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| Jamison, Lexie, Shiloh, Hayden, Blake, Kylie, Tate, Kayson, Ethan, Paytn, and Choice |
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Tate, Choice, and Juliann We made a brief stop in Oregon on our way to Washington today. Portland is a great city. Each time I visit, I contemplate relocating there from Arizona. Morghen was glad to get out of the miserable Arizona heat. |
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Tate, Morghen, and Choice Due to my inability to make contact with the Portland donor prior to making the trip, our visit with them was short and sweet. The company Pinnacle Capital Mortgage has a "community cares" organization that reached out and made a donation to the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots shortly after the tragedy. |
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| Shiloh, Tate, Choice, Juliann, and Ryder |
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| Shiloh, Tate, Choice, Juliann, and Ryder It was our pleasure to meet Melissa, a member of their staff, and share with her our appreciation for their thoughtful organization. She explained to us about their group within the company in charge of public outreach. It is inspiring to see companies who set themselves up to provide service to the community during times of loss or great need. God bless you Melissa and those other members of Pinnacle Capital Mortgage who blessed our lives so dearly. |
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| Choice, Juliann, Tate, Shiloh, Ryder and Melissa Washington was the next state on our journey. This first visit in Washington was one that the kids have been excited about for weeks. |
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| Ryder, Tate, Juliann, Choice, and Shiloh |
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| Ryder, Tate, Juliann, Choice, and Shiloh |
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| Ryder, Tate, Juliann, Choice, and Shiloh The Barnette family used to live in Prescott at the same time we did. Through associations made at church and school, our kids had become close friends. They have five children: Ethan, Paytn, Kayson, Jamison, and Hayden. Their Paytn is the only girl in a family of boys so she and Shy can empathize with one another. When we pulled up to their house, the kids wasted no time with formalities. They rushed to each other for hugs and began playing immediately. They live in a beautiful part of Washington, a town called Ridgefield. It was picturesque in every way...complete with greenery, a chicken coop, playgrounds, and a trampoline that the kids came to know very well. There were moments where 8 of the kids were wrestling around on that thing. |
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| Ryder, Jamison, Hayden, Shiloh, Choice, and Tate |
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| Shiloh, Hayden, Jamison, Ryder, Choice, and Tate |
RYDER AND KAYSON...
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| Ryder and Kayson |
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| Ryder and Kayson |
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| Choice and Hayden |
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| Choice and Hayden |
SHILOH AND JAMISON...
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| Jamison and Shiloh |
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| Jamison and Shiloh |
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| Jamison and Shiloh Shiloh and Jamison are exceptionally close. It is always precious to see them light up when they are around each other. On their first day of preschool in Prescott, the fire department drove the two of them to school on a fire engine...a memorable day for them both.
 This reunion today was long awaited for little miss Shiloh. She was thrilled to be visiting Jamison just a couple of days before his birthday. She picked out a birthday gift and was anxious for him to open it when we arrived.
Besides just missing our friends and taking advantage of this opportunity to visit with them, there was a wonderful reason that they fit into this gratitude tour. Dale, the father of this beautiful bunch, is a first responder himself, serving his community as a police officer. Andrew's passing hit home with the Barnettes, not only because they were friends of ours and had a personal relationship with Andrew, but because they understood all too well the fear of anticipating a knock on your door by two sheriffs as we did on June 30, 2013. In fact, shortly after Andrew was killed, Destiny (Dale's wife) shared with me that I was living her worst nightmare. |
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| Jamison, Lexie, Shiloh, Hayden, Blake, Kayson, Kylie, Tate, Ryder, Paytn, Ethan, and Choice |
For weeks following their Daddy's passing, my kids were surprised by secret visitors knocking on our door and leaving gift bags full of fun goodies, toys, and treats on the doorstep. They didn't wish to be seen, so they would carefully place the gifts at the door and run before getting caught. I remember vividly the smiles that would came across my kids faces when that anticipated knock came at the door. It was a moment more valuable than money, more valuable than the great items they found in the bags...a moment in each day where their troubles subsided and they found some happiness again.
The following picture and letter were delivered to us by them on day one...
July 14,
2013
Hello Juliann, Ryder, Shiloh, Tate and Choice
We want to start out by saying WE LOVE YOU!!! Our family has known you for a long time and
we have known your mom since she wore Superwoman pajamas flying from couch to
couch. It must be amazing to be a family
of super heroes. Our family thinks each
and every one of you are just that…heroes!!!
Your super hero family has sent us on a personal family mission to do
better, to be good. We are a first
responder family as well. We send our
daddy out every night to fight crime. If
there is one thing we have learned from his career it is that first responder
families stick together…police officer, EMT, fire fighter, hot shot…we are a
family. So as we watched you go through
the events of the last two weeks, crying with you and wanting to wrap our arms
around you we came up with a plan to share some sunshine with you. Through out the upcoming weeks we will be
randomly leaving a gift on your doorstep.
We hope you like them and that they bring a smile to your face. You never know what day we will come so be ready!!! Please do not try to catch us…we are training
to become super heroes and super heroes never reveal their true
identity!!! Know that we love you, know
that we will be watching over you and if you ever need us we will be
there.
Our first gift to you is Play-Doh! We picked this because Play-Doh is molded and
shaped by your hands. You can create
something amazing and beautiful. It can
be fun and make you laugh. It can also
be frustrating as you work so hard to create the perfect masterpiece. This is like our lives in Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ’s hands. They are molding
and shaping us, guiding us to the perfect masterpiece…the Celestial Kingdom and
an eternal family. Sometimes the molding
and shaping can seem too much but know that you are never alone. They love you and will continue to send
angels and super heroes in training to watch over you as you continue to become
the perfect work of art. Have fun and create
something amazing just as Heavenly Father and Jesus have created something
amazing in the Ashcraft family!!!
We will see you again real soon!!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Destiny and Dale shared with me that they wanted to remain anonymous and were saddened when I caught them with toys in hand on one of their attempts to sneak up to the door. However, it wasn't until this visit to Washington, almost two years later, that my kids found out who their secret little service angels were.
It is beautiful to me that the Barnettes thought of such a tender way to be of service to our family. I was moved by how they encouraged their kids to be the ones providing acts of service to their friends. What a lesson for their children, and for mine, of finding ways to serve at any age. Their acts of kindness left an immeasurable impact on our lives and they truly live life by Spreading the Better!
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| Jamison, Hayden, Lexie, Shiloh, Blake, Kayson, Kylie, Tate, Ryder, Ethan, Paytn, and Choice |
To Destiny and Dale, I love you guys. Thank you for setting an example as wonderful parents, inspiring friends, generous neighbors, and an incredible part of the first responder family. God bless you guys. We miss you already...come visit us soon!!
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