I've been MIA here at the blog the past 2-3 weeks and thought it was time for a "catch-up" post. I'm sure you all were wondering where I've been and what I've been up to. ~chuckle~
Now, if you know me at all then you know I LOVE advance planning. And, I pray that the above pictured marble stone is wayyyyy advance planning. Hubby and I have discussed our personal desires for our final arrangements in regards to burial. I decided some years ago that if I had my preference I would be buried in a mausoleum. Everything is so neat, orderly and beautiful (well, at least the one where we bought our spaces is). We began seriously discussing our desires a few months back and decided that we would go and secure our crypts in a nearby mausoleum. They only had a couple left that were at a height (from the floor) that we desired. So, we bought them and had the brass lettering placed on them. All that will need to added is our date of death. I know to many this is likely rather morbid, but I love that our children or the surviving spouse will NOT have to make this decision and it has been decided and taken care of in advance of the need. We still have a few other decisions that I would like for us to go ahead and make in regards to our final arrangements. We are both so pleased with our crypts and I'm especially happy that I will NOT be buried in the ground. ~smile~ Of course, I have such peace knowing that it matters NOT where I am buried, I'm going straight to be with my Lord and Savior and walking the streets of gold.
Our little Merry Sunshine (Andi Kate) graduated from Kindergartner this past week. Seems it was just yesterday that she was born and now she's about to be a first grader. Can I just say that her gorgeous red hair was so pretty with her green robe and cap.
And, this girl! Well, she just finished up 5th grade and brought home some awesome end of year awards. She had the top award for Accelerated Reading, all A's for the year and was voted most Christlike. Talk about proud! And, the only award she knew she was getting was the all A's award, the other 2 were huge surprises. She is blossoming into such a lovely young lady.
Clancy just finished up 6th grade with all A's and is now headed to Jr. High. So hard to believe! Last week he found some lumber in their barn and asked his Mom is he could make a chair out of it. Bridget told him to "go for it." Well, I'd say he did a really good job for his first woodworking project. He's such a multi-talented young man.
And, this little guy, well, he finished up Pre-K and can hardly wait to get to Kindergartner. The day this picture was taken was PJ day and when Coleman smiles he definitely smiles with his entire face. Such a cutie!!!
And, God love our little Case. He recently took a tumble and scraped his nose and face. But, bless him, he didn't let it get him down for long. He was up and going and had a big smile.
I took the girls to see their Great Poppa the other day. It was their first time to see him in about 15 months. It was a sweet reunion. So thankful this time last year is now a distant memory.
Some of you may remember that I've been having tear duct issues the past 2-3 months. Well, I had tear duct surgery last week and, while I did survive, I thought I might have a nervous breakdown. Not over pain (I was good and numbed up) but I could still feel what the Dr. was doing and it literally gave me the "hibby jibbies." The upper tear duct on my right eye had never fully formed, so he basically made me a tear duct. Yes, that's right, I didn't even know that we had an upper tear duct and I certainly didn't know that one could be made. Goodness, modern medicine is so amazing. And, I have healed beautifully, still have a bruise but it fades a little more everyday. I never had pain, aggravating discomfort but hopefully no more dry eye for this gal. Yea!
AND, I end with this............Tommy and I will be celebrating our 50th, yes, 50th anniversary in just a few days on June 6th. Above is pictured an 18 (6 weeks shy of my 19th birthday) year old innocent, immature, gullible girl who truly had no idea what she was doing. But, hey, ignorance is bliss and thankfully I married an "older" guy (he's 5 1/2 years older than me) that did know what he was doing.
Thankfully he was a patient guy and supported me through many tears as I pined for family that lived 1000 miles away. Remember that was wayyyyy before cell phones and email. We were poor as church mice in those days and I wrote long "snail mail" letters and called and talked to my parents every 2 weeks for a mere 10 minutes.
To sum it up in as few of words as possible.........as with any couple, we've had our ups and downs, and our tears and laughter but, we both made a commitment that we WOULD be one until "death do us part." Thankfully, the Lord has been with us every step of the way and He has blessed us wayyyy more than we deserve and we give Him the credit for this milestone.
We will be celebrating this milestone with our kids and their families beginning this weekend . They are our greatest accomplishment and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than for all of us to be together. We have rented a beautiful bed and breakfast in the mountains of Branson, Missouri. It has the perfect accommodations for our crew. We look forward to a grand celebration!
And, that's it for this "Random Catch-Up."
Congratulations on your 50th anniversary! I loved seeing the wedding photos. I can't believe you were as old as my Grace when you got married! Have a wonderful week...hope your eye continues to heal.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your anniversary! What a milestone.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post!!! You had a lot of catching up to do, and we most certainly understand that you've been pre-occupied with all that tear duct stuff to slow you down. All the grandchildren look wonderful -- Clancy is such a marvel. The things that boy accomplishes and he's not even grown-up yet.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 50th wedding anniversary. Your plans sound wonderful. I'm so glad it's all coming together so beautifully for you.
And the headstone thing -- yes, it's good to have as much of that taken care of ahead of time as possible. That was a toughie for me, but with God's help, a wonderful funeral home and kids who just stepped in to make the decisions, I can look back and be thankful it went as it did. You have done your family a wonderful service.
Oh my goodness, I just loved this post, Lea!! So full of love and feel goods! Happy anniversary!! Fifty years!! God has richly blessed you and I know he will continue to bless you in the years ahead. I'm just so happy for you and can't wait to hear all about the family celebration!! Pictures please!! xo
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 50th, BEAUTIFUL COUPLE! I hope your tear duct is all fixed up! So happy that your Dad had a nice visit with the kids. They sure put a smile on our faces. Pre-planning is important. I am about to update my will, as soon as I can figure out how I want it all done:) Enjoy your day dear friend, HUGS!
ReplyDeleteHappy 50th wedding anniversary to you both. That surely takes commitment and dedication. Something that is terribly lacking in our society today. So glad you will be able to celebrate with your family. The kiddos are surely growing up so quickly. Time waits on no one. Prayers for healing with your eye. Those darn eye issues can be a pain for sure. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, on your 50th Wedding Anniversary. What a wonderful milestone. My Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle just celebrated their 60th and got a card from The Queen in their mail. Enjoy your celebration with family.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, Happy Anniversary! Your trip sounds like the perfect way to celebrate, and I can't wait to hear about it. When FBC Shreveport began discussing building a Columbarium, we knew that would be perfect for us. We planned to be cremated anyway, and having a nice niche in such a beautiful place that would be taken care of, was exactly what we wanted. We were among the first to buy one, so got a chosen spot. Before we moved, we made sure we could still use it and everything will be taken care of when that time comes. You are right; it is such a relief to know those details are already decided.
ReplyDeleteWell first of all happy happy anniversary! That is fantastic and definitely worthy of a celebration. Your eye procedure gave me the heebie jeebies and I'm only reading about it. I know I will eventually need cataract surgery and that everyone says its no big deal, but I'm squeamish about my eyes and my teeth lol. Enjoy your family time! And good for you planning ahead so your children are spared that burden. I want to do the same.
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