Shad's Graveside Memorial Service

On August 30, we held a graveside memorial service for Shad.  We are incredibly grateful for all the love and support that so many family members and friends provided for us at this difficult time.  We cannot thank all of you enough for the prayers, hugs and kind acts.

 

Everything that I would want to express from the graveside service was shared in the talks that were given.  Briefly, I would just say how grateful I am for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who overcome death and made it possible for Sarah and I to be reunited with Shad after this life.

For those who are interested in seeing the program or reading the talks, I have provided links to them here:

Program

Sarah's Talk

Bryan's Talk

Harold's Talk

    

  

  

 

   

  

   

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Lisa's Visit

After Sarah's C-section, Lisa came out to help with things around the apartment while Sarah recovered before we went out to Utah for Shad's burial.  While she was here, we celebrated Sarah's birthday and she and Sarah worked on making a Halloween quilt for us.

 

We  also visited the Rose Rock Museum in Noble (the Rose Rock capital of the world), which was closed the days we tried to go when Wes and Lisa came out in June.  We were able to get some nice rocks for Wes to add to his collection.

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Braum's Tour

Before Sarah's parents came out to visit us in June, we asked some friends around here for recommendations of things we could do while they were here.  One of the recommendations was to get a tour of the Braum's dairy farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma (about 40 minutes northwest of Norman).  So, a few days before they arrived, we called to see if we could sign up for a time for a free tour.  We were a little nervous when the voicemail message said that they don't let people sign up for same week tours, but we thought we might be able to sign up for the following Monday or Tuesday before Wes and Lisa left.

Man, were we wrong about that.  The lady called Sarah back and told her that the next available tour was the first week in August!  We were surprised to see that the interest was so great that they were booked out two months in advance, but decided to take the slot while we had the chance.

When the scheduled day finally arrived, we drove out to Tuttle where we found the cow-painted tour bus and enjoyed our tour around the facility.  For those unfamiliar with Braum's, they have stores around Oklahoma and Texas (I think it is within about 300 miles of the farm so that everything can be delivered fresh and the drivers can make the drive round-trip in a day and be home to their families) where they have a fast-food portion with burgers, ice cream and shakes and also a market portion where they sell their milk, ice cream and produce.

As part of the tour, we visited the bakery where they make all of their own buns and ice cream cones used in their stores.  We also got to see the milk and ice cream production where the milk and ice cream is put into its containers and prepared for shipping.  The highlight of the tour was the end when we each got a free ice cream and a freshly baked cookie from the bakery.  Even though there was quite a long wait to get our free tour, it did not disappoint.

 

   

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Gwen's Make-A-Wish Trip

The last week in July, we went down to Florida for Gwen's Make-A-Wish trip.  Her recovery from her bone marrow transplant has been amazing and her positive attitude through the whole experience has been inspiring.

We stayed in a village called "Give Kids the World," which provides an incredible experience for children who have suffered severe challenges.  There were many activities to enjoy within the village in addition to our trips to SeaWorld, DisneyWorld and Universal Studios.  Within the village, we enjoyed ice cream shakes at any hour of the day, short lines for pictures with Disney characters, and miniature golf (this picture is how close I got to a hole-in-one on one of the holes - needless to say, Blake didn't stand a chance).

One of the days we went to SeaWorld, where we enjoyed the rides as well as the different shows.  I was especially impressed with the pearl divers and how long they can hold their breath under water.  Other highlights included seeing Gwen, Maddie and my mom get soaked on the front row of the killer whale show and taking a break with my dad and the pregnant ladies.

 

Universal Studios (and Islands of Adventure) with Gwen's special pass that got us to the front of the line for every roller-coaster helped me realize that either I'm getting old or there is a reason that the lines are so long to help you recover between rides.  More than once I had to take a break with my dad and the pregnant ladies while the young kids kept going.  I also had my first butterbear in the Harry Potter portion of the park.  Surprisingly, my mom's favorite ride in Universal Studios was the Simpsons Ride, which is odd considering that we weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons growing up.

 

In DisneyWorld, we enjoyed the Toy Story ride, the Dumbo ride and lunch at Belle's Castle.  Our final trip was to the Animal Kingdom of DisneyWorld, where we enjoyed the safari ride to see all the animals. Unfortunately Sarah wasn't feeling good so she stayed at the village with my dad and missed seeing the animals, which definitely would have been a highlight for her.  Knowing how much she loves animals, I took a bunch of pictures for her (but only included some of them below).

 

  

 

  

 

The highlight of the trip however, was the night when we met up with Gwen's fairy godmother (the sister of her wish-granter from Make-A-Wish who lives in Orlando).  She had arranged with her local church to help Gwen's wish come true (to dance with a prince).  Not only did she get to dance with two princes, she got to have her own parade through the neighborhood.  I was amazed by the kindness of all the people who were there to support Gwen even though they had never met her.  The goodness of people never ceases to inspire me to be better.  Knowing everything that Gwen went through in the past year made it that much sweeter to see her wish come true.

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