Moments With Joey

Pin It Several of you may know that Jason was about to publish his first book, a collection of his favorite "Moments With Joey" (some stories shared previously on this blog, as well as several new segments) around the time of his death.  Its taken quite some time, but I finally felt ready to revisit this project, as well as a few others he had been working on.

Yes, Jason now has his first book published.

It is bittersweet to see this come to being and not have him here to see his joy from all that hard work finally coming to pass.

Can I just imagine this moment for a minute? (Yeah, I know, my Photoshop skills suck, but just roll with it people!)

Jason had a way with words that could capture a moment and infuse it with  childlike wonder and delight so real that you could reach out and touch it. As such, I feel it is all the (to quote Jason) "more better" to now be able hold a little piece of that magic in our own hands.

Any proceeds that come from the sale of "Moments With Joey" will go into publishing other books he has worked on, including one some of his old students are well familiar with, "Take The Long Way Home". As planned, "Take The Long Way Home" and "My Brother Ryan" will both be published in 2019. Several children's picture books are planned as well. More on that to come.

With the purchase of the paperback, you will receive a deal to also purchase the eBook version at a discounted rate, perfect for giving or keeping for yourself. The Kindle version is also available to read for free as part of the Kindle Unlimited library (just in case you happen to be a member).

You can find "Moments With Joey" currently on Amazon, or just click the link above. Feel free to comment with some of your favorite Joey moments, or memories of Jason below, as we would love to read them.

Lastly, I get asked about the Joey Dosent Lyke Kittys shirt that Jason used to offer (drawn by his ever-talented sister, Miya Edwards). Yes, the shirts are now available again. Click the link above to be taken to Red Bubble's website where you will find the design available on a variety of shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers and more. As Jason would say, it is all just pure awesomesauce.

I wish you all the best for this holiday season, and joy in the new year to come.

~Shawna

A Message from Jason's Dad

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Please listen to this song by Jason Crabb titled “Somebody Like Me“ and you will have a little understanding of what was going on in Jason’s head as he rode away from Provo, Utah a year ago.

Conversations with Jason

I feel like the person in this song…feeling like I have no hope. The news media has totally destroyed my life, my teaching career has ended , my integrity and honor gone. I’m guilty in the eyes of the world without even a trial. I guess I will know who my true friends are because everyone else will not be around.

This is how Jason felt when he rode away from Utah with his Dad and Mother Patsy just a little over a year ago. We only wished he understood the hundreds of family members and friends that believed in him and loved him and would never forsake him.

It has been a hard year dealing with the lost of a son; closing his estate and working with attorneys, but its finally ending. The Provo Police department has returned all of Jason’s personal items that were taken during the investigation and no incriminating evidence was found that could have convicted him of anything. Even with the many interviews conducted with former students and families nothing was found to convict or darken his name.

Jason told us that he was thankful that there were agents that protected children and watched out for their best interests. He only wished that when a teacher was being investigated, that teacher would not automatically lose his or her job. Jason had told us several times he did not hold anyone from the school district to blame and talked about the good times he had working at Amelia Earhart and all the good friends he had.

Anyone who knew Jason understood how important teaching was to him; standing up for the underdog and watching out for those who bullied. Sometimes it was very difficult with his migraines and the depression to get through the day, but all it took was for a old student to walk into his room and say, "Hi Mr. Z, do you remember me?"  Many of these old students would tell him how thankful they were to him for not giving up on them. These words would energize and lift Jason, help him with his depression and give him the encouragement to keep going forward.

Jason would want you to all to know that he is still teaching; just in a new place and he will see everyone again someday.

Please finish this by listening to “Walk on Water“, a song Jason just loved! One does not have to be perfect... just keep doing your best.

Please feel free to respond and let Jason and his parents know what his friends thought of him.

At the end of one journey.....

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There are days when all of this seems unreal.  That Jason will walk through the door any minute now, laughing away at how much we fell for this, the ultimate joke.

If it feels this way for those of us who were with him, who held his hand and watched him slip away so quickly, I can only imagine how it is for those who hadn't seen him for awhile.  

It is times like this that it all becomes so very real.....

Jason's headstone was installed today at the Pack River Cemetery in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Its a lovely and fitting memorial for one so dear.... his father George Zimmerman and his "other mother" Patsy commissioned this wonderful stone for this, his final resting place.  

Thank you also to Jason's dear friends the Hughes and Durrants from Green River, Utah who graciously collected stones from some of Jason's beloved haunts on the San Rafael Swell, as well as to Janelle and Gerb for providing some sweet fall decorations a few weeks ago on their pilgrimage north.

We love you Jason... and we rest assured in the belief that we will see and be with you again.  Until then, may we all continue on this adventure called life..... and enjoy every moment that it gives us.

Weekly Kodachrome - Home Away from Home

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It seems that I rarely take photos of myself. This shouldn't come as too much of a revelation...after all, it's hard when you're always on the other end of the camera.

I had the opportunity to be in southern Utah for the past three weeks.

I loved it. In fact, I miss it terribly now. I just can't seem to get enough of the San Rafael Swell area.


Whenever I'm there,  my iPod seems to magically gravitate to a Nickel Creek playlist and I'm off, exploring the region so few ever venture into, and see the sights not seen by the majority...only rather by those who share the conviction that not all who wander are lost.

Yes, the desert is my magical place.


Therefore, for this week's Kodachrome, I decided to share a photo I took with one of my best friends, the desert.

And, in addition, I am sharing a photo a friend of mine snapped. Like I said before, I rarely seem to have photos of myself.

<center><a href="http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Kodachrome/" target="_blank"><img alt="Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0e1GL4TLj1n6H-veDNFvj6gHUt_9-X1MWA6Qo-0zyEHW2dGTMl4JeI8v_q4AdNQxb8FADxYjLPhQnxl1rEPTU9B2N1_m9vVei9Ea8PXDRASzVKotvo4jseesUFUvqazg0pxtTAN75ao/s800/Weekly%252520Kodachrome.png"/></a></center>

Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 

Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.

You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Oh, and I did post over at Four Perspectives today...and it's delicious. Seriously delicious.

Weekly Kodachrome - Sunset of Eight

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We explored the deserted missile bases scattered amongst the hillsides of a small southern Utah town. The aged remains stood in silent, mesmerizing awe as we ventured into the structures which had been utilized so many years ago.

As I noticed the sheen of light glossing over the scene before me, I felt the need to take an image reminiscent of that of last year.

I think it turned out well.



You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Weekly Kodachrome - Kolob Canyons

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The heat was merciless in the heart of the valley, topping out at a whopping 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The sweltering temperature was even worse as I climbed into my car; I felt akin to an ultimate supreme pizza trapped in a stone oven.

I started the ignition, and drove the countless miles towards Zion National Park. The warm boils of air whipped away the blistering heat somewhat.

I took an impromptu detour and soon found myself climbing the hills and mountains toward Kolob Canyon Reservoir. As I ascended the knolls and prominences, the temperature dropped remarkably. I watched my digital thermometer fall nearly thirty degrees.

All of the windows came down, and I wriggled my fingers in the coolness.

The photo opp. the fields and hills provided? Another type of cool, but still cool nonetheless.



You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Weekly Kodachrome - Weathering the Storm

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I switched off the music as I drove the lonely expanse of Highway 6, beyond Price. The surging grayness above me loomed threateningly as I flew past the low-lying mesas and the arroyos that were teeming with flood flow—undoubtedly from the storm further up and farther in.

Jags of lighting split the sky like a baseball a window, and the peal of thunder rolled along the desert floor like a jet continually breaking the sound barrier.

As I crossed into the vortextual tempest, rain plastered against my windshield and it was nearly all my feeble wipers could do to cut through it, to keep visibility at a bare minimum. I slowed my speed as the rain slashed even harder at the windows like something from a National Geographic documentary. It felt like being trapped under an ocean that was being dropped from the heavens.

The minutes ticked on. The rain came greater still, with flashes of lightning—and then before I knew it—I broke from the tempest, and a few miles onward, patches of indigo broke through the grayness.

The world was again calm.

The music was restored, and I continued my journey onward.




You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.