Nathan Update

The cardiologist did an EKG and ultra sound of Nathan's heart this afternoon. He said he didn't see anything that was too "odd," but he did put a heart monitor on Nathan to wear 24-hours. Nathan will take the monitor back in tomorrow and see what the results are.

Thanks for your concern!

Nathan's Heart

You can find a long entry about our weekend in Manteo posted below but I wanted to add that Nathan went to our family doctor this morning concerning the irregular heart beat he was told to have checked.

The doctor here did a few tests, drew some blood and eventually said that Nathan does not have an irregular heart beat; however, he did say that there is something odd going on with Nathan's heart.

Nathan will leave in about an hour to go to a Duke-affiliated cardiologist to see if that doctor can shed some more light on the situation. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

A Good Weekend

Our Thanksgiving dinner last night was wonderful and I'll be posting some pictures in the next day or two. But for now, I have a few Manteo Moments to share with "all of y'all!"

Early Saturday afternoon, our convoy of three vehicles took off with the greatest of alacrity only to turn back after just half a mile of intensive and efficient travel to retrieve Steve's forgotten beard trimmer. At least I had my beauty bag along! As we all know, that is the most important item in the Smith Line Up of Smith Travel Items.


And speaking of the Smith Line Up of Smith Travel Items, here is a partial packing list to help you appreciate the logistical maneuverings it takes to keep this family supplied for a weekend:


Oatmeal, peanut butter, cold cereal, crackers, popcorn, potatoes, soup, brown sugar, chips, sandwich bread, garlic salt, tea, peanuts, white sugar, mac-n-cheese packs, coffee, mayo, slice cheese, cheddar cheese, milk, sandwich meat, tortilla shells, fresh fruit, carrots, eggs, Parmesan cheese, butter, cooked veggie, casserole, yogurt, Saran wrap, aluminum foil, hand soap (liquid), Kleenex, paper towels, Ziploc bags, garbage bags, dish soap, paper plates, paper cups, dog food, dog treats, linens, leash, music stuff, school stuff.


Can you tell I'm sort of anxious to get moved?


Anyway . . .

Once we arrived in Manteo, we had a few minutes to show Steve's parents and Nathan and Meagan around town. We walked near the waterfront in the downtown area and just about froze. (For all you Northerners, it was about 55 degrees. And don't laugh.)

We also took everyone by to see the outside of our house. It felt strange to show Nathan a town, a house, and a church that Steve, Sarah and I had seen but he hadn't. For so many years, everything in our family was decided on as a foursome; however, years pass, and little birds fly away from the nest and foursomes somehow turn into threesomes. Insert "big mommy sigh" here. (Um. Meaning the sigh is big. Not the mommy.)

A few ladies in the church graciously offered to provide a meal for all of us on Saturday night and so after our brief tour of the town, we sat down at a beautifully decorated, candle-lit table in the fellowship hall and feasted on fabulous lasagna, homemade bread, a colorful salad and lovely desserts.

Here is a mere sampling of the aforementioned desserts and goodies. And yes, I was smiling very big at such an inspiring sight!

The next morning, a certain trio of fabulous people showed up at church. For some reason, they looked just vaguely familiar.

Nathan said that he and Meagan resembled a watermelon when they stood together because they had all the watermelon colors represented!

This shepherd's staff and sash were on the front pew of the church in readiness for the pastoral installation ceremony that was to be conducted in the morning service. The staff, of course, is symbolic of Steve's role as shepherd of the congregation. The shawl is embroidered with the date he was voted in, the name of the church, and the city.

As Meagan went to the stage before service to get a sound check for the song she was going to do interpretive sign language to, Nathan thought he would bring her encouragement and cheer by threatening to drag her off the stage with the shepherd's staff.

Pastor's kids. You can't let them out of your sight for even one minute.

Here I am with my one of my favorite pastor's kids.

During the service, Steve and I had the great joy of making music with our son; his drum playing has improved so much over the past year and he just fits in seamlessly with whatever is being played. We are proud of him and his hard work and dedication in that area.

To make the morning an "all in the family" kind of deal, Steve's parents sang "He Touched Me." It's always a treat to get to see them sing together.

And although I don't have any pictures of her, Sarah was not left out of the morning's line up. She was back in the sound booth, running the computer that showed the lyrics to the songs up on a big screen.


Finally it was time for the installation ceremony. The chairman of the board made a few remarks before and after he placed the sash on Steve's shoulders.

Then another board member presented Steve with the symbolic shepherd's staff and the rest of the board members, their wives and the congregation gathered around us to pray. There were tears on many faces and full hearts everywhere--in the pastor's family and in the congregational family. It was a poignant and moving ceremony.

Following the ceremony, Steve made a few additional comments . .

. . . and then Meagan did her incredibly beautiful sign language to "My Redeemer Lives." I could watch her do this a hundred times a day and never get tired of it. Most of the congregation was in tears when she was done.

And just so that we wouldn't leave town hungry, a church member showed up with a platter of sandwiches from Subway for our lunch.

Sarah, Subway and smiles.

After the Smiths had finished our sandwich scarfing, we all adjourned to Steve's office to start an intensive period of ponderment concerning all the possibilities pertaining to his office decor.

The wall is currently painted a bright blue so we all sat around for awhile with paint swatch thingies and tried to decide what paint color would work best with the rug. (And we DID finally decide on a rug--oh happy day.)

Here is a faintly fuzzy picture of the couch (from Craigslist), the current paint and our chairs. (Purchased at Big Lots.) Also, you will see my son holding up a bag with one remaining home made cinnamon roll in it, a leftover from the embarrassment of (dessert) riches that was bestowed upon us.

And please do not even ask me why my child is wearing shorts and flip flops in the middle of November. I think it has something to with him being a resident of Florida and somehow being compelled to believe that the Florida climate will follow him wherever he goes. (I'm just guessing here.)

After some conversation, friendly argument and the offering of various opinions, most of the decorating decisions were made and we headed home.

Home.

To the unpacking of suitcases and the packing of boxes. To a general aura of happy chaos. To stacks of stuff everywhere and piles of smiles to go with them.

Beginnings and endings. Blood family and church family. New friends and old friends. It was a good weekend.

Home Is Not A House, But A Feeling (A Video!)

Today.

Today is the day that starts the beginning of the end of our chapter here in Smithfield.

Today, I will cook our last Thanksgiving dinner in this house. (We're having it a few days early because family is in town.) I will unpack from yet another trip to Manteo. Today I will do home school with Sarah. I will start (seriously) packing boxes. Today, I will start to dismantle and unravel the pieces of our life in this house.

I will pack up memories and box up five years of yesterdays. I will spend way too much time wandering in circles, wondering what I should do next, wondering what I should be doing that I'm not and wondering what I should be remembering that I'm forgetting.

Today, I will laugh a lot (having family in town tends to do that) and may even shed a nostalgic (or overwhelmed) tear or two.

I will eat too much Thanksgiving dinner and I will be thankful for Thanksgiving dinner to eat too much of.

Today I will count my blessings and divide my sorrows and try to figure out how to fit five oven dishes in a "four oven dish" oven. I will hug my son and be happy he's home. I will step on my underfoot dog a few thousand times while cooking. (But I still won't ban him from the kitchen.)

Today, I will be glad for home. Because as the video says, "Home is not a house, but a feeling."


Enjoy watching five years of memories.

Shhhhh!

When I got up this morning, this is what I saw at the bottom of the stairs.

Guy flip flops. Gal flip flops. And the accompanying inference that the guy and gal accompanying the guy and gal flip flops were under my roof. Hurray!




Further signs that the College Dude had landed.



And yet another rather unarguable sign that Nate is finally home. (Snowy decided that the newcomer to the house needed a sleeping companion so he hung out with the College Dude.)



Since Nathan and Meagan didn't get in till 2:30 (Steve told me that news; I wasn't awake for their homecoming) they're both still in bed at 10 am. I went down to the living room at about 8 am to wake Nathan up and tell him to come upstairs to Steve's and my bed since it would be quieter for him.

I tucked him in, left the room and affixed this note to the wall outside the bedroom.




Life is good.

____________________


The question was asked in the comments section concerning Nathan's major. I don't know the exact name of the major but it has something to do with psychology, guidance counseling, etc.

Nary An "Oo" To Be Seen

As if moving and packing and changing our entire lives is not stressful enough, I am also experiencing Majorly Frustrating Computer Issues. Meaning that my computer --an ancient, elderly, overly used laptop--is behaving in a worrisome manner and could very well pass away at any moment.


May I just say right here that this is not a good time to be having Majorly Frustrating Computer Issues? I realize that no time is a good time for MFCI, but right in the middle of a move is even less of not such a good time.


Sigh. If I should suddenly disappear from the Blogosphere and you don't hear from me for the next three years, please send out a search party. Also, be aware that that will mean that the aforementioned ancient, elderly, overly used laptop breathed its last. And died. Right in Nathan's bedroom. Right in my lap. Right in the middle of our stressful move. Right in the middle of my needing a computer to keep my Smithellaneous Family updated, uplifted and up . . . well, I can't think of another "up word." Just fill in the blank with whatever "up word" comes to mind.


Speaking of computers, I spent an hour and half on the phone (and on my computer) with Nathan last night helping him edit his big paper. I must say (forgive me for burstin', braggin' and boastin') that he really is a fine fella and a fine writer.


Just thought I would show you all the trophies I've given him over the years for being such a wonderful son. (Oh wait. Those are sports/academic trophies from school. My bad.)





My contribution to the project was to help him through some grammar/punctuation/word flow issues and also to ask him leading questions about specific ways he expressed certain things to see if he could find a better way to write them.


We argued over word choices and then we laughed abut those arguments; we discussed theological points and we covered socioeconoomic and socioemotional issues as they related to the subject at hand, which was corporal punishment. We delved deeper into that topic than I have ever delved before and by 10:30 pm, after an hour and a half of deep delving, my brain had pretty well used up all of its deep delving powers for the day.


But it was nice just to spend that much time talking with my favorite son--teaching him and learning from him, in equal measure.


Hard to believe that tomorrow morning at this time, Nathan will be sleeping under this very roof! Woo-hoo! Yahoo! Wahoo! (Why is it that so many happy words end with "oo"? Hmmm.)


Have you noticed that the phrase, Majorly Frustrating Computer Issues has nary an "oo" to be seen?


Hmmm. Again.

_______________



A few photos of The Fine Son, Nathan and The Fine Son's Fine and Fab Girlfriend, Meagan.

I'm not sure if I've ever posted this picture before but it's Meagan, Nathan, Sarah, and three other travelin' siblings. We met the other two families at a restaurant for dinner one night, about a year after Sarah's transplant. Between all three families, we had a sum total of about thirty years, living on the road. Full time. With our families. Believe me, we had a LOT to talk about.

I just think it's fun to see Nathan and Meagan in their earlier days, before they were "romantically involved."

I love this series of photos. Nathan was waiting for Meagan to get done taping the wall so he could get over there and start painting.

First he utilized The Stare.

Then it was The Snapping of the Fingers.

And finally, The Whistling. (Of the Jeopardy theme song.)

I just love how she ignores him through it all. Way to go, Meagan!

Lastly, a smile-producing picture of two smile-producing young 'uns who I'll be seeing in just sixteen hours! Woo-hoo! Yahoo! Not to mention, wahoo!