Jack Turpin Blood Drive-a-rama!

To celebrate Jack and his sweet life, we will be having a blood drive as previously posted about on September 24, 2010 in Manor! The blood mobile bus is coming to ShadowGlen! If you live here and would like to join us, please do so! Jack's favorite, "Hey Cupcake!" is donating cupcakes to everyone who donates blood. Our goal is to have 30 people donate. If you live outside of Texas, feel free to donate where you live to continue giving the gift of life.
To register here...go to www.inyourhands.org
Click on "Donate Blood," the bottom orange left-hand box. On the next page that opens, there will be tabs on the right-side. About half way down, there is another "Donate Blood" tab, click there. It will then say "Step 1," and there is a space to enter a sponsor code, type "Jackturpin" (all one word), that should get you to where you need to go.
A million thanks to my fabulously talented friend, Amy Barthel, for making such great posters that capture the spirit of Jack and this event perfectly and to Ken Smith for printing posters for us to distribute! You guys are the best!

"Pinwheels Pinwheels Spinning Around..."

To honor Jack on his birthday, friends brought us pinwheels to place on his bench. We went to the bench on Sunday morning and enjoyed Red Velvet Cupcakes and the ducks in the pond while placing pinwheels around his bench. It was really nice and felt like the perfect way to remember our Boogie. Thanks everyone who brought us pinwheels...so fun!

Happy Birthday Jack! (I want a John Deere!) & Monster Trucks

Well,

Happy 3rd Birthday J- Boogie, it is me your dad wishing you a Happy Birthday for everyone to see and hear!! I hope you had waffles and all the cupcakes you could eat! Today we celebrate you and all you gave to us! Cheers!

It has been almost a year and I have got a lot to celebrate, perhaps not how you thought someone who has not posted in a year might think. Today I celebrate my lovely wife Kristen, Krissy, Cage etc...Without her none of this would be possible. I cannot put it into words like she has. But without her this journey would not have been possible. She gave life to Jack three years ago today and still gives life to him today! She is amazing and I do not say it enough to her, but I think it is safe to say anyone who know us knows what I mean. You can't stop her...Her perseverence and strength hold me tight when I think those longing thoughts. Thank you Cage!

Today as I think back on all my happy memories of Jack, (too many to list, see blog!) I am reminded of several things. Most often things those much wiser than I have shared. I cannot help but think of my Dad's crazy toast at our wedding...he was talking about how we are all connected, somehow someway, (don't get me wrong I was kind of lost too when he started talking about photons and quarks and other strange matter that bonds us all together.) I didn't get it then, but I do now. It is so true. For example, last night when I was putting Kate to bed, I asked her to pick out a book for us to read. Guess what she picked out? "Monster Trucks," one of Jack's favorites and one we have not read more than once before. I could not help but think that Jack was there smiling down on us helping her pick that one!

Sometimes we have to stretch to keep our sanity and memories alive but then again you never know. Or like the times on Whidbey when Dean and Shagnaugh (sp) got married and two bald eagles flew over the aisle just before they walked down. I could not help thinking then that it was those we know watching down, or when we were finishing a Christmas beach walk and all of us had stoped at the end for wine and treats and a lone bald eagle circled around, (shortly after Norman of Norman and Patti's passing). There are many example for all of us, you know them and can feel them when you are around those you love.

Another quote I like from Tuesdays With Morrie : "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half asleep even when they are busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning" ~Morrie

So, tonight I am wearing my Elmo shirt (see photos from the celebration- Thanks Ken), sipping on a cold beer, eating a Hey CupCake! Red Velvet Cupcake and thinking about my son Jack and all of the joy he has given to me and the perspective I now have on what is truly important in life. Today I celebrate with all of our wonderful family and friends, those close and far who have helped us along the way. I am amazed daily at your compassion and generousity. No matter how small the gesture, they are all greatly appreciated and are helping us lay the foundation for a great future for our family.

I can't help but be reminded of one of may favorite memories of me and Jack. Shortly after his second birthday, we were at Home Depot, Kristen was busy looking at light fixtures. Jack and I went off and found the tractor section. As you can see in the picture above, Jack rode the tractor and I am on the other side on a John Deere next to him. We pretended we were racing! Here is to pretending and the road ahead!

Cheers J Boogie!

Dad

Happy Birthday Jack!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Birthday Sweet Jack!

Today Jack would have been 3 but as we know in this house, we don't think of the "What if's?" but the "Aren't we glad for what we had!" I can't believe that it has almost been a year without our Sweet Boogie. I am so proud of Dan and myself for surviving and surviving well. We haven't let this ruin us and we haven't let our spirits dampen. It has been a journey that we couldn't have traveled with just each other. To the countless people that have helped us along the way, we could never repay you enough. I will admit, it is still weird when people ask, "How many kids do you have?" How do you answer that? I tell them about Kate, about Baby T3 and say "We had a 2 year old who passed away in September BUT WE CELEBRATE HIM!" It is a true statement and avoids that awkward pause when the person doesn't know what to say. I can't blame them, I know the right words are hard to find sometimes. As I have mentioned before, even just acknowledging the loss or mentioning Jack to us makes us feel so good...it shows us that he lives on! I have a new friend that I met after Jack passed away and he told me the other day, "I feel like I know Jack." It made my heart swell.

It is almost a year later and I still have never been rolled up in a fetal position. I think of Jack and smile. I haven't been angry and I am still thrilled to have been his mom for 700 plus days. My brain still has a hard time grasping that what happened was one in a zillion, so rare it can't even be quantified. I have never let my mind go the place of "Why?" because I think that could tear us apart. I'll never have the answer so why waste the energy trying to guess at one? Let us be the one in a zillion so that we spare anyone else...we'll take one for the team for sure! I have stayed true to my belief that if I changed or allowed Jack's death to ruin me, what a double tragedy. I feel like I make Jack proud by how I have handled myself and what I didn't realize right away is that Jack will always be my son, that will never be taken away from me and that yes, losing your child changes you but that change doesn't need to be bad. I can't count the number of times I have listened to the song playing throughout the slideshow and agree that YES, "I love more, laugh more, take less time to make up my mind, go slower, love deeper, I know what I want and what I don't and I'll be better than I've ever been..." I am better than I was before and although I would do anything to have J-Boogie back, that isn't an option and being the best I can be is.

I put together this slideshow to pay tribute to my family: Dan, Jack, Kate and Baby T3. I wanted to show that despite this crazy year, we still laugh, we still celebrate, there is joy in our house and we haven't let this tragedy ruin us. For that, I am so proud. Thank you to Cindy Bullens for writing this amazing song after the death of her 11 year old daughter. It has pulled me into brighter lights and for that I am forever grateful.

Jack, I wish we were busy decorating for your party today and that Dad had your Superman Cape on you, ready to take you for your "Guys morning" of Waffle House and a trip to "Toys R US" to pick out a toy. I know that "Doddy" (as you would say) had such a great time with you last year while I decorated for your party and that it was a tradition in the making. For now, my mind will be at ease knowing that wherever you are has to be a wonderful place. I am sure your face is covered with cream cheese frosting from your Red Velvet Cupcakes and that you are surrounded by all those friends and family that have gone before us. Eat as many as you want! Enjoy your day and know that we love you and miss you but believe that we will be reunited again. In fact, maybe the joke is on us, we're still going to work, paying taxes, concerned about the oil spill and I think you're in a 5 star resort! We love you J-Boogie and continue to be so grateful for you...XOXO, Mom, Dad and Kate

P.S. If the video doesn't appear, hit refresh.