If you are tuning in to my 14 days of lovin' for the first time . You might want to start at the beginning which is all the way down at the bottom. Blogs run oldest post to newest.
OOps a little late today. But here we go again.
I realized today that I am running out of days only 2 more posts until that HUGE day of LOVE! So I will be jumping ahead.
I will briefly touch over the next few years which is really all about the kids anyway. I promised myself that these 14 days of posts would not turn into posts about my kids. Then I realized part of what makes our love so STRONG, SPECIAL, and UNIQUE involves them, our GREATEST BLESSINGS, our wonderful CHILDREN..
The next few years involved spending a lot of time bonding our love through our children
(OUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT)
I remember the joy Jay and I felt when Jayson hit his first ball out of the park right SMACK into Orem center street, much harder and it would have been in the Smith's parking lot. Little did we know this would only be one of many, many more to grace that street.
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Jayson
We had the thrill of Watching Jackson throw his first "Cow Catcher" on an opponent and knowing that "THAT WAS ALL SHE WROTE" and watching him move onto the Varsity team as a freshman, and place in State. Just the beginning of many state tournaments for Jackson.
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Jackson
No one can describe the joy Jay felt when Jordan carried the football into the end zone for the touchdown with three members of the opposing team hanging on him. AINT NOTHING STOPPING THAT KID. How excited we both were when he was invited to play on the varsity team as a freshman.
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Jordan
I knew that Jay loved to spend his time in sporting events (To this day he still can't get enough of those) but I wondered how I was going to get him to sit all day long at a cheer leading or dance competition. What I didn't realize is that for Jay it wasn't just about the event he was watching but it was more about who he was watching. It finally hit me that he actually liked watching Ashley preform and I guess he was really paying attention.
He surprised me one day as we were watching her compete in an individual competition, he leaned over to me and said
"That's an amazing heal stretch."
How in the heck did he know what a heal stretch was, let alone that it was amazing. Well he knew because he didn't just go through the motion of watching her compete and preform he was learning what made her tick. BTW our little girl was not only a state champion but also a 4th. place in individual cheer leading nationals.
I remember the day Jackson left for the New Hampshire, Manchester mission, talk about bitter sweet, the first one to leave the nest----HARD. The really hard part about that was Jayson left that same year for Utah State. Following in his Daddy's footsteps. He would be playing football there for the same coach (Dave Arslanian) That Jay played for at snow.
When those 2 boys left our home, Jay and I both knew that they would never really return. Sniff, Sniff, and heartache for me.
Of course it wasn't too much longer before Jayson would head out to Florida to serve in the Florida, Orlando mission. And right behind him was Jordan on his way to the California, San Fernando mission.
Oh Ache----My house was emptying out way too fast.
The following year Ashley received a dance Scholarship to Utah.
(THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL) Utah!!!
How could we let our daughter attend that school. Well it didn't take long for us to get on board. Help with tuition? That thrilled us no matter what color she would be wearing. And an opportunity to watch her dance yet again. We just wished she didn't have to wear so much RED....
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Ashley
I remember the day we dropped her off at school, it was one of the hardest days of my life. I had thought about it for the weeks prior to her leaving and felt like I could handle it, but I was not prepared at all for what was ahead of me.
Jay and I helped her unload her stuff, as we were carrying boxes up to her dorm room I could feel myself losing it. Trying to hide the tears and the anguish of leaving my last child was extremely hard.
We unloaded the last box and took a little walk around campus and now it was time to say "GOODBYE" to our baby I gave her a hug desperately trying to hold in my emotions, and Then Jay had his turn to say his goodbye's. I watched him put his great big arms around her and give one of those hugs that she loves so much, he was holding on tight, as if he never wanted to let go. And then in "Good Old Ashley" fashion she said I love you Daddy, Our confidant little girl was ready to start her new life and she really didn't need us breathing down her neck.
Jay finally "reluctantly" let go of her and we were on our way.
I swear that was the longest walk back to the truck we have ever taken. Not a word was exchanged by either of us. We climbed into the truck and sat there for a moment no words were spoken, no words were needed, we looked at each other and then it happened. We both started to cry.
Where has the time gone, how would we fill it now. for the last 19 years our WORLD had revolved around these kids and now they were gone--- ALL GONE...
How could we go back to that house so empty and lonely. We had spent the last 10 years cheering our kids on in football stadiums, wrestling arenas, basketball stands, baseball diamonds, track fields, and in auditoriums. We were both hurting A LOT!
We had an "EMPTY NEST" and we were not liking it very much...
OR WERE WE?
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