Throwback Thursday 3/20/25

 Hey Friends,

Spring has sprung, according to the calendar. I am anxious for warmth to stick around, as I am not a fan of bipolar weather!

Tuesday was beautiful here in Ohio. Yesterday, it was back to cold and windy. A storm blew in late last night. It was crazy for a while, but I think we are still here, thank God!

March 20th is also a special day in our family calendar! It was a day my Dad celebrated more than his birthday! His older brother Steve was born on March 20th1964. My Daddy sure did love his Bubba! He was so proud of him!

I have watched Uncle Steve live out what being the best big brother truly means. He was there for my Dad on the good and bad days. God allowed him to be there on the very worst days, right by Dad and us! 

He is a fantastic man, and I'm proud to call him my Uncle! Everybody who meets Uncle Steve loves him! Anyone who was around Dad for more than a few moments heard something about his Bubba. We love Uncle Steve!

Unk, happy birthday! I hope you have the best day ever! You deserve to be celebrated today! Thank you for being the best brother and uncle we can ask for! We can never truly thank you enough for everything you have done for us! Thank you for being our rock!

God has been helping Uncle Steve through his own bout with sickness! Thank you for helping us pray! Many of you have asked me how he is doing. God has brought him a long way, and we are praying for continued healing! Uncle Steve is working hard to get his help on track!

I will close out today's post with some of my favorite throwback photos of the birthday boy! Thank you for joining us today. See you tomorrow.

Odie

Ikea Memory For Throwback Thursday

 Hey Friends,

Thanks for stopping by to visit. We greatly appreciate you spending some valuable time with us! I hope you are having a good day.

Yesterday, we rested from our travels. In the afternoon, we ventured out of hibernation. After getting ready, food called us. 

We found our way to Panda Express. Dinner was scrumptious and hit the spot! Here is a picture of my plate.

It was a beautiful day to be out and about. We enjoyed the sunshine and warm temperatures. I will enjoy it, while it is here!

Then we journeyed to Ikea. Mom and I had been wanting to go take our time looking around the store. 

Both of us were looking for storage solutions. 

It was great to explore all the different options. We both decided on some cube shelves for now.

I captured this picture outside the store. I love seeing the moon so bright. 

While shopping we remembered a family trip to Ikea. It happened, June 1 2018, we took Dad to Ikea for the first time. 

I had just received occupancy of my house. I needed furnnishing for my new home.  We went to buy my bed, a few chairs and storage for my closest. 

Dad enjoyed looking around at all the furniture and stuff for a while. Then he wanted out of the store right now! Dad did not like the maze you have to follow to get out of the store. 

Dad said he like the stuff I chose. He was really a fan of the prices, quality of the ítems and choices offered. He was not a fan of pulling the boxes of furniture that I wanted off the shelves, downstairs before checking out of the store. 

On the way home from Ikea that day, Dad declared, ”I have made my first and my last trip to Ikea”! He was right! that was the only time he was at the store.

Once we got home, he was really not a fan of having to put everything together. I remember that night it took several people three hours to put my queen size bed together. All these years later, it's still standing!

He often said you and your Mother can go to Ikea as much as you want. I will not go with you, and you have to put everything together.

Yesterday, Mom and I had a to laugh when we thought about that memory. Daddy never did go back to Ikea. 

My mom has helped me assemble every piece of Ikea furniture we have added to my house since then. She enjoys it and works quickly to get the job done! Now we have a few more items to put together.

Something else I thought about, Dad no longer needs storage solutions or neat affordable furniture. He will never have to look for another perfect thing. He no longer has a need to put any furniture together. Where my Dad lives now everything is just right!

Heaven grows much sweeter each day! 

Daddy, I can not wait to see you again! Thank you for a treasure trove of great memories! We think of you every day, and love and miss you! You are forever in our hearts!

See you tomorrow!

Odie

Ellisville First Assembly Visit In Pics

 Hey Friends,

We are having a great time on our trip with Gran and Papaw. We have been blessed to spend time with family, friends and some of our dear road family!

Pastor Kenny Morris has been our friend for almost twenty years, since summer 2005. 19 years ago that we first visited him and the First Assembly in Ellisville, Mississippi. 

The Morris family adopted us, and First Assembly became a home away from home for us. We love our Ellisville family dearly and have looked forward to every visit. 

Often, our revivals at First Assembly have coincided with an annual fundraiser for their Christian school! We loved attending the wild game supper. It was a highlight of Dad's year. 

The Morris' invited Mom and me to visit them again. We were excited to make the trip to Ellisville one more time.We decided to plan our trip around our annual visit. It felt good to have something a little closer to normal.

We were in Ellisville last Friday for Wild Game Supper 2025. It felt right for us to be there to honor Dad’s memory. We had Ohio and Alabama family join in the fun this year too!

Below are pictures from that event. Ethan Morris helped me capture these memories. 

Ethan thank you for the selfies too!🤣

First Assembly also had revival this week. We attended 2 nights of the revival. Our road family received us with love and open arms! It was healing for all of us!

Below are the pictures from revival that I took.

Bro. Roger and Sis Joan Luke were the evangelist. We greatly enjoyed being in the services with them too. The Lord encouraged our hearts!

I am thrilled we got to see our Ellisville road family! We  love them so much. Words can not express my appreciation for their love, friendship and dedication to our family! It was a pleasure to introduce Mom’s parents to these extraordinary people!

Thank you for joining us today. See you tomorrow.

Odie