BLESSINGS ABOUNDED IN HUNTSVILLE

Richard and I were so blessed to be a part of Chip's move into his first "owned" home. As a college student, seminary student, and first years as a youth pastor, he lived in dorms, apartments, and rental houses. As his friend and realtor Tommy told him on Monday, January 12, after the closing on the house: "Chip, welcome to the American dream..... you are now in debt!!!"

Chip invited his dad and me up to attend the closing with him, go shopping for furniture, and to help him move in. We had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!! We arrive on Sunday evening in time to visit Chip's church and be blessed by Pastor Zach Terry's evening message.

On Monday, we met Chip at the church to go to the 11:00 a.m. closing with him. It was uneventful but such a blessing to see that interest rate of 4.375 on those closing papers. What a blessing that he locked in that great rate. We took Chip and Tommy (Chip's realtor/friend) out for lunch as our way of thanking Tommy for working with Chip as he looked for a home to buy.

After lunch, we rode all over Huntsville with Chip as he visited the various utilities to get the electricity, gas, and water changed from the rental to the new house in time for our move later in the week. Later in the afternoon, we went with Chip as he shopped for some new furniture for his new house. He was very blessed to run up on a good deal at a great store in buying furniture with no interest for 48 months!!! He picked out some very nice things which will be delivered next week, I believe. We were at the furniture store until about 10:00 p.m. and boy were Richard and I tired by that time. We were thankful for the comfy recliners we claimed as Chip shopped and bought his furniture.

On Tuesday, Chip went to work at the church and we went to work in the rental packing up for the move. It went fast for the planned move on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the coldest air of the season was poised to move into the area. Chip was very wise and lined up some of his teen and college students and a couple of dads to come over after church on Wednesday night to load up the truck and move the stuff to the new house. That went great and we were moved in by 10:00 p.m!!! What a nice treat to move in a day ahead of time and to beat the COLD wind and temps that were moving in. We slept on our new mattresses and found the house to be very warm and comfy.

On Thursday, Chip went on to work and we went over to the rental to clean it up. Being a little 4-room house, that wasn't a very big chore and we were done in a couple of hours. Chip's landlord there is a dear man and his wife in the church. They were so good to Chip and we so much appreciate Bro. Dwayne and Jackie for their generosity toward Chip. One special blessing they were the benefactors of: Chip had a clothes dryer but didn't have his own washing machine as the rental had a washer there. Bro. Dwayne came over on Tuesday as Richard and I were packing up to check on how things were going. He asked us if that was Chip's washer and dryer. We explained that the dryer was Chip's (Dwayne's dryer was sitting over in a corner of the kitchen) but that the washing machine wasn't Chip's and that Chip would be buying one. Dwayne came back on Wednesday to tell Chip to take the washer with him. He didn't charge Chip a penny for that machine. WHAT A WONDERFUL BLESSING!!! I pray that God blesses Dwayne and Jackie abundantly for all they did for Chip.

The cold air flowed into Huntsville on Thursday and it was bitter cold on Thursday night. Richard had gone out during the evening to turn on the outside faucets to let them drip over night but no water came out!!!! Oh dear. It was in the single digits over-night and so all of the faucets in the house were dripping. We got up several times in the night to make sure everything was dripping. When we got up on Friday morning and as the sunshine came out, Richard waited until afternoon to go out and check on those outdoor faucets. (Chip was at work.) One faucet came right on and the water flowed. The other faucet still did not run. (I have to confess that I am a worry-wart (sin!) and my heart was sick.) Richard took my hairdryer out there and blew on it for several sessions. Later in the afternoon, when he turned on the faucet, the water flowed. PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!

Chip was scheduled to preach at a youth retreat in Gatlinburg on Friday evening through Monday noon so he took off on Friday mid-morning for that event. We stayed at the house and did some more settling in, setting up, paint touch-ups, cleaning jobs, etc. We had a fun day working in Chip's house. Richard installed the surround-sound system that Chip had bought for the house. We were invited out to dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant by a dear couple in the church. We enjoyed getting to know Dan and Janice and their teen son who is in Chip's student group.

On Saturday, we worked most of the day and then were invited over to Tommy's and Terri's house for dinner. (They are great folks in Chip's church and Tommy was Chip's realtor.) Terri had prepared a delicious dinner and we enjoyed a 3-hour visit in their home.

On Sunday, we attended Chip's church for both services and took Dwayne and Jackie (Chip's former landlord) out to lunch. We enjoyed the fellowship with them and being able to express our thanks to them for all of the ways they were a special blessing to Chip for those 14 months he lived in their rental.

On Monday morning, January 19, we packed up and made our 6-hour trip back home. We were so very blessed to spend a week up there and enjoyed Chip's new home so very much. We saw blessing after blessing during the event and thank God for His blessings upon our son.

ANOTHER MILESTONE!

Our man-child is buying his first home. Chip is set to close on his house this Monday, January 12. We are going up to help him pack up and make the physical move into his new home which will take place on Thursday. We are very excited for Chip and pray his home will serve him well.

I'M ENJOYING BABY-SITTING TODAY!

When our 4-year-old grandson, Jaden, woke up from his kindergarten nap on Wednesday, it was discovered that he had a fever. He was feverish all night and unable to go to school today, so Grandpa Richard and I have had the joy of having him here with us today. He feels a little warm but has felt better today and is eating. He was lying in "his" bed here at our house watching a "Storykeeper's" DVD and I snapped a couple of pics of him. I baby-sat Jaden for the first 2-1/2 years of his life and still miss my days with him, so this has been a treat. Here are the couple of pics I snapped. Shhhhhhhhh....... he's going down for a nap.

Happy 31st Birthday to Chip!!

Thirty-one years ago right now, I was pushing. I remember the doctor coming in to check me and me telling him to go check on the woman in the other labor room who was screaming. I had the advantage of having saddle-blocks with both of my babies and never knew the horrible pain of giving birth. But I surely knew the joy of watching my babies be born and joyfully thanking God for them and welcoming them into this world....

Chip was born at 12:15 p.m. on this day in 1978. I remember the doctor asking me if he should tell Richard the sex of our baby or would I like to do it. (Back then, we didn't know ahead of time. Sounds archaic now, doesn't it?) I told Dr. Daly that I wanted to tell Richard. In a bit, as they wheeled Baby Chip and me out of the delivery room, I remember hollering to Richard who was down the hall somewhere: "It's a boy! It's a boy!"

Chip has been a blessing to us since the day of his birth. We thank God for our one and only son. We also thank God for His calling Chip into the ministry and for his ministry as a youth pastor. He has already touched a lot of lives in his 5 years of being a full-time youth pastor. How I wish his four grandparents were here to know that their grandson has followed in their Godly steps.

When Chip was a very young child, I read the following poem. It was what I wanted for Chip and so I typed it, framed it, and it hung in his bedroom for a long time. I share it here as a salute to Chip for the fine way he has carried his father's name, Charles Richard II:

You got it from your father
It was all he had to give
So it's yours to use and cherish
For as long as you may live

If you lost the watch he gave you
It can always be replaced;
But a black mark on your name
Can never be erased

It was clean the day you took it
And a worthy name to bear
When he got it from his father
There was no dishonor there

So make sure you guard it wisely
After all is said and done
You'll be glad the name is spotless
When you give it to your son.

Happy Birthday, Chip.
We love you.

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

We arrived home this evening from our 12-day Christmas vacation. We were so very blessed to spend Christmas week in a beautiful cabin on a mountain in Sevierville, TN. We had a wonderful time with Chip, Amy, Brian, Jarrett, Isabella, Josh, and Jaden. The special blessings of the week exceeded our expectations, and we thank God for the wonderful time we had as a family.

We thank God for HIS love, patience, mercy, forgiveness, direction, power, and peace that we experienced during 2008. We found that the trials served to deepen our faith and were used to serve purposes.

We look forward to seeing out this year tonight and ringing in the new year. May we be found faithful in living the Christian life in this dark world.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Susan

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS CABIN!

As a family of 9, we are having a wonderful time this week in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We all arrived in stages on Sunday night. Richard and I had a pair of pjs for everyone laid out on their beds~~ their first Christmas gift of the week.

It is a joy to be united together as a family 24/7 for this very special week. Our grandkids made it lots of fun and we have enjoyed the rich fellowship with Brian, Amy, and Chip. We are having some great meals this week. Amy and Brian planned the meals, purchased the groceries and have done all of the cooking and preparing except for our traditional Christmas Eve meal prepared by Richard and me). On Tuesday evening, Chip treated all nine of us to a lovely meal at the Apple Barn Restaurant. We had our very own dining room which was decorated and a delightful waitress named Tammy. The picture on this article was made after our dinner that evening.

We have attended two shows: The Dixie Stampede (Dolly Parton's place) which (for those of you who don't know) features a delicious dinner of a whole chicken, potato, corn, soup, tea, coffee, and apple pie for dessert. The show was great with their wonderful horses and their riders, the entertaining emcee and his side-kick. The best part was the beautiful live nativity they had. It was a fun evening. We also attended THE MIRACLE which is an amazing play that starts with creation and goes through our Lord Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. It was so good and we got to meet the young man who played Jesus Christ.

On Christmas Eve morning, the grandkids opened their gifts from Grandpa and me. On Christmas Evening, they opened their gifts from their Uncle Chip. On Christmas morning, the kids opened their gifts from their parents and we adults opened our gifts from each other and from the kids. What a festive time!

A highlight of the week has been our spiritual time together. Chip has brought some awesome devotions to keep us focused on the reason for the season and Jarrett brought us a devotional on Christmas Eve day that he had heard and had made notes on so that he could share it with us.

Our hearts our full today as we celebrate the coming of Christ to this earth to live a sinless life and then to willingly die for our sins. As Chip says, "Let's celebrate his first coming but concentrate on His second coming." May we not see Jesus Christ as that chubby baby in a manger but as our Risen Lord, Savior of the world, and coming King.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Brian and Amy fixed a delicious Christmas morning brunch of made-to-order omelets and fried potatoes. It was so good.

Pictures from Last Night's Christmas Program at Church

Brian and Amy were the adult "characters" in the play:

Our grandson, Jaden, is the red-head in the green sweater vest and white shirt on the front row.

Our grandson Josh is the boy on the far right ~~ next to the girl on the end.

Wednesday Night's Christmas Program at Church

It was a fabulous Christmas program. Of course, we are prejudiced and probably enjoyed it as much as anyone did because 4 of our dear ones were in it. Jaden was in the little children's musical part of the program and did a real good job singing. Josh was in the big kids' musical part of the program and did a fabulous job as always. Brian and Amy were the adult characters in the play and did an amazing job. I was so proud of our crew and so blessed by the entire program. I believe they said 200 children were involved. It was so well organized and carried off without a hitch. It was a fun, fun, evening. Here is a video of the grand finale song. You can see Jaden in the front center (red hair, green sweater) and perhaps you can spot Brian and Amy in the very back. (Amy is holding the little girl who was her daughter in the program.)

Dear Blog....

Dear Blog.... I am sorry I have ignored you for a week. With so much going on, you'd think I'd be on here blogging away, but the busy-ness of the season has pretty much captivated my time, attention, and energy!!! I so much want to stay Christ-focused during this Christmas season so with everything we are involved in, we offer it up to Christ as a means of ministry or activity in His name.

So what has been going on since my post on last Monday? (Last Monday seems like eons ago!!!!) On Monday and Tuesday, we were busy with last minute decorating, clean-up, and meal preparation for our 4th Annual Couples' Christmas Party on Tuesday night. Our home and our hearts were graced to have 7 couple friends over (including our dear pastor and his wife) for the dinner party and everyone had a good time. All week long, we had a dear friend in the hospital who had cancer surgery, so we made visits there until he came home on Thursday. Another friend from church has cancer and needed a ride to her last radiation treatment on Wednesday and we took her to that. Church on Wednesday night On Thursday afternoon, we picked up Josh and Jaden from school at 3:00 and had them through the dinner hour and took them to the program with us. I forgot to mention that the parents of our Indiana campus daughter arrived on Thursday and were here until Saturday morning. I had left-over lasagna from Tuesday night's dinner party and fed us, the grandsons, and our Indiana guests on Thursday evening in addition to preparing a meal for our friend home from the hospital. . We went to the Academy Christmas Concerts on both Thursday and Friday nights as Belle sang in the choir on Thursday night and Josh played trumpet in the band on Friday night. Amy emceed the program on Friday night as well. Both programs were awesome. On Friday morning, Richard went to the Retirement Center Bible Study, we ate lunch with friends afterwards, and then he and I shopped until 3:00 at which time we picked up Belle at school. We took her out to dinner before the program on Friday night. On Saturday, I got up early and got busy with some chores around the house. I had to finish up a sewing project for our retirement center Bible study Christmas gifts so got that done. Richard and I ran out to do a bit more Christmas shopping and to get a bite of dinner. When we came home last night, I wrapped a gift so that everyone would have ONE under our tree as Brian, Amy, and the kids were coming over for Sunday dinner.

That's been my week. It made me tired just re-hashing all of that so think I'll go take a nice long nap!!!! Merry Christmas!!!!!

Campus Daughters Christmas 2008

L-R: Kelsey from TN, Melissa from WI, Darla from TN, Diana from OH, Kaylee from TN and Jess from CT

We had our campus daughters over for "Christmas Sunday Dinner" and gave them their gifts. Three of our girls were unable to attend so we missed them but enjoyed the other girls. They are in finals this week and then leave on Friday to go home for the holidays. They are a sweet bunch of girls and we wish them and their families all a VERY Merry Christmas!