Thankful Thursday - Busy week

The laptop needs a windows update which I discovered last night at 11:00. I just went to bed so this is late. sorry.

We are wrapping up the school year at Kenwood Station and have a lot of event going on. I am SOOOOOOO grateful for a flexible schedule so that I can hit as many events as I can as we close out the school year. Emily had events throughout the month so she doesn't have a picture update but I may crash her picnic lunch today and grab a couple pics. Wednesday, Morgan had a writing lunch and in her master folder was all her writing from this year. Her sentences are getting more and more complete and it was great to see her progress through the year. She is an awesome kiddo. Hannah had her end of the year performance. Her class sang Miss Mary Mack, ABC's, Counting in Spanish, Spanish Color song, My five senses, and Never Stop Learning. She did so AWESOME. She sat in her seat, sang every word and did most the motions. She was so proud of herself and I was too. I tried to get the video to download to YouTube but again IT is not my game. We may need an IT department on staff around here. :)

Busy week. So proud of my kids. So grateful to be able to get to everything b/c Sheehy is so good to me.



Morgan at her writing lunch






Proud Mommy with Morgan at her writing lunch



Morgan's class at the end of the year party






Hannah and Proud Mommy

 

Hannah after her end of the year performance

  



  



 

Love Came Down

I have an addiction to this song...

Jonah 4

There have been a lot of blog post rattling around in my head over the last two weeks. The two weeks leading up to derby were filled with to-do list and fun events that left me depleted. Last week I started a new book and was determined to get back in the Word. I was floundering for two weeks of "gotta-get-this-done" I found myself in a very blah place after derby week.

Chapter 4 - Jonah pouts under a tree God provides - B/c of God's amazing grace throughout our journey through cancerland I knew if we could find love, peace and joy in that situation we could in any situation. I knew that it was going to be "okay". So here we sit in "okay" God has come through on every promise that He has made. He has provided for all our needs. I know where Craig is and he is healed. I cling to the Lord each day while raising three little ladies and we are okay. Told ya we'd be okay. But I sit, pout and beg God to bring some the shade just as Jonah did in chapter 4.
Dave explains it a bit better:
http://www.southeastchristian.org/default.aspx?page=4754&series=49
I love Dave's wrap up of why Jonah wrote his book the way he did. I guess that is why I identify with the story and Jonah himself. So imperfect, I get frustrated with staying the course, I pout and beg for shade.

I started the book "Strong Woman, Soft Hearts" last Monday. I haven't gotten very far in it but never the less it is a start. Thursday I went the Facing Adversity group at SE that was such a blessing while Craig was sick. It was awesome to see some of the people that were such a blessing in the dark days. I gave a brief update on our lives since Craig died and a recap of my story to the new people. They were and are such a source of encouragement. One of my friends in the group had an extra ticket to the Third Day concert. Yeah! I went online so many times trying to get tickets to the this sold out show. It was a great concert!
My favorite song was not Third Day but Josh Wilson's "Before the Morning."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qG1ThtgguE
I love the line, life is not a snapshot. Although the cancer journey was a turning point and an event that will forever change our lives, it is not the end. It is not the end of my story or Craig's. Although we won't know what he is up to until we see him again, we will see him again. I have and will have so much to tell him and he will say next to nothing (ha ha!) but smile and quote movies. Can't wait. :) So the post-cancer story is still a story of trusting the Lord each day. His timing is perfect and His shade when provided is perfect.

Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." kept popping up in random places last week. I kept saying you know the desire of my heart. The timing is not now or the near future but you know my desire so why do I need this scripture this week? We have been over this desire time and time again. So I wrote it down trying to figure it out. TAKE DELIGHT in the LORD. The first step is to take delight in the Lord. Be content in your own current circumstances b/c He is with you. Thank Him for what He has provided. Take Delight before you get to your list of desire.

The second year is hard. It does not have the intensity of year 1, but I am forgetting how sick Craig was and I just miss him. To be painful honest, I just pretended last night that he was at BW3s for a late night with friends. It is not denial, it was just taking a break from reality for an hour. I miss him and I miss the life we had. The journey is to delight in and be thankful for the life that I have now and be hopeful for the life that is in the future but sometimes it takes tears before you can get to that. Tears that heal are not in vain.

We have a lot going on day to day as well as the healing in our hearts. School is wrapping up. Field trips etc. Soccer for Morgan is wrapping up. Emily has a dance. I starting to write some blog post for my workplace, Sheehy + Associates, which has been a lot of fun and a great new challenge. Hannah is still not potty trained, not sure what to do with that girl other than just love her. She has memorized the book Pinkilous. I have been trying to get it to download to YouTube.com but it hasn't worked. Anyway, more to come.

Craig, If there are blogs in heaven, I love you, miss you and will see you again.

Mini Marathon 2013. Guest Blogger: Chris Richardson

Guest Blogger: Chris Richardson
This past Saturday was a big day for our team Craig's Hope as we participated in the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon/mini-Marathon. Last year the team had three runners and a loud support team, and raised over $4600 in donations. This year, we were 8 runners strong and have so far raised $6,615.00, thanks in large part to the efforts of Scott Deitz, who really spearheaded the effort and kept us all motivated and inspired. Kudos to Scott Dant for running the Marathon! That’s a major accomplishment! Kudos, as well, to all the mini-Marathon runners, it’s no walk in the park.

I encourage everyone to spread the word and if you have ever considered giving the mini-Marathon or even the Marathon a try, join us next year and help us in our efforts to raise awareness and funding to help understand and stop pancreatic cancer.

A very special thanks to the support crew that came out to cheer us on! It really means a lot to all the runners to have you all there cheering and shouting encouragement, and it always seems like it’s at just the right time! It was also great to have the team and their families over for some pre-race pasta loading and camaraderie. Thanks, Janelle, for the great spaghetti! And thanks to everyone who brought all kinds of yummy food!

I really wanted to thank Michelle for inviting us over for a post race celebration. We all enjoyed the company and the food and got some much needed rest for sore muscles.

That gathering made me happy to be around such great friends, but by the same token, of course, it’s also times like those that weigh heavily on me and make me really reflect on the loss of such a great guy. I will always miss hanging with Craig at the Oaks or making mint juleps at the annual Merimee Derby shindig. Those were wonderful times in my life that I will never forget.

As we’re all taking in the weekend festivities, make sure your raise a glass of bourbon and get your name in the race pool! Craig wouldn’t have it any other way.

On that note, “Punch it Chewie!” Let’s get more runners and more participation next year!!

Brad Toon (Michelle's Bro) running

(Michelle's cousin) Rob Knarr running

Rob running

Chris running

Scott Deitz, team captain running (sorry Scott, I did not get a good picture this year.)

Hannah eating donuts in the cheer section



cheer section with the breakfast of champions



Cheryl Pfennig running (looking good)

Missing Running pictures: Katie Hood (Craig's cousin). Rich Graviss (Craig's frat Brother and friend of the fam). Scott Dant (friend of the fam).  




5/8 of TEAMHOPE with the cheer section



pasta party at the Richardson's house Friday before the Saturday morning run

partying with pasta at the Richardson's

The three amigos



the Richardson's pasta party



Hayden

Sean Merkt holding Nolin Craig at the after mini grill out

Runner resting after the mini

Hannah (aka: Snow White) getting in the bounce house at the after mini Grill out

Cheryl lovin on sweet Amelia

Scott Deitz after the mini. He had a lil to drink, just a little.

The girls at the post mini grill out.



Well deserved beer after the race



Note from Michelle:

Sorry the pictures are all out of order they are hard to move around. It was a wonderful and very exhausting weekend. Words cannot describe the many emotions that went along with the this run. This was the third year TEAMHOPE has run for Craig, the second year without him. You would think that this would be getting easier. It wasn't an easy year for me. The truth is I would love to have pasta with friends just have to have dinner together and cheer friends on that are just running to run. I feel honored to have so many friends and family want to honor Craig in this way but at the same time I would love to just have him here and never have been effected by PC. It was a mix of intense emotions this year.

Craig, If there are blogs in heaven, I miss you so much this time of year. I wish we were going to Oaks today. I wish you were ordering mint juleps and I was ordering Lilies all day and betting on the fillies. I wish we were back to throwing our derby party. Plans change and we are doing okay here just missing you so badly and wishing you were here with us. Happy Derby week. Love you.