Signs from Above

One more thing that I think is worth mentioning...I truly believe that once our loved ones pass...there are signs that they send to us letting us know that they are okay. I have experienced a few with my grandparents...and more recently Gooner and I just wanted to share them. Some may think that these are coincidence, and they may be, but I like to think that they are watching over us! :)

Grandpa Reintjes - My Grandpa was a funny guy who endured so much in his life. He lost his leg in WWII, but that didn't slow him down at all, infact - I think it made him stronger. He died of a heart attack (or something of the like), and for years before his final days he was never allowed to eat pickles (because of the sodium). I was living with my parents and one night I awoke from a deep sleep and saw him sitting on my dog, Maggie's kennel. He had both legs and was eating a pickle! Normally, I would think that this was a dream, but my dog Maggie started to bark...I wasn't scared, in fact - I felt a sense of happiness come over me. I knew he was safe, happy, health and...eating pickles.

Grandma Reintjes - My Grandma had a very hard time after my grandpa died. We became very close and to this day I think of her often. When I was in college at SCSU, I lived off campus at this old brick house. My diabetes wasn't the best, so I was tired often. After my 2 p.m. class, I went home and took a nap. I set my alarm because I knew I had to make it to Affinity Plus (my bank) before it closed at 4 p.m. otherwise I wouldn't have any money for the weekend. By mistake, I set my alarm for 3:30 a.m. - so when I woke up, I was completely panicked that it was 3:50. Finding a parking spot on campus was complete hell - but I jumped in my car and raced there all the way saying, Please God, let them be open - PLEASE! I parked my car outside the door (in a no parking zone) and ran inside to the credit union in Atwood. To my surprise, the door wasn't closed yet, I raced in there and said, "Can I please cash this check?" Out of breath and about ready to cry, the lady behind the counter asked, "Sure...you must be Sarah Hawkins." I stopped instantly. "Yes, I am, how did you know?" Now...mind you - I was alone at my house, my parents had NO idea that I was running that low on money and to my knowledge I didn't place any calls that afternoon. The lady said, "Oh, your grandmother called and said you were on your way." Hmmm...my grandmother? The lady responded, "Well, I assumed it was your Grandmother - she was an older lady." At any rate, I was able to cash my check and be okay for the weekend. As I was leaving the bank I checked my cell phone, maybe I called and said I was on my way when I was just waking up (It takes me a bit to focus and if my voice was raspy...well, I could be mistaken for an older lady) Nope - call log was clear. I called my Grandma Ruth in Michigan to ask her if she called. Nope, she didn't. All that I can think of was that my angel Grandma Caddy was looking over me and somehow was able to get the message across to Affinity Plus.

Gooner...He has only been gone for a few days, but here's some interesting happenings...First, just to give you an idea...Gooner is the kind of guy where he would want us to go on with our lives, he wouldn't want us to dwell on his death or the fact that we miss him so much, he would want us to move on with our lives.

#1 ) On February 14, I was at home sick. To pass the time, I thought about Gooner, which led me to our caller ID. I would often look at the call log and remember the times that he called and just smile. One other call on our log was the call on January 24 at 12:30 a.m. - the call we received to let us know that he had died. All other calls were there, except for that one! I thought, maybe Parish erased that call - so I called and asked him. Nope. He didn't. Then that same day, I remembered that Parish's watch he got for Christmas from my sister needed its battery changed, and since I was already going to the drug store, I could pick up a battery too. When I looked at his watch, my mouth dropped open. It stopped on 10:38 - that's exactly the time that Gooner died...10:38 p.m.

#2) Then, this last week...Parish and I went to the doctor on Tuesday night. Parish is the only person that I know of that has the first name "Parish." As we were checking in and they were reading Parish's blood pressure a guy stepped up to the check-in desk and said, "I work for a trucking company and hurt my arm tonight at work." The nurse said, "Okay, can I get your first name" The man answered....you guessed it - PARISH. Weird!! I think that it was Gooner's way of letting us know that he was with us.

When little signs like that pop up in my life, I smile...It's comforting to me and I hope I continue to see these signs for as long as I live...coincidence or not.

TGIF

That's all I can say - all week long I have been looking forward to this day..FRIDAY! Parish and I are in desperate need of a R&R weekend. This week has been hell, from working extra hours for me and confronting another phase in our grieving process...We have been missing Gooner a lot this week, but we made it through, so that's a good thing.

My mom was a huge help, she gave us a piece of advice that we have repeated quite often..."Instead of dwelling on how he died...why don't you focus on how he lived." That has helped us out a great deal. He did live a great life and we are proud to have known him and to be a part of this great family. His memory will live on forever in our hearts! Thanks mom...

On a lighter note, we have huge plans for this weekend...and I don't think that we have been so excited to just lay around and be bums in a long time.

Saturday morning - I look forward to our Saturday mornings which usually consist of delicious coffee, fishing shows and then a jaunt down to the local cafe for some breakfast. The weather will be beautiful, so we are looking forward to that. We are also going to organize the mound of paperwork that has piled up on our kitchen table (you know you are getting old when that excited you). I think we might even head to Home Depot/Menards to search for a new front door. Ah...the joys and excitement of being a homeowner. :)

I also have to mention that I plan on starting my spring cleaning (a little early), but I feel that we need some sunshine in our house, I always feel good when I can walk into our house and it is so clean...so I am looking forward to that too. But to every up, there is a downside and...I am NOT looking forward to the laundry. :)

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, I hope it's a great one. I am just excited to spend QT with Parish, Jackson and my favorite blanket (once my housework gets done).

Happy Leap Day!

SB

Tulek Wedding Weekend

What a memorable weekend. Seriously, I can't remember a weekend (in a long time) that we had so much fun with all of our friends together. It was perfect.

Thursday night - we all met out at Zorbaz's in GR, we danced the night away, sang a little Cher during Karokee and left for home with a bit of a buzz. Parish and I stayed with Cindy, so that was nice.

Friday - Us girls spent a majority of the day decorating Wendigo for Molly's reception. It was beautiful, but there were a few bumps in the road. Wendigo is a beautiful place, but if I ran that joint I would get rid of whoever books weddings. That girl from my own experience and from what I have heard from others is a complete nightmare to work with. She left for the day a little after we started decorating and screwed up the table arrangements. Good thing Molly and Judy were on top of it and could figure it out, but seriously...that woman needs to go! Friday night was also the rehearsal...as Molly and her dad came walking up the aisle, the whole wedding party (including Father Jerry) started singing, "There she was just a walking down the street singing, Do A Diddy Diddy Dumm Diddy Do" It was so cute. Molly and Terry hosted the rehearsal dinner out at their place - it was so beautifully decorated. They did such a good job and it was the perfect setting for everyone to enjoy. Food was great, Company was better - it was just a great night overall.

Saturday was the big day - Molly looked absolutley beautiful! The day went off without a hitch and it was the party of the year!! I am so excited for the two of them as they start this special journey.

I will download a few pictures that I took from my camera later. If anyone else has any - please send them onto me at sarah_parish@msn.com. I would greatly appreciate it (Rowell...this means you!)

Sick on Valentine's Day

Bless my husbands heart - he means so well. Yesterday was Valentine's Day, the night before Parish got his present - HDTV in our living room on our big screen TV, I was feeling a little under the weather, but nothing a little cold medicine couldn't cure I thought... Boy, was I wrong. I went into the clinic and I found that I had a sinus infection, a fever and bronchitis! Ugh. They sent me home with a RX and away I went. I woke up, on Valentine's Day, thinking that I was going to go to work. I shot that idea down right away when my head felt like it was going to explode!

Parish was so sweet, he sent flowers to me at work (which I didn't get until this morning) and a gift certificate for a pedicure. He also made us a delicious dinner - parmesean crusted chicken, garlic twice baked potatoes and pasta salad - I enjoyed it, and I am sure it tasted pretty good - although I have completely lost my taste or sense of smell! He means well. I am hoping that I feel better this weekend, so we can at least treat ourselves to a romantic dinner...

I am leaving work early today to go home and rest. Although I don't have a fever today, I could pass for Ruldolph, I can barely breath and I am sneezing all over the place. So, I am just going to do everyone else a favor and head home!

Hope everyone has a great, safe weekend.

Sarah

Less Than Two Weeks...and Counting!

I remember the two weeks before our wedding - it was the most exciting, nerve wrecking time of my life. We had just bought a house and moved in, dealt with our scum of a landlord, and still managed to throw a beautiful wedding ceremony and one hell of a reception! My friend Molly's wedding is less than two weeks away and I am so excited for her! I am in the wedding, and am of course excited for that as well, but thinking back to the two weeks before our wedding, I am hoping that her transition goes more smoothly. Who said buying a house, starting a new position in a company and getting married all within two weeks was hard? Ha! :)

Parish and I went up to Grand Rapids this weekend, I was originally just going to go by myself for the day on Saturday, but since Parish's dad is gone now, we want to spend lots of time with his mom and sister - so we decided to make a weekend of it. It was fun, we got to see our families and be in the place we both enjoy so much.

Cindy, Parish's mom, is doing remarkably well. I hope and pray every day that the journey that she now has to face alone will be easy for her. She's got a good start and she is such a strong woman - we feel comfortable knowing that she will be just fine. Of course it's tough and we all go through our little moments, but like I said before - we are finding comfort and laughter knowing that Gooner is in a safe place watching over us. I admire Cindy, for her courage, strength and ability to be a good mother at this time in her life. Losing someone is very difficult, but she talks alot about Gooner a lot, crys when she needs to and most importantly laughs every chance that she gets - just like she did when Gooner was around.

Yesterday our ride home from Grand Rapids was the first time since he died that we actually felt normal. Maybe it was the good night sleep we got the night before, maybe it was the good feeling of going to our own home, maybe it was the bright smile that Cindy gave us when we left, whatever it was - we felt good. And that's important.

I hug Parish a little bit tighter every day, say I love you to my family more, cherish memories that normally I would have just shrugged off, and appreciate every little thing in our life. That's what this whole experience has taught me. Live life like Gooner did - to the fullest and you'll have no regrets!