I use this blog as a way of remembering events in our lives and then print it at the end of the year to make kind of a "family yearbook". Usually my posts are about trips we have made or things we are up to, happy things. But this December our family experienced a really difficult time and a reminder that life is not always easy, not always fair, not always happy. The Ramos family was very special to us and I want to make sure to write about how they have affected our lives in our family yearbook.
When we were home visiting family for Christmas Dave got a phone call that one of our friends here in Utah and Dave's coworker had been in an off-roading accident and had been killed. The Ramos family was a very special family and did everything together. It was no surprise that they were together that day. Shortly after we received another call that Emily, Derek's wife had also passed away in the accident. By a complete miracle both kids were alive with very little physical injury. It was a complete shock and something I still can't really believe is real. Dave had been on the same trail before with Derek and with other friends and it just didn't seem like anything like this could happen.
Derek and Emily were truly amazing people. The first time I remember meeting them was at a pharmacy cookout we were hosting at our house. (We currently have their VW van in our backyard and Dave was going through it the other day and in the glove box was our address from where they had come to our house for that party.) As anybody who knows us knows, we are never ready or on time. They arrived early and jumped right in to help. Emily started helping me cut vegetables because I can't cut anything! They stayed late after the party was over and made sure everything was cleaned up. They brought their famous root beer that Dave put in my favorite Marshall water bottle and it smelled like root beer no matter how many times I washed it! That became the norm and every time there was a pharmacy event they came early to help and stayed late to clean up. At our last get together, the Bingham's going away, we frantically called the Ramos' to see if they could meet us up at the log cabin because we were running so late. They were there before us and we would not have been ready for that party without them. Looking back now, I really cherish those last memories I have with Derek and Emily. They even took all the leftover meet and freeze dried it for us to have at a future get together. We joked that the next pharmacy going away could be theirs this spring because they were up to possibly move.
Every time I was in the pharmacy Ramos would be there with a huge smile and was always so positive. Emily was the same way, always smiling! Right before we went on our trip I went to her house to get some essential oils to try for my anxiety during flying. We laughed about how Dave thought "the Ramos' were hippies with their essential oils." She checked in on me after I got there to see how they worked and was going to mail me more if I needed it for the flight home. I was looking forward to more time together discussing essential oils like "hippies."
Derek was an amazing person and a great worker. Dave always talked about how he had never met somebody who worked as hard as Derek did. This past summer Dave, Jason and Derek got to celebrate all their hard work at the pharmacy satellite grand opening.
They loved to can and always sent home jams and jellies for us to enjoy. Dave and Leo especially loved their pickles and I had contacted Emily to buy some for him for Christmas. We still have a few jars of Ramos pickles to enjoy.
Meeting Derek and Emily has positively changed our lives forever. They were the kind of people you wanted to be around because they were funny, caring and genuine. They helped people because they wanted to and truly cared about their friends. Their love for their family and their faith was like no other. They were always together as a family and always happy. I remember a conversation I had with Derek when he said it is hard when kids are little but when they get bigger they are just so much fun and how much he loved playing and doing things with his kids. I know that our family is better because they were a part of our lives. When I look back at our time in Utah I will always remember the Ramos family and the memories we made with them.
They used to travel together as a family in an old VW bus. We currently have the bus in our backyard until it is able to make its way to Washington for the kids to have. I can see it every time I look out my kitchen window. At first I didn't like having it out there because every time I looked out the window it made me sad. But now every time I look out the window it reminds me how precious and short and unpredictable life can be. I might be frustrated because the kids are driving me crazy or Dave is at work late again and then I look out the window and it's a reminder of what really matters. Life is so fragile and I am trying to change my attitude when things are not going my way. I want to be thankful for everything I have and the blessings that are around me everyday. Derek and Emily made everywhere they went better and every person that came in contact with them was better because they knew them. I want to bring positive energy to the situations I am in and focus on what matters- family, friends and faith. Remember to be thankful everyday because you don't know when life will change forever.
memories are good, life is good
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