October

Well this month will go down in the records...it was the best of times and the worst of times...not even sure how I am going to write about it all.

Albuquerque

After much finagling I was finally able to make it down to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta again.  With my new job it was easier to get the days needed off work.  Miranda was on her fall break and decided to come with Jacob and I.  Tyler and Nathan were both too busy with school and work so Matt was kind enough to miss out and stay in Utah with them.  We drove down to ABQ on Thursday Oct 10--Jacob's 27th birthday. I just have to say, road tripping with adult children is sure easier than traveling with toddlers!  When we arrived at Chris and Kim's house they had a yummy cake to celebrate Jacob's most exciting day ...he was such a great sport to let us spend 11 hours of his birthday day driving!

Friday morning started early and cold...as the Fiesta always does.  It was a bit windy so not very many special shape balloons went up, but it was still fun to see.

After Fiesta we went back to Chris and Kim's to sleep and relax.  It was pretty fun to hang out and play with Brooklyn.  She liked her cousins.

We saw more balloons in the afternoon from Chris's backyard

That night we met Bret, Debbie, Brian and JJ at a Japanese steakhouse to celebrate Jacob's birthday yet again.  Jacob got some sushi and the free ice cream.

Saturday morning Jacob and I were the only ones that woke up early to go to the morning mass ascension.  Again not as many balloons went up, but we got our funnel cakes, breakfast burritos, and hot cocoa so the morning was still a success.

In the afternoon we all met up at a pumpkin patch where Miranda got a yummy treat and we watched Brooklyn feed the animals.  It was super fun to see her have fun picking out pumpkins.

What a cutie! 

The Sant girl cousins!! 22 years apart, but oh so cute together! 

Saturday night found us all back at Balloon Fiesta Park for the balloon glow.  The weather was perfect and it felt so wonderful to be there together with my family.  I know mom and dad were close by and they were so happy to have us there. What a blessing it is that our parents gave us this love of ballooning and that we can always return and share it together.

It was a beautiful sunset! 

The Sant family
JJ, Jayson, Miranda, me, Bret, Jacob, Debbie, Chris, Brooklyn, and Kim missing Matt, Tyler, Nathan, and Brian

After the balloon glow Jacob, Miranda, and I got to hang out at Bret and Debbie's for a bit.  Brian and his girlfriend met us there too. It was fun to have the time to chat and catch up.  Sunday morning we headed out early for the trip back home.  The drive was uneventful as you hope it to be.  It was a quick trip, but I am so thankful we were able to pull it off. It was great to spend some time catching up with my family and oh so fun to spend time with cute Brooklyn.  Makes me sad we don't live closer.  It was great to be back at Fiesta and be at the place were both of my parent's ashes are.  I could feel their love and excitement that we were there.

Neal

Not sure how I am going to write about this one. I know I am going to keep it short as it's the only way to get through it.  Neal passed away on Oct 15th. We are completely heartbroken. On Tuesday night Matt got a call from Ron at about 9:30 with the news the Neal had taken his own life. Matt, being the oldest then had to call his siblings and relate the bad news one by one. Such a miserable task. This was an unexpected shock for everyone. We had thought Neal was fairly stable and doing OK. Obviously we were all wrong.  The family gathered in as quickly as possible. By Sunday everyone was was here--even Rich and his family from Croatia. Sad days of looking at photos and Neal's belongings, planning a funeral, and trying to make sense of this devastation. Oh Neal how we love you! 

Neal with Nathan

Matt and Neal at the top of Mt Fuji

On Monday October 21st we had Neal's funeral.  Again such a sad difficult day.  All of Matt's siblings were able to participate in the services in some way.  They did a great job with the funeral.  They were able to get a burial plot right next to Ria-Matt's mom in the Provo cemetery.  The whole family was there except for Matthew (he is in Chile on his mission) and Jenn (Seth's wife).  Sunny but cold, together but sad, that about sums up the day.  So many things in life will always remind me of Neal.  I am thankful we had the last 15 years here in Utah with him.  We spent a lot of time with him and we made some good memories...wish we could have made even more.

Dad and Siblings

The Hatch Family

Max, Christian, and Vincent looking at grandma's grave

Katie, Audrey, Calvin, and Miranda

Nathan, Jacob, Seth, Greg, and Weston

Tyler and Tristin

Nathan, Jacob, Tyler, and Tristin

Family Photos
For my birthday this year I only asked for one thing...to spend a day together with my kids and new FAMILY PHOTOS! We had the day set and planned and then we lost Neal two days before.  We thought about cancelling, but then decided that the distraction would be good.  We went to a new place called Camera Shy.  They did a great job.  The boys were all so awkward it was a bit funny.  When the photographer came in she kind of laughed that we were all so tall. She was quite short so she had to do a lot of standing up on stools for the photos. I love how the photos turned out! Here are a few of my favorites.

Nathan 16

Tyler-21

Miranda- 24

Jacob -27

My Birthday

With my birthday falling the day after Neal's funeral I was't feeling to anxious to celebrate, but I still had a few things planned. On my birthday I had card night over at my place with some friends.  Card night with friends is something that I started in January that I have been able to do once a month for most of the year.  It was a good distraction. Then the next night I was able to hang out with my amazing second grade team.  Oh how I love these ladies!  We ate dinner at Shake Shack.

After dinner I headed to watch the first round of Utah Idol to see and cheer on Erin.  We missed her at dinner, but I was glad to be able to support her after.  She did a great job and it was great catching up with her.  Sure to miss seeing her on a daily basis.

Also on my birthday Chris sent these super cute photos of Brooklyn to me.  This was an outfit I bought her for her birthday. SO CUTE!!! These photos for sure lifted my spirits! 

River and Stanford
Just so we can end the month with a bit more happiness here are some random photos of our cute cats River (the calico) and Stanford. Enjoy the cuteness!