You always liked to help me cook when you was little, one night I was making chili and I needed to just a little bit more juice and did not have anymore so I told you we was going to put our secret ingredient in and I went and got the home made salsa that we made, when everyone said that they liked it you proudly smiled and said how we put something special in it.

I went to school with Nick at Searcy. I remember almost everyday he would come see my during lunch and show me the drawings he was working at that time. He was such an amazing artists. On several different accounts he would come talk to me when he had something going on and when he just needed a friend. He was like a brother to me... I can't say a big brother cuz we were the exact same age. Born literally like 2 hours apart... so more like a twin. We used to just sit outside of school and just talk for as long as we could... He and Jessica rode the fourwheeler to my house I dont know how many times just to come visit. I love him... and I miss him dearly... I think about him often...

Ellie passed away a week ago, I was setting anad remembering how you would play with her and she would drag you across the floor, I remember when you came home one day and she kept barking at you and jumped up and grabbed the hat off your head and tore it to shreds, you was so mad because you just got the hat, you loved to play with her, we got two new puppies, and when we got them home I just imagined you on the floor playing with them they are so hyper, I know you would love them.

 I miss you more than you would ever know, I love you Nick... 

When I was drinking my coffee this morning I remembered when you was little, you would climb up in Robs lap and drink his coffee, you thought you was so big in his lap drinking coffee...

I remember the night that we played rock band, it was great you was laughing at my singing, but you did great on the guitar, I wish we had more nights like that, we laughed and had so much fun.

When you was younger you loved to sing Amazing Grace, you had a beautiful voice, you would get up in front of the church and sing your heart out. You had so much talent, you could do anything you played the piano by ear, Ralph Joslin loved to teach you to play. you are so missed and loved.

I wish you could have seen how many girls were at your memorial, you were loved so much.

The other night as I got the shower started for my youngest son, I thought of Nick and chuckled to myself.  Nick always took the longest showers and we all learned to not try and take a bath after him unless we gave the hot water heater enough time to heat more water, because if not, you were getting a cold shower!  We didn't mind his long showers because that's when we got to hear his singing voice the most!  He would sing and sing as she showered and it always made us smile.  One day when Nick came out of the bathroom after one of his singing showers, my oldest boy asked him, "Nick, why do you always sing in the shower?"  Nick simply smiled and replied "Because I get bored!"  I guess only Nick would get bored in the shower, but I'm so glad he did, because we LOVED to hear him sing!!:)

When Nick was in the first grade the teacher talked to the kids in class about the dangers of drinking and driving. We was driving down the road and Robb took a drink of his coke and Nick flipped out, he said dad you are going to go to jail and Robb and I just kind of looked at each other and asked him why, he said you are drinking and driving you will go to jail, you can't drink and drive, we busted out laughing, we had to explain to him that you can drink coke while you drive and he told us no my teacher told us at school that you will go to jail if you drink and drive, we told him that is only if you drink alcohol, when we drop the kids off at school the next day I went in to talk to the teacher and told her what happen and told her that she needed to tell the kids it is ok to drink coke while driving, she had a good laugh also.

In a letter that was found, Nick said , When they read Psalm 23 they will think of me. Rex, Nick's big brother came to me the other day and said, grandma Nick died just like in that prayer. I said -what do you mean. Rex told me he went out to where Nick died and he just knew what Nick had done. The lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ( and Nick did'nt) He makes me lie down in green pastures ( he was found in a pasture) he leads me beside quiet waters ( he was by a stream )  he guides me along the right paths ( he was laying across a path ) even though I walk through the darkest vally I will fear no evil ( and he did'nt ). Nick loved the Lord.

Shortly after Nick's return from Kentucky, he insisted on dyeing his hair blonde.  He had been wanting to do this for over a year and so I told him if he was certain about it, then go for it!  My trying to encourage him that blonde hair just wouldn't look right on him was pointless.  He was determined he wanted to be blonde.  So one night he decides he was going to try bleaching his hair blonde, with straight bleach!  He poured bleach on his head and let it sit there for a while and when he seen that there was no change in the color, he thought it would be a good idea to pour peroxide in it.  So he then soaked his hair with peroxide along with the bleach....and I'm not kidding when I say that his head was literally smoking!  I was so scared he was having a chemical reaction and instead of having blonde hair, he would have NO hair!  I just knew it was going to fall out or something!  So I made him immediately wash it out.  He ended up with a sore scalp and still black hair!  So a week or so later, I wake up one morning to boxes of hair dye on my bathroom counter and I automatically knew that it was Nick.  He was still determined to have that blonde hair he so badly wanted.  So when I woke him that morning for school, he was so embarrassed for me to see that he was a Red Head!  Two boxes of hair dye and his jet black hair still didn't go blonde,,, it went red instead! I couldn't help but laugh at his second failed attempt for being a blonde.  He really didn't want to go to school that day in fear of how all the other students would tease him for his red hair,,, but I just chuckled as I dropped him off at school that morning.  When I picked him from school, he was a little more comfortable with his hair color since the students all complimented him instead of teasing him.  But needless to say, that night he bought a new box of hair dye, but this time he went back to his original color and decided that he'd just stick with the dark hair God had given him:)  Even with his hair color back to original, if the sun hit his head just the right way, you could see a little hint of red from his failed attempts and we often got a laugh as we recalled his persistent attempts to be blonde.

Nick was a character when it came to going to the doctor, I took him to get X-rays on his back, the nurse (that was young) gave him a gown and told him to take his clothes off, and  as soon as she handed the gown to nick his pants came off, she said OMG wait til i go out of the room, she told him that she never had anyone do that to her before and laughed. I can not post what all nick said that day to the nurse but if you knew Nick you probably could guess.

Just the other day I was looking in my hall closet for something and when I opened the door, two hospital gowns stood out to me.  I started to laugh as I remembered taking Nick to the ER after a minor car accident he was in.  He was going through all the cabinets to see if there was something "cool" he could bring home to my boys.  He, of course, seen the gowns and thought it would be neat to bring those home to them.  He said they could dress up in them with blood and stuff on them making it look like they were escaped patients from the hospital.  They had fun playing in them the other day, knowing that they were a gift from their big brother!  But the gowns also reminded me of the first time I took Nick to the doctor's office.  He found one of the latex gloves and while we were waiting for the doctor to come into the room, he decided to put the glove over his head, covering his nose.  He began to blow the glove up with air out of his nose!  He kept blowing and blowing until that glove was this gigantic swollen balloon!  It nearly touched the ceiling! And when it exploded, it sounded like a bomb had went off in the room we were waiting in!  I was so afraid that the doctor would come running in, thinking that we had blown something up!  But luckily, nobody came to check on us, or get onto us..... so we were able to just laugh about it!  He was so funny!  Even when most people are bored sitting in a doctor's office room, Nick could always find something to entertain himself and others! :)

One year for your 10th Birthday I had you a cake made in the shape of a monkey oh my God did you love it, you always did love monkeys. Just like the one we would joke about that the lady brought up to BP how jacked up it would get when you fed it Mountain Dew. LOL

Sometimes when I would go to wake Nick up I would Jump on the bed and start singing the song "You Are My Sunshine"  and I would sing out of tune, he would always say mom NO stop singing, I would love to wake you up singing out of tune again Nick.

          I Love and miss you.  MOM

Nick lived so far away for most of his life so I don't have most of the wondeful stories like most here. I have alot but not tons. The one funny one that stands out in my mind the most is the day that it was so hot here in Michigan we was running some errends adn the kids was complaining about how hot it was and Nick, Heather, Rex  and Darren all wanted to go swimming they were little so we went over to Clifford Lake and they all stripped to their undies and jumped in! They laughed and splashed around having the time of their lives. They would run in and out of the water and I said to them what are you guys doing I though you wanted to go swimming? They didn't want to tell me but I could tell by the goose bumps that they was cold. We ended up getting out of the water I do believe they was cooled off and got ice cream instead. What I wouldn't do to go back to that day at the lake or to the day at the park or any other day I got to spend with Nick. His smile is with me in my heart and watching down over me. He always was watching out for others, he was always there for Heather when she needed someone, protector her Nick, she needs you now more now then ever! Take care buddie I love you!

You will live on forever in my heart, love always Aunt Tina

I've shared funny stories about Nick, but there was so much more to this amazing kid than just his humor.  He was also so helpful around the house, and he offered his help without even being asked.  There was never a time that Nick was with me that I ever had to carry in a single bag of groceries because he would always carry them all in for me.  He would wash the dishes, help with my boys, and help with yardwork too.  He was always so kind, polite, and thoughtful and I appreciated all that he did for me.  Memorial Day weekend he even got in our empty pool and helped us scrub that thing for hours so that we could get it filled and ready for summer.  Just today as I was playing in the pool with my boys I thought of all the hard work he had done to help us prepare it, and it broke my heart that he's not here to enjoy it with us this summer.  I bragged on him often for all he did to help around the house, because I am used to my own children and having to force them to do minor things.  But I never even had to ask Nick to help with anything,,, he would always offer it kindly.  He was such a remarkable kid, and was such a great role model for my own.  I hope my boys always remember what an outstanding kid their "big brother" was and grow up to be at least half the great person he was!

A few weeks back I was sitting at my desk typing my data entry.  I was bored, as I so often am, working.  When my back door opens and Nick rushes in with a huge smile on his face and says "Hey Ma, check this out! I can strike a match behind my ear!"  I stop working to watch as he takes a match and strikes it behind his ear and it lit! I started laughing and said "How in the world did you do that? And how in the world did you think to see if you could strike a match behind your ear boy?!"  He says, "I was just sitting there and wondered if I could do it, and I tried and it worked!"  He preceded to go through out the house showing Todd and the boys how he could strike a match behind his ear.  He comes back to me after he showed everyone his new trick and he says "Hey Ma, look."  He then folds his ear down to reveal the strike part off of a match box that he had taped behind his ear!  That explained how he could do it.... but it was still a funny trick.  We laughed and laughed about how he could come up with some of the craziest, yet funniest things to entertain us all!:) Gosh... how I would LOVE to see him running through my door now to show me his latest goofy thing to make me laugh.

I'll never forget one of the first times I let Nick drive my car.  I was really nervous because I wasn't sure how good of a driver he was, but he was so eager to drive I had to overlook my fear.  He was driving down our road and things were going great, he was doing a great job.  But then all of a sudden he swirves the car to the right and all I could see was this giant pile of rocks that someone had stacked at the end of their driveway right in front of my car and we were headed straight for it!  I screamed and when I did he turned the wheel and got the car straightened back out.  He says " whoa! Did you see that turtle?!"  I reply, "no, I didn't see no turtle!  And even if there was one, I'd have rather you ran over it then hit that pile of rocks head on!"  It took him several several months to admit to the truth that there really was no turtle!  He just drifted away in thought and the first excuse that came to mind was that there was a turtle in the road he was trying not to run over.  So every time after that when he'd ask me to drive, I'd say, "I'm not so sure you should,,,, you dodge invisible turtles!"  LOL

When Nick was younger he loved to eat mushrooms, he was eating them one day and he said dad where do they get all the mushrooms, so we laughed and told him that they grow under cow patty's , he was like no they dont so we put in a eminem cd an he was singing about mushrooms under cow patty's, Nick would not eat mushrooms for the longest time...LOL

Unfortunately, I live a pretty good distance away from all of my family, so I didn't get to spend near as much time with this amazing kid as I would have liked.  I was, however, blessed with his presence on multiple visits, and cherish each moment spent with this crazy kid!   On our last visit down to Pangburn, though, he came over to my mom and dad's with Brittney.  We decided to make a quick trip down the road to check out the conditions of the Little Red River, since there had been tons of rain in the weeks before.  When we got to the river, Nick was like "You dare me to jump in?"  Considering we all knew how cold the water was (54 degrees year round if I'm not mistaken) we said do it!  And so, he did.  Only he actually swam out a ways and then back in.  As he is walking back up to the jeep he looks down and makes the comment "I don't think my nipples could get any harder"!  When we left, since he was soaked clear though, he road in the very back of the jeep.  As we are driving down the road he decides that he wants to ride on the tire.  So, with Brittney, myself, and my daughter standing in the backseat, we look back and Nick is sitting on the spare tire on the back of the jeep, arms spread towards the sky.  He was a fearless, carefree, absolutely crazy guy, who anyone who ever met him just had to love.  The picture in my mind will forever be that of him riding back from the river, arms spread toward the sky, wind blowing through his hair, and that GIANT smile spread across his face! 

I just wanted to share a funny story about Nick, it's one that makes us all laugh whenever we think about it.  A few weeks ago I was in town with my boys and Nick texted me saying he was tanning naked on our roof.  My 10 year old, Jacob, had my phone and thought it would be funny to tell Nick to move to the front of the house.  And of course, Nick did exactly that!  As we drove closer to the house, I passed my neighbors driving down the road (they are head of our church, mind you) and then as I drove into my driveway me and my boys starting rolling with laughter!  Because there on the roof of our house was Nick Taylor laying on his stomach with his bare butt shining for all to see!  It was by far one of the funniest things ever, but unfortunately  I'm certain my very Christian neighbors had to have seen this 6 foot tall boy laying naked on my roof! As funny as his stunt was I got out of my car and said "Nick Taylor!  My preacher just seen your ***! His huge smile that was on his face quickly vanished as he hurriedly threw his shorts on and jumped off the roof, steadily apologizing!  We laughed about that little incident many times!:) He promised me that he would either wear shorts next time he tanned on the roof or would at least lay on the backside of the house so nobody could see him. lol

I remember walking into Ms.Withrow's class dreading my last year in middle school. I arrived late and walked in with everyone staring at me. I spotted Nick, as the only seat open was in front of him. She made us switch seats and as he stood up, I realized how tall he was. He just had that face that could make your day, no matter how bad it was. I was scared at first to talk to him, but he got me to open up. He talked about his future and I knew he could do anything he put his mind too. I didn't know him as well as all of you, considering he left in the middle of the year. He touched my heart with his big and cheerful smile...it will be missed greatly. Rest in Peace Nick, I will see your smile again in Heaven.

At first  I was scared by Nick's size. I was tiny compared to him. Although, I don't remember how we met, it was a good day. Nick was like an older brother to me. He was always sweet, caring, and smiling. I remember one time we walked home from school and he carried me on his back and even carried my bag for me some of the way. He was always looking out for me.

The week he passed away.. Karla messeged me on facebook and asked me if I had heard about Nick, and I said "No, What happened??" She told me to text her and so I did. She told me about Nick and I just started crying. It didn't really hit me until last Friday. I got on his facebook page, read everything, and started crying.. I was pretty upsetting to realize it was true.. I love you, Nick. I'll see you in heaven(: You'll be missed..

I am so thankful that I was blessed with the opportunity to call Nick part of our family.  Thank you Sue for allowing Nick to stay with us... if you had not, we wouldn't have had so many special times with this amazing boy.  If I was to write a story about all the fun memories of him, it would take a full length book to do so!  So I can only share a few.  Nick was very proud of his blackfoot heritage and when you'd see him in nature, his heritage shined through.  When we'd visit the creek on numerous occasions, he would run through the woods barefoot and race up the side of the mountain beside the creek as if it just came natural to him.  He'd reach the top of the mountain and make indian sounds and on the way back down the mountain he would often swing from treetop to treetop.  He hardly ever wore shoes and I just couldn't believe how briars and stickers never phased him at all!  We have a huge tree in our front yard that he climbed in often and it would take him about 2 seconds to reach the very top! He was truly like an indian!  He even made a homemade hammock in the the tree and one night he says "Ma, I'm gonna sleep in my hammock tonight!"  I just assumed he was playing a joke, so I said, "okay Nick, if that's what you want to do".  The next morning I woke up and stepped on my porch and realized that he had actually done it!  He had thrown a blanket over the hammock, making it like a tent in the tree.  I yelled for him and he sticks his head out from under the blanket with a HUGE smile on his face!  I couldn't help but laugh,,, as I so often did with him around:)  He raced down the branches of the tree and comes running up to me and telling me how good he had slept there!  He was always doing something that would scare me, like climbing mountains, trees, cliffs, and countless other daredevil stunts.  He made life so exciting and so full of laughter.  He was one of the happiest parts of my life and I'm not sure how I will make it without him,,,,, but am so greatful for all the memories I have with him.  I will cherish those memories until I see him again.  I'm certain he's exploring Heaven and will know all the most exciting things to do when I get there..... and I can't wait to do them with him.  I will love him always and forever!

when me and nick dated he was so careing and a sweet he was always the one thinking ahead and making these crazy plans for our future he wanted to do so much and make people smile and laugh. sadness wasnt an emotion nick showed much he was always laughing at me and of course i was always worried about him.that boy got the craziest ideas. the first time we dated he tried to fight my brother for me and that truly won me over. he wanted to see me all the time and i couldnt wait to see him at school and at melissa's. i miss you nick its so hard letting you go and excepting but i will see you again someday you were one special guy

He was just the cutest little guy; I knew him when he was 3 or 4 years old. I had arranged a wedding for his mom and dad and planned on staying with Rex, Nikki and Gage, while their parents went on their one night honeymoon that the church gave them for a gift after the wedding and reception. The boys gave their mom away and they were so cute in their best clothes.

That evening after taking the boys home, we cleaned the house, did the dishes, and then the kids wanted to play, so upstairs we went. I remember reading them a book over and over again, LOL, I wish I remembered what the title was, but they really like it so I just kept reading it to them.

The one thing I will never forget is how big Nikki hugged. He was just a little guy but he just had the biggest hug. He loved with everything he had in him. That night before they went to bed, we all knelt and prayed to Jesus for his mom and dad that they would hurry up and come home LOL and they wanted to pray for everyone at church, all the animals and I'm sure we prayed for more but those are the things I remember.

He will be missed. My biggest hug to Rex, Gage, Sue and Rob would be big, but never as big as Nikki's.

one time Nick stayed the night at my house and he was playing video games with my brothers while he was sitting there he let me do his hair in piggy tales not just a few tho his whole head was covered in them haha i swear he wanted to be a girl sometimes also when he came over we would play house all the time we always had so much fun together im gonna miss him so much -Amber

On May 30, 2011 (Memorial Day), it began as just another day of business as usual. I was driving to work at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, speaking on my cell phone with my mother as I normally do. As we spoke, our conversation was interrupted by incoming call.

I cry and choke as I write this. I don't ask for sympathy. I just do not want someone to make the same mistakes that I have made. I cannot go back in time and change the past; I can only wait till my time here is done so that I may be reunited with Nick and beg for his forgiveness for not being a better father and friend.

I was raised by my father that a man was to be tought "Suck it Up." "Don't cry." "Don't show Emotion." And that was my greatest mistake!!!! Nick, I promise when we meet again, the first thing I want to do is hold you and let you know how much I love and miss you. 

Robb

When nick was 8 him and some friends was Ice skating one of the kids threw their scarf in front of him and he did a front flip an chipped his front tooth, we ended up at the dentist at midnight on a Friday night. He came home and wanted to do it again.

Sue