How Do We Look Ry?

Today we wore orange in honor of Ryan.  Surprisingly, Mike didn’t have an orange shirt.  As luck would have it, he just happened to find a practically new one in Ryan’s closet.  Thanks Ry.  Today we also started the tradition of going to Ryan’s grave and releasing orange balloons.   Ryan, I am sure you are smiling at us from above and popping those balloons.   You would also be so proud that my Suburban now has a Texas Longhorn logo on the back and I also have Longhorn earrings… and you never thought I liked sports.   We love you Ryan.

One Month

Today my heart is heavy as Ryan has been gone for an entire month.  We have received much peace and comfort during this hard time; however, it is hard to imagine this earthly life without him.  I am reminded of Ryan every time I see the color orange and that makes me smile.  I find myself wearing it very often in his memory.  Today our family and many others will wear orange in honor of him.  A friend of mine came up with this and it seems fitting.  OurRyanAngelNearGodEveryday!!!

Thank you to all those who are still reaching out to our family and serving in so many ways.  We truly appreciate all that has been done for us.  It has eased our burdens and lightened our load.  Today as you are remembering Ryan and our family I would ask that you turn your thoughts and prayers to another family in so much need at this time.  They live in Hooper and are friends of ours.  Their little girl McKennlie was in an ATV accident on Friday and is in Primary Children’s Hospital with brain injury and they are going through the same heartache we felt.   They have set up a blog http://mckennlie.blogspot.com and it is my prayer that they receive all the love and support as we did.  Prayer is powerful and miracles do happen.  We have witnessed so many ourselves. 

 

We love you Ryan.  You will always be in our hearts.  You have touched our lives and have made us better.  We will miss you and look forward to being with you again someday.  Until then we will just try our hardest to make you proud as you have made us so proud of you and all you stood for and all you did.  I know you are smiling down on us and will be with us forever. 

I love you sweet boy,   Mom

A Couple of Updates

A few people have been asking about the status of this blog.  As things have slowed down a bit, and the Lott family is adjusting to home life, the posts will likely be less frequent, but Cath has asked that we continue to post periodic updates.  So here we are. 

First of all, the Lott family has welcomed all to participate in a memorial day for Ryan each month. We'd like to invite all willing to wear something orange on the 12th of each month in memory of Ryan. Please pass this on, as those visiting the site has diminished in the last few weeks.

Schoolmates Wearing Orange in Support of Ryan

Again, thank you to all those who have initiated, orchestrated, participated in, and donated to the Lott family.  Thank you to the school and all of Ryan's classmates.  The support has been overwhelming, and has resulted in a great financial blessing for Mike and Cath. 

Ryan's Siblings: Ethan, Jaime, Adam and Alex

If you'd like to receive an e-mail when the blog is updated, please subscribe on the right-hand side of the site.  Thanks again!

Fundraising Finale!!!

Our last fund raiser is this Thursday, May 31st! Come work out for a GOOD CAUSE at a Zumbathon held at Rocky Mountain Jr High. We have 5 fabulous ZUMBA Instructors donating their time and talents from 7:00 to 8:30. The cost is $7.00 (cash or check) at the door and all money will go to the Lott family. If you have never done Zumba before this is your chance to be AMAZED!!! Come ready to work out and have fun. Please contact me with any questions abcdsimms@gmail.com.

Amy Simms

Remembering Ryan

I've been putting off writing this post for the past week.  It's been a bit daunting simply because I haven't known exactly what to say.  I'm also a bit sad that this blog may be coming to an end.  Memorial Day has taken on a whole new meaning for our family.  I was glad when we visited the cemetery yesterday that others had also visited Ryan.  Thank you to those who left flowers, etc.  For anyone interested in visiting Ryan, his grave is between the 5th and 6th pine trees (counting from south to north).  We hope to have a headstone in place within the next couple of months.

Words simply can't express the overwhelming gratitude we've felt for everyone that we've met or heard from during this experience.  It was great to see all of Ryan's classmates that came to the gathering and the funeral.  So many people have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into various activities.  I hope during the months to come that we can personally thank everyone that has been involved, no matter how small.  For any that we may miss, please accept a most gracious thank you for all of the support that we've been given.

We used to give Ryan a hard time because he used the word "amazing" quite often when talking about almost everything.  I think that word is appropriate in this situation.  Everyone has been AMAZING!  We love you all.

Mike & Catherine

Hooper Fund Raiser

A BIG thanks to everyone who came and supported our fund raising efforts at both Chick-fil-A and the Syracuse movie night. I think it is a great tribute to Mike, Catherine, and Ryan to see so many people show them such love.

Don't forget the fundraising event tomorrow night from 6 to 8 at the Hooper Park. We have MANY fabulous things to auction off! There will be both a silent and a live auction, so if you can only stay part of the time, or need to come late, don't worry...there will be plenty for you to participate in.

Besides the auction, tickets will be sold. Tickets may be used to purchase cotton candy, Italian ice, rides on the bounce house/slide, snacks and drinks from the Pepsi Trailer, and a few other things still in the works! We will also have a General Store where items can be purchased for the listed price. At the General Store you can use tickets, cash, or check to make purchases.

We are so excited to see you all tomorrow. If you have questions please email me personally at abcdsimms@gmail.com rather than making comments on the blog.

Love you Lotts!!!

Amy Simms

May 17 & 18 - The Lott Family

May 17, 2012 - Michael, Catherine and kids. This was taken the evening of Ryan's gathering.

The past few days have been filled with emotion, tears and reality. There was a tremendous turn-out at Ryan's gathering, and his funeral was even larger. I had to wonder if they let school out for Ryan's funeral, as there were dozens and dozens of his classmates there. Ryan's family is not alone in the grieving process, as many of his friends and schoolmates are hurting too. We met Rock - the author of one of the special comments on this blog. It was great to see all of the wonderful friends that Ryan had. He touched so many lives for good!

Two of Ryan's angels in scrubs came to his funeral. This is Andrea and Liz - two of his nurses from Primary Children's Medical Center. It was special to see these new friends.

The cultural hall at the Stake House was decorated with hundreds of these dots. One of Ryan's friends came up with this idea. They sold dots at the school for $1.00 apiece, and then wrote a sentiment to Ryan on them. It was nice to read these messages from his friends.

The walls on each end of the cultural hall were covered with these dots. One person told me that this was the nicest gathering they had ever attended. They said there was a special, bright feeling there. I would have to agree. Many people helped put together tables with memories of Ryan. And yes, there was a special, sacred feeling at his gathering and funeral.

Ryan's funeral was beautiful. The people closest to him, who knew him best, spoke. Many memories and special experiences were shared. Even though funerals are not much fun to attend, this one was special - as special as the young man we were there to honor and remember.

Love,

Grandma Jeri