Almost September

It's been a couple of months since I posted anything. Lots of changes in my life since June. Working with Randy at Oxford has been a real blessing to me. No stress!!!!! Now, if we can only manage the bills without my school district paycheck, that's the question. I'm trusting that we'll be fine. I'm glad that we have our own embroidery machine now. I can't wait to do some gifts for the holidays. You might want to place your orders now. :)

We went on an Alaskan Cruise with Caralee and Neil in late June for a week. It was amazing! Being with them for the week was the best part!

I had LASIK surgery a couple of weeks ago and I'm FREE of eyeglasses for at least 10 years. YAHOO!!

Jeni and Necon have another sweet boy, Isaac Necon Warrior. I lobbied for him to be named Travis or Wilson, but I didn't win out. I love the name Isaac. Abraham and Sarah were thrilled to have their little Isaac and the Warriors are equally excited. There children's names sound like a Bible story. Lydia, Levi and Isaac are all beautiful names.
Randy is working way too many hours right now. I hope the flow of work will continue into the winter months this year. It could be distributed a little more evenly and that would be nice. We're grateful for all of your prayers and support. Love to everyone. We miss you, Trav.
Karen

Three Years

My Dearest Travis,
I can't believe that three years have past since I was able to hear your voice and feel your hugs. Having you in my dreams is just not the same. I'm ashamed to admit that your mama is not as strong as you believed. I'm really struggling now, Trav, with the memories of the day you were murdered. I wish I could move past that trauma and only feel the joy of having you in my life. I'm seeing a doctor and trying extremely hard to adjust. I've resigned from my job as a counselor, because it has become too painful to try to help others when I'm struggling with my own pain. Being a Christian, I feel guilty that I'm unable to let go. I know that you're in God's presence, but somehow that doesn't take away my pain. The emptiness I'm feeling when I'm around other happy families is indescribable. I feel like everyone else has been able to move forward and I'm the only one stuck. I haven't given up. You certainly know how determined I can be to make things better. Several of your friends keep in touch with us and we are reminded of how you have touched the lives of so many. I am amazed at the impact you had in this world in such a short amount of time.

I just wanted to let you know that your dad and I miss you more than words can express. You're on my mind every waking moment and while I'm trying to sleep. We are remaining steadfast in our support of each other, but our arms and hearts are missing you desperately.

With my everlasting love,
Mom

Spring Vacation

AHHHHHH!!!!! A week away from school! I'm so exhausted.

We took Sophie to the vet on Friday to be spayed, so I'm dogsitting to try to keep her calm. That's not easy for Sophie.

Randy's busier at work now that February has passed. Hopefully, we'll have a very productive spring. The winter season was slooooow. Once I return to work next week things will be fast and furious with the testing season and end of school events. I brought a lot of things home with me to work on before I return.

We're looking forward with great anticipation to our trip to Alaska in June with Caralee and Neil. Got to get the application going for the passport soon, though. Printed it today. I hope all of you are doing well.

We got to see Laura, Jess, Jeremy and Meredith last week for tennis and dinner. Laura got to meet Sophie for the first time. We also got to see Jess' beautiful new home. She has done a lot already even though she's still living in El Dorado. It was such a wonderful visit. It's like having a piece of Travis with us when we're with them. He loved all of them so much. We've come to love each one of them as our own. Hope to see more of you soon.

Love, Karen

Hi, Everyone

It's been really crazy around here. We've been staying busy with Oxford and I've had a full load at school. Sophie has kept things interesting. She's now 5 months old. We have enjoyed having her around.

Jeni, Necon, Tasha and all of the kids came over for some soup a couple of weeks ago. I'm so excited that Jess got into med school. She's going to be a fantastic doctor. Neil, Caralee, Randy and I have been making our plans for our summer trip to Alaska. Randy and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary on the trip. The last time we made the trip was our 25th anniversary.

I'm sooooooo ready for the weather to get warmer. This freezing weather has kept me in a real funk. My nightmares and migraines have continued and I'll be seeing a new doctor in March to address this problem. I hope all of you are doing well. Keep in touch. Love you all,

Karen

BEST SON EVER

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Dad and I miss you so much. You are my first thought every morning and throughout each day I long to hear your voice and get one of your BIG hugs. You always gave us your love and respect. We could not have asked for a better son. Your warm heart and genuineness were contagious. I would love to hear one of your silly laughs right now. You made me smile every day. Life here will never be the same without you. We will always treasure every moment we spent with you. With all of my love,
Mama

Holiday Photos of Sophie

Vacation is Over

It was a quiet vacation this year. I did get to visit with Randy Bumgardner and Aunt Marie one day. It's always fun to catch up with them. I had lunch with Caralee and Becky which was much-needed on my part. I've really missed seeing all of them lately.

We went to Branson for a few days around Christmas. Freddie and Jerry have a new condo there and it is very nice. They joined us for a couple of days. It was a quiet retreat and VERY cold. I'm not one for freezing weather. It did snow a little while we were there but the roads were still clear. Sophie had her first experience with snow and freezing wind. She didn't seem to mind it as much as I did when I took her out. Randy took care of that most of the time.

She's doing quite well with her house-training. We've had lots of laughter with her around. Somehow this Christmas was extremely depressing for me. Our memories of Travis at Christmas were with me throughout every day. I am very thankful that I have Randy with me. I don't know how I could face this loss without him by my side.

On a lighter note, we went to Tunica last Saturday and left Sophie with Megan. I hit a Royal Flush on video poker and 4 aces twice and Randy hit a Royal Flush maybe 5 minutes later. It was so exciting! We had two wonderful meals there with Mom and Dad; one at Sam's Town Buffet and the other at Paula Deen's Restaurant. YUMMM!!!