Sweet Memories

What a restful vacation we had! Our time with family was so blessed! It was filled with many sweet new memories. We spent time catching up on each other’s lives, some played golf, some sat by the pool, and we spent time watching the children take adventures and find treasures. It was so neat to see that kids can still find ways to entertain themselves without a TV or amusement parks. It was a wonderful feeling to have the little girls run into my arms and beg me to play with them. It gave me just a glimpse of what it will feel like to be a mom. On Saturday night we honored my grandparent’s 64 years of marriage. Each person had an ornament with their picture on it and we put them on the “tree” in the order we came into the family either by birth or marriage. At the end we honored those that were not officially in the family but felt like part of it. This included my sister’s boyfriend Patrick. After he put his ornament on the tree, he began to be teased about when he was going to make this official. Well, just a few minutes later he asked for everyone’s attention, thanked them for accepting him and letting him celebrate this occasion with us, and slowly got down on one knee and said, “Carlie, I love you very much, Will you marry me?” Needless to say, she was caught off guard and overwhelmed with emotion as she said YES! It looks like another family event will be in the planning stages soon! Most likely, they will be married in May 2005. We look forward to officially welcoming Patrick into our family. He is an great guy and a perfect match for Carlie.

It is incredible to see how God has blessed our family over the years. We have had our share of rough times and tragedy, but God has always seen us through. Very few families enjoy spending time together, much less three days in the mountains. We are all very different, but we value and respect those differences. I know that I could count of my family for anything I ever needed. I only pray that God will give Mike and I a family that will be rooted in faith and committed to pursuing a life with Him.

On Sunday and Monday we had the privilege of spending sacred time with two friends from Lipscomb who are now married and living in Searcy. Mike and Jeremy were roommates for a year and shared lots of memories together. It was great to share a few meals and lots of conversations about life, marriage, school, and ministry. Thank God that we have friends and are able to feel like we can just pick up where we left off. It was a blessed time.

Family Reunions

It seems that as I get older, family and family events become more sacred and treasured. Today, Mike and I will begin our journey to Fairfield Bay Resort, north of Little Rock, Arkansas to honor my grandparent's 64th wedding anniversary. Tonight we will drive to Dallas and spend the night with Mike's sweet grandparents, Dick and Dot. Grandma Dot will try to force food down our stomachs every 15 minutes and Grandpa Dick will retell the same stories we have heard every visit, but it will be cherished time together. Tomorrow at noon we will fly to Little Rock, rent-a-car, and drive to the resort to meet the Siner family. Approximately 31 people will be with us. Typically, Siner reunions are different than other family reunions. It is essentially a 4 day vacation with my grandparents, their three kids, and their kids, and now their kids (4 generations). Even though everyone is spread out amongst Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, and the East Coast, we come together as if we see each other every day. All the great grandchildren will be spoiled (most under 8 years of age), adults will visit, play golf, and lay by the pool as well as spending the evenings reminiscing about past reunions and memories.

Some of the memories that I share are:

Spending the night with Grandma and Popi countless times and Popi scaring us as we went to bed. (we always begged him to do this)

Calling Popi during the summer and asking to go to the mall while he sat and talked to the old men.

Silver dollar pancake breakfasts with grandma.

Sunday lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

Playing in the cellar.

Brushing our cousins, Jennifer and Amber's, hair.

Short vacations to Oklahoma City with Grandma and Popi.

And countless more that would fill up volumes. Each family member that I will see is so special and dear to me regardless that I don't see them on a regular basis. My prayer for this weekend is that God will bless us with making more memories, that we will feel comfortable to share our victories and hurts with one another, and will leave with our tanks full until we are brought together again. Family is such a precious blessing that I want to take advantage of and learn as much as I can about. I am excited for Mike to get to learn more about my family and develop his own relationships with them and see why these gatherings are so special to me.

Giving In

For months now I have been reading my husband's blog among many, many others. For several weeks I have been contemplating creating my own. Well, during class this morning I decided today is the day. I hope that this will be a place that I can share glimpses of the journey that I experience as I continue my journey through the Marriage and Family Therapy program, marriage, ministry, and whatever else is along the way.