Easter Weekend 2011

This was our first holiday without our dear Gran. I knew it was going to be tough. I asked my parents if they might want to come to our house this year. My Dad's Birthday was Friday and I wanted to do a combined birthday/Easter celebration. Beth couldn't come home (and we couldn't go to Nashville) because she extremely busy trying to finish her second semester at Vandy. We really missed her.

My parents got to my house around 4:30 Saturday night. I cooked enchiladas, salad, corn on the cob, and rice as my Dad's special birthday dinner. We also had a Mrs. Smith's apple pie ;). Dad opened a few presents from us. Then mom and I headed to Conway to do a little shopping. We looked at plants and pots for new plants. We actually didn't buy anything. Then we headed home and watched The King's Speech with Dad and Dane. We all enjoyed the movie.

This morning we celebrated Easter sunrise at 7am with our church. Dane read from Isaiah 53 and sang spoke about the power of prophecy and God's plan for redemption. We went home and took a nap between services. Then we returned for Easter worship at 11am. We read the story of the resurrection in the book of Matthew. The sermon was a reminder of the power of the resurrection to restore us to a new life. The closing scripture was Colossions 3:1-4

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him glory.

I am so thankful for my family and my church family. I know that my Gran is rejoicing in heaven today. I am thankful for all of the Easters that I had with her. Of course, I would love to have more. But then I remember that one day I will. After our Easter service we went to Michelangelo's for the Easter brunch. It was delicious. The atmosphere was very calm and we had breakfast food and pasta food. I am so thankful that I got to celebrate Easter with my husband and my parents.

I recently made some copies of some great pictures of Gran. The one below is a picture of Gran with mom and Julie when they were very young. The last time that I visited with Gran at her home (only one week before she went into the hospital) we looked through her old photo albums and I told her how much I loved this photo. The picture says Feb 1967 on the back. I wanted to get a special frame to put it in. I found this one at the Kitchen Store. Surely we are blessed. Blessed to have such a wonderful Gran to love us and teach us about the love of Christ.

Missing Gran

There is no other way to describe the way I feel these days other than I just simply miss my Gran. She has been in heaven for 2 and a half weeks now. In some it seems like yesterday because it is so vivid in my mind and in other ways it seems like I haven't seen her in a very long time. While talking to one of my friends about Gran I used the word "exceptional" to describe her. My friend quickly said that she had recently used the exact same word.

She wasn't like other people. She was very special. She loved me for who I am and she challenged and encouraged me every way. Many people have said to me (my mom included) that I will be surprised at the things that bring me back to her throughout my life. Right now I am surprised at the holes in my life. We talked on the phone almost every day. I have about a hundred voicemails on my phone that she has left me. I miss her sweet hug. I miss her voice and her way with words.

I wanted to post because Easter is tomorrow and I have been wondering what Easter in heaven is like. Maybe every day in heaven is Easter. Some people think that people in heaven can see or have some awareness of life on earth. I really dont know what I think. But if they do, I think Gran would love to see people worshiping all over the earth. She loved Easter. Well.. she loved Jesus. We are having a sunrise service at our church and I think it will be very special for me because she loved her church's sunrise service. She always thought it was beautiful. Also, the morning that she left the earth we witnessed maybe the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. Mom, Julie, and I stayed the night with her in her hospital room. We were very tired but when the sun came up we all noted how pretty it was. We also loved it when we could see the warm sun on Gran's face. She loved the sunshine.

When we were little we always celebrated Easter with lunch at Gran's after church followed by the traditional Easter egg hunt. Gran loved a Easter egg hunt. She remembered the tradition from her own childhood.

Oh how we miss her.

Blessings

I have enjoyed a very full and busy week. Monday night we went to the Hambrick house to celebrate the work that Adam is doing at Stumo. Adam and Merritt recently got a puppy - Gibson. The Hambricks cooked a delicious pasta dish for us and we enjoyed spending our Monday night with our dear friends. When I think of the blessings of my dear college years, I often think of Merritt Madison (Smith) Hambrick. She taught me so much about loving people and being a person of kindness. She taught me the value of the written note, of a hug, of having a positive outlook, and of balancing the act of being a Christian and a student.

Tuesday night Dane and I stayed home and Dane cooked us some brinner (breakfast for dinner) while I cleaned the house. Fair trade if I do say so myself!

Wednesday night was a very special night for us. Our church did not have an Ash Wednesday service so we opted to go to the service at First UMC in Russellville. We know the pastor and his wife and they are very special people. We both really enjoyed the Ash Wednesday service. I know Dane enjoys hearing the word from other pastors. The scripture passage was from the prayer of David after he had sinned against God with Bathsheba.

Psalm 51:15-17
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despite.

I was in awe at the wisdom of David. He knew that no sacrifice could equal a broken spirit. I became very aware of how seldom my spirit is broken. I am thankful for this season before Easter where I am constantly encouraged to remember my identity in Christ. Several people have shared stories with me lately that have challenged my faith, I am ever grateful for the Father's patience with my selfish heart.

Thursday I received some news that I will not be able to take my board exam (the National Physical Therapy Examination - NPTE) until September 7th almost a month after my August 12th graduation. This was initially very frightening for me. How can I possibly move to another state for Dane to attend seminary without even the hope of a license to practice until Sept 7th? (I am too easily discouraged..) However, Dane has been very encouraging to me. He quietly and patiently reminded me that many many things have happened that have helped pave a way for us to move for him to attend seminary. There is no reason to think that one month of life without an income will ruin us. I also spoke with my dear friend Haley about this and she encouraged me to look at this like a period of transition in a new state before I even have the option of working. The situation is out of my hands. Certainly, this may be a blessing in disguise. My dear Gran said the same thing. She has always encouraged me to look at the big picture. A month of my life without work will not be biggest trial of my life, certainly. I am thankful for these words of advice.

Yesterday (Friday) I left my clinical site early to do a drug screen/background check at my next clinical site in Sherwood. I was able to meet my clinical instructor who was very warm and welcoming. The site also had an area for sitting outside to eat lunch! Hooray for a little vitamin D. :)

I then stopped by to visit Susan, Chris, and sweet baby Ava! Ava is growing up so fast. She is almost 7 weeks!! Susan looked amazing. It was so great to see them. Ava is very active and keeps them on their toes. I took several pictures of her but most were blurry because she is such a wiggle worm! :) Love that precious girl!

Dane and I ate at Cracker Barrel last night. Dane pointed out that we now eat there a lot and then he said that he thinks we used to think we were too young to eat there but we have apparently changed our minds! ;)

Sister Time

This past weekend I was able to go home and visit my sister who is here from Nashville for her spring break! Have I mentioned that I do not (repeat DO NOT) like living a state apart from my sister?

Friday night I got home around 9:30 or so. Dad and Beth made it home around 10:30. We just ate some of mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious!! Ross was so excited to see all of us. He is such a sweetie.

Saturday morning Ross woke us up around 8 but I didn't get out of bed until later. Mom made us a lunch to take a Grans and we went over to visit with her and Pop. Gran is doing better. She still gets tired and has some pain but she really enjoyed her time with her sister and brother-in-law. She was sad when they left. I guess I will always be sad when Beth and I part ways.

We went back home around 7 after seeing Sam and Julie for a little while. Sam had been in a horse show.

Saturday morning we went to church with Mom and Dad. I got to see some people that I hadn't seen in a very long time which was nice. It was also nice to go to church with my parents. Mom made us some lasagna for lunch and we played with Ross and took a nap. Beth also started grading some papers for her classes. It was really hard to leave. I had a wonderful, restful weekend.

I drove back to Conway around 5pm Sunday night and made it home in time to watch my show - Army Wives with my sweet husband. Dane had done all of the laundry AND done the dishes and put them up. What more could I ask for?!

Work Hard, Play Harder

One of my favorite professors/people told me to work hard during the week and play harder on the weekend. I think I met my match this pass weekend.

Dane and I wanted to go home to visit my Gran because she made it home from MD Anderson in Houston on Friday night.

Friday after work/school we headed to Conway to make it to the Post Office to get our mail. We had let the mail back up so then we had to make to Conway during office hours to get the mail from the office. I got out of rehab early on Friday because our census was/is low so we made it in time. After we got the mail we headed to Jimmy John's for some sandwiches for dinner. I do not love Jimmy John's but Dane thinks it is the best sandwich you can buy. He finally admitted that he probably likes it because it reminds him of eating Blimpie sandwiches with his Dad. After we ate we shopped in Conway for a while because Dane had a ballgame at 8pm. I bought some new shoes (I really love shoes..). But they were only $20. Then we went to Dane's game at the Don Owen Sports Center. Well, first I talked to Beth on the phone. Then I went in to run (..jog...with rest breaks) on the track. The Center is very nice, a great part of Conway. I think that spending tax dollars on things like public places for people to exercise is a really grand idea. After the basketball game (which Dane's team won) we headed to Cave City to my parents house.

It was so good to see my parents! My Dad has been sick lately but he was recovering. We didn't get home until around 11pm so we went to bed after a few minutes with my parents. Saturday morning we woke up to mom cooking us breakfast! Nothing like a little bacon, biscuits and gravy, and eggs to make me smile. Dane too. My mom is a really good cook too. Then we showered and headed to Gran's house. Gran was doing well. Her sister and brother in law from Sarasota, Fl were there. We basically just talked and helped Gran a little bit. It was so great to see her because we are very close and she had a major surgery. It has been very difficult for me to get up and go to my clinical every day knowing that she was in the hospital. I just wanted to hug her. Dane went back to visit with his parents and I stayed at Gran's. We went for a walk and then Gran took a small nap. Mom made it to Gran's around 4pm. We all visited and then we ordered some dinner from the Burger Center in Melbourne. You can get a 4 piece fish dinner with beans, slaw, and hushpuppies for like $6.50. It's awesome. We got 8 to go orders for everyone to eat at Gran's. Mom worked at the Burger Center when she was in high school so it's fun for us to eat there. Sam and Julie made it back from a horse show and I was able to see them as well. Mom took me back to Cave City and I stayed the night with the Womacks. I had not seen them in a long time either so I was glad to visit some with them. We watched the Social Network.

Sunday morning we woke up at 6:00 and left for Plumerville at 6:30. We made it back to get ready for church. We started a study of Romans in Sunday School. We finished Genesis last week and I loved it. I am anxious to learn about this letter from Paul to the church in Rome, a church that he only knew of by it's reputation.

After church we headed to Little Rock to visit with our dear friends Chris and Susan and their precious 4 month and 6 day old daughter - Ava Lauryn. She was such a sweetie. It was great to see our dear friends. Susan looked great! It was amazing to hear her talk about her sweet daughter, she literally devotes every moment to caring for her. It was a true picture of selfless love.



Sunday night we watched the Oscars and we went to sleep early. We did not feel the earthquake. :)

Gran's Surgery and CSM

Gran had her surgery a week ago yesterday. She is recovering now in Houston. She should be discharged from the hospital soon and she will be headed to her apartment there with Pop and my mom. It has been a rough time for her. The surgery was painful and she has been through quite a bit. Her surgeon did not feel that he could proceed with the surgery as planned but was able to remove much of the cancer. She will be resuming her routine chemo as soon as she is healed. I know that she is very ready to get home and get some rest. I have been able to talk to her on the phone the last part of the week which was a huge blessing. It is so hard for me to be at my clinical site when she is so far away. I know that my Pop, mom and aunt have been taking great care of her (along with the excellent hospital staff) but I just wish I could be there some. I am looking forward to next weekend when she should be home and I will get to see her! I have been lonesome for her and have appreciated the prayers and kind words from so many of my dear friends.

Last week I was fortunate to be able to attend the American Physical Therapy Association meeting for the sections of PT (ortho, pediatrics, geriatrics, neuro.. etc) known as the Combined Sections Meeting. The meeting was in New Orleans. 9 students in my class were there are well as many students from the first and second year. UCA was also recognized for our recent accreditation of our pediatric residency program. More here. There are currently 6 credentialed pediatric residencies in the US. This is a great honor for our program. I enjoyed the conference and attended some great lectures on new pediatric diagnoses, wound care for patients with spinal cord injuries, rehabilitation for patients with strokes, etc. It was very inspiring. The therapists at the meeting (10,000 in all) are dedicated to our profession and want to progress our profession primarily to benefit our patients. I was very thankful for the opportunity to go. Dane never hesitates to support me as a professional (or wife or friend or whatever). I am very grateful for his love and encouragement.

I guess it is a sign that I am getting old because I could not sleep later than 7:30 this morning. Ouch! But it still earlier than my usual 5:45 (..more like 6:00 this week;) ). I have already started on laundry and organized my closet. I think it was the first time I have ever organized my closet (or maybe anything for that matter...).

Morehart shower

This has been a big weekend at the Womack house. Friday was a snow day at RHS. However, Dane drove me to Russellville for my clinical rotation at St. Mary's. I was very thankful because the road was questionable on the way home. We drove on to Cave City in the snow to see my Gran before her surgery next week. My sister came in from Nashville. She wanted to visit with Gran also. It was so wonderful to get to spend some time with Gran and Beth and my parents before Gran is away for a month or so in Houston. For more about that see the blog we set up for updates. I spent the night with Gran and Pop while Dane stayed with his parents. Then Beth and my parents came over in the morning for breakfast. Beth and I will be flying to Houston the week after Gran's surgery to see her (Mom will already be there). Our family is praying and preparing for the upcoming month. Her surgery is Friday.

Dane and I left Mt. Pleasant around noon to prepare for the Morehart shower. I have been very excited about the shower for a while! We got some great chicken salad from Oak Street Bistro and an awesome cake from Harps! Harps cakes are delicious. I was very thankful for Mallory and Merritt who helped host. Jenna and Tyler got some very cute and sweet gifts. We enjoyed our time with our dear friends. Their son Andrew Tyler will be born around March 31st. We are ready to meet him! Doesn't Jenna look great?!

Jenna looking adorable! We loved her plaid dress.

I think they are excited! ;)