Eliza

The day that Eliza was born Kristin, the friend, and I(Sha) went up to the hospital to see the little angel.  I almost felt like I was intruding, it felt like sacred ground.  Every birth feels that way to me.  Babies are so newly sent from our Father's arms and the veil is thin.  This was different.  Josh had had surgery just a few weeks before.  He was sick and seemed so fragile.  The uncertainty of his diagnosis and treatment was scary, making their emotions fragile as well.  As I walked into the room, I felt love.  When I looked at baby Eliza and held her I fell in love with her too, as was clearly written on Kristen, Josh and Grammy's faces already.  As Kristen held her I saw peace.  As Josh held her I saw joy.  That is what Eliza has brought, love, peace, and joy. 

Even though this year has been one of difficulty and trial, there has been a bright ray of sunshine in the Baumgarten's daily lives-Eliza!  (Not to say that the boys haven't been also, but this post is about her)  As Kristen was getting ready to have Eliza I asked her if she was excited. She said that she was excited for her to come but thought that the timing was way off and wished she could have her without all the chaos and uncertainty of Josh's diagnosis and treatment.  I remember thinking the same thing and my heart broke for them.

But now, at least for me, and I think Kristen would also agree, the Lord's timing of bringing Eliza was perfect.  Crazy to think that He would have known huh?;)  This little girl has brought so much love, peace, and pure joy into her family's life and those around her.  I have been privileged to witness the special bond that she has with each member of her family.  When she is around they light up and love eminates into the room.  It is precious to say the least.

A week ago we celebrated Eliza's first birthday.  Again, I felt privileged to be there, to capture it, to witness the love that she brings and that all have for her.

Many thanks!!

Kristin (the friend) here. I've had lots of people tell me they had a great time at the Creative Trends fundraiser last Monday and say "thanks" to me which is absolutely misdirected. The only thing I contributed was sharing the information on facebook and on this blog. The THANKS goes to many people but most of all Lindsey Hackford, her mother, grandmother and family for countless hours planning and executing the raffle, bake sale, cutathon, and getting the word out to make the fundraiser a success. I know a little bit about the work that goes into something like this so THANK YOU!!

The ladies at Creative Trends also put in hours of energy, support in planning, and giving hair cuts all day on Monday.

Max and the crew at BBQ'd for the DELICIOUS pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and drinks. Many local businesses and community members donated amazing items for the raffle and the list goes on. I am not surprised at the generousity of all these people because that is simply the kind of people that they are. I AM amazed however at their humility and insistance that it was no big deal and not a sacrifice even though I know many hours were given. I am thankful for these many examples of service and Christlike love who insist that any time, energy, or donation is a privelage to give. This is all about showing the Baumgarten family love and support. Thank you to everyone who has offered that in any way.

To finish up I wanted to include this message from Kristen Baumgarten's parents:

"Thank you again to all who contributed or in any way had anything to do with the "Cut a Thon" and all of the other fund raisers. Thankyou!!! And may God bless you always with what each of you need for your Christlike efforts on behalf of our kids. YOu are in our prayers! Prayers of gratitude! (SEems we say prayers of gratitude a lot.... It feels good!)thank you..... Bill and Laurie Kremin"

AWESOME items being raffled this Monday, May 16th!! Plus, come for lunch and bake sale. Mmmmmm.

Lindsey Hackford, her mom GayLynne Case, the ladies at Creative Trends, and many more have been hard at work getting ready for the Fundraiser coming up this Monday. CLICK HERE for all the details. Now that I've seen the AMAZING items being raffled(pictured below) I am getting extra excited. Please come have a yummy lunch(you have to eat anyways!), and check it all out Monday, May 16th in the Kmart plaza in Vernal, outside Creative Trends. The pics below(taken with my phone) are just some of the things being raffled. I'll list what I do not have pictured at the bottom.

$1 per ticket or $10 for 11 tickets

Max from BBQd will be selling lunch from 11am - 1pm,

donating all profit to the fundraiser.

Cookies, Cinnamon Rolls, Goodies Galore!

We need more sign ups for the Bake Sale! Can you bring something?

Call GayLynne Case 435-789-6083 or 435-219-3067

------------------------------------------------

Raffle Items:

*Queen size quilt donated by Melanie Watts/Creative Trends

*Childrens Books Basket including 25 brand new children's books(Scholastic favorites like "If you give a mouse a cookie") donated by Amanda Redden

*Sun Hat donated by Bitter Creek Books

*Bear Figurine

*Blue Purse donated by What a Girl Wants

*Jewelry(in the small white box w/ purple ribbon) donated by Bridal Affairs

*Car Seat Cover(orange, green, and blue polkadots) donated by Nickole Hansen

*Scentsy Warmer and Scents donated by Shawna Laroque

*Dinosaur Gift Basket donated by Dinosaur Gift Shop

*Blue Purse(same as shown above) donated  by What a Girl Wants

*Greatest Glory Vinyl Sign donated by Lime Leaf Vinyl

*Bird Wall Decor

*White and Black Purse donated by Wonderland Purses and Pearls

*Holiday Decor

*2 Adarondak Chairs donated by Lowes (picture below not the actual chairs and not necessarily the same style. Just an example from Lowes.com)

Also being raffled:

*2 Quilts donated by Kari and Kami Rousch

*2 Large Candy Baskets donated by Little Sweet Pea

*Gift Certificate and Basket donated by Merle Norman/Senses

*$100 Walmart Gift Certificate

*Gift Certificate to Amore Italian Restaurant

*Patio Lantern donated by Duke Holmes

*Product Basket donated by Creative Trends

*Creative Trends Gift Certificates

*Fabric Frenzy Gift Certificate

*Paint Your Heart Out Gift Certificate

*2 Full Body Streamline Massage Gift Certificates

*Maurices Gift Basket

------------------------------------------------------------

If I've left out or messed up any info let me know!

HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE THERE!!

A little help to stop any confusion in its tracks

Kristin "the friend" Baldwin here. :) The simularity between my name and Kristen Baumgartens name has caused some confusion. I've been the author of every single post about fundraisers on this blog. (Link HERE to a post I wrote about approaching Josh and Kristen about fundraising in the beginning.) Because my name is also Kristin and my last name starts with a B there have been some readers who assumed or thought Kristen and Josh were posting about fundraisers. Not the case, ever. It has always been me posting but I'd like to do something to alleviate confusion so I need your help. What variation of my name could I use that would be perfectly clear? I would post a picture but I've had so many people comment that I look like Kristen or actually think that I am Kristen Baumgarten that that may be a lost cause as well not to mention I don't have any current pictures of myself really....oh wait I do! I'll add it to this post just for kicks. Flashing my face around isn't my idea of fun but anything to stop the madness! I don't think we, Kristen and I, look enough alike to be mistaken as sisters or especially as each other but I swear it has happened more times than I can remember! Also, isn't my little girl adorable?!?

Anyway, for the first time in my life I am wishing I had a middle name to go by! Anyone want to dub me a special nickname for when I post to this blog that NOONE could be confused by?? Seriously. Give me some ideas and I'll start going by it when posting on here. I don't really have any nicknames set in place unless you count Porky(which traumatized me for life as a 6th grader), Montana(simply because that is where I am from), and Scof(a short version of my maiden name). Any better ideas?? I'd rather not have to relive my adolecence but I wouldn't fault anyone for taking advantage of the easy Porky jab. Just know I've been doing pushups and will gladly use my new superhuman strength to retaliate. ;)

Dear Anonymous

*I (Kristen Baumgarten) am posting this here as well as my personal blog for reasons that are obvious to anyone who continues to read...*

Dear Anonymous Commenter:

   Thank you for your honesty and candor. I realize the opinions you expressed are real and I honestly can see your point of view. You are clearly a regular reader of this blog and so you know that I do not hold back a lot of what I am thinking and/or feeling. Please allow me to explain my point of view with the same candor as you shared yours. (Also be assured that this will be the last you hear of this from me. I will not discuss this with others as I am not sure who you are, and you are clearly someone who knows me well).

   To start, I would like to apologize to you and anyone who may share your feelings that you feel my blog has been an attempt to seek pity, sympathy or financial help. It has certainly not been meant to be so. I certainly do not remember having ever posted asking for someone to send me money, to feel sorry for me or to dwell on our family’s circumstance.

   I started my blog in 2007 as a way to share stories and pictures with family members who are miles away and may be interested in the on-goings of our household. As of late, (as in the last year or so) it has turned into more of an emotional outlet where I have been able to sort through my feelings and therefore have used it as a source of healing.

   Since I am not convinced that my initial reasoning for starting my blog even exist, I will be changing this blog to a private status for my eyes only. I still find writing to be therapeutic and I choose to continue to use my blog as an online journal. I realize that you know my family and details of our circumstances and so I will not attempt to sort through who may or may not be offended by my emotional posts. I will leave this post for a week or so before I change the status as to give you a chance to find and read this.

   Please be assured of these three things. (I also posted these on Facebook in case you check that more often than Blogger):

• #1 we have repeatedly been humbled and in awe at the way family, friends, and community have reached out to us in the last year. It has been a humbling experience and hasn't necessarily been easy to be on the receiving end of service and financial support.
• #2 we've never asked for or solicited any of the fundraising efforts. Those who have taken the initiative to organize a fundraiser in our behalf humble us. Those who have quietly supported us outside fundraising events humble us. We hope all those who have done either, know that their efforts are greatly appreciated. I understand how it may be confusing considering many blogs concerning fundraising have been posted on the dadnamedjosh blog by one of my dearest friends who shares the same name as I. Her profile/username happens to be kristin and mine is joshandkristen. Our individual posts show our profile/usernames respectively. To avoid further confusion, I will no longer post to the dadnamedjosh blog.
• #3 to our knowledge we haven't "done" anything to cause Josh's GBM cancer or my Multiple Sclerosis. We have each actually been diagnosed and see specialists at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute.  We are not perfect and while our diseases may be punishment, I hope that they have been given to us as a chance for us to draw closer to our Savior.

   We have not used our trials as an excuse to use the good will of others. With the exception of my immediate family and closest friends, I have tried to not ask for help in any respect. It is hard enough to accept help when it is offered. It is very hard to recognize that I cannot do it all on my own, but let me be the first to admit that I know I cannot.

  Please accept my sincere apologies for what appears to be an abuse of the good nature and kindness of others. I recognize that we have used more than our quota of goodwill and will keep that in mind as this time during our health trials continues.

   Sincerely,

   Kristen

To anyone who may be concerned by this letter:

   I am really ok. I have had the night to sleep on this information and I realize that it’s ok. We went to the temple last night and I was left with the peace found there before I read the comment that led to this post. This morning, I have found comfort in the words of a song by Laura Story called “Blessings”

“We pray for blessings. We pray for peace; comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering. All the while you hear each spoken need, yet love us way too much to give us lesser things. What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near. What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?... When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win we know, the pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home…. What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy? What if trials of this life the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are your mercies in disguise?”