Celebration of Life

This is a first loss for me
The loss of a peer, a coworker
A friend.
Since it’s a first, it’s hard to know what I should be feeling
Or when these feelings will go away.
Like, will I ever stop thinking about her?
About the life she lived, the way she died?
The short, sudden burst of tears blur my eyes.
I thought that clichés would help me right now…
The “at least she died doing what she loved”, or
“everyone has to go at some point”.
But those aren’t enough. They don’t work for me.
Nothing, really, is enough right now.

Brooke's Celebration of Life is scheduled for this Thursday. As my mom says, "it's gonna be heavy"...

Counting the homeless

Many of you may remember that at my previous job, I did a lot of work with (and in) the homeless population. The organization I worked for helped communities count the number of homeless for HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development) funding requirements. The count happens every 2 years, and well...it's happening in 2009. So my old colleagues called me up to help out - it takes a lot to wake up at 4am to organize people (sometimes without coffee!)

So it went surprisingly smoothly this morning...Kelly and I woke up bright and early and were greeted by many homeless and volunteers alike at the Palo Alto shelter. It took about an hour, but we paired everyone up, got everyone maps, and sent them on their way! All teams reported back successfully, and most importantly, felt like they did something good and made a contribution.

What a good way to start a brand new week, considering that last week was one of the worsts I've ever had....

Silence....

I woke up this morning, already feeling like a 5 pound brick was lodged in my throat (I guess my trip to Atlanta has finally caught up wth me)...only to snooze my alarm and wonder if I could make it to work without coughing up a lung. I checked my email and my facebook and was shocked to see that an old friend, an adventurous, spirited, athletic, beautiful 31 year old woman had passed away doing what she loved most - climbing with her husband. The details are still fuzzy, but ice struck her and she fell 400 feet off of Mt. Hood. Her husband skiied to her, adminstered CPR, but it was of no use. I mourn for her, her family, Thad (her husband), and the countless others who were touched by her warm spirit and enthusiasm. You never realize how much someone touches your life until they are gone....

To my adventurous, spirited friends: I love you. Keep on doin' what you're doing.

I want this!

Instead of an invitation, isn't this poster idea ADORABLE???

Proud to be an American....

Finally! It's been 8 loooong years. I'm finally proud to be an American. Yes we can. Yes we did!

Bridesmaid dresses

Everyone has been asking me, "what are your colors?" I have to admit that I haven't quite gotten that far in the wedding planning, but I have found some bridesmaids dresses that I love!

wildflowers

I can't wait to use fresh, local wildflowers at our wedding. I haven't found the exact centerpiece idea yet, but it they will look something like these. Any suggestions?

Our website

Thanks to my mom, we have a fantastic wedding website! It has a little bit of info on it now, but will have lots more once the date gets closer. Check it out!
www.bolingstobe.com

It's inevitable...

This blog will most likely now consist of my crafts, my travel stories, AND my wedding! And to kick it off, here are a few of the J Crew dresses I'm drooling over (and all under $400! Yeah for my budget!)

Late Christmas pics

Though it's a few weeks late, here are some pics from our great Christmas in Vallejo (at Marie and Dallas' new house) and Groveland (it snowed there!). We had a great time and were surrounded by both sides of the family. I'm sooooo thankful that we all get along really well, and am so happy to be marrying into a wonderfully fun family!

Pictures courtesy of Marie...I still haven't downloaded mine yet :)


Me wearing the Christmas beanie

Cadence opening one of many presents

The presentation of Paul's birthday cake...complete with red hots!

Group pic

Cadence eating snow....yum!

The meadow with snow

I know, I know...

I've been REALLY bad about blogging the past couple weeks. What with the holidays, Paul's birthday, a wedding to plan, and work to get done, I've been what you would call stressed lately. Tomorrow I will post all of my lovely pics from our wonderful holiday vacation, so stay tuned!