Tree's up

Unfortunately, a person can't buy a Christmas tree in Dell Rapids anymore. So.....bought one at Menards last night and put it in the stand last night. This morning Jeannie and I decorated it and it looks really nice. Of course, there's always the burned out lights that worked when they were put away last but now they don't? Or half the string works but the other half doesn't. Frustration personified. But it's up and looks great. We also put up some outdoor lights yesterday too. Not a ton, just enough to look festive. Naturally, some of the net lights didn't work today but that's OK, they'll just have to stay that way for awhile. The high today is 17F with a nice stiff northwest breeze. Not a good day to be fumbling around with outdoor lighting. The short days and long nights of the frozen Northern tundra have begun. Yay.

I am going to post pictures from past Christmases. It makes me feel happy to think of all the wonderful times we've had as a family. We were so happy. I remember this Christmas because of the matching outfits I bought the kids. Allison's had to be altered to fit. I was happy to find a sweater for Wyatt that almost matched perfectly. I can't remember why Kyla's face was painted, but isn't it cute! And Ginger just loved that cat, Squeege. I also took the kids to JCPenney for pictures. Kyla's dress in the pictures is wet because she had spilled something on her right before pictures. Greg took this picture of us.

One Year

Thanks to our friends we survived the one year anniversary. I will be forever grateful to all of you who reached out to us. It truly lifted the heavy cloak of grief last week. The cards, emails, flowers, gifts, and visits came totally unexpected. We felt embraced. Wyatt felt a part of it all. Thank You! Kyla was able to come home for the weekend. It was so good to be together. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. Greg got helium balloons. I wrote up a short message about Wyatt with our address asking them to write if they found the note and tied them to the balloons. Greg, Kyla, LeeAnn, Joslyn, Jasmine, Hunter, Jackson Wyatt, and I took the balloons to the Mother's Healing Garden. Greg said a few words and we sent them off. It was so beautiful! The laminated notes were like mirrors reflecting the sunlight. They rose into the blue sky flashing light as they went. We watched them as they disappeared. It was such a perfect metaphor of Wyatt's spirit. He is so free and still flashing his light in our lives. And even though we can't see him again while we are here, he is with us all the same. Even when our eyes could no longer see those balloons they were still flying to some far away destination. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Wyatt's life.
Jeremy spent a lot of time with us this weekend too. It was so good to share Wyatt, his journals, his pictures, his childhood things. So much of Wyatt's childhood was shared with Jeremy. Kyla and Jeremy stayed up late in the basement talking and reminiscing the past. It was good. Thank you Jeremy!
Today I went to the cemetary to see the garden and stopped by Wyatt's gravesite. Someone had left a grab bag of candy and trinkets. It was so great! Wyatt is so alive in all of our memories. Thank you for remembering him and please, please, please never stop talking about him. We always love to hear his name. We love all of you. -Jeannie

Nov.8th, 2006, election day aftermath

I lost. There it is, not sugar-coated or spun to make it sound like even though I was a few votes short, it was still a victory. I lost by 684 votes.

I won't say I'm not disappointed, because I am. Nobody likes to be a loser. But as Ginger said last night, our family knows what's REALLY important now, and this wasn't the time for me. There were several key issues on the ballot that polarized the Democrats and they did a great job of getting out the vote. Lots of big name Republican incumbants went down yesterday. About half-way through the campaign I came to the realization that with the war in Iraq, abortion, medical marijuana and civil unions on the ballot in SD, this probably wasn't the greatest year to be a Republican challenger.

But, no excuses. It was probably one of the most interesting challenges I've undertaken. I learned a lot, about the GOP, politics and myself. I raised and spent a lot of money. I put a lot of miles on my truck. Time to get on with my life.