Family Time

September was a blur... starting with my nephew's death and ending with a trip to Maryland for my brother's retirement. It has been bitter-sweet to get to spend so much time with family over the past several weeks. It is definately in times like these that we need each other the most.

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On September 25, my big brother had two retirment ceremonies for serving in the United States Army. He had been enlisted for 21 years. I am so proud of him. And so thankful that he served our nation in times of peace and war.

His last position was in the Pentagon, working the direct link between Washington, DC and Moscow. We got to go to the Pentagon for his first (and private) ceremony. We had to go through several levels of security to even be in there. It was cool. But so sad that we were not able to take pictures. They had an official photographer there, so he will get pictures of the event.

Next, we went to a general retirement ceremony for several different people who served in the DC area. It was supposed to be an outdoor event, but because it was raining, it was indoors. There was lots of pomp and circumstance: bands, flags, rifles, marching, etc. So cool. No horses, though.



A couple days later, my brother and sister-in-law hosted a party in Michael's honor at their house. There was lots of family and friends and CAKE! Of course, Grandmother made and decorated the official retirement cake. She included all the places that he had served in his 21 years.

At the Pentagon, his Commanding Officer presented him with a "Red Phone" to represent his time spent as a Communication Specialist between Moscow and DC.
We had extended family come in from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio.
During the party, my sister and I looked through Renee's wedding photos. Remember the wedding in March? She just got her digital file back. She had over 1000 photos on the disk so it took a while to look through them. But they were gorgeous. Maybe I'll post a few later.
After all the guests had gone home, we stayed up late watching YouTube videos of a funny comedian. It was fun to catch up with family and share some laughs. Thanks, M & M for hosting all of us at the same time! You guys ROCK!

WW - I Told You Something Drastic Was Going To Happen!

Remember this post? Now, we have three little kitties in our house! But only one will stay for the long term. The other two belong to my sisters. The kitties are only 5 weeks old, so we're keeping them together til they get bigger.

They are SO cute! And soft. And cuddly. I couldn't resist!

Somebody, please get me a referral. QUICK!!

WW - You Raise Me Up!

Abby's prayer last night: "God please help us to be happy without Daniel. It's been very sad without him. And help Daniel in his new God-world. Amen."

Daniel

(Warning: this post is long. I think there are 30 pictures. I hope no one has dial-up.)

Edited to Add for those who don't read my sister's blog: My nephew, Daniel, was killed in a bicylce accident on the night of September 3. He was riding near his college in Buchannon, WV and was hit by a drunk driver. You can read more about it here and here.

One of my greatest privileges in life has been being Daniel's Aunt. But Billy and I also had the opportunity to be his Youth Pastors. We have had some great times together as a group: playing, singing, praying, talking, traveling, etc. Daniel was such an inspiration in worship and in life. He lived his life without compromise and pointed others to Christ. As it has been said so many times this past weekend, he loved everyone! He had a ready smile and a song for every occasion. He certainly had a way of livening up the discussions on Thursday nights (our Youth night), whether we were talking Creation, money, destiny, or Billy's fascination with the Book of Romans. When we played games, he played with abandon (remember the chair races?). And worship was sweet with Daniel's tenor voice leading the way. Intercession, on the other hand, got mighty intense as Daniel's "Breaker Anointing" led us all into warfare, specifically for the cause of the unborn.

We will miss our sweet Daniel, but we will never forget his example. He lit a torch in our lives that I pray will never go out.

Here are some pictures from all the fun of Remain Youth (in no particular order)!

Super-K's graduation party

Couch Night

Another wacky scavenger hunt!
Christmas Skit: "COTK Golden Image"


TheCall in Nashville

Getting ready to go to DC
Israeli Embassy
Standing on "The Wall" outside the Supreme Court

outside the Lincoln Memorial
Missions Trip in Nicaragua
Performing for the kids: "Storyteller"
History Maker
Ski Trip in Ohio

Acquire the Fire in Cleveland
Bowling on Homecoming Night
Canoe Trip
Car Wash (we have to raise money for all these trips!)
Christmas Party
I think this was some sort of dancing game. Maybe.
Nice Hair! :)
Bible Trivia Twister!

Going Away Party for K

We never had an official "going away" party for Daniel. I guess it never really sunk in that he was leaving and going to college. But we will certainly miss him.
Until we meet again...