Kimmy's Blog

         I pulled up Kimmy's blog tonight, as I do everyday...if your computer is functioning properly, her song list automatically begins to play...Tonight (well, actually, it is already tomorrow), when I pulled it up, 'What a Wonderful World' began to play.  This is not the first song.  Typically, the player starts with what ever song I have lined up in the first position.  Which got me to thinking...

        10/19/10: Kim was sick, we just didn't know how badly.  I was calling and texting family and friends to let them know we were at St. Joseph's.  In the E.R.  My D.M. at Barnes & Noble,Tom, told me to hang up and take care of Kimmy, that he knew the store was fine.  Kim and I sat, side by side, in the stark E.R. waiting room, watching drama unfold all around us, yet, in our own little vacuum.  Alone with each other.  Me telling her we'd be out of here in no time.  She smiling and squeezing my hand, as if to say "I know".  She was so thankful that I dropped everything to join her - I wouldn't have done anything any other way.

        10/20/10:  We know it's Kimmy's gall bladder.  It looked bad during x-rays.  And I'm already struggling to keep up with calling/texting.

        Following her surgery, Dr. Atkinson delivers that news that sends our lives into a unstopping tailspin...

        Kim stayed in the hospital until 11/5/10.  Each day, it grew harder and harder to keep up, delivering the roller coaster replay of events that each day held for us.

        With Kim at my side, in our home, we decided to create her a blog (with the technical support of Ami Bunch and Jen Corbelli)...she was so touched, that I would do that for her.  I explained "Kimmy, there are so many people rooting for you out there.  So many people who love you and have to know.  They need updates, news...hope.  I can't keep up."  There she was trying to give me more credit than was due.

         She enjoyed helping me select those first photos that I posted - you have to scroll down for, like, half a day, to get to them - Kimmy's still smiling all the way at the bottom of her blog. She told me what to say about her in her bio.  What her interests were, favorite movies, favorite music and favorite books.  A snapshot of Kim.  Ami walked me through how to get the photos posted and taught me about the music player. I asked Kim, "what song would you like to start off with?"   We locked eyes while she thought a moment, then, a sparkle appeared and she said "What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong."  Perfect.

        And when I pulled up her blog tonight, and that song started in, it brought this moment in time back to me, as if Kim were sitting next to me, in her big, red, Lazy Boy recliner, waiting for my next question...

         

          ...I started my day with her, at San Xavier.  Today, I could see her coming down that long aisle.  Coming towards me with the absolute brightest smile I had ever seen on her - I waited at the altar for her to arrive, just soaking in the moment...

                                               My Angel...and the St. Jude candle that I lit for her today...

                   After selling some books, at Barnes & Noble, I scooped up the bambini, including Lexy and Breanna - these kids coming streaming out of school starving.  If I didn't spend so much time in their school, I would suspect they were not allowing our children to eat all day!  But they do.  None the less, they are famished, clamoring to please go get something to eat...

                        Breanna, Autumn and Lexy discuss the meaning of life over their Eegees!  Tonio and I shared our own booth.  He told me he had library today and about the neat books he got.  I remember when I was in 3rd grade (insert dinosaur joke here) - and had the double irony of having a teacher named Mrs. Hiney (say that with a straight face when you are an 8 year old boy!) and our librarian was a woman who was about 300 years old and named Mrs. Web.  I thought she reminded me of a spider and remember her halitosis was overwhelming.  Our library, at Calypso Elementary, where I went, was one of those mobile, manufactured home looking things...it got pretty hot during the warm months...

                    On the way home, I commented that we were near Angie's house and Breanna shouted 'let's go surprise Grandma!'...I gave her a 'courtesy' call, despite us being about 2 minutes away.  Her knee is recovering great following her replacement surgery.  The kids were excited to see her.  Angie asked how Mass was this morning and I told her how I'm getting to know some of the regular parishioners.  There are about 6 or 7 of the same people there each Friday - and we are always sure to shake hands during the exchange of peace.

                   We got home in time for me to make everyone some pasta (well, it was nearly 6 and they were hungry...again!) and then we picked up Cody at his friend, Jesus' house and went to see the Tucson Padres.

            We joined the Perrini's, Alyssa, Kirk and Annette in the outfield to enjoy the game.  The kids played on the jumping castle and inflatable obstacle course for hours, catching a little baseball between jumping, kettle corn, etc.  The Tucson Padres are the AAA team feeding the San Diego Padres - and we had the opportunity tonight to see a young man named Anthony Rizzo play.  He was with San Diego for part of the season.  In AAA, he is batting 370 and smashed a monster home run that came pretty close our way.  Kirk and I gave up trying to get it, when we noticed the maniacal throngs advancing on the ball!  The Padres won 6-1 and the kids went on the field afterwards to run the bases.
          I took my 6 kids to Circle K for after game drinks, which has become a tradition...and got them home near 11:00 p.m., sweaty, tired, but well fed and they all had fun!!
          Cody is staying the night at Jesus', and after we said goodnight to Mama, the little ones wanted to watch a movie.  It was close to midnight, but I told them go ahead.  Rango had barely been tossed from the comfortable back seat of his family's vehicle, onto the blazing hot tarmac of the stretch of highway running through the Nevada desert, while the Ave Maria is playing in the background, when I noticed they had fallen fast asleep! (if you haven't seen Rango, Red Box it!  It is one of Johnny Depp's finest and the animation is great.)
              Love,
                     Dave