Evelyn

A year ago I remember seeing a story on the news about a 5 year old girl who had disappeared in a small town. She had been asleep in her apartment and when her mom came home from working the nightshift she couldn't find her daughter. As the search continued for days I know my hopes were not high in finding her. You hear this story too frequently in the media and rarely do they turn out well. About three days into the search is when I found out she was the niece of one of my friends. It's amazing how your perspective changes when you become loosely "linked" with something like that. All of a sudden she became a person rather than a news story.

Six days after her disappearance her body was found in a nearby river.

This past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for my friend. She has had to fight for a safer home for Evelyn's two younger brothers, she's had to watch her brother get arrested for something not related to the case but who keeps getting linked with Evelyn's murder, and she has had to deal with lies quoted in the paper by Evelyn's mother (and her family) about the case.

Maybe the most frustrating part as been the lack of arrests. It's hard to believe that justice will be served when it feels like the case has been on pause for a year with no hope of moving forward. Hope was restored yesterday when an arrest was finally made. Not for the murder of Evelyn but for lying to investigators. There have also been hints that others have lied as well and they will be punished too. It's one step closer to solving the case and helping my friend and her family find some peace within the chaos.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Evelyn but this past year I have heard a lot about her as my friend has shared memories and photos. Every picture I see of her she has the biggest smile on her face. She obviously loved life and loved those around her. You can go crazy with the whys and what ifs. My friend shared the other day that she's moved on from mourning the loss of her niece to instead celebrating the life her niece had for those five years and cherishing the times that she got to spend with Evelyn.

My friend passed along some photos for her friends to share on their blogs:

Donations to Evelyn's memorial fund can be sent to the following:

Evelyn Miller Memorial Fund
First Security Bank & Trust
809 Clark St., PO Box 577
Charles City, IA 50616

30 weeks and counting

I know, you're all in shock because it's only been 10 days since my last post! Don't get used to it. As I type the baby is being very aggresive in whatever he is doing on my left side. Sometimes it's fun, other times it's distracting and makes me grab my stomach. It's getting much easier to feel where he is. If I push he'll most likely push back. I wonder if I'm annoying him?

If any of you have checked out our registry on Babys R Us' website (which I'm sure you all have with much excitement) you'll notice that it says any item you could buy online is not currently available. Unfortunately, this is what happens when Babys R Us and Amazon decide to separate and go their own ways. I've been told that everything will be functional on July 3rd. Those items are available in the store though.

We have been busy getting the nursery together, the guestroom together, and pretty much the rest of the house together. There's nothing like nesting to give you energy to do things around the house!

This weekend we are heading up to Minneapolis for a Twins vs. Cubs baseball game. We're meeting a big group of friends. Should be a fun time. I personally am looking forward to stadium food. There's nothing like watching baseball live and eating a hotdog (especially when it's a dome and you're not sweating for hours).

Here are some pics! The nursery is obviously not finished but it's getting there. And check out the massive amount of clothes! Thanks to Evan, Brandon, and Owen for that!

Picture time!

Blogger was weird to me and just now published something I wrote last week so you'll want to check that out after these pictures. It's really fascinating stuff.

Dan, me, my dad, and my bellybutton waiting to get on the train for our scenic railroad trip through the valleys of Iowa.



The train went over an incredibly high and narrow bridge. They blew steam towards the creek to create a rainbow.



a side view of the belly



Lisle hanging out in the grass.



I put the stroller together on Sunday and Mr. Tubs was my helper

Its been awhile

Dan, baby, and I are doing well. Today I go into the doctor for the gestational diabetes test. After this appointment I start going to the doctor every two weeks! I am now in my third trimester. It seems like it's coming up so quickly. It's garage sale season so I have been stocking up on some baby clothes. Right now I am in the process of organizing all of them. The nursery looks more like a storage room. At least the walls have been painted!

Last weekend my dad and stepmom came for a visit and we had a really nice time with them. We took them on the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad train trip which was really fun. I do have some pictures from the train but I haven't downloaded them. I will post some soon.

Dan and I also managed to register at Target and Babies R Us. I'm not sure where we're going to put all that stuff. Maybe we'll have to build a second floor.

Baby Thorpe has been very active punching and kicking. He especially likes to bother me during work. I don't think he likes it when I lean up against my desk and squish him.

One of my friends who is due 5 weeks before me is getting an above ground pool. We plan to float a lot over the summer. Take some pressure off our joints. I'm so glad I won't have to go to a public pool in a maternity swimsuit!

Dan has been working outside recently. He's got quite the farmers tan going on right now. I can't believe how easily he tans. Maybe baby Thorpe will get that from him instead of my pale, burns easily skin.

This weekend we actually have nothing planned which is amazing. We will have to take advantage of it because after this weekend we don't have an available weekend until July 29th!