The 1 year anniversary

So the boys and I decided that we would go away for this anniversary. We didn't want to be in Denver where there were too many horrid memories of that day. We decided on Southern California, and narrowing it down to a Hyatt on the beach, we chose Huntington Beach. We took a long weekend and I met them in Las Vegas and flew together to CA. We were able to immediately relax, ie we all took naps on arrival at this very lovely hotel. The first evening we went to a very good Italian restaurant. It was as good as anything on The Hill in St. Louie. There are no good Italian restaurants in Denver.

The next day we walked along the beach and talked and ate. We tried to find a sushi restaurant in Newport Beach but got lost and ended up at another one. The boys thought it was so-so, but still managed to eat $120 worth of sushi.

There were 2 amazing things about the weekend. I was able to talk with each boy separately and listen to how they were getting along, coping, re-hashing the events and feelings of a year ago. The second was that we laughed non-stop the whole weekend. The boys are so funny. I couldn't stop laughing. It was such a release, like that "primal scream" therapy.

I would recommend to anyone who has lost a loved one to "get out of Dodge" for the first anniversary of the death. It changes your perspective, allows you to rest and be free of the expectations of other. And you come back home feeling better, fresher and glad that it is over.

Amen and Allelujia