Tuesday, June 21, 2016

May 07, 2016-The Day After...

Since these posts have been so heavy, I decided to share a picture of my two oldest babies. Aren't they cute?! 

The morning of the reception I got up early to do some last minute surging and touches. I was ready to head to the church to help decorate when I got sent on a drink run. Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper is good for the soul I tell you. So I get to McDonald's and put in my order. Pay for my drinks. Pull forward to get them and guess what?! They were out of Diet Dr. Pepper. WHO RUNS OUT OF DIET DR. PEPPER AT 8:30am in the morning?! And then they asked me if I want my money back? Of course I want my money back! Sheeesh that totally frosted my cookies! So I'm teetering on tears and so frustrated. I get to the church where the reception is held and I am definitely in the anger stage of grief. I was so upset and definitely shaking my fist at God. How could he take John from us at that time? I would soon understand why. But in that moment I sure was mad and had a lot to do along with the other volunteers there.  I was definitely grateful for having a lot to do. I needed it. I needed to stay busy otherwise I would stop to think about John and I couldn't just yet. 


I was so impressed by the amount of help offered by various members of their ward family (congregation) as well as the help our family was able to give.

 I was in charge of decorating the cake, table centerpieces, and the food table. Shout out to my family for helping me make it happen. There were so many cute details, I wish I would have brought my camera to take pictures as well. 

The cake came together beautifully. My Mom helped me with the final touches. and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. You can catch a glimpse of the table centerpieces. I was so proud with how they turned out. I needed successes in the little things...especially because McDonald's didn't have my drink! Who does that?! Clearly I'm still stuck on that.

Here's a picture of me and the finished cake. 

A close up of the cake.

And how could I not put in a picture of the beautiful bride and her cutest flower girl! 

I know the post was picture heavy. All pictures were taken by my amazing sister. 

As far as symptoms, I didn't have time to notice them that day. As I put on my MuuMuu for the Reception I was a little self conscious about my bruises that were all over the back of my calves. But I quickly forgot about them as I went to work. Staying busy was definitely a blessing. 

After the reception I went home and picked up all of my pictures I have from when all of us were little. I wanted to go through the pictures, veg, and start to mourn John at my parents house. It was fun going through the pictures with family and remembering the good times. 

It was definitely the good times that carried us through the hard times that were looming closely ahead. 
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Saturday, June 11, 2016

May 06, 2016 -That night...

That night John's sweet baby girl was to be sealed for Time and All Eternity to her future husband. 
John had made it clear that if anything were to happen to him the wedding would go on. He had the same expectations for his Children who were serving missions throughout his sickest times. John loved the Lord and His work and wanted to put Him and his family first. Always. 

Throughout the morning we mainly clung to each other as much as we could. We couldn't bare the thought of leaving John's house before he did for the last time, so we waited. That's when the reality of us having a sealing that night and a reception the following day really hit. The day needed to be special for John, for Jen, and we were determined to make it be, 

An unsung hero in all this and a woman who can always be seen in the background is my Mom. As time passed she passed the cake torch over to me and she has always been right there to provide support and helpful guidance. Not only that, anything for Jenn's wedding that Jennifer presented as a dream or a vision, my Mom would bend over backwards to help make it a reality. She loves so deeply she just wants to help everybody, and she does. Even the day her baby boy (that's what she refers to him, because he is) went home to our Heavenly Father, she spent her day serving others.

We grabbed obligatory caffeine and headed back to Mom and Dad's house where my Dad and I tag teamed my niece's wedding cake. Yep my Dad rolls out the fondant for me and Anna came to the rescue in helping me place it. It only took a couple tries and I believe plenty of tender mercies to finish her cake. It was beautiful like her.


All that I needed to do was finishing touches the morning of the reception. The details were the only thing I knew that could keep me held together, emotionally. I realize now physically those details and blessings to serve were what may have held me together longer.

I started feeling a little weird once we finished the cake. I just wanted to sit a lot. We went to the Provo City Center Temple for Jen's wedding. It was such a bittersweet experience. Bitter for me that John wasn't there, or at least I couldn't see him...and sweet because after being blind for so long, John got to see his baby girl on her wedding day. Yes pause and think on that for a moment. Our John got to see his daughter in all of her beauty and details on her wedding day. 


Afterwards a small group of us gathered to chow on some of the most delicious Pizza known to mankind. Two Jacks. Dip it in ranch and you will be in Heaven. Dear Two Jacks, I'm really sorry you're gonna be going out of business now that John is no longer single handedly funding your business. 

I could feel my grief swallowing me whole and knew I needed to head home because something didn't feel right. I started feeling weaker and shakier. I went home and changed right back into my California comfort outfit. 

 I don't know what about the outfit brought me comfort but for days it was the only thing that did, and I still long for it a like a security blanket. 
 It was all I could do to just curling into a ball on my recliner. It just felt like my body was growing heavier and weaker at the same time. I was asked to go visit John's sweet wife Ali with my Sister and Mom, I knew my body wasn't up to it but it was important for me to let Ali know that we are here for her. 

I barely made it into John's house when I started to get fever chills, cold then hot, cold then hot. I had to rest, at first my head, and then my body against the stair wall in order to not collapse. My youngest nephew took me home early and that's when it felt like I'd never be warm or still again. I couldn't stop the rolling shaking.I climbed into bed and my teeth would not stop chattering. No matter what I did I couldn't get my body to still. After applying blanket, and blanket, and blanket on top of me, as well as heating pads, my husband gave me a priesthood blessing which calmed me enough to stop shivering and jerking around and actually fall asleep. I'm so grateful that I received that blessing through my husband by the power of my Heavenly Father, I received true words of comfort from my Father and know that if I was talking to him face to face he would say the same things. 

I was grateful for the pause of my body aches and heaving. I began to wonder if perhaps I was feeling such deep grief that my body had literally started to collapse. I had heard of people dying of broken hearts when a loved one passed away. I didn't think that was quite what was happening...


But, the following morning, I started to see and feel more..
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Friday, June 10, 2016

May 06, 2016- The Day My World Stood Still

It's 4:00 am. Everybody else is asleep in the household. If it was a Christmas story the phrase, "not a creature was stirring not even a mouse." Would be a perfectly placed sentence. 
And yet for some reason I was startled a wake. It almost felt like my heart received a hug and I uttered one simple name, "John." 

I lulled myself back to sleep for a few hours longer since sleep just doesn't happen these days. I put on my favorite pair of leggings and a large California Roots hoodie and headed to my parents house. It was a Friday close to the end of the school year so I knew how I could get away with my outfit. I just wanted to feel comfy that day. Each morning we gather at my parents house to do the baby swap, They keep the 2 youngest and I take the oldest with me to school. It was like any other morning. Slightly over cast and the weather was so nice. Then, the phone's started ringing. I remember looking at Mom as she took the call. I remember her uttering in disbelief "John died last night?" I remember my world crashing to the floor and I along with it. No matter how loud I screamed his name, he wouldn't answer. John was gone.

Anna my oldest sister was in town since his youngest daughter Jennifer was going to be sealed that night for time and all eternity to her eternal sweetheart. Talk about about timing that we sure didn't understand. I will revisit this timing as my journey continues in a later post, 

I'm not entirely sure what happened from the time we found out about John and when we all headed over to his home to see him one last time. I know loved ones where contacted, my oldest Son still went to school since he didn't know exactly what was going on. I just didn't want to leave John's side. Here's an excerpt from the post I shared on FB that morning:


"I am so very heartbroken today. Today one of my very first best friends passed away. I saw two ladies running by and I was so upset with them! I wanted them to stop and grieve too. Don't they know that one of the greatest lives the world has ever known passed away?! Please hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them. You never know the last time you will see them again.
Johnny, thank you for being my Evensteven and an amazing big brother. I love you so much! I am so grateful for the atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ, that he overcame death and because of Him, I will see my big brother again. Aloha Oe. — with John Krutsch."

It was crazy to see the outpouring of support from friends and relatives alike and so very very hard to come to terms (I still haven't)that my best friend was gone, in Heaven. And now what do we do? I'm so grateful for all the friends and family who just kept sharing the importance that it is going to take sometime.  But I didn't realize that time wsn't something I realized I had much of.

It was only a matter of hours until the symptoms started...
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