A year gone by

 What I posted on Facebook: This was the post I never wanted to have to write, but unfortunately God needed a farmer up in heaven more then he was needed on earth. I want to thank those who reached out to me and the kids yesterday. We took the day to spend it together having fun like Josh Warpinski would have wanted us to do. I had a buffalo burger like he would have loved, the kids did tube slides and arcade games like josh loved. We had a large cookie decorated like his favorite football team, the Packers. We miss him so much and that doesn't fade, but we keep going to keep his memories alive
 So I didn't know what to expect for the one year, but i knew i needed to get away and not have to worry about the memories, i would just sit and sulk if we stayed home, matter of fact i would have had to work. I knew i couldn't deal with kids, people, and what not, so i made plans to get away to the hotel that was the site of our first real family vacation:

 Josh was post herina surgery and we realized that we needed to get away for some family time. We took advantage of being off in the middle of the week and went for two days. We had been married for 4 years and this was the 2nd vacation we had taken.

We then returned two years later on spring break, life was crazy as we were attemping to figure out what would happen to the farm and us. But we needed that time away to just be a family and not worry about the rest of the world. So Great Wolf to the rescue.  Little did we know this would be the last real family vacation we would get.

So i knew in my heart this was the location for us. (the other choice was Florida, but that didn't go as i had planned last year, so yah)  The kids were so excited to go, and i'll admit i needed a break from everything too. There is something magical about hotel stays. Life there is so simple and the outside world seems to far away. It was nice to be able to block everything out. 
We were lucky enough to go with Aunt Livy and her boyfiend, so i had another adult to help otu with the kids. This was handy in the waterpark area. It was also nice to catch up with them and have some one on one time with them.
The rest of the pictures are in random order, but it all happened up at the dells.

 We got a group deal that allowed the kids to do so many fun things..one of them was the magic quest. Bella was so excited. Max went along but not as big of a fan. Thankfully at the end Livy and Jordan went with Bella so i could hang out with max.

 We caught the clock tower show as much as we could. Discovering you can watch it in the morning was a great thing!

 One night we ate a late supper so that we could enjoy the pool more, so it was supper to go while waiting for the clock tower show

 So the kids got to make stuff animals and then go on a quest through out the hotel with the animal. The only bummer was none of our pictures that were suppose to be in my email worked. :(

 Trying to recreate the hotel elevator picture from the years before.

 In the arcade.. max loved this "game" the best

My sweet kiddos!

 So we made it to knuckleheads(which is just across the parking lot from GWL. We had the trampoline park to ourselves for a whole hour! that was so tiring but we jumped and jumped!

 attached to Knukleheads is Buffalo Phils which has a train deliver your food to you. the kids loved it.

 Waiting for our room! wouldn't you know it, our room wasn't ready yet when we checked in. It was worth the wait though because it was not far from the elevators and on the top floor..so very little noise :)

 Bella had fun explouring the tree house area with Aunt livy.

 Max played in the new kiddie area. He liked that  it didn't have a lot of splashing water and he didn't need his life jacket.

 The kids learned to love the wave pool. so we spent a lot of time out there, jumping in the waves. Max said it was like the ocean.

 The lazy river was nice, but we never got to be too lazy.

 Breakfast one morning. Mini waffles with wolf paw prints. Miss the big ol waffles.

 I got a cookie cake in honor of Josh. seemed fitting.. Green Bay Packers, sweet and sugary.

This just seemed to speak to me. I ended up with a magnet like this, but i want to get this print someday.

 always gotta get a picture by the Bear Paw

 Stuffing his Gray Wolf

 Bingo time

 We found a sign from Platteville. a sign from above i'm sure

 Lunch at Cracker Barrel, which everyone else wanted to do too. we waited over an hour for food.

Love these shirts.. created by Sneakers and Steel Toes ( https://www.facebook.com/sneakersandsteeltoes/)

 Still his and forever his

 Our updated charm braclets. Mine is the castle from our honeymoon and Bella is her and daddy's birthstone

a sweet video about the circle in our window
The time away was nice, but it didn't seem to change anything. It just anotehr day without him and the missing him hasn't decreased. We no longer have the "first holidays" but there are still many first without him. It did give me time to reflect and realize things that i need to change moving foward. More time will be spent doing things with the kids and left spent on stuff. I found some of the limits of what i can do or am willing to do anymore. Some of these choices will be hard to do but i know i have his strength with me.

3 months one day

3 months and 1 day ago ....the feeling that you are coming back at any moment is fading. Your forever resting place now has a place for us to sit and remember. The kids have grand ideas on how to decorate. It's my saving grace after a rough work day. I miss you, Josh and love you forever. Know that the kids and I are moving on and we know you are right beside us. 😘😇💞

This is what i posted on Facebook.  Some how i missed 3 months.. but ya know, Josh was still living on the 27th..it was the 28th that was the first real day without him. That was the day that was surreal. 3 months without Josh has been hard, i'm not going to sugar coat it. Adjusting to single parenthood is way harder then i though. All the things that i took for granted having Josh around. At the same time Bella, Max and I have all grown. I have mange to figure out finances (sorta, still a lot ot change on that angle), managed to work the rest of the school year while dealing with just me and the kids, lined up the starting of our dream house, working on plans to get things easier for me with the animals and the yard and braved our first family vacation without Josh. Made it hrough a few family events without him too. The kids have learned to help out more around the house, play together well and be there for each other. We are all growing and learning while we know that Josh is with us. It's almost a game these days to find daddy when we do something special. 

In honor of three months I took the kids to see Josh's grave, to add some special touches to it.

looking at ants

watering the flowers that don't stand much of a chance

our family

checking out the bird house that max picked out. 

The day he went home to God

Joshua Adam Warpinski

July 31st 1983- February 27th 2016

Beloved Husband, Father and Son

On the afternoon of February 27 2016, God welcomed into his eternal kingdom Joshua Adam Warpinski, age 32, from Lake Mills, WI.  He bravely fought a four year battle with pancreatic cancer before going to his eternal rest at Rainbow Hospice in Johnson Creek, WI.

Josh was born on July 31^st, 1983, to Martin Warpinski and Della Jahnke, at their home in Lancaster, WI.  He was the second oldest of six children.  As a child, he enjoyed being active, getting involved in hunting and fishing, working with farm animals, and participating in wrestling at school.  Josh graduated from Lancaster High School in 2002, and went on to study at Southwest Technical College.  In 2007, he married Katie (Allen) of Watertown, WI. Together in 2008 they purchased Brownie Farms in Stitzer, WI to fulfil Josh’s dream of being a organic dairy farmer. .  In 2008, they welcomed into the world their first child, a daughter named Isabella Marie, and in 2011 their family grew again with the birth of their son, Maxon Charlie.  They moved to Lake Mills, WI in 2014, after a recurrence of cancer, and Josh began work in construction and electrical assembly of Eaton.  He actively involved himself at Saint Clements Catholic Parish in Lancaster, WI, and then at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish in Jefferson, WI, as an usher and a Knight of Columbus, and lived his Catholic faith in every aspect of his life.

He leaves behind his loving wife, Katie, and two children, Isabella and Maxon.  He will also be greatly missed by his father, Martin and Judy Warpinski, his mother Della Jahnke, his sister Kara and Anthony Stewart, his sister Rachel and Joel Sandersen and their children, Alexandria and Samuel, his brother Jeremiah and Kimberly Warpinski and their son Xander, his brother Benjamin Warpinski, his sister Olivia Warpinski, his Mother-in-law Mary Allen, his sister-in-law Tracey and Andrew Fox and their children Sara, Elyse, and Drew, his step-sisters Jennifer and Daniel Ward, Jill and Marc Reichardt, and Melody Dobson, his grandmother Mary Ruth Warpinski, his grandparents Clifford and Ruby Jahnke, his many godchildren, aunts and uncles, and cousins, and his beloved blue truck.

 He is preceded in death by his grandfather Louis Warpinski, his aunt Karen Winrich, his aunt Rosella Jahnke, and his Uncle Duane Jahnke.

Services will be held on Saturday,March 5, 2016 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Jefferson, WI.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John the Baptist School, or a trust account for the family at Premier Bank in Jefferson, WI.