Letters to God

Billy and I went out last weekend to celebrated our belated anniversary.  After a yummy dinner at Southern Roots (love that place!!), we wanted to go see a movie.  As we looked at our options we decided on Letters to God.  We have both wanted to see it, but knew it would be difficult.  We were right.

The movie was great.  It is the true story of the director's son's battle with medulloblastoma that took his life.  The characters were all endearing and heartfelt.  The movie skimmed over a lot of the aspects of the childhood cancer journey, but stayed true to it's message of faith and the path to salvation.  Tyler was a boy who knew God's purpose for his life.  In his short time here he led many people to walk with Christ.  His simple heart for others and desire for God was inspiring. 

Especially precious was his best friend, Sam.  Watching her lose her best friend was especially hard.  There was also some attention paid to the struggles of Tyler's older brother dealing with his brother's cancer and the pressures on his mom.  This is a huge issue to cancer families.  There are so many things that could have been covered in the movie, but then I guess it would have been way too long.  There were many lines about the chosen calling of cancer kids that hit so close to home.  God has touched each one of these courageous kids in a profound way. 

Also in the movie, Tyler's "wish" is granted and his family visits Give Kids the World.  They did not really explain much behind the village or its purpose, but there were a few glimpses of its magic.  They did show the mailbox added by Tyler for family's own letters to God and his brother sang an amazing song about life with cancer.

So when you have the chance, go and see Letters to God.  Check out their website were you can post your own letters.  Find out more about the incredible Give Kids the World Village, their inspiring founder, and their endless work for families. We are eagerly counting down the days to Julia's once in a lifetime visit in less than two weeks!!

On the eve of "scan day", Julia is doing great.  She is full of life, energy, and playful inspiration these days.  She is talking a mile a minute in a constant streaming monologue of her thoughts and observations.  We are excited to see all our friends in clinic tomorrow.  We have lots of hugs and smiles to share.  Julia can't wait to show off her new hair and hand out some very special hugs. 

As this day is now upon us, we are facing the realities of this unknown journey.  When talking to some other cancer moms in the past months I have heard over and over again that you learn to live in the spaces.  In the beginning of cancer, we lived life in chunks of several hours.  In time this became days, then weeks.  Now we live in three month spaces between scans.  We are learning more and more every day how to fully embrace each day as a gift and blessing.

We pray for a smooth visit tomorrow, positive progress at her physical and labs, clear views for all the scans, wisdom for the techs and radiologists, unveiling if their is anything in her body we need to see, and strength and wisdom for us to give God the glory and point others to Him in every interaction.  And as we rest in God's peace, Billy's new tattoo summarizes our outlook...

Christmas Getaway

Billy and I finally took a weekend getaway.  Our first in six years! He surprised me with a trip to Biltmore in Asheville.  I have not been away from Julia in eight months and he wanted some time for us to relax and breathe from all that has happened.  With the kids happily in Mimi's care we headed out on Friday afternoon.  Pulling up to the property all lit for Christmas was amazing.  We stayed at the Inn which was such a treat.  Being guests of the estate means nothing but the best and free reign of the 8,000 acres.  Here's our hotel in gingerbread (an exact replica!)...

Here it is in real life (from the back), perched on a hill with the most amazing views...

 

After settling in, we headed to the house for the Candlelight Christmas tour.  The decorations were amazing and the house looks incredible all lit up.  Unfortunately you can't take any pictures inside.

 

I did sneak one in the basement kitchen where they build a cookie model of the house.  Shh, don't tell!

They are very serious about it.  The family behind us during the tour had one of their preschoolers reach under the rope (at nothing) and the guide immediately got on the phone.."Child reached under rope in the library.  No items touched.  Parent restained child without assistance.  Room secure."  Geez!

Then we visited some of the amazing shops and actually finished most of our Christmas shopping- yay!

 

The next morning we awoke to beautiful falling snow...

 

We headed back to the house for the day tour and to visit the gardens.

 

They were expecting 9,000 visitors Saturday- incredible! Fortunately the place is so big you don't really notice the crowds.  We headed down to the Bistro for lunch, enjoyed a Wine and Chocolate class, toured the winery, and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.  Dinner at the Deerpark was delicious.  All the food on property is.  Every meal was a 'wow!'

Sunday morning we headed out on a trail ride of the the estate.  It was breathtaking.  There are cattle, sheep, deer, and wild turkeys all over- not afraid of us at all. 

 

We explored all the different areas, the different forests and the back of the house.  You couldn't help but be in awe of God's creation and the amazing lengths this family has gone to to preserve and appreciate it- such detail.  Not to mention the beautiful animals we were riding.

 

After some time in Biltmore Village and a delicious lunch at Corner Kitchen, we headed back home.  The kids were very excited to see us, but having such fun with Mimi.  We had our Sunday Advent candlelight dinner...

 

And then decorated the tree...

 

 

Now the house is homey, warm, and inviting.  All in anticipation of our greatest gift.  The kids excitement continues to grow.  They are enjoying every day of this wonderful season.  Julia keeps telling us how much she loves it (and she still hasn't figured out it includes presents!).  We are trying to stop and savor every precious moment...

 

4th of July Wedding

Friday we headed up to State College, PA for Erin and Mike's wedding at their alma mater, Penn State. We had a long drive Friday in construction traffic, but made it in time for the rehearsal dinner. The kids did great at the church and we enjoyed a delicious italian feast.

Saturday morning after breakfast we headed outside too play. We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather- cool 70s and 80s and no humidity. The groomsmen were playing bocce ball and Carter started up a game of baseball.
Then it was time to get ready for the wedding. I have to prove to my mom that I do iron- a few time a year. Sadly I was in a hurry, so I did it while wearing the dress!

Then it was time to dress the kids. We have been so nervous about Carter wearing his tux. He fights us about wearing a polo shirt to church on Sundays! He willingly tried on the pants and coat the day before, so we were hoping for the best. All was going well until he realized how many parts it had. We got the first 4 items on and then had to hold him down for the rest. When all was said and done he had on his undershirt, socks, dress shirt, pants, vest, tie, cuff links, coat, and dress shoes. I can honestly say this is this most this kid has ever worn at one time. He screamed for a little while, but by the time we were joined his fellow ring bearer he had pulled himself together. He stayed in it for the next 12 hours!!

The kids looked so precious- Hannah, Julia, Mason, and Carter. They were so excited about the trolley that was taking us to the church. Such a special treat!

We hadn't talked to the kids much about their wedding responsibilities. We decided to wait until we were in PA to teach them at the church. Apparently somewhere along the way they learned how to do this because no explanation was necessary. They did an incredible job. Billy and I just kept looking at each other in astonishment.

Mason and Carter carried their ring pillows very carefully down the aisle.

Followed by Julia nd Hannah dropping their flower petals...

They stood in the front of the church and quietly watched the entire ceremony. I love this picture of the girls praying...

The happy couple after the ceremony! Congratulations guys!!

Julia looked so precious in her dress. We are so thankful we were able to be here. We knew up until the last minute, this may not be possible for her. We are so happy the doctors were willing to rearrange her chemo schedule to facilitate our trip. We are grateful for the blood transfusion that has given her the strength to make travel possible. And we thank God for protecting her from illness throughout this process. She was a little princess....

After pictures, we headed back to the hotel for a delicious outdoor cocktail hour. The food was wonderful, the weather couldn't have been nicer, and the kids had such a great time watching the fountain and waterfall and playing in the grass. Anderson and Mimi sharing a snack...

Grandpa and his siblings- Dan, Mike, Alice, and Joanne...

James was so funny playing in the water. He could not have been more excited...

Then we headed into the ballroom for the reception. It was magical- beautiful lights and flowers.

After dinner started, Julia crawled up in my lap and said, "Please put me to bed now." It's been a long day for her. Daddy obliged and took her up to bed. Carter, however, was still going strong and danced until midnight. I don't know where this kid gets his dance moves, but he was quite a character. People kept asking if he watched a lot of music videos. I don't think they were referring to Cedarmont Kids! Last I checked they don't teach this on PBS or Noggin, I guess he was just born with moves...

Gramma and Grampa K 'won' the anniversary dance. They have been married for 59 years!! That is something to be proud of. They have 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great grand-children. Thank you for your loving example!

Beth and Jason enjoying their 'night out' while Anderson slept...

It was a wonderful night to celebrate Erin and Mike and their amazing relationship. The food and hotel were incredible. The ceremony was touching and sweet. The kids did awesome. We had great times with our friends and family in a beautiful town. And to top off the night, we watched the PSU fireworks from the reception...

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

Happy Anniversary Honey

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary. I have to say this is not exactly where I thought we would be right now, but we do have so much to be thankful for.

Honey, thank you for.......

• your crazy, playful sense of humor that keeps us all smiling


• providing an amazing life for us that allows me to stay home and school our children


• knowing all my favorite treats and just when I need them


• sending me flowers all the time- even the kids love getting flowers now :)


• suggesting we go out to dinner when its been a particularly rough day


• being willing to listen to me talk- all the time- I've actually started to convert you too :)


• letting me stay in bed until 8:30 every weekend


• participating in Carter's endless sports and activities he organizes


• watching my favorite shows on Tivo without ever complaining


• putting God first in your life and leading our family with honor, faith, and integrity


• being the rock I can depend on when things are tough


• hugs even when you don't feel like it


• loving us all so completely


• making me happy in so many ways

A huge thanks to Tom and Emily who are watching our kids for us tonight so we can getaway for dinner. We wondered what God was up to when he put a pediatrician and pediatric nurse right around the corner from us :) I think I should be able to relax, knowing they're with you guys. We treasure your friendship. Thank you for walking this road beside us. Please pray all goes smoothly tonight. Both the kids have announced through tears several times today that we are not leaving them tonight (totally out of character, but hard on everyone). This is another new facet of our new normal.
Happy Anniversary honey, I love you!!

David Crowder Band

What an awesome night!!
Last night we had the amazing opportunity to attend a David Crowder Band concert at our church. All I can say is WOW. It was a packed auditorium, people of all ages, and God was in that place.
The band are a down to earth, on fire for God, tender-hearted, musically-gifted, spirit-moving, praise-inspiring group that God has granted an amazing task on this earth. There are certain musical groups that just move your soul and the spirit within you is released. This is one of those groups. It brought tears to my eyes to see people from 8yrs to 70yrs moved to dance, sing, raise their hands, and praise their precious Savior. Wow. Now, that is music- when it transcends everything. It seeps into your soul and won't let go. I can't stop singing their songs. Visit their website and it will stream into your living room, too :)
(***A quick sidenote: Happy Birthday Dad!!***)

.....Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.......