Wordless Wednesday (Well, almost wordless anyway!)

Our family spent Father's Day at the lake riding the jet boat, grilling steaks, and just enjoying each others company. Sophie finally was allowed her first ride on the jet boat, too! I really thought the noise would scare her, but she proceeded to march herself up to the front seat in the bow and take her rightful place as co-captain. This baby LOVES boat rides! Brett and I have a secret hope that she'll be Sawyer's new girlfriend, too! :)






I have a very important "unspoken" prayer request that I'd like to post about. Us Southern Baptists are very familiar with our "unspokens", but for those of you who aren't, please know that I'll post details as soon as I possibly can. At this time just know that each one of your prayers can make a HUGE difference in this situation.

Thankful Thursday

This week has been full of unpleasant surprises and irritations and I've really felt the Lord gently reminding me of all I have to be thankful for. Today is the perfect day for a Thankful Thursday post!

I am very thankful for some of our wonderful new friends. They really exemplify the meaning of "the Lord's vessel." Thanks guys! :)

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, even when we don't see eye-to-eye on everything I think we should. He has always been my rock and I love him more everyday.

I'm thankful to hold a full-time job in a less than desirable economy. We're very blessed and sometimes I think we really take it for granted.

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

Wordless Wednesday

These are a couple of my favorite pictures from the past couple weeks. :)

Famous Ancestors

I've spent the last few hours playing around with Ancestry's Famous Relatives search option. I'm astounded to see the eccentric mix of entertainers, artists, writers, presidents, and royalty.

On my Alsabrook side I'm related to:

Judy Garland
William Faulkner
Truman Capote
Audrey Hepburn
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
Bette Davis

On my Rawls side I'm related to:

Emily Dickenson
John Steinbeck
Elizabeth II
Eugene Delacroix

On my Merrill side I'm related to:

Emily Dickenson
Samuel Adams
Julia Child

There are a few more that I'm checking out to be sure they're accurate, but the list so far is pretty interesting! :)

Flip Flops, Sunblock, and Ziggy Marley

What do those three things have in common? Summertime! At least summertime around our neck of the woods, anyway. :) We kicked off summer a bit early this year by finishing up our jet boat and taking her out for a couple spins up the river.

This boat was the last project that my dad and I picked up together before I moved down to Florida. We bought her in January 2004 up in Wetumpka, Alabama while my mom was up in New York for a couple weeks. She came home to yet another project that needed a friend (or six!) Dad got the boat running in 2006, but pulled that motor out after only a couple weekends. She sat in the garage for the past two years collecting dust. Dad and Brett got the itch to bring her back out a couple weeks ago and we all finished up late Saturday afternoon. Here are some pictures from her maiden voyage! :)

Time Flies

We haven't dropped off the face of the Earth...yet. The past few weeks have been hectic around our house so the blog and my ancestry research has taken a back burner for a little while. I'll get back to the grind sooner or later!

Untitled.

Brett and I returned home this morning from an emergency trip back to South Carolina. This trip was one of the hardest we've ever had to make.

We received a phone call at 7:45 last Wednesday night (4/15) that NaMa was suddenly in very grave condition. As we were in the process of packing and calling to inform other family members, we learned that she had passed away. We arrived in South Carolina mid-Thursday afternoon and were able to spend a couple days with family and friends. We had originally planned to come home tomorrow afternoon, but left early, early this morning after some unexpected issues arose.

We didn't come home alone, though. We brought one of NaMa's cats home with us and as I type this, she is being introduced to Reese. As it stands, I don't think they care for each other very much yet. :)

Lucy at NaMa's house last week.

Winds of Change

Brett and I made it back home mid-Monday afternoon and I must admit, it was SO nice to sleep in my own bed again! Honestly, I think my car is ready for a break, too. We drove up to North Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and back to Alabama all in a week's time. Talk about racking up the miles!

We spent the majority of our trip with Brett's maternal grandmother who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Just one day into our visit, we had to take her to the E.R. and she was promptly admitted. As it stands, she'll be transferring to a rehab facility for a couple of weeks unless her oncologist decides to go another route. NaMa (as we lovingly call her) has family nearby and they have jumped in to help out as much as possible. Brett and I are planning another trip up there in the VERY near future as well.

After our trip to visit NaMa we drove down to Aiken, SC to spend some time with Brett's paternal grandmother, half-sister, half-brother, nieces, and nephew. Jim and Mar were also in town and we were able to enjoy their company again as well. We had an early birthday celebration for Brett and accompained his grandmother to her church for Easter services. I was raised a Southern Baptist and that side of his family is Episcopalian. The service was unlike any I had attended before, but we enjoyed it.

We have a very difficult decision to make in the coming days and would appreciate your prayers. It seems as if each time we decide on a route to take, something jumps out at us that alters our course. At this point we are just praying for God's guidance and wisdom.

- Please continue to pray for Stellan. It is my understanding that after a successful transition into a step-down unit, he started having longer episodes of SVT.

- Kaden is now at home and is doing well. He'll start his physical therapy in the coming weeks and we're hopeful that he'll go way beyond what his doctors expect.

- Please pray for Dylon, the grandson of one of my VERY good friends. He was diagnosed with a dangerous, but rare heart condition last year and is now scheduled for surgery in Houston, TX on June 16. Please keep Dylon and the Smith family in your prayers.

A God Thing

My wonderful mother-in-law has been working on her book for many months. These past few weeks have been wrapping up loose ends, editing all the pictures, and a final proof-read and edit session before sending it to her publisher. I was completely honored (and floored!) when she asked me to be the one to wrap up those ends. We worked on it for a few hours Monday night and then for several more yesterday. I took a break yesterday afternoon to drive up to the top of the mountain for some meditiation and prayer and came back to the book with a new goal: get it sent to the publisher on April 7th. This was a small way that I could honor Audrey. I can't remember the last time I focused on something as hard as I did on that book last night...and at 11:57 p.m. on April 7, 2009 the book was sent into the publisher!

As far as we were concerned, I wasn't supposed to have been here to help with the book. We were supposed to have left yesterday morning for a 7 hour drive east. We learned on Sunday that there was an unexpected delay and we'd be here until this morning. Coincidence? Maybe. God? DEFINITELY. Mar and I were talking last night as we were uploading the book and we both feel that God ordained last night for a reason. Maybe that reason was a tiny way that I could honor and always remember Audrey. Maybe God had a completely different reason behind it that He'll reveal to us soon. No matter how you slice it, it was a God thing.

Oh. And for the record. It snowed here yesterday. :)

Snow

**Update: Pictures are now added!**

Today is April 7th, and for those of you who follow the blog of my sweet friend Angie, you know that today marks the one year anniversary of the birth and death of her beautiful daughter Audrey Caroline. Brett and I were blessed to have been able to spend yesterday with her. When God started to weave Audrey's story he was also weaving a piece of mine and Brett's story as well. I can't wait to update on what's been going on with us, but I'm going to hold off until everything is finalized.

Sweet Angie, Todd, Ellie, Abby, Kate (and Sawyer, too!) - Our hearts are with you today and we will be lifting each of you up in prayer today. We love you guys!

During our Nashville trip, we saw a few snow flurries at a very important location. (More on that later!) I looked at Brett and Angie and I knew instantly that they knew what I was thinking. Those of you who know me, know just how excited I get in the snow (even though my family is from Niagara Falls and I've seen PLENTY of it over the years.)

Last night on the way back from Nashville we saw a few snow flurries at the base of the mountain. I prayed aloud to God that if the decision we're in the process of making is the right one, to please show us a sign. Not a mile later, the snow started to fall heavily. We pulled off at an exit and I stepped out of the car and into the beautiful snow that was falling on top of the mountain. As tears filled my eyes, I knew He had answered my prayer in the most obvious way possible. As I looked closer at each unique white flake that landed on my car, I was reminded of the blood Jesus shed to wash our sins and make us snow white. Each person is unique, just like each snowflake that fell from the sky. It was also a beautiful reminder that as Christians we are to respect and accept the uniqueness of each other. Simply put, G-R-A-C-E.


I have so many jumbled thoughts and I seem to lack a way to get them out this morning. Before I wrap this up, I want to ask each of you for prayers for precious baby Stellan. They finally have a new care plan in place and we're in prayer that this will help him defeat his SVT/arrhythmia issues. His mother, MckMama, is traveling a very hard road that each mother prays she will never have to walk. Please pray for her to have the wisdom she needs as she advocates for precious son, rest for her weary body, mind, and spirit, and peace that He alone can give.

Baby Kaden came through his second shunt surgery without any complications and if all goes well, he'll be coming home next Sunday. Please pray for his continued healing.

Finally, those of you who follow Angie's blog have more than likely heard the song "Unredeemed" that she posted on April 5. It is going to be released on Selah's new record (that is coming out in August!!!) If you've not had the chance to hear it, GO NOW! Curb is only allowing her to have it up for 3 days and the we're 2 days into the countdown. :)