sisters in the house

This time last year,

 my sister Teri was instrumental 

in helping me make the very hard and gut-wrenching decision.

 to embark on the journey of building and designing my new home. 

This year she is back 

seeing the fruit of that decision for the first time.

What an absolute joy to have her here sharing this with me.

Today we found that my numbers are up.

This time next week I will be completely moved in.

How can this be happening?

🏡

 

heading to 74

I'm writing this now because Teri and Keith are coming in from California this afternoon.

I will be visiting with them the next few days and

 then there's the closing and

then there's the move-out and

  then there's the move-in and 

then there's the setting up of the new house

 and maybe (probably) I won't be able to write during some of that time.

And, of course, I will be without my computer for a couple of days.

So, here I am at almost 74, doing what I love most of all...

taking pictures and designing houses.

When I was 22 and just getting married,

 I could not have even fathomed being this old.

I have my moments.

Some kind of pain is a constant companion.

I go somewhere to get something and forget what I went for.

I turn out the lamp and go to sleep at 8:30 pm.

I wake up way before first light.

I have been a widow for almost two years.

I am still reeling from Bubba's sudden death in front of me.

I'm just now becoming able to process what happened that day and sort it out.

God, my family, and my close friends have seen me through this nightmare.

Being with more than one person at a time makes me want to run for cover.

(crowds of people make me crazy)

I don't like to drive at night but I don't want to give it up either.

I need magnifiers to read everything.

Making a phone call and talking on the phone is extremely hard and stressful for me 

to the point that I just don't do it anymore.

After cancer and radiation treatment,

I was left with several really debilitating mouth issues.

This phone thing makes me sad and I'm so sorry!

I do text and enjoy having that option.

I only wear comfortable shoes.

I love to organize things.

I communicate best by writing.

That's me at 74...

I do my best, 

guard my tongue and my heart,

 accept my frailties,

 and trust my God and stay in His word.

Praying for all of you is my daily delight.

I am well aware of my immortality.

Jesus could come to get me at any time and I am ready.

But I also love my life and my people and the blessings God has bestowed upon me.

A life well lived and then to die well, 

happy and content in my Savior.

that is my goal.

"For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Philippians 1:21

 

the last party in my apartment

I wasn't able to make David's birthday cake so I did the next best thing...

Nothing Bundt Cakes made us a delicious alternative.

It came in this box with the sweetest message...

"Be sweet to each other"

I ordered the Lemon flavor.

It didn't disappoint!

There were "YUMS" all over the room!

So we celebrated with the packed boxes all around us.

Next birthday is mine and it will be celebrated at my new house...

I hope.

We celebrated loudly and happily with games and presents and coffee and cake.

Where several of us are gathered together there will always be fun.

These kids are the best gifts ever.

Love abounds!

Thank you Jesus for this man on his birthday!

 

happy birthday david #48

48 years ago this very day an adventure began.

That adventure continues to this day.

Just being in your presence brings me so much joy and happiness!

Thanks for all you do for me.

 I Love you!

Mom

🎂

 

2 weeks (i hope) till closing

I went by my house a couple of days ago and saw this...

A kitchen full of appliances!

A repairman was there working furiously behind the stove fixing, of all things,

A gas leak.

A terrible smell had permeated the house.

Hence the fan by the sink and every window in the house wide open.

My thinking has been if the appliances get here the closing will happen on time.

Well, they are here!

I never envisioned a gas leak!

Could that slow things down?

Probably not.

We'll see.

Here is my schedule notwithstanding the gas leak...

Friday, February 4th, closing.

Don't know the time yet.

Saturday, February 5th, last day in my apartment.

Movers come early.

Things here including beds will be removed and taken to the new house.

Me and my necessary things will move to my condo at the beach.

Winter vacation!

Sunday, February 6th, a day of rest.

Church, 

lunch together, 

and then hit the sofa and look at the ocean for the afternoon.

Late walk on beach down to the convergence.

How do I get this in the middle of a huge move?

Rest is necessary...always!

Monday, February 7th, moving day again.

Movers bring ALL of my favorite things from the storage house to their new home.

I cannot wait to see everything again.

Amanda comes to help.

David is in charge of this move and will be holding me up in this process along with Erika.

Tuesday, February 8th, The first night in my new home!

New beginnings are good, right?

I'm holding onto God's promises and my people for dear life.

🏡

 

the way i remember you

Tall, handsome, loving me perfectly.

Even almost two years later, when I think of the day you died and left me, it takes my breath away.

I'm so thankful that I have these pictures of you saved on my computer.

I never want your image to become fuzzy in my mind,

I want to remember all that we had together and all that I lost on that Saturday afternoon.

I will love you forever and I will see you again.

Cathy

💔

 

Puffy

                                                              

                                  I have been thinking about buying a new mattress for a while.

                                                                          In fact,

 I have been mulling this over in my head for months.

I feel lost sleeping in the king-sized bed I shared with Bubba for so long.

I convinced myself that a change would be good.

I would put the big bed in the guest room.

I think my married guests would really like that option.

I would buy a new queen bed ensemble for the master.

I didn't tell anyone of my plan.

I wanted it to be a surprise

David and Erika helped me buy a new king mattress for our condo.

It was bought and delivered to the door via the internet.

It was fun to watch it come out of the box and expand.

They have one that they absolutely love.

I decided to go that way myself.

After much research,

I bought one called Puffy.

Highly recommended it was.

Yesterday afternoon about 2:30 I decided to make a pilgrimage to the Chick-Fil-A

to get some chicken fingers and some milkshakes.

When I opened the door I noticed this big, blue box sitting at the bottom of my stairs.

On closer inspection, it was my queen-size mattress.

I was stunned!

The delivery person didn't even let me know it had arrived,

much less bring it up to the porch.

I panicked!

I stood still for a very long time just thinking.

I looked around, nobody was nearby.

Should I call the office?

I had already had to bother them earlier in the day with a plumbing issue.

Finally, I decided...

"I'll go down and shimmy it up slowly by myself."

Y'all, I couldn't even budge it.

It must have weighed 1,000 pounds.

I have gotten a lot stronger since Bubba died,

 but there was no way I was getting that up 26 stairs.

At this point, I prayed this simple prayer,

Lord, please send help.

I walked down to the kiosk to get my mail, still praying.

When I arrived a strapping young man rode up on his bicycle.

I found some boldness and asked,

"Would you like to make some money?"

I've thought about this question and its implications a lot for the last 24 hours.

Questionable at best I think.

😦

Anyway,

I offered him $20.00 to take the mattress up to my foyer.

He agreed, said he needed the money.

Y'all,

I don't know how he got it up there.

He struggled visibly.

I felt so very bad for putting him through that agony.

But it is inside my apartment,

safe and sound,

out of the rain and the wind.

He must have recovered his breath because I saw him later riding his bike down the road.

It looks like it is trying to bust out of the box already.

I hope it stays put for a few more weeks.

I have thanked the Lord over and over and added that young man to my prayer list.

I told him that he was the answer to my prayer.

meanwhile, back at the races

Last Sunday afternoon David registered Harry to run in a 5K race.

They left the JEA on Abercorn and Derenne,

meandered through the streets and byways of lovely Savannah,

then came back to the JEA.

Harry won the race.

Here he is being interviewed by a local television station.

He was a full minute ahead of everybody else...

adults and other teenagers.

He wins effortlessly.

Never seen anything like it.

Here he is running on the beach leaving the sunset behind him.

We are proud of you sweet boy!

In this picture is he coming or going?

I can't decide.

Run, run like the wind!

 

countdown to closing ~ 23 days

After today, 23 days until the closing on my house.

Am I certain that it will happen on Friday, February 4, 2022?

Not at all.

But that is not stopping me from planning ahead,

scheduling my window coverings,

having my closet installed.

You gotta have a date to shoot for, right?

It's hard to tell in the picture above,

but my tile backsplash has been installed.

I'll post another one below.

It came out perfect, just like I dreamed it would.

Cathy, what are you doing while you wait?

I'm packing up everything in my apartment.

I sure did spread out.

I moved in like I would be here forever.

I love to pack and organize.

I also like to unpack.

Can't wait to set up my new home!

I get my boxes from the liquor store.

They are free and just the right size.

This shows the color and texture a little better.

That nook is for the stove.

I 💝 my 🏡!

 

hey bubba...

...you would have loved the Georgia game last night.

We waited so long,

since 1980,

and now the Georgia Bulldogs are the National Champions!

And the Braves are national champs as well.

Wish I could have watched this game with you!

I love you and miss you...

Cathy

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

 

new year's day on the beach

This big cargo ship passed by while we were enjoying the view from my condo.

We were fascinated with the name and the bright color.

Obviously, our port is working just fine.

Harry and Gus...

a study in opposites!

Love what the sun is doing in this picture!

A late, very warm winter afternoon on the beach on the first day of the New Year.

Summer in the winter is the best!

Archie and Gus doing "beach" things.

Three of the musketeers!

There is a new taco joint at Tybee.

It is where the Social used to be on Butler.

I had a shrimp taco that was delicious.

For desert...

Churros fresh from the grease served with caramel and chocolate dipping sauces.

Lu and Walter with their biggest smiles.

Walter behind the surfboards playing Pac-Man.

I love our country and have much hope that things will get better.

Please don't forget to pray for our President and our other leaders.

Nothing is impossible with our God!

 

i am awed by this blessing from Jesus

I had to run some errands yesterday morning.

The time to be reunited with my wallet was running out, but I hadn't lost hope.

David and I were going to wait till today to start the process of doing what needed to be done.

When I came home and sat down to check my computer,

 I had an e-mail from my State Farm Agent.

He had gotten a call from the MP office at Hunter Army Airfield.

They had my wallet in safekeeping at the police headquarters there.

That was about one o'clock yesterday afternoon.

I called to see if I could come get it.

He said yes..."I will call the front gate to alert them that you will be arriving soon."

I couldn't get through the gate without my military ID which was in my wallet.

I sat down and cried...

tears of joy and thanksgiving,

of knowing that Jesus had done this for me.

He had heard all of our prayers and safely returned my wallet to me.

It was completely intact, nothing was missing or in disarray.

I still don't know where I lost it or how it came to be in the hands of the HAA police.

I will never know the details.

Jesus sent someone to find my wallet and take it to a safe place.

I've added this person to my prayer list and he/she will be prayed for daily.

I would have gladly given a reward, but prayer is better I know for sure.

Thank You Jesus for hearing my prayer and answering it as You always do.

This was a perfect example of Your watch-care over me and over all of the tiny little details of my life.

no picture of this...

 I've lost my wallet.

Not my purse...just my wallet.

Not my phone.

Everything important in the way of everything I do is in that wallet.

We have searched high and low...my car and my apartment.

No one has used my credit card so we think it is just lost somewhere.

This is disquieting.

I wish I had my wallet.

We are giving it a little time.

Tomorrow we will start the process of getting all new cards and things.

Until then I am praying that it will still turn up.

Jesus knows where it is and the reason this has happened.

I am trusting Him in this!

Cathy

😢

ps If you see it let me know

for the love of her granddaddy

I love all of these grandkiddos, but my post today is about Lucy.

She will become a fully licensed driver in just a few hours.

Lu is so excited and has worked so hard 

to be able to assume the responsibility of operating a motor vehicle.

I am so proud of her.

Of all of the things that belonged to Her granddaddy that she could have chosen,

she chose his official United States Air Force dog tags.

She wears them every day.

You can see them hanging around her neck in the picture above.

Every time I see them, I am reminded of the mutual love and respect there was between them.

I love Lucy!

God, please protect her when she drives around town!

Hold her close and make her wise as she sets her heart on You.

Granddaddy, 

you would be amazed if you could see them now.

 

Happy New Year 2022

This is Pearl's Saltwater Grill situated on the Herb River, a stone's throw from my new house.

We celebrated New Year's Eve there yesterday.

We got kinda dressed up and went for it!

Savannah, with its rivers and marshes, is simply stunning.

You can see the low-hanging clouds mirrored in the still water.

I'm so glad to live in Savannah,

a smallish city nestled in by the great Atlantic ocean.

A real treat to eat here...

not Panera Bread or Mexican, our usual hangouts.

Harry was on the end.

He got completely left out of the picture,

and me? I was taking the picture.

We are headed to the beach in just a little while.

Another beautiful 80-degree afternoon just beckons.

Hopefully, I will get some pictures...

I have a hard time writing without a picture to help me tell my story.

Anyway,

Happy, Happy New Year.

🥳

Seek God in His Word this year.

You won't regret it!

cc