Monday, January 2, 2012

Hallie's memorial service & thank you!!

Hi friends!

We will be having a memorial service on Saturday, January 7, at 10:00am Buckhead Church in the main auditorium. The church is not GPS/mapquest friendly.. so go here for directions: http://www.buckheadchurch.org/directions


Or...you can type "1 Buckhead Loop, Atlanta, GA 30326" into your GPS, and you'll find us.

We love you guys and invite you to join us as we celebrate Hallie's sweet little life.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice, or to Hope from Hallie (see below).

A couple of my friends Rachael and Kelly and Emily set up a Hope for Hallie fund on their blogs when Hallie was first born. They so thoughtfully set it up to help us get a few things to memorialize and remember her by. They also set up Hope for Hallie page on Facebook and you will never know how much that meant to us to see you all posting messages and pictures on there. Some nights, I just go through these posts to see how much you cared for us and Hallie. Little did they expect, because of your generosity, they were going to be given so much in donations. Saying "thank you" to you all seems inadequate.

As I've mentioned, one HUGE encouragement to me through this journey has been other Trisomy and infant loss mothers. They just understand and make me feel normal. What I would love to do is help other families like we were helped. So Hope for Hallie is being turned into Hope from Hallie!! So, thank you all for already helping me carry on Hallie's legacy. I think this is going to be a great way for me to "pay it forward" to other moms, and help me heal at the same time.

My words are not coming out great right now. I miss my sweet girl and it feels weird that she has already been gone longer than she was here with us. I feel like her scent is fading in her baby blanket. But yet I still have a crick in my neck to remind me of her - from basically sitting in the same position for 5 days staring at her. Bittersweet. :) I do look forward to celebrating the impact she had on us at her memorial AND carrying on her memory with Hope from Hallie.

10 comments:

Douglasfam said...

sweet katie. she will never be forgotten. we will all help you carry her on in love and encouragement to other moms who will have to go through this like you have. she will be a very celebrated little one...on saturday...and lots and lots of saturdays to come. i love her. i am thankful for her. and feel the same for you. love you my friend.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry for your loss. I just learned of this blog from reading The Unvent on the AJC web site. You and your family and friends will be in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

Dear Katie & Family,

I stumbled upon your blog recently, and am actually a cousin of yours - I think your Grandmother was Virginia? My Grandmother was her sister, Kathleen, and I remember seeing photos of you and your sister on her fridge when I was growing up. I am heartbroken for you at the loss of your sweet little girl. From reading your blog, I know that you gave Hallie the best life possible. Please know that you are in my thoughts as you carry on into the next chapter of your lives.

Hugs,
Audrey

Julie Tiemann said...

I can't wait to celebrate Hallie's life on Saturday with you, and I especially can't wait to see her legacy carried out in the coming years. Oh that we could all bless others as much as she did. Love you!

kharner said...

Chris & Katie, Justin and I will be there to celebrate Hallie's life and learn more about her legacy! It will be an honor to be there to honor her life, memory, and what is to come. What a wonderful gift she has been to everyone and will be! God bless!

Anonymous said...

Katie,
I don't know you but have been following your life via fb. You all have been in my prayers constantly. I am amazed by your faith and honesty. I know you worked with a wonderful photographer but would like to help "hope from hallie" in any way possible. Please let me know if I can be of assistance with any other families. My prayers continue for a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that only the Lord can bring.

jess fouts
www.jessfoutsphoto.com

Amy said...

God bless you, you precious woman of God. You humble me beyond words. I am praying for your family. Amy

Anonymous said...

Katie,

Just wanted you to know that I have followed your journey closely through your blog and through Kalee. I cannot begin to thank you for reaching out to Kalee, even in the midst of your own heartbreak. Our family has prayed for you. I am so thankful for the way you and your family embraced Hallies every moment on this earth . . . you blessed God and you blessed everyone by sharing your journey.

Somehow, I think your daughter has met my granddaughter and they are both telling one another . . .. “wow, we were so blessed to have Moms & Dads who welcomed us on earth and loved us --- what a gift we received.”

There have been several precious entries in your blog, but the one that touched me most was the video of you holding Hallie. I am so grateful you, Chris and your girls had those special moments and I’m grateful that you shared it with the world.

I wish that I lived in Georgia, so that I could attend Hallie’s memorial service, but I will be there in spirit and will be thinking about you, your family and the other Trisomy Moms & Dads who will be attending the memorial service.

Hugs & prayers,
Wendee (Kalee's Mom & McKinley's grandmother)

Keith Treadwell said...

Katie,
It's been a while since we've talked. I just read about Hallie and I'm sorry to hear about her. I wish you and your family the best. I still wouldn't know about this if I hadn't read a message from Linda to my daughter on facebook. Please my regards to the rest of your family for me and I toughts and prayers will be with you!

Bartling Family said...

What an incredible service and celebration of Hallie's life! I keep thinking about the message and what you & Chris shared with everyone. You guys did an awesome job!