Sooooo, I know Savannah's blog and the Foundation blog (Savannah) will be talking all about the Crab Feed. It was a WONDERFUL day, filled with wonderful people and a beautiful, love filled vibe. I will post some pictures...hope they are not repeats...but if they are....well you just get to enjoy them a few extra times....

It was a relaxed, sit on the table, kind of event. Kick back, grab your bottle and socialize.

Ryan Mead came on Friday, he was the first person to stay in Jed's room. I know Jed approved. We went to dinner and afterward Savannah and Mead went to the Cope's to visit. Then we abused Mead all Saturday morning, thanks for helping us set up!!! (don't get mad at me for the picture, I don't know what Jay was saying but you look like you were thinking deeply about it!!)

Our favorite neighbors came to support us.... as always!!! Love you guys.

People we love more than the world not only came they came with cheesecakes and cupcakes and my chunka love. Oh Jordan, the love I have for you and your family is beyond words.

Look how grown up my boy is? He makes me smile and cry at the same time...I have that reaction to many, many things but with D it is so much more. A teenager...sigh

Dad was in charge of hot dogs "Hot Dog Hop"

Mom was a crab serving machine. Crabs with a smile :)

Me in crab delivery mode. There are so many people from so many different aspects of our lives in this photo...I LOVE it!

One of the 2 Harley tables!!!! I cried when I saw everyone that came from work. They were there from the very beginning...

Grace, Meg, Jett (hangin on the table). Behind them is the Smith table, with my brother visiting. LOVE that they were all there. Nana, Pappaw, my Mindy and her Barry (stop touching my leg Bar) Nate...your shrinking! Tanya with super cute Wyatt in his stroller and Amy and Libby. ( I thought, wow that girl looks just like Libby...it would because it IS Libby!) So glad to see you!

Hi Marc!!!

Ahh Crooked, it just is not an event without you :) Glad work will never get in your way of being with us :)

The kiddies seemed to have fun....this is only a few there were more!!! and Yes that is The Mac...the only girl...she can very much hold her own. Jase are you pointing that gun at Zaiden??

GammAcacia was well represented. love you guys.

The WHEEL Women.... we rock :)
There were so many people there. We are grateful beyond expression for the continued love and support you all provide. We made $2,290. It was a great day. Once I got over the initial shock of seeing everyone and stopped crying I had a blast! Thank you Amy and Morgan for being the first faces our guests saw when they came.
Thank you to Louise Soskin for EVERYTHING!!! You were amazing and we are so appreciative.
Thanks to all that helped....cooking, baking, working, donating and eating :)
We had 1 cookie left at the end of the day...out of 9 dozen...thanks Adam and mom! Dishy...the cheesecake was the first to go and the cupcakes were gone quickly too!
ok thank you to EVERYONE!!!! We could not do any of it without your help. Because of you we will be able to help many families facing a diagnosis of childhood cancer.
Your help in keep Jed's loving, caring spirit rocking on is appreciated more than I could ever explain.

Jeddie, I wish I could explain how much I miss you...It is too big for words. Oh the fun you would have had on Saturday.

That smile...I cannot wait to see that smile again. I still have a hard time understanding how we got to this place and how our lives have changed so much. It seems unreal. Until I can be with you again we will try to make you proud.
Mommy Loves you Baby Jed.
Love J & K

This week has been busy. The biggest news is that The Jedediah Thomas Smith Foundation is officially a tax exempt non-profit. We got our 501(c)3 certification from the IRS. YAY!
Thursday we ordered the crabs for the upcoming feed.
Friday was the first day of out yard sale

and Saturday was the last day.

me, Grace, Savannah, Jett, Meg, Mags, Nana & Pappaw
My mother was there for every moment of both days and she is not in 1 picture...way to go mom...I know she planned that. Justin, Maggie's husband was also there most of both days and he is not in the pic either.
The view from the other way...

It was a bit of work but we had so much help. Thank you to my mom, Nana, Pappaw, Mags, Justin, the kiddies, Grace and everyone else that helped. Thanks also to all the people that donated and all those that shopped. You helped us raise almost $1,000.00 for the foundation. Thanks to Min and Jess too!





Z, you are the coolest.

and I love how you love your sister....

Saturday morning Danny decided to empty the toys out of his storage unit. For years Jed and I would go through his room and bag up toys for donation. Then the bags would disappear. They went to Dan's storage.....this weekend it all reappeared...and I had to go through it. Right after I started I realized I wasn't sure if I could do it. The urge to just tell Danny to take it all back was very strong. I was right at the moment where I thought I could not do it guess what was in the bottom of the toy bag? YES a quarter!! All that stuff that I had gone through and I found NO money of any kind but at the moment I needed it Jed made sure I got it! Thanks Jeddie Spaghetti. best quarter yet!
How cool!!
So I managed to get through it all and Saturday finally slowed down.

I counted the money....which I know is Jed's favorite part :)

and after mom left for the last time, all the work was done and everyone was relaxing Mickie came to visit carrying awesome cupcakes and the best homemade hard lemonade I ever could have imagined.

She hung out and chatted with us for the evening...it was wonderful! Thank you so much Mick.
Today was Father's Day...Happy day to all the fathers. Mostly mine and Dan...and Adam, Pappaw and Barry.

Danny is taking the picture...so he is not in the dad's day pic...I should have taken it.


After breakfast Savannah, Danny and I went to hang with 3 of the most awesome people ever.....

We ate, we played, we swam (floated) and we shared our love of sarcasm. It was a great laid back awesome day. We had so much fun.
I bet this is what Lenny Kravits looked like as a baby...

this kid is so beyond cute.
A Happy Dad...


















Soooo, anyway. That was our weekend. Tomorrow I have to do all the fun stuff...start to get the house back together, check on my online class that I tend to forget about, do the laundry that I have also forgotten about and then head to Mickie's to see Becky and her daughter Edie and maybe Michele and her daughter Abby. Mick and I are the only ones with grown up kids! Mick heads to Texas on Wednesday to see her son graduate from basic training...wow!
Oh and speaking of military stuff, my cousin Kimmy's husband, Tony is on his way home from Iraq...YAY!!!! he is our real life family hero (besides Jed). I was hoping to get to go see Kim and the kids while Tony was gone...I feel bad that I could not do it. Being unemployed puts a damper on flying to the west coast! I am so glad for all of them that he is on his way home.

OK, I'm finished for now. Jed I am missing you..everyday is hard..getting harder.
Mommy Loves you... forever
Love J & K

Hey.

Well I got my beach fix. It will probably be the only trip I make this summer so thank you to my brother, Tiersa and Livi-Mac for inviting us down to OC for the weekend. We had a great time. Danny and I got there Saturday and I spent most of the day on the beach. Livi and Tiersa hung with me for a bit. Liv likes to just cozy up on random families' blankets and hang out. She also randomly just hold other dads' hands!!! Crazy kid. She had a fit when it was time for her to go back to the room....threw herself in the sand...I grabbed her and dunked her in the ocean to wash her off......I am officially not her favorite person! She sees no humor in my sarcasm. :)

The weather was awesome. It was senior week, there was a big car show and the air show was happening....I have never...in 42 yrs of hanging in OC MD seen this many people on the beach. It was crazy.

Danny came down and got the umbrella and chairs set up, got Livi her sand toys and settled "the women" then he went back to the balcony to drink with Adam and watch the show...

I fell asleep on the beach at one point and when I woke up this is what I was staring at......

Yes that is a Stealth Bomber!!!! In person it is unreal! Rolling over and seeing this over the beach was insane! Very cool.

We went to dinner at Macky's on the bay....

Awesome drinks...dinner was good too!

After dinner we headed down the boardwalk but Queenie 2 got tired, her cold was acting up. We stopped to take a break and for Tiersa to get new shoes...she had blisters...yuck. Anyway as we sat on a bench, I looked around and realized that the last time I was on the board walk I sat in THAT EXACT spot for 2 hours in the drizzle while the boys played in the arcade. The entire boardwalk and that was where we stopped...really??? We are sitting there and Livi-Mac yells "sponge bob" there was a little square of a bob t-shirt advertisement right next to the arcade. Oh Jeddie...I was so so missing you...but I always am...nothing new I guess.
Anyway I was more than ready to go back to the room after the emotional drain of sitting on that bench for 15 mins. thinking of the last time I sat on that bench. Thank goodness Queenie 2 decided she had had enough also. She opted to take the "train" (tram) and ride the "merry-go-round" (carousel) the next day.

While all this excitement was happening Queenie 1 was home living through the worst storm ever! Of course the one night I leave and Kyle goes to work, the power goes out, no fans, no air, her cell was almost dead and so was her laptop. She packed it up and went to Mom & Dad's. Poor Nee Nee.


The next morning the 4 of us went to breakfast, we weren't moving fast enough......

Danny, "what are you doing with that sugar?" Livi-Mac, "loving it."

There was a meltdown when we told her that the rides were not open til later....

This is Daddy fake smiling over the meltdown..."oh yes, all is calm"....

and me, smiling when the kid is pissed really pisses the kid off more...oops.... :)

We then headed back and watched the 2nd day of the air show...and drank...a lot..ok it was just me drinking a lot but whatever....

look at livi's face in that pic.....oh geeze

Then we took our family portrait......

and said good bye....

No I did not drive...it's all good.
We had a great time. So glad I went. Had a few really, really hard moments....ok a lot of hard moments but that is par for the course in my life now....it is what it is.....
Thanks guys for having us.

Jeddie, your absence in my every moment is so so huge but with events like this weekend it is overwhelming. You should have been with us. In person. I know you were hanging around but not the way I want it.

Just walking by the Kite Loft was almost more than I could handle. I did not go in...not without you. Jed.....I wish...I wish...Oh Jeddie.

Mommy Loves You...forever....
Love J & K

Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you...I got a scholarship for next semester....it is the RENEE somebody memorial scholarship....coincidence...I know better!!!! Thanks Nee.