Thank you JMU!

Adorable Duke dog donated by JMU that is now displayed in Squires!

Spring Tailgate 2008

After not holding a Spring Game last year, Angela and I felt it necessary to be there this year considering we will not be in the VA for at least a few years. We organized a large tailgate, as we had several alumni and student friends who would be in town and wanted to see, so several weeks ago we started to plan. The weekend was a great success of seeing old friends, a little football, and getting a break from the insane routine we call our lives. I have been in the middle of a very time consuming area of study at work, and Angela has been working half days while taking a full load of graduate courses. Getting away to SouthWest VA is well needed after putting up with traffic and allergies that define Hampton Roads. As exhausted as we were, we took naps Friday before leaving, but made it to Blacksburg before 1am. The next day was sublime, as we headed to Kroger as Frank Beamer and our boy CJ Neagle would approve of. After loading down on beer and ice (also boxed wine, which is a recent tailgate hit!), we parked in the Litton Reeves lot and carved out a space. Soon, grills arrived and meat cooked while we caught up with friends and played tailgate games. “Screech” flew in from Bahrain to be at the tailgate and was a pleasure to catch up with. Angela saw all of her girls, and the Wyse ladies were in town (congrats to Jennifer and Laura Wilson who were accepted into the VPI&SU Ph.D programs!) It started to rain, but that was ok! The actual scrimmage was the low point of the day, as the poor weather distracted us. The team obviously lost some good talent last year, but has MANY young players ready for action. Glennon played well, so we hope to score some points with a more proficient offense this year?! We took naps after the game, but had dinner with friends and spent the late evening hanging out with friends from Angela’s old office during a thunderstorm laughing at drunken students getting their cars towed for parking illegally! It was a vacation unto itself and made us want to stay in Blacksburg for good. Nonetheless, we are still REALLY excited to be moving to San Diego in just 2 months!!

The wonders of I-81

There is no interstate quite as breathtaking as I-81 on a beautiful spring day. Though I have driven this road hundreds of times over the last six years, I am continuously struck by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and of the serene country side. When driving, I have to be careful to pay attention to the road, as the rolling hills and lush landscape draw me in…even in the wintertime! (No…I wasn’t taking pictures while driving…) Of course there is usually a semi running me off the road and ruining my sightseeing, but I love it nonetheless. After a call for thunderstorms cancelled our hiking plans and sent us back to the 757 early, James and I took to the road to enjoy the beautiful views of I-81 and to be harassed by semis.

April 16th, 2008

525,600 minutes
525,600 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes –
How do you measure a year in the life?

How about love? How about love? How about love?
Measure in love.
Seasons of love.

525,600 minutes, 525,000 journeys to plan
525,600 minutes, how do you measure the life of a woman or a man

In truths that she learned or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned or the way that she died

It's time now - to sing out
Though the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug&feature=related (Seasons of Love)


For Valentines Day this year, James bought me tickets to see RENT, one of the most incredible Broadway productions ever performed (according to me). I can’t think of any better way to capture what this last year has been like for us….how do you even begin to look back at a friend’s life? At the lives of 32 members of our family? 525, 600 minutes…a year of questions, struggles, moments of normalcy, and a focus on living and celebrating the life that we have.

I can’t believe it’s been a year. I’m not sure I can even remember most of what has happened this year that wasn’t April 16th...and since then a lot has happened…my freshman roommate married her best friend, James and I celebrated being married for an entire year, AJ had his first birthday party, James became an Ensign in the Navy, Jamie had a beautiful child…

It’s a beautiful reminder that life can go on despite such a life changing event. Though it doesn’t really make dealing with the pain any easier…they seem like such different things…not part of the same life. I miss Stack so much…and not a day goes by when I don’t see his smile. I miss thinking of our awesome years at Tech…staying up to toast the sunrise, random road trips on the blue ridge, the breath taking burgundy and orange fall leaves, that first crisp snow that sparkles in the sun, the sleepless, coffee filled nights of writing, the 8:00 classes you only took for a good professor, the mist filled practice field on game day, the cheesy MV dances that Stack choreographed, the hours of fun and friendship…

We still treasure these memories, but they are filled with other memories…with hundreds of sirens, with memories of lockdowns, with thousands and thousands of teardrops…with a ribbon to remind us of what we lost and why we can never ever forget.

I’m reading a book right now written by a pastor at our church in Blacksburg...When Answers aren’t enough…Experiencing God as Good when Life isn’t. It’s a simple and powerful reminder that God is good…despite the evil in this world, and the evil that scars our lives forever.

It’s hard not being in Blacksburg when that tiny town nestled in the Blue Ridge is such a huge part of our lives. As we meet new people and start new jobs, as soon as anyone hears that we went to Virginia Tech, it’s always the same: “Were you there?” “Did you know anyone?”

It depends on the day, on the emotional strength we are possessing, on the tone of voice and who is asking…they ask, yet they don’t want to know the answer. The Y word ends conversation…it’s a truth they can’t handle, nor can they understand it. And…I’m beginning to come to peace with the fact that that’s okay. We are okay talking about it…if you are willing to listen and you care. The reactions have been amazing…why do you ask a question if you aren’t prepared for the answer?

We are thankful for all of your love and support over this year that has absolutely sped by…Virginia Tech still needs your prayers…

525,600 minutes
525,600 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

Two little trouble makers

What do all little boys do?? They play in the dirt! And they probably eat bugs!

President Warner?

Or Governor Gouger?

The Great Commonwealth of Virginia

A few weeks ago we spent the day in the Commonwealth’s capital and capitol. I had not visited the capitol building since it was renovated last year. Angela and I met up with Sarah and visited the hallowed building. There is a new visitors entrance underneath the front hill. Inside, restoration experts completely gutted the building and gave it a real overhaul for the first time since 1905. The building was properly wired with modern lines, rooting walls and ceilings were replaced, a new café was installed, and art was preserved. An elevator shaft used in the late 1800s but covered up by walls in the 1905 expansion was discovered. Covered up wallpaper was rediscovered and duplicated. Outside, the building was given a whitewashing and presented to the Queen of England herself last May. Designed by Thomas Jefferson, the Virginia Capitol building houses many historic artifacts including busts of all eight Virginia born US presidents. The centerpiece of the Capitol is the world famous marble sculpture of George Washington by Houdin housed in the rotunda area. Looking at the capitol, you would not know that the building has a dome in the center! After taking a guided tour of the statehouse, we traversed Hollywood Cemetery on the bluffs of the James River. It is a beautiful area with great monuments to the dead. Notable people buried there is former President James Monroe surrounded by beautiful metallurgy. Also in the cemetery are thousands of Confederate war dead and veterans taking up a whole wing of the grounds. It is a very peaceful place. The three of us then went downtown to Shockoe Slip for some dinner while perusing trendy furniture and bookstores. Angela fell in love with some blue antique cognac glasses, but we talked her out of the high price! We had such a good time. Richmond has much to offer and we look forward to exploring it more!