Loss

If you dislike the Kennedy's in any way, I suggest that you turn away from this post right now and come back another day.


If you like the Kennedy family, or are at least indifferent, stay awhile as I give my tribute to a family whom I greatly admire.


As a history major, I have always been a voracious reader of biographies and such. Reading is a way for me to live a life in the past. Be a hero, gain knowledge, slay dragons, and fight crime. I'm a dreamer, but not a doer. In second grade, I began my love affair with Abraham Lincoln. This included memorizing the Gettysburg Address at age 8, continued with numerous papers about him and my reading of several biographies. Eventually my passion dwindled and our affair ended.


In high school, my interests changed to the Roosevelts, and then to the Roosevelt women. This lasted approximately a minute as I found the Roosevelts to be a bit spoiled and whiny.

College came, and with it a book entitled Jackie, Ethel, and Joan. I fell head over heels for these three Kennedy spouses. I began reading everything I could about the Kennedy family. Biographies on the Kennedy men, the Kennedy women, and then their children. I never tired or grew bored with any knowledge I gained regarding this family.

I'm not someone who worshipped the Kennedy family. I don't have pictures of them on my wall, and I don't pretend that they didn't have faults. We all fall short of the glory of God. What is more important is what they gave me.


Through reading, I was on the PT 109 with Jack saving the lives of my countryman. While flying through the air with Joe Jr, I earned the Navy Cross and died for the USA. Kathleen taught me to dance, flirt, and win over the English gentry. With Rosemary, I felt the pain of being slow in a family where witty banter and knowledge meant everything. Eunice shared her compassion, Bobby his courage, Pat her insecurities, Jean her desire for a normal life, and Teddy the feelings of not quite measuring up.

I connected with the Kennedy family. Coming from a large, loving family myself, I could understand their fierce loyalty for each other. Their Catholic faith was the same as my own faith. Just reading about them, I was filled with "vig-ah." Encouraged by Jack to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," I have worked on Habitat Houses, volunteered in food pantries, and picked up litter on the side of the road. One of my favorite service projects was to serve food to the elderly in college. Because of Ted's constant battling in the Senate, I had access to student loans and had the priviledge of attending college. Teddy led the way for FMLA to be passed so that I can rest easy and know that after childbirth, I will not lose my job if I stay home for a couple of months with my baby. And If I lose that job for whatever reason, I know that my family will still have access to healthcare through Cobra. I am grateful to Eunice for starting the Special Olympics which afforded me the opportunity to be a "buddy" not once, but twice; Both whom touched my life in a special way. Bobby once quoted the Serpant in George Bernard Shaw's play Back to Methuselah, "There are those that look at things the way that they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

I am saddened that only Jean is left. There was something magical knowing that so many Kennedys were still alive. Losing both Eunice and Teddy so close together is tough. Of the original set of Kennedy spouses, only Ethel, Joan, and Sargent Shriver still remember the magic and the charisma of this family.

Sometimes I wonder if such a family will ever appear in American history again. A family with such passion for public service, with a desire to better themselves. A family from humble roots, Catholic politicians when Catholics were somewhat feared, and a family who wanted to inspire people and change the world. However, I draw strength from the words that Senator Kennedy spoke at the 1980 Democratic Convention. "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, our cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

RIP Edward Moore Kennedy. I'm certain that Jesus and your family welcomed you home.

School Already?

So the old camera is still messed up, but this was taken on my cell phone. This is what Hailey has taken to referring to as her Hannah Montana outfit. She wore this her second day of school and definitely thought she was hot stuff. Danny and I are having a tough time thinking of her as a 2nd grader, but she is! She is adjusting so well to her new school and is making a ton of friends. We could not be more proud of her!

Both Hailey and I have recently changed our appearances somewhat dramatically. Hailey got about 6 inches cut off of her hair, and I got 8 inches. Granted, both are still less than the amount that my baby sister lost - see haircut. We are both still happy with the changes.

If you are on Facebook, you've probably seen that I have been working out a lot. Two weeks ago, I decided to join Curves and I feel great. My goal is to not only get healthy for myself, but to set a good example for Hailey. If I manage to finally motivate my Dad in the process, then I will be over the moon!

Danny and I painted our spare bedroom last weekend. It's now burnt almond, but looks pretty snazzy. He continually is such a gift to me and is so supportive of everything that I do. It's such a great motivator to come home from working out and to hear him say, "Babe I'm so proud of you." Plus he grills some mean mahi mahi.

I'm hoping to get the camera fixed here soon, so we will start being so much more interesting shortly. Keep the faith. And if you get a chance, come visit. I'm homesick...bring Gem City!

In My Life....

There are places I remember All my life, though some have changed, Some forever, not for better, Some have gone and some remain.

All these places had their moments, With lovers and friends I still can recall, Some are dead and some are living, In my life I've loved them all.

But of all these friends and lovers, There is no one compared with you, And these mem'ries lose their meaning When I think of love as something new.

Though I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before, I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life I love you more.

Though I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before, I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life I love you more. In my life I love you more.

I'm laying here cuddled up with Journey and I've been thinking all day about how incredibly blessed I am. From my birth, I have always been loved. Throughout any ups and downs in my life, I have always had someone's love to count on. People spend their lives searching for the kind of love that has repeatedly fallen in my lap. I am blessed.

Changes

I've been a bum about posting lately. That is primarily because we've been busy around the house. I hardly take the time to turn on the computer. When we get home at night, we are typically outside all evening unless there is any cleaning or laundry to do.

Our little house is shaping up quite nicely. We've done a ton of work outside, and Danny has put down a bunch of edges around all of the flowers we've planted with big rocks. I'm sorry there are no pictures of these, but blame Hailey for the malted egg in my purse that is stuck in my camera. Up front, we have dianthus, vincas, a hibiscus, and a couple of other things planted. In the back, we have impatians, geraniums, begonias, lantanas, hostas, and on the side of the deck, we tilled up a 350 square foot area that Danny edged in rock. We filled that in with a couple of bottles of mixed flower seeds just to see what would grow. Everything's doing pretty well back there...no blooms yet, and we don't know what is a weed and what is a plant yet so it looks a little wild. It's fun to watch it all grow though.

I have become an avid bird watcher. My favorite place to sit is on our bottom deck watching the birds and squirrels in our backyard. I have a suet feeder, a songbird feeder, and a finch feeder out there. I'm going to put a bird bath out there sometime soon. Right now is one of my favorite times to watch them because they are all so active! Just this morning, I've seen goldfinches, purple finches, sparrows, cardinals, a blue jay, and a mourning dove. We've had a couple of woodpeckers too. The squirrels may be my favorite though! I was just telling my mom that they look different than the squirrels back home. These are a chocolate brown with really thin gray tails and their tails have a black stripe down them. They wave them around like crazy too. Unfortunately Journey has made it her mission to rid our yard of the squirrels. She sends them running up tress every time and they will yell at her like crazy.

Hailey is so happy here. She plays outside with the neighbor kids every day. We register her for school on Monday, and even though she is nervous about changing schools, she is also excited about 2nd grade. Softball ended a couple of weeks ago, and she did very well. We spoke with her soccer coach from last year, and he feels she is ready for competitive soccer instead of the just for fun league she's played in previously. I'm working on finding a team for her now. This will be a big commitment for us as this means tournaments on the weekends and such, but I think it will be a lot of fun as well. Hailey is having her first little sleepover tonight too. Her friend Neely is coming over and we're going to make homemade pizza and watch some movies. It should be a really good time.

Last weekend, Danny and I painted the living room and got our new couch. The pictures were taken on my cell phone, so they aren't showing the colors well. Three of the walls are a chocolate brown color and one wall is a mocha. We also bought a big easy chair that is a mocha color.

Dad and Deb and the kids are coming over in two weeks for three days. We are really looking forward to it. While they are here, we are going to get the kitchen wall, hallway, and entryway painted. Once that is finished, I really think our house will look so much better. Just having the living room finished has made a huge difference.

The beginning of September will be bringing another big change in the Shaver household. My sister-in-law, Kim, and my niece, Adi, will be coming to live with us for a year. My brother-in-law, Tommy, is a W-2 in the military and flies blackhawks. They are currently stationed in Hawaii, and Kim doesn't want to stay there by herself for a year while her husband is away. She also doesn't care to move back in with her parents, which I don't blame her for at all. It's tough to move back home after you have been living on your own. She will be our live in baby-sitter too as she will be able to stay with Hailey before and after school which will save us both time and money. She does bring with her a St. Bernard and an English Mastiff however. It will be an adjustment for all of us, but we are very excited about being able to spend so much time with Kim and Adi. There is also a part of me that feels the need to pay it forward as Uncle Tim and Aunt Janet were so wonderful to house me during a tough transition in my life.

Right now though, I'm going to go steal the riding lawn mower and mow the backyard before Danny has a chance. That's right, we argue over who gets to mow the lawn. We both love doing it!

I'm Awful

I'm so terrible about posting right now. We have been so busy, I haven't taken any pictures in forever, and I have just been so exhausted! I promise though, there will be many posts coming up. In the meantime, just know a few things:

1) Hailey gives the best hugs in the world. Today I told her I needed her to give me my favorite thing, and she gave me a hug. I actually meant an onion, but she's right - her hugs really are my favorite thing.

2) Danny finished up a bunch of our backyard landscaping. He followed that up by making me dinner while I laid out in the sun. He then served me dinner complete with a glass of wine. My hubby is a rockstar.

3) I am secretly glad that Hailey's last softball game for the year is tomorrow. I love watching her play, but I really am not crazy about the parents or girls on this team. Previously, we have always been really lucky and loved Hailey's teams, but this year their attitudes stink.

4) We are having out first real function at our house this Friday. Our friend Dustin is helping us, but the menu includes: ribs, kielbasa, and brisket in the smoker, ribeyes on the grill, cheesy hashbrown casserole, green bean casserole, baked beans, deviled eggs, summer salad, and homemade ice cream. Doesn't that sound amazing? We are so incredibly excited.

5) On Saturday night, it will be just us and I'm making fried chicken. That's right, be jealous.

6) Each day, I am amazed at how much integrity my daughter has. She knows the difference between right and wrong and is never swayed. I know that this will change as she ages, but for now, I will bask in knowing that we must be doing something right!

7) I have killed every plant that I have ever had. My junior year of college, my stepmom gave me a plant that she guaranteed would live. It died in a month. After that month, it continued to sit in the window, and periodically my roommate would be convinced she could revive it by giving it a little Busch Light. I know a little Busch Light won't hurt anyone, but the plant never grew. My thumb must be turning green though because our plants are thriving. We've had a few ups and downs as we learn what kind of sun and water each type need, but we do have the best looking mailbox on our street and I have a hibiscus that loves my driveway! Couple that with some happy hostas, some vibrant vincas, and some wily wildflowers, and we have ourselves quite the yard.

8) The finches have come! I've been waiting and waiting for some finches, and they are finally here. Now if I can just get some hummingbirds....

9) My dog, Journey, will ride on my lap while I mow the lawn. Now that's devotion.

10) After 2 years in Kansas City, and as much as I love my life with Danny & Hailey, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't get a little bit homesick for Quincy.

Happy Father's Day!

You always hear stories about little girls who want to grow up and marry their dads. Every girl eventually grows out of that and moves on to thinking her father is an old fart who is not hip with the times. I didn't exactly grow out of it. I grew older and realized that I wanted to marry a man who was a combination of both of my dads. Yes, I have two dads. My parents separated when I was 10, and I have had two dads for more than half my life. They are two extremely different people though.

I wanted someone funny and playful like Dad, but someone who worked until the job was done like Marvin. Someone with a strong appeciation of family and sports that both of my dads have.

It took me 23 years, but I found that man in Danny.

Hailey and I spent the whole week telling him that this is his weekend to relax and we would wait on him. So far this weekend, he has done a bunch of landscaping and is currently weed eating. On the same scale, he has taken the time to play in Hailey's pool with her and play fetch with Journey.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and Marvin. I truly am blessed to be loved by both of you.

Happy Father's Day to the love of my life. You are an amazing father to Hailey, and I can't wait to watch you with our future children.

Hailey with Papa Marvin

Hailey with Papa Marvin and Grandma Joni


Hailey with Grandpa Jeff and "Aunt" Riley

Dad and I on my wedding day

Our happy family with the best father in the world.

Here is the video to Danny & my favorite Father/Daughter Song

Sweet Surrender

At this moment, life is so good. I am sitting on my deck drinking Sprite, while I watch my husband, daughter, and dog play in the backyard. Just moments ago, we saw a doe and two babies right at our back property line. I have my Finch food and Hummingbird feeder up. Although the house still needs a lot of things unpacked and put away, right now in this moment, there is no place that I would rather be.

Our neighborhood is so quiet. Until the neighbor behind us began mowing his yard, the only sounds I could hear were Danny & Hailey's voices. Hailey has kids to play with on each side of our house. Even though it hit the 90's over here on both Saturday and Sunday, our house is staying surprisingly cool with the attic fan. Our dog is having an absolute blast running through our backyard, and is worn out each night just from trying to stay moving with us.

Last night we had our first night together with just us in the house. Both Friday and Saturday, there were people flitting in and out. Last night, Danny grilled steaks while I made green beans and potatoes. We sat down for dinner together and it was so perfect.

Yesterday, Hailey helped me re-pot a plant and then I began edging part of the front yard while she played with the boy next door. It is so nice to have a place to work outside and play outside. A space that is completely ours!

Today we do have to finish getting everything put away and organized. But for right now, I'm going to grab a book and stay right here on my deck and revel in the fact that my wildest dreams continue to come true.