And the winner is...(all of us!!!)

HAPPY

IS

HAVING

A

GIRL!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!!

Blah...Blah...Blah

So...we had this opportunity to go on a cruise. Somewhere...like Cozumel or something. I've never been, so right now the places aren't important. In February. Good deal...a marriage seminar thing, kind of. We decided NOT to go. Why??? Welllll...our FIRST thought (seriously!) was...we're supposed to go to AZ in December. How do we explain THAT? Actually...how do we do BOTH??? We don't. AZ is more important. Oh yeah...and we have this wedding thing to do in June. DUH!

Seriously...how could we possibly NOT see our best friends?? We love you guys...and we miss you terribly. I know you are all visiting right now...I am so jealous...but only for a couple of weeks...Happy and the NC fan will be here August 1! (And so will our BFF's!!!!) And TOMORROW we find out what she's having!!! I cannot wait!!

It has been so quiet around here...Rachigga has a new job and it's full time, and the hours are different almost every day and she has already put in 13 hours overtime and she only started 10 days ago. I miss her. She missed church today, she was supposed to pull a double shift today (3 p.m. to 7 a.m.) but she should be walking in the door any minute so she can sleep about 6 hours and work tomorrow 7-7. No one ever said real life was gonna be easy!

We went to a cool wedding on Friday...the reception was a DESSERT BAR!!! Four different stations...fruit bar, coffee bar (with chocolate covered strawberries), make your own ice cream sundae bar and of course a "cake" bar. Little cream puffs and cheesecakes and the wedding cake. Did I say cake??? Sorry, I mean the 5 tier wedding RICE KRISPIE TREAT!!!!! It was TOTALLY cool!!! And WAY fun!!! You all remember Joy Daniels...very fun! Saw Eric and his preg girl Em, that was interesting. He was all happy to see me...and because I love that boy so stinkin' much...I really was thrilled to see him. They looked happy.

So this is probably THE most random blog I have ever written and I think I should stop now. Because I am VERY tired and it's pretty much time for bed and I think Rachigga is home. It's 11:45 p.m. Yeah, I'm tired. Tapestry OUT!

Seacrest OUT!

I had a really cool picture of me in my "gown" walking with Dr. D...my last time to walk...but I couldn't get it to copy, so, you should just try to imagine it!! It was cool...all smiley. That's how I felt that night. Graduation night. June 1, 2007. 7:00 p.m. My last walk with the people I have grown to love and respect, to honor the students I have grown to love and respect. It was, oh what's the word I'm looking for (feet...sorry, momentary lapse for a Little Mermaid inflection)... ummm...stimulating...exciting...inspiring. Sure, all those words mean pretty much the same thing, but; they are what sum up the air of that night for me. It was actually a short two hours...usually it seems to drag on and on, but not this night. I was even happy to hear PB's final farewell. A little campy, but he was actually pretty good...and brief. He "passed the torch" as it were, to Mrs. Nelson, which she whole-heartedly accepted. No, duh.

But, let me tell you, the highlight of the evening wasn't the walk, or the speeches, the kids, or my colleagues. It wasn't even my mad dash for the back door, getting into my mini-van and driving home in the rain. It was BEFORE I walked. Before we lined up. It was when I went up to my room to get my robe and found this oblong "thing" on my desk. You all know how much I really love American Idol. I do. I REALLY, REALLY do! So, I take a look at this "package". Approximately 9 x 13...a clear top...A CAKE!!! Cool. But...what's that written on top of it in big, thick blue and red frosting????

"SEACREST OUT!"

Only Lisa. She was the one. She made me laugh out loud and then cry almost exactly at the same time! I hadn't really thought about how much I would miss her, and almost everyone else. It was definately a "light bulb moment". So, I walked down stairs, cake and about 15 cards that students had left on my desk that last day, in my arms, and put everything in my van and went inside to line up and walk. It was almost the perfect ending to an almost perfect 9 year run.

So, I leave you with a picture of Chief and myself at the last event I will probably ever chaperone for CLS. Here's to the love, people!!!

Seriously...

It's NOT about me! It's NOT about me!! It's NOT about me!!! IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!!!!!

I just can't figure it out, that's all. So many crisis' in my life since December...not me PERSONALLY, but they sure do effect you, ya know?!?! People I love, hurting, the loss of loved ones, 3 out of 10 were personal to me...an Uncle, an Aunt, my Grandma. (oh yeah...by the way, my BIOLOGICAL father passed on May 9. Not really upset about that, though...BFF and a few others know what I mean.) Still, young lives gone...first, a 49 year old...that's MY age...scared me a little bit, that's for sure. A heart attack. Scared me a lot, actually. Then a 22 year old...later an 11 year old. Now Austin hanging on by the very grace and mercy of God.

So, once more, we pray. Diligently. Profusely. Without ceasing. I will never figure it out. I know that. And I can accept that. And even though, it's NOT about me...it hurts as if it were.

Thanks for praying...AGAIN.

Goodbye doesn't mean forever...

Okay...so this was going to be a blog about my leaving CLS and the graduation and the last meeting...blah, blah, blah.

Sorry. Not today. We got the call around 5:30 this morning. By 6:15 we were on our way up to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. Some background: Chief and I took the Senior Pastor position in UG on January 1, 2006. In July 2005, when we didn't know a soul at that church, a little 9 year old girl, Maranda, had a double lung transplant. We met her in January. She was full of fun and spice and sweet stuff. She was a joy to watch, even when she was out of sorts. We grew to love her very quickly. In the spring of 2006, she got a cold. Then it was pneumonia. Months later, it was a drug-induced coma to help her little swollen body heal. They let her come home for Christmas, but it was back to the hospital soon after. Then she came home for a while. She lived with Grandma. She was most comfortable there...and feisty!! Like I said, full of spice. LOTS of spice!

She came to church when she could, spring is difficult with the newness everywhere. The blooming, the rain, etc. Then she was back in the hospital again. They knew her so very well...after nine years, you know they all became family to her. They scoped her lungs one last time.

She died at 11:00 this morning. She was 11 years old. Hardly fathomable, this little life could touch a soul in such a profound way. Strong to the very end. We held each other and cried, prayed and sang old hymns. She passed quietly, "without any fanfare, no trumpets, no loud noises, just gone." She stands, whole, with her Saviour. And mixed in with all of the weeping there is rejoicing that she is no longer in pain, no longer suffering.

I don't know, maybe she stands with Stephen, meeting him for the first time. Two young souls gone from this earth within three months. Ra-Chigga had a hard time. I am so glad she could be there.

So...that was our day. Anything else I COULD have blogged for today seems trivial now. I love my family. You ALL are my family. Thank you all for praying. :~)