We just made it back in from a weekend in Ohio. We were in Akron for Matt's annual offsite with Progressive Foam/ Insulated Siding. We had a good time, but very glad to be home. It snowed on us Saturday night, BIG FLAKES. It was so pretty! It was about 20 this morning when we left and got home and it was in the 50's, much nicer weather. We really appreciate them having us. Matt was recognized for his accomplishments this past year, I was very proud of him. He really has had a lot to deal with and he has come out on top and a better man and leader.
Last weekend we had our first maternity photo session with a friend of mine Rebecca Clifft, She is getting started and has done a really good job. I will post a slide show of some of the pictures.
The 6th was a special bittersweet day for my family. Lawson my 8 year old cousin that passed away in December from and inoperable brain tumor would have been 9 on Wednesday. To honor and remember him they held a special assembly for him at his school. Brian and Terri Kinder put on a show for the school kids and they all seemed to really enjoy themselves. Even the teachers got into the songs. Dawn had special tags made for his class mates and friends that read (Lawson "Rolston" Phillips February 6, 1999 - December 13, 2007 Forever Friends). It was a really nice thing. After the show we all went outside for a balloon release. Some of the kids had written special notes to Lawson and attached them to the balloons. It was a bittersweet day as I said before. I enjoyed honoring him but at the same time, letting the balloons go was like letting him go all over again. I went out to the cemetery afterwards to spend some time with him. It is still so hard to believe. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him in some way or another. It may be a song I hear or some little boy in a cowboy hat I see, sometimes just hearing people talk about their farms or kids. He was such fun kid full of love and energy. He wasn't the kid who had to be the center of attention; he liked to sit back and watch others and get involved without trying to make it all about him. He had so much and he gave back to everyone who ever had the privilege of knowing him and getting to spend even the smallest amount of time with him. I have some pictures from that day and our trip that I will try and post later this week.
This is at the Musical Wicked and below is from the same night outside our hotel. In Matt's defense he had given me his jacket to wear.
