Friday Five…

I guess I’ve maybe started something I can keep up with on the blog – a one day a week post – of five random things from our week… :)

 

1. There are many times when I think this world is so full of evil. It gets almost depressing to see awful story after awful story on the news and everywhere we turn. My outlook on humanity though, was boosted TWICE just this week! On Sunday afternoon, my mom and I took AB to a musical that one of DW’s cousins’ daughters was performing in. We love a play and adore a musical, so we thought it would be fun to take AB. I am SO GLAD we went! It was seriously SO GOOD!! We loved it and AB did, too. It was a spin-off of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures – except this time Bill & Ted were traveling all over time to different Broadway Musicals. The songs were everything from Cats to Grease, to Annie and the Sound of Music. It was such a fun afternoon. We left and Mom and I were talking about how good it was just to see kids up on stage stepping out, probably nervous, but still taking the chance- proving to themselves that they can do it- and building their self-confidence. It was obvious the kids had all worked so hard on the show, too. I think there is so much to be learned and gained from being a part of something like that. It was just so refreshing to see such a large group of what seemed like genuinely “good” kids. :)

The second time humanity shined bright this week, was last night. My parents and I went to the hospital to see my cousin, who just had a kidney transplant on Tuesday. His journey with renal failure started right at a year ago and he’s been on dialysis ever since. He’s young and maintained his active lifestyle, still teaching and coaching through all of it. Everyone started praying soon after his diagnosis last year that he would find a kidney to be matched for a transplant. Tons of people had their blood type tested to see if they might qualify to be a match—and finally after months of waiting, In January, they found not only a match, but what the doctors said couldn’t have been a closer one if she had been his twin sister, and the transplant was scheduled for this week. Mom, Dad & I met his donor last night at the hospital and she is seriously amazing. The story of how she came to be the donor and all of the things leading up to it is something that only God Himself could orchestrate. It’s not my story to tell, and I’m afraid I’d mess it up if I tried- but it was amazing to meet someone who would do something so selfless for someone who was basically just an acquaintance. They’re definitely more than acquaintances now! :) What an amazing gift she gave – and such a sacrifice not only on her part, but her own family as well. I’m just in awe of her kindness and am praying that the kidney continues to function and give my cousin back his normal life. On a side note, I learned last night that when you get a kidney transplant, they leave your old ones in. I thought they’d take an old one out and “hook” the new up to where the old one had been- but both of the old ones remain in place and the new one is added below them. That blows my mind.

2. Mamie likes ketchup…and letting her dip by herself was a huge (& messy) mistake.

She has also turned into quite the Daddy’s girl lately. After a year of being hardcore all about her Momma, she’s learned that Daddy is way more fun. I knew it was only a matter of time…

3. I picked these up last week at the grocery store and we cooked them on Tuesday morning. I got us out a few and we dropped the rest off for DW and the office crew. They were SO GOOD – we will definitely be having them again. 

4. Last Friday, we had a field-trip with Nie-Nie & Kelsey. We went over to Daytona for the day…we had a few things to do at the condo and then had lunch and shopped for Kelsey’s house. We had the suburban packed down and got lots of cute stuff! I always say that after shopping with AB & Mames, I bet they won’t invite us back, but they always do. :) AB was having quite the morning (in her defense she really didn’t feel all that great to begin with), but she was showing out big time and when I took her in the room to have a talk with her she started crying and yelling, “pwease don’t spank my bottom, pwease don’t spank my bottom!!” – I figured Nie-Nie would have child services on the phone when we came out, but luckily she knows AB has a little flare for drama. :) Mamie, made sure no one could loose us when we’d split up in a store. She “talks” really LOUD – and A LOT. It’s fine for the most part, but her “talk” is more of a yell and sounds like “ahhhhhhhhhhhdddaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh” – it can get old – fast…(it’s also been the cause of me wanting to beat my head against the table around 5:00 on several different afternoons.) Ha. :)  Besides being a little dramatic and vocal, though, they really are good girls and are so easy going about me dragging them here, there and everywhere! :)

5. Tuesday night, my mom asked if I’d go to the school board meeting to take pictures of our county’s teachers of the year. After the presentation, it was so sweet to see my own First grade teacher there! Her name is Mrs. Judah and she’s been retired for quite some time now, but she looks JUST LIKE she did over 20 years ago when I was in first grade! She always wore lipstick and smelled good, too. She was so lady like and grandmotherly- maybe that’s why I loved her. I remember she always wore this gold clip in the back of her hair that was shaped like a leaf and I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. :) She was still wearing her hair the same way and even had a clip in the back (it wasn’t the leaf though). I will never forget the time she dragged one of my classmates (he was definitely one of the problem kids and was really big, too, to be a first grader)- anyway, he was giving her a fit one day and wouldn’t move like she’d asked him and she pulled him in his chair all the way to the corner of the room by his EAR! She was the sweetest lady, but she meant business! I loved getting to see her on Tuesday night.

 

Happy Friday!

~amw~