Dixie, Dixie, Dixie. Where to begin?
The first time I met Dixie was at McDonalds. She was probably 5 or 6 years old at the time. The Dittbrenners were in Utah and Lani wanted to spend a little time with her nieces so she took Darcy and Dixie on a trip to McDonalds. I don't remember if Lani invited me or if it was one of those, "well, I'm doing this, but if you want to come you can" kind of dates. I remember being surprised by how bold both Darcy and Dixie were for their age. They didn't seem shy at all. Especially Dixie! I remember her telling Lani that she like her other boyfriend better! (Right in front of me, by the way). I thought, to myself, "how did I end up on this date?"
Despite Dixie's warning, Lani and I ended up getting married and this wild girl became my niece. Since then we have had lots of fun times including an awesome cooking contest and the best avatar discussion/nap I ever had.
I'll never forget the avatar discussion. We were at Ryan and Tiffany's house right after Ryan's funeral. I had heard that Dixie was into a tv show called Avatar, so I asked her to tell me about it. The first 5 minutes I was really interested and learning a lot. Unfortunately it had been a really long day and my eyes began to get really heavy. Eventually I fell asleep. From what I understand from the witnesses there this did not stop her from giving me a detailed account about the show. It's unclear when she realized, or cared, that I was asleep but by all accounts... it was a while. She continued to detail out the "amazing" parts of this show. When I finally woke up, I felt bad I had fallen asleep. However I felt very refreshed as well.
Dixie has done a lot of cool things in her life and has many talents. One of her accomplishments was to be a part of an award winning student film. Here is a link in case you missed it.
The first time I saw this show I was really impressed with Dixie's ability as an actress. Her movie making talents inspired my act of service.
Lani recently showed me a Piano Guys video with a song inspired by the death of one their daughters who passed away last year during the holidays. The song talks about how much we miss our loved ones during Christmas time, but that we can take comfort in knowing they are with Jesus.
I thought about Ryan and his loved ones left behind (especially Brooklyn and Zelda) and decided to put together a slideshow of Ryan for his family. This was a very cool experience, and I felt close to Ryan as I worked on it. I felt of the great love that Ryan has for Brooklyn and Zelda. It is important to Ryan, that Brooklyn and Zelda know and remember how much he loves them.
I hope this slideshow and the Holy Ghost can convey to Brooklyn and Zelda the things that Ryan, Heavenly Father, and Jesus want them to know.
Dixie, Thanks for being a great person. I appreciate your kind heart and desire to do what's right. I know this last year has been full of challenges, but I want you to know that your Heavenly Father and Savior love you very, very much. They are mindful of your struggles and pleased with your efforts. Remember that challenges are a part of life and things often times don't go according to plan. Don't get discouraged. You have many talents and gifts and the Lord is aware of you. I'm grateful to be in your family. Your future is bright!
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