In honor of the last day of my Month of Thanks series, I decided to do a recap of the month of November. Instead of trying to organize my thoughts and spew them on to cyber paper, I thought it would be more fun to flip through all the still moments that have been captured throughout the month. There are shots from Mr. M's birthday, and our weekend getaway. You'll also see random photos of Miss G doing her thing. And of course, you'll get a glimpse of our road trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving - there will be more to follow with that. But for now, please take a minute to share in my favorite moments of November.
The Jacksonville skyline from our weekend away.
Me & Mr. M in Ballis Park.
This was taken from inside MOSH in Jacksonville.
The John T. Alsop, Jr Bridge in Jacksonsville.
San Marco Boulevard.
Miss G.
Pure joy.
This is Mr. M's 34th birthday cake. For some reason, all we had was a number 4 candle, so he grabbed one of G's magnets from the fridge and stuck it on top. I guess it worked out.
Our tree was up before Thanksgiving - there's a first time for everything.
One of my favorite ornaments.
Strutting her stuff at a rest stop in Georgia.
The sexy and rugged Mr. M.
This is the view we got to enjoy during our stay in Chattanooga.
This is a shot from the Chattanooga National Cemetery. There will be another post on this soon.
At the end of October, just a few short days before I started my series on A Month of Thanks, I wrote a post about my sister and her Mom away from home. If you missed that post, it's best that you go read it now, so that you're caught up. It's called Raindrops.
Last Wednesday, Mr. M, G & I, along with my parents piled into a van and drove to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. It's always draining to squeeze six adults, a two year old, a dog and two cats in a small space for five days. There are moments where I know we were all thinking, "man, I can't wait until this vacation is over". There had been bickering and arguing, and one pretty nasty blow up between my sister and I. That confrontation happened on Saturday afternoon and pretty much left us with awkward tension for the rest of the evening. The tension and semi-silent treatment bled into the next morning. As a family, we all decided to head to the Chattanooga Market and make the best out of the rainy Sunday afternoon. We did. My sister and I had made conversation, but things still weren't right. Then the phone call came. It was B - my sis's boyfriend. His mom passed away that morning at about 8:00am. I could hear the tears in Nutmeg's voice. Before she even hung up the phone, I knew what had happened. There we sat...all seven of us...at a stop light. Silence filled the air. I was stricken with guilt for acting so foolish the night before - arguing over something petty, when there were such bigger, more serious problems in the world - in the world very close to me.
She [B's mom] passed exactly a month after I wrote Raindrops. Many people prayed for her and for her family. Everyone wanted her to be healed. She has received healing now - perfect healing. I know without a doubt, that she is with our Savior. No more pain. No more tears. No more fear. I don't understand why she is gone. She was so full of life, and had so much love to share. She'll never see her grandchildren. She'll never see Nutmeg and B get married one day. Or see B finish college. I know God has His reasons - reasons we can't understand. But it seems so unfair in so many ways.
The Tennessee rain continued to fall through Sunday night and into Monday. It was cold, and there was such a solemn spirit in the air. After saying our goodbyes to Nutmeg and my little brother, we packed in the car and were on our way. It was cold and it was raining. During the ten hour drive from Chattanooga back to Florida, the only thing on my mind was the family behind Raindrops.
We stopped at a McDonald's for coffee...a song was on the radio, and it took everything inside of me to choke back the tears. I don't even know why. The song really didn't relate to the situation at hand, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. Maybe it was the rain, the bitter cold, or just the thought of losing someone you love so close to Christmas. Maybe it's seeing first hand how short life really is. Maybe it is the reality that others carry heavy burdens on a daily basis, and most of us are too wrapped up in our miniscule problems to even notice. Maybe it was all of it. I really don't know. Her services are tomorrow. She will be missed, but she is in a much better place.
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ~Revelation 21:4
Road trips are the shiz. I've always had a weird obsession with them. Growing up, my family took many a road trip from time to time. Of course, living in the country, and at least fifteen miles from civilization, just making the hour drive to the mall seemed like a road trip at times. But you get used to it.
My dad played wheelchair basketball for years. Tournaments opened a lot of doors for us to travel. The biggest trip we ever took that was related to basketball events was our trip to Boston in 1993, I think. I was twelve, and that was a long drive! I remember there was snow on the ground and it was March. That was a completely foreign sight to see for a Floridian. I also remember going to a ritzy banquet while we were there, and being served this really gross chicken that was stuffed with orange-infused rice. I have no idea what that was about. A northern thing, perhaps? Basketball took us on other adventures, but mainly in the South - Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and various cities throughout Florida.
There were some non-basketball related road trips as well. Many of those were to Illinois and Arkansas, where my Dad's family is. I haven't been to Chicago in years, but it's one of my favorite cities. Little Rock was the last family road trip we took in 2006, I believe. I'm really not good with remembering years - obviously. It was 2000 and something....I know that much. In college, my sister and I, along with our good friend Lang, took a road trip to Richmond, Virginia. We left the day after Christmas in 2003 and drove twelve hours straight. This is also the trip where Mr. M and I got to meet in person for the first time. You can read more details in A Borrowed Blog.
The time has come for yet another trip. As you're reading this, I am cruising up the interstate with Mr. M, G, Grandmom (my mom) and Poppy (my dad) along with a goofy little dog named Miles. We are headed to Tennessee to visit my sister and brother for Thanksgiving. I'm thrilled. This is G's very first road trip. When she was about nine months old, she and I flew to Chattanooga to visit Nutmeg, but we've never driven further than a couple of hours with her. I will be sure to give a full report on how she did once we're back in Florida.
Road trips are tiring, yet exhilarating. They are sometimes pricey, but cheap fun. They can be spontaneous, or planned for months. But whatever they are to you, across the board they're always packed with lots of laughs, lots of car games, and lots of fun.
Earlier this week I actually took the time to scribble down some blog ideas that came to mind. I organized them by date...up to the 15th of November - yes, I believe that does make me borderline OCD. Possibly not borderline...maybe just a full blown case of OCD. My schedule wasn't etched in stone, but it's a decent compilation of ideas in case my brain decides to be tired one afternoon. I have my helpful list of topics in front of me: October 26 - Cooking Club of America. October 27 - Couponing. If you read yesterday's post, you know that A Borrowed Blog had absolutely nothing to do with the Cooking Club of America, and if you continue to read, you'll find that today's content isn't remotely close to couponing. I'm sure you're gravely disappointed. I'll make it up to you.
Nutmeg and B in Kentucky.
My sister, Nutmeg (it's a nickname, not her real name), lives in Tennessee. Well...before I go any further, let me first back up and school you in how that came about. My sister and I went to college together - we were roommates, believe it or not. We always shared a room growing up, so it just seemed normal to live in the same room once we moved out. We did the dorm life thing for three years until we moved into our first apartment. We were both working full time as preschool teachers, and could afford to live somewhere off campus. So, we found a place within walking distance of school and work, and moved in. It was a two-bedroom, second floor duplex on Winfree Street. It was old, and drafty with no dishwasher, and only a window unit air conditioning -- anyone in Florida knows window units and the summer heat just weren't made for each other. God bless the inventor of fans! Our apartment had the original hard wood floors, arched door ways, and the windows were white, wooden paned. Living there, was the first time in our entire lives that we had separate bedrooms. Adjustment. But it was a good adjustment.
She [my sister] started dating this guy - B. He was in a band. I didn't like him. There was something that just rubbed me the wrong way. Come to find out, me and him have much of the same personality traits, which is probably why we bumped heads. Things are copacetic now, but it was a long time coming. He's a great guy, and he's good to my sister. So, I can't ask for much more than that. Back to what I was saying...they dated for awhile, but eventually broke up when he decided to move back home to Tennessee. In the months following, a lot of changes happened. I got married, our positions at the preschool both came to an end, and our cozy Winfree apartment was soon traded in for a much nicer place that could accommodate the two of us plus my new groom. It wasn't but two months after M and I got married, that Nutmeg was offered a full time nanny position with a family we had taught in the preschool. The only catch? It was in Kentucky. She soon moved, and life was way different - for me and her. If you know anything about geography, you'll know that Kentucky and Tennessee are neighboring states...the ex-boyfriend had now morphed into best friend, and Nutmeg was quickly adopted into the family. This proved to be an even bigger blessing, when the nanny position ended, and she was offered a corporate position in TN just a few months later.
Muff Muff the cat.
B's family was her family - a home away from home. He lived at home with his parents, two brothers, Muff-Muff the cat, and Patches - a smelly little dog that no one seemed to like. Strangely, when I visited, I really bonded with the smelly dog...not sure what that's saying about me. Poor Patches. Back to the story...B and Nutmeg eventually went from best friends back to an item. She got along really well with B's entire family, but she had a unique connection with B's mom...almost like kindred spirits if you will.
Over the past two years, I've heard story after story about the mother-daughter relationship they have formed...they have coffee together, go to movies, go shopping, cook together, talk - everything a mother-daughter would do. I don't think I've ever told Nutmeg, but I've always counted it as a blessing for her to have a bond like that with B's mom. Before she moved, me and Nutmeg were always together, and not having that in-person, day-to-day, sisterly connection has been hard at times. But, I've found comfort for her knowing that she's got someone there.
In May 2010, things changed. B's mom was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. They did her first surgery a month after being diagnosed - most of her symptoms slowly subsided, and life got back to normal. Then there were seizures, and another surgery followed in December of last year. She wasn't back to 100%, but through many prayers of loved ones and strangers alike, she was on the road to recovery. Out of nowhere on August 30 of this year, I get a text from my sister saying that they had just rushed B's mom to the hospital following another seizure. At first, they thought it was a side effect of the medicine she was on. They ran tests - the tumor was back. This time, inoperable. According to doctors, there's about a month left.
I've met B's mom once, and felt like I had known her forever. Absolutely one of the most loving, giving, carefree people I've ever met. Genuine. After my sister gave me the news today, I was pretty much left speechless. Completely in shock. My heart sank to my stomach. I don't understand it. Suddenly, the Cooking Club of America and couponing didn't seem important at all. Perspective. I sat in my office - alone - thinking, praying, listening. A song came on the radio - the words seemed so appropriate...
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights is what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life, are Your mercies in disguise?
