Amberly

Wow I feel like I am so behind in my blogging. I wrote this a couple weeks ago but never posted it for some reason...

Amberly Dawn Rhodes

1975 - 2011

Artistic

Motivated

Beautiful

Energetic

Religious

Loving

Young

Some other words that explain Am are: Amazing, Ambitious, caring, creative, good-natured, sincere. trustworthy, accepting. I know there are so many other words however it would take me all day to go through them.

Amberly was one of a kind. I remember the first time I met her was in Moab. We were all down there for the annual Carroll Family vacation in 2008. She had her cute 4 boys & was just so welcoming & so excited I was there. Of course it was because Zac finally had someone to spend time with while on a family vacation however, it also was because he had finally found someone who he connected with & who got along with the entire family! She loved how perfect Zac & I were for each other right from the start & was always so supportive of us. She loved to laugh and have fun with us (her family). She always disliked living far away which meant that every time we all got together, it  was party time! Regardless how tired anyone was, she always like to stay up late, talk & have fun with her siblings & us amazing in-laws! Yes, I will include you 3 boys in there as well.. Jon, Danny & Tremayne. Even though you all know I was/am the favorite in-law ;)

Am, Cass & Dave at Delicate Arch 2010. 

Am at some mexican restaurant in Moab for her birthday!

About a little over a year after I met Amberly she decided to go in to get her gallbladder out. Some of her sisters had to get theirs out so she figured that her pain was just that. Well, she went in to get it looked at & found out that she can neuroendocrine cancer. What a shock & devastation this was to our family. How could something like this happen to such an good person? Why her? She has so much to live for. These are all things that crossed all of our minds. Especially mine. Am didn't let this news get her down in the dumps too often. She was such a strong person & was determine to kick this cancer right in the butt. Nothing was going to stop Am from watching her little boys grow up. Because of the type of cancer, Chemo & Radiation were out of the question. They would kill her liver which is where the cancer lived. She started juicing & eating heathy. So heathy that all of us decided we needed to eat a bit healthier. When we didn't, she or Dell would remind us how much sugar was in what we were eating or would encourage us to eat more of our veggies & fruits. Am tried all sorts of natural treatments. She did everything she could to get over this horrible disease. Regardless of having this, she never let it stop her from living her life. 


The first week of May we went on our annual family vacation. This year we went to St. George as there weren't as many hikes & we could all sit by the pool & relax! All of the boys took the kids for the day & us girls got to go shopping! It was so much fun to get out with the girls & just do what of course we all love to do.. SHOP!

I am so happy that I was able to get to know Amberly. She was such an amazing person & I feel privileged to have known her! I love you Am!