2007 Recap

Each year I like to reflect back on the previous year and do a sort of recap blog.  Here it’s almost February and I haven’t even thought about it yet.  Well in all honesty I have thought about it but I thought why in the world would anyone want to remember the past year in my life?  I was only thinking how horrible it has been and how much heart ache it included.  But really when I thought about it and looked back through the months worth of pictures stored on the computer I realized there were so many wonderful things that happened as well.  And I’d be selling the year short if I didn’t do a recap and mention all those wonderful things along with the bad.  So here goes nothing.   I hope you enjoy and remember the good things about your past year too.  I don’t really have a plan so I’ll just number them and explain.  Some may be long and drawn out and some may be short and sweet.  Depends mostly on how much I remember which considering the state of my mind lately probably will not be alot. 

1.  2007 was my first year as MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship because I know someone will ask) Leader.  What an honor and privilege it has been.  Along with the honor and privilege also came a few headaches.  The main headache being all the fundraising involved.  Our church is pretty small and there isn’t a ton of money for doing everything these kids deserve.  So in order for fun to be had money had to be raised.  Now I hate fundrasiing more than anything.  I guess that goes back to my high school days and cheerleading.  But one of the fundraisers the youth and I did in February 07 was so much fun.  Not only fun but it ended up raising more money than anything else we did the rest of the year.  It was a Womanless/Cow Beauty pageant.  Don’t ask me where the cow part came from but the womanless is pretty self explanatory.  It was mandatory for all the youth and leaders to enter the competition.  We asked for volunteers from the congregation too and had several takers.  Which might have been a bit disturbing considering how many men wanted to dress up like women and strut their stuff.  As for the girls… We had to make ourselves look funny or ugly to the best of our ability.  How was money raised you ask? Well it was pretty guiness if you ask me…  After each contestant walked the runaway they all went back around the room carrying a bag with their number trying to get as many votes as possible to win.  The votes were money and the winner was the one who collected the most money.  It worked out great.  We made well over $800 dollars that one night and there wasn’t nearly as many in attendance as I had hoped.  It’s too soon to do it again this year unfortunately… But seeing this every few years is MORE than enough anyway… 

2.  In May we did another fundraiser that wasn’t nearly as much fun… I hate yard sales but they had always done one each year and I wasn’t confident enough as a new leader to venture out from the norm just yet so I went along with it.  Not so much this year btw.  For a few months before we collected items and junk from all the congregation.  It was a great way for them to spring clean and for us to make some dough so there was tons of donations… It took nearly 2 night to get set up and then the morning of the yard sale it was pouring rain.  We gathered together and prayed that if God saw fit would he please stop the rain for a few hours.. Guess what? He did and we had our yard sale.  We raised over $500 this day.  For me it was too much work for these old bones.  Yah, sure I had 13 or 14 able bodied kids around but they were not very much help.. As much as I love teenagers they are lazy bums when it comes to manual labor and I worked my buttocks off all day…

  

3.  June was a bittersweet month.  Our pastor of 13 years had to move on to another church and we got a new one.  Brother Ron and Mrs. Joan had been such a major part and influence on my life for so many years it was really hard for me to let them go.  Even to this day I still have troubles with it sometimes.  But God works things in his own way and it’s not for us to question or know why things like that happen.  Maybe Brother Ron was meant to preach at another church for the life of one person to be saved.. And maybe that one person would go on to win many many lives to Christ.  If that means I have to get used to a new preacher and wife then so be it.  I can do that for God.  So.. out with the old.. and in with the new.  Brother Eric and Mrs. Barbara then entered into my life.  I love them both but it’s just not the same yet.  I’m sure in a few more years I’ll wonder how I ever made it without them. 

4.  Four and Five happened back to back but are two very different thing… Allison spent 5 days at the University of Alabama for Cheer Camp in July.  I didn’t go so there isn’t alot for me to say.  I do know that her squad did excellent and won camp champions and brought home many other trophies and ribbons.  Allison also tried out for Univeral Cheerleader Associations All Star squad and made it.  This is a very high honor and you have to be really good to make it.  We were very proud of her to say the least.  Winning All star would affect the rest of our year too but I’ll get to that later. 

The squad being goofy…

When I was looking for this picture of Ally with Big Al (Alabama’s mascot) I found this one of me and Big Al from about 18 years ago at cheer camp… 

5.  The very same day Allison left cheer camp was the day we left to go on the youth trip to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach.  I lost my mind and decided to take 15 teenagers on vacation.  I know I know.. What on earth was I thinking?  Beats the heck out of me.  It was fun but for me not in the relaxing way a vacation should be.  I tried my very best to keep the kids inline and also give them many good devotions about God to ponder, pray and think about as they lay their heads down each night.  With that being said the next time I go to the beach I will only have two kids with me.  The 2 I gave birth to. 

6.  Okay up until now it’s been all fun and games… But here is where 2007 started getting sticky.  I’m in a really good mood right now and I don’t want to bring myself down writing about depressing things.  So if you want to read about my father’s death and his life up to that point read this entry from August 9th…

7.  More Cheerleading… The girls competed at the Haleyville Invitational and of course they won…. By this time their heads are getting purty darn big..

8.  Kelsey got glasses.  Now she is like the rest of this nearsighted family. 

9.  We went camping with my Sunday school class in September.  It was a great weekend full of fun and fellowship.  I am getting tired of writing so the entries are getting shorter.  Hopefully the photos paint a better picture anyway. 

10.  I’ll combine these 2 events… As you can see cheerleading pretty much runs our life.  I’m looking forward to this year because Allison has decided to take a year off before moving up to varsity.  As soon as Nationals are over in February we will get a break..

North Alabama Regionals-  3rd Place

Alabama State Cheerleading Competition- 3rd Place

11.  I told your cheerleading was everything to us… But this time cheerleading paid off in a big way.  Because Allison made UCA Allstar she was invited to be in the Thanksgiving day parade at Disneyworld.  We got amazing group rates and we took advantage of this since we haven’t been on a real family vacaition in a long long time.  We had a blast together as a family and it was just what we needed.  I took so many pictures I’m not even going to try and post them all here.  You can view my Disney photobucket album here though if you want to check them out.  Looking back now I am so blessed for this vacation because little did we know that just a couple of weeks after we returned our world would come crashing down around us. 

12.  Which brings me to the final chapter of my 2007 recap.  Most of you know the story.  I started this blog over 2 years ago when my then 20 year old brother had a car accident that left him a quadriplegic.  I journaled his 7 months in the hospital and recovery from my point of view.  Then we he got home I wrote about his struggles and what I was going through as a part time care giver.  Chuck went from having his back turned on God before the accident to praising him with all he had after he survived what should have killed him and then headed back the other direction as depression over his injury took over.  I journaled it all here.  This was my outlet for stress and worry where he was concerned.  Sometimes the things I couldn’t say to him I could say here.  But I always was able to tell him how much I loved him and he told me too.  On Dec 11th I lost my little brother through circumstances none of us could have prevented or saw coming.  I struggle every day without him in my life.  I’m comforted knowing he is happy and walking again in heaven with our Savior and Lord.  It seems like I’m leaving Christmas out but I’m not really just everything from that day on seems to run together over the few weeks following….I miss him everyday some days it gets the best of me but most days I still manage to smile. 

Thank you to all who have been here over the last year with me.. Laughing, crying and sharing our lives… I don’t know what I would do without this blog & my friends here… Be well and here’s to another great year ahead of us all….