InstaFriday- Mid August

We've got a really serious drought going on here in southwest Missouri.

And I've had a drought of my own - a 2 week blogging drought. Obviously not nearly as serious as our real one. And not nearly as serious as one of the reasons for my posting hiatus. 

My sister's husband died August 8 after an extended illness. He was one of the most giving people you'll ever meet. If he heard you mention wanting/needing something, and he could get it for you, he would. He and my sister shared 33 years together.

We traveled to Tennessee to grieve with her.

I heard my dad's voice as we prepared for the visitation and the funeral. He said visitations were sweet times. Of course, the reason you and your family and your community get together is a sad one. But the sweet part was the getting together of your family and your community. Dad said you'd see people you hadn't seen in forever. You'd talk about old times and the memories made. He said he loved that.

I like it too.

Before we left for Tennessee, I had taken some handy dandy iPhone pics from the previous week that never made their way to my InstaFriday, so I'm including a few of those here too. Gotta catch things up, ya know?

This first pic was sent to our sweet Hannah. She had been gone for a couple of days, and we missed her. So we sent her this pic telling her that "the world sitting around our table wants to know what you are up to."

Hi Hannah!

A day or two after that, our local newspaper ran this story on the 2nd page. I laughed out loud! Gotta love small town life!

I took this picture to document my first ride after "the wreck." I am happy to report it was accident free. I definitely needed to get back in the saddle, and not just for health reasons.

And yes, we wore our helmets.

We celebrated our recent high school graduate's birthday August 6. He wanted sushi.

Ewhh.

But it was his birthday, so he got it.

I love car cards. David doesn't.

Birthday party people.

Before we headed out to TN, we had a important stop to make in Springfield. Mary Grace had been scheduled to have her braces taken off for a couple of months and we didn't want to put that off any longer.

No more metal mouth!

Before....

After! With Dr. Bauer and co.

While in Tennessee, I was amazed by a couple of things. First, it is green there. No terrible drought. Second, the crepe myrtles are stunning. And they are everywhere. Beauty always speaks to me.

Outside a pharmacy

Love how they prune them.

After the funeral, we snapped a picture of my mom with her kids. My sweet sister smiled on the outside as she was crying on the inside.

As we headed back to my sister's after the funeral, we stopped at a Veteran's Museum. My mom wanted to see her brother's memorial bricks. They both died years ago. I'm glad for the opportunity here to publicly  - on the world wide web, no less - thank them for their service.












As we were leaving that museum, I noticed this flag.

Wow...1864. Being unfamiliar with C.S.A., I turned and asked the lady working there, "What does C.S.A. stand for?"
To which she responded very condescendingly, "Well, you are obviously not from the south. It stands for Confederate States of America."

Sorry about the reflection...this room was set up for a wedding reception.

WHOA! Those are fighting words! I was quick to tell her that I was born and raised in the south.

As we walked back to the car, Mary Grace told me she glared at her for me when she said that. Of course, during that same walk, we all thought of more clever comebacks we wished we had said to the very recently dubbed "rude lady." Hello? The War of Northern Aggression is over!

Once back at my sister's, each age group tried to rest and relax. With cooler temperatures, the cousins migrated to the front porch for a movie.

After returning home, I didn't document much of this week - until Thursday.

Thursday was a big day. My three youngest girls started school. Faith is a senior (!), Elizabeth is a junior, and Mary Grace is an 8th grader. This is also Mary Grace's first year not being home schooled.

Kind of a big deal - for her and me.

Thursday was also the day we moved David to the University of Arkansas.

Kind of a big deal - for him and me.

The good news is he's not alone in Fayetteville. Luke works there now, and Hannah is a senior (!) at the U of A.  Enjoyed taking our Arkansas kids out for dinner before heading home.

To say the last 2 weeks have been a bit emotional is an understatement. Some highs. Some lows.

But we've felt God's guidance, care, and comfort. He promises:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
                                                                                                                        Isaiah 43:2

Thanks for sharing my weeks with me.

God is faithful!