Hello winter my old friend...

 Audrey is a snow baby. She loves it! Loves to play in it, eat it, watch it fall. We had our first decent snow storm and she insisted Adam go outside and build a snowman with her. Being the amazing big brother he is, he agreed. 

Jessica Lynn Stewart

 I don't exactly know where to start with this post. How do you create a post like this about someone as dynamic as Jess? My sister? It's the end of February and I imagine I'll take a while to finally post it. (It's April 30th, and I'm going to finish it because I could delay this indefinitely) 

This is what I shared on Facebook, and it still fits- 

"As some of you may have seen on our family post, my little sister Jessica Stewart passed away early Thanksgiving morning.

Jessica was a force of nature. Ever since we were young she knew what she wanted, and got it. Not because she was spoiled, but because she was determined. She was the best salesperson I’ve ever met. When we were teenagers we worked together at a telemarketing company. I’m not lying when I say the only reason I kept my job was because Jessica did enough work for both of us. If they fired me, Jess would quit, and she was the best. I could never duplicate her skills, because I didn’t have her complete lack of inhibition. She oozed confidence.

She got all the math brains in the family. (Sorry other sisters) She used her talents to obtain a degree in applied mathematics and passed her actuarial exams. She decided she didn’t want to be an actuary, (too boring) so she used her math and sales talents to open a successful mortgage company. This way she could travel and work from wherever, Cozumel being her most recent second home.

I know everyone is one of a kind, but Jessica was really, really, one of a kind. Her own separate category. She was and is special and she will be dearly missed. Our family has had many people reach out to tell us how she helped them and touched their lives. She gave love and service freely, and had an infectious smile. I look forward to seeing that smile again someday.

There will be a celebration of her life this Saturday in Colorado for anyone interested in attending."

On Thanksgiving morning, around 2 AM, I received a call from my parents letting me know Jessica had passed away in Cozumel, Mexico. We didn't have all the details, but they told me Ashley was hopping on a plane to Cozumel to retrieve her body. My parents were in SLC, and my mom had her passport, so she and I decided to join Ashley and were on a plane around 6AM. Dave made us a reservation at a nice hotel on the beach. We didn't enjoy the scenery, but the all you can eat food was helpful. We met with a man from the local hospital that helped us with paperwork and navigating the process. My Spanish came in handy and I'm glad Mike was in town for Thanksgiving allowing me to go. What normally takes weeks we were able to accomplish in a couple days. We were able to visit Jess at the morgue and even though it was her body, it all seemed surreal. As we were preparing to leave Ashley tested positive for Covid. Of course. We were then told that for a price, we could get the required documents to travel. Naturally. We left Saturday with assurances that Jess would be following soon thereafter.  

When I got back we started planning for Jessica's service. Ashley planned most of it. She'd given me Covid in Mexico, so I didn't feel super awesome. (Thankfully Adam is the only one that got it, and his case was mild.) The kids and I drove out Friday the 3rd and stayed until Sunday. Jessica's service was held on Saturday. Beck prepared a beautiful slideshow of Jessica's life you can see here. I bought a bunch of 8x10 frames and printed some favorite pictures we have of her to display at the luncheon after.  I didn't want to get anyone sick, so I skipped out on the main service and watched it via zoom at Ashley's house with her kids and then came after the service in a mask. (No one cared, and most are over Covid) Everyone tried to stay true to Jessica's shall we say, style, so the service was very Jessica-esque. The sisters wore clothing that reminded them of her and Beck wore the traditional Jess braid. During her service family and friends got up to tell stories about her. When we posted about her passing on Facebook we received a lot of messages telling us how she served them and affected their lives. Ashley had carnations and notecards for people to use to pay it forward like Jess. 

I was in charge of the program. Jess loves sunflowers, so I tried to stay true to her. I sent it to Ash and asked, "Is this too cheesy?" She replied, "Yes, which makes it perfect."

Rebecca was chosen by the family to share the news on social media. This is what she shared:

"39 years.

That is how long we had with Jessica Stewart.

She was a bright star that loved fiercely, laughed often, and was beloved by all of us.
Sadly she passed away on Thanskgiving Day. We are still coming to terms with this loss as it is hard for us to imagine a world without her in it.

She was the 4th out of 5 very close sisters and it is so hard to think that we'll never hear her voice again or have another sister picture taken. We kept saying it was time for a new sister pic (we are famous for really awful ones) but we kept putting it off. At least we have 39 years of memories and probably more pictures than we can go through including some that should never see the light of social media. Did we mention how "great" we are at pictures??

Angelina, Tony, Tyler, and Leyla (her children), Doug and Cameron (her parents), Rebecca, Liz, Kristal, and Ashley (her sisters), and a whole slew of cousins and extended family will forever feel the loss of Jessie and will forever hold her in our hearts.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 4th at 3:00pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints located at 1445 W 28th St, Loveland, CO 80538."

You can see her obituary here and read it below:   https://viegutfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/236019/Jessica-Stewart/obituary.html#tribute-start

Jessica Lynne Stewart was born in North Platte, Nebraska on February 15, 1982 and sadly left this world early on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021 at 39 years old. She was born the third daughter of Cameron Stewart and Calvin Alexander Jr. but during her life would become the fourth of five daughters and beloved sister. Throughout her younger years, and her lifetime, Jessica excelled in anything she attempted whether it was snowboarding or rollerblading, she was a natural athlete. She gained a reputation as an impenetrable wall as a soccer goal keeper and enjoyed playing recreationally after high school. Beyond her athletic ability she was blessed with an incredible intelligence. She went on to earn a Bachelor Degree in Actuarial Mathematics from Colorado University and was a successful small business owner specializing in mortgages. Jessica was a bright light that illuminated every room she entered. She naturally drew people to her and used these relationships to better the lives of everyone around her. Jessica truly believed in making the world a better place and compassionate work towards others. She was the type of person that would give everything she had if it meant easing the burden of others and she organized many donation drives benefitting those in her communities. She enjoyed serving others and bringing a smile to their face. Jessica loved all and laughed often, her laughter is one thing we will miss most. She was goofy, zany, and a best friend to so many. Jessica is survived by her children Angelina and Anthony Moschetti and Tyler and Leyla Aumont; her partner Joe Lewchuk; her parents Douglas and Cameron Stewart; her sisters Rebecca Clark, Elizabeth Starley, Kristal Stewart, and Ashley Miller; and countless nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family who will always feel her presence. She was a bright light whose warmth will always be missed. A Celebration of Life will be held on December 4, 2021 at 3:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints building located at 1445 W 28th Street, Loveland, CO 80538. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a trust for her children. Donations may be made through her Venmo @jezzystewart in the app or online at https://account.venmo.com/u/jezzystewart

People often say, "They're in a better place." For Jess, I know this is true. She's free. She's at peace. She's with our Savior and feeling of the incredible love He has for her. She is watching over us and sending little pieces of herself to remind us of her. (Like how Ashley accidentally spilled some of her ashes in her car and now has a visual reminder of Jess to make her smile when her loss gets heavy.) We love Jess. I love Jess. I am grateful she's my sister. I'm grateful to know that I'll see her again. I'm grateful for a loving Savior that sacrificed Himself for all of us imperfect people trying our best in this earthly experiment called life. Until we meet again Jess. 

*I am creating a photo book of her life. It will take me a while to finish, since I'm still collecting pictures, but you can see the progress here. Jess was a picture taker, so there are A LOT of pictures to sort through. 

https://www.shutterfly.com/share-product/?shareid=5f1f2c52-3873-4af6-92bd-80607f90feb8&cid=SHARPRDWEBMPRLNK

Random November

 Another day, another trip to the farm. I'll stop posting pictures when she stops being so cute. I bought Audrey the book "Purple, Green and Yellow" about a girl drawing all over herself. Audrey told me she wasn't drawing all over herself, just  on her fingernails and hands. 

We've only lived here for seven year, so I thought it was time to finally start/finish Mike's pilot wall. I wanted it to be a surprise for his Weapon School graduation. I was really happy with how it turned out. 

Want to know what's cute? A toddler on a scooter. That's all. 

Sarah went to do baptisms at the temple with some "friends". Friends is in parenthesis, because for the last year or so she's rotated between which twin she likes. Keep in mind she's never so much as hugged either of them, but they do take turns sending her cheesy messages implying they may or may not like her. It's amusing. 

We took Audrey to the petting zoo and she loved the variety of animals. She even met a unicorn, which is super cool. 

Sarah was chosen as the Student of the Month at her school. 

Orange is the new Yellow

 Adam and Sarah had another belt promotion. Adam has been pretty diligent about going and has enjoyed it. Sarah likes karate when she goes, but has been "busy". Regardless of dedication, it's been good for both of them. 

Missing Erik

 Sarah had a dream that Erik was still alive and had turned 8. It was a sweet dream and when she woke up and he wasn't here, she cried. She had a rough day at church missing him. We decided to make a special trip out to visit him. The landscapers has left some giant leaf piles. Audrey and the boys played in them. We may have overestimated how soft they would be, because Steven threw Audrey into one of them and she went "thunk" and then said, "How Dare YOU!" and cried. We decided on "Eye for an Eye" retribution and Audrey pushed Steven in and then buried them. He was a good sport. It was a night evening remembering him. 

Happy Halloween!

 Halloween was fun, as always. We visited Erik and left him and Lilly pumpkins. Audrey had gymnastics, but didn't want to dress up. Michael informed me he was an Air Force pilot like Mike. 

Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, so the kids dressed up on Friday for school, and did most of their trick or treating on Saturday. There is always a debate about doing things on Sundays in Utah. It's not only a Utah thing, but people like to pretend it's a Utah thing. Gray could only go on Sunday, so the boys were nice enough to go with him Sunday as well. Lots of candy to be had in the Starley home. 

Sarah and her friends dressed in coordinating Scooby Doo costumes and won a school wide award. I happened to be subbing that day, so I got to see her, and take pictures of neighbor kids as they came through the school dressed up. The boys dressed up as Purge characters even thought they've never seen the movies. 

Audrey changed her costume a dozen times, and that's not an exaggeration. She'd chosen skeleton a couple times, so I bought her a costume just in case. Then she decided she wanted to be a skeleton kitty and I'd be a cat as well. (Flash back to 2010 when Sarah and I were cats) Mike wasn't there with us, but we still had fun. Audrey understood how trick or treating worked and she ran from house to house. 

Halloween Recital

The kids piano teacher had a smaller Halloween recital. I'd normally give it a separate post, but neither of the kids put much effort into their pieces, so I'm going to stick it here. At least they participated, blah, blah, blah. (Alright, this was the "Random October" post for October, but this was the only thing left to blog so it gets its own) ;)