And that's a wrap

Best of 2013

So, I’m not sure if this will get finished or posted but hey here goes!

Also, I’m not entirely sure what to write but an end of the year post seems appropriate. After all we have kept up with this blog far more consistently then I imagined when we first started it at the beginning of the year. 

My Mom

The year started with a lot of uncertainty & frustration.  My mom (She turned 61 this past summer) was hospitalized and then diagnosed with Dementia. She was in pretty bad shape and we didn’t really know what to do. We prayed a lot. I prayed a lot. I went into a mild depression and spent a lot of time frustrated/overwhelmed but the Lord was very gracious to us. By April my mom was doing much better and thanks to the herculean efforts of my wife we had all her paperwork & bills straightened. By July she was officially retired. We take care of her bills/paperwork/groceries and visit her daily. She is able to drive (2 mile radius) and take care of her normal day to day tasks (cooking/cleaning/pets). None of that would have been possible without the support of my loving wife & family. As well as the support/prayers/resources of my church family as well. I would like to give an honorable mention to Dr. Pepper & Dr. Who in all of this as well.

Traveling

Got to go to a lot of places. Here’s a couple.

Asheboro – Spent a weekend in late January with the Wife along with David & Missy. We went all around down town Asheboro/Seagrove area and did antiquing/pottery/coffee shopping. I impressed with my wife with my newly found haggling skills. Working for Israeli’s has its advantages.  We then went down to Clemmons to visit our friends Surge & Ashley along with their new baby.

Great Wolf Lodge – For the boo’s 3^rd birthday we went to Great Wolf Lodge. If you haven’t been I advise you check it out whether or not you have little kids. It’s an indoor water park how can you not love that? Just don’t eat on site. $$$$

Zoo – We took the kiddos to the Zoo. Fortunately no one mistook any of us for monkeys and they let us leave.

 

Winston-Salem – We attended the NCHE conference. It was really good. Especially this guy. The conference was the final push to decide to home school Madison who is now the very first student at the Newsome Academy for kids who can’t read good and want to learn to do other stuff good too. 

Greensboro – I surprised the wife with a weekend anniversary trip to Greensboro. Shopping, friends, coffee, games, bbq and sleeping late. It was glorious!

Myrtle Beach – Got to go to the beach for a week with the family. It was so much fun. We built sand castles (sand pits really), mini golf, bouncing houses, aquarium, seashells and sand everywhere!

Housing

Short Version: We unexpectedly sold our house (in 3 days), lived with in-laws for 6 weeks, moved into new house.  Then we had a house warming party that most of you attended. We did not go insane during any of this. At least I don’t think we did.

Long Version: I’ve told this story a ton and most of you have heard it. However, if you want to hear it again just ask me. Added bonus: if you want ask me multiple times. I’m told my stories tend to grow/exaggerate much like a fisherman. 

Work

As most of you know I work 2 full time jobs. IT guy for this company, Spuntech. Who treat me extremely well (especially compared to the majority of the time I worked at the bank) and I am the Associate Pastor at this lovely little church I am sure you are all familiar with. I don’t talk about the work place/my careers on this blog or any other form of social media for this most part. You shouldn’t either. It’s not good business. 

However, I will say that the Lord graciously allowed me my most successful/accomplished year at both of these in spite (or maybe because) of all the craziness this year has brought.  I will also mention that I completed my Masters of Arts in Christian Studies (M.A.C.S.).

Boston

I love baseball and I have since elementary school. My two teams are the Braves & RedSox so this was a great baseball season for me. I got this for Christmas. 

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things that were super big/important and I also intentionally omitted some things. I’ll let you guess which is which. 

I’ll end with this as I end every year.

Everything Has Its Time

3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

² A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
⁵ A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
A time of war,
    And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

⁹ What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? ¹⁰ I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Glen

Hey, Remember that Time . . .

*Disclaimer: This post is mostly about puke, so read at your own risk*
 
One day I'll look back and ask Glen, "Hey, remember that time the kids threw up everywhere the week of Christmas? You know, at the candle light service at church and the family dinner at my moms and in the van and outside the house and in our room?" Maybe it'll be amusing. Or maybe it'll be just as tragic as it feels right now after 4,365 loads of laundry in the hottest water possible and 3 hrs of sleep, and every cough has a PTSD reaction of me shoving a bowl in front of someones face.

I apologize to all those we exposed to this little GI wrecker. And sadly, it was a LOT of people.

Wednesday we had a great day. We had a busy morning around then house, then we visited Gpa at the hospital, we went to a baby shower, we went to Costco, and then to church for our annual Christmas candle light service. I was apprehensive about having all the kids in the service with me since Glen was staying at the hospital with his dad, but I knew my folks would be there to help. I had already decided to sit near the back in case we needed to make a quick exit. The girls were quite interested in the service and mesmerized by the candles. Sam was happy to be stuffing his mouth with cheerios and playing with toys, but he was quiet, no complaints here.

 

Shortly after these photos were taken things went down hill fast. Madison came over and snuggled up to me and I remember thinking "Aww, this is the perfect ending to a lovely Christmasy day" Ha! Then she starting puking, right there, on me, in the service. I jumped up, shoved Sam (who had been sitting in my lap) into the guy's arms behind me and dragged the poor girl puking all the way out the back door.  We went to the bathroom and get cleaned up as much as possible. As I was standing in the bathroom imagining a horrific chain reaction of vomit, our observant pastor must have been imagining the same thing and kindly directed everyone out the other door. Later, he and several other dear people cleaned up the mess so I could get the kids loaded up. That is servant love right there folks. There was no question, there was no hesitation. People just jumped in and cleaned up my kids puke. That's like foot washing x 5 folks. I can't tell you how grateful I am for my church family, it's truly humbling to be served when you feel the most vulnerable.

I'll spare you the details of the night, but it pretty much went like this. Puke, laundry, sleep, repeat. Then about 6am it was over. Done. All better. Madison did lay around a bit Thursday recovering, but no more messiness. Friday, rolled around and I began to think we were in the clear. All day I watched for symptoms in the others. Nothing. They played inside and out. They ate well. Normal. Just down right normal.

So we decided to go to a family Christmas gathering at my parents house. The night was going great. There was good food, family, fellowship. The kids were all playing together. They were running laps around the house. It was wonderful Christmas chaos. Until Anna-Kathryn starts throwing up. Time to get out of there. We try to gather and clean and load as quickly as possible. Glen goes to get Sam up and before Glen and get Sam to the van he starts too. Holypukefestbatman. I strip poor Sam man down to his skivvies outside and wrap him in towels for the ride home. Before we can even get home, Sam is at it again. And then the night was like Wednesday night except x 2. AK was on Glen's side of the bed, so he took care of her and Sam was on mine, so I took care of him. And by God's grace the morning dawned and it was over.

So here are a few things I'm super grateful for this week:

1. Friends and family that will clean up my kids puke

2. Washing machines and hot water

3. Bowls

4. Waterproof mattress pads

5. Bleach

6. Ginger ale and saltine crackers

7. 70 degree day to air out the house

8. My husband who is more than willing to get dirty in the trenches of life with me

9. Kids who bounce back quickly.

10. Jesus. Born as a tiny helpless babe, (wonder if he threw up on his mom?) who loves me and you enough to die in our place that we might be saved. Grace. Sweet undeserving grace.

Merry CHRISTmas y'all!

Lindsey

The Revolution

Sometimes it's a mad house around here.  This is an actual skype conversation I had with Glen. Today. About 5 minutes ago. Please feel free to amuse yourself at our expense.

[12:22:35 PM] Lindsey Newsome: if i had tweeter my hashtags for right now would be

#isitnaptimeyet

#pleaserescueme

#therevolultionhasbegun

and that's why i don't have twitter, because i write things like tweeter. #notatechie

[12:25:24 PM] Lindsey Newsome: #iamusemyhusband

[12:25:25 PM] Glen Newsome: the revolution has begun?

[12:25:28 PM] Glen Newsome: lol

[12:26:37 PM] Lindsey Newsome: the children staged a cu ku coo, whatever, they staged it

[12:26:49 PM] Lindsey Newsome: especially the climber

[12:27:09 PM] Lindsey Newsome: he's the ringleader, don't be fooled . . .the oldest is just the spokesperson

[12:27:26 PM] Glen Newsome: coup de ta

[12:27:39 PM] Glen Newsome: you are really funny right now

[12:27:57 PM] Glen Newsome: I think Anna is the ringleader

[12:28:05 PM] Glen Newsome: the boo behind the curtain

[12:28:59 PM] Lindsey Newsome: that's because they've destroyed the house and driven me mad

[12:30:06 PM] Glen Newsome: and you've retreated to skype and let the house fall?

[12:30:31 PM] Lindsey Newsome: yes, though in a new development i took a tiny hostage

[12:30:38 PM] Glen Newsome: lol

[12:30:40 PM] Lindsey Newsome: i straped him to my back and gave him a banan

[12:30:42 PM] Lindsey Newsome: banana

[12:30:54 PM] Lindsey Newsome: i think i'll be able to make him talk

[12:31:10 PM] Glen Newsome: what information do you plan to get out of him?

[12:31:52 PM] Lindsey Newsome: the location of their headquarters and their next plan of attack

[12:32:12 PM] Glen Newsome: I think he will be difficult to break

[12:33:00 PM] Lindsey Newsome: if he won't crack, i'll just put him in a small wooden cell and let him sleep until 4

[12:33:08 PM] Glen Newsome: good plan

[12:33:12 PM] Lindsey Newsome: by then, he'll be calling my name!

[12:33:18 PM] Lindsey Newsome: begging to talk

[12:33:25 PM] Glen Newsome: lol

 [12:34:31 PM] Lindsey Newsome: my location has been compromised! this might be the end. I love you!

[12:34:41 PM] Glen Newsome: I love you!

tiny hostage.

Motivation Monday

A few links to encourage a thankful heart.

1. Here is a great something from nothing story. If you're feeling like something is impossible, check out this movie based on the life of  Dr. Ben Carson.  He was born into poverty, raised by a single mother with only an elementary education, and he became one of the greatest neurosurgeons the world has ever known. Dr. Carson was the first surgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins. He recently retired from a 36 year career at Johns-Hopkins where he was director of pediatric neurosurgery and a co-director of the Johns Hopkins Craniofacial Center. What an inspiring and amazing man! You can read more about him here if you don't have time for a movie.

 


 2. I am so thankful for my "boring" husband! I posted this link on facebook a little while back. As I've been reflecting on some things I am thankful for, my sweet husband is at the top of the list. We don't have an exciting story, it wouldn't make a good movie, but it's ours and it's perfect. Glen and I met when we were young, we married young and we had kids young. We've moved 5 times in 8 years and we had 3 kids in 4 years. We've been up all night with babies, we've hiked in the rural mountains of China, we've stood watch in the hospital over loved ones, we've sat on the couch holding hands on Saturday nights, and we've grown in love and commitment for one another. Thank you Lord for blessing me with this man that isn't afraid to work hard for his family while striving to be the best husband and father. Here's a picture when we were still dating  . . .






3. Who doesn't love free printables?? These are super cute. I can't wait to print the Christmas ones for the open house . . .I know y'all are going to look for them!




 4. After going overseas for the first time I felt like my eyes were opened in a whole new way. The world is so much bigger and so much smaller than I realized. It was bigger and more beautiful and more real than I could have fathomed sitting on my cushy couch, in my temperature regulated home, with my refrigerated food and clean water. And yet it is small, because I met people that loved and smiled and hurt and ached and laughed and cried, just. like. me. Just Like Me. Just like Glen and just like my family. They had goals for the children to grow up and be better than themselves. The experiences have changed me, and as my cushy couch life and my third world country life collide, I've had difficulty reconciling the two. Just recently we filled up shoe boxes with toys, toiletries, and school supplies from The Dollar Store for operation Christmas child. I love doing it, I loved sharing the experience with my girls and allowing them to take ownership in helping someone else. And then as we were packing the boxes I began to wonder if the children receiving the gifts might be the very ones that made those toys. And I was horrified. And saddened. And I felt guilty that we probably daily contribute to child labor and slavery. I don't know a good resolution to this problem, but it's not something I want to ignore. We support the International Justice Mission who works to end slavery and human trafficking and provides care and support to those who have been freed. I also just read this blog post about ethical shopping and I want to incorporate that more into our lives. So, if your Christmas present looks something like this, don't be surprised. P.S. it's from Johari Creations, check it out.



5. Sometimes the holidays are tricky with families. Sometimes it's stressful. Sometimes it's not so nice. I'm so thankful that usually things are quite peaceful around our house. But here are some tips to make sure it stays that way, and doesn't turn into this.




6. I sure am thankful for laughter, especially funny stories from friends. A dear nursing mama friend of mine is winding down the process. She bought some cabbage to help with the process. Later, she got a text from her husband around lunchtime. He was wondering why the lettuce on his sandwich tasted funny. . .




And here is a funny of my own . . .he wasn't too thrilled about me taking the picture before helping him get out.

7. Need some last minute recipe ideas for incoming guests? Check out these 12 make-ahead recipes! I made the breakfast casserole and the sticky buns this week and they were both ah.maz.ing. I mean I ate that breakfast casserole 3 meals a day for 2 days it was that good! Don't judge. I just wish I had taken a picture of the sticky buns, they turned out great too, and so super easy!! They are both now go to recipes.


8. Happy Thanksgiving y'all . . .may it be filled with Thanksliving!

 

	A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations Psalm 100:1-5