Nicholas and Nicholas

When we were deciding on names for our baby, we had a list of 3 or 4 that we were thinking about and it was taking us forever to decide. The whole time though there was a name that wasn't on the list that we both kept thinking about, but neither one of us really talked about it.

Almost exactly a year after we had been married, Tyler's best friend Nicholas Ryan Harrell passed away in a snowmobiling accident up in Island Park, ID. Every time a major event happens in our lives, we think of him and wish he were there with us. He was the best man at our wedding, and the best man in our lives.
So, about a month and a half before we had our baby when Tyler mentioned that the name Nicholas kept coming back to him (even though not on the list) I was so relieved, because I had the same feelings and just wasn't sure what he would think. We had talked before about how we didn't really want to name our kid Nicholas just because he had passed away, but I had always said that I think I would have wanted to name a kid after him even if he were alive. To me, a name means something, and while I don't expect this Nicholas to be just like the other Nicholas, I do expect him to know where his name came from and what an important person he is.

So, today is Nicholas Harrell's 28th birthday, and being in Gainesville we had the chance to go out and wish him a happy birthday, and let him know how much we love and miss him.