As many of you know, we just returned home not too long ago from seeing my dad after his by-pass surgery. This was not the first time we had to rush out to see him. I remember on one trip out there it was Rick, Chrystal, and me. My dad was in the hospital and my mom was very, very ill. We left on a Sunday night, and I was EXHUASTED. Although, I am not the greatest person to travel with...I speak little and sleep LOTS!! On this particular trip I had fallen asleep. When I woke up I looked around..it did not look familar! I asked where we were. My lovely sister and wonderful husband informed me of where we were and it was not where we were supposed to be. We had passed Kansas...that's right...PASSED IT!! How do you pass a state?!?!?! I know, my same thoughts, but don't worry they managed to do it! We were on the toll roads somewhere in Oklahoma. We got off and proceeded to find a gas station. If you know my husband at all you know that he is not one to ask for directions, so when he did I knew were seriously lost! We found a gas station that I'm pretty sure was straight from the heart of red neck country. At this gas station we asked "Jeff"(now we don't know that Jeff was his name, but Chrystal said he looked like a Jeff so that's what we call him to this day) for directions to Kansas. He gave us directions in his country twang (that only Chrystal can impersonate perfectly) and directed us through "a trashy little town called Pitcher". We were off, and when he said "trashy little town" he really meant it, but he got us there! It was probably one of the funniest moments I've had with my sister..whom swears that Jeff was in love with her! :)
As a side note..not too long ago on the news here in OH they were reporting about the tornadoes out west. One small town was destroyed...it was our trashy little town called Pitcher! It was a sad day in history for sure!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Singing in the Nursing Home
I don't remember the first time Travis and I sang together. I know we sang "He's Still Workin' on Me", but I don't remember it actually happening. If I had to guess, I would say I was around 4 or 5. (which would've made him 7 or 8.) We sang together a lot after that. It was something our family really loved doing together. We always sang Psalm 18;3 as a family. It was a joy of mine. But Travis and I sang often in competitions, for church services, camp, etc. We even made a "cassette tape" of ourselves. We had big dreams of selling it so we could make some money for our family vacation (which we tell on the tape is a trip to King's Island!). I think I was around 6 and Travis around 9. I would give a lot to get my hands on that tape again. Travis wrote a song on it. It was entitled "Jesus, He's My Friend". Oh boy, if only you could hear that! The words went a little something like this, "Jesus, He's my Friend. He helps me when I'm sick, or when I'm not feeling good. I love Jesus. He's my Friend." It was a ...song. :)
But one of the most enjoyable moments I have had singing with Travis was at the nursing homes. Our church held services on Sunday afternoons at various nursing homes. A man from the church would go and preach, and we would go with them to sing. (usually if Kim Dye was playing the piano!) I don't remember how old we were to be honest. I'm going to guess 5th grade and 8th grade, but it may have been a little younger than that. We went for several years. But on this glorious day, we were at a certain nursing home, and had just finished singing. We were sitting behind the speaker on a love seat. There is always distractions, as you can imagine, in the nursing home services. We had been instructed by mom and dad that no matter what was happening around us, we were to keep our eyes on the speaker and pay attention. Well, I had noticed that a lady, who I don't know how old she was, but from my young memory had to have been 130 years old, was slowly making her way in her wheel chair over towards Travis and me. We were glancing at each other thru our peripheral vision every once and a while, careful not to smile. I started getting a little nervous. She was getting closer and closer. I let out a little snicker, not sure what exactly she was doing, but she was smiling at us and saying something under her breath. Travis kicked me. I knew I had to gain control of myself or I was going to get us both in trouble. So I kept my eyes on the speaker. But she kept coming..closer, closer, closer...she was directly in front of us. Now remember, we are behind the speaker. So the whole audience can see us as well. She was just looking at us and smiling the biggest, toothless smile you have ever seen. That's when it happened!!!
Travis whispered to me, "lift your feet". I looked down. The lady who had so kindly rolled over to us, had apparently thought us to be the bathroom. I will never forget it as long as I live. I have never seen a little tiny lady have so much..."liquid" in her in my whole life! And now it was directly under our feet. We were not moving. We had our feet a little off the ground so the liquid could flow freely under us, but we did our best to keep our eyes on the speaker. (altho at this point, I wasn't doing so well!) When she had finished, she said, "Thank you", and slowly rolled away! Now we were stuck. I was thinking, "What in the world are we supposed to do?" We couldn't stand up. My legs were getting very tired and starting to shake from holding them up off the ground. Thankfully, the speaker said, "Let's pray." As soon as he bowed his head Travis said, "Roll off the end". We pulled our feet on to the couch and rolled over the arm of the chair on to safe ground!!!
It's pretty funny now, and to Kim Dye (who got to observe the whole thing from the dry ground of the piano bench) it was always funny! We learned our lesson. We sat in the back from then on. And on the occasions that I get the opportunity to serve the Lord at nursing homes now, I still sit in the back!!!
But one of the most enjoyable moments I have had singing with Travis was at the nursing homes. Our church held services on Sunday afternoons at various nursing homes. A man from the church would go and preach, and we would go with them to sing. (usually if Kim Dye was playing the piano!) I don't remember how old we were to be honest. I'm going to guess 5th grade and 8th grade, but it may have been a little younger than that. We went for several years. But on this glorious day, we were at a certain nursing home, and had just finished singing. We were sitting behind the speaker on a love seat. There is always distractions, as you can imagine, in the nursing home services. We had been instructed by mom and dad that no matter what was happening around us, we were to keep our eyes on the speaker and pay attention. Well, I had noticed that a lady, who I don't know how old she was, but from my young memory had to have been 130 years old, was slowly making her way in her wheel chair over towards Travis and me. We were glancing at each other thru our peripheral vision every once and a while, careful not to smile. I started getting a little nervous. She was getting closer and closer. I let out a little snicker, not sure what exactly she was doing, but she was smiling at us and saying something under her breath. Travis kicked me. I knew I had to gain control of myself or I was going to get us both in trouble. So I kept my eyes on the speaker. But she kept coming..closer, closer, closer...she was directly in front of us. Now remember, we are behind the speaker. So the whole audience can see us as well. She was just looking at us and smiling the biggest, toothless smile you have ever seen. That's when it happened!!!
Travis whispered to me, "lift your feet". I looked down. The lady who had so kindly rolled over to us, had apparently thought us to be the bathroom. I will never forget it as long as I live. I have never seen a little tiny lady have so much..."liquid" in her in my whole life! And now it was directly under our feet. We were not moving. We had our feet a little off the ground so the liquid could flow freely under us, but we did our best to keep our eyes on the speaker. (altho at this point, I wasn't doing so well!) When she had finished, she said, "Thank you", and slowly rolled away! Now we were stuck. I was thinking, "What in the world are we supposed to do?" We couldn't stand up. My legs were getting very tired and starting to shake from holding them up off the ground. Thankfully, the speaker said, "Let's pray." As soon as he bowed his head Travis said, "Roll off the end". We pulled our feet on to the couch and rolled over the arm of the chair on to safe ground!!!
It's pretty funny now, and to Kim Dye (who got to observe the whole thing from the dry ground of the piano bench) it was always funny! We learned our lesson. We sat in the back from then on. And on the occasions that I get the opportunity to serve the Lord at nursing homes now, I still sit in the back!!!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Welcome to the Family
About a year ago this week, our cousin Jonathan Hudson married Ally. The wedding was wonderful and beautiful and I was even able to usher my grandmother to her seat. A wonderful ceremony indeed. We then made our way to the reception. There, at a table, sat I and Stacey, Ricky and Rachel, and Randy and Chrystal. Soon the new bride and groom were going table to table thanking each and everyone for attending.
Let me pause...we, because of living in the Cinci area, did not know Ally very well at all and she didn't know us. She just knew we were the part of the family from Cinci.
As they approached, I looked at Chrystal and might have said something like...
"Hey Sis, when Ally gets over here, I will give you $5 to stand up and kiss her on the cheek and give her a huge bear hug lifting her off the ground and then all 'teary' say, 'Welcome to our family, I love you.'"
We all got a laugh and then a short pause to catch our breath. Chrystal then said, "$5 huh?" "Absolutely!" as I laid a Lincoln on the table.
Soon Ally was at our table making her way down the table thanking us for coming. It was then, well, just look at the pic and especially Ally's face.....
Welcome to the family Ally!
Let me pause...we, because of living in the Cinci area, did not know Ally very well at all and she didn't know us. She just knew we were the part of the family from Cinci.
As they approached, I looked at Chrystal and might have said something like...
"Hey Sis, when Ally gets over here, I will give you $5 to stand up and kiss her on the cheek and give her a huge bear hug lifting her off the ground and then all 'teary' say, 'Welcome to our family, I love you.'"
We all got a laugh and then a short pause to catch our breath. Chrystal then said, "$5 huh?" "Absolutely!" as I laid a Lincoln on the table.
Soon Ally was at our table making her way down the table thanking us for coming. It was then, well, just look at the pic and especially Ally's face.....
Welcome to the family Ally!
Friday, August 14, 2009
A Quick Follow Up
Just a quick word to follow up Travis' previous blog on being scarred for life... I too was scarred for life by that attempt at running away...You see, it was at the tender age of 2 when I found myself away from home, scared, lonely and confused that someone picked me up in my tears and set me on a counter and said, "Here, honey, have some food. It will make you feel better..." And now, almost 30 years later..I still find the food to make me feel better. Whoever that person was who started that should be shot!!! Ok, maybe not. But it really makes me feel better to blame it on the one I don't know!
Another quick follow up to that...Travis said he has to keep his children in eye range of him..he needs to add that he still has to keep ME (and Rachel) within eye shot of him. Everyone knows of our Black Friday Adventures (which is only 105 days away, by the way! :). What you don't know is that even in those crowds, Travis must know where I am at all times. The only difference now is that we have cell phones. He has to keep texting me all the time, and if I go too long in between texts answering him, then he will call me. It truly did leave a lasting impression on him when I "ran away". Poor Rachel never got the chance to run away because I'm pretty sure Travis kept her on an actual leash most of her childhood! :) (and she still gets the text today too!)
He didn't always like us growing up, but he knew where we were ALL the time! :)
Another quick follow up to that...Travis said he has to keep his children in eye range of him..he needs to add that he still has to keep ME (and Rachel) within eye shot of him. Everyone knows of our Black Friday Adventures (which is only 105 days away, by the way! :). What you don't know is that even in those crowds, Travis must know where I am at all times. The only difference now is that we have cell phones. He has to keep texting me all the time, and if I go too long in between texts answering him, then he will call me. It truly did leave a lasting impression on him when I "ran away". Poor Rachel never got the chance to run away because I'm pretty sure Travis kept her on an actual leash most of her childhood! :) (and she still gets the text today too!)
He didn't always like us growing up, but he knew where we were ALL the time! :)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Scarred For Life
I am a good speller, problem is, I think too much. I never was successful at Spelling Bees or scored that well on spelling test; not because I could not spell, but that I always double guess myself and over analyze. Thus, I am so thankful for spell checks on these blogs. It also didn't help that while growing up your mom was the Queen of all English teachers.
Anyways, I said all that to say that as I wrote the title for this post, I had to look up the word "scarred" to make sure it was correct. I was right, but talked myself into the idea that maybe it was "scared." I looked both words up, and the funny thing is-both would be perfect. So, I write under the titles:
or
The year was 1979. I was four years old and my little sister, Chrystal, was not quite two. My father was pastoring a small church in Dayton, Ohio, and we lived at the parsonage on the church property. I remember it all so plainly.
It was early afternoon and my mother came down the stairs. She said, "Wayne, I will be back in a couple of hours, Chrystal is asleep upstairs. Keep an eye on her." Dad agreed with a grunt and I remember hearing the large aluminum screen door slam shut and rattle due to a lack of a working spring.
My dad and I were lying on the couch watching my favorite cartoon-Casper the Friendly Ghost. Dad then said, "Travis, listen for your sister."
Those were the last words I remember. Dad went to sleep and I soon followed. The next thing I heard was my mother's voice.
"Wayne, wake up. Where's Chrystal?"
Where's Chrystal!?
Dad sat up, "She is still in the bed," dad replied. "No she isn't!" Replied a very anxious mother. By this time, I didn't understand fully what was going on, but I felt the fear in the room and began to cry. Dad ran upstairs, mom started calling out her name through the house, and I cried. Dad ran down the stairs shouting her name, mom ran out the door shouting her name, and I cried.
Then it happened. Dad and mom both met back in the living room, frantically yelling out Chrystal's name, and it was then Dad looked at me and said,
My fault? How could I do this? How could I have allowed my little baby sister to disappear or get taken? How could I have failed in my duties so bad? How could I be such a failure? Wait a minute, I was FOUR!!
Dad then ran out the door, mom got on the phone, and I cried harder. It seemed like days, but it was really only about 30 minutes and dad came in with Chrystal. (At least he told me it was Chrystal. Yes, she was blonde and about two, but lets just say that there aren't too many baby pictures of Chrystal available for our viewing to this day. I am not accusing...I'm just saying it might explain a lot.)
Anyways, Chrystal was back home, safe and sound and I was off the hook for failing my post as a FOUR YEAR OLD!
Where was she? Well, it seemed that dad was running up and down the streets (funny thought there isn't it?), when an old man on his porch in a near by house said, "Hey, you looking for a little blonde girl?" "Yes, you seen one" dad asked. "Yup," he replied, "she is at that pizza place on the corner three blocks away." Dad went in the pizza place and there, sitting on the bar eating pretzles and pizza was my sister. They had called the police, but they had not arrived yet. Everyone was back where they should be.
Could you imagine if that happened today? Children's service would have taken my sister and I on the spot!
So, here we are 30 years later (Happy anniversary on your FIRST attempt at running away Chrystal). To this day, I greatly fear my children wondering away from me. When we are at a store, my children must be in sight at arm's length at all times. When we are at home, the kids may play outside, but only if I or Stacey are watching them. I can't tell you how many times TODAY I asked Stacey, "Where is Alex? Where is Grace? Where is Hope?"
Why am I this way? Because my sister escaped while I was on assigned patrol, I was a failure and felt the blame for it all-and from it all am Scarred/Scared for Life.
Anyways, I said all that to say that as I wrote the title for this post, I had to look up the word "scarred" to make sure it was correct. I was right, but talked myself into the idea that maybe it was "scared." I looked both words up, and the funny thing is-both would be perfect. So, I write under the titles:
Scarred For Life
or
Scared for Life
The year was 1979. I was four years old and my little sister, Chrystal, was not quite two. My father was pastoring a small church in Dayton, Ohio, and we lived at the parsonage on the church property. I remember it all so plainly.
It was early afternoon and my mother came down the stairs. She said, "Wayne, I will be back in a couple of hours, Chrystal is asleep upstairs. Keep an eye on her." Dad agreed with a grunt and I remember hearing the large aluminum screen door slam shut and rattle due to a lack of a working spring.
My dad and I were lying on the couch watching my favorite cartoon-Casper the Friendly Ghost. Dad then said, "Travis, listen for your sister."
Those were the last words I remember. Dad went to sleep and I soon followed. The next thing I heard was my mother's voice.
"Wayne, wake up. Where's Chrystal?"
Where's Chrystal!?
Dad sat up, "She is still in the bed," dad replied. "No she isn't!" Replied a very anxious mother. By this time, I didn't understand fully what was going on, but I felt the fear in the room and began to cry. Dad ran upstairs, mom started calling out her name through the house, and I cried. Dad ran down the stairs shouting her name, mom ran out the door shouting her name, and I cried.
Then it happened. Dad and mom both met back in the living room, frantically yelling out Chrystal's name, and it was then Dad looked at me and said,
It's Your fault, I told you to watch her."
My fault? How could I do this? How could I have allowed my little baby sister to disappear or get taken? How could I have failed in my duties so bad? How could I be such a failure? Wait a minute, I was FOUR!!
Dad then ran out the door, mom got on the phone, and I cried harder. It seemed like days, but it was really only about 30 minutes and dad came in with Chrystal. (At least he told me it was Chrystal. Yes, she was blonde and about two, but lets just say that there aren't too many baby pictures of Chrystal available for our viewing to this day. I am not accusing...I'm just saying it might explain a lot.)
Anyways, Chrystal was back home, safe and sound and I was off the hook for failing my post as a FOUR YEAR OLD!
Where was she? Well, it seemed that dad was running up and down the streets (funny thought there isn't it?), when an old man on his porch in a near by house said, "Hey, you looking for a little blonde girl?" "Yes, you seen one" dad asked. "Yup," he replied, "she is at that pizza place on the corner three blocks away." Dad went in the pizza place and there, sitting on the bar eating pretzles and pizza was my sister. They had called the police, but they had not arrived yet. Everyone was back where they should be.
Could you imagine if that happened today? Children's service would have taken my sister and I on the spot!
So, here we are 30 years later (Happy anniversary on your FIRST attempt at running away Chrystal). To this day, I greatly fear my children wondering away from me. When we are at a store, my children must be in sight at arm's length at all times. When we are at home, the kids may play outside, but only if I or Stacey are watching them. I can't tell you how many times TODAY I asked Stacey, "Where is Alex? Where is Grace? Where is Hope?"
Why am I this way? Because my sister escaped while I was on assigned patrol, I was a failure and felt the blame for it all-and from it all am Scarred/Scared for Life.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Starting at the Beginning...
I have been thinking a long time about what my first official "memory" should be on here. I started thinking about what my first "memory" is of Travis and Rachel. To be honest, I don't remember my first memory of Travis. He is 2 years and 353 days older than me. (I never used to like him being older than I was, so I liked to remind him he wasn't quite 3 years older than me..altho I am totally OK with him being older than I am now!) Travis has just "always been there". I'm sure he remembers me at a younger age than I have a first memory of him. (He says he can remember looking at his mobile in his crib. Mom verifies the correct mobile, but I'm not sure I'm convinced!)
Rachel...I can remember like yesterday the minute mom told me she was going to have a baby. I was 5. We lived in the house on the parking lot of Moraine Heights at the time. I was in my room playing. Mom came in and said, "Guess what? I have a surprise!" Oh boy!!! Candy? Toy? A new doll? We were going on a trip? Nope! She said, "Mommy is going to have a baby!" Like yesterday I can recall saying back to her, "What are you going to have it for?" I was very confused! She said it was in her belly! I thought that was gross! I can't remember much after that except being very, very worried it was going to be another boy!! Travis was...a boy! I was not ok with another boy.
April 16, 1985 started out as an eventful day from the very beginning. I woke up early, and the house was quiet. I decided to show mom what a big girl I was, so I got myself ready for school. I even brushed my own long, blond hair. I tiptoed quietly down the hall to the little place we kept our school bags etc. I peaked in the living room...who in the world was that??? There was a strange man dressed in a suit asleep on our couch! I ran to mom and dad's room...no one! I ran to Travis' room. By this time I was in a full panic...Shoo! Travis was there. I woke him up. "Travis, someone is sleeping on our couch...and it's not Goldilocks" (ok, so I didn't say that, but it would've been funny!) I did tell him someone was on our couch and mom and dad were gone. Travis ran to the living room with me. He said, "It's Bro. O'Bryant!" He was, and still is, a close, long time family friend..Oh, and our school principal at the time! Bro. O'Bryant heard us by this time. He told us to get ready. Mom and dad had gone to the hospital to have the baby, and we were going to his house for pancakes! Really, I should've heard.."baby", but to be honest- I heard "pancakes"!! YES!!!
I can remember eating pancakes that Mrs. O'Bryant made for us that morning. They were great! The next thing I remember is a knock at our classroom door. Mrs. Eubank, my teacher, called me in to the hallway and told me I had a new baby sister! I was so excited. A sister!!! A real sister!!
It wasn't too long before Rachel Diana Burke came home and joined our little family. (who by this time lived on Maple Hill Dr. in W. Carrollton, Ohio) When mom told me I was getting a new baby in our house, I had no idea the impact this would have on us. Rachel added so much joy, and happiness...and gave me a "doll" to play with for hours on end! I can't wait to share a few of the thousands of memories Rachel and I have made since that day. I might even tell about the time I dropped her on her head! Yep, I'm not kidding..right on her little infant head!
I love you, Rachel!!!! :)
Rachel...I can remember like yesterday the minute mom told me she was going to have a baby. I was 5. We lived in the house on the parking lot of Moraine Heights at the time. I was in my room playing. Mom came in and said, "Guess what? I have a surprise!" Oh boy!!! Candy? Toy? A new doll? We were going on a trip? Nope! She said, "Mommy is going to have a baby!" Like yesterday I can recall saying back to her, "What are you going to have it for?" I was very confused! She said it was in her belly! I thought that was gross! I can't remember much after that except being very, very worried it was going to be another boy!! Travis was...a boy! I was not ok with another boy.
April 16, 1985 started out as an eventful day from the very beginning. I woke up early, and the house was quiet. I decided to show mom what a big girl I was, so I got myself ready for school. I even brushed my own long, blond hair. I tiptoed quietly down the hall to the little place we kept our school bags etc. I peaked in the living room...who in the world was that??? There was a strange man dressed in a suit asleep on our couch! I ran to mom and dad's room...no one! I ran to Travis' room. By this time I was in a full panic...Shoo! Travis was there. I woke him up. "Travis, someone is sleeping on our couch...and it's not Goldilocks" (ok, so I didn't say that, but it would've been funny!) I did tell him someone was on our couch and mom and dad were gone. Travis ran to the living room with me. He said, "It's Bro. O'Bryant!" He was, and still is, a close, long time family friend..Oh, and our school principal at the time! Bro. O'Bryant heard us by this time. He told us to get ready. Mom and dad had gone to the hospital to have the baby, and we were going to his house for pancakes! Really, I should've heard.."baby", but to be honest- I heard "pancakes"!! YES!!!
I can remember eating pancakes that Mrs. O'Bryant made for us that morning. They were great! The next thing I remember is a knock at our classroom door. Mrs. Eubank, my teacher, called me in to the hallway and told me I had a new baby sister! I was so excited. A sister!!! A real sister!!
It wasn't too long before Rachel Diana Burke came home and joined our little family. (who by this time lived on Maple Hill Dr. in W. Carrollton, Ohio) When mom told me I was getting a new baby in our house, I had no idea the impact this would have on us. Rachel added so much joy, and happiness...and gave me a "doll" to play with for hours on end! I can't wait to share a few of the thousands of memories Rachel and I have made since that day. I might even tell about the time I dropped her on her head! Yep, I'm not kidding..right on her little infant head!
I love you, Rachel!!!! :)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Here goes nothin'
Well, I must admit that I am very hesitant to be "blogging." I must have more of my mother in me than I thought because this is all very foreign to me, but none the less I do LOVE sharing memories about my family!
So many memories and fun times, although as I joked with Travis earlier, most if his and Chrystal's memories are of eachother and most of mine are with Joey (my mom's fourth child:her poodle). They were just so much older and closer back in the day, but now that we are grown, married, and have started our own families I can say that there is no one closer to me outside of my husband and son.
One memory I would love to share (and I love to share with anyone who will listen) is the night I got saved. It fits perfectly into this setting because my brother was the one who led me to the Lord. I was (I believe) 13, and we had been gone allll day to Cedar Point with the youth group. We were exhausted! We got home at like 1:30 in the morning. Stacey had stayed all night with her mom because she had kept Alex while we were away and he was still quite young. It was just Travis and I in their house, and they live in the country where it is so dark at night. He had gone to bed, and I was laying on the couch...COULD NOT SLEEP. I was so scared the Lord would come back and I would be left all alone. So I went to his door and knocked. All I heard was a voice that said, "YYEEESSSS???" I knew he was so irritated at me. I have been known to be a bit of a baby..not that I am still, of course. :) But I told him I needed to talk. He sleepily came to the living room and asked what was up. I told him I knew I wasn't saved and I was scared. I had been in church my whole life. I had led people to the Lord myself. I knew what to say and when to say it, but it wasn't real. He told me exactly what I needed to hear. He said that I knew what Christ had done for me...died on the cross and rose FOR ME... but it wasn't until now that I knew I NEEDED His salvation! It was so true. I felt like I had lived how I was supposed to, prayed how I was supposed to, smiled like I was supposed to, but never had meaning behind any of it! That night at his house me sitting on the loveseat, him sitting on the couch I asked the Lord to save me! There is no better momory in this world! After that, of course, we had to play a little N64 Hangtime..my favorite game to this day.
I am so thankful for a brother and sister on whom I can trust! They are some of my closest friends. I know they love the Lord,and I know that makes our relationship so much sweeter!
I hope I can recall some wonderful memories to share, but if this is the only one you read I hope that you too will know for sure that the Lord is your Saviour. There is no greater memory to have!!
So many memories and fun times, although as I joked with Travis earlier, most if his and Chrystal's memories are of eachother and most of mine are with Joey (my mom's fourth child:her poodle). They were just so much older and closer back in the day, but now that we are grown, married, and have started our own families I can say that there is no one closer to me outside of my husband and son.
One memory I would love to share (and I love to share with anyone who will listen) is the night I got saved. It fits perfectly into this setting because my brother was the one who led me to the Lord. I was (I believe) 13, and we had been gone allll day to Cedar Point with the youth group. We were exhausted! We got home at like 1:30 in the morning. Stacey had stayed all night with her mom because she had kept Alex while we were away and he was still quite young. It was just Travis and I in their house, and they live in the country where it is so dark at night. He had gone to bed, and I was laying on the couch...COULD NOT SLEEP. I was so scared the Lord would come back and I would be left all alone. So I went to his door and knocked. All I heard was a voice that said, "YYEEESSSS???" I knew he was so irritated at me. I have been known to be a bit of a baby..not that I am still, of course. :) But I told him I needed to talk. He sleepily came to the living room and asked what was up. I told him I knew I wasn't saved and I was scared. I had been in church my whole life. I had led people to the Lord myself. I knew what to say and when to say it, but it wasn't real. He told me exactly what I needed to hear. He said that I knew what Christ had done for me...died on the cross and rose FOR ME... but it wasn't until now that I knew I NEEDED His salvation! It was so true. I felt like I had lived how I was supposed to, prayed how I was supposed to, smiled like I was supposed to, but never had meaning behind any of it! That night at his house me sitting on the loveseat, him sitting on the couch I asked the Lord to save me! There is no better momory in this world! After that, of course, we had to play a little N64 Hangtime..my favorite game to this day.
I am so thankful for a brother and sister on whom I can trust! They are some of my closest friends. I know they love the Lord,and I know that makes our relationship so much sweeter!
I hope I can recall some wonderful memories to share, but if this is the only one you read I hope that you too will know for sure that the Lord is your Saviour. There is no greater memory to have!!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
So Excited!!
I am so thrilled to be a part of this blog. When Travis asked me if I would be interested in "blogging" some of our past and memories on this blog, I was so excited. Let me begin by saying that I am NOT a writer. I was not given that talent like Travis and Rachel were given it, but I do like to talk! (big surprise to all you who know me, I'm sure!) So, I have just decided that I am going to sit down here when I feel impressed to do so...and "talk" to you. For those of you who go to CBT, or have heard my brother preach on many occasions at all, know that he tends to share much of our childhood memories from the pulpit. One of the reasons this blog makes me so happy is because it gives me a chance to "share" my side of these stories. You may read a blog that you have heard from the pulpit before, but hopefully this time you will get to see it from a different side.
Before I begin "blogging", I wanted to thank the Lord for my brother and sister. I cannot say that we have always been close. As a matter of fact, I can honestly say that there were times growing up (as I'm sure you will read from all of us in the future) that we did not like each other at all!! But we have always LOVED each other. We didn't act like it all the time, but we did. As we have gotten older, we have all grown closer. Today, I consider my siblings, my best friends. (along with my husband, of course) There is nothing on earth I love doing more outside of serving the Lord, than spending time playing games, and fellowshipping with Travis and Rachel. When our other duties cause us to spend time away from this, I get weary. I find myself longing to spend time with them. We all talk at least 2 or 3 times a week, and we are OK with telling each other that we love each other, and that we pray for one another. When I am going thru a trial or hard time, I always call them and ask them to pray for me. I have complete confidence that they are doing just that. I could go on and on, but my point is that I am so grateful for Travis and Rachel. Not only did the Lord choose to give me an amazing set of Godly parents who raised me in the way of the Lord, but He blessed me with wonderful siblings who love Him. I can play with them all day, but I can pray with them all day too. That's what I call awesome!!!
I can't wait to start sharing memories and laughs with you all on here. Don't expect perfect spelling or grammar (sorry, mom), but I hope you can expect a good laugh or a small blessing!
Before I begin "blogging", I wanted to thank the Lord for my brother and sister. I cannot say that we have always been close. As a matter of fact, I can honestly say that there were times growing up (as I'm sure you will read from all of us in the future) that we did not like each other at all!! But we have always LOVED each other. We didn't act like it all the time, but we did. As we have gotten older, we have all grown closer. Today, I consider my siblings, my best friends. (along with my husband, of course) There is nothing on earth I love doing more outside of serving the Lord, than spending time playing games, and fellowshipping with Travis and Rachel. When our other duties cause us to spend time away from this, I get weary. I find myself longing to spend time with them. We all talk at least 2 or 3 times a week, and we are OK with telling each other that we love each other, and that we pray for one another. When I am going thru a trial or hard time, I always call them and ask them to pray for me. I have complete confidence that they are doing just that. I could go on and on, but my point is that I am so grateful for Travis and Rachel. Not only did the Lord choose to give me an amazing set of Godly parents who raised me in the way of the Lord, but He blessed me with wonderful siblings who love Him. I can play with them all day, but I can pray with them all day too. That's what I call awesome!!!
I can't wait to start sharing memories and laughs with you all on here. Don't expect perfect spelling or grammar (sorry, mom), but I hope you can expect a good laugh or a small blessing!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Memories
Proverbs 10:7 reads, "The memory of the just is blessed:"
As time allows, my sisters and I will be posting memories we have while growing up together. Mainly, it is a way for us to share and remember the many great things that have happened in our lives, and perhaps someone else can be encouraged or just get a laugh from them as well. Thus, we introduce " King".
What is "King?" Good question!
As I once posted on my other blog, my dad has always been into Sci-fi. The Twighlight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, Buck Rogers, and Star Trek were part of a steady diet for me while growing up. I was especially intrigued in the "Space" shows. Be it Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Lost in Space, or Star Wars-they greatly intrigued me. Because of them, my imagination took off in these areas. So much, that as a senior in High School I wrote a weekly article in our school paper called "The Adventures of King."
'King' was a space pilot that flew a fighter and saved the United Federation of planets over and over. They called him "King" because he never lost a dog fight. He was the 'King of Space.' His full name was Scott A. Shott. The 'A.' stood for Alexander named after the great ancient world conqueror Alexander the Great....and thus you have my first son's name.
Shott's main nemisis was Red Ed. His actual name was Edward Redford, born at a station on the planet Mars. Red Ed flew a, you guessed it, Red Fighter. He was always the best until Scott A. Shott came on the scene.
Whatever happened to Scott Shott? Well, in high school, he ended up finally defeating Red Ed and securing the freedoms of the United Federation. But, in actuality, the story continues. I have continued imagining and writing the adventures of King off and on since then. It has become a way to allow me to drift off to sleep at nights as it gets my mind off of the day's events.
Scott A. Shott eventually sacrifices his life to stop an great enemy. His co-pilot, Jonathan James, then takes the title King for a short while until Shott's Son, Seth, is capable of assuming that role. Seth has many adventures and even sees the annihilation of the United Federation. Seth is betrayed by the Federation and flies solo in a 'Robin Hood' type style for many years. It would be his son, Luke Shott, that would take the pieces of the what was Federation and unite a force to combat an evil empire. The new, Legion of Planets, with Luke's mighty Centurion (100 of the finest fighter pilots ever assembled) would rid the universe of its great foe and leave with it peace.
Luke, tired of the family 'curse' of fighting and destruction, would leave the Legion of Planets in good hands and remove himself from the scene. Luke and his wife would have a secluded home in a distant planet and have a son whom Luke would train to be an even greater pilot than any before.
That is when the unthinkable happens and a message is received in a very ominous way...Thus continues the adventures of King!
As time allows, my sisters and I will be posting memories we have while growing up together. Mainly, it is a way for us to share and remember the many great things that have happened in our lives, and perhaps someone else can be encouraged or just get a laugh from them as well. Thus, we introduce " King".
What is "King?" Good question!
As I once posted on my other blog, my dad has always been into Sci-fi. The Twighlight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, Buck Rogers, and Star Trek were part of a steady diet for me while growing up. I was especially intrigued in the "Space" shows. Be it Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Lost in Space, or Star Wars-they greatly intrigued me. Because of them, my imagination took off in these areas. So much, that as a senior in High School I wrote a weekly article in our school paper called "The Adventures of King."
'King' was a space pilot that flew a fighter and saved the United Federation of planets over and over. They called him "King" because he never lost a dog fight. He was the 'King of Space.' His full name was Scott A. Shott. The 'A.' stood for Alexander named after the great ancient world conqueror Alexander the Great....and thus you have my first son's name.
Shott's main nemisis was Red Ed. His actual name was Edward Redford, born at a station on the planet Mars. Red Ed flew a, you guessed it, Red Fighter. He was always the best until Scott A. Shott came on the scene.
Whatever happened to Scott Shott? Well, in high school, he ended up finally defeating Red Ed and securing the freedoms of the United Federation. But, in actuality, the story continues. I have continued imagining and writing the adventures of King off and on since then. It has become a way to allow me to drift off to sleep at nights as it gets my mind off of the day's events.
Scott A. Shott eventually sacrifices his life to stop an great enemy. His co-pilot, Jonathan James, then takes the title King for a short while until Shott's Son, Seth, is capable of assuming that role. Seth has many adventures and even sees the annihilation of the United Federation. Seth is betrayed by the Federation and flies solo in a 'Robin Hood' type style for many years. It would be his son, Luke Shott, that would take the pieces of the what was Federation and unite a force to combat an evil empire. The new, Legion of Planets, with Luke's mighty Centurion (100 of the finest fighter pilots ever assembled) would rid the universe of its great foe and leave with it peace.
Luke, tired of the family 'curse' of fighting and destruction, would leave the Legion of Planets in good hands and remove himself from the scene. Luke and his wife would have a secluded home in a distant planet and have a son whom Luke would train to be an even greater pilot than any before.
That is when the unthinkable happens and a message is received in a very ominous way...Thus continues the adventures of King!
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