On Saturday, Evalee and I took a jaunt up to Spirit Lake to celebrate a friend's birthday. With questionable road conditions, my dad drove and visited a friend while we were at the party. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with my dad. Although a man of few words, he never ceases to amaze me with his wisdom and comfort. It was great seeing our friends we don't get to see often, and help celebrate another milestone in their daughter's life.
On Sunday, we were supposed to go to a baptism, but with Evalee's molars coming in, we had a rough morning. After a good nap, and some more Tylenol, we headed to visit a long time family friend. In fact, she happens to be the first friend I ever had. She and her husband just had a beautiful little girl, and they were home visiting her parents for the weekend, and we were fortunate enough to be able to meet up with them! It was so great seeing everyone, including her parents, who were basically like my second set of parents when we were little! She is one of those friends I can go years without seeing and still hold a special place in my heart for. It was so wonderful seeing her and her new found joy! Their daughter is just beautiful and I look forward to the day that we can get together and our daughters can play together. :)
We fortunately had a long weekend with Monday being a holiday, and Nick's family had the day off as well, so we planned a day for Evalee and me to visit them. It had been three weeks since Nick's funeral which was the last time I had seen them, so it was very comforting to be able to visit with them in person again. Although there were times during the day that I couldn't find words to say, or things to talk about, just being there was enough. I could tell Evalee felt a sense of comfort being there as well. They have embraced us so much, and I will forever be grateful for that. It was wonderful to see Nick's beloved dog, and see how well he has adapted. Nick's sister carried Evalee out to the car for me when we were getting ready to leave, and we could both tell she was super tired from all the fun she had and love she got all day! :) His sister said to me, "I bet she will be sleeping by the time you get to the other side of Correctionville!" Sure enough, in the 1-2 minute drive it took to get to the other side of that tiny little town, she was out. It was a wonderful day with our new found family...yes, they will always be family.
Driving through that little town, and past his house still makes my heart sink to my stomach, and I had a good cry on the way home, but that's not a bad thing, and there will be more of those days. Everyone needs to have a good cry sometimes. In moments like that I am reminded how lucky I am to have had something that made losing him so hard.
Being a very independent, single mom, it was hard for me to let Nick help me out. He often got frustrated with me because I was so used to doing it all by myself. He wanted to help out with things, whether it was entertaining Evalee while I took a shower, or offering to cook for a night (even if it was hamburger helper). :) He was also there to share in a lot of the joys I had with her...from Christmas...to her birthday...to her learning new things daily...it was so wonderful to have someone to share that with. I am having to adjust back again to my world of single motherhood, and although I can handle it, I sometimes feel pretty alone. This weekend was a great reminder of how I am never truly alone.
We are so lucky to have such a great support system. And at that, a support system that keeps growing.
“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family. ” - Jim Butcher
We are so fortunate to have so many of those people in our lives!
This was on the other side of Correctionville! :)
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