Life has returned to the new 'normal' after the tragedy that we wrote about below. At the time of the accident, Brandon was in Wisconsin enjoying the Oshkosh Airshow. He took the first flight out the following morning so he could be with the Squadron as they all learned to cope, adjust, and mourn the loss of their Commander. On August 4th, more than 800 people gathered to celebrate his life. It's amazing how one person could touch so many.
I flew back to Iowa on August 1st to spend time with my family while Brandon stayed in Vegas. As much as I wanted to have him with us, I knew he needed to stay behind. Now, just over three weeks later, our hearts still ache with sadness to think about Toni and the boys. Their lives are forever changed in ways we can not even understand.
Moving forward after such a devastating event, we can't help but feel a new appreciation for how fragile life is. Without warning, it can take an unexpected turn leaving us feeling unprepared and angry for going against our plans. Cherish the moment.
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Summer Vacation 2008
Since I am so terribly far behind on this blog, I do feel I need to explain myself. The the past 3 weeks, we have been BUSY! For starters... we spent 9 days in Iowa ~ where Ashton and I stayed with the Yegge's for a portion of the time and also spent a few fun days in Okoboji. The entire Sunde clan was there - minus Brandon. We had a GREAT time seeing everyone and can't wait for the next trip back. Maybe this should be an annual event?!
The resort we stayed at had an indoor water park with slides and fun stuff for the kids... Ah-hem, and maybe a few adults. Fortunately - there was no camera available to document it. Phew! We also rented a pontoon for the whole clan (all 22 of us!) one afternoon. It was a gorgeous day, and since it was during the week - we had the whole lake to ourselves! On the final day, with some slightly sleep-deprived kids, we attempted to take family pictures. Melisa did an awesome job getting everyone arranged - we can't thank her enough!!
2/3 of the Abel family.
The whole gang (minus Brandon - whom we plan to photoshop in ;-).)
The grandkids...
On our final full day in Iowa - we went to the State Fair. Yum. Corndogs, cheese curds, and fresh lemonade. All three were even better than I remembered. We saw lots of huge animals, trudged through massive crowds, and even got to touch some baby chicks. Too cute.
We returned to Iowa on August 10th - and that leads to the next subject...
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Elliot & Melanie - August 10-17
Ashton and I were greeted at the airport by Brandon, Elliot & Melanie. It had been a LONG time since we've seen them & were excited to show them around our city. They were forced to quickly adjust to the heat - and survived a few days where temps ranged around 110. That's hot. Even if it's a 'dry heat'.
We started their week off by going to Nellis AFB. We toured the Thunderbird museum (even got a free 'show' as the jets came in to land), visited Brandon's 'office', and walked the flightline.
Ashton tested out the cockpit of an F-16.
For much of the week, Elliot was buried under the hood of Brandon's non-functioning Corvette (which, eventually paid off, because it's now running...). The other portion of the week was spent logging a million miles walking on the Strip, visiting Red Rock Canyon, swimming with Ashton, and just catching up on lost time. Sadly, Brandon's schedule was hectic and sporadic, and he felt robbed of spending quality time with his brother. :-(
We played at the park...
We played tourists, too...
Red Rock Canyon
Las Vegas Blvd.
1 comment:
LOVE the pics! Especially the Sunde family ones -- everyone looks great!
Your comment about Brandon reminded me of my grandma -- she used to old school photoshop missing family members into pictures (cut the missing person out of another photo and tape it on)
...also love the Ashton in FAO Schwartz pic!
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