Painting

gnome I painted in 1997

I'm going to start painting again.

My dear friend Corby has inspired me to pick up my brush.

I sadly quit painting after my kids were born. I miss it.

Corby even gave me some paint. No excuses now!

Corby is an incredibly blessed painter. He works in watercolors like no one I've ever seen before.

I have two of his paintings in my home and I love looking at all the details he paints.

Thanks Corby for the inspiration!

Internet Finally!

We finally have internet again!

yay!

The move went well. The movers lost my drawer of Pampered Chef utensils and broke some stuff but hopefully they will reimburse me.

How do you lose an entire drawer of utensils? That was frustrating....not being able to cook. My mother in law gave me a couple of spatulas but you realize how much you do use all those gadgets when they are all gone!

Just a quick update, I have so much more to post later.

PS The picture is what I am using for karsen's bday!

Today is hard

Today is the 2nd anniversiary of Papa's death.

Its hard.

I'm far away from my family. Far from his grave.

And I am missing him so much. So much it hurts. Looking thru old pics and cards he had sent. What would I give to hug his neck and tell him what he means to me.

He was my hero. He could do no wrong in my life. He was the only person i could always count on. He would not ever let me down. To lose that security is hard. He was my safety net.

I will shed tears today. I will also be thankful such a man existed in my life. How blessed was I to be his #1!

Moving in has taken a bit longer and I wont have internet till next week.

I miss my mom and sister.

Today has been hard.

I Wasn't Ready, but He Was

It was the phone call I had been preparing myself for. The call that would inform me that Papa Bud was nearing the end.

As much as I had tried to prepare, nothing can truly prepare you for the the end of a life so loved.

The phone call came on Friday, July 30th 2009.

My mom had just taken Papa to the dr. They informed her that his care would require hospice. The end was near.

Heart disease is cruel. It slowly robs the body of a full life. Papa had suffered for a long time. He was ready.

That night he told me he was going home soon.

Indeed he was. Just 5 days later he would be home. He would be restored. We would be left behind to miss him but he would perfect.

I miss him. I especially miss him on days like today. Hot, sunny days were his favorite.

"I wasn't ready to say goodbye. To let you go, to watch you die. I miss you more than anything, your laugh, your smile even your teasing. Your bright blue eyes had so much warmth. You were the best grandpa I ever could have wanted. Now you are gone and its been too long, since I heard you sing to mama jo your favorite song. "I'll always love you"

-you sang to her, You are my sunshine were the words.

Papa, I miss you so. I never wanted to let you go. Until we meet again one day, I will think of you with love today"

Little One at 11 months and the move!

Karsen, as of yesterday, is 11 months old!

*loves to stand ---but no steps yet!
*still mama crazy!
*still waves her hands when nervous
*was taught by Raini to blow kisses
*was taught by the boys to "high 5"
*loves to dance
*visited the beach for the first time and loved it!

We spent the morning of her 11 month birthday swimming at a hotel pool in Midlothian, Virginia.

We had to stay at a hotel because we moved this week. It took the movers until 8pm Friday night to finish up. It was too late to drive to North Carolina so we stayed at a hotel and had a girls weekend. (I had sent the boys back to NC with Raini).

Moving was HARSH.

The heat index was 112. Our house wasn't much cooler with the doors being left open to accommodate the movers.

But we survived and spent a fun Friday evening ordering room service and Saturday morning swimming before leaving Richmond.

I have mixed feelings about leaving Richmond. The schools were excellent. And our neighborhood was great. We will certainly miss our house there.

But we are excited to be near our WV family and are looking forward to our new adventures!

Farewell Richmond! Thank you for the memories!

Moving Mishaps

My daughter Ashton loves watching Billy the Exterminator.

One episode in particular always stood out to me. He was trying to trap a family of squirrels in an attic when he almost falls through the drywall of the ceiling below.

Well, I reenacted that episode Friday. Except I fell through.

I was moving boxes out of the attic to our downstairs when I stepped onto a piece of plywood. I took another step and thought I was still on plywood but SURPRISE I wasn't and my right leg went straight thru the insulation and ceiling below me.

The fall was really scary. I thought I had broken my leg. My toes immediately went numb and I had a huge egg lump on my shin.

My heart was racing and for someone who went thru heart issues just a year ago, it is so scary to have your heart race like that. My nerves were already shot thanks to a not so great visit with my mom the day before so this was really the last thing I needed to happen.

I made it down the attic stairs and onto my bed. Luckily for me, John had flown home that morning and my son Jonathan was there too. Jonathan grabbed some ice, elevated my leg and wrapped it. We all thought it was broken but I refused to go to the ER. We gave it a few hours and I was finally able to put a little weight on it. It is still very sore and bruised but thank God, not broken.

I will never go up in that attic again! Moving is not fun!

This has been the worst week. I will be so glad to finally be in West Virginia surrounded by supportive family! We can't get there soon enough!

Home to Rest

Matt McAlexander and Joshua Rowley arrived home last night in Kernersville.

This wasn't supposed to be how they came home from vacation.

It breaks my heart. But thank God for our little community of Kernersville.

The hot dog supper held in their honor last night was such a huge success, despite the rainy weather.

We will continue to lift the family up with prayers and contributions.

They arrived home treated like the beloved heroes they are. But this isn't how it should have been.

Moving Stinks

Although John's company is graciously moving us, my OCD cannot have strangers packing my antiques! I have forgotten how much moving stinks. It's like child birthing.....you go through it and your mind somehow blocks out how much it hurts so that you can do it again if needed.

My nails are already broken and bleeding and I have only packed away my office.

I am nervous and excited. It will be nice to be near family again. I'm nervous because the home we are renting is more expensive than we wanted to pay...but it was literally the only house available in that town!

My mom is on her way to help out this week and my sister will be down the next week.

If all goes according to plan, we should be officially moved by August 1st.

This time around is going to be harder.....Karsen is making it very difficult to pack!

Please keep us in your prayers as we journey on this new road set before us.

Also, please keep the Rowley & McAlexander families in your prayers.

They flew home to North Carolina on Friday and the services for their boys will be Monday at First Christian Church in Kernersville.

Their bravery and absolute faith in Christ is astounding and what a legacy they are creating.

Please consider donating to the Josh & Matt benefit page. All money goes to the family and every little bit goes a long way! You can use paypal, too.