Wishing for a blizzard (or, Amy loses her mind)

There are times when I edit Amy and Shannon just a bit. I can't help it. My inner English major comes out with her red pen and pushes things around, snips out a word here or there, and splits a paragraph so it will be more accessible to a website reader. So far, they've indulged me and haven't smacked me in the head.

But today I am giving you the fullblown Amy, who has clearly lost it. Wishing for a blizzard? Oh sure, I remember those white-coated moments (a pal in Colorado just told me it looked like every tree had been dipped in marshmallow creme!). And in Wisconsin (where I grew up, mostly) they were lovely, surreal, and constant. Now, however, I'd be quite content with neat 1" dustings that sit perfectly on the grass. The panic and stupidity that follow a snowfall far outweigh its aesthetic qualities.

So here's what we must do: if you actually are in a place with the white stuff, shovel it up and ship it to Amy immediately. Perhaps when Fedex pulls up with 3 truckfuls of snow, she will finally jolt back to reality and yearn for something normal. Like a beach.


Hello, everyone,

Thanks so much to everyone who kindly sent me birthday wishes. I survived the day and actually had a lovely evening, thanks to Shannon planning a fantastic surprise dinner for me. It was lovely and I had a great time. I appreciate everyone who made it a special day in spite of being a sad one. And yes, Jen, Shogun rocks.

Our Lady Comets are now 4-0…I wish the whole world could see them play! We are so proud of their hard work and completely unselfish play. Every single one of our girls scored last Saturday! Shannon is such a great coach and cares so much about all of the kids, not just the ones on our team. Being at the Rec Center on Saturdays is the highlight of the week. I can’t believe the season is already half over.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the chance of a winter storm. What a stupid winter we are having…where is the SNOW??? (Wait, I know about the east coast snow, courtesy of our dear friends out there…LOL) But what about the deep, beautiful snows we used to get here when we were kids? The snow that closed Meridian for the nearly the entire month of January when I was in the 4th grade??? It wasn’t THAT long ago…yikes. All Sahara wanted last winter was a really awesome snowstorm and she didn’t get one. You know the kind I mean...the heavy snow that is so pretty as it piles up in the yard…covering the driveway as soon as Shannon gets it shoveled…really good packing snow that is the BEST for snowballs…coming down so hard that it drowns out any other noise with the slightest whispers of the flakes as they hit the ground…. I love how it sounds outside when it snows. Traffic goes away, and it is so peaceful. I’d give anything to have one of “Sahara’s snows.”

It seems that a lot of people thought Sahara was named after Rick’s album, “Sahara Snow.” But she was actually born three years before it was released. We didn’t even meet Rick until 1998. It is kind of wild, though…almost like a prelude of sorts. Wow, how much has happened since then…

It’s so easy to see Sahara all around me…and to see the goodness she brought into the lives of so many. I can’t count the times that I’ve gone to the grocery store or the mall and been approached by friends of Sahara…classmates, teachers, and so forth…who will tell me something sweet or funny that she did or said…and how special she was.

I received this email from a fellow Rick fan. I asked her if I could share it with all of you and she said yes. Thought you might enjoy reading it.

Hi Amy and Shannon. I have to tell you your little girl was on my shoulder
today. Weird as it may seem, I have been looking for a scrapbook store around here that has a good selection, crop sessions, etc. and have never been able to find one. Today I opened up the phone book and there was "Bonnie's Place For Scrapbooking. I went over after work today and looked around and was pleasantly surprised, it was exactly what I was looking for. I made my purchases and talked with Bonnie the owner and she started telling me about an event that is taking place there in February. Its called Crop For Kids. You won't believe this, the proceeds and money raised benefits of all things The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

I about fell over when I heard that. Bonnie started telling me about the lady that is doing it and how her daughter, Paige, was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was not quite two at the time. She was telling me all that little Paige had gone
through, how they had to put in a central line to give her radiation because she
had to be sedated, etc. So far since removal of the tumor and all the treatment, it was cancerous, her MRI's have remained clean. They are continually checking her for developmental and cognitive difficulties but all seems fine. I told Bonnie about Sahara and she was saddened by her story. I was just floored after going out. Sahara had to have guided me to that store and I don't believe otherwise. It was amazing she knew right where to send me that I would be comfortable and the store was perfect.

You see, she's still here with us and she's letting us know she's here and I believe with all my heart she will continue to let us know that she's around in little ways. Just keep looking and she'll be here when you least expect it.

Isn’t that a cool story? Thanks to Kim A. for letting me post it on the blog.

It takes awareness to get action. Part of our goal to honor Sahara’s memory is to spread the word about the need for helping families who are struggling with this disease, and to encourage giving to worthy institutions to further advance the hope for a cure. Before Sahara got sick, I never had a reason to think about how many children are suffering with brain tumors, much less how many TYPES of tumors exist. I hope that as awareness increases people will get involved and help families in their local areas the way our community (far and near) has graciously supported us. You just can’t do it alone.

Thanks to everyone who continues to read and post…we are honored and humbled by your presence here.

With love,
Amy