From the beach to the snow

Aunt Ami came to town last Friday, allowing me a few days to get out of town.

Liz, Holly, Piper, Victoria and I escaped to Palm Beach, leaving at home 14 children in the fine care of daddies, aunts and grandmas. We had a fabulous time together.

Victoria, Holly, Piper, Liz and Tyra

Steve, of course, was never far from my thoughts. I've lost track of the number of trips we took to Florida together. I fell in love with the beach on our first visit there (in Sarasota), and our last vacation together was there (in Palm Beach). When we talked about our far-off retirement, we always imagined we'd spend much of it in Florida.

My view of the Atlantic

One afternoon I sat just feet from the coast and ate for lunch a Steve favorite -- grilled grouper sandwich. And I sobbed. Because I miss Steve so very much and I grieve our unfulfilled dreams and I still have trouble believing that Cooper, Katie and I have our whole lives ahead without him.

My heart is broken -- even while it is incredibly full.

The five of us returned home just before a record snowfall fell in North Texas. On the same day that I was washing swimsuits and putting away sunscreen, I was helping build a snowlady in the front yard and washing snow-soaked clothes!

Cooper and I walked to school Thursday morning. The snow continued for another 15 or so hours. Cooper described how much fun Daddy was having in heaven, throwing so much snow our way.

Early in the snowfall, Katie, Ami and I built this snowlady, which Katie named Mazil (rhymes with Brazil).

Cooper had no school Friday, so we spent much of the morning outside, enjoying an unusual foot of snow.