tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316047822024-03-14T11:50:17.689-04:00The Huston FamilyOur journey of learning to "kiss the waves that throw us against the Rock of Ages.” ~Charles SpurgeonReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.comBlogger1615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-41652548431114244502016-10-23T21:19:00.000-04:002016-10-23T21:19:18.827-04:00Huston Farmhouse: half bath<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another makeover at the farmhouse....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's what the downstairs half bath looked like when we first looked at the house before we bought it. The walls were a light (dirty) yellow. The bones were good, but it greatly needed some TLC. The faucet was beginning to corrode and the mirror was white with yellow stain marks on it. The towel rack and toilet paper roll holder were in odd places. The light and outlet covers were rusty, too. Here are some before and afters... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The only thing we spent money on was a new rug, towel rack, faucet, toilet paper roll holder and toilet handle and a quart of paint ("Muted Sage" by Behr). The oil rubbed bronze light fixture I wanted was $65, so instead I got a $6 can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint and sprayed the existing light fixture to match the other new fixtures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also repurposed the mirror. I decided to mod podge it using lettered scrap paper that I had. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some other before and afters...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was really excited to finally use these three pictures that my cousin, Chris, took. After our Poppop passed away, Chris took some black and white photos of our grandparent's house. I have some very fond memories of growing up around this house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are the three pics up close:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm pleased with how everything came together in this little bathroom!</span></div>
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<br />Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-23081077536073784532016-09-05T17:37:00.001-04:002016-09-05T17:37:26.607-04:00Huston Farmhouse: Homeschool Room<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are super excited and feel incredibly blessed to call this place our home now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are loving being able to go back to our country-living roots that we both grew up with. It was a long and complicated journey to get here (more on that another day), but we're here now and have been very busy transforming this old 1900 farmhouse into our home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since we are starting school tomorrow, one of the first rooms we transformed was our homeschool room. The previous owners had it painted yellow and dark red. We painted all the trim white and the walls light green. Here are some before/afters... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(I'll post the BEFORE first and the AFTER pic of the same wall right below it.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And just a couple more of the kids' reading corner...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These are shelves made from desk drawers. It was an old desk we were getting rid of years ago, and I painted them and turned them into shelves. They were the prefect (free!) addition to this reading corner.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope to post more pictures as I get the chance. We don't have internet at our house yet (that's another long, stressful story) so I can't post very often. So, more to come when I can! </span> </div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-56626184979438901172015-10-04T16:35:00.000-04:002015-10-04T16:35:27.830-04:00They Were Hard-Working and Talented<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About a year and a half ago, Callan and Kinsley read a book called <i>They Were Strong and Good</i> by Robert Lawson as part of their homeschool. Mr. Lawson's book told the story of his parents and grandparents and how they were ordinary people who were "strong and good" and who made the United States of America a better place to live because of their contributions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So in turn, we decided to write a book about our grandparents and great grandparents, modeling it after Robert Lawson's book. We called our book <i>They Were Hard-Working and Talented</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Callan wrote interview questions for his mom, dad, grandparents and great grandparents. Then Callan and Kinsley interviewed everyone while we videotaped their interviews. Just this past September we got around to watching all the videos. When the person on the video said something that C & K wanted to include in their book, I would pause the video and type what they wanted to say. They wrote the headings for each page and cut out the typed words and pasted the book together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enjoy reading it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We made our title page just like his. He put a cluster of objects in the middle of the page. Each object represents a person in his book. So we did the same. Each of the objects on our title page represent a person in our book, too: birdhouse, drum, microphone, sewing machine, loaf of bread, motorcycle, bank, dodo bird, farmer, baseball bat & ball. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We used the same wording for our Foreword as Robert Lawson did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Their Author's Page...</span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-73087893008882150852015-09-04T19:44:00.001-04:002015-09-04T19:44:40.625-04:00Iceland posts...all in one place<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In case you missed them, here are links to all our Iceland posts:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZhYUysxUZcuBJpg6WnNU9ypiwvVfRfHqrtwyx3UYHXSW2v0pAI5vEjPS7GaqX3gkZmb911JOhhtc8NtffyDng53LJ3JmFSiZH60Rcpc_wgiFaXJ3G57dnesPrwc0K0sD8m7tog/s1600/DSC_0710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZhYUysxUZcuBJpg6WnNU9ypiwvVfRfHqrtwyx3UYHXSW2v0pAI5vEjPS7GaqX3gkZmb911JOhhtc8NtffyDng53LJ3JmFSiZH60Rcpc_wgiFaXJ3G57dnesPrwc0K0sD8m7tog/s640/DSC_0710.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#1: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/iceland-bound.html">Iceland-bound</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#2: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/reykjavik-iceland.html">Reykjavik, Iceland</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#3: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/how-we-filled-our-bellies-in-iceland.html">How we filled our bellies in Iceland</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#4: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/touring-reykjavik-and-whale-museum.html">Touring Reykjavik and the Whale Museum</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#5: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-golden-circle-tour-part-1.html">The Golden Circle Tour (part 1)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#6: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-golden-circle-tour-part-2.html">The Golden Circle Tour (part 2)</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#7: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/08/south-shore-tour-part-1.html">South Shore Tour (part 1)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#8: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/09/south-shore-tour-part-2.html">South Shore Tour (part 2)</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#9: <a href="http://peanutbutterandjell-e.blogspot.com/2015/09/icelandthe-perfect-ending.html">Iceland...the Perfect Ending</a></span> </div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-22801345563590156442015-09-04T19:27:00.000-04:002015-09-04T19:27:12.475-04:00Iceland...the Perfect Ending<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our last full day in Iceland began great. We had tickets to the Blue Lagoon, which we purposefully booked on our last day so that we could relax in this water paradise. Here are a few photos of our time there...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The little "building" in the picture below is the swim-up bar. So relaxing to grab a glass of wine and float around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Can you see the girl in the middle of the below picture? She is wearing a one-piece and standing beside the ramp in the water? She is putting a mud mask on her face (you can see a few people sitting on the edge with it on, too). There is just a bucket of the stuff floating out in the water and people line up to slop it all over their bodies. It was free, and it makes your skin feel great.... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Woot! Woot! Pale, old men without shirts alert!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you can see from the landscape below, this lagoon was in the middle of no where. A diamond in the rough.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After we returned from the Blue Lagoon, it was after lunchtime. With only a few more hours until our last full day in Iceland would end, our best adventure of the week was just beginning...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you know anything about Gene, you know that he loves learning about extinct animals. One of the extinct animals that Gene has done research on is the Great Auk. It went extinct on Eldey Island in 1844. All week in Iceland, Gene had done research about Eldey Island, which he found out could be seen from the tip of Iceland. He found out that there was a statue of a Great Auk located at the edge of Iceland on a cliff, which overlooked Eldey Island. The directions were vague on how to locate this statue, but Gene was determined. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Without a car, we weren't sure how to find our way to this particular tip of Iceland. No tours went to this location, so we weren't sure how to get ourselves there. Then on a whim (of course, right? ALL of my adventures with my husband are usually carried out on a whim.) with only a few more hours of daylight left, we went downtown and rented a car. Gene was determined to find the statue and see Eldey Island for himself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We drove about an hour to the middle of no where. We saw two cars pulled over at a small billboard on the side of the road. Gene thought this might be the spot, so we pulled over too and began walking several miles over a lava field towards the shoreline.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's Eldey Island (that small black dot in the middle of the ocean below)!!! We got a glimpse of it, but we were not in the right spot. This wasn't where the statue was. So.....back over the lava field a few miles to get to the car. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I love my husband. A lot of walking on a lot of lava rocks for a lot of miles. But it was worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So close, but yet so far....</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gene was walking ahead of me, so he reached the cliff before me. He told me that this was not the right spot and that we should just turn around and head back to the car. I said that I had to at least walk the few more feet to the edge so I could see the water! I had walked several miles so far, what was a few more feet? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And...OH MY WORD! WHAT A VIEW!!!! I'm glad I didn't let me husband turn me around too fast. This was amazing. Just look at the water! A teal-ish color with the gray rocks...just heart-stopping.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So back into our little Hyundai we went...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shortly down the road, Gene thought he saw a road that looked familiar from his online search. So we turned off and parked beside a hot spring. We were seriously just driving around Iceland blindly looking (and praying....praying HARD) for a random statue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everything in Iceland is just breathtaking! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then, on the other side of the hot spring, we saw a lighthouse. This. Was. It. The moment we had searched for. The statue was supposed to be by this lighthouse. This little lighthouse with the Lighthouse keeper's home located at the base of the mountain.....there are no words.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then we almost missed it. Missed our chance to see the statue, that is. We saw these signs at the bottom of the road that led passed the lighthouse, and we weren't sure what they said, but with all the exclamation marks, we thought maybe it was a warning to STAY OUT! Gene was like, "Maybe we should turn around." And I was like, "Are you kidding me?! We are THIS CLOSE to your dream. I'll take a chance of the lighthouse keeper shooting me off his property. We're walking down this road!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Side note: We found out it was totally legal to go down the road. There were more people who came behind us and several who drove through in cars. We think the signs say something to the effect of "Warning! Bird Nesting Grounds!" because there was a HUGE flock of birds that swooped down on us as we bolted through their breeding ground.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And over the hill.....we saw it. IT!!!! I was so pumped up by now. I had been brought into this crazy adventure and now this was MY dream, too. I told Gene that we had to run. He looked at me like I was crazy, but I started running towards the statue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here comes the awkward part...but we couldn't have cared less. There was one dark van parked a few feet behind the statue. The only other car/person/living thing around the area (of course, right?!). But we didn't care who was staring at us out their creepy van windows. We were going to do inappropriate things to this statue and we didn't care who watched! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Oh, Eldey Island. We miss you..."</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Awww. Our little family. I love how it looks like the Great Auk is kissing Gene's head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We drove home after our little Great Auk photo shoot with smiles on our faces and memories of the most wonderful adventure. What a perfect ending to our week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Goodbye, Iceland! We already miss you.</span></b></span> </div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-82081302128034646352015-09-02T16:33:00.003-04:002015-09-02T16:33:48.686-04:00South Shore Tour, Part 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moving along with more of the South Shore Tour...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Right next door to the </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Skógafoss waterfall was the</span>
Skógar Folk Museum. Here are some pictures from this quaint section of paradise...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> An old schoolhouse that was relocated to the Folk Museum...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In case you don't know where Iceland is (Mom...).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is the outside of the school house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the Folk Museum we went to Vik and a black sand beach with bird cliffs inhabited with hundreds of puffins!</span></span></div>
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The little black dots in the air are the puffins in flight. So amazing!<br />
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A whole bunch flew at once and Gene was screaming, "Take a picture of that! Take a picture!!" <br />
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There was a commercial or movie being shot on the beach this day! It was pretty cool to see the cameras run along the shore line while the actress (dressed all in white) ran on the black sand.<br />
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This photo definitely looked better when I rehearsed it in my head. <br />
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And this was our last stop on our long South Shore Tour...a glacier. Gene was extremely upset that we couldn't actually go walk on the glacier (you had to sign-up for that with a special glacier tour guide for safety reasons). But it was crazy cool to see it this up close, even if it did appear a bit "dirty" (the Alaskan group on our bus didn't even get off the bus to see the glaciers because they said they were too dirty and that they see much prettier ones all the time where they live).<br />
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This is what Gene was waiting all day to see, so I made him "jump for joy!" Best photo ever. <br />
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And before we got back on the bus, a few of us drank some glacier water right from the ground. So good. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> COMING UP: Our best Icelandic adventure yet...</span></span></div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-18161441943125959072015-08-25T15:20:00.000-04:002015-08-25T15:27:13.428-04:00South Shore Tour, Part 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Golden Circle Tour (GCT) is the most popular tour in Iceland, but I would have gladly traded in my Golden Circle Ticket for a second day on the South Shore Tour. Even Charlie would have gladly traded in his Golden Ticket if he knew what awaited him on the South Shore. (name that movie!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One day on the south shore tour was not nearly long enough. We've been to Niagara Falls and Yellowstone National Park, so we've seen huge waterfalls and large geysers erupt before (like you see on the GCT). But nothing could have prepared me for the incredible beauty and wonder that we saw on our South Shore Tour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guys. Seriously. I cried. CRIED!! Cried while staring in awe of the beauty of the south shore of Iceland. MUST SEE. Put it on your bucket list. I waited patiently while touring on the Golden Circle bus. I wanted to turn a corner and see a huge waterfall in someone's backyard. I heard it could happen. I wanted to see it. But I was let down. The GCT was good, but not what I was expecting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then we climbed aboard the bus for the South Shore Tour. A few hours into our travels, it happened. We turned a corner and there it was. A waterfall in someone's back yard. Seriously. A waterfall and white sheep that speckled the luscious green fields that surrounded the little farms. I could have stayed there and not returned to my smoggy D.C. suburb. Ever! Just ship my children to me via UPS and we're good. I'll just pop my tent up right here. Thank you. (excuse the glare on the photo....I took it out the bus window)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The South Shore Tour takes you along the south coast of Iceland, one of the country´s
most scenic regions, as far as Vík, a charming village surrounded by
high beautiful bird cliffs. Along the way we stopped at the
gorgeous Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which you can walk behind and through
to the other side. We also stopped at the majestic and much-photographed
Skógafoss waterfall, with its impressive 196 ft. drop. We visited
Skógar Folk Museum and got a taste of how Icelanders lived in past
centuries. All this took place while looking at glaciers, black sand coastline and impressive rock formations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So without further ado, the South Shore...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Seljalandsfoss waterfall...here we come!!</span></div>
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Under the waterfall!! <br />
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Smaller waterfall right beside the larger one...<br />
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If you turned around and had the waterfall to your back, this little cottage was just a few hundred feet away. <br />
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And then we got back on the bus and turned a few more corners and spotted this little piece of heaven on earth... <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This farm that the bus stopped at became famous because the first picture of one of the more recent volcano eruptions occurred here (from 2010). The people living at the farm took the picture, which became a photo that was in high demand from the media. Check out the blown-up version of the photo (second pic below) that is on a plague at the entrance to this farm. The farm was <i>barely</i> unharmed by the lava that flowed right beside it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A (not-so-great) picture from out my window again, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture this little house/cave covered in grass! The sheep and the horses....oh my word. Just too precious for words, my friends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next stop...Skógafoss waterfall (196 feet drop). This was the tear-jerker. Our tour guide only stopped here for 20 minutes. TWENTY MINUTES!!! That was barely enough time for us to bolt (literally) up the million steps to the top of the waterfall, cry some tears, snap some pics, and bolt back down to the bus. You can camp at the bottom of this waterfall, too. If only. If only. Next time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">See the small trail up the mountain to the right? Those are tiny stairs that we climbed in 10 minutes. No. Joke. I kept muttering, "Shawn T would be proud of me. Shawn T would be proud."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">See all the white dots? Those are sheep whose view each day is the mouth-dropping waterfall. Those lucky lambs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To the right of the waterfall...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">See the hint of a rainbow? That was God telling me there's more of this to come in heaven some day. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">COMING UP: Part 2 of the South Shore Tour...</span> </div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-22312857411646058202015-08-22T15:45:00.000-04:002015-08-22T15:45:04.767-04:00The Golden Circle Tour (part 2)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our Golden Circle tour continued with </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gullfoss (Golden Falls) waterfall, created by the river Hvítá, which
tumbles and plunges into a crevice some 105 ft. deep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another side-stop that our tour guide took us to. A waterfall with a salmon's ladder!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By the end of the day, we were TIRED and ready to get back to our apartment, but the last stop on the trip was a "drive-by" of Friðheimar
greenhouse cultivation center, where you can learn about the magic
behind growing delicious, pesticide-free tomatoes and cucumbers with the
aid of the geothermal heat that Iceland has in abundance.</span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-76517503384170731092015-08-22T15:31:00.001-04:002015-08-22T15:39:48.762-04:00The Golden Circle tour (part 1)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Golden Circle Tour: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir geothermal area, Gullfoss (Golden Falls) waterfall, and Friðheimar greenhouse cultivation center</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thingvellir National Park is where the largest lake in Iceland is located. Also, American and Eurasian tectonic
plates are pulling apart at a rate of a few centimeters per year, so at one point we walked through two continents...one on either side of us!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the continental divide where you can walk between two continents (Europe and North America). </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our driver took us past where they do snorkeling adventures. He said that the water is REALLY cold, and the suit doesn't help much...but look at that water!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">See the bubbles from the hot springs? Right along this shore they were baking bread in the ground because of the heat under the ground. You couldn't walk on this sand without shoes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A marker in the ground from the nearby hot springs resort to locate their baking bread!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">See these innocent horses by the side of the road? Our driver stopped and encouraged us to feed them bread. Awww....friendly Icelandic horses. Until we got to the airport at the end of the week and realized that we had to mark "Yes, we came in contact with livestock" on our customs paperwork, which got us pulled from the customs line and redirected to the "Livestock" line. At this point we just wanted to get home. <i>(Insert extra glares from the wife to the husband for being so truthful on our customs sheet.)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Geysir geothermal area where the Strokkur geyser shoots a column of
water up to 98 ft. into the air every 4-8 minutes in a
thrilling display of nature’s forces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">COMING UP NEXT: The second half of the Golden Circle Tour (</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gullfoss waterfall and Friðheimar greenhouse cultivation center).</span></div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-10854017579486917382015-08-22T14:45:00.002-04:002015-08-22T14:45:25.657-04:00touring Reykjavik and the Whale Museum<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rest of our pictures from touring around Reykjavik, Iceland...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gene wanted to go to the <a href="http://www.whalesoficeland.is/en/">Whale Museum</a> downtown. It was a large room full of various kinds of life-sized whales. One of the coolest parts was a large interactive screen where you could see and gain more information about various parts of a whale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Interactive part...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Such clear water!! It was greenish-teal in color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">COMING UP NEXT: Leaving the city to tour The Golden Circle. (gorgeous waterfalls....) </span></div>
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<br />Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-66716032698021146332015-08-16T21:17:00.000-04:002015-08-16T21:17:05.350-04:00Reykjavik, Iceland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More photos from Reykjavik, Iceland...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík.
At 73 meters, it is the largest church in Iceland and the sixth tallest
architectural structure in Iceland.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A monument of Leif Ericson stands in front of the church. It is the work of A. Stirling Calder and was placed in 1930 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Althing, the Icelandic Parliament (the world's oldest parliament).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The organ inside the church. Gorgeous!</span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-7302442235711562952015-08-16T16:50:00.002-04:002015-08-16T16:56:57.149-04:00Iceland-bound<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We began the month we got married. <i>Every month </i>for the next ten years we saved a chunk of change in a jar. $20 to be exact. Just $20. The jar slowly began to fill and we moved the money into an account. The "jar" continued each month. $20. $20. $20...those Andrew Jackson's slowly added up to what would become our ten year adventure. We knew the month we got married that we would want a ten year trip. Just the two of us. So we saved. As the ten year mark grew closer, we began to put some extra money into the "Jar" fund whenever possible. We <i>wanted</i> this trip so badly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ten years came around, and I found myself in the hospital after a miscarriage. Our ten year plans were put on hold until this summer. We didn't think we'd have baby sitting for a whole week, so we basically put the trip out of our minds. Then everything came together very last minute, and we found ourselves planning an out-of-the-country vacation within one month.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gene's always wanted to go to Iceland. I was less enthused, until he showed me this picture.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Pfx9_vC0XcpQVT0PpZ5uQFph6YjpkZDiObxZpo7C-zQauGhowILECbW_6DtC7KTOziHB8jf38FOtdErXSDYWnW5aXzKEwWLUk7o2SefML79csoetfD0wz5iTSeIDKllmYG3RKg/s1600/blue+lagoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Pfx9_vC0XcpQVT0PpZ5uQFph6YjpkZDiObxZpo7C-zQauGhowILECbW_6DtC7KTOziHB8jf38FOtdErXSDYWnW5aXzKEwWLUk7o2SefML79csoetfD0wz5iTSeIDKllmYG3RKg/s640/blue+lagoon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sold! Blue Lagoon here we come!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We left on a Sunday evening and (after a very uncomfortable night flight) arrived in Iceland at 5:30am Monday morning (they are 4 hours ahead of us). Here's the door to our apartment for the week:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We stayed at a place called Apartment K in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. It was a funky Ikea-styled mini apartment. The walls were paper thin, so we woke every morning to a very loud Asian woman who cooked her family a full breakfast in the loft above our apartment. Seriously. We could hear their forks hit their plates while they ate. Next time we would definitely opt to camp instead of stay in town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The building across the street from our apartment. It used to be used for several various purposes (National History Museum, National Museum of Iceland, etc.). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Downtown Reykjaik harbor...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Icelandic Opera House right on the water (at night the windows were lit up with various colors)...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a picture of the ceiling...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tourist shops in town...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One night there was a band playing in the center of town. They grew quite a crowd and were pretty good!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lots of cool graffiti on the sides of buildings throughout the town...</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We realized (because of going to sleep for a few hours as soon as we got to our apartment) that by the time we took our first stroll around town it had been almost 24 hours since we last ate! Luckily we looked up and found this gem down the street from our apartment. We immediately thought of our good friend, Dave DeCarlo (haha...inside joke), and Gene walked right into the restaurant and said, "We're definitely eating here right now. This is awesome."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our view of the water from our seats inside the restaurant!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MORE TO COME... </span></div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-27951767818187583402015-08-16T07:00:00.000-04:002015-08-16T21:16:40.881-04:00How we filled our bellies in Iceland...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The title of this post might be a bit misleading. We realized day after day in Iceland, because of taking tours some of the days and because we were trying to be as frugal as possible while there for a week (food is SUPER expensive there...as is everything else, though, for that matter!), we actually averaged about one meal a day. We had a kitchenette in our apartment, so we did eat breakfast there before we left for the day. Then we usually took snacks to eat throughout the day and ate a meal late at night before bed. Gene actually came home at the end of the week hungry because we decided to spend more money on excursions than food! It was worth it, though. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alcohol is REALLY expensive there, so Gene just bought a few little sample bottles at the airport to try (they recommend buying alcohol at the airport because it was tax-free). He's all about trying foods and drinks that go with the area that he's visiting, so the Lava drink intrigued him (pretty good!) and he loved the idea of the Icelandic Birch drink with a birch tree stick inside the drink! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> My sourdough sandwich from a little bakery and coffee shop called Sandholt. So yummy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While I was enjoying my extra large sandwich, Gene had to try the Greenland Shark that everyone talked about. He read about it before going to Iceland and found the little cafe where they recommended buying it from. It's supposed to taste extremely nasty, so they only give you four little bites so you can say that you tried it. He ate three and made me eat one. It actually (surprisingly) wasn't horrible! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The moment of truth...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">" Your turn, Babe!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most of the meals that we had I never got pictures of because I didn't always take my big camera into the restaurants with us. But probably our favorite meal was the last night we were there. It was about 11:00pm and we had just gotten back from the best adventure that we had all week (more on that later!). We were so hungry, and in town at night they have food trucks that park around the square. The food was SO good! We had fish and chips (fish caught that morning!...we actually ate this twice during the week) and homemade Don's Donuts with chocolate sauce and powered sugar. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ONE meal that we both were longing for all week was at a restaurant that we found online when we were planning the trip, <a href="http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/en/">The Grill Market</a>. Just look at this place! (photo from website)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We made reservations and prepared for our one big expensive dinner out for the week. We already had picked our meals from the online menu, so we were ready! Gene wanted to try the sampler of whale, puffin and lingoustine mini burgers and minke whale steak. And I wanted to try the tenderloin of horse (yes, horse!). Well, they didn't have any more horse when we got there. BUMMER! I really didn't want to spend $60 for a meal I really didn't want. So Gene and I just got the mini burgers and whale steak to share along with a side of their grilled mushrooms. Sharing three mini sliders didn't exactly fill us up, but they were incredible. In fact, even the mushrooms were delicious, and I'm not even a big mushroom person! So we left our "big dinner out" with hungry bellies...but at least we could say that we tried the puffin and whale in Iceland. (photo from website)</span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-21603621982718109082015-05-10T17:26:00.002-04:002015-05-10T17:26:38.572-04:00my mom<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Watching her from across the room, I could see her "mom instinct" kick into action. It's an unmistakable trait. After being a mother for 35 years, she was now faced with the task of being a mother to her father and mother. The roles were now reversed. All the care, love, sleepless nights that she used to pour into her three kids, she was now pouring into her own parents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At first it was just stopping in to check on them during lunch breaks. One load of laundry. A bathroom cleaned. Christmas decorations up. Slowly it became more. Several trips to their house a week. Doctor appointments. Late night trips to the ER. Early morning trips to the ER....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Suddenly it was her whole life. Morning. Noon. And night. The care became constant. The days long. But still she was present. Beside her father's bedside to the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And after. She's still there. Being a mother to her mother. Watching her steps and catching her falls. Preparing meals and sleeping by her side. It's another reminder to me that motherhood is never-ending. It's a title she gladly took on with the cry of her first born in 1980. In 2015 she's still the best mother...to me, my sister and now her own mother. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A mother's care is a tender wonder to behold. It's emotional. It's spiritual. It's physical. It's possible only because of God's love that fills up her soul, which she then pours out onto others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Her children rise up and call her blessed." Yes. Yes. Yes....a 1000 times YES! Mom, thank you for teaching me the wonderful job of mothering. I want to be like you when I grow up.</span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-44234594258163613962015-04-29T23:10:00.001-04:002015-04-29T23:10:55.026-04:00Poppop<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">I've written three eulogies in the past 6 years...a brother, a son and a grandfather. Each one's been hard to write, but good. I'm a writer (in my own mind anyway). I stare at the blinking cursor on the blank screen, spit out everything inside of me, and move on. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">So here's the latest thing that I "spit out"...after I kissed my grandfather goodbye, got into my car, drove three hours from PA to MD, parked my car, and received this text before I even got out of my car: Poppop gone 3:48. Tears didn't spring to my eyes immediately. I felt so relieved! So glad to hear that the man I just saw three hours beforehand was now dancing with Jesus at <i>Home</i> instead of breathing hard breaths at <i>home</i>. Finn, my three-year old who didn't even know why I suddenly became teary-eyed randomly looked at me and said, "Poppop is going to see Chayton." I asked him how he knew that and he said, "I just know, Mommy." As simple as that. As I told a friend earlier in the week, three-year olds just get it.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02-khcbA8VQuu1bOAmTUiTjRFDFHmTS6eGz6qR0YtiOqvXPIz_tupun_GRHSFvayekFDjjbmYQnExljK39zQ-b5Wa7Prh0BEz0FBd2WAqGLLShE-4OrF1IMdSEQAULl6OUib10g/s1600/20150111_154348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02-khcbA8VQuu1bOAmTUiTjRFDFHmTS6eGz6qR0YtiOqvXPIz_tupun_GRHSFvayekFDjjbmYQnExljK39zQ-b5Wa7Prh0BEz0FBd2WAqGLLShE-4OrF1IMdSEQAULl6OUib10g/s1600/20150111_154348.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Here's what I shared at my grandfather's funeral:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In Randy Alcorn’s book, <u>In Light
of Eternity</u> he says, “The best part of heaven is that we’ll be with our
bridegroom, Jesus. Second best? We’ll be with our family and friends who know
God. That’s why, when Christian loved ones die, God tells us not to grieve like
those who have no hope, but to comfort and encourage each other by anticipating
the ultimate family reunion. That’s why heaven should mean more to us every
time a friend moves there.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Over the past 6 years, heaven has
become more and more precious to our family. I never would have imagined that
heaven would become such a common topic of conversation in our house. Some
might think it’s unsettling to speak so freely of death, but our children are
already learning at a young age what Philippians 3:20-21 means which states,
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body,
by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Kinsley said
it best when she said, “Poppop’s body is still here on earth but his soul is in
heaven where he’ll get a new body.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">There are three things that I knew
about Poppop. (1) He loved Jesus. (2) He loved Mimi. And (3) he loved his
grandchildren. One moment that I will forever cherish with Poppop was actually
a very simple but profound moment that occurred several years ago. My mom had
come down to Maryland to baby sit our kids for us while Gene and I went away
overnight. She actually somehow convinced Mimi and Poppop to come with her,
too. Before we left, I remember going up to my bedroom where Mimi and Poppop
were going to be staying while Gene and I were gone. The door was half closed,
and inside I saw Poppop sitting in my chair having his devotions. I watched him
through the door as he read his bible. At one point I must have gone in because
he told me that he had something for me. He pulled out this small, ratty
looking piece of pink construction paper. On it was the word “Poppop” written
in crayon. Then in small letters written at the bottom was “From Renee” in his
handwriting. This little piece of probably 25 year-old seemingly meaningless
chicken scratch was a treasured bookmark in his bible. He gave it back to me
that day, and I framed it. He loved his grandchildren. He never missed a
softball game, baseball game or basketball game. Even some of my friends
commented to me this week how they remember him sitting on his front porch
watching them play at the park across the road, and more than a handful of friends
remarked how they remember many kind interactions with Poppop growing up. He
wasn’t just our Poppop. He was theirs, too. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In the same book that I noted
earlier, Mr. Alcorn also illustrates what it was like to personally watch the
last few moments of his friend’s life here on earth. I share his description
here because I found it also perfectly illustrates what I witnessed the last
week of Poppop’s life. “One moment he
was laboriously breathing the stale air of earth, the next he was effortlessly
inhaling the fresh air of heaven…[Poppop] didn’t pass from life to death. In
fact, it is the opposite. He has passed from death to life.” And what a life
waiting for him in heaven…a grandson, a great grandson, a mother, a father, two
sisters, a brother, and many others. On his deathbed D.L. Moody said, “Soon you
will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don’t believe it for a moment. I
will be more alive than ever before.” I believe that. I believe that the Poppop
I saw lying in that bed last week, all weak and frail, was not a picture of his
life coming to an end, but rather him preparing to go from death into true
eternal life with his Savior.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And just because I don't want to forget about this precious moment, here's an interaction that I had with Mimi and Poppop by his bedside a few days before his death:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me: Mimi, you look so pretty today!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mimi: Me?! Oh! (to Poppop) Do you think I look pretty?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Poppop: No, beautiful.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mimi: I knew you'd say that. That's why I asked you.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If that's not 65 years of pure love on display, I don't know what is. </span></span> </div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-51149034664215736882015-04-24T21:15:00.001-04:002015-04-24T21:15:21.331-04:00cake and tears<p dir="ltr">Just want to remember these gems from the kids....</p>
<p dir="ltr">(1) Finn is in a stage where he puts "ed" on the end of everything when he talks in past tense: <br>
"Mommy and me maked your birthday cake, Daddy." </p>
<p dir="ltr">(2) Tonight after dinner we had Gene's birthday cake. The kids wanted a second piece, but we never give them extra dessert (right before bedtime!). Well, tonight I said, "Ok! Everyone can have a second piece of cake!" You would have thought they won the lottery! And here were their reactions:</p>
<p dir="ltr">Finn: shoveled it in before mom changed her mind. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Kins: laughed so hard because she's overly giddy and immensely surprised at the HUGE 2nd piece of pure sugar daddy just gave her. (Seriously, her face was priceless. The picture doesn't do it justice.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Callan: also laughed so hard at the HUGE 2nd piece daddy gave him... which turned into tears of laughter... which quickly turned into real tears. We could not get him to stop sobbing! We couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finally Gene got him to talk and Callan said that it was too kind of daddy to give him that much cake that he couldn't accept it. Seriously. That. Kid! He obviously takes after me and my incredible selflessness (pardon while Gene chokes on his cake after hearing that).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Those three responses from the kids could not have been more spot on with their personalities. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9QmhupaASR2HUWrW8lIQCwPSzR0d9zrW4zmQ66K3WcsrTTLa_4eEUbckA3l9-Pv9kTQbjGpTN2nDxXSQJ0QW7WS79CybhokEVmKArwDCruzJH2WuxRN23JDSPsJkWKUakXIXHA/s1600/20150424_191355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9QmhupaASR2HUWrW8lIQCwPSzR0d9zrW4zmQ66K3WcsrTTLa_4eEUbckA3l9-Pv9kTQbjGpTN2nDxXSQJ0QW7WS79CybhokEVmKArwDCruzJH2WuxRN23JDSPsJkWKUakXIXHA/s640/20150424_191355.jpg"> </a> </div>Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-49139563770174380342015-01-18T20:41:00.002-05:002015-01-18T20:41:24.448-05:00funeral words {renee}<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today was a double dose of reality...the 6th anniversary of my brother's death and National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. This was the first year that the anniversary fell on a Sunday, a reminder of the Sunday that Aaron passed away. My parents were in MD visiting us for Callan's baby dedication that Sunday. Six years later, I'm faced with remembering that Sunday as well as the human life that was taken from me too soon. Church was a hard one today.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been wanting to post my words that I spoke at Chayton's funeral for awhile now. Today seemed like a fitting day. I hope my words bring comfort to others' souls. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UKltaKDdydeV-lvQJwPxBdS_UEGDfD13mJLeEfExE6NIqJ-_y4TwY_okr6QEUFr6z7QkjloLuCyiM88pwETs0EHlT-elLPlBNMQjQ-pGc-SmLJrwUJNDbIKZ5pd7w55F42WDuw/s1600/_MG_6517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UKltaKDdydeV-lvQJwPxBdS_UEGDfD13mJLeEfExE6NIqJ-_y4TwY_okr6QEUFr6z7QkjloLuCyiM88pwETs0EHlT-elLPlBNMQjQ-pGc-SmLJrwUJNDbIKZ5pd7w55F42WDuw/s1600/_MG_6517.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On January 18,
2009, we met my parents in a McDonald’s parking lot as we processed the news
that my brother had passed away in a car accident just hours earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I hugged my dad, I remember saying to him,
“Dad, if we would know all that God knows, and see the past, present and future
like God sees it, we would have wanted God to take Aaron’s life just as He did.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the truth that we preached to
ourselves that week of Aaron’s funeral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This past week,
I’ve found out first hand that it was easier to preach that truth to others
than apply it to myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to
tell myself that Chayton is better off in heaven than in my arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each morning I’ve woken up to a quiet house
instead of a crying baby that needs fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But as my friend, Gretchen, read earlier, “the good news about my trials
is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me
by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of
Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gene and I can
have hope in the midst of this trial because we know that God is working for
our good and His glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em><span style="font-style: normal;">In Matthew 26, Jesus is praying to His Father and asks, “My Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as
you will.” But, it was not God’s will to stop Jesus’ crucifixion. He could
have. He could have sent thousands of angels down to save Jesus. But His plan
was much bigger than that. His plan was to save us instead so we can spend
eternity with Him.</span></em></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-style: normal;">In the same way, He could have sent angels to save Chayton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could have had Chayton’s story end
differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But instead, this is
Chayton’s story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we pray his story
brings others to know Jesus.</span></em></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></em></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-style: normal;">Our family would like to end our time today by singing a song that the
kids love singing often at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“This
is the Day” reminds all of us to view each day as a gift that God has given to
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Please feel free to join in
with us.</span></em></span></i></div>
</blockquote>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-52522167523704230852014-12-25T21:44:00.001-05:002014-12-25T21:44:27.446-05:00Your Christmas with Jesus<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wish you were here, growing inside of me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wish your 1st ornament didn't hang from our tree. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4qNSu6ygJdRWrWY-bY1Qy7RwQsgacoqkjSndMT-BfnSJBSBE4cPn8vqKNlCc4AnzXucg_gNewn_e38dQ3Wg14eEr-a5PH5KaIuBqHPcX69loE-pnJrbEJ8h8sj9rcEf8HtYwEQ/s1600/IMG_20141211_173356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4qNSu6ygJdRWrWY-bY1Qy7RwQsgacoqkjSndMT-BfnSJBSBE4cPn8vqKNlCc4AnzXucg_gNewn_e38dQ3Wg14eEr-a5PH5KaIuBqHPcX69loE-pnJrbEJ8h8sj9rcEf8HtYwEQ/s1600/IMG_20141211_173356.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I should be fat and round like St. Nick.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I should be feeling you punch and kick.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your Christmas was not spent with us, right here. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your Christmas was spent with Jesus this year. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMf8NSQEzXm8rjy_X4tpx9darFOek8kE-CBmVw8Ss5VZ8cH35F7L4pRN0s_GP7jbTAPeTYDcV3gB7xdW7NMEQ8VAP1DYUEy6kJf8InbKCf-mBcTf_kikoYPjT4Aja4uzI7OSyUA/s1600/_MG_6443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMf8NSQEzXm8rjy_X4tpx9darFOek8kE-CBmVw8Ss5VZ8cH35F7L4pRN0s_GP7jbTAPeTYDcV3gB7xdW7NMEQ8VAP1DYUEy6kJf8InbKCf-mBcTf_kikoYPjT4Aja4uzI7OSyUA/s1600/_MG_6443.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our Christmas was chaotic, crazy and imperfect today.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our Christmas was full of sickness, laughter and play. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We read the words in the Bible of His birth</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We read and tried to imagine how heaven came to earth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But you behold His glory in front of your face</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your day was spent admiring His great grace!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcNYTFhn-Ko7iKq-KeEHawO6SMp2NWd-zrZ-TkZK6SdYcadLGeqirf9BH9EQ7VACowjTXuuOCvD7vnS6v_MExIzWNsouRPd3yFCb5HOhD3TCpJn85ml3wPMn4ukOhSoFqAjauBg/s1600/_MG_6560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcNYTFhn-Ko7iKq-KeEHawO6SMp2NWd-zrZ-TkZK6SdYcadLGeqirf9BH9EQ7VACowjTXuuOCvD7vnS6v_MExIzWNsouRPd3yFCb5HOhD3TCpJn85ml3wPMn4ukOhSoFqAjauBg/s1600/_MG_6560.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How could I wish that your life was here with me</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I know how perfect your future will now be.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A plastic nativity is what we gather around,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But you truly walk on holy ground.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I would never want to take you from Jesus, my son,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And there's still a race down here I must run.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So for now we're apart, 'cause that's part of His plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But today we'll both celebrate God who became man.</span> </div>
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<br />Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-36728718105666999312014-11-21T21:22:00.001-05:002014-11-21T21:22:31.961-05:00stupid but important<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was so stupid but yet so important. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We were sitting in the office at the cemetery signing papers for the burial plot. The lady kept making sure she spelled Chayton's name correctly on all the paperwork. As I watched her write his name over and over again on numerous documents, I began to have some kind of resentment fill up in my heart. It was so strange, but I realized right then that I had never actually written my son's name yet! And for some reason, it felt extremely personal. Watching a complete stranger write Chayton's name over and over again seemed wrong to me. It was so silly. It was just his name. But to me it felt like such an intimate thing in the moment. She was writing his name yet I, his mother, had never done so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I came home from the meeting and grabbed the nearest notebook. I scribbled his name over and over again across the page. I didn't want to witness one more person writing his name before I could. I felt so much better after seeing his name in my handwriting. </span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-4953779088944321952014-11-21T21:08:00.000-05:002014-11-21T21:29:26.008-05:00a gathering at Jesus' feet<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The week after Chayton's death was such a whirlwind. Funeral home visits, cemetery plots, meetings, funeral speeches, family visiting, eating, sleeping, not sleeping, crying...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One thing that is tradition for our family is to have the kids get the newborn baby a gift from them. Callan got Kinsley one, and the two of them got Finn one. It was only fitting to have the three of them get something for Chayton, too. So off we went to the toy store as a family. Let's just say that it was extremely hard to explain to a three-year old that he's going to pick out a toy to give to his dead brother. Kins didn't understand either. "Chayton isn't going to play with this, so why are we getting it?" She was right, but we wanted to include these things in his casket. The kids each chose a toy that represented them, and Gene and I got a little falcon toy to contribute from us. (Chayton means "falcon.") </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another thing on our to-do list that week was choosing a burial plot. We had been told that the infant section at the cemetery we were going to was right by the street and could be very loud at times. We were prepared to possibly choose an adult-sized plot farther back if we felt that was needed. When we arrived at the infant plot section, Gene, my mom and I began to look around at the area. In the infant section there is a statue of Jesus with little children around him. Engraved is the verse,<i> "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14)</i></span><span class="woc"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I looked down at the ground in front of the statue, I saw dozens of small bronze markers. These marked all of the little children who had gone before Chayton but who were all now joined together in heaven. Looking at the markers scattered about in front of the Jesus statue was like an earthly representation of what I pictured the children doing in heaven....gathering at the feet of Jesus to worship Him. I immediately felt at peace picturing Chayton being buried alongside these other infants, in front of the Jesus statue. I felt that he needed to be physically buried there alongside the other children as I knew his spirit was joined with these children in heaven. When I looked at Gene I asked him what his thoughts were. In God's kindness, he felt the same way. My mom, who accompanied us to this meeting, also felt the same. It was just a confirmation to me that we were doing the right thing.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you've gone through a trial, you know that most of the time it isn't just one trial. Trials seem to multiple themselves. Nancy Guthrie puts it this way in her book, <u>Holding on to Hope</u>, <i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Sorrow upon sorrow. Difficulty and more difficulty. Does that describe your life? Why is it that in the middle of a crisis, the car breaks down and the refrigerator stops working? Doesn't it seem like we should get a pass on the minor irritations of life when we are in the midst of a tragedy? For many of us it is not just one painful experience or circumstance but troubles that seem to multiply. It can seem like a conspiracy meant to destroy us. And we feel beaten down, discouraged. We wonder if the sun is ever going to come out again. And despair sets in."</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the week of the funeral it was like Gene and I were getting beaten on every side. The car was having issues. I was still recovering from surgery and labor. And then a phone call...a call explaining that Gene's Gram had just been diagnosed with cancer. It was like the weight of the world was resting on our shoulders trying to push us down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span class="verse-num" id="v47004007-1">2 Corinthians 4:7-9, "</span>But we have this treasure in <a class="cf" href="http://legacy.esvbible.org/2Tm2.20%3B2Co5.1%3BJb10.9%3BJb13.12%3BLm4.2%3B1Th4.4%3B1P3.7/" title="2 Tim. 2:20; [ch. 5:1; Job 10:9; 13:12; Lam. 4:2; 1 Thess. 4:4; 1 Pet. 3:7]"></a>jars of clay, <a class="cf" href="http://legacy.esvbible.org/1Co2.5%3BJg7.2/" title="1 Cor. 2:5; [Judg. 7:2]"></a>to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. <span class="verse-num" id="v47004008-1"></span>We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but <a class="cf" href="http://legacy.esvbible.org/Hb13.5%3BDe4.31/" title="Heb. 13:5; [Deut. 4:31]"></a>not forsaken; <a class="cf" href="http://legacy.esvbible.org/Ps37.24%3BPr24.16%3BMi7.8/" title="Ps. 37:24; Prov. 24:16; Mic. 7:8"></a>struck down, but not destroyed;" </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And so we pressed on. Pressed on through the meetings. Pressed on through signing papers. Pressed on through writing eulogies. Pressed on through grieving. All the while PRESSING INTO JESUS who gave us strength when we were weak. We were afflicted but not crushed. We were surely perplexed why this would happen to us, but not given over to despair. Satan could strike us down, but not destroy us. Our child had been taken, but our Hope had remained. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">{Jesus Statue Photos Credit: <a href="http://www.christopherpbower.com/">Christopher P. Bower Photography</a>} </span></div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-89049837493682429152014-11-13T20:46:00.000-05:002014-11-13T20:46:05.353-05:00"Chayton has tan hair and brown shoes."<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For several months now, Callan has professed faith in Jesus and even said a prayer with me one day. On April 20, 2014 he prayed, "Help the Spirit to come live in my heart." His behavior definitely demonstrates the Fruit of the Spirit most days. He's passionate about his sister and brother also accepting Christ into their hearts some day. He sometimes wrestles with sadness when one of his siblings doesn't profess as much of a love towards God as he does. He begs to listen to "Jesus" music on the radio, and then often belts out various lines from songs throughout the day. It's precious to watch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the other hand, I overheard Kinsley tell her brothers on Halloween that she believed in heaven because she knows that in heaven Jesus will give her all the candy she wants and she'll never get a tummy ache. That's Kinsley for you. Food is always involved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, Kinsley woke up today, came over to me, and whispered in my ear, "I love God now." I looked at her in bewilderment, not sure what she was up to. I said, "Oh, yeah? What made you change your mind?" She had a smirk on her face as she said, "I had a dream about heaven. I want to be in heaven with Jesus and the angels, Chayton, Swimmy (her pet fish that died), and Uncle Aaron some day, so I decided I love God. Will you pray for me, Mommy?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I led her through a prayer asking Jesus into her heart, and she's been beaming all day. She supposedly told a friend (randomly) today while she was at her house that she loves God. And when she came home from the friend's house, she begged Callan to "play Jesus" with her. I asked her how you "play Jesus," and she said that someone pretends to have their hands tied up (she used a hair scrunchie) like Jesus being taken to the cross. And then you pretend to die on the cross."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before bedtime, I asked her more about this dream that she had last night. She told me very specific details, which lead me to believe that maybe she really is telling me the truth. I asked her if she met Chayton in her dream. She said yes. I asked her what he looked like, and she said that he had tan scruffy hair and brown shoes. I said, "Blonde hair like Finn's?" She said yes. I asked if he was a baby or a boy and she said a boy. I asked her if they played together and she said that he is an artist like her, so they painted together. His favorite colors are blue and red. She painted a picture of her on the left and him on the right, and Chayton apparently painted a picture of him on the left and her on the right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She met Jesus, too. She showed me what he looked like using one of her picture bibles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe God may have come down to earth to reveal Himself to a young, 4-year old girl in the form of a dream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe God uses little people to give peace to big people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe God used Kinsley tonight to bring peace to my heart after a hard day of missing Chayton last night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe because it happened to me when I was four. One of my best friend's died in a tragic accident at age 4 when his dad accidentally ran over him with his farm equipment. God used me to help bring peace to his grieving parents. My mom said that I gave her a message to give to my friend's parents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe God used Kinsley to calm my grieving heart in the midst of a difficult day. I love that little girl so much! </span></div>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-89961064898594825192014-10-24T01:15:00.001-04:002014-11-13T20:49:55.669-05:00In the noise. In the quiet. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's easier being who I'm supposed to be during the everyday <i>noise.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Callan complains about being hungry again, I'm a mom who needs to make a meal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Kinsley pulls out her reading curriculum and sits next to me, I'm a homeschooling teacher who needs to teach her daughter to read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Finn is grumpy and needs cheered up, I'm a tickle monster trying to turn a frown upside down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Gene needs his coaching shirt washed for team picture day, I'm a wife doing last minute laundry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When a friend calls who's having a bad day, I'm a listening ear who's dropping everything to pray. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the noise, I put one step in front of the other and keep going. I keep moving forward. I have to. There are mouths to feed, children to care for and a husband to love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's harder being who I'm supposed to be during the everyday <i>quiet.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's hard in the quiet because I have time to think about who I'm <i>not. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm<i> not </i>a second trimester pregnant woman. I'm <i>not </i>a mother to four living children. I'm <i>not </i>past the health problems that have been plaguing me the past two months. I'm <i>not </i>filling my closet with my fall maternity clothes. I'm <i>not </i>going to give birth along with four of my relatives in the winter. I'm <i>not </i>trying to clear my calendar in February to make time to recover from birth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's in the quiet that my thoughts grab hold of me. Sometimes that's good, and sometimes that's bad. Sometimes it's neither. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Quiet. I love it, and I hate it. It's a double-edged sword right now for me. Quiet...like when the three kids leave the breakfast table, and I'm left there alone in the kitchen...and the ipod lyrics that have been playing can now be heard clearly. The worship song that was a faint murmur when the noise was around me suddenly begins to pierce my soul in the quiet, and I crumble right there in the middle of cleaning up sticky syrup off the table.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Quiet...like when Finn turns to me in Toys R Us when we're on our date observing the new Toy Story figurines and says, "Mommy, what toys are we going to buy the baby today?" And I'm left explaining to him in the quiet of that toy aisle that we're not buying any more toys for Chayton. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Quiet...like when Gene turns the tv off and kicks me off the couch at night to tell me to get to bed or I'll regret it in the morning...and I'm left lying in bed wide awake with my thoughts while my four family members sleep soundly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm still learning. I'm still learning how to embrace the quiet and use it for my good. I'm not writing this for pity. I don't want pity. Most days I'm good. Most days I surprise myself at how good I'm doing when I just buried my son not even two months ago. It's just those moments. You know, the ones that you didn't expect. The ones that leave you running for the door at Starbucks, because it's awkward to be the girl sitting by herself who started crying for "no reason." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But most days I'm just a mom of four kids who now yearns for heaven even more than I did two months ago. And in heaven the <i>noise</i> and the <i>quiet</i> will all be good. </span></div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-87308915212758081262014-10-07T16:05:00.000-04:002014-10-09T08:43:57.574-04:00the Rock won't move {Chayton's birth story}<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>When the ground beneath my feet gives way</i><br /><i>
And I hear the sound of crashing waves</i><br /><i>
All my world is washing out to sea</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves</i><br /><i>
Holding fast to the promise of Your truth</i><br /><i> <b>You are holding tighter still to me</b></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We drove to the hospital. I called the OB on-call and then my parents. "My water broke. Pray for the baby, " I told my parents. I texted Laura, "My water broke." Prayers began being lifted up on our behalf. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When we arrived at the hospital, they sent us straight to labor and delivery. We sat in the lobby filling out paperwork while the nurses took their time finding me a room. "I'm 17 weeks and my water just broke!" I stammered. "You need to fill out all your information first," they said. I couldn't handle this. It was like the grand finale of a horrible month of hospital visits. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We finally made it to a room, and as I stood up from the wheelchair, blood was flowing around me. The two nurses took one look at me and then at each other...and sprang into action. The one nurse tried to find the baby's heartbeat. All she heard was mine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was finally able to get an epidural, and the pain went away. As soon as the nurse settled me into my blankets, I felt something. I told the nurse. She checked, and then said in a nervous voice, "I'll go get the doctor." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The doctor looked at me and said, "The baby's been delivered."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Right then, in the quiet, dim hospital room, my lifeless baby was born. No one can prepare you for that moment. No crying baby. No shouts of, "Congratulations! It's a boy!" No tears of happiness. No sighs of, "Whew! We did it!" No exchanging smiles of joy. Nothing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh, the Rock won't move and His word is strong</span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i>
The Rock won't move and <b>His love can't be undone</b></i><br /><i>
Oh, the Rock won't move and His word is strong</i><br /><i>
The Rock won't move and <b>His love can't be undone</b></i><br /><i>
The Rock of our Salvation</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After a few minutes, I asked the nurse if they could tell if it was a boy or a girl. A boy. She asked if we wanted to see him. I shook my head yes. She showed me my baby. So perfect. Little fingers. Little toes. Little nose. Little mouth. No wonder God wanted this baby for His very own. He was perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I laid there in the quiet room, but a raging flood of pounding waves was flowing over me. My son, though, never felt the sting of sin. Never felt pain or cried tears of sadness. He never experienced even one breath in this fallen world. All he had ever known was safety. Safety in my womb. And now safety in the arms of Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>My hope is in the promise of Your blood</i><br /><i>
My support within the raging flood</i><br /><i>
<b>Even in the tempest, I can sing</b></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves</i><br /><i>
Holding fast to the promise of Your truth</i><br /><i>
<b>That You are holding tighter still to me</b></i><br /><i>
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Whoa, whoa, whoa</i><br /><i>
The Rock of our salvation</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chayton Philip Huston. Gene and I looked at each other. For two people who usually take a full 40 weeks to determine a name for the baby, that night we decided together within minutes. Chayton was a name that had been on our list for previous pregnancies. Philip was my grandfather's name, and the middle name I had wanted if we had a boy. "Chayton Philip," I whispered to Gene. He shook his head in agreement. It was perfect. <br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>On Christ the Solid Rock I stand<br />
All other ground is sinking sand<br />
<b>The Rock won't move, the Rock won't move</b></i> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>And when darkness seems to hide His face<br />
I rest in His unchanging grace.<br />
<b>The Rock won't move, no, the Rock won't move</b></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">{<i>The Rock Won't Move</i> by Vertical Church Band...a song that's been playing on repeat for the past month. Sometimes you just need to keep singing a song that speaks such clear truth to your heart. And it's even sweeter when you catch your kids singing it, too.} </span> </span></span></div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-1667470923710959912014-10-07T14:47:00.002-04:002014-10-07T14:47:42.101-04:00Unexplainable peace<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For two weeks I sat in an old recliner we dug up from the basement. My pain from the surgery didn't seem to subside, which left me sitting, laying, and sleeping on that old recliner day and night. I'd get up to walk around and then have to sit back down soon after. I had back pain almost constantly. (Little did I know that this was probably the beginning of my back labor pains.) Yes, the back pain was probably the hardest pain to deal with. It hurt to sit. It hurt to stand. It even hurt to lay down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the two weeks, all of the grandparent help left. I was faced with trying to figure out how to be a full-time parent in pain while Gene was at work. It was Saturday, September 6th, and I was drafting an email to send to some friends to try to recruit help for the coming week. I never did get that email sent. I took a nap that afternoon, getting some much needed rest. I woke up and stayed on the couch for awhile, talking to my mom on the phone. I was beginning to have some pains in my stomach, but at this point I was getting used to new pains showing up randomly. The pains didn't hurt much at first. But for the next several hours the pains grew worse. I kept running to the bathroom thinking that maybe that would make me feel better. Nothing seemed to help, though. I took a shower, and the hot water running down my back gave me some relief. I got dressed thinking that I was much better now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The pains soon returned, even more fierce now. Gene told me to get another shower since that seemed to help the first time. I did, but the pains didn't subside this time. It was about 8pm now, and Gene had just gotten the kids in bed. I was laying on my bed in severe pain. The pains were coming about every minute. I could barely catch my breath in between. I even said to Gene, "If I was at the hospital, I'd ask for an epidural because these pains feel as bad as contractions!" Maybe it should have been obvious to me that these were contractions, but at 17 weeks pregnant, no mom thinks such things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gene was getting irritated at me now. To his credit, he had been serving me and the kids 24/7 the past two weeks and hadn't gotten any down time or real rest. Every time over the past two weeks that I started having pain it happened at night, after the kids went to bed...when it was harder to call someone to come watch them while we rushed to the ER. I'm sure thinking about losing another night's sleep was not amusing to him right then. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I looked at him and said, "We need to go to the ER. I can't go all night like this. The pains are so bad. Call someone to watch the kids...quickly!" He fumbled through his phone for a few minutes. I told him to call a neighbor, because I needed to go NOW. I mentioned a neighbor, and he said he didn't have their number. I told him to go outside and grab a neighbor....any neighbor! I needed to go to the ER. He got in contact with our good friends and told me Kyle would be here in 20 minutes. Twenty minutes!! I wanted to be in the hospital with an IV flowing with pain meds in 20 minutes! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He helped me pack a bag of stuff for the hospital. This was our 3rd ER trip in the past two weeks, so we were getting pretty good at packing for emergency hospital visits. He went downstairs to pack the van. I felt a small break between the pains and decided to make my way down the stairs to the van so we could leave as soon as our friend arrived. After one flight of stairs, my water broke. Even though I had already been through three labors, I had never felt my water break. It was unmistakeable, though. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I stood there drenched and screamed for Gene. He came running. I told him my water had just broken. I've never seen that man spring into action like he did right then. A husband's love for his hurting wife is a beautiful thing to witness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I proceeded to clean myself up quickly and Gene shouted for me to get into the van. "We're leaving right now. Kyle is almost here. I told him your water broke and that we were leaving." I can't even explain it, but in that moment I felt an unexplainable peace. Peace. My water broke. I knew I'd be giving birth soon. And I knew my baby was dead. But there was peace. I don't know how God does it, but I know that He was reaching down and holding me right then. As His arms reached down to take my baby from inside my pregnant belly, He was also wrapping his arms around me, preparing me for what was coming next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)</i></span></blockquote>
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Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31604782.post-6427248683434113682014-10-01T11:17:00.002-04:002014-10-01T11:20:39.918-04:00Too close of a call<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I could not sleep or rest on August 25th after coming home from the hospital. The pain kept coming and going. By dinnertime I couldn't even stand, sit or lay down without pain. I spiked a fever, which made my mom worry even more. Laura came to drop off dinner, and my mom told her about my fever. Being my friend and my "personal on-call nurse" (as I always joke with her) she urged me, along with my mom, to call the doctor again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I called the OB on-call and briefly told her my situation. Her only words were, "Go to the ER, " and then she hung up. That's not what I wanted to hear. I had just spent ten hours there this morning and was sent home with nothing but frustration and anger. I knew that I needed to go back, though. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My mom could barely help me stand up from the recliner I was laying in. I was in so much pain. We even opted for calling an ambulance, but my mom ended up driving me in the end. I held onto the car handle for dear life as we hit even the smallest of bumps. My condition had grown extensively worse since 1am that morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When we arrived at the hospital, Laura met us in the ER waiting room. She said she was coming along as my advocate and to make sure I received the care I needed (she used to work at the hospital). Shortly after arriving, someone from the hospital came into the ER waiting room (it was packed) and announced that they were taking patients as quickly as possible but to expect a few hours wait. Knowing that I could not sit in a hard ER chair for several hours, Laura went back and forth to the receptionist several times asking for them to take me back, because I had just been there several hours earlier AND I was pregnant and we were concerned for me and the baby. They kept saying that I was next on the list to be brought back. Wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I finally made it back to triage, I asked the nurse if there was a bed I could lay down in because I was in so much pain. She checked briefly and reported back to me that there were no empty beds. All the while there was an empty bed right beside her, but she couldn't give it to me because she needed to use the room for other patients. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I waited in the ER waiting room for several hours. I thought I was in hell. I was cold. I was hot. I was in severe pain. I was pregnant. I was fearful. I barely recall The Bachelor playing on the TV above my head while Laura and my mom continued their casual conversation beside me. I sat there with my eyes closed while all the noises swirled around me in a huge fog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They finally called my name. They took me back to a bed and, by God's great mercy, the ER doctor that I had seen more than 12 hours previously was still there! Since she already knew my case, she didn't have to start from scratch and order a bunch of tests to be done. She simply said, "I still believe it's an appendicitis. I'm calling the surgeon again."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Again, by God's mercy, the same surgeon who I had seen earlier was still on-call as well! Earlier that day he pushed on my right side, and I had no pain. Now he pushed on that same spot again, and I leaped into the air. He gave me an apologetic smile as he announced that I needed emergency surgery right away to remove my appendix. He further explained the risks involved in doing such a surgery on me at 15 weeks pregnant. The chances of losing my baby were real, but I had no choice because the other alternative was my appendix rupturing and me possibly losing my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He left and said I'd be taken up for surgery within an hour or so. My mom and I sat there crying while I asked Laura to pray for me and my baby. I turned to Laura and asked the question that I was dreading, "If I miscarry while having this surgery, am I far enough along that I'd have to deliver the baby?" She wisely said that we were not going to think about that right now. My baby would be fine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Somehow in the next few hours Gene arrived at the hospital, Laura left to take care of our kids, I was taken up for surgery, and I awoke in the recovery room. It all happened so fast. The surgeon told me that my appendix was gangrenous and wrapped around my colon, and if I had waited just a half a day more, it would have ruptured. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was now early Tuesday morning, and "sleeping" during my surgery was the first real sleep I had gotten since Saturday night. When I awoke, I discovered that my baby was safe, and the heartbeat had remained strong all throughout the surgery. I remained in the hospital for the next several days. Recovery was ROUGH. It literally took me several hours to get up enough courage to sit up on the side of my hospital bed, stand and walk to the bathroom. I was only allowed low dosages of pain meds because of the baby. The meds barely touched my pain, though. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Even though it meant missing the first week of school, Gene continued to remain by my side. <i>"Through sickness and health..."</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We were reassured that all I needed was some rest, and I'd be fine. The baby's heartbeat continued to be strong. The nurses that came to test the baby's heartbeat from the Labor and Delivery floor joked with me saying that they hoped to run into me again in February when I came to deliver. Yes, I was ready to go home. I didn't want to step foot into that hospital again until February.</span> </div>
Reneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857042337309607853noreply@blogger.com0