It's been about 2.5 years now since Nolan's dad passed away, and it felt like the right time to open up and talk more about it. Nolan agreed to share a peek into his journey of losing a parent along with his memories of his dad and the character traits he admired.
I had made a few videos documenting the trip I took to get to Oregon after Nolan's dad suddenly passed away. This was a very dark time in our lives... and honestly, I find it hard to go back and watch these... but many have said how much they appreciated that we've shared these and didn't skip the hard parts. (which has kept me from deleting these videos). Odd as it may seem, I found it rather therapeutic to take my camera along and vlog parts of the trip. Vlogging is like journaling for me... but rather than a pen, I use a camera to document.
In this series of videos, I mostly focused on my part of the story and the things I was dealing with in getting to Oregon. Obviously, the most difficult thing was the passing of Nolan's dad, and my health problems dimmed in comparison. However, out of respect for the family and the sensitive nature of grief and loss, I refrained from sharing much of that on such a public platform.
So these videos feel a little lopsided over such a difficult time in our family. But taking this drive out west, when I was in one of the worst Ulcerative Colitis flares of my life, was a mountain I wasn't sure I could climb... but I was determined that with God's help I would not let my health stand in the way of being beside my husband as he said goodbye to his dad for the last time.