Evelry's Visit with her Fairy Godmother

A year ago this week our family suffered a heartbreaking loss when my Uncle Jimmy passed away unexpectedly. This tragic loss caused many people in my family to step back and examine their lives and remember what is important in life. In fact, it was this loss that prompted Danny and I to start a family. And much to our surprise, a little over a month after we lost Uncle Jimmy, Everly was conceived. Our family believes that God sent Everly to us to bring some of the joy and happiness back that we lost the day Jimmy died. Everly is often referred to as "the angel baby" in our family and we are all convinced that she met Uncle Jimmy in Heaven before she was sent to Earth. I personally like to think that he is her Guardian Angel and that he watches over and protects her. Interestingly enough, a few weeks ago, on The Day of the Dead, Everly and I were talking about her Uncle Jimmy (well I was talking and she was listening very carefully). After we said a prayer for his soul, Danny said to Everly, "You already met your Uncle Jimmy in Heaven didn't you? He was a rascal and you are going to be a rascal just like him, aren't you?" On cue, Everly started to coo and smile, almost as if to say, "You bet I did! And let me tell you he is fabulous!"

I have always been close to my Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Mary, and their children (my cousins), Tracy & Trent, so when it came time to choose Godparents for Everly, Tracy and Trent were the obvious choice. When we were kids they were like the little brother and big sister I never had. Some of my fondest memories with Tracy include going to the beach (I will never forget the trip to Ft Walton and the Penthouse, teaching our Dads to play "Quarters" & "Chandelier", and rowing the boat at Salty's), hanging out in her room with her and her friends, cleaning out the trailer behind the Hitching Post so she could move in it, and letting her dress me up and do my hair and makeup. Trent and I have our fair share of memories too. From childhood birthday parties, trips to the beach, playing with match box cars and building roads out of crayons, swimming every summer and sliding down the hill while the pool was filling up with water, riding the scooter all over Hidden Hills (and a few places we weren't supposed to go) rolling our high school teacher's yard and getting caught, shenanigans in Indiana, and our many adventures in Chicago, there is certainly no shortage of stories that we could tell.


Back in July Tracy started traveling to Los Angeles for work and as luck would have it she was in town the day Everly was born (coincidence? I think not!). Since Everly's birth she has been back for work twice and last Sunday we were lucky enough to spend an entire day and evening with her before her work week started. After dressing Everly in her most fabulous outfit, we drove downtown and picked her up at her hotel.

After hanging out at the house for a few hours and soaking in all of Miss Everly's wonderfulness, we took a trip to the Grove. After a great dinner at Wood Ranch BBQ, we wandered around the Grove and took some pictures. Everly slept through most of the outing but we sure had fun showing her off in public.

It is really heartwarming to see the special bond that Tracy and Everly are building. I can already see that they have a special connection. From the moment they met Everly was comfortable in her arms. It makes me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see them together. I can hardly wait for Trent to meet her next month when we go home to visit for the holidays and for her baptism.

While the pain and sadness of losing Uncle Jimmy will never go away, we are indeed comforted by the amazing gift that God has given to us in Everly. I know that Tracy and Trent will be wonderful role models for Everly throughout her life. I cannot wait to watch as their relationships develop and grow over the years. I am proud to call them Everly's Godparents. I know Uncle Jimmy is looking down from Heaven and smiling too.