Davy's Babies and Their Turtles

Getting these two to stand still for a picture is sometimes a challenge. This was one of those times!

They had dumped out all of their blocks earlier and refused to pick them up. I told them if they didn't pick them up, that I was putting away all of their toys. Well, they didn't pick them up, so I put away all of their toys. The only thing I would let them have was their "Daddy Turtles". They hadn't been too excited when they got them at Christmas, but they loved them Saturday. They held them very gently. They even wanted to take them home to Mommy's house. Their mom knew I wanted them here, so she didn't let them take them.

One day, when they are older, I'll let them take them home ... but I want to make sure they understand the significance of them before I let the turtles out of my sight. It would break my heart if something happened to them or they were lost.

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

My Daughter May Kill Me, But This is FUNNY!

Note: The names have been changed to protect the innocent, and "Howard" is my boss.

One day when Thing 2 and I were having lunch at my work, a man walked in and sat down to eat his lunch. We looked at each other, but didn't speak.

My daughter asked me, "Are you mad at him?" I told her no.

She said, "That's Howard, right?" I laughed and told her no, that was George.

After we ate, I took her upstairs and introduced her to Howard.

The next week during lunch, Henry came down and said something to George.

My daughter looked at me and said, "Howard's funny, isn't he?" I just looked at her.

She said, "That's not Howard, is it?" Again, I told her no. I asked her if she needed to meet him again and she said no, and to PLEASE not tell Howard about this.

As soon as she left to go back to work, I went upstairs and told Howard. We had a good laugh at her expense. I took his picture and sent it to my daughter.

Sometime that week, Thing 2 and her husband went to AT&T to get new phones. He husband saw her wallpaper and said, "Who's that?"

She said, "My mom's boss!" Which really didn't explain what he was doing as her wallpaper!

The next week, Howard came walking through, and my daughter said, "That's Howard, right?"

I told her yes, and that she could her wallpaper! lol

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

Christmas Goodies

For Christmas with my kids, I made a everything Christmas-shaped. I made a cheese ball shaped like a Christmas tree, complete with a yellow bell pepper star on top ...

 

Southwestern Pinwheels in spinach tortilla's were also served stacked in the shape of a tree. The fruit pizza and cocktail wiener pigs-in-a-blanket were baked in a circle (and served with barbecue sauce to dip them in), were both decorated to look like wreathes. Red and green tortilla chips were served alongside queso, guacamole, and salsa. The cocktail shrimp and sauce were already in the shape of a wreath, so there wasn't anything to do to make that more festive. (Well, actually, there is, but I didn't do anything to it!) There were decorated Christmas cookies and red and green M&M's. There were also deviled eggs ... not decorated or arranged in a "Christmassy" way, but they flew off the plate regardless.

And the only thing I had time to take a picture of was the cheese ball!

With three little ones underfoot, all anxious to open presents, Christmas was pretty much a blur! We were all helping the kiddo's open their presents and didn't even get any pictures of them tearing open gift after gift. After everything was opened and the wrapping paper and boxes cleaned up, we all look at each other and said, "What just happened?!!"

After opening hundreds and hundreds of dollars of Christmas presents, Sweet Pea looked at me and said, "I want to play with play-doh."

REALLY!! The homemade play-doh I made last spring (which is still soft), and costs mere pennies to make is what she wanted to play with. There were piles and piles of expensive toys ... and she wanted to play with play-doh!

Everything was opened so quickly I don't think the babies have any idea what they got for Christmas, so when they come over next week, they'll be so surprised at all the new toys they have to play with ... expect Super Why. He will definitely remember the pirate ship he got! He's got a pirate ship at home, but he wanted to take the one he got here home with him. They have so many toys at home that his mother told me anything I buy him stays here! He wasn't happy about leaving his pirate ship here, but he'll be glad he did when he comes back.

Instead of Christmas music or a fireplace or a show, I put the Amazon Photo slideshow on the televisions. The kids love looking at the pictures, and I made sure to put plenty of pictures of their Daddy on there. There are pictures of Davy as a little baby all the way through adulthood, playing with his own little babies.

They're too young to remember playing with him, so those photo's will imprint those memories in their minds. They may not really remember their Daddy, but they'll remember all the pictures of him ... and they'll know he loved them. We'll make sure of that. If I do nothing else in life, I will make sure Davy's kids know how much he loved them.

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

Turtles

For as long as I can remember, Davy loved turtles. He found a turtle when we went camping at Jellystone in 2003. I let him keep it until we had to leave, then made him set it free. He didn't want to, but I told him he probably had a wife and kids that were wondering where he was ... so he let it go ... reluctantly.

 

Davy spent a week with my sister and her family one summer. He came home with a box turtle with strict instructions from my brother-in-law to set it free a few hours after he got home. He did not want to release the turtle, but he had to honor his word to his uncle. I have a picture of him holding the turtle just before he let it go. I can't post it though. It breaks my heart. His face in contorted in pain, and I just can't look at it. He stood there for a long time watching the turtle make it's way to the woods behind our house. And I mean a looooong time. The turtle probably thought it was running, but it was going turtle slow. Poor heartbroken Davy stood there crying as it walked away. I stood there with him until I couldn't take it any longer. I lured him back inside somehow. By the time we went back outside, the turtle was gone.

In 2003 I bought him a little turtle he named squirt. He loved that turtle!

 

He also got some turtle figures to play with ....

After Davy died, my sweet friend gave me and my daughters a turtle keychain. I was afraid it would fall off if I carried it on my keychain, so I bought a necklace and wore it as a pendant. So did my daughters. I also found some turtle earrings. I bought a pair for me and Thing 1 (Thing 2 doesn't wear earrings). Before I got this turtle necklace, I wore a different necklace everyday. Now, I wear the turtles almost every day.

Someone told me about memory bears you could have made from your loved ones clothes. I didn't want bears ... I wanted turtles ... but I couldn't find any online. I finally found a local seamstress who was willing to take on the project. I had washed and ironed some of Davy's favorite clothes, the ones he wore most often.

I took the clothes and pattern to her in early November, pointing out the clothes I wanted incorporated. There were plenty to choose from for creative effect, but I wanted the ones he wore the most to be prominent. I asked her to have his babies names embroidered on the bottom, along with "Daddy loves you."

I picked up the turtles this past Saturday, just in time for Christmas. I was very anxious to see them, but dreading it at the same time. I cried when I saw them and was barely able to see to pay her through my tears.

Surrounded by beautifully wrapped Christmas presents, the babies weren't too thrilled with the turtles. That hurt, but only a little ... because one day I know these turtles will mean the world to them.

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

A Christmas Perspective

While I've been walking around, for months, dreading the holidays and feeling sorry for myself because I can't spent them with my son, there are families that have been walking around dreading the holidays because they know their loved one will get drunk or high and beat them. Again. Domestic battery spikes over the holidays.

I looked at the "Recently Booked" on the Sheriff's website this norming, and a disproportionate number, predominantly men, were arrested over the weekend for domestic battery. The number will climb even higher today and tonight.

While I have a legitimate reason to be grieving my son, these women and children have reasons just as valid to dread the holidays. Yes, they can leave, but it's complicated.

What's so complicated? Well, while they hate what their loved one does, they love them ... or they are still in love with the person they fell in love with ... even if he doesn't exist very often. Some have children, no jobs, and no family to go to. At some point, many of these women and children will end up in a homeless shelter, but I think anyone can see why the thought a homeless shelter on Christmas would be a depressing thought.

Not all of these women are high school drop-outs living in squalor on welfare. Many of them come from good families and live in nice homes. They are highly intelligent and/or highly educated. And they are ashamed. They are ashamed at what their lives have come to. They are ashamed that someone as intelligent as they are is living like they do.

No batterer stops at physical abuse. There is constant emotional abuse. After years of being called fat or useless or stupid or ugly ... or whatever slur their partners choose ... you start believing it. How many people (who have never been beaten) remember some cruel taunt from someone as a child or teenager and they are forever self-conscious of whatever they'd been bullied over? Now imagine that comes from someone you love, not some kid or acquaintance. Now imagine you hear it often ... or every day. That does something to your psyche, and it changes you and your perspective of who you are.

Plus, some are afraid of what will happen to them if they do try to leave. Leaving is the most dangerous time for these women. Even if the men are jailed, it's typically for a very short time, and we all know how well restraining orders work. We've all heard stories of men who stalk and kill their battered wife ... or their children (for revenge) ... after she's found the courage to leave.

We can all wonder why they don't "just leave" as we sit in our nice homes, surrounded by friends and family in rooms full of Christmas decorations and more presents than anyone needs ... but until you've walked a mile in her shoes ... until you've lived a week in the fear that is her norm ... you can never know why she's so afraid and/or hesitant to leave.

So while I grieve the death of my son, I am very aware of the women and children out there who are grieving the reality of their lives. Grief saps your strength. I struggle to find the energy to do the things I need to do, much less all the extra things "required" during the holidays. At least I don't have to worry about someone flying off the handle for no reason and beating me ... and/or my children ... during an already stressful time.

And what about the families with missing children? They live in constant fear that their child is being abused, starved, cold, and hungry. They don't even know if their child is alive or dead. They don't want to think their child is dead, but the images of a a child being held captive and tortured are almost worse.

Just like when Davy was in ICU on a ventilator, I knew I was lucky. I knew where my child was, and there are many, many family who do not have that luxury.

This year my life took a horrible turn and will never be the same. Nothing will make me feel better or take the pain away ... but families like the ones above put my pain into perspective.

I will never be a peace with my son's death ... but, sadly ... it could be worse.

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

2018 Coleman Family Christmas

A candle for Davy. We lit it when we arrived, and it burned until we got ready to leave ...

The grandkids lined up, waiting for their presents (four others couldn't make it) ...

 

And this one is my favorite ... Super Why and Sweet Pea watching Toy Story ...

 

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

Misc. Christmas Decorations

The Guest Room ...

My Office ...

Outside ...

It would look better with a layer of snow, rather than a layer of leaves,

but it is what it is ...

There are wreathes on the windows/doors on the side and back, but I think you get the idea! Honestly, I really thought about just putting up a tree this year, but decided I needed to suck up my grief and make the house festive for the grandbabies. I'm glad I decorated, but I'll be glad when Christmas is over.

We are offering a $1,000 REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of my son in a fatal hit and run on I-69 South on the Green River overpass in Evansville, Indiana around 11:00pm on Friday, June 22, 2018.The car that hit him was determined to be a 1998-2002 Silver Honda Accord. There would have been considerable damage to the front, passenger side of the vehicle, but it could be repaired by now. (See the Sheriff Bulletin below).

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.

 
PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE OUT

FOR THE CAR THAT KILLED MY SON!

Even if you don't live in the Evansville area, please keep an eye out for this car. It was traveling South on I-69. It could have been coming from and going to anywhere. The Sheriff's office will follow up any ANY lead.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the make and model of the suspect vehicle from the fatal hit and run crash that killed 23-year old David “Davy” Egan, father of two, on Friday, June 22, 2018 on I-69 near south Green River Road.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Silver 1998-2002 Honda Accord sedan. 2-door or 4-door body style. The vehicle will have damage to the front end.

If you know of a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Sheriff's Office TIP line at 812-421-6297 or leave a web tip here.