Great day!

So far it's been a great day and I've only been up for 3 hours :). I was really productive last night getting laundry done and our room straightened up... believe me.. it's a challenge! It's hard to keep things straight and clean when I work days and D works nights... the Navy calls it "hot bedding". I get in.. he gets out... he gets in... I get out. You get the picture.

So this morning I got up (as D was getting in). It is a BEAUTIFUL day! Dad helped me take Bronco to Petco to get a much needed bath. Then we got breakfast together :). I love time with my Dad. I went to the bank and dropped off more financial information for our mortgage and got a feel for what to expect at closing and monthly. Then I opened a second savings account to keep our emergency money and our home renovation money separated.

Later tonight, Dad and I will be going to Classic on Noble in Anniston for a Valentine's party with his sunday school class. Mom and Dustin have to work so we'll be each other's date :)

Snow Day!

Coleman and Uncle Big D :)

Lexy and Poppy dragging Mom on a sled

Makeshift sled until it popped :)

Mmmm snow.. hope it was clean!

Goofy girl

Riding across the bridge in the jeep

Our fearless transportation expert... Dad made sure everyone got where they needed to go :) What a life-saver!

Brothers

Coleman and Mommy

Snow ball fight! I love Charlie in the background trying to knee board!

Fun fun!

My favorite picture of the day :)

Loss

I have been at a loss for words recently...

As you know, my grandfather, "Da" passed away Friday, October 22, 2010 peacefully in my mother's home, with his family surrounding him. His funeral was held the following Monday. We went a little on the nontraditional side with the eulogy. Instead of having a friend of the family or his priest speak to his life and character, we decided that we should do it. He was so funny and there were so many stories to try to condense. We joked that most of the stories were not fit for the general public :). I did the introduction.... which went something like this:

Jim, Sonny Boy, Max, Mr. Reid, Daddy: My grandfather, James Max Reid, had many names, but I named him "Da"... actually, I was the first grandchild and he claimed the first sound out of my mouth as his name. He was a man of confidence, strong will, pride and independence.  This is a man who rode a horse for transportation until after he came home from the Navy. It still impressed me how quick his mind was.  My Da was able to recall stories from his childhood with amazing detail like how he felt when his daddy tried to take him flying for the first time in his crop dusting plane but his mother was screaming and chasing the plane down the runway until his Dad had to stop and put him out to calm her and then in the next breath tell you how much the DOW was up or down for the day because he had been watching CNBC since he woke up.  He would ask to be reminded if we had ordered at the restaurant but at the same time he could discuss global ramifications of current economics and details of political debates.  Can you imagine how much he saw come and go in 84 years?  So much of it he didn't understand but thought we were brilliant because we did, like the information I looked up for him on the internet, my Mom helping him shop for a fedora on ebay, or navigating a route on our smart phones.  He thought everything we did was great and he was always quick to encourage, thank or give a compliment: "Baby, that was the best meal I ever had", "Thank you, Baby", "You are so smart", "You look so pretty today". He loved to be surrounded by family and friends listening to and telling stories. In his last hours with us, that's just what we did... we gathered around him sharing our stories, hoping he could hear us. He heard new exploits of our youngest family members: Hugh, Pascal and Grace as well as the re-telling of well-worn family history through tears, laughter and prayers until he was finally at peace.   I got to see him enjoy the best love this world had to offer and to know that in the next instant he was welcomed into heaven to receive the perfect love of his savior Jesus Christ and have a reunion with his beloved wife and son and he missed so badly. What an honor to be a part of that.  We can't thank God enough for how good He has been to us.
 
Others that spoke were Bill (brother-in-law), Bruce (son-in-law), Harrison (1st grandson), and my dad (son-in-law). It was beautiful, funny, sad, and overwhelming. Everyone did a fantastic job. The priest even commented that more funerals should be done in that way and that he really enjoyed getting to know him better.

On Monday, November 1st, my mother was told that her immediate supervisor and friend at work had been found in the trunk of her own car after she didn't report to work that morning. You can read the article in our local paper (Gadsden Times). I really have nothing to say but please be in prayer for my mother. I don't know how much more she can take.

Da

REID, MR. JAMES MAX 84, of Bessemer, Alabama, passed away Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 surrounded by his loving family. Mr. Reid was reared in Tennessee, and after being discharged from the Navy he graduated from Lambuth College. Since 1954 he was a resident of Bessemer. He retired from Consolidated Cigar Company and was a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rozanne Schilleci Reid; and his son, James Paschal (Pat) Reid. He is survived by his daughters, Dana (Jim) Deale, Rainbow City and Lisa (Bruce) Jones, McCalla; daughter-in-law Cynthia Sears Reid, Plano, Texas; granddaughters, Ashley (Dustin) Morgan, Rainbow City, Elizabeth Reid, Plano; grandsons Harrison Reid, Tuscaloosa and Reid Jones, Tuscaloosa; sister-in-law Patsy (Bill) Grubbs, Birmingham; niece Denise (Matt) Williams, Birmingham; great-niece, Grace Williams, great-nephews, Paschal and Hugh Williams. Funeral services will be Monday, October 25, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at Bessemer Brown Service Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Aloysius.

50th anniversary party



Art Director



Bay of Sargento



 



One of my favorite pictures of him




Graduate of Lambuth College



His girls :)

"COME BACK!" "Watch out for the undertow!"

Nana & Da at the Trevi Fountain

Nana & Da, EST. April 21, 1955

Our place... every single significant event in our family has been celebrated here.

Proud papas

He met her on his way through town while driving a truck. She worked at a bank and he needed to cash a check. They fell in love and the rest is history. They are finally together again.

He lied about his age to get in.

3 things he ALWAYS had with him.. his hat, coat and a cigar... his pocket knife is in his pants of course!

TGIF

Thank God It's Fall... and Friday!

The fall weather is finally starting to kick in... at least this morning felt like it. It probably won't by the time I go out for lunch but at least I can feel it coming!!  I love fall!! I think maybe it's a genetic thing. My mom has already decorated her house almost willing it to hurry up and get here. There are pumpkins everywhere... I need to take some pictures!!

Tomorrow is going to be so fun I can barely wait!!  I'm taking Bronco for a good bath and brush at Petco. Then, I will be getting my very first professional massage.  I. Can't. Wait! Oh how I need it! Later, Mom and I are planning to go to the movies :)

I also wrote a new post on "New & Improved" today :)

Alaska

So my dad spent 3 weeks in Alaska building a church with Samaritan's Purse. We missed him terribly!! He had very little connection with the outside world with no phone or internet for the whole trip! We are soooooo very glad he is home!

I'm not sure if this link will work or not but here is a video that kind of shows you where he was and what he was doing: Alaska Video

So much to say...

.... just not publicly. Dustin and I have been very busy lately with coordinating our work schedules, social lives and sporadic family emergencies that seem to be more frequent with an ailing grandfather and other random occurrences. Here's a synopsis of the past few weeks...

• Dustin's mother took a pretty bad tumble the day before Father's Day/my birthday and broke her fibula, requiring corrective surgery with a plate and 12 screws.. .ouch. 
• I had a birthday since my last post (the day after). Woo hoo! 28 feels the same as 27 :). Dustin had to work the weekend of my birthday/Father's Day so I spent Saturday afternoon with his family at his grandfather's house. I was able to spend all of Sunday with my family. It was so nice to just float around in the pool in the peace and quiet with my mom and dad.. talking only when we wanted to. My mom's sister was in town, visiting Da. We watched several hours of the home movies and reminisced, laughed and cried. It was fantastic! It's been a long time since I've spent my birthday with my family like that.
• The next week yielded more work for both of us. Our department has been without a director for about 8 months... and while that is nice sometimes, it puts a strain on everyone to pull the weight. Our new director started June 21st. He seems like he will be a fair boss who will get things done. He comes from another CHS facility (the company that owns our hospital) in Houston, TX that is about a year ahead of us in technology ;). Sad. We still do everything on paper! I would LOVE to go all digital and never have to write another note. At least we dictate our evaluations (at the outpatient center.. not the acute care side - those are still written).
• My friend with fertility issues is considering another route... prayers are welcome.
• My aunt's precious mother-in-law passed away Friday after a relatively short battle with cancer. her funeral is Tuesday.
• Someone we know is really struggling with alcoholism.... but I don't know if they know it is as bad as it appears from the outside. Their kids and spouse are suffering. The kids should NOT be allowed to witness what they have witnessed.... And that's all I'm going to say about that before I get myself in trouble. Just know that this family needs your prayers.

Home Movies...

For Father's Day/Mother's Day I am converting our old home movies to DVDs. Wow. I have laughed till I cried and cried till I laughed alone in this house. It is so fascinating to see my mother in her 20s with so much on her shoulders and still carry herself with grace. It's amazing to see my parents as present, attentive, and patient as I've always remembered. It is so overwhelming to see the love in their eyes. It's truly been empowering to me over the last few days. I have seen these videos a handful of times in my life and each time I come away feeling something different.

circa 1985

To my amazing parents....
As I sit here (up way too late because I can't pull myself away) watching these home movies, I am overwhelmed by your love. You have both been nothing but encouraging, kind, grateful, and loving toward me and I am forever grateful to you. 

Mom, as I watched you fumble with a package and immediately had a flash back of sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, anxiously awaiting news from the doctors. I am overcome with the feeling that we almost lost you. I am so thankful to have had you this long and I know that each day we get to spend together is such a blessing. 

Dad, thank you for always teaching me... well... anything and everything. You never hesitated to let me try and coach me sweetly. 

I know I can never express my love and admiration for you to the fullest but know that I try :).

Love you!!!

Ashley

Life lately...

... has not included blogging but has been very busy all the same.

Da is home from the hospital. Thanks for all the prayers and kind words. He's slowly getting his strength back which is good but scary. The other day, he told mom that "that book fell in the floor in there" gesturing toward the bathroom (much further than we thought he could do independently considering he couldn't even stand up by himself 2 days before!). Mom looked in and found a book in the floor that had been sitting on the back of the toilet. Mom decided to hire a sitter since we all work full time jobs. One of the techs (Amber) we had in the hospital was a sweetheart and really connected with him. She started yesterday and Mom was able to run some errands and spend time with her sister.  When they got back to the house, Da told them he knew what they were doing and didn't want Amber to come back because he didn't need a sitter. He'll warm up to it. He really just wants company and someone to talk to/entertain him.

I'm back at work and thriving in a routine! I missed the kids and feel a renewed sense of commitment to them. [I've been feeling pretty burned out lately.]

(D, Reid, Me, Elizabeth)

My youngest cousin, Reid, graduated from high school last week and that makes me feel super old. [Our 10 year reunion is coming up in August.] I also got to spend a very little bit of time with my Aunt Cindy and cousin Elizabeth [Harrison was in London]. They came in from Plano, TX to see Reid graduate and spend some time with Da. It was so good to see them!

(Da & Reid)

My baby cousins are so grown!

D also had some family in from Texas...

Can you tell they're brothers?!

And... My nephew went for his school shots and check up and left with.... glasses :) His mom said she felt so bad because when he went outside with them on he said, "I can see everything and it's not fuzzy anymore!". 

Goodbye pity party...

I'm not...

• at the beach
• getting my money back
• happy about it...

BUT - I am...

• right where God wants me to be - that is blatantly obvious!
• spending precious time with my Da
• off for a week anyway
• giving my mom and aunt a little bit of a much deserved break doing night shift at the hospital
• getting to spend some quality time with Dustin as he only works Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday this week
• thankful for my friends and family that worked so hard to help me sell my "vacation" and for my friend that took me shopping today to help me get out of the inevitable funk of disappointment - which totally worked :)
• ready for the next opportunity to use my 2 brand spankin new beach chairs :)

working for the weekend...

Whew what a long week... I'm so glad for the weekend!

Friday night: Paint The Town - Little Birds

Saturday - 

Got up earlier than I get up on a work day planned (6:30) because D left for work and I couldn't go back to sleep. I straightened and kinda cleaned the absolutely filthy house, then took Bronco to the vet to get weighed so we could get his heartguard and comfortis. After taking one of the vet techs for a ride (literally), upsetting all the cats, and sniffing every square inch of the place, we finally got him on the scale - 108 lbs. $190 later, we were on our way to chick fil a for some chicken minis (for me).  The poor girl in the drive through almost had a heart attack at the sight of sweet Bronco.

I worked at Healthsouth for awhile and after D got off work, we went to dinner at Top O the River and then to see Iron Man 2. Mom called me right before the movie started and asked if I could spend the night at the hospital with Da. After the movie I headed out to the hospital.  Da was restless and very very talkative... even after his ambien. He was asleep but not and talking out of his head....

"You sure are riding that bicycle good."

(I had no response for this one)

Da: "Is Jim (my dad) still here?"

Me: "No, he left a couple of hours ago."

Da: "Oh yea... he's sleeping in the lobby."

Me: "oook"

Da: "You going back to work now?"

Me: "No sir, It's midnight... just go back to sleep"

"Did that thing around my neck bust?" (took me awhile to figure out he was talking about the breathing treatment medicine thingy)

Da to me while standing at the sink... "You sleeping good baby?"

At least he's kinda sweet about it. 

Sunday Morning - 

Da was pretty restless until about 4am. I slept when he slept so I decided not to go to church.

It was pretty entertaining to watch him try to position his reading glasses just right on top of that mask. Thank goodness he only has to wear it for his breathing treatments (every 4 hours) or he would drive me bananas!  He's constantly pulling/tugging/re-adjusting/messing with it.

Dad came back to relieve me after sunday school.

The rest of the day was spent being lazy, taking accidental naps, listening to the rain and spending some quality time with D before he starts this crazy night shift business.  

Mother's Day...

D and I went to church even though we knew it would be all about mothers and mothering.  I took some Tylenol Severe Allergy because I sneezed for about 10 minutes straight before we left.  By the time we got to church I was ready to go back to bed. I'm sure the sermon was really good but I have no recollection of it.  At the end, Eric (our pastor) asked the mothers to pray over their children on the spot. In that moment, I ached for my mother and the tears overwhelmed me.  In my mind, I was thinking... she's not dead... she's just camping... pull it together. :)  I'm sure people thought I was a crazy woman.  

After lunch Bronco and D went with me to the wildlife park... we roamed about 2 miles and enjoyed the scenery until Bronco jumped off some rocks into some nasty backwater. Yuck... yuck.... yuck... As soon as he jumped in, he turned around and tried to get out.  D had to pull him up by his collar.  Then he shook.. all. over. us. Glad we decided to take the truck!

After we got home, we hosed off the nasty stench and got ready for Mother's Day festivities at Pam's house.... good food, family and fun!

On our way home, we stopped at my mama's house and chatted. No pictures were taken as we all looked pretty rough :)

Time for bed... D has to be at Goodyear at 6:45 for orientation!!

Dear Mama!

Happy Mother's Day Mama!  You have been the best mother to me.  You have been tough and mean when you needed to be and loving and nurturing through it all.  You have always strived to do what's right for me and you never cared if I used you to get out of things I didn't feel comfortable with ("mmm. sorry, I can't go to that party, my mean mom won't let me.")  There were definitely times that I thought you were the. meanest. mother. ever. But I know now that it was always in my best interest.  I am so so so thankful for this time in our lives that we are able to be friends and enjoy each other.  I love you so so so much!!

busy weeks ahead...

Friday afternoon, I'm leaving for Woodstock, GA to see Beth Moore with some friends and returning Saturday night.  Sunday is always church and home group after.

Next weekend a couple of us may be going to the Bodies exhibit in Atlanta.  There are about 6 of us that want to go but i don't know if we'll be able to get our schedules all together at the same time.  I wouldn't mind going more than once because it looks really cool.  I had heard a few months ago that it was going to end in May 2010, but I called and they said they had been extended to June 2012.  Surely by then we can all get together and go!

The next weekend... Mother's Day weekend.  My parents are going camping and I will be looking after Da for at least Saturday but probably Sunday as well.  The picture is of their "camper" trailer.  Dad converted a cargo trailer into a camper and it's really cool.  They have enough room for a queen size bed and storage for their stuff without having to "pack" everything.  He even added the window.  Mom made the lettering with her Cricut. I think that will be my gift to my Mom :)  A weekend away from life...

The next 2 weekends are empty so far.... shhhh don't tell anyone :)

May 23rd - 27th we will be here: Escapes to the Shores

I. can. not. wait!




And finally... the last weekend of May is my youngest cousin's high school graduation!

hodge podge

here's some pictures i've taken lately...

Easter....

Wow.. Easter meant a lot more to me this year than any other.  I LOVE THAT!  It was so exciting... not because of anything different that we did or big plans but because of the growth in my relationship with God over the past year.  Thank you God for pulling me back to you and never leaving me or giving up on me.

Here's some pics of my sweet niece and nephew from this weekend.  My nephew's 5th birthday was the 31st so we combined our Easter dinner and a birthday party... so much fun!