Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day
Pops. Daddy. Father. Dad. The Old Man.
We have a lot of names for our fathers (and some I won't post here because I like to keep it family-friendly!). We have all sorts of words we can use to describe our dads, too. And in honor of Father's Day, I want to tell you a little bit about mine.
{Dad getting excited about socks at Christmas. No really, he was excited!}
Throughout my childhood, I was a TOTAL daddy's girl. I loved to sit with him in his recliner (my father is a skinny man, and I was in 4th grade before I hit 40 pounds, so we could easily squeeze into the seat). He always took my side when my sister picked on me. I loved the days when he drove me to preschool (let's not talk about the lack of airbags in his little tiny 1988 S10 pickup truck and that I could ONLY sit in the front seat (there was no back seat!). Cars like that are why we have safety ratings these days!).
As a young girl, I knew that most nights my daddy had one thing he would drink. It was a grown-up drink, usually in a silver and blue can. Beer.
And it took me until I was in the 7th grade to understand that the amount of beer he was consuming, and the regularity with which he consumed it, wasn't healthy. At that time, I became aware of the fact that my dad is an alcoholic.
My dad was never physically abusive to my mom, my sister, or me. He was emotionally absent, however, and that is a kind of abuse that is hard to identify, and hard to acknowledge, too.
I spent the 5 years between 7th grade and my junior year of high school trying to hide my father's disease from my friends. I hated it when he drove me anywhere--I could never be sure if he was sober. He was laid off from work several times throughout his career, finally ending up working as a Wal-Mart associate by the time I was in high school. I attended a high school in one of the most affluent areas of Knoxville. It was beyond embarrassing to answer the question "what does your dad do?" among my friends whose dads were doctors and lawyers and successful business men. Over time, I became incredibly ashamed of my father.
The summer after my junior year in high school, something finally broke me, and I told my friends about my dad's addiction. It was so freeing to be able to tell them the truth about me and my family. I was, of course, terrified of their reaction. My goal was to live a perfect life (Hello! Overachiever!), and the truth about my father ruined that image I wanted for myself. But there was SUCH freedom in confessing to them. They may not have ever experienced an alcoholic family member first-hand, but at least they were finally able to understand a little bit of where I was coming from. Of why I am the way that I am.
Fast forward to my junior year in college. I didn't hide my dad's addiction from my new friends in the new state I called home. I didn't drink at all in college (nor have I ever had a drink, actually), and my friends who knew that about me knew it was because my dad is an alcoholic. Dad floated in and out of different jobs my last year of high school and first three years of college. He worked at Target and Kroger after he was let go from Wal-Mart. He entered an outpatient treatment program, and he managed to drink his way through it, fooling all of us for at least a short period of time. But it didn't take long for my mom to recognize that he was drinking again.
One day my mom came home from the grocery, after she had gotten off of work from her second job. My dad was unemployed at the time. She brought all the groceries inside, she and Dad had one of their typical arguments that happened every time my dad drank (i.e. daily). She told him to leave. He told her she should leave. And to my dad's great surprise, she did. She packed her bags, took all the groceries back out to the car, and was gone. (side note: I love that my mom took the groceries with her.)
My dad didn't know this, but my mom had a plan in place. She knew she would eventually need to leave, and she made arrangements to do so. That night, the time was right.
Over the next few weeks, my dad's sister reached out to him, offered him help getting into a residential treatment program. At his entrance interview, he was asked 2 questions:
Thankfully, my dad answered "yes" to both questions.
At that point, my dad moved into a halfway house, and he stayed in the program for 100 days. He invested himself in the Word of God. He attended AA meetings and got a job. He started to regulary attend Celebrate Recovery, a powerful and life-changing ministry at our church. My dad has been sober for more than 3 years now.
I am so proud of him.
{May 23, 2009. Back to being a Daddy's Girl}
Since he sobered up, my dad is a new man. He has a relationship with Christ (he went to church with us before, but never had any kind of personal relationship with Jesus). He's funny. He's fun to be around. He loves his family something fierce. (I know he always loved us, but it was a "daddy loves me because he's my daddy." Now I KNOW he loves me!) My mom moved back to our house after Dad entered treatment, and after he "graduated" from the halfway house, he moved home, too. Their marriage is stronger now than it ever has been!
He has a great relationship with both my husband and my sister's husband. They were the hardest to win back over after he stopped drinking. But now the three of them will run around town together and hang out in my parents' backyard smoking cigars when my sister and brother-in-law are in town. Dad has a new job, and while it's not glamorous (He's a custodian at our church), I know he is proud of the work he does, and I am proud of him for it. After all, his cleaning and stacking chairs is a ministry! He does it because he loves God, and he loves our church.
I could go on and on and on about the things that I love about my dad these days. He was always there, he was just trapped by his addiction. I am so thankful that my mom had the courage to leave. Her action that night paved the way for my dad to seek treatment. And until an addict wants to be clean for him or herself, healing has to wait in the wings. To continue the disease metaphor, my dad had to agree to chemo before he could kick the cancer. Thankfully, Dad made the decision to get clean. He made it for himself. And I love him even more for it.
{With his first grandbaby, Hannah Grace}
Father's Day hasn't always been an easy holiday for me. I've not always been appreciative of who my dad is. And while sometimes I wish we could have all those years back, I am so incredibly thankful for the time we have now. My dad is a hero to me. Just like daddies are supposed to be.
We have a lot of names for our fathers (and some I won't post here because I like to keep it family-friendly!). We have all sorts of words we can use to describe our dads, too. And in honor of Father's Day, I want to tell you a little bit about mine.
Throughout my childhood, I was a TOTAL daddy's girl. I loved to sit with him in his recliner (my father is a skinny man, and I was in 4th grade before I hit 40 pounds, so we could easily squeeze into the seat). He always took my side when my sister picked on me. I loved the days when he drove me to preschool (let's not talk about the lack of airbags in his little tiny 1988 S10 pickup truck and that I could ONLY sit in the front seat (there was no back seat!). Cars like that are why we have safety ratings these days!).
As a young girl, I knew that most nights my daddy had one thing he would drink. It was a grown-up drink, usually in a silver and blue can. Beer.
And it took me until I was in the 7th grade to understand that the amount of beer he was consuming, and the regularity with which he consumed it, wasn't healthy. At that time, I became aware of the fact that my dad is an alcoholic.
My dad was never physically abusive to my mom, my sister, or me. He was emotionally absent, however, and that is a kind of abuse that is hard to identify, and hard to acknowledge, too.
I spent the 5 years between 7th grade and my junior year of high school trying to hide my father's disease from my friends. I hated it when he drove me anywhere--I could never be sure if he was sober. He was laid off from work several times throughout his career, finally ending up working as a Wal-Mart associate by the time I was in high school. I attended a high school in one of the most affluent areas of Knoxville. It was beyond embarrassing to answer the question "what does your dad do?" among my friends whose dads were doctors and lawyers and successful business men. Over time, I became incredibly ashamed of my father.
The summer after my junior year in high school, something finally broke me, and I told my friends about my dad's addiction. It was so freeing to be able to tell them the truth about me and my family. I was, of course, terrified of their reaction. My goal was to live a perfect life (Hello! Overachiever!), and the truth about my father ruined that image I wanted for myself. But there was SUCH freedom in confessing to them. They may not have ever experienced an alcoholic family member first-hand, but at least they were finally able to understand a little bit of where I was coming from. Of why I am the way that I am.
Part of the reason I was able to tell my friends about my dad is because I came to the understanding that addiction of any sort--drugs, alcohol, anorexia, bulemia--is a disease. I could write a whole post on the science of this and why I truly believe this is the case, but I'll save that for another time. However, it is important for me to say that my view of my father changed once I realized that addiction is a disease like cancer or diabetes. Yes, his actions led to his disease (as does smoking to lung cancer and unhealthy eating can lead to diabetes), but it is a disease nonetheless. I wouldn't stop loving my dad if he was diagnosed with cancer, so why should I stop loving him if he is diagnosed with addiction? And while addiction may not have a specific prognosis attached to it, addiction can kill the addict.
Fast forward to my junior year in college. I didn't hide my dad's addiction from my new friends in the new state I called home. I didn't drink at all in college (nor have I ever had a drink, actually), and my friends who knew that about me knew it was because my dad is an alcoholic. Dad floated in and out of different jobs my last year of high school and first three years of college. He worked at Target and Kroger after he was let go from Wal-Mart. He entered an outpatient treatment program, and he managed to drink his way through it, fooling all of us for at least a short period of time. But it didn't take long for my mom to recognize that he was drinking again.
One day my mom came home from the grocery, after she had gotten off of work from her second job. My dad was unemployed at the time. She brought all the groceries inside, she and Dad had one of their typical arguments that happened every time my dad drank (i.e. daily). She told him to leave. He told her she should leave. And to my dad's great surprise, she did. She packed her bags, took all the groceries back out to the car, and was gone. (side note: I love that my mom took the groceries with her.)
My dad didn't know this, but my mom had a plan in place. She knew she would eventually need to leave, and she made arrangements to do so. That night, the time was right.
Over the next few weeks, my dad's sister reached out to him, offered him help getting into a residential treatment program. At his entrance interview, he was asked 2 questions:
- Do you want to get sober?
- Are you willing to go to any lengths to get there?
Thankfully, my dad answered "yes" to both questions.
At that point, my dad moved into a halfway house, and he stayed in the program for 100 days. He invested himself in the Word of God. He attended AA meetings and got a job. He started to regulary attend Celebrate Recovery, a powerful and life-changing ministry at our church. My dad has been sober for more than 3 years now.
I am so proud of him.
{Also at my wedding. Aren't they cute?}
I could go on and on and on about the things that I love about my dad these days. He was always there, he was just trapped by his addiction. I am so thankful that my mom had the courage to leave. Her action that night paved the way for my dad to seek treatment. And until an addict wants to be clean for him or herself, healing has to wait in the wings. To continue the disease metaphor, my dad had to agree to chemo before he could kick the cancer. Thankfully, Dad made the decision to get clean. He made it for himself. And I love him even more for it.
Father's Day hasn't always been an easy holiday for me. I've not always been appreciative of who my dad is. And while sometimes I wish we could have all those years back, I am so incredibly thankful for the time we have now. My dad is a hero to me. Just like daddies are supposed to be.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Happy Birthday Husband
Just wanted to take a moment and wish a very happy birthday to my husband! I'm so blessed to have him in my life.
{one of the first pictures of us as a couple. november 2003.}
{our wedding. almost one year ago.}
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Welcome! And thank you!
I know it may not seem like many to some of you, but I'm up to 29 followers, and I know several of you have joined in the past week or so, so I wanted to reach out and say:
I am honored and flattered that you would want to join me here as babble on about life and silly things. It makes my heart smile to see when someone new has joined us, and when I get an email letting me know I've received a comment, I grin out loud. (and yes, that's a strange phrase, but it's true. try it sometime).
I also want to say to each of you, including the ones who have been here from the start:
...for being here and reading along. I've started blogs once or twice in the past, always to give them up within a few weeks...months at the most. But I know how excited I get to see when one of you has posted something new, and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you get excited to see something I've posted...well, it makes me want to keep going with this little blog 'o mine. So...thank you.
And...tomorrow's Friday(!)
{photos from weheartit}
I also want to say to each of you, including the ones who have been here from the start:
And...tomorrow's Friday(!)
{photos from weheartit}
Friday, January 15, 2010
OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH!!!!!
Ok, so all that venting about my loud neighbor is SO not bothering me any more...you see, sweet Hilary just posted that I won the camera strap cozy!!!!
This adorable camera strap cover from HolyMacro is headed my way!
My hubby is working overnight tonight (that's what happens when you marry a youth pastor!), so I was just laying on my couch, watching a rerun of last night's Project Runway and reading the first Harry Potter book (yes, I'm 24. yes, this will be the 5th time I've read it, at least.) when I got a text from real life (and blogger) BFF Julie. She told me I'd won! I don't think I've ever moved so fast! I shot up, grabbed my laptop and grinned from ear to ear! I told Julie that maybe I'm a little too excited about winning this giveaway, but, really, I just think these strap covers are so STINKIN' cute! It makes me want to stalk the new camera I am getting even more passionately to find out when it's in stock! (For some reason, I just don't see my husband getting excited about putting this strap on his DSLR...)
Anyway, enough blabbering from me, THANK YOU HILARY! I'll be sure to post pictures of the camera strap in action once I receive it!
Happy Friday, indeed!
xoxo,
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 was a pretty rockin' awesome year
See, in 2009, I got showered with lots of love:
(Yes, I had 5 bridal showers...6 if you count a small surprise shower with my closest girlfriends (no pictures) and the "Man Shower" that was thrown in Carter's honor. What can I say? We're loved. And it's awesome.)
I celebrated being a bachelorette, and celebrated one of my BFFs being a bachelorette, too:
I traveled the farthest I've ever been from home (Salt Lake City, for work):
I saw my favorite movie of all time on-stage, at my favorite theatre of all time (Barter):
My favorite little girl (my cousin Emma) turned 2:
I watched as these two got married:
And helped make sure these two got down the aisle:
Oh, and I made a little trip down the aisle myself....
Surrounded by the best of friends....
And we can't forget the cake!
Yeah, I'd say it was a pretty good year...And in 2010? Well, I can't wait to become an aunt, celebrate my first anniversary, and enjoy every moment I get to spend with my wonderful husband and awesome family & friends. I am so blessed!
What were the highlights of 2009 for you? What are you most looking forward to in the new year?
Monday, November 9, 2009
Catch up
BeB came to visit this weekend, so I'm a few days behind on my gratitude posts. So, for Saturday, I am grateful for a wonderful day with one of my very best friends!
For Sunday, I am grateful for beautiful weather and the chance to live in East Tennessee.
{Photo by BeB}
For Sunday, I am grateful for beautiful weather and the chance to live in East Tennessee.
{Photo by my hubs, CCC}
Friday, November 6, 2009
#coffeefriday
Today is the best day of the week. Actually, it's the best day of the last two weeks. Why? Because it's #coffeefriday. Yes, today is named with a Twitter hash tag. It's the biweekly occurance that coincides with pay day in my office. Two guys (know as @illway and @mock) started the #coffeefriday phenomenon by showing up one pay day with Starbucks and donuts to share. It's now grown into the highlight of every two weeks, and today is one of those days.
Mark (@mock) is typically the donut guy, but he's on PTO today, so I stopped by Krispy Kreme to grab 5 dozen of my favorite guilty pleasures Will (@illway) will be at work soon with coffee from a local shop called Old City Java (@oldcityjava). (are you noticing a trend here?)YUM.
Today, I'm thankful that it's Friday, and that it's #coffeefriday, and that Julie is coming to visit this weekend (but you'll hear more about that later, I promise!)
Happy Friday!
(and yes, it is necessary to refer to #coffeefriday only by using the hash tag. #coffeefriday is inextricably linked to Twitter. this is how it works.)
Mark (@mock) is typically the donut guy, but he's on PTO today, so I stopped by Krispy Kreme to grab 5 dozen of my favorite guilty pleasures Will (@illway) will be at work soon with coffee from a local shop called Old City Java (@oldcityjava). (are you noticing a trend here?)YUM.
Today, I'm thankful that it's Friday, and that it's #coffeefriday, and that Julie is coming to visit this weekend (but you'll hear more about that later, I promise!)
Happy Friday!
(and yes, it is necessary to refer to #coffeefriday only by using the hash tag. #coffeefriday is inextricably linked to Twitter. this is how it works.)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Passion 2010 University Tour
After I told you about my Shady Ladies yesterday...I didn't actually go to our weekly meeting. However, I had a good reason to miss, and that was the Passion 2010 University Tour. The Charlie Hall Band and Fee came to Knoxville, to the University of Tennessee campus, for a $5 concert.
That's right, Charlie Hall, the guy who wrote "Marvelous Light" and "Center" and and "Give Us Clean Hands" was in concert for $5. Along with Fee, who is SO much more rockin' now than he was when I first saw him several years ago at Resurrection.
The concert.was.awesome! We got there early, and were rewarded with 3rd row seats. The concert was small--we were in a 900-seat auditorium--so it was intimate. The worship was passionate and authentic.
I am very grateful to have gotten to spend the evening at such a great concert!
Charlie Hall Band
That's right, Charlie Hall, the guy who wrote "Marvelous Light" and "Center" and and "Give Us Clean Hands" was in concert for $5. Along with Fee, who is SO much more rockin' now than he was when I first saw him several years ago at Resurrection.
The concert.was.awesome! We got there early, and were rewarded with 3rd row seats. The concert was small--we were in a 900-seat auditorium--so it was intimate. The worship was passionate and authentic.
I am very grateful to have gotten to spend the evening at such a great concert!
Fee and Charlie Hall
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Gratitude, Day 3
Happy Tuesday!
Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week for 7 simple reasons. They are:
Lamb (Laura), Manna, Beth, Alyssa, Melissa, Leah & Laura.
These women are my "Shady Ladies." Melissa, Leah, Laura & I grew up at Cokesbury United Methodist Church together, and Lamb, Manna, Beth and Alyssa have all worked with the youth there at some point. We found ourselves all back in Knoxville last fall, after the four "younger" ones graduated from college. Melissa had the idea to start a Bible study, and that's how the Shady Ladies were born! Unfortuantely, since then, Laura has moved to Jackson, Tenn. with her lovely husband. Even though Laura isn't able to join us weekly, she still makes it into town for big events (seen here at a Bridal shower for me last spring!) and she is very much a part of the Shady Ladies. We meet regularly on Tuesday nights, and sometimes, knowing that Tuesday is on its way is the only thing that gets me through Monday!
I am so blessed to have these wonderful, godly women in my life!
Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week for 7 simple reasons. They are:
These women are my "Shady Ladies." Melissa, Leah, Laura & I grew up at Cokesbury United Methodist Church together, and Lamb, Manna, Beth and Alyssa have all worked with the youth there at some point. We found ourselves all back in Knoxville last fall, after the four "younger" ones graduated from college. Melissa had the idea to start a Bible study, and that's how the Shady Ladies were born! Unfortuantely, since then, Laura has moved to Jackson, Tenn. with her lovely husband. Even though Laura isn't able to join us weekly, she still makes it into town for big events (seen here at a Bridal shower for me last spring!) and she is very much a part of the Shady Ladies. We meet regularly on Tuesday nights, and sometimes, knowing that Tuesday is on its way is the only thing that gets me through Monday!
I am so blessed to have these wonderful, godly women in my life!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Grateful: Days 1 & 2
Reading Brown Eyed Belle this morning, I discovered a bandwagon I'd like to join. Julie is blogging every day in the month of November about something she's grateful for. I think this is a wonderful idea, and I think it will be a great way to get in the habit of blogging regularly. Plus, what a better month to focus on gratitude than November!
Since I'm hopping on this bandwagon a day late, I'll provide two things I'm thankful for today.
First, in honor of her birthday on Halloween, I'm grateful for my mom.
My mom is one of the strongest women I know, and I would not be the woman I am today without her. I am so thankful for who she is, and that she's my mom!
On a less-sappy note, I am grateful for my new job. While I officially started my new job almost a month ago, I didn't actually get to start my awesome new job until today. So, I'm thankful today for the chance to really move forward in my career, working in a job that will be challenging, fun, and an opportunity to grow.
BONUS GRATITUDE: I'm thank for the Brown Eyed Belle, for being a great friend, and blogger inspiration.
What or whom are you grateful for today?
Since I'm hopping on this bandwagon a day late, I'll provide two things I'm thankful for today.
First, in honor of her birthday on Halloween, I'm grateful for my mom.
On a less-sappy note, I am grateful for my new job. While I officially started my new job almost a month ago, I didn't actually get to start my awesome new job until today. So, I'm thankful today for the chance to really move forward in my career, working in a job that will be challenging, fun, and an opportunity to grow.
BONUS GRATITUDE: I'm thank for the Brown Eyed Belle, for being a great friend, and blogger inspiration.
What or whom are you grateful for today?
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