A Joyful Noise

Most mornings I decide on a song that I carry in my mind and my heart through the day.  In a recent conversation with one of my sisters-in-law, I learned that she does the same thing.  Sometimes we tell each other what the song is so we can both focus on it; sometimes it's enough just knowing the other is singing.

Yesterday, a bible verse sang out to me.

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.  Zephaniah 3:27

What a lovely reminder that we aren't the only ones singing!

The Lord is at Work

We've had a few rough days as we awaited biopsy results for my mother-in-law.  The news came yesterday, and it wasn't what we wanted to hear.  She is diagnosed with lung cancer.

While waiting for the tests to be read and for the doctors to get in touch with us, I often had periods of frustration and irritation.  What's taking so long?  When are they going to call?  How can we handle the situation when we don't even know what it is?

Yesterday I was reading a devotional* that spoke right to me.  It's main message was that God is in the reconstruction business.  Of course He is!  Things change - reconstruct - all of the time.  People fall in love, move to new cities, have babies, change jobs, get parking tickets -- lots and lots of things.  And sometimes people get sick.  But God is right there with us during all of these times.  It made my heart lighter to remember that despite the disruptions and seeming chaos in our lives, the Lord is at work.

So now I will begin learning what our new "normal" is.  I will be looking for all of the new blessings and opportunities that He is placing before me.  I'm ready to find out what my job is.

*(The Upper Room. March-April 2012.  "A Highway for God" by Gerald McCann. pg 65.)

Georgia Aquarium

Today's outing was to the Georgia Aquarium. We arrived at 10 am, and there was already a line to get in. We eventually made it through the line, and we enjoyed the fishy sites for about 3 hours.

When we left, we noticed that the line to get in was very, very long. It had been getting crowded inside and we figured out why: lots of people were coming in, but very few were leaving! But, it was Saturday and we expected it would be busy.

Here are a few photos. Colorful fish:

Really big fish:

Waxy Monkey Frogs:

Is it disturbing that we left and went to Legal Seafood for lunch??

Welcome!

Installment #5

The Living Room

Here is our seating area:

The entertainment area:

And the doors by our chair! The weather has been so nice that we often open one of these doors. Cool air, and even though there are no screens, there are NO BUGS! So far, at least!

Apartment, sweet apartment!

Welcome!

Installment #4

The Dining Room

The column is just to the left of our front door, so this is the left side view when you walk in the apartment.

We were anxiously awaiting the dining room chairs. They were the last things we received. But now they are here, and we love them. Much more comfortable than the folding chairs were!

We use the table for a desk more than for eating! But, back to the chairs:

The front of the chairs have a velvet-like feel with a peacock-colored pattern over a brown background. The backs are a creamy yellow color with an embroidered design pattern. I couldn't get the pattern to show up well on the photos. Guess you'll have to come see it in person!

We are using this console as a catch-all bookcase copy machine table. I haven't put any books in yet, but we do have some to put away. And there is Ruby -- patiently awaiting her next vacuuming assignment.

When you come in our door and look straight ahead, here is what you see:

I thought Atlanta would be a good time to get more serious about learning to play the keyboard. I haven't done it yet, though.

Next up, the Living Room.

Welcome!

Installment #3

Here's the bathroom:

Notice the granite countertop!

There's a nice, roomy shower.

And a closet plenty big enough for our bathroom things.

Next up, the dining room!

Welcome!

Installment #2: The Kitchen

Again, don't blink. This goes fast!

The sink area:

The stove area:

The best part:

Next up: The Bath

Welcome to Our Apartment!

Installment #1: The Bedroom

Here is the bedroom in one quick glance. Don't blink or you'll miss it!

That's it. A bed, two night stands, a dresser, a TV, two windows and a photo of the grands.

Here is another shot of the bed portion of the room:

Now the dresser. BTW, the TV is not very big -- the dresser is very small!

The grands!

And finally, the closet. That's all of the clothes we brought, except for our coats. And it looks like I got a little compulsive with color coding in there! :)

Next up: Kitchen!

Jake and Sue Wyatt

When I was a young teenager - probably back in '69 or '70, I met and became friends with a boy from church, Johnny Wyatt. We were close for several years, spending a good amount of time together. An offshoot of being Johnny's friend was that I also became friends with his parents, Jake and Sue Wyatt.

Mrs. Wyatt died several years ago, and Mr. Wyatt recently joined her. I have lots of memories of them, and I thought I'd share a few of this couple that have a piece of my heart.

When I think of Mr. Wyatt, I see a man with a big smile on his face. I remember him happy, laughing and joking, and with a twinkle in his eye. He was a fan of music, and I remember him enjoying being with his friend Coy Moses, playing on their guitars. I remember Jake as a generous and sincere man. He worked hard at his job with the newspaper, and he liked sports.

I was closer to Mrs. Wyatt - it was probably a girl thing. She lived in a house of men (even the dog, if I remember that right!) and she enjoyed my girl company. I don't remember her loving to toil in the kitchen, but I do remember her making crunchy bread sticks out of hot dog buns, putting butter and garlic on them and baking them in the oven. Yum! I also remember she made really good iced tea. And it was instant! I've not had good instant tea since I had it at her house.

I credit the Wyatt's with my love of going out to eat! My family didn't eat out much, but the Wyatt's did, and I was often invited to go with them. I enjoyed being included with their family, and loved going out to lots of different restaurants!

As the years went by, Johnny and I went in different directions to different locations, and I didn't see his parents again. Mom kept me up-to-date from her visiting with the Wyatt's at church.

The news of Johnny getting married was fun to hear. There were lots of reasons that I liked the idea of Johnny marrying Kathy Hall, and one of them was because I could easily see Johnny's parents loving her as much as Johnny did. I never talked to Mrs. Wyatt about it, but I just know that she loved having Kathy as her daughter-in-law.

And I just know that when their grandbabies began coming, they had love in their hearts that they never could have dreamed of.

Mom told me several years ago that she had seen Mr. Wyatt at church. She said he asked about me and told her he'd love to see me sometime. It breaks my heart that I didn't go by to see him on one of my visits back to San Angelo.

I'm sad that I missed an opportunity that will never come again.

Are you missing one right now?

(In loving memory of Jake and Sue Wyatt)

Currently

Current guilty pleasure: The Daily on my ipad
Current nail color: hot pink toes!
Current playlist: Leanne Womack mix on Pandora
Current read: Cutting for Stone
Current drink: water!
Current food: fruits and vegetables ~ especially avocado
Current favorite show: Damages
Current wish list: warm days
Current needs: strength
Current triumphs: I'm living a healthy lifestyle.
Current bane of my existence: I won't name names.
Current celebrity crush: Well, I think Ryan Reynolds is cute...
Current indulgence: brown rice macaroni
Current blessing: new opportunities
Current outfit: blue jeans, purple shirt, blue sweater
Current excitement: Noah's basketball team played a super first game
Current mood: good
Current link: www.pintrist.com