As I sit here and think about all the joys I have gained in the last few years it helps ease the pain of the terrible loss we experienced on May 24, 2015. The "100 year flood" is what they called it! San Marcos River and the Blanco River decided to create a new path and meet right where we lived wiping out our home as well as 399 homes around us. At 3:40am the water was to the knee and crested at 3 1/2 feet. On May 25, 2015 we all began to come back to our homes to find everything covered in mud (we called it s#!t sludge). I can remember the very moment Josh helped me push the front door open to our home... my heart stopped and tears came rushing down my face. A little angel named Mariah wrapped her arms around my waist and held me tight and said "it's going to be okay I promise cause Daddy and I will take good care of you"! (Love her!!) We made our way around the house to find everything in the entire house ruined except the 50" flat screen TV I got for my 40th birthday a few months before this happened. After an hour or so it was all the pain I could take for the moment so we left. On Memorial Day 2015 San Marcos, Texas and many surrounding cities were declared a disaster area. We then also learned there were some lives that were taken during this terrible devastation. My daughter Brooke was finally able to get out of where she was flooded in and came home to see what happened to our home filled with memories from her whole life gone just like that. She and I spent several hours walking around the house crying together and mourning the loss of all of our trophies, videos, pictures, 100 year old recipes from my great grandmothers and just everything. Josh, Mariah, my best friend Brad, my parents, Brooke's boyfriend Michael, Brooke and me all started the mass throw away. Brooke stepped up when her momma was down! She got everyone organized and I sat by the front door and cried as I watched everything just dumped in a pile on the front yard like it was trash. Every once in a while I would run out there and dig through the trash pile to see if I could maybe find one picture that made it or a medal Brooke had won while barrel racing I just may possibly be able to salvage... every time it was nothing! After a week of this misery little did I know my knight in shining armor was standing right next to me the whole time... JOSH! It's amazing how you can feel such an extreme loss in life and at the same time feel such an amazing gain! The 2015 Memorial Day flood carried me right into the arms of the love of my life and into the heart of a beautiful girl named Mariah. May 24, 2015 is a day we will remember forever in our minds but in our hearts it's what we call "Our Family Anniversary"! Another really awesome life altering thing I gained over this past year is my first grandson Riggin Wayne! He is proof of a miracle since Brooke was told she would never be able to conceive and carry full term and after such a terrible loss for MY baby Brooke Mackenzie it truly was a miracle!!

Josh and I spent months dealing with what we called "flood debris". There was an amazing amount of love that poured in as well as groups that offered food, clothing, furniture, toiletries and gift cards to get some little stuff we may need. FEMA, American Red Cross, Austin Disaster Relief Network, Round Rock Serving Center, Hope Thrift Store and Hutto Lutheran Church are just a few that offered help along the way. When we finally decided how we wanted to give back is when DADDYZ BEEZWAX was created! Josh loves to make candles and well I just love candles! We will donate a portion of our monthly sales to one of the organizations every month. We have purchased some of our candle holders from the thrift stores that are tied to these organizations. We want to give someone else what was given to us so graciously.