I'm taking my cue from Gracie and Emilee. Nobody out there has really been in the mood to blog this week--and it seemed insensitive to do it for a little while. We're all bearing the sadness of Kasey's loss. Our hearts are breaking for her and I know everybody is really praying for her. It just seemed callous to start blogging about our every day lives when we know that her life isn't "going on" right now--she's in that terrible "lost" stage, trying to work her way through things. I know everybody is still holding her up in prayer and will continue to do so. How wonderful to have The Church of God as your friends and family at times like this!

Things here have been pretty hectic this week. I'll never understand how Emilee can skip a few days of blogging, then sit down and write all about what she's been doing. I can't remember what I did yesterday unless I had the forethought to take notes! Let's see what I can come up with...

The only thing I recall about Tuesday is the phone call about Damon and the prayers that followed it. And the dog got a haircut. Came home and swiped some chicken bones (we had Pizza Hut for dinner--with buffalo wings) and actually ATE a few of them. Dumb dog. I was going to be really mad if he killed himself right after we paid to have him groomed.

Wednesday was Aunt Eunice's funeral. Aunt Sue picked me up at 4:30 in the morning. Do you know what an injustice it is to have to get up at 4:00am and try to look good? You ought to at least be able to throw on a t-shirt and jean skirt and pull your hair into a pony tail. But I have more decency than most people who attend funerals nowadays. Have you noticed how some people dress at funerals and weddings?! It's disgraceful! At this funeral I saw a guy with blue hair and was greatly relieved to find that he wasn't kin. But then a girl walked in with brown, yellow and pink hair and came and sat in the family section. I'm guessing she was a 6th cousin at the very least and it hardly counts as family at that point. Actually, I'd never really thought of it before this funeral, but I formed some definite opinions on the subject while there. Aunt Eunice had been attending a Baptist church and the pastor conducted the funeral. I have never been so glad to not be a Baptist in my whole life. No offense is intended (there are lots of very nice, sincere Baptists out there, I'm sure), but this was the driest service I've ever been in. By the time he finally shut up just about everybody there looked eerily similar to Aunt Eunice. The only person I knew in the entire building was Aunt Sue. We were really banking on some more from our branch of the family to show up, but they all balked. Aunt Sue was mad. "Our family's nothin' but a bunch of liars--every one of 'em! They're always sayin' they're gonna go somewhere and do somethin' and then they don't show up! They're nothin' but a bunch of liars!" I said, "You're one of 'em--you just told that lady back there that I was your daughter." "I didn't have time to explain!!!" she screamed. Ha! She's so wacked out. To her credit, she did go back and clarify our relation later on when she had the chance.

The funeral itself was a struggle to endure, but I was really thankful for the time with Aunt Sue and we did have a really good visit. I don't get that opportunity very often. And it was so nice to be able to go to the cemetery where Grandmother and Granddaddy are buried. It's been 3 years since I've been there, I think, and I've been wanting to go for quite some time. It's amazing how just being there seems to transport you back in time 7 years. All of the same thoughts and feelings that coursed through your mind and heart right after losing them are brought back soooooooo strongly. The pain is so sharp and seems to pierce to your very core... but the peace is so real, too. Life and death is such a mystery and our human selves just can't really grasp it in its entirety. I thought of Kasey while I was there and prayed that God would give her the same strength and hope that we feel--even in the midst of the heartwrenching agony--that enables you to look to a bright and glorious future with no more pain, no more suffering, no more parting, no more death. I can't wait until those graves burst open and we're all together once again, forever to be with our Lord and free from the heartaches of this world!

We took new flowers to put on Grandmother and Granddaddy's grave, along with my Great-Grandmother Fields and some uncles. It's all so pretty now. I thought about posting pictures--but that seems like the strangest thing to put on a blog! Somehow it just makes us feel better to know that their graves are as beautiful as possible. It's like a way of honoring them and showing respect and love, even yet. Maybe we're just weird, but our whole family seems to feel the same way about it and I just love the gravesite--it's beautiful, no matter how much it hurts to go there.

~whew~ Enough of that kind of talk. There's got to be something fun to talk about! Hhhmmm... After the funeral Aunt Sue and I went to eat at Braums! That was fun! I got a peanut butter hot fudge sundae. WOW. They used actual peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chunks in it, covered with PB and hot fudge. It was soooooooooo good, but too rich even fore me. I couldn't finish it off, but I came close. ;-)

It was a lo-o-o-o-o-ong day (I had a whoppin' 3 hours of sleep the night before) and we got home just in time for nursing home service that night. Tammy was gracious enough to watch the kids all day so I could go to the funeral and James could get some things done for Camp and Convention. James has had some things dropped on him just recently that really added to the load, but God is faithful and I know he's been feeling the help and direction that's been needed. We are really looking forward to these upcoming functions and all that God has in store for us this coming year. :-)

Yesterday was spent trying to get some things done here around the house. And I've somehow been able to get some study time in during the day a few times this week. That never happens. I usually can't get anything like that done until the kids are down for the night, but God's been helping me too! I've got the beginnings of my adult class for Camp and last night I was finally able to get some inspiration for my Children's Church service. What a relief!!! So tonight I'll do the finishing touches on that and make sure I've got all the stuff I need, then I'll spend the rest of the night trying to complete the class for the adults. I've got lots of jumbled up notes, but I have no idea how it's all going to turn out in the end! Say a prayer for me--I don't want to blow it! I've decided to hold off on trying to think of anything for my regional paper boost at the Convention. Maybe I'll work on it while I'm at Camp. If not, I've got a day between the end of Camp and the beginning of Convention, so I'll be able to pull something together just fine. I have a hard time taking that particular responsibility too seriously anyway! (Boosting a paper just doesn't seem too awful spiritual to me and I've never even tried to make it sound that way--I assume this year will be no different.)

Today we loaded up and went to Odessa to pick up my supplies for Children's Church and take care of a few other last minute details including haircuts for the whole family. Stacey trimmed bangs for Katie and me, then gave regular cuts to James and the boys. Albert showed up for a haircut, too, so after she was done with him we all loaded up and went to McAlister's together. It was fun, except that Katie is sick today. She started complaining about not feeling well before the haircuts started and she just kind of went downhill from there. She had a few false alarms where she thought she was going to lose her lunch--at the hair salon and at McAlisters. She took two little nibbles of a cracker and a few sips of Sprite, but that was it. She laid on my lap the whole time and slept. We put her in the van afterwards and she slept the whole way home. She walked in the door and went straight to the bathroom and lost the lunch she didn't eat (!), went to her bedroom and has been sound asleep ever since. It's been about 2 hours and she's still out cold. I don't know what's wrong with her, but I'm really praying that she's feeling better before we leave for Camp on Sunday morning--and that she doesn't decide to share whatever she's got with anybody else! The last thing we need is to take a bunch of sick-o's to Camp! (I'm sure all of the other mothers agree!) So please pray for her.

I guess that's it from here. I'm going to get back to the laundry (last load!) and start in on the ironing. The boys are busy watching Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century. I love that one! It's help the ironing go faster, too. ;-) Then I hope to get a good start on the packing. Hopefully by the time the kids go to bed I'll have all of those things well in hand so I can concentrate on my classes. I'm getting excited!!! I love Camp. And Convention. :-) Please, please, please, please, please pray for Stacey and Albert--they're still planning on coming and Camp is just the place for them to receive the miracles they are so much in need of!!! GOD IS SOOOOOOOO ABLE and it's SOOOOOOOOOOO obvious that's He's really been at work in this situation lately. We're excited and hoping and praying for the very best!

If I don't get a chance to write tomorrow night it'll be late next week (at the earliest) before I get a chance. Sister Marcia and Sara and Aaron will be here tomorrow to stay the night, then follow us up to Camp Sunday morning. They'll follow us home on Monday of the next week and stay again. Fun! Be praying for God's blessings on these functions--we're expecting great things from Him! Brother Wantulok is our guest speaker for Camp and he and Brother Byers are our speakers for Convention--we are soooooooo excited! I'll be sure to post lots of pictures as soon as I can.

~Becki~

UPDATE: Katie just woke up and is still feeling as sick as before. She had another false alarm and is now watching Daffy Duck with the boys--and holding tightly to a bowl, just in case. Pray for her, please! Thank you.