And so, in honor of Bennie, I share this little hidden gem that decided to resurface on this very day.  Because 365 days ago today,  ugly truth changed the understanding he had, surrounding his placement on this earth. And just like that, his days became painfully and undeniably numbered. 

I know it's just a stupid picture, and to an outsider it really is not impressive! I mean, I'm barely stabilized on top of that lake, and doing  nothing at all fancy. But to him, and to me, and to all of us that knew Ben, it tells a story about a man who loved his lake, his boat, and his friends.  And he would do anything that he possibly could, for any one of us, especially on the lake. It must have made his heart so happy to see his friends find joy on the water. A joy that he was probably born with. 

Reliving this memory really hit me, and today, the tears that I've more  recently tried to dam up and get a grip over,  broke through like a flood. Amongst these messy emotions, I feel a subtle, quiet, yet profound stir to document this moment. 

RIP, Bennieboo. I've missed you in so many ways, and this photo represents one of the countless  reasons why.  

Tonight, I'll raise a glass to you Ben, my beloved friend. Your courageous, quiet fight for your life that started a year ago today, will never be forgotten. 

💜💔💜

first shared birthday

Valley wide, here in Utah, up until two days ago, we were covered in thick, heavy snow.  Today it is a sunny 72°, with a promise of more sun and 83° on tomorrow's forecast.  

In all of my entire existance on this planet, I do not remember EVER sharing my birthday with Easter Sunday.  I cannot recall this happening at all.  So, to satisfy this claim, I wanted to know if it is actually true.   And, my memory was not wrong! 

Our animals are even happy to be in the spring weather! 

 It has been a very nice, quiet, relaxing day for me.  Ryan left with Shane earlier today to head to Tacoma for a work project, and Dare arrived home around 6 pm, after having been on Spring Break with the Jensen's in St. George since last Wednesday.  So, most of the day entirely, it's been Zen and peaceful, and the promise of sunshine and spring that finally arrived has been the best gift ever!  

Cheers to year 47 and all that will come, as I am yet another year older, and wiser too.  

Happy birthday to me. 

Oh, and, Happy Easter. ;)

a beautiful sunset from the boulevard

 

the winter that never ends

Today is 4 April, 2023 and since that first winter storm that hit us hard on 29th Nov, 2022,  it feels like about the 5000th time we've been blasted by winter, with yet another abundant snow storm.  We are so proud that Dare actually loves helping with the clearing of our driveway.  Many times this winter, not only has he done the driveway, but also cleared the back patio, and onto part of the grass, making sure Bogey has a place to go potty.  He is such a good, kind boy, and this mama is proud. 

As of today, every ski resort in the state of Utah has record breaking snowfall and totals during this 

never-ending winter.  The totals marked in inches. 

Snowbird 785

Alta 851

Brighton 778

Solitude 703

Snowbasin 504

Park City 549

 Deer Valley 538

 

spring fishing on the provo

 

spring baseball

 Spring baseball and the swamp monsters are back in full swing!  They have been practicing indoors since Jan, and I can't believe this is back already!  He loves it though, and we love the coaches and the team community!  They had triple header scrimmages in Salem on Sat.  

haybail, llc

 Ryan has wanted a logo for his LLC, and although I am clueless for the most part on how to make that happen, I decided to give it my best attempt, and this is what I created.

a little update

 I was in the mood for a bit of a change in our front room.  I am still contemplating over the brick surround of the fireplace and whether or not to paint it.  I have a few colors picked out, but have not decided to pull the trigger yet.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy the newness of what is done! 

I reupholstered this chair again.  This is the third look it has had.  I am loving it.  The boys not so much,  But, what do they know!? 

boges

 Bogey is getting so old, and Dare is becoming increasingly protective over him. 

squirrel

 We've has so much fun watching these little guys these past couple years, as they have more recently been a part of our backyard habitat.   They are a squirrel not native to Utah, and remind me of home in Ohio.  Somehow they started showing up, and are now one of our favorite creatures to see out the window!