Coming off such a fun weekend celebrating with great friends, we received some devastating news. It seems news like this is coming more and more often these days to a group of kids who have faced more than most do in a lifetime. A dear friend, Nic Shaw, passed away on Sunday. Nic was a part of our family growing up, spending many weekends at the lake, countless nights at the house in town and becoming a Peek for numerous family vacations. The similarities between he and Bryce made for a set of heartbreakers wherever they went - the poor girls on the cruise ships just didn't stand a chance.
Nic had a contagious smile that could light up a room and a personality to match. He didn't have a clue how adorable he was or that my group of older friends (myself included) had massive crushes on him. He was goofy, caring and insecure in the most endearing ways.
News of Nic's death spread quickly on Sunday evening, as well as stories of the hardships he endured over the past few months. I still am in disbelief of the drastic changes that can occur in a person's life in such a short amount of time and wonder if the person I am hearing about is the Nic we knew and loved. While attending the viewing last night, there was a clear separation of the people Nic had grown to call friends in recent months and the heartbroken group who had been there for him through it all. This group arranged photo collages dating back to their middle school days - remembering the Nic we all adored.
Remembering the good times certainly helps to deal with the pain - but its so hard to see the sense in something so tragic. I have to commend his family for their undying faith and for not losing sight in the midst of something none of us can quite understand. We continue to pray for strength, peace and comfort for not only the family, but especially the young friends. The folks who live life without limits, as if they are invincible. There are lessons to be learned from this and we can only hope that eyes will be opened to how fragile life truly is and that some good, some lives changed, can come from the loss of such a dear friend.
Nic will live on in our hearts and memories forever - and there is some peace knowing he is able to watch over us all.
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Fiesta for the Couple
It was a Fiesta honoring the soon to be newlyweds - Molly and Asa. This wedding is sure to be a blast with the crazy groomsmen involved. Everyone thought the hostesses had hired a real mariache band when they arrived!
Wedding PartyBridesmaids
High School Girls
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
We've Made It
to the weekend that is.
Tomorrow marks the start of a 4 day weekend vacation pour moi and I am thrilled. Now, if we can just get this mini-hurricane to spin on away from FL all would be well.
I am meeting my manager in Starke in the a.m. so just a few more things to finish up and I will be that much closer to putting my toes in the sand on the beach of Lake Kerr. A few of my favorite Tri-Delts will be making their way to the lake on Friday and we will be ready for them.
Enjoy a safe, happy and hopefully sunny Memorial Day weekend.
Tomorrow marks the start of a 4 day weekend vacation pour moi and I am thrilled. Now, if we can just get this mini-hurricane to spin on away from FL all would be well.
I am meeting my manager in Starke in the a.m. so just a few more things to finish up and I will be that much closer to putting my toes in the sand on the beach of Lake Kerr. A few of my favorite Tri-Delts will be making their way to the lake on Friday and we will be ready for them.
Enjoy a safe, happy and hopefully sunny Memorial Day weekend.
Monday, May 18, 2009
A Case of the Mondays
is a pretty good thing to have today. It has rained for two days straight - which normally would probably be a negative, but for some reason this rain has had such a calming effect. Yesterday, Jeff was exhausted when he got home from work so we both sat on the couch and napped, listened to the rain and just relaxed.
The rain continued all day to day, but mainly just drizzled. I worked out of town and managed to stay somewhat dry. I can't imagine a better evening to curl up on the couch with my hubby and enjoy a good flick. We ordered in from Gator Foods - and got Yamatos, our favorite Japanese steakhouse - what a treat. I hope you are enjoying your Monday as much as we are!
The rain continued all day to day, but mainly just drizzled. I worked out of town and managed to stay somewhat dry. I can't imagine a better evening to curl up on the couch with my hubby and enjoy a good flick. We ordered in from Gator Foods - and got Yamatos, our favorite Japanese steakhouse - what a treat. I hope you are enjoying your Monday as much as we are!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
When you least expect it
That's when God sends a message that smacks you right upside the head. They come in so many different forms but nothing can quite compare to the feeling when you finally realize He has been trying to get your attention.
The past few weeks have been uneventful for Jeff and I. Not that we haven't had countless things to do, or that life has been particuarly horrible, but we have become too comfortable. This may be a lot of info for the blog readers out there - but I feel like this realization was brought to us to share. We noticed the change in our relationship and it has taken a toll on both of us. We sat down and wrote letters to one another trying to verbalize how we were feeling and have taken the past few days to process it all. After a fantastic weekend at the lake, I think we were both feeling refreshed and renewed, but not 100%.
Tonight we sat on the couch snacking on leftovers for dinner and I flipped through the OnDemand movie channels. After much debate, we narrowed it down to Marley & Me or a movie neither of us knew anything about, Fireproof. A quick flip of a DVD (no coin around for a real coin toss) determined Fireproof would be our entertainment for the evening.
While the acting at times leaves much to be desired, the message rang out loud and clear. A message that could not have related more to our current situation unless we had played the characters ourselves. We kept looking at each other and pointing out the eerie similarities - it's kind of like The Breakup with a Christian twist. Before we start any rumors, the couple in the movie had reached a breaking point we have yet to face - but I think it plays on our fears of what can happen when you get in that rut of being comfortable and stop giving your all to your spouse. It is far too easy to get caught up in the daily tasks and to do lists. We forget about the needs, desires and dreams of the person we set out to take this journey with.
The movie features a couple on the brink of divorce and the battle the husband wages to win his wife back. Guided by the advice of his father written in a journal named, the Love Dare, Caleb follows a 40-day guide to getting his marriage back on track. Each day, a new task is completed to show his wife his commitment to her. Along the way, he learns more about her, himself and what has truly been missing all along - a relationship focused on God.
Maybe I have been living under a rock and am the only one to be completely clueless to this movie -- but I haven't heard a thing about it. To be completely honest, I was pretty shocked to have such a Christ-centered film featured on OnDemand. It was definitely a God thing.
http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/
Just because something is fireproof doesn't mean the fire won't happen, it just means it will withstand it.
We got the message.
The past few weeks have been uneventful for Jeff and I. Not that we haven't had countless things to do, or that life has been particuarly horrible, but we have become too comfortable. This may be a lot of info for the blog readers out there - but I feel like this realization was brought to us to share. We noticed the change in our relationship and it has taken a toll on both of us. We sat down and wrote letters to one another trying to verbalize how we were feeling and have taken the past few days to process it all. After a fantastic weekend at the lake, I think we were both feeling refreshed and renewed, but not 100%.
Tonight we sat on the couch snacking on leftovers for dinner and I flipped through the OnDemand movie channels. After much debate, we narrowed it down to Marley & Me or a movie neither of us knew anything about, Fireproof. A quick flip of a DVD (no coin around for a real coin toss) determined Fireproof would be our entertainment for the evening.
While the acting at times leaves much to be desired, the message rang out loud and clear. A message that could not have related more to our current situation unless we had played the characters ourselves. We kept looking at each other and pointing out the eerie similarities - it's kind of like The Breakup with a Christian twist. Before we start any rumors, the couple in the movie had reached a breaking point we have yet to face - but I think it plays on our fears of what can happen when you get in that rut of being comfortable and stop giving your all to your spouse. It is far too easy to get caught up in the daily tasks and to do lists. We forget about the needs, desires and dreams of the person we set out to take this journey with.
The movie features a couple on the brink of divorce and the battle the husband wages to win his wife back. Guided by the advice of his father written in a journal named, the Love Dare, Caleb follows a 40-day guide to getting his marriage back on track. Each day, a new task is completed to show his wife his commitment to her. Along the way, he learns more about her, himself and what has truly been missing all along - a relationship focused on God.
Maybe I have been living under a rock and am the only one to be completely clueless to this movie -- but I haven't heard a thing about it. To be completely honest, I was pretty shocked to have such a Christ-centered film featured on OnDemand. It was definitely a God thing.
http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/
Just because something is fireproof doesn't mean the fire won't happen, it just means it will withstand it.
We got the message.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Good Morning
We made a last minute decision to stay at the lake last night so we woke up very early this morning to see Jeff off to work and pack up from the weekend. The bonus of being up before sunrise is this...
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