Amy & Jim Wedding Nov 1997
Maui, Hawaii


Amy helping her sister Andrea get ready for
Andrea's Wedding April 1999



Amy with niece Brynna



Jim and Amy



Amy Loving Up on brother Mark

Meet Amy Elizabeth ~ the 'middle' child of my family. Amy was born in 1974 ~ a fat, round, bald baby ~ cute as a button ~ who's now grown into a 6' tall, wispy thin blonde beauty. When she was a little baby, she would sit and laugh out loud for no reason ~ and not a lot has changed in the last 30 years. When she was a barely two, she packed a paper bag with a diaper, a dolly and a ball of yarn that I crocheted with and ran away. Left ~ gone ~ adios..... took me about 5 minutes to figure it out too ~ things were pretty hectic at that point with 5 of them under 6 years old (gasp). I called the police and neighbors to help me find her....and of course she was found within a few minutes as she was walking along the sidewalk about a block from home.

That started it ~ from that point on, we had locks on the top of all doors to keep her from going 'out' whenever she chose. Then she didn't speak more than 2 words until she about 3 years old. I had her hearing tested and they said it was fine ~ that she must not have anything to say. We finally made a breakthrough on that as I drove down the road one day in my big old station wagon packed with kids and she informed me 'You left Mark at home'. (She was right - BIG u-turn and Mark safely retrieved from the floor where he still sat waiting)...

From that day on, our silly Amy has not had a problem speaking. She's our family 'fun' person ~ you know the one ~ shows the food in her mouth at the table (at 28).... makes video's on holidays where she tapes herself doing the entire Blair Witch Project and playing each part... you know.... THAT one... :)  Moons her Mom in the parking lot after dinner and gets her sisters to help ~ yes, THAT one.... :) The one who likes her sisters middle names so much that she 'stole' them ~ signs all her cards to family members 'Amy Rae Elizabeth Renee' ..... yes THAT one....

Lest you think Amy spends all her time doing these things, let me tell you - not true ~ the rest of her time she devotes to the love of her life - her husband Jim ~ and the many businesses that they own and that Amy spends early morning to late night working hard along side Jim. Then there is the other part of her free time (LOL) that she spends looking after her siblings and her Mom. Amy needs 26 hours in a day and somehow manages to find them.

Amy's a Mom too ~ but her baby Cole James resides in Heaven and is missed each and every day. After Cole was born still in July 2000, the light in Amy's eyes went out. It's a light that her Mom could see so well and then see no more. Slowly, I'm beginning to catch glimpses of it again and I pray for more of it each and every day. But I understand that her life will never be the same, even if they have more children, and I grieve that loss with her. I wish each day I could do something to 'fix' it for my beloved daughter. The only thing I can do, and what I try to do, is to let her know that I love her and I'm here for her. I let her know that Cole will never be forgotten and he'll always be missed by all of us ~ especially his Grammy.

Amy's still my silly girl ~ always will put on that smile even when her heart is breaking ~ and always reaching out to comfort me whenever I need it too. Amy is my breathe of life. A remarkable young woman and one who makes me proud each and every day ~ even when making those faces.

God Bless you Amy ~ always