This morning was one of those mornings that was just busy…you know those kinds of Sunday mornings where you find yourself just being busy instead of taking it all in like you should on a Sunday morning?
After working Greenhouse (our children’s area) in the 1st service, I was finally able to sit in our 2nd service with my friend Kendra and enjoy the worship music and teaching. (Daniel had been in the 1st service.) After a few worship songs and a cute, little song by the children from Greenhouse my heart felt calmed and peaceful. I felt myself switch my mind and heart into “taking-in” mode and tried to be still. While one of our pastor’s was doing the announcements he mentioned God loving justice…which led me to think about the people in Malawi that I hope to be helping. I heard nothing else Scott said as I started to imagine what our Sundays would be like in 4 months in Malawi.
Daniel and I took off this past Friday to work on our condo in preparation to put it on the market. It rained all day long which didn’t help from the motivational aspect. After sleeping in past our normal wake-up time and a nice breakfast we focused ourselves on each room organizing, cleaning, and packing. At some part in the morning Daniel went off to check out and rent a storage unit as I continued organizing clothes and building my goodwill pile. It actually was very freeing to spend a day organizing and packing up. We then took a pile to Salvation Army and a pile of boxes to our new storage unit…in the pouring rain. By that time it was almost 5pm and we needed to clean up and make our way to Daniel’s parents house for dinner. As we began driving the tears began to flow…we both realized how emotional the day of organizing, cleaning and packing up really had been. Obviously it wasn't the packing up of items that we were emotional over, it was the realization that we are entering into this endevour of faith...so much is unknown at this point..so much are just questions...so much is not about us....so much is about the people of Malawi that are in need of love, hope, dignity and justice. In just 4 short months we will be packing the storage unit full, saying goodbye to great friends and loving family members and heading to a new country to bring God’s message to the people in Malawi. We can't wait!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
crazy pics
Daniel and I watched our niece, Emma, this past weekend. She is almost 2 years old and is growing into her personality more and more each day. She is finally saying our names! Last night she and I were have fun on my computer's "photobooth". I was cracking up laughing at all the pics of us...the application has all kinds of picture effects...the one is like a circus-mirror effect. SO funny...
Siamese-twin Emma.
Siamese-twin Emma.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
malawi video
I just uploaded our Malawi video to our website. I was going to post it here on this blog as well but I would rather post it one place and have everyone visit our website. (I am secretly training you so that when we leave you will visit our site for my weekly blog posts on our African life.) Anyway, check it out. www.mccollumsinmalawi.com We would love your partnership in this endeavor as the need in Malawi is great!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
stuff swap
It is so hard to believe that in 4 months we will be moving to AFRICA....that is FOUR months, blogworld!! 1-2-3-4. WOW. I think the emotions of it all will start to kick in soon as the reality of packing up starts to take place. Which will be happening this Friday!! Daniel and I are both taking Friday off from work (do you know how hard it is as a teacher to take a day off?!) to start packing up our house and moving things into a storage unit. I promise to post pictures. We are putting our condo up for sale, so we needed a day to get it organized and show-able. :) There is just so much for us to do in the coming months with all the details. Today the aspect of raising support has started to get me discouraged. We are actually half-way to our goal which is pretty amazing, but still it is a draining and faith-challenging step. We know that God will provide for us as He has organized all the other details so far with this endeavor.
In other news: I went to a "stuff swap" tonight with some other girls from our church. It was so much fun. A "stuff swap" is just what it sounds...you just bring a few things that you may not want anymore, other people do the same and then you take turns picking through the piles of something "new" that you want to bring home. I took home this really cute H&M black top. I love it. If you have never done a swap, its totally fun!
I was going through my things this afternoon and found some pants that I had bought when I lived in Jacksonville. Oh my word!! I couldn't believe it so I took a picture of me holding the pants up to my waist (as best I could while holding a camera.) Lets just say that I was about 20+ lbs. heavier when I lived in FL.
Please excuse the messy bathroom pic...and yes, that is an orchid in my bathtub...they were $5 an orchid in Florida and my mom sent like 5 home with me for her to pick up next week.
The group tonight and their swapped treasures.
In other news: I went to a "stuff swap" tonight with some other girls from our church. It was so much fun. A "stuff swap" is just what it sounds...you just bring a few things that you may not want anymore, other people do the same and then you take turns picking through the piles of something "new" that you want to bring home. I took home this really cute H&M black top. I love it. If you have never done a swap, its totally fun!
I was going through my things this afternoon and found some pants that I had bought when I lived in Jacksonville. Oh my word!! I couldn't believe it so I took a picture of me holding the pants up to my waist (as best I could while holding a camera.) Lets just say that I was about 20+ lbs. heavier when I lived in FL.
Please excuse the messy bathroom pic...and yes, that is an orchid in my bathtub...they were $5 an orchid in Florida and my mom sent like 5 home with me for her to pick up next week.
The group tonight and their swapped treasures.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The More You Know
What a crazy week it has been...Daniel and I are so thankful for this nice weekend to not do a SINGLE thing. We have nothing on the schedule which is so nice. The last 3 weekends straight have been hectic, so I am using this weekend to do whatever I want.
The first thing I did was make yummy blueberry muffins. (More on that below.)
"The More You Know"...remember that Sat morning slogan? Well, it is the truth. I started doing a ton of research last week on MSG (thanks Danae) and how much of it is in our foods. Then on Sunday we had lunch with my in-laws. Long story short, my father-in-law started going to this wellness/holistic doctor in High Point last year...since then my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and mother-in-law have gone to him. The first thing he does is put his clients on a no-yeast diet and a ton of vitamins/supplements. I started researching the no-yeast diet on Sunday afternoon...I spent 4 hours doing this and now has become my latest obsession which I have spent another 5+ hours on this week.
The deal on yeast. Our bodies has "good" yeast (a bacteria) in it that it needs to help the immune system. However, there is a ton of "bad" yeast (Candida albicans) in foods that we eat all the time which causes and overgrowth of yeast in our body, most importantly, our intestines. This over abundance of yeast causes a ton of problems that you can read about HERE. Yeast feeds on the crazy amounts of sugar that we in-take daily in our western diets. Our culture is all about processed foods...and yeast is in everything as well.
We were out to eat last night and I think I ruined Daniel's eating experience by telling him everything that he was eating was bad. Sorry about that. :) Although I am not totally ready to give up everything, I am scaling back on the yeast/sugar induced foods and focusing more on a high-fiber diet. Daniel and I gave up sweets/chocolate for Lent so that has helped starve my sweet-tooth and now I feel in good control of the sweets aspect. We eat pretty healthy as it is, but all the research this week has helped me realize how important it is to not believe everything I read on the front of boxes. The most important thing is to know what is in the ingredients and what some of the names actually mean. Did you know that there are a ton of different names for MSG? Click HERE. The more you know...the healthier you will be.
So back to my yummy blueberry muffins. These were totally easy and good for you, though I did use sugar...but organic brown sugar.
Blueberry Flax-seed Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oat bran (I used straight oatmeal)
1 cup flour
1 cup flax seed
1 cup wheat bran (I omitted since I forgot it at the store)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Half pint of blueberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk (I never use buttermilk, I always use fat-free milk)
1/2 cup canola oil
l2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup golden raisins (I omitted)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin pans with cup cake papers, or coat with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oat bran, flour, flax seed, wheat bran, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine blueberries, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs and baking soda. Blend well. Pour mixture into dry ingregients. Mix until well blended. Stir in raisins. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
The first thing I did was make yummy blueberry muffins. (More on that below.)
"The More You Know"...remember that Sat morning slogan? Well, it is the truth. I started doing a ton of research last week on MSG (thanks Danae) and how much of it is in our foods. Then on Sunday we had lunch with my in-laws. Long story short, my father-in-law started going to this wellness/holistic doctor in High Point last year...since then my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and mother-in-law have gone to him. The first thing he does is put his clients on a no-yeast diet and a ton of vitamins/supplements. I started researching the no-yeast diet on Sunday afternoon...I spent 4 hours doing this and now has become my latest obsession which I have spent another 5+ hours on this week.
The deal on yeast. Our bodies has "good" yeast (a bacteria) in it that it needs to help the immune system. However, there is a ton of "bad" yeast (Candida albicans) in foods that we eat all the time which causes and overgrowth of yeast in our body, most importantly, our intestines. This over abundance of yeast causes a ton of problems that you can read about HERE. Yeast feeds on the crazy amounts of sugar that we in-take daily in our western diets. Our culture is all about processed foods...and yeast is in everything as well.
We were out to eat last night and I think I ruined Daniel's eating experience by telling him everything that he was eating was bad. Sorry about that. :) Although I am not totally ready to give up everything, I am scaling back on the yeast/sugar induced foods and focusing more on a high-fiber diet. Daniel and I gave up sweets/chocolate for Lent so that has helped starve my sweet-tooth and now I feel in good control of the sweets aspect. We eat pretty healthy as it is, but all the research this week has helped me realize how important it is to not believe everything I read on the front of boxes. The most important thing is to know what is in the ingredients and what some of the names actually mean. Did you know that there are a ton of different names for MSG? Click HERE. The more you know...the healthier you will be.
So back to my yummy blueberry muffins. These were totally easy and good for you, though I did use sugar...but organic brown sugar.
Blueberry Flax-seed Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oat bran (I used straight oatmeal)
1 cup flour
1 cup flax seed
1 cup wheat bran (I omitted since I forgot it at the store)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Half pint of blueberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk (I never use buttermilk, I always use fat-free milk)
1/2 cup canola oil
l2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup golden raisins (I omitted)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin pans with cup cake papers, or coat with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oat bran, flour, flax seed, wheat bran, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine blueberries, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs and baking soda. Blend well. Pour mixture into dry ingregients. Mix until well blended. Stir in raisins. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Our Super Sunday
When I was younger I loved it when missionaries come to our church, showed their slide presentation and set up tables with cool pictures, flags, and neat little gagets and things from their country. I never dreamed that I would be THAT missionary one day.
Yesterday Daniel and I WERE those missionaries, but hopefully cooler...without the dated clothes, and slow-clicking slides. OK...maybe our clothes weren't totally to date, but our video was pretty cool. We spoke at my father-in-law's church in the north part of Charlotte. It was a great morning. Our close friends, Ashley and Ryan, also made it up to show their support and love! (We are going to miss them so much!)
Daniel and I have been preparing for weeks for this Sunday...Daniel more so than me as he spoke during the "message" time. We both shared separately our mission experiences as single individuals (Daniel and his 2 years in Russia, and me on my time in India), how God developed in us the love for people around the world and His heartbeat for justice and mercy. We showed the video, and after the video Daniel spoke for about 20 minutes more. It was a great morning...I was so proud of Daniel and the amazing job that he did on speaking on living a missional and intentional life.
We are thankful for all the support we have received for trip to Malawi and are constantly amazed at God's provision for us during these harsh, economical times. We are half-way there...yahoo! I feel like raising support is the biggest faith-step of all...more so than packing up and moving to another country! Please pray for us as we continue on this faith journey. We know that God has BIG things that He wants us to be a part of with the youth/children of Malawi, and He will provide that money through the people around us. We can't wait to blog that first report back to the U.S. from Malawi in July...it's going to be amazing.
Daniel in action...literally.
Ha, me in action...what was I doing with my hands?
Daniel's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brown. She and her husband used to go to another church that Daniel's dad pastored and made it out to this church yesterday to hear Daniel speak! How sweet.
Our car broke down on Saturday afternoon in the Target parking lot (embarrassing). We tried to jump the battery...in the pouring rain, of course. But it wasn't the battery and had to be towed on Sunday after our time speaking at the church.
Next, it was on to Daniel's soccer game. He plays on our church's soccer team. They won yesterday!! 5-4.
Here is Daniel again in action--this game was too fast for me to take pictures.
Shew, it was a busy day but a good one.
Yesterday Daniel and I WERE those missionaries, but hopefully cooler...without the dated clothes, and slow-clicking slides. OK...maybe our clothes weren't totally to date, but our video was pretty cool. We spoke at my father-in-law's church in the north part of Charlotte. It was a great morning. Our close friends, Ashley and Ryan, also made it up to show their support and love! (We are going to miss them so much!)
Daniel and I have been preparing for weeks for this Sunday...Daniel more so than me as he spoke during the "message" time. We both shared separately our mission experiences as single individuals (Daniel and his 2 years in Russia, and me on my time in India), how God developed in us the love for people around the world and His heartbeat for justice and mercy. We showed the video, and after the video Daniel spoke for about 20 minutes more. It was a great morning...I was so proud of Daniel and the amazing job that he did on speaking on living a missional and intentional life.
We are thankful for all the support we have received for trip to Malawi and are constantly amazed at God's provision for us during these harsh, economical times. We are half-way there...yahoo! I feel like raising support is the biggest faith-step of all...more so than packing up and moving to another country! Please pray for us as we continue on this faith journey. We know that God has BIG things that He wants us to be a part of with the youth/children of Malawi, and He will provide that money through the people around us. We can't wait to blog that first report back to the U.S. from Malawi in July...it's going to be amazing.
Daniel in action...literally.
Ha, me in action...what was I doing with my hands?
Daniel's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brown. She and her husband used to go to another church that Daniel's dad pastored and made it out to this church yesterday to hear Daniel speak! How sweet.
Our car broke down on Saturday afternoon in the Target parking lot (embarrassing). We tried to jump the battery...in the pouring rain, of course. But it wasn't the battery and had to be towed on Sunday after our time speaking at the church.
Next, it was on to Daniel's soccer game. He plays on our church's soccer team. They won yesterday!! 5-4.
Here is Daniel again in action--this game was too fast for me to take pictures.
Shew, it was a busy day but a good one.
new blog to follow
Just wanted to pass on a new blog that I am reading...I don't know, I haven't been one for reading people's blogs that I don't know...I feel like I am spying on them or something. However, yesterday I spent about 3-4 hours researching a no-yeast diet along with benefits on a juicing fast, etc. I'm not a vegetarian yet, but it seems that Daniel and my lifestyle is leading that way. I've just been on this kick this weekend to study more on how to eat better, healthy, etc. Ok...I'll save my soapbox on nutritional eating for another time.
So, in my research yesterday I found this girl's blog...called "Eat, Live, Run". She lives in South FL and works at an organic bakery...she is also a nutritionist as well as a Christ-follower. It is neat to read her posts each day to see what kind of organic/vegetarian dishes she is preparing. So feel free to add her to your list and read along. Click HERE
So, in my research yesterday I found this girl's blog...called "Eat, Live, Run". She lives in South FL and works at an organic bakery...she is also a nutritionist as well as a Christ-follower. It is neat to read her posts each day to see what kind of organic/vegetarian dishes she is preparing. So feel free to add her to your list and read along. Click HERE
Thursday, March 12, 2009
i'm famous
I should be working but my kids are eating a "snack" right now. So I am typing this as I referee 10 kids eating/spilling snacks, telling them to "use inside voices" and coaching them when to eat and when to talk. Ahh, I love my job but I am so ready for summer. 47 more days until summer break...according to my calendar.
Ok..so I am famous?! I made it to the big time...the LU main page! Well, remember my graduation post when I told about my one and only modeling stint? HA...well, I guess LU finally used my pictures. Click on the LU site below and click on the arrows on the main picture...I'm like the 5th click. www.liberty.edu
Well, now time to get back to my "day job"!
Ok..so I am famous?! I made it to the big time...the LU main page! Well, remember my graduation post when I told about my one and only modeling stint? HA...well, I guess LU finally used my pictures. Click on the LU site below and click on the arrows on the main picture...I'm like the 5th click. www.liberty.edu
Well, now time to get back to my "day job"!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Malawi cards
We are getting ready to share at Daniel's dad's church on Sunday morning and present to them what we will be doing in Malawi, Africa. (For those that don't know, Daniel's parents started a church in the north part of Charlotte almost 3 years ago.) My father-in-law asked us to come and share with the church how we decided on moving to Africa, when we are going, what we will be doing, etc. He has pretty much given us the whole service...which is definitely good, but also a little nerve-wracking. Lets just say that Daniel and I aren't big stage people...I know he will do a great job communicating but I'm just nervous about my part of the sharing. I'm sure everything will go great. We originally were suppose to do this last Sunday but had to postpone due to our urgent trip to Florida last weekend.
I wanted to share with blog-world our contact card that we are printing for a table that we are setting up on Sunday. I like it--its different than most missionary "prayer cards" out there.
I wanted to share with blog-world our contact card that we are printing for a table that we are setting up on Sunday. I like it--its different than most missionary "prayer cards" out there.
Blessed are those who mourn
It has been a week now since my Granddaddy passed on…what a week it has been. I have not necessarily found myself overwhelmed with emotions but I feel as though I am grieving and mourning nonetheless.
I was reminded today about Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Let me just be honest that it hasn’t been until the last couple of years that I have really paid attention to the underlying meaning of Jesus’ statements in Matthew 5. Traditionally these have been called the “Beattitudes” how it got this name I do not know…that is another post later.
I was also reminded that to mourn is to have experienced both LOVE and LOSS. Most of the time we have lost something or someone we have loved. To love is to take a risk of all kinds. In contrast, to never have loved something we have lost is a great tragedy. I am pretty convinced that our culture is full of people who have never loved something they have lost. So many are afraid to take that risk into deep relationships and consequently live on the surface level of relationships...many times in the state of disconnect from those that deeply want to be loved and known.
Ok…so back to the Matthew verse. “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Who asks to mourn? And why are those that mourn blessed? It’s not like we walk around each day asking to mourn about something we have lost, right? But we do want to love…we were even created to LOVE. And when we LOVE deeply, the loss of that love is often a deep wound. Risking in love is so worth it…just like the famous Tennyson quote, “it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” God promises to always be there for us…but he never promises to sweep it all away and make things perfect for us. There is no way getting around mourning in life. In fact, Jesus says “…for they will be comforted.” That’s a pretty big promise, right? Later right before Jesus ascends into Heaven He promises to send a Comforter to us. What happens when God shows up in the hard moments? What happens when He shows up in moments of grief? What happens when He gives that peace that cannot be humanly explained away? What happens when He sends people into your path that have experienced the same loss? God shows up in these moments…if we allow ourselves to be comforted.
We are called to be “givers” in life at times. I don’t know about you, but there have been pretty low times in my life, but it seems that those bad days are often trumped when I spend my time giving to others…outside of my own “world”. As I look back in life I often attribute my times of getting through a situation because someone spoke words of love and encouragement to me. I think maybe the blessing of those who mourn is the fact that they are given opportunities to give into another’s life later down the road.
So my conclusion is that mourning isn’t easy, it isn’t what we look for in life…but at the end of the day we all go through it in some fashion or another. God’s comfort and peace can always be found. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
I was reminded today about Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Let me just be honest that it hasn’t been until the last couple of years that I have really paid attention to the underlying meaning of Jesus’ statements in Matthew 5. Traditionally these have been called the “Beattitudes” how it got this name I do not know…that is another post later.
I was also reminded that to mourn is to have experienced both LOVE and LOSS. Most of the time we have lost something or someone we have loved. To love is to take a risk of all kinds. In contrast, to never have loved something we have lost is a great tragedy. I am pretty convinced that our culture is full of people who have never loved something they have lost. So many are afraid to take that risk into deep relationships and consequently live on the surface level of relationships...many times in the state of disconnect from those that deeply want to be loved and known.
Ok…so back to the Matthew verse. “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Who asks to mourn? And why are those that mourn blessed? It’s not like we walk around each day asking to mourn about something we have lost, right? But we do want to love…we were even created to LOVE. And when we LOVE deeply, the loss of that love is often a deep wound. Risking in love is so worth it…just like the famous Tennyson quote, “it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” God promises to always be there for us…but he never promises to sweep it all away and make things perfect for us. There is no way getting around mourning in life. In fact, Jesus says “…for they will be comforted.” That’s a pretty big promise, right? Later right before Jesus ascends into Heaven He promises to send a Comforter to us. What happens when God shows up in the hard moments? What happens when He shows up in moments of grief? What happens when He gives that peace that cannot be humanly explained away? What happens when He sends people into your path that have experienced the same loss? God shows up in these moments…if we allow ourselves to be comforted.
We are called to be “givers” in life at times. I don’t know about you, but there have been pretty low times in my life, but it seems that those bad days are often trumped when I spend my time giving to others…outside of my own “world”. As I look back in life I often attribute my times of getting through a situation because someone spoke words of love and encouragement to me. I think maybe the blessing of those who mourn is the fact that they are given opportunities to give into another’s life later down the road.
So my conclusion is that mourning isn’t easy, it isn’t what we look for in life…but at the end of the day we all go through it in some fashion or another. God’s comfort and peace can always be found. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Sunday, March 08, 2009
A day in Charleston
Daniel and I have been wanting to visit Charleston for a while now. We decided since we were traveling back from Florida we would take some time to stop and spend the afternoon/evening in Charleston. It was perfect weather for walking around the city. It was perfect to get out and walk since we had done so much driving the past couple of days. We enjoyed our time soaking in the sun and soaking in the beautiful and charming surroundings. We found an awesome place for a seafood dinner and later when it got dark we found this quaint, little wine place and enjoyed a glass of wine before heading to our hotel.
Here are some pictures from our afternoon and evening!
This is where we ate dinner...so yummy! If you ever visit Charleston and want seafood this is the place to go.
There were plaques on all the table of the many celebrities that had visited the restaurant. This was the plaque that we had on our table...we thought it was funny.
Here are some pictures from our afternoon and evening!
This is where we ate dinner...so yummy! If you ever visit Charleston and want seafood this is the place to go.
There were plaques on all the table of the many celebrities that had visited the restaurant. This was the plaque that we had on our table...we thought it was funny.
a weekend in FL
We are back from a quick trip to Florida. We left Thursday afternoon and made it to my grandma's house by 9pm. It actually ending up being a pretty quick drive. It was good to be with my family for 24 hours and to think on the life that we had with my granddaddy. So many memories that we all had with him...he was a great husband, father, grandddaddy, and great-granddaddy.
Friday morning was the small service that we had in his honor. A neighbor of my grandparents who is a retired minister led the service. My uncle, mom and aunt shared a bit and then I got up to share. Up until the time we walked into the hall my emotions had been pretty controlled, but then I just couldn't keep it together any longer. I got up to share a verse that I love from Proverbs. "A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren..." Prov. 13:22 (The Message). It is a short verse but one that has so much meaning especially for this week as we reflected on Granddaddy. He passed a good life (or as other versions say, "inheritance") on to his grandchildren. He was a man of peace, humor, support, and most of all, love! I kinda feel like once again a part of my childhood has come to a close. We love him and will always remember our years.
Friday night we sat around and went through a ton of old pictures. My grandma has a scanner on her printer (much to her surprise) so I was able to scan some pictures for a video of his life that I want to do later.
My grandparents on their wedding day. July 1950 Treasure Island, California
This is my granddaddy and I (age 7) taking a nap together.
My mom, uncle, grandma and aunt this past Friday
Daniel and I with Amelia, my cousin, Justin and Jeremy, two of my brothers, and Teresa, my sister in law.
My mom and RD.
Daniel with Chloe, one of our nieces.
Friday morning was the small service that we had in his honor. A neighbor of my grandparents who is a retired minister led the service. My uncle, mom and aunt shared a bit and then I got up to share. Up until the time we walked into the hall my emotions had been pretty controlled, but then I just couldn't keep it together any longer. I got up to share a verse that I love from Proverbs. "A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren..." Prov. 13:22 (The Message). It is a short verse but one that has so much meaning especially for this week as we reflected on Granddaddy. He passed a good life (or as other versions say, "inheritance") on to his grandchildren. He was a man of peace, humor, support, and most of all, love! I kinda feel like once again a part of my childhood has come to a close. We love him and will always remember our years.
Friday night we sat around and went through a ton of old pictures. My grandma has a scanner on her printer (much to her surprise) so I was able to scan some pictures for a video of his life that I want to do later.
My grandparents on their wedding day. July 1950 Treasure Island, California
This is my granddaddy and I (age 7) taking a nap together.
My mom, uncle, grandma and aunt this past Friday
Daniel and I with Amelia, my cousin, Justin and Jeremy, two of my brothers, and Teresa, my sister in law.
My mom and RD.
Daniel with Chloe, one of our nieces.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Sadness
This morning my Granddaddy passed away in his sleep. We knew it was coming for weeks, even months now. He has been suffering from Alzheimer's and Dementia for sometime now. Since this past summer the disease came on fast and had caused his health to digress rapidly.
He and my Grandma (his primary caregiver all these years--she's 82) made it up to my mom's for Christmas this past year, but he had no idea who all the people were and where he was. It was very sad for us all to see him that way. He kept calling me the "kind girl". It was sad to see him that way but it was good to see him at the same time. We all had tear-filled eyes that last night of Christmas vacation together when we said goodnight to him and helped him to his bedroom. We knew, for many of us, that it would be the last time we would see him. We gave him hugs, kisses and "i love you's" even though he couldn't remember our names anymore. We knew that he wanted to remember us but just couldn't.
He never did forget my Grandmother. He said goodnight to her last night and one final "I love you" to her and then went to sleep. It is the best and most peaceful way to go. We know that he is no longer in a state of frustration or confusion, that his mind and body is now made whole.
We hope to go down to Orlando for a service the end of the week. I'm sure I will have a few more posts to blog about over the next week or so. Thank you, blogworld, for letting me type out my feelings...its helpful.
Granddaddy and I on my wedding day--2007.
Granddaddy, Grandma and I--April 2008.
My mom and I with Granddaddy--Christmas 2008. You can tell how much weight he had lost from April through December.
He and my Grandma (his primary caregiver all these years--she's 82) made it up to my mom's for Christmas this past year, but he had no idea who all the people were and where he was. It was very sad for us all to see him that way. He kept calling me the "kind girl". It was sad to see him that way but it was good to see him at the same time. We all had tear-filled eyes that last night of Christmas vacation together when we said goodnight to him and helped him to his bedroom. We knew, for many of us, that it would be the last time we would see him. We gave him hugs, kisses and "i love you's" even though he couldn't remember our names anymore. We knew that he wanted to remember us but just couldn't.
He never did forget my Grandmother. He said goodnight to her last night and one final "I love you" to her and then went to sleep. It is the best and most peaceful way to go. We know that he is no longer in a state of frustration or confusion, that his mind and body is now made whole.
We hope to go down to Orlando for a service the end of the week. I'm sure I will have a few more posts to blog about over the next week or so. Thank you, blogworld, for letting me type out my feelings...its helpful.
Granddaddy and I on my wedding day--2007.
Granddaddy, Grandma and I--April 2008.
My mom and I with Granddaddy--Christmas 2008. You can tell how much weight he had lost from April through December.
Monday, March 02, 2009
SNOW DAY
What a beautiful snowy day it is today! Snow days on Mondays are just the best!! Last night's snow fall was the most snow Charlotte has seen in several years. It was beautiful as it fell last night and even more beautiful this morning! Our local school system announced that it is making up this snow day on Memorial Day...thank goodness I work for a private school. I would hate to make up a school day on a holiday. They made up their last snow day on President's day. I know that our school had 2 days worked into the calendar so I am not sure what is going to happen with today's snow day. I would love to give up a teacher work day rather than a holiday.
Anyway, here are some favorite pictures that I took of the snow last night and today! I'm loving my camera's awesome digital zoom. It isn't an SLR but it zooms like one just doesn't have the manual focus that digital SLR's have.
The weathermen around here were calling our snow last night "Thunder Snow" because it was literally thundering and lightning as it was snowing last night...crazy huh? It has been raining for 2 days (as I think it was the whole east coast). I had never heard of thundersnow before.
Here is the Charlotte skyline from our building with the Bank of America building in the center. This is with my zoom about little bit in.
This is the top of the BOA building...my zoom isn't even all the way in. I love it.
The old and empty Duncan Gardens Memorial Church on our street. I played around with the colors on my computer...so pretty!
My cute husband.
Anyway, here are some favorite pictures that I took of the snow last night and today! I'm loving my camera's awesome digital zoom. It isn't an SLR but it zooms like one just doesn't have the manual focus that digital SLR's have.
The weathermen around here were calling our snow last night "Thunder Snow" because it was literally thundering and lightning as it was snowing last night...crazy huh? It has been raining for 2 days (as I think it was the whole east coast). I had never heard of thundersnow before.
Here is the Charlotte skyline from our building with the Bank of America building in the center. This is with my zoom about little bit in.
This is the top of the BOA building...my zoom isn't even all the way in. I love it.
The old and empty Duncan Gardens Memorial Church on our street. I played around with the colors on my computer...so pretty!
My cute husband.
weekend to the beach
I know I haven't posted in a few days and even at that it hasn't been anything too interesting. We have been so busy this past week with work, church stuff, and our Malawi to-do list is getting longer. We have been busy preparing to present and talk at Daniel's dads church in north Charlotte next Sunday. It's just been so busy that we needed to get away and breathe.
So this past weekend we headed with our friends to their family's beautiful beach house in north Myrtle Beach. Its a huge house straight out of a magazine! So great to get away...we usually go to their house once a year in the summer with a bunch of friends, but this time it was just the 4 of us. It rained the whole time, but it was just nice to go shopping, watch a movie and sit around talking!
We headed to Walmart to get a board game and the boys decided to ride BMX bikes around the aisles. Boys will be boys.
Daniel and Ryan crack me up together. Sunday morning I walked out into the living room and these two guys were sitting around the "fireplace".
Our great friends, Ryan and Ashley! We love them and will miss them so much next year!
It started snowing on our way home from the beach. Ryan prided himself in this picture because he turned around to face the camera while he was driving...don't do this at home.
Ashley and I when we got back to their house from the beach on Sunday night!
So this past weekend we headed with our friends to their family's beautiful beach house in north Myrtle Beach. Its a huge house straight out of a magazine! So great to get away...we usually go to their house once a year in the summer with a bunch of friends, but this time it was just the 4 of us. It rained the whole time, but it was just nice to go shopping, watch a movie and sit around talking!
We headed to Walmart to get a board game and the boys decided to ride BMX bikes around the aisles. Boys will be boys.
Daniel and Ryan crack me up together. Sunday morning I walked out into the living room and these two guys were sitting around the "fireplace".
Our great friends, Ryan and Ashley! We love them and will miss them so much next year!
It started snowing on our way home from the beach. Ryan prided himself in this picture because he turned around to face the camera while he was driving...don't do this at home.
Ashley and I when we got back to their house from the beach on Sunday night!
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