Hello! It is September!!

Did you think I forgot about you all? Well, I could never!!! We have just been scurrying from one thing to the next around here. Let’s see…we left off getting ready for our trip. What a trip it was! We had a great trip up, stopping on the way at Ian and Courtney’s for an overnight. Then we got to Nana & Papa’s the next afternoon just in time to blend up some margaritas. –the perfect way to start any vacation celebration! It was a weekend FULL of fun times: family BBQ dinner, driving tour of all the old venues, golf, games, treasure hunts, church as a family, Hershey park, Harley-Davidson, out on the boat, a slide show, the trip to the train and Amish country, Dutch Wonderland for the kids and Ruth the play for the rest of us…so many great memories and times of laughter. Sometimes the best time with family is just being together to experience things together. Rodgers didn’t want to come home with us on Wednesday, so he went with Nana Kathy while Rod, Kylie and I came home. Kylie did great in the car for the first time in her life, so we are all rejoicing. We were tired puppies by the time we hit the bed that night! Thanks to all who made the trip happen!
Found out the day after getting back that one of my closest friends from high school, Nathan…Nate, died while I was gone, so the rest of that week back was a blur seen through severely puffy eyes as I tried to process all that I was feeling. In fact, there are times I am still not really sure…part of me just aches, there is still a lump in my throat every time I think of him and all that was left unsaid, plus anger at the direction he let his life lead him, but mostly just the loss of hope that one day he would return to his Father and the beautiful life I know He had for Nate…and all the things I had dreamed for him. I went to his memorial service in Raleigh last week after wavering back and forth over whether or not I wanted to go since I would have to go alone. There is nowhere I would have rather been than sitting right there with his sweet grandma and crazy parents reminiscing, laughing and crying over all the years we shared…memories made…thoughts and ideas voiced…arguments fought…and ultimately the love we all have for each other because of our Savior. Praise God that there were the few of us who always saw Nate through His eyes and loved him in spite of himself. One thing I came away from that night knowing was that I had touched his life just as much as he touched mine. I’m sad I won’t get to hug his neck or strangle him again for that matter in this lifetime, but his memory will always make me smile. I just want to share some lyrics that have been playing in my head ever since hearing the news…this is the song I will always hear him singing:
Let me sing for you
Just for a little while
Like I used to do
When you used to smile

Open up your heart
Just for a little while
Let the words inside
They just might make you smile

What I wouldn’t give
To hold you in my arms
To love you with my rhymes
To see you one more time…

I got back Thursday from Pinehurst just in time to clean up, whip up some appetizers, jump in the shower, and host a Gamecock football party for the first game of the season! GO COCKS! It was a fun time of hanging out with friends who were not all Gamecock fans, but we are praying that they will be one day! :)
Friday night a bunch of girls took Caroline out to celebrate her birthday. It was so good to spend time with her again! We miss her since she is in Columbia now being all studious…she is taking classes for a one year program at Columbia International University Bible College. She also can’t drink while class is in session so we all had a glass of wine in her honor at dinner and told the waitress we were celebrating her sweet 16! Love you Caroline!
This weekend was Matthews Festival in downtown Matthews, so we took the kids out there Saturday afternoon for a few hours to ride some of the rides and look around. One of my friends from high school was running one of the concession booths, so we went by to see him and get some free cream soda. We went over to the Swineharts’ that night and ordered pizza and hung out with them, Amanda, and the Pinks. It was a fun night of fellowship and game playing. Sunday was church and then back to the festival after naps for some concerts and more rides. Rod and I went out with my friend Ashley when he got off after the kids were in bed that night. Monday we really did not do much of anything…just rested and cleaned a little bit. We met the Swineharts for dinner. Steven came over to watch football with Rod while Kerry, Amy and I went to game night at the Swineharts’. It was my first time playing Nerts, and we all had a lot of fun! I will say I am not very good though, but I’m still hoping I can get better with practice?!?!?
And finally we are caught up to today. Rod and I are exhausted because Kylie will not sleep ever since coming home from PA, and she was up more than half the night last night. Then Rod called from work to say his car is dead, so we have been dealing with that today…I guess he’ll get his exercise tomorrow walking to work…JUST KIDDING! Anyway, that is about all from here.
In closing I want to share this story from Kylie: She had a tube of her toothpaste the other day (which she has developed an addiction to and we are considering rehab for) and I said, “Kylie, if you eat that toothpaste I am going to spank your fanny!” She looked at me with one of her challenging looks and said, “Mama, I want you to go in the other room.” I asked why, and she said, “because I don’t want you to see me.” And I asked why, and she said, “because I don’t want you to spank my fanny.” And I said why would I spank your fanny? And she said, “because I am going to eat this toothpaste!” Well, there you have it. That is what I am dealing with around here!!!! :)
I don’t want to leave Rodgers out…he is so into learning Spanish now that just about every other thing I say to him he answers with, “but can you say that in Spanish?” Oh, if only I could!! He is getting really good and inserts the Spanish words into his English sentences. He is also now counting everything in Spanish and naming his shapes in Spanish…which then Kylie tries to mimic, which is met with frustration from Rodgers when she doesn’t say it right, which leads to her beating him up, which leads to him fighting back….oh, you guys know this cycle…pray for us! :)