The Merrick Family has grown: weekend to remember...for a lifetime

While this post is a few months late, I have struggled finding the right words to describe this weekend. I still don't have them, but as the year 2012 comes to an end, I want to highlight a weekend that occurred that we will always cherish. While we can look at the year and wish it never happened, we also have much to be thankful for, especially the beautiful nine months in 2012 that were so good to our Mitch. He ended 2011 with a beautiful toast at our family Christmas & rang in the new year happy & healthy. We have so many wonderful memories that we feel so blessed to keep our hearts warm during our dark days. It wouldn't be right to wish the year away, it was a bittersweet year.

With that, I want to share our weekend, the weekend of September 8th...

Luke and Ben were lucky enough to celebrate their birthdays a week later when Uncle Nate, Uncle Bryan, and Aunt Kate were in town to celebrate a family weekend, September 8th. This was our last family weekend together, one that we will always remember and cherish forever.

Uncle Nate flew in from Seattle on Wednesday evening, September 5th. Mitch picked him up from the airport, we grilled burgers, had a few beers, and caught up! The next day the boys opened up gifts from Uncle Nate and Aunt Debbie!

Friday night, Bryan and Kate met us downtown Iowa City. We had gotten a babysitter for the two boys and headed out for some pizza at the Airliner. We squeezed into a booth, enjoyed some pizza, beer, and sharing laughs as always! After dinner headed to Joe's place for a few beers and that is where Bryan and Kate met us. Saturday was game day, tailgating fun, watching the game at our house, grill out, and our first family bonfire! We made smores, told stories, and enjoyed being together. Sunday morning we made a big breakfast, the boys opened their birthday gifts from Uncle Bryan & Aunt Kate.

We all headed down to the Vine to watch the opening weekend of NFL football and had some lunch. I headed home to put the boys down for a nap, and just after I left, the TV's went out at the Vine, so they all headed to Bandana's. Bryan & Kate took off after the Dolphins game, and the rest of the guys, Dad, Sean, Nate, & Mitch all headed out for 9 holes of golf. Ironically, Mitch does not like to golf, but he would always go just to be with family. Sean and Mitch had a great time 'horsing around' as Sean put it, and really just enjoyed the evening on the golf course. Mitch teed off on #9 (with my golf clubs) and broke my driver on his very last golf shot! We will cherish that golf club forever and ever. I made up some maid rites for the guys to eat after golf before we all said our final good-bye. If only I would have known...there is so much I would've said and so much I would have done. I never got a chance to tell Mitch just how proud I was of him. The Friday afternoon before, my mom & I went and had pedicures and she filled me in on dad and Mitch's farming plans. I was so happy for him and proud of him for working so hard at jobs he never truly enjoyed, just waiting for the chance to farm with my dad. The time had come and I was so proud of him. I never got a chance to tell him while he was present on this earth, I tell him daily now... but it's just not the same. I would have loved to have seen his reaction hearing those words from me. Mitch spent sometime with Luke and Ben before he left, gave us all his big hugs, exchanged I love you, and waved good bye...that was our last weekend together. One we will cherish forever and ever....