One of God's Greatest Servants

This past weekend, one of God’s greatest servants left this earth and is now sitting above.  When I was growing up, I had the same preacher at my church in Fort Smith all 20 plus years.  He was an amazing person and, still to this day, the finest Christian I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  Rev. Dois Kennedy has forever impacted the people of Goddard United Methodist Church and the community of Fort Smith, Arkansas.  If you ever had the pleasure of knowing or meeting him, you are blessed.

Some people think you are defined as being a Christian based on if you go to church and how often.  Yes, Dois was a Reverend so he was at church every day and preached almost every Sunday.  He was always available, even after he retired.  He spent many a day at the hospital, at local nursing homes, and visiting homebound people.  He showed me and the community being a good Christian is much much more than going to church or preaching to the congregation.  He proved it is a way of life.  It is helping people before they have a chance to ask and providing a shoulder or a hand.  It is being there when no one else can make it.  Sitting at a hospital for hours and hours without saying a word or listening to a family ramble to avoid thinking about their ill family member.  He always started his visit with a prayer and ended it the same way (“Let us Pray”).  Even when he was ill himself and not a 100%, he went to the hospital every single day- dropped off in the morning and sometime during the day got a ride home. 

Dois taught me a lot about being a good person.  He was there every time one of my grandparents or other family members were in the hospital.  Sometimes I thought he must be psychic or have a connection at the hospital that called him and told him we were there, because he always appeared.  I will forever remember when my grandpa was in the hospital.  Dois was retired at this point, but he was at the hospital sitting with us every single day of the three weeks before my grandfather passed away.  My Dad spent most of his time at the hospital during the day, and Dois was sitting next to him each of those days.  Dois was the only one at the hospital with my Dad when the time came that my grandpa finally passed.  He was there supporting, praying, and comforting.  My family has felt Dois’ love in his 21 years as our preacher and even after.  We are not the only family Dois has touched, and our story isn’t the only one where he was present. 

I wonder how he was so remarkable.  He could relate to anyone young or old.  His life wasn’t easy, and maybe that’s how he related.  He knew what hard times felt like and he knew love and happiness.  I always loved listening to him preach or speak, he did it with such ease and grace, making it seem natural.  His sermons always had a story to which everyone could relate or laugh.  I spent my youth learning that to be a good Christian, one must be involved.  I love my church family, and they as a whole have taught me what life is really about; but that church family was guided by the same great man.  He was so great because he was what a Christian should be.  Forgiving.  Listening.  Helping without a second thought of his life or his time.  Uplifting.  Loving. 

Dois spent his life and years helping families cope with the loss of a loved one here on earth, and now he will be able to greet our loved ones in heaven with open arms.  He was a great man, a great preacher, and an even better friend.  He will be missed by many, but his life will be celebrated by all those he has touched.   

(If you have a Dois story, please feel free share below.)

Quick Post

Sitting at the airport.  My life story this week.  I flew out Sunday to go to Seattle, and it was an awful experience.  I have been sick for probably the last week with a horrible cough and allergies, so flying is automatically no fun.  My flight out was delayed going to Chicago, which meant I missed my connection, but luckily I was put on an 8:00PM flight.  When I landed in Chicago I quickly learned of the devastation that Joplin had occurred.  I quickly called Michael and some of his family to make sure everyone was okay.  I can't believe I was probably flying around the tornado as it was happening.  Scary.  Everyone in Michael's family is fine.  The storms were so bad in Chicago that my flight was delayed 4 hours.  I didn't land in Seattle until 4AM my time.  It was a little stressful, but I did sleep the majority of the flight, so that made it a little better.  


I spent the week with members of my company from around the country.  It was a big internal leadership conference.  I truly love all the people I work with and I am so glad that I finally learned faces with names.  I was especially excited to meet the recruiter who worked with me to get hired.  She was fantastic during the process, and I think she is just as fantastic in person.  Truly loved meeting everyone.  Seattle weather has been great this week, so I walked around downtown a little bit.  I didn't get any fresh fish this trip, but I did go to Pike Place Market and walk around.  Love it.  Go to Seattle and enjoy the fresh samples they pass out.  I tried some Copper Creek Salmon this trip and it was AMAZING!  I heard great things about it but the fishing were running, so they were handing it out.  Good stuff.  


The long weekend is coming up and it looks like Michael and I might be going to the lake.  My parents went today to check and see if the boat can go into the water or if the lake is too high. If the lake is too high we will probably go to Joplin and help with the clean up.  I am sure we will be up there sometime this weekend no matter what.  If you aren't already pray for all the victims of the tornado.  My hometown was hit in 1996 by a tornado and it took a long long time for that area to be able to get back to normal, and the tornado in Joplin was 100x worse. I am going to get off here, because it looks as though my plane has arrived.  Got to grab some snacks before the 4 hour flight.  

Water for Elephants

We had another book club meeting this past weekend. We decided to read “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. We picked this book and decided we would read it, go eat sushi and discuss the book, and then go watch the movie together. Can I just say I can’t remember the last time I went with a large group of girls to the movies. It was super fun.

So, what everyone should know is that it is a great book. Kept me entertained the whole time and I don’t really like to read. Shh! I might have liked it for different reasons then the next person. Yes, it was very well written, and the characters developed the way I like, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the circus. When I was a little girl, my grandpa Jack used to take me and my cousins to see the circus whenever it was in town. And come to think about it…it was always by some train tracks. So, as I read the book I would have wonderful memories of my time with my grandpa. I have mentioned him before on here as the reason why I love music, but he definitely tried to provide a wide array of experiences. The book had some very intense scenes and I had to stop reading it at night, so I would actually sleep. I had two problems while reading the book, I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to see where it was going and I had very detailed dreams about the circus while reading the book. I am not complaining about either. I can also say it was a crowd pleaser among the book club ladies. I don’t want to give away anything about the book. If you like to read definitely pick it up before seeing the movie, and if you don’t like to read, trust me you will enjoy this one. It made us want to do a theme of books to movie.

My opinion on the movie: I usually enjoy most books to movie. I respect the film people who have to take a wonderful story that could make a 4 hour movie and turn it into a 2 hour movie. I normally enjoy most movies from books I have read. Sometimes I even like the endings of the movie over the book. The movie “Water for Elephants” could have put a little more detail into the movie. My brain wasn’t ready for the jumping around from the book. In the book but not in the movie, the main character is in a nursing home and the movie completely left out some great characters. They also left out some characters that I found to be interesting or important. The movie is good, if you don’t read the book. If you read the book, then I think the movie might be a little disappointing as it was for me. It even had a few things added, making my neighbor ask about it being in the book, as she did not remember that part. So, they added a few things that were unnecessary. I would have to give it a C for movies. Not a book to movie I will own.

Needless to say, I give “Water for Elephants” the book an A. As I said earlier I might have enjoyed it more due to my own experiences, but from our book club’s prospective it is a must read.

Party on the Farm

This past weekend was another busy one.  Saturday, Michael’s cousin was graduating.  We did not go to graduation. I spent the week away from home, traveling for work, so I wanted to rest.  Plus I didn’t even really want to go to my own graduation.  It is long and boring, and they always get a guest speaker who wants to talk about how great they or their company is and never talk about accomplishment of graduating.  Not my idea of fun.  So instead we worked around the house and I took a long nap, and then after graduation we went to the after party.  I had a lot of fun.  Michael’s cousin, Lindsey lives with three other girls, 2 who also graduated.  Parents, grandparents, and friends were there to celebrate and celebrate we did.  Michael suggested we play games.  I am glad he did.  We first played flippy cup.  I haven’t played flippy cup since we lived in Chicago and played in our annual SEC flag football/flippy cup tourney.  Our team consisted of Michael, Lindsey, Lindsey’s Dad, Lindsey’s boyfriend and her boyfriend’s Dad.  We played against all the college kids and we kicked their butts.  People stopped playing us, because no one could win and the more we drank the better at it we were getting.  After we dominated flippy cup, we moved to beer pong.  Of course our great team divided and Lindsey’s Dad and his partner killed everyone at beer pong…that was until Lindsey and I decided to play against them.  Yeah we won.  It was a fun night that brought me back to college days.  Michael and I laughed a lot.  They do not play beer pong like we played beer pong.  I felt old, back in the day we didn’t do it this way.  Biggest difference they put water in the cups not beer and just have a beer cup to drink out of.  Now where is the fun in that?  The main reason for the beer in the cups is you are supposed to drink it and the more you drink the harder it is to make shots.  Anyway.  It made me feel old.

Sunday, we went to Fort Smith.  My cousin’s little girl had her 2^nd Birthday Party and it was on a farm.  The farm is called Wild Things Farm.  She loves all animals, and gives them kisses.  I truly was like a little kid on the farm, they had pigs, goats, peacocks, horses, and the kids even got to pick strawberries.  When we first got to the farm, Ava ran straight to my mom, which probably just made my mom’s day.  So, we took Ava over to see the pigs, goats, sheep, and peacocks.  Ava kept gasping and pointing to the animals and then would look at me, too cute.  I don’t know what was going through her mind but I am sure it was pure joy.  After all the kids arrived, the owner first brought the pig out of the pin and let the kids pet it, Ava kept saying hi piggy.  I think she also wanted to give it a kiss.  Next they got to feed the goats some popcorn and pet a baby goat.  Then it was the duck races and milking the cow (fake of course).  Some of the kids were funny after milking the fake cow, they wanted to wash their hands.  We then headed out on a hayride to visit the horses.  Love horses, as did all the kids.  The horses were extra sweet and loving and they definitely wanted the hay on the hayride.  After riding back over to the main area, the kids were given plastic containers and told to go pick the red strawberries.  Too fun and super cute.  Some even were stinky and ate a few, which probably wasn’t a good idea.  I had to leave early to get back to Fayetteville, for the second weekend in a row, but I did get to see her open my present.  Check out the pictures of the party.  And if you leave in Fort Smith, go check out the Wild Things Farm in Poteau.   

Birthday Girl is excited

Pointing to the goats

Piggy

Feeding the goats popcorn...watching her brother

love this picture, notice the goat coming under the fence

No fear, her fingers are in its mouth

Checking everything out

Duck races

Having fun

Hayride

YAY for horses

Aden is excited

I want to know what's so funny

Me with the birthday girl

Picking strawberries

Mission Accomplished

Birthday cake my cousin made

Love it...my card...she looked like she was reading it

Picture after the party from her Mama to me...that's the Olivia the Pig dress up outfit I got her.

Crazy Busy

I have been crazy busy lately. Weekdays and weekends have been full of activities, which I am sure is really a good thing. A few weekends ago my parents and I went to Conway/Little Rock for a 5k. I am so proud of my mom; it was her first 5k ever. We left on Friday and Friday night we went over to visit my cousin and his baby, our newest family member. My Mom was so excited; as soon as we walked in she said where’s the hand sanitizer, give me that baby. This was the second time I have gotten to see baby Pierce, but it was the first time my parents got to meet her. My Mom was cooing at the baby and boy was baby P talking back to her. It was so cute. You can tell her mommy and daddy talk to her lots. It was so funny the entire time we were there my dad wouldn’t hold the baby. I think he was afraid she might break. He hasn’t held any of my cousins’ kids when they were babies. I told him that he better get practice, because I will make him hold my babies, if I ever have any. Of course, I got to hold Baby P. Mom and Dad got a tour of the house, so I took the opportunity to give the baby a bottle. I think she was having a spit up of a day, because after 2oz I was burping her and she burped and then I could see all over her face that she was not done. I had enough time to grab the burp rag but I swear the 2oz of milk multiplied. I caught the majority, but we both ended up a little wet. Oh well, it wasn’t the first time and I am sure it won’t be the last time a baby spits up on me. After some baby time, we went out to dinner at some hole in the wall Italian place in Conway.

Talking to Aunt Becky

Wavy Hair

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to go to the race. This was a women’s only race. There is a group and a lot of towns in Arkansas participating in the idea of women coming together and exercising. Check out the website. http://www.womenrunarkansas.net/ My mom is part of the Fort Smith group, and they meet a couple of times a week. Some people walk and some run, but it is all women encouraging each other. It is a little crazy, but super cool. I walked with my mom. It was kind of a mother’s day thing. I forgot how fun doing a 5k could be and it made me want to start running in more. At the end of the race the runners were coming back and finding women from their towns and walking the end with them, so cool. I asked my mom if when I ran cross country we were like the people at the finish area. She told me yes. So, I am going to run more 5ks, that going to be my pledge.

There were four of them

2 Fort Smith and 2 Fayetteville

Dad thought he should take lots of pictures

Oh so prepared...too early

Starting the race

Finishing the race

We had to rush after the race to head back home, because Saturday night Michael and I had a baby shower in Fayetteville. I got home in just enough time to take a quick walk around the block with Gabby, and a shower to get ready. The baby shower was a couple BBQ shower and it was fun. Our friends are having a baby boy and she could have him at any moment. She looks awesome for about to pop. We decorated bibs and onsies, which was entertaining. Michael drew a Razorback on a onesie and I wrote “Mommy kisses me more than Daddy” on a bib. It was cute to see everyone else’s ideas.

On Sunday, we relaxed. It was a nice day so we ran to Wal-mart and bought Gabby a new swimming pool. She loves the water, can’t wait to take her to the lake this year.

Pool Play

Happy Hump Day!!

Favorite Weekday =  Wednesday.  It is the halfway point in the week, and when you have something to look forward to for the weekend Wednesday means you can start getting excited!  My weekend is going to be a LOT crazy.  Friday, I am going to go to Fort Smith.  My Mom and I (and maybe my Dad) are going to Conway/Little Rock Friday and Saturday.  We are leaving Friday evening and one reason I am excited is I get to see my new baby cousin (again).  I guess she shouldn't qualify for new, but she is the newest.  She is the reason my Dad will probably come with us.  Baby P is my Dad's second Great Niece, but since he has no grandchildren and since I am not planning on giving him one anytime soon he lives through his Nieces and Nephews who are having kids.  Saturday, my Mom and I are planning on doing a 5k in Conway.  It is a ladies only 5k and it is a mother/daughter 5k.  I haven't even tried to do a 5k since I ran cross country, in High School.  The plan is to walk the 5k with my Mom, should be something fun to do together for Mother's Day.  Michael isn't coming with us, because someone has to take care of our baby dog and my brother probably wouldn't love me anymore if he took care of my dog and my parents dog.  


Saturday after the race, I will be rushing back up to Fayetteville for a friend's Baby Shower!!!  Some close friends are having a baby boy in about a month (or less).  I am excited for them and for the cookout couples shower.  I put something together for their present, but obviously can't post pictures yet, but I am super excited about it.  I am waiting for one more thing to get here for it and it will be complete.  


Off to do some work.  I hope everyone has a wonderful HUMP DAY!!!!   

Storms

We had a few weeks of bad storms, but now life will hopefully feel more like spring this week. During a few of the storms, I brought out the camera and snapped a few pictures and wanted to share. I love the way the clouds and sky during a storm can change in an instance. The light also can change rather quickly, but it makes it much more fun. Enjoy the photos! (click to make larger)

That is not a tornado or a wall cloud.

This storm photo was from my iPhone and was taken on a different evening than the above.