After some tailgating and some football, I am off to Lake Lanier. I grew up on that lake… so many great memories there!
So, here I come Atlanta! So good to be home!!
All smiles, after a full weekend of moving!
I picked up my family aka my moving crew just before midnight Friday evening at the airport. How sweet it was to see them come down those escalators. As at peace as I am with no longer living so close to them, I still want to jump up and down each time I am reunited with my family. We made the short drive out to Davison to drop off my dad and step mom at a hotel, and my brother and I headed to my (old) apartment. It was late, and we had a full day ahead of us. We would put the reunion on hold until the next day…
Saturday morning I left my brother snoring on the couch and I went and picked up my dad to track down our U-haul truck. We were back to my apartment with breakfast in hand before 10am. The next hour went by in a blur. Before I knew it my entire apartment was empty. My dad and brother had the truck loaded up before I had time to blink.
The second part of the day went just as smoothly. The guys had my new apartment filled up in no time. It amazed me how quickly four sets of hands could get the job done. My wonderful dad spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning hanging blinds, installing TV’s, programing my garage door opener, installing shower heads, and hanging pictures. I think he enjoying attacking the “to-do” list about as much as I appreciated him doing it. By the time they left Sunday afternoon, I was basically all unpacked and settled in. So, so thankful for them!!!
This was the first time my brother had made the trip to Michigan. That kid kept me laughing all weekend as he discovered the vast differences of the north vs. the south. He thought it was absolutely hilarious that a sign inside the Home Depot advertised the coke products as “pop”. He actually took a picture of it… He also made the mistake of ordering sweet tea at dinner. The waitress looked at him like he was crazy. Four packs of sugar later, he was happy with the iced tea that was brought to him. He also made the comment that all the cars looked the same. The idea that everyone up here drives American made cars blew his mind. His comments took me back to last year when I first moved up here… What a great comic relief he was this weekend!
At the airport on Sunday I once again said my goodbyes very easily. I am flying home for Labor Day weekend on Saturday, so it was great to say goodbye and be able to add “I’ll see you next week.”
Another successful family reunion complete. The job at hand wasn’t all that great, but somehow that didn’t even matter! 
Happy 1 year anniversary to me! One year ago today I walked into a GM plant in Swartz Creek, MI scared as hell. I had to use my GPS to get me to work that morning, and yet I still got lost. I was on my own and 1200 miles away from anyone that could help me. What a difference a year can make! So… long story, short… I SURVIVED!!!
With the one year anniversary, comes the end of my lease at my current apartment. I knew the day I moved into that apartment that it would be a temporary home. With limited time, money, and two puppies, it was the best I could do. At the time, I was so excited and happy to have a plan and to be on my own, that the old, cramped apartment wasn’t a big deal. But, I am happy and proud to say that Chatwell drive is no longer my address. As of yesterday morning, I have a new address. One that I am much more excited about! My dad, step mom and brother will be arriving late Friday night to help me make the 20 minute move to my new apartment. (Don’t feel bad for them for having to fly up here… My family and I take every excuse these days to see each other. They offered to help me move 4 months ago!)
The traditional one year anniversary gift is paper… It seems strangely appropriate.
Paper, as in plane tickets. Lots of them. I have flown more in the last year than I have in my entire life. And fallen in love with traveling in the process.
Paper, as in bills. I’ve had lots of those too. I am happy to say that I have far fewer these days then when I moved up here. At one time I was paying for a mortgage, utilities, and maintenance expenses on top of my own living costs. Ugh.
Paper, as in pictures. My camera has been working hard this year. Especially when the snow started falling last November. It was my way of sharing my new life with my family. For awhile there, I think I was sending snow pictures to Georgia every day. (With captions that read: What am I doing here?!)
Paper, as in newspaper. I feel like I am now an expert packer/unpacker. I managed to get all of my things up to Michigan in one piece. Moving across town next week is going to feel like a walk in the park.
Paper, as in paper towel rolls. Its a stretch I know, but I had to mention my dogs. They LOVED to chew up empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls (especially Foster). Those two dogs were as much a part of my life as anything else this year. I still miss them terribly.
So there you go. It has been an amazing, stressful at times, heartbreaking, fun, inspiring, breathtaking year! I am so incredibly thankful. So incredibly happy. So incredibly proud.
Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of meeting a special family during a golf outing. Their two teenage children, MacKenzie and Spencer were both diagnosed with TaySachs disease and have been deifying the odds for many years. I am saddened to hear that MacKenzie lost her battle late Friday night.
Thoughts are prayers for her family, and her many many friends.
“My arms long to hold her and my lips already miss her kisses, but I know she is running free and playing. I feel like a piece of my soul has been torn from me. My darling baby girl, you don’t have to dream of angels anymore….you are one now. I love you to the moon and back.” – Mama
The first thing I want to comment on is how “normal” it now feels to start and end family reunions in airports. A year ago, I can vividly remember feeling overwhelmed and shedding tears at various airports as I made the trip home, or as my family came to Michigan. Today, as I walked my mom to security at the airport, we had a very heartfelt, yet very non-emotional goodbye. We smiled, hugged, said the I love yous, and she was on her way back to Atlanta. No tears required. I think we are both now content that we live 1200 miles apart. We have spent the last year trying to figure out how it was going to work with me living so far away. Somewhere along the way, it just clicked.
Our weekend was pretty much perfect. My mom picked me up from work Friday afternoon and we were on our way “up north”. It took us about four hours to reach the very northern tip of Michigan. We happily got out of the car and ran for the beach. We put our toes into Lake Huron and officially declared that we were on vacation.
The next morning we were up and in line for our ferry ride to Mackinac Island by 8:30am. The beautiful weather that had been with us the previous day was nowhere to be found. We woke up to find overcast gray skies, and temperatures barely in the 60′s. The shorts and tank tops that had been packed seemed very inappropriate. We layered the clothes we had as best we could and made a plan to buy sweatshirts as soon as possible.
As the island came into view, we realized how unique this place was. Mackinac Island is right off the coast of the northern (lower peninsula) of Michigan. You can only get there by ferry (or by walking over the ice in the winter), and there are absolutely no cars on the island. Horses and bicycles are the only forms of transportation. This is a fully functional town complete with a school, post office, and court house. Although its mostly a tourist destination, there are people that actually live there… year round. And let me say it again… there are no cars. Just imagine living several miles off the coast and having to rely on your horse drawn carriage to carry your groceries to your house. Without the noise of motorized vehicles, the island is a very peaceful retreat. The scenery is breathtaking. You are surrounded by clear blue lakes, beautiful flowers, and the clip-clop of horses. We felt like we had stepped back in time about 100 years.
Our day consisted of a horse drawn carriage tour of the island, butterfly conservatories, walking the grounds of the Grand Hotel (it was the sight of the movie “A Moment in Time”), and enjoying some freshly made fudge. We ate lunch overlooking the Mackinac Bridge. The sun cooperated beautifully, coming out right after our arrival on the island.
As the crowds grew, my mom and I decided to call it a day. We got back onto the ferry and headed back to the “mainland”. We both realized that we couldnt make the drive back home until we crossed the 5 mile bridge that connects the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. So, $6 later, we made the round trip across the bridge, and we were on the road heading south. We were back to my apartment around 6:30 Saturday night.
Sunday was a fairly lazy day. I drove my mom over to see my new (maybe) apartment and we rented several “girly” movies. A few bags of popcorn and some rainy weather made the afternoon fly by. Before we knew it, Monday was upon us and it was time to head to the airport.
My mom and I have never had the chance to “get away” for any extended period of time as just the two of us. It was so nice to not worry about significant others, siblings, or schedules. We had several days of girl talk and conversing about the various realms of our lives. I hope these trips become a tradition for us in the future. This weekend is just one of the many moments of the past year that I contribute to my new life. My mom and I would never have felt the need to venture off together if I was still living 30 minutes from her.
My mom arrived right on time yesterday afternoon. After having some minor luggage issues, we were well on our way to Mother Daughter Weekend 2008.
First stop, dual pedicures. We got our toes looking pretty as we gossiped and caught up. After about an hour of pampering, we headed off to find some dinner. Lucky’s Steakhouse has become my favorite restaurant up here. Dinner included steak and seafood and of course their yummy bread. To top if off we shared a few Georgia Peach Martinis. We thought it was appropriate…
After a delicious dinner, we weren’t quite ready to call it a night. Since the weather was a perfect 70 degrees, we went to the park and took a nice long walk. My mom was in disbelief of how beautiful the weather was. She compared it to late October/Fall in Georgia. She couldnt believe that its been this way all summer. I assured her that we deserved a few months of perfection after surviving the six months of winter.
Todays agenda includes a few hours of work and then to make the four hour drive “up north” to Mackinac Island. We have butterflies, carriage rides, ferry’s and yummy fudge in our future… Should be marvelous!
The Maddox/Conde families remain in my prayers today. What an incredible family, and an incredible little girl. Maria had been keeping everyone updated through a blog over the past two months. As I go back and read the daily updates, I am in awe of her faithfulness and assurance of God’s plan for her little girl. A lesson we could all learn from…
Thank you Abby for passing this along…
When Death Becomes Birth
by Max Lucado
You live one final breath from your own funeral.
Which, from God’s perspective, is nothing to grieve. He responds to these grave facts with this great news: “The day you die is better than the day you are born” (Eccles. 7:1). Now there is a twist. Heaven enjoys a maternity-ward reaction to funerals. Angels watch body burials the same way grandparents monitor delivery-room doors. “He’ll be coming through any minute!” They can’t wait to see the new arrival. While we’re driving hearses and wearing black, they’re hanging pink and blue streamers and passing out cigars. We don’t grieve when babies enter the world. The hosts of heaven don’t weep when we leave it.
Oh, but many of us weep at the thought of death. Do you? Do you dread your death? And is your dread of death robbing your joy of life?
Jesus came to “deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Heb. 2:15).
Your death may surprise you and sadden others, but heaven knows no untimely death: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Ps. 139:16).
Dread of death ends when you know heaven is your true home. In all my air travels I’ve never seen one passenger weep when the plane landed. Never. No one clings to the armrests and begs, “Don’t make me leave. Don’t make me leave. Let me stay and eat more peanuts.” We’re willing to exit because the plane has no permanent mailing address. Nor does this world. “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Phil. 3:20).
Why don’t you do this: give God your death. Imagine your last breath, envision your final minutes, and offer them to him. Deliberately. Regularly. “Lord, I receive your work on the cross and in your resurrection. I entrust you with my departure from earth.” With Christ as your friend and heaven as your home, the day of death becomes sweeter than the day of birth.
From
Come Thirsty
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado
So here I am. A year older, a year wiser…. a year closer to catching some dreams.To be so far from “home”, I felt very loved yesterday. My phone started buzzing at midnight and kept going all day long. I had emails, text messages, and phone calls that lasted until late last night. I had donuts, cupcakes, and birthday cards at every turn. The people that made my day so special were complete strangers a year ago. That in itself is a wonderful gift.
My thoughts and prayers are with a very special family down in Georgia today. These are some of my favorite people on the planet, and my heart breaks knowing that they are hurting today after the loss of baby Elsie. I pray that they can find comfort and peace in the days to come.
