Why today of all days I am happy to be alive...

October 28, 1996 . . . 14 years later and I still remember every little detail. It was my first year at Colorado State and, because of marching band, I had 200 new friends. One of those friends was Jeff. He was one of those friends with whom you automatically hit if off. We had only really met about two weeks earlier and yet, had become good enough friends that I was hanging out with him and his parents after a week. We hung out all the time. There was a piano in the lobby of his dorm and he would play and I would sing. We should have done that that night . . . 


We both needed to get out of the dorms so we took Jeff's Jeep (I didn't have a car at the time) and did some four-wheeling up by Horsetooth Reservoir. He even made me drive at one point and, even though I was scared to death, I'm glad he pushed me to do it because I don't know if I would have done it otherwise. We drove back down to Fort Collins and got some hot chocolate at Denny's at Hwy. 14 (Mulberry) and I-25. Remember the hot chocolate. . . 


We drove east on Hwy. 14 where there are many dirt roads. He was driving again at this point. We took this random dirt road and went around the corner and the back wheels of the Jeep didn't catch. We spun 180 degrees and then flipped end-over-end into an irrigation ditch, landing on all four wheels. After the shock wore off (which I honestly don't think happened until the next morning), we climbed out of the ditch and called Jeff's parents (who lived in Greeley) and they came to get us. The Jeep was trashed, the ditch had to be at least 15-20 feet deep and yet, we walked away from that with a scrape a piece and some soreness the day after. Oh, and the aforementioned hot chocolate? Mine ended up in his lap and his ended up in my face, which was the funny part of the whole night. His parents told us we were lucky to be alive. No kidding . . . 


So as I look back on that fateful day some 14 years ago, I don't look back on it with sadness or regret because it could have been so much worse. What if one (or both) of us wasn't wearing a seatbelt? What if we had driven a few more miles out or weren't able to get a hold of his parents? I am grateful that October 28, 1996 happened because it helped make me who I am today. I am grateful for Jeff and his parents, who looked after me like I was a member of the family; I practically became one after that night. I am grateful for my family, who got one scary phone call at 1am that morning. I am grateful for my band family, who showered me with hugs when the news of that night spread like wildfire, as you can only imagine it would. And I am SO grateful that I can look back and thank God that there were no "what if's" that night . . . 

Rest in Peace, Aunt Elma

Dear Aunt Elma,

I got back from my chiropractor's office today and there was a message from Grandma, saying that you had died. It wasn't too much of a shock because you hadn't been doing well for some time now. But yet, I was still in shock because not many people in our family have died over the years. We joke that it's because we're stubborn Germans, but honestly, I think we just have good genes. I have been extremely fortunate that I have not had to go to that many funerals in my life. But now, I have to fly home to California next week to attend yours. And I'm not sure how I feel about that . . .

You were my great aunt. Dad's aunt. Grandpa's sister. But you were so much more than that. You never had kids of your own so you always treated me, Tim, Jimmy and Annie like your grandkids. We would always go over to your house. You were always there for holidays. You showed up for all of our college graduations, regardless of where we went to school. And that was quite appropriate because you always supported us in everything we did. You were always optimistic, with never a bad thing to say about anyone. You wrote our family newsletter, which I thought took a great deal of patience and strength because, let's face it, our family is not always the easiest to deal with - it takes a very special lady to deal with the Heinrichs. :)

You were in a nursing home when I saw you last Christmas. I hated seeing you in there because the woman who I had grown up with didn't belong there. But you didn't have a choice, did you?  All of a sudden, the woman who I thought could do anything, could no longer do anything. That wonderful optimism of yours was also gone, which was how I knew that disease had truly taken over you. That wasn't my aunt in the nursing home - it was Disease dressed up in an Elma suit. So when I got the news of your passing today, I was extremely sad, but I was also relieved. Because you no longer have to suffer. You can be reunited with Uncle Chuck, who was taken away from you too early in your marriage. And you can truly be without pain. It's so sad that you had to die, just so you could actually live again.

My dear Aunt Elma, you were a very special and wonderful woman. I will treasure every moment I spent with you during my 33 years on this Earth. You were/are truly loved and you will be truly missed. And now, you can finally rest in peace.

Love,
Robin

I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow . . .

So I started my "makeover" today. I did my SURGE training (more to come on that) this morning and all I have to say is that for something that only takes you 15 minutes to do, you would not expect to be as exhausted as you are at the end of the workout. Dear Lord, you feel every muscle in your body when you're done. I did better than I thought I would do, but I still have a long way to go. No recipes to tell you about at the moment because Mom and I are still experimenting with a bunch, but I will say that if you need a good healthy alternative to mayonnaise, Veganaise is the way to go! It can only be found in health food stores (usually by the cheese), but it is worth finding. It kind of tastes like Ranch dressing right out of the jar and I usually add some ground rosemary and garlic (and apple cider vinegar if I'm making salad dressing). It makes a great veggie dip and it works great in tuna and egg salad as well. And it's better for you because it's made with grapeseed oil. I use it in EVERYTHING now. :) Anyway, I would love to write a longer blog, but my lack of sleep from last night is catching up to me in a hurry and I'm fading fast. So, for now, Good Night!