"Listen to your heartbeat and dance..."

On Saturday, June 9^th, 2012, the world lost an incredible friend, mother, and wife.  My mom, Cathi Crane Turner, passed away of injuries sustained from a bicycle accident.  For those who are not aware; she was biking with her good friend Michele Maughan and while going downhill, there were a row of four construction signs; the last one was turned the wrong way causing the sign legs to protrude into the vehicle lane and making it so she could not see the sign. 

Her service and burial were nothing short of amazing.  There was a huge outpouring of love towards her from more people than we could ever imagine.  Multiple people said that the spirit in the room was one of celebration and remembrance, and that’s the way she would have wanted it.  She always said there would be no tears or crying at her funeral.  I had the honor of speaking at the service, along with her friend Michele Maughan, and my dad, Jay Turner.  My Aunt Christine played a beautiful piano melody and the Young Women sang an incredible song in her honor.  Everyone did a wonderful job.  Throughout the service, it was easy to feel the overwhelming love and support for both our family and her.  There was of course plenty of laughter, but there were also tears.  She was an incredible person who gave so much to so many.  She made an immeasurable impact on everyone she came in contact with.

At the burial, my Uncle Chad dedicated her grave with respect and gratitude towards her for her sharing her life with us.  Something my mom always said was that she wanted chocolate and dancing at her funeral.  So, her Young Women got together and decided they would do just that.  One of her favorite quotes that she had found on a Dove Chocolate candy was, “Listen to your heartbeat and dance…”  The Young Women handed out Dove Chocolate and performed a dance she had created to Mamma Mia.  They invited everyone to come up with them, and yes, thanks to my Uncle Chad and myself, we proved that white boys really can’t dance. 

The whole thing was a beautiful tribute to an incredible woman who led an amazing life.  We will always remember her smile, her many laughs, and the compassion she showed for so many.  We know she is up there watching over all of us.  We will see her again, but while we prepare for that day, we will live our lives like she did; with passion, grace, and plenty of laughs along the way. 

“Listen to your heartbeat and dance…”

On Saturday, June 16^th, we all gathered as family members, friends, and as complete strangers to finish the ride she was not able to.  ‘Cathi’s Ride’ was organized by Michele and one of the women that had stopped to help at the accident, Lisa Johnson.  When they reached the crash site, they took a moment to remember and celebrate her.  She had a passion for biking and for living.  Everyone who took part was there to be a part of something special and to give thanks for the remarkable woman that she was. 

As a family, we want to thank everyone who has been there for us helping us along the way.  Unfortunately, I don’t have everyone’s names, but to those who stopped and helped my mom in anyway, thank you for being there and for showing such kindness and selflessness.  It has given us a lot of peace knowing that she had everything there that she possibly could have.  

Cathi Turner, simply put, was an amazing and truly inspirational human being.  She will always be our wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend.  We will never forget her and we will strive to live the life she would want for us.

Cade and Alexa's Day With The Wild

Day At The Park

I have to say...."it was a good day at the park".  I was able to play with my camera and spend time with those I  love!  My only wish....(engagement picures).

LOTOJA

Closets need cleaning, gardens need weeding, bikes need riding...closets and gardens can wait!  LOTOJA - 3 states- 206 miles, 1 day. (Logan Utah to Jackson Hole Wyoming.)  I was invited to join a women's relay team, an experience that was new to all of us.  Maria Paspuel took the first leg-Logan to Preson.  Kim Trupp took the second leg from Preston to Montpelier (the hardest leg for sure).  I took the third leg from Montpelier to Afton. Kim (the lean, mean machine) took the 4th leg from Afton to Alpine.  Karina took us the end of the ride from Alpine to Jackson Hole. 

We started the ride at about 7:45ish and finished at about... does it really matter?  Finish it we did.  (The officials officially stopped the race but we continued to cheer in the late comers.) 

I was happy with my leg.  It was a bit of a climb but nothing that I hadn't trained for (thanks to Jess for introducing me to Squaw Peak).  I felt like my head and my body were both in a good place - on the bike!

For sure we werent' the fastest team competing-but we prevailed and we finished!  thanks girls.

Bear Lake with Random People From the Christopherson Family

What a great day!  It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood of Garden City, Utah.  We rented 2 wave runners.  The good new is  5 became bait when they fell out, 1 almost died, and 3 stayed dry.  Poor, poor Amara went home with bruises and bumps.  Her own fault really. She was going well over the speed limit in a school zone.  Bradley, rudely enough, while falling in could not handle the disgrace on  his own and took Justin with him.  Ginger didn't fall in!  The damage she has to show is her cute sunburned knees.  There was some confusion and some concern when we spotted one wave runner with no Alexa and Cade!  But alas;  they fell off going 5mph. Oh, correction.  They were parked.  Jay was oh so cool.  While going into the lake his hat was on backwards, but coming from the lake it was forward. Such confusion on Jay's (make that Brad's) part.  Cathi was a such a joy to be with; if only it weren't for the raspberries.  We will always remember this and be sure to do it again... next year.  Won't you be my neighbor?