FEBRUARY AND MARCH BJP PAGES

Once I started working on the first page, memories and images just started flowing.  February's page is a fall colored tree. 

From May 2004 to July 2005, we lived in Williamsburg, Virginia.  During the fall of 2004, Tommy and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  Everywhere we looked were these wonderfully colored trees.  The colors were so bright and vivid, especially with the sun hitting them.  It was so beautiful.  We drove the parkway and laughed and talked.  We would stop at various points and explore.  We started at the beginning of the parkway just off I 64 and took it down to Roanoke, where we spent the night.  The next day we visited an animal safari park and the Crystal Caves.  It was a wonderful time and the memories will last a lifetime.

In 2005, from July to early October, we lived on Kimball Hill in Whitefield, New Hampshire.  I had never been that far north before.  We rented a two room cabin that was part of an 1865 farm "complex".  Previous owners had turned the place into a bed and breakfast.  Our cabin, along with a second one, were actually across the street from the inn.  From the porch, we could see across the valley to the MountainView Grand Resort and Spa.  This was where Tommy was working as Chief Engineer.  He liked getting up early in the morning, especially on his days off, getting a cup of coffee, and sitting on the porch watching  his hotel.  He would call and talk to whomever was working and tell them that he could see the hotel from our front porch.  By the middle of September, the leaves began changing.  We could see two mountain ranges from our portch, the Green Mountains and the White Mountains.  They seemed to catch fire as the leaves changed.  The colors were so vivid and beautiful.  Neither of us had ever seen anything like it before.  (I'll post some pics when I find them).  We were so very happy there.  We always planned on returning, possibly retiring, there.  It was our own slice of heaven.

MARCH BJP PAGE

                                                                                       

This is the Lutheran Cross (actually one of a couple by that name).  I am Lutheran.  Tommy was a non practicing Roman Catholic.  We were married in my Lutheran church and the same minister presided over Tommy's funeral.  The little cross in the middle is supposed to hang straight.  It is only attached at the top and whenever the scanner lid was closed it moved.  Caused my mom no end of frustration.  The date,  10-29-09, is when Tommy died.  Two days before his favorite holiday.  I also had this cross put on his marker.

I have two other pages in progress.  Each one is filled with memories and is helping to ease the pain somewhat.  None of them are going as planned, except maybe this one.  If things keep going this way, I may have all my pages finished by the end of the month.  I think Tommy would approve of what I've done so far.