"Home" with her Savior

I received news this evening that my grandmother, Bettyfae Sullivan, went home to be with Jesus, after a long battle with Alzheimers. Although there is a sadness that I will not see her again in this life, I rejoice that she is finally with her Savior. What joy she must be experiencing right now!

I am so thankful for the godly heritage that my grandparents have given me and my family. I am so blessed to have had a grandmother who loved God so much, and who diligently prayed for me every day.

And I am so thankful that God granted me the privilege of seeing her one last time, just one week ago, and of introducing my children to their Great-Grandmother, a woman who has impacted our family so greatly through her continual prayers. We will miss you Grandma, but look forward to one day seeing you again in heaven! I praise God for your life that was faithfully lived to the glory of God!

Bettyfae and Wendell, engaged

Wendell and Bettyfae on their wedding day

Ashlyn, Barbara, Grandma, and Micah

Celebrating at Disneyland!

The boys had a fun day celebrating Daddy's birthday ~ they went to Disneyland!!! It's been 2 1/2 years since we last went, so Nathan said it was like the first time all over again for Micah. So fun! And he is tall enough for Splash Mountain now ~ he loved it!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Happy Birthday Nathan! I love you and I am so blessed to be your wife!

Thankful for God's Grace!

Sunday night was a scary time for us. Ashlyn woke up in the middle of the night crying with a high fever. As we were trying to bring down her temperature she had a febrile seizure that lasted six minutes - which seems like an eternity when you are watching it happen to your own child, and there is nothing you can do to help her.

Ashlyn is doing well now and we learned that this type of seizure is very common with young children whose temperature rises quickly. She is still recovering from the illness that caused the high temperature, but today her fever finally broke. As I thought back to what happened late Sunday night, I was so grateful and awed to see God's hand so evident in the midst of it. He has given me so much to be thankful for!

• I'm thankful that Ashlyn woke up and cried so that I was awake and with her when the seizure happened.
• I'm thankful that Nathan was home, and also that he woke up just a few minutes before the seizure. He is so calm and controlled in the midst of crisis situations, and I am not. God is so good to give me a husband who helps me through these times.
• I'm thankful for the 911 dispatcher who stayed on the phone with me, continuing to answer my questions as the seizure seemed to go on and on.
• I'm thankful that my mom immediately woke up to the phone ringing in the middle of the night so I could know that someone else was praying for us. And for my other family members whom she called and prayed for us as well.
• And I'm very thankful for David and Cheryl, our wonderful neighbors who also answered their phone in the middle of the night and came over to be with Micah while we went to the emergency room.
• I'm thankful for a doctor who was kind and gentle with Ashlyn, and very patient with us. He even gave us his cell number when we left. Do ER doctors do that?
• I'm thankful for Steve and Judy, and David, who came to the ER to encourage us as we waited to find out what was wrong with her. It was a blessing to have other people there with us.
• I'm thankful for the timing, that we were in our own home and not on a plane. Only 24 hours earlier we had been on a long flight from Chicago to LA.
• I'm thankful that the seizure is not something that will cause permanent damage for Ashlyn and that she is starting to feel a little better.
• I'm thankful for God's faithfulness to teach me to trust Him just a little bit more through all of this. God is so good!

"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him'." Lamentations 3:22-24