A Dead Man's Chest - Pirate Murder Mystery Party

The first annual murder mystery party is over with nothing left but incriminating photos, enough alcohol to keep the Marines happy and one helluva mess!!

Getting my house ready

Sir Percival and Elisabeth (John and Kelly) - such a lovely father/daughter team!

Mark and Mark as Captain Black Jack and Don Inigo

Deckhand Amy - Cutest deckhand to ever light brownies on fire!

Hayapitl and Toleleth - another cute father/daughter team!

Rick as Sawbones McGraw...a man with healing hands and way too much power!

Heather as the charming Tokeleth

Tokeleth and Bill Pistol (Mark) up to no good.

Tom (Alicia) and the Parrot (JP) - it's never too early to be a pirate!!!

Alice (Beth) and Captain Black Jack scheming...

Cris and Scott as Captain Nancy and Captain Hal...can both survive?

Linda as Blaise - the Fury's chef. Who needs a hook when you have a spatula?!

Sawbones and Bill, who has been healed!

Cutlass Annie and the Parrot (Anna and JP)

Deckhand Amy keeps us well fed and liquored up!

"Please take me on your boat...you're such a cute pirate..."

Tom (Alicia), the Parrot, Elisabeth, Alice and Blaise

Quentus (Nick), Bill and Sawbones (who seem to be together a lot...)

Hayapitl (Pete) and his fairly scary stick

Last Night

Jason's stone went in back in May but this is the first time I have been able to make the 8 hour trip out here to see it. It's beautiful - it's a blue granite from Norway that we picked out for our kitchen. We didn't get the kitchen but he got the granite.

I got to see it in the dark, with a deep misting, snowing, fog surrounding me and deadening the night noises. And I cried. This is the only place on earth where I talk to Jason and not God. I only make it here about 4 times a year but I feel like I can reach him here. It is as if we both meet at this memorial place and acknowledge the ending of our story. In this one place it seems to be okay to forget all of the good and bad in this future I work for--to just let it go and immerse myself in missing him, mourning my loss. I weep for the life he'll never know and the one I must now make my own. In this place, time matters naught - 2 minutes, 2 years, tonight the ragged edges of the wounds on my heart throb in agony. The 'why him's so closely kept under lock and key are set free in the night and play havoc with my heart. Tomorrow I will lock them back up, lay roses on the snow and get back to living. Tonight. Tonight I need him. I need him to share this burden of grief with me, for what we lost can only be understood between us.

The catharsis is complete and leaves me exhausted and stripped. I go in from the gentle snow to celebrate Christmas with his family. We laugh and smile and joke - the blessed healing is wonderfully apparent in our little family group. And yet...I am left with a question...how long can we sorrow so deeply? Will ever a time come that a lonely Christmas graveside visit on a hauntingly beautiful night could simply evoke loss and sadness and not a swift return to the day he was lost? Will sorrow always be soul deep?

I do not know. So I sleep and wait for morning.

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving was a fast and furious visit with family and friends!

Family

Anna and Caleb

Grandpa and Caleb

Gavin

Best Christmas present ev-a!

Eating like the big kids!

Caleb and Grandpa on the Wii

Come on, lemme play too!

Lookin' bad in Grandpa's hat!

Friends

Glen and Natalie reach for the sky!

Rachel and Natalie

Rachel

Natalie

Jean, Anna, Karen and Natalie

Frost on a Fall Morning

Jason's Stone is In

More House Pictures

I still have a few boxes in some rooms (bedroom is still a mess) but for the most part I am pretty settled! Thank goodness!!!

Master Bedroom

Guest Room

Office

Upstairs Living Room

Main Floor

Kitchen

Summer is Over and the House is Done!

The summer is over, I have moved into my house (mostly out of the boxes) and am currently in denial about my 3 acres of weeds. They are actually quite beautiful this time of year...yellow, purple and white flowers everywhere.

After being gently reminded (mercilessly nagged) by some of you, here are some updated pictures. I will include the upstairs pics with furniture after I clean!

Music Room

Great Room

Sunroom

Dining Room

Cat in a Wall

Master Bath

Master Bedroom

Kitchen (pre furniture)