I need your Happy face :)

Angie's an inspiration! :)

Anyone who would like to help me create a video within the next few weeks in honor of Casey and his never ending happiness, contact me!!

I'll need your energy, happy face, fearlessness, and most of all, YOU!

ruthiesilver@gmail.com or message me on face book (ruth silver)

The second month anniversary

Angie's sweet thoughts, on the second month anniversary, of her amazing husband's passing:  

  "I was able to attend a widows/widowers conference recently.  I woke up the morning of the conference a little nervous to go and thought about not going. The thought quickly vanished because I knew Casey would tell me that I should meet some new friends who better understand what I am going through. It was an all day conference so I started searching for some breath mints.  I had a thought that maybe I had some in my church bag.  I searched in one of the small, side pockets in my bag and couldn't feel the breath mint package.  I was trying to think where else I would have some when the thought came to my mind to check the same pocket again. I checked the pocket again and reached my fingers all of the way to the bottom of the pocket and found something else. I pulled it out, and found a long lost necklace Casey had given to me for a Valentine's Day gift a couple of years ago.  It was wrapped in knots around a kid's plastic spider ring. 

   A few days previous in the week... I wasn't having the best of days. I was really, really missing Casey and reminiscing on things.  One of those things was the necklace he had given me a few years ago as a Valentine's Day gift.  It was a blue topaz necklace, because topaz is my birthstone.  I had lost this necklace about 2 years ago and after looking for a couple of months I figured I had vacuumed it up inadvertently and it was gone forever. That day I was wishing I would have taken better care of where I had placed it because Casey had given it to me. 

   Back to the morning of the conference....To me, finding this necklace was Casey's way of saying "I love you Angie." I knew he loved me, and wanted me to have a good time and meet new people who could help uplift my spirits.  So I did go and I did meet new people who are in a similar circumstance as I am.  I enjoyed the speakers and just being able to talk to so many people openly about things.  

  The past few days I have heard a song a lot on the radio and each time I hear it I can almost hear Casey telling me that life is meant to be lived and we are all meant to be happy.  The song is "Happy" by Pharrell Williams."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

PHARRELL WILLIAMS LYRICS

                                                              "Happy"

[Verse 1:]
It might seem crazy what I’m about to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way

[Hook:]
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do

[Verse 2:]
Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,
Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold back, yeah,
Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine, yeah,
No offense to you, don’t waste your time
Here’s why

[Hook]

Hey, come on

[Bridge:]
(happy)
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
I said (let me tell you now)
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
My level's too high
Bring me down
Can't nothing bring me down
I said

[Hook 2x]

Hey, come on

(happy)
Bring me down… can’t nothing…
Bring me down… my level's too high…
Bring me down… can’t nothing…
Bring me down, I said (let me tell you now)

[Hook 2x]

Come on

   "I will have really bad days, really good days and all days in between.  It takes experiencing the bad days to recognize and really appreciate the good days.  I know that Christ knows exactly, and has felt exactly, what I am going through, and I love him so much for that!  One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Nephi 2:25.  It reads, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." May we remember this as we go through our busy lives, to sit back and enjoy our life and our family!"

Thoughts from Angie, one month

"February 20, 2014, 

Yesterday was the one month mark of Casey’s leaving his body and going to live in the Spirit world with all those who had passed before him.  Oh how great a reunion it must have been for Casey.  I am sure Casey had some bittersweet feelings about the process, just like I did. I was so happy that he lived the life of a man we all should emulate and helped bring two great kids onto this earth.  I was also happy that his body would be pain free forever and cancer could never, ever touch him again.  I am so glad that he had relatives that had been following him on the other side of the veil, for quite some time, to greet him and welcome him home.  I also know that he would have loved to stay on earth and spend more time with his family if he could have.  But we are walking by Faith and understand that God knows the plan for us and what we need to go through to obtain eternal life.  This pain, suffering and learning process is all part of the plan that was laid out for us before we even came to this Earth.  God knows all and it is by Faith that we go through this life and return to him so we can live eternally with our family.  Oh how great that day will be when we are all reunited again and never have to be apart again.  I am so looking forward to that day.  Until then I will live life the fullest, accept that I am human and will make mistakes, raise the kids as the Lord would have me raise them and listen to what I feel is right and not to go by what others profess is right for my family.  I am sure Casey will help me along the way and will be there for the big milestones in our children’s lives.  I am looking forward to feeling him there and I will live life so I will be able to receive blessings for my kids and myself from my Father in Heaven.

I am reminded of the song, “I Walk By Faith”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxIOvc-EKN8

….I walk by Faith, a daughter of Heavenly Parents.  Divine am I in nature by inheritance, and some day when God has proven me, I’ll see him face to face.  But just for here and now I walk by Faith.  Yes just for here and now, I walk by Faith. "

The Story Behind the Yellow Wristbands

"When the original yellow LIVESTRONG wristbands came out Casey started wearing

one for his Dad because his Dad is a cancer survivor. So Casey had been wearing

the wristband for quite a while when he was diagnosed with cancer on May 2, 2011.

As nurses were preparing to take him back for his 7+ hour brain surgery on Cinco

de Mayo 2011, the nurses noticed that he still had his wristband on. They said that

it needed to be removed. Casey was already connected to IV’s on his hand and the

only way to remove it, so he could go back to surgery, was to cut it off. So the

wristband was cut off and Casey’s Dad kept it to remember that Casey had worn it

for him.

After Casey’s surgery his brother, Mark, ordered another yellow LIVESTRONG

wristband for Casey. Casey proudly sported the wristband for not only his Dad but

for himself.

For a Christmas gift I decided that Casey needed something more on his

wristband. Together we decided that in addition to the LIVESTRONG, on the

other side of the wristband we would add SURVIVESTRONG and a new wristband

was made.

Casey kept his wristband on and never took it off until I removed it for him. It

was December of 2013 and we were in the hospital in California and I decided that

I had better remove the wristband before anyone decided the cut this one off.

When we got back to the U of U and we found out what was going on, I decided

that I was going to have a special wristband made for myself and the kids so that

we could keep wearing his wristband for him. I ran this past my sister, Ruth, and

we came up with a new slogan of BE CASEYSTRONG. She suggested that we order

some for friends and family so they could wear them also. So instead of ordering

them off of the LIVESTRONG website we ordered them from another website to

save on the cost of making them. Because of copyright issues the other website

wouldn’t allow CASEYSTRONG so we changed it to BE CASEY-STRONG. We didn’t

order it on the normal brain cancer color, but in Casey’s yellow wristband color.

One of our sweet neighbors also made this slogan into vinyl and I get to sport BE

CASEY-STRONG on my car, which is fabulous!

Do I need this bracelet on my wrist to remind me of Casey? Absolutely not! But I

wear this bracelet and will live by this slogan to honor Casey and all that he stood

for. I send a message to everyone to live each day to its fullest. Spend quality

time with your family and those that mean so much to you. And most of all live how

the Lord would have you live" :)

- Angie Wheeler

I still have a small handful of wristbands left for those close friends and family who were not able to come to the services and get one. Please contact me at ruthiesilver@gmail.com

Photos from Casey's Funeral

For those who were not able to attend any of the services for Casey, I thought I'd put up some photos so that you could be part of it too. :)

To everyone that attend, Thank You!!! We thought we'd be blown away by the large volume of people coming to show support and love to Casey and Angie's family, and we were!!