I am always very sentimental this time of year. Perhaps it is the observance of Memorial Day but for whatever reason I find myself looking back at the people that God has placed in my life and thanking Him for them.

 

Gloria Bishop:
I will always treasure the way you have stood firm in your beliefs. You have taught me, admonished me, even rebuked me without apology for those things that God burdened you to share. Yet in my weakest moments you did not back away but stood close to hold me (even from as far away as Ohio) and to calm my grieving spirit with your words of encouragement.

 

Danielle Davitt:
I admire how grounded you are. You were always careful to take care of yourself and you have developed into a beautiful mother and (soon-to-be) wife. You accepted me for who I am and welcomed me with open arms at a very vulnerable time in my life. For this you will always have my love!

 

April Wines:
I want you to know how much I value your intellect. You have an uncanny wit about you that has always been refreshing to me. I love the unique way you can relate to my quirky Asian artisan side. You never miss a beat... when I vent you listen, you are non-judgemental and loving in your willingness to offer your ear to soothe my rantings.

 

Donna Cary:
You have been there through the fire with me. You know what it is to choke back your pride and humbly endure for the sake of the prize. You have given me courage to make the hard choices for my career and when all else failed you laughed (and cried) with me about how awful the whole journey has been!

 

Kate Blandford:

You have been there for me time after time!  You know me better than anyone... the best and the worst of my very emotional life!  I am so thankful for your sweet spirit and your example to me as a Godly mother and wife.

 

Katie Barth:
I am amazed by you. You have a perfect blend of compassion, confidence, and unwavering integrity. This is what makes you the wonderful nurse that you are! I cannot help but admire you as a mentor and love you as a friend. I am ever grateful to God for the common ground that we have found.

 

I have been blessed!

The good news: Well, we heard back from the realtor today!  Surprisingly we were able to negotiate a contract for the house quite easily.  Our only concern now is to get our house sold!  We are thrilled, of course, and are looking forward to moving!  We continue to trust God to provide the right buyer for our house on Sunrise and patiently wait for His supplying! 

 

The bad news:  Chris called his nurse (me of course) today to get some advice about his left thumb which he had shut in the fire engine door during a training drill.  I sent him to the urgent care unit and X-ray confirmed that he has a lengthwise fracture of the distal bone in his thumb.  He was sent home from work and will be out on workman's comp. until the Doctor clears him.  We do not know how long that could be.  Once again, all we can do is trust God to provide for us. 

 

I've added a picture of the house on Mayfair.. as you can imagine Charles is excited to try his hand at climbing that tree in the front yard!

I decided this year that the children need a deeper understanding of what American Veterans mean to us as individual citizens.  So I took the opportunity this Memorial Day to expose them to some traditions and explain the meaning of them to help foster a deeper devotion to our country and her Veterans.  We chose some lovely flowers for Aunt Susan's grave and after arranging them we walked across the grounds to where the Honor Guard stood waiting.  I pointed out the various flags to my kids, naming our own loved ones who have represented those colors.  We stayed for the short ceremony of raising the flag and placing the wreath.  We then drove across town to see the Veterans Cemetery where Great Grandpa Askew is buried.  I was pleased by the impact on my children of so many white headstones each graced with our flag.  I reminded them of the verse John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  I heard a collective pause as each child began to understand a little more what our freedom has cost and why we reciprocate by honoring our veterans for their sacrifice.  

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't written an update in a while so here's a quickie...

 

The semester ended well for me.  I ended up with one A and one C from my classes at SBU.  I was so exhausted with final projects and finals that I was just glad to have one more semester over with.  I had my orientation for the LPN bridge class this summer (July 5th-17th) it is going to be pretty intensive but I think I will enjoy it if I can just get all the busy work done.  They are not cutting me much slack as far as training goes... I have to redo several training modules that I have already done for my job at St. John's but I guess the payoff is that they are easy since I use those skills on a daily basis.  I've managed to pick up a few extra hours here and there which is helping since I have to pay my school bill in 2 months instead of 4. 

 

The kids are enjoying being out of school... I think.  The boredom has not totally taken over yet but we are pushing it!  I've tried to keep them busy outside since the weather has been beautiful and not sweltering hot yet!  We are looking into a boyscout/family camping trip as well as a "day-at-camp" with girlscouts for Chas and Abby respectively.  Church camp is still a possibility if we can come up with the finances.  This year we will be sending both older kids (about $300).  I've tried to keep Spencer happy with a visit to Morgan's house... it's always nice to have a play date! 

 

Chris has been doing odd and end spruce ups around the house still.  The house just keeps looking better and better.  Praise God we finally completed the roof replacement with a lot of help from Paul, Kate, Justin, Bill, and Derek! (no thanks to me... I got up there once and panicked... it took all my courage and my firefighter's strong arms to get me down from there)   We were especially pleased to tell the realtor that Chris had repaired the siding with some trim and new paint. (Thanks for the idea Strode!)  We had a couple come by and look at the house and they are (supposedly) very interested.  Our realtor is going to bug their realtor to see if they intend to make an offer.  Their number one concern was the siding repairs so it was perfect timing to have her tell them that they had just been completed.  We are still dabbling with our own house search but we haven't really got too serious on anything since our house has not sold yet. 

 

It was a real blessing to be able to attend the BBFI fellowship week and accept an award on my parents behalf for their life of service as missionaries.  It was nice to hear the bio read aloud about the work they have dedicated themselves to for so many years.  We are certainly having withdraws with them being back in Taiwan for a short visit.  We'll be looking forward to having them back on May 31st.  Keep them in your prayers for safety and stamina. 

 

That's it for now... enjoy the new pics!