Annie aka Granny

We received one of those phone calls yesterday. I could tell something was wrong. I was in the other room and I could hear the sorrow in MDR's voice as he listened to a tearful Papa telling him the dreadful news. Papaw and Granny had been in an accident and Granny did not make it. What?!
Mike and I just look at each other. Shock, disbelief, grief, sorrow, and joy all run through you in a time like that. Yes, joy. Annie is with Jesus today. As I stood singing in church this morning, I couldn't help but smile thinking about how our Precious Granny is singing in heaven!

Bob and Annie are Jane's parents. Jane is MDR's stepmom. However, there has never been "step" when it comes to their love! They were/are MDR's grandparents.

The past 24 hours have been bittersweet. Thankful that Annie is with Jesus but mourning the person she was and the impact she had on all of us. Last night MDR went out to be with Papaw for awhile. Elizabeth, Luke, and Isaiah had so many questions. What killed her? Where is she now? Is she asleep? Why did it happen today?
I am so thankful for teachable moments. What a perfect way to tie in scripture to a hard situation. Granny died because there is sin in the world... huh? It all started with Adam and Eve. God told them not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They did, they died, and now we die, too. 3 little light bulbs came on. Where is Granny? Her body is at the morgue in the hospital. Her soul is with Jesus. Like Emma? Yes!

For me, personally, my heart aches for Jane. She has been like a mama to me over the years. I KNOW the shock of a parent dying suddenly. (My mom died from a heart attack.)So many emotions will flood through her in the coming days and weeks!

We prayed for Papaw, Grandma, Great Aunt Lorie, and Eric. It was during that prayer that tears began to flow. Lots and lots of tears. Wailing tears, the kind that say, I don't want this to be.... make it better! Hard truths of life...death happens and it hurts.

I have included the brief online newspaper article. Granny was very much loved and will be greatly missed.



Granny and I at her house a couple of years ago.



Ind. 7 crash kills E'town woman, 82
By Brittany Hart Reporter
An Elizabethtown woman died Saturday morning after the vehicle in which she was riding collided with a minivan on Indiana 7, police said.
Anna Burkman, 82, was pronounced dead at Columbus Regional Hospital following the accident at 10:31 a.m., said Bartholomew County Sheriff's Maj. Todd Noblitt.
Burkman was riding passenger in a car driven by her husband, Robert Burkman, 80, of Elizabethtown. The Burkmans' vehicle was traveling north on Indiana 7 and making a left turn onto Legal Tender Road when it collided with a southbound minivan driven by Heather Carmickle, 28, of Columbus, police said.

Home Projects

I have been missing this. I actually forgot my password! Thank goodness I had it written down. MDR took a couple of vacation days and we worked on painting and other things that have needed done for awhile. Technically, the projects began well over a year ago. MDR had painted downstairs. I had ripped off carpet from half of the stairway. Last week I ripped out the rest. MDR continued the paint up the walls and to the upstairs hallway. Looks MUCH better! The best part, though, is the way the steps look! I am waiting to take the final photo until the banister is back together.
MDR sanded, stained, and sealed the stairs. He also painted the backs and the trim. He is so awesome! Here are some photos of our little projects. Once everything is back in order and cleaned up, I will take more photos.

Fair Fun

The fair has been in full swing and we have had fun. Elizabeth spent an evening with a friend so we took the boys out one evening. We went out the next evening with everyone and let them ride rides. Here are a couple of photos.


Elizabeth and Luke on the tilt a whirl


This one cracks me up every time I look at it!
(be sure to click on this photo to see the whole thing)

Evian Babies

I saw this yesterday and laughed my head off. The boys and I watched it about 5 times in row, laughing louder each time! Enjoy!

Fun With Jenni

MDR has been in Pennsylvania since Sunday and Elizabeth has been at Hilltop Camp. Grandpa and Grandma decided to keep the boys overnight. Yippee! "What will I do?" ANYTHING I WANT!!!
My precious newlywed friend, Jenni, had emailed earlier in the week. Hmmmm, Jenni, you want to join me? We went to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. It was hilarious. I laughed most of the way through the movie. It felt so good to laugh like that!
Everytime I go to a movie, I have to have Reece's Pieces. I also had a Diet Coke plus a refill. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Afterward we headed to Penn Station so I could eat dinner. Again, a drink seemed like a good idea. We had a great time catching up on each others' lives and just chatting. We closed Penn Station and then went to Jenni's house.




This is a photo at Jenni and Derek's house after the movie. I had fun hanging out and just doing girl time! Thanks Jenni! Love ya!

Sweetly Broken

The first time I heard this song was during a Sunday morning service at our beloved Grace Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Directly behind me were Dennis and Debi. They had just shared about being called into ministry. Intently listening to the words of this song I heard Dennis' voice above all others. He was completely surrendered and his voice gave me goosebumps. To this day, I think of Dennis and Debi each time I hear it.
I am also reminded of the journey that MDR and I have been on for the past 14 years. Ups, downs, called into ministry, called out of ministry to return to the secular world. I am reminded of my own rebellion stemming from disappointment in God's plans. However, I am also reminded of truth. Truth in God's Word, God's Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness.....being surrendered to Him and His ways.

Here are just the lyrics:
To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

Chorus:

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

(2x’s)
Chorus:

4 a.m. Random Rambling

That is the time on the clock right now. It is 20 minutes later than the time I actually woke up, feeling... panicked. I don't remember what I was dreaming....well now I do, something about conflict...I don't recall any of the details. As soon as I woke up my heart was racing, I felt fear and impending doom. Great! Seriously??? Is it really happening to me, here, now? THANK GOD it wasn't a full blown panic attack. That would have been enough to send me over the edge. As I sat up the last thing I read before laying my head down last night popped into my head.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2)

Hmm, Lord, are you trying to tell me something? Fear entangles my mind.... Oh no, here come the What if's!!!! What if there is something wrong with Elizabeth?.... Lord, let her be okay, help her sleep and be safe. What if something just happened to Mike? ...Lord, keep Mike safe and get him back to us. What if there is something wrong with me that is constantly making my stomach upset? What if that spot on my shin is cancer? At that moment I remember some extremely sound advice that was given to me many years ago when I was in bondage. WEED OUT THE WHAT IF's!! They are from the enemy! God, help me to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Thank you, Lord, for your Word, that is soothing and calming.... Help me stay focused on you. Why am I awake? Is there unconfessed sin in my life....isn't there always? Thank you for pointing those things out to me... I have some purging prayer time ahead of me.

I think about The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson (wait! I thought it was i before e except after c) Why can't I stay focused? At least I can type without mistakes right now. Last night I couldn't type to save my life... or was that this morning? Anyway, I read in that book, many moons ago, that the Enemy likes to work in the early morning hours. Man, I believe that to be true.

Man, I used to get up at this time 3 times a week to walk 3 miles. Ah, just thinking about that makes me miss Holly. She is one of my best buddies from Arkansas. Holly and I and another lady from our neighborhood would get up at this crazy hour to exercise! Was I insane? The benefits were awesome, though. We were going 15 miles a week, at least, on big hills.... man, I dropped the pounds. I miss my old house, my old neighborhood. It is fun to look it up on google maps and see it. The photo was taken while we had it for sale. I loved the floorplan of that house and the space. Although it had less square footage than this house, it felt bigger from the floorplan and the openness.

The view out the back was gorgeous. The upper deck was off the family room, the white one in this photo. We overlooked the valley.
The driveway was so sloped that the back end of the van and car would drag going into the garage. To the right of the trashcan was a small deck that had a long walkway around to the back of the house.


Wow, I think I am finally tired again. It just hit me. It also makes me tired when I think about .... I can't remember what I was going to say..... Good morning.... I guess night night for now.

My Three Sons

Luke, Isaiah, and Elijah ~ that's them, my 3 sons. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would have 3 boys. Those boys have brought much joy into my life, as well as frustration, anger, and entertainment! I have found food under beds, in beds, in the bathroom and even in the bathtub. Prior to having children I used to think it was gross to see kids with dirt under their nails, fingers and toes. Then I had boys! I have found pee in places I didn't know existed, on the ceiling, in the closet, in a dresser drawer and in a Thomas the Tank drawer (the explanation for that was that it was the train wash). One of them has peed in my ear. They were an infant, mind you. Boys are just gross. Sweet, but gross. They are also health hazards. In the 9 years that we have had boys, there have been 10 ER visits, 4 hospital stays, and 2 surgeries. We have had to call poison control a few times and the fire department along with the gas company. (That one is a story for another time!) I have seen a precious birthday boy share his money so big sister didn't feel left out. I have heard my oldest son pray to receive Christ. I have also had to medicate him for ADHD and bipolar. One son sleeps with my pillow every night so he can sniff mommy all night. He is the same one that can get under my skin in 10 seconds flat! I have seen him so enamored by a beautiful lady, it left him speechless. He also, at the age of 6, still wants to be rocked and have "mommy lovies." I have seen the baby of the family radiate a room with his darling smile. With his little arms wrapped around my neck, he has proclaimed that he loves me very very very very very very very very very very very very much more than I love him! All three of them have ways at tugging at my heartstrings. There is nothing like the precious grins, freckles and hugs of my three sons!

Not So Little Anymore

This has been a big year for my precious baby girl, Elizabeth. Oh wait, did I call her baby?? She is far from being a baby! Not long after she was born I nicknamed her my Little Baby Bird later to become, Birdie, Elizabird, Birdie Roo and Sugar Bear Baby. ( I know, kind of over the top, but that is what I do.... Someone is close if I have dubbed them with a nickname!) Elizabeth Carolyn Riley was born, October 29, 1997. After being in labor for 19 1/2 hours and pushing for 2 1/2, suctioned and forcepped, she was healthy and strong! Our first baby. I dubbed her my Little Baby Bird because of her pattern at nursing time. I would just barely lean her back and getting her into position and that little mouth would be wide open like a real little bird. I look back at these precious photos and ask myself, "is she really 11 1/2?" Time flies by! I think about those precious first noises, first steps, words, and I thank God he has blessed me with this sweet little girl. She went through puberty this year. Her feet are bigger than mine and she wears women's sized clothes! She gets her height from Grandpa Risser and her flipper flat feet! Today, I dropped her off at camp for the first time. This will be her first time away from parents and/or grandparents for more than a few nights. I know she will be okay. I know she will make friends and I know God holds her in the palm of his hand. It doesn't take away the bittersweet emotions in realizing that she is not so little anymore!
Here are a few taken this past weekend.

I am 5'3" Birdie isn't that far behind me!

Elizabeth's foot is on the left and that's mine on the right.
I wear a 7 1/2. Elizabeth wears at least an 8!



I love my Birdie!!

Happy Birthday America and Grandma Risser

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy....... Ahh, the fourth of July. I think it is becoming one of my favorite holidays. I love watching fireworks, all the different colors, bouncing and radiating in the sky. One question came to mind last night, though. Why do places do the fireworks on the 3rd instead of the 4th??? AND, why are fireworks always set to music now??? Back in my day........ it was Hills parking lot stuffed to the gills, people laying on the windshields of their cars watching the pretties and hearing big booms! We had a fun time once the kids settled down from running free in the field. We snapped photos, and enjoyed the colors dazzling before our eyes. About two minutes from the end I look down and Elijah has a gagging look on his face. That all too familiar look that says, I am about to puke... on you... I lifted him off of me, held him over my arm and watched him vomit what seemed to be half of his body weight! The advantage.... we didn't have to clean it up.

Today is also my Grandma's 92nd birthday. Yes, 92! I pray God blesses me with her long life genes! One of my fondest memories is having a surprise birthday party for her 80th. She lived in California at the time. I was pregnant with Elizabeth. My dad and his wife had flown out. MDR and I flew out... The look on Grandma's face when we walked in the door was priceless! A day later my brother and his family arrived and then my cousins from Las Vegas. It was so great to have all our family there together! That was the first time since 1978 all of the Risser kids had been together with Grandma! So, I am thinking about her today. She is now in a nursing home in Las Vegas. She has watched one son die (my dad) and is now watching another battle the same kind of cancer. If I could be there to make this day special for her, I would. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with her late summer last year. The photo is from her 90th.

Finally

It has taken me two days and a headache to figure all of this stuff out. But, I did it all by myself with just a little help from MDR with personalizing the header. I have no specific plan for this blog, but I love to journal and this will afford the opportunity!