Thankful – Blessed Beyond Belief

Someday’s you just wake up thankful – blessed beyond belief. This last year has been surreal in a lot of ways. Change has happened, good along with the bad, but overall I am a blessed.

Blessed Beyond Belief

Thankful & Blessed -Thanksgiving 2017 in Tiberius, Israel

I am so thankful and blessed beyond belief! November 14th marked the 1 year anniversary of a year that had many interesting twists, turns, firsts, adventures, and new things.

Bite Out Of The Big Apple!

• First time to ever visit the Big Apple! Along with that 4 day visit there were many 1st! Macy’s decorated for Christmas and getting ready for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Tiffany’s, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Central Park, memorial for the Twin Towers, the Garment District, Times Square, Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• First trip to the Middle East – Israel – Bucket list trip!!!! So much more than I can ever put into this post, but this made me thankful beyond belief. I knew before I ever left that I would be going back….just did not know when. I now know how much God loves this piece of land, these people and why He defends it like He does. It was for me to share with anyone who will listen. This is why I will be taking people over there September 2019.

Celebrating Christmas Knowing More

• Celebrated Christmas for the first time truly knowing that this holiday somewhat has nothing to do with the day that Christ was actually born.

• Noah finally got his drivers license and a car!
• The grand turned 2! You know what that means….new stages to watch her grow through and experience.

Change, yes change

• I worked hard to gain strength & lose some weight…this is still an ongoing process. Dropped 23lbs. Gained a new injury, so 6 lbs.chased me down and caught me. * Still have 20 to go!
• February 26, 2018 my blog went live for a second, but I launched it in March.

• Helped prepare my handsome Senior for his Senior Prom. The only dance that he ever attended in all of his school years.

Thankful And Blessed Headed Back To Israel

• Another 1st: International travel – Alone! I began working on putting a trip together to take people who wanted to go to Israel. I was watching airfares and rooms. The stars aligned and a terrific price for airline ticket, great rate on a rental car & rooms April 23 – May 9, 2018. So, you guessed it I went back to Israel. 14 days – solo. I have been posting each of these days individually. If you want more details you can check those out in post Travel – Trips – Israel

Lot’s to Celebrate – Graduation, Birthday’s & Mother’s

• We had Wayne’s 50th, Mother’s day and Noah’s high school graduation all with in a two week period of May. Wow…. Empty nest is upon us… A definite 1st in 31 years……

• I came home to celebrate Wayne’s 50th birthday, so we had a delayed party on Memorial Day weekend with the Fason’s at the boat with friends and family.

• June 8th we celebrated the twin’s and my precious momma’s birthday. Mom’s celebration was a month early. We were going to be moving Noah to college on her birthday. We grilled hot dogs and had fun poolside. OH, except Ms. Jettie – I told her she could have whatever she wanted, so she ordered filet and that’s exactly what she got. She even took the leftovers home with her. ?

Summer Full Of Whatever It Takes To Get It Done

• We had a great Whatever It Takes in LR, AR with Angela Chrysler President, CEO and Mary Lou Loehr, Owner of Team National.
• The later half of June began a month of extreme health challenges for mom. She had a couple of hospital visits. We were thinking it might be heart issues, only to find out that she had lung disease that was so advanced that this would call for meds that made no difference. The side effects from this would take a toll on her over the next 60 days.

• July 4th we celebrated on the lake with Fason’s in true American red, white and blue style! * Food, family & friends!

• July 6th we packed and moved Noah to college… He is at his new home away from home for the next few years at College of the Ozarks. Grateful that he is on a campus that is a perfect fit for him and that he will receive his whole education with very little cost out of our pocket. His 4 years of education will be in the $120,000.00 range approximately, looks that we will be in it for around 5-10K, blessed beyond measure.  
• July would be more trips to college, lake and Doctors offices for mom. Cardio, Pulmonologists, GP and Rhumetologist.

August 2018 Would Change All Of Our Live’s Forever

• August was looking great with a much needed trip for business (Team National), Anniversary (little belated), and a day or two of vaycay. Ft. Lauderdale, FL is a really great place! Excellent food, great times with wonderful people.

• August 17 – Parents day at C of O! We headed home on the 18th little did I know that my Mom would take a fall that morning before I got back into town. We went by to visit her and she was a little sore but no major issues.

No Sooner Than I Got Dinner Started – The Longest 24 Hours Ever

• No sooner than I got home and started dinner, I got a phone call that mom had fell again…It was BAD, REALLY BAD. They would finally do surgery at 10 pm, she made it through and was holding her own till around 4:30 pm Sunday afternoon. Do to not being off of blood thinner and this being a compound fracture she would slip off to meet Jesus about 10:30 pm on August 19, 2018. SO, therefore my friends, life changed for this momma’s girl.

So Many New Roles

• I have since had to step into many new roles and carry titles that I wish for none of my friend’s. Parent-less is strange to say, but at last it is a new title that I fill. I am blessed that I was able to spend the time that I did these last few years. SO, very glad that I did not have to watch her slowly suffer and struggle with the suffocation from the lung issues that were coming. Not to mention how awful the healing and rehab were going to be from the break.

Thankful That She Did It Her Way

• Thankful that she always did life her way. Grateful beyond belief to know without a doubt that I will see her again. She is in her eternal home with the other half of her family. I see her in the smile of my daughter and son. Can hear her gentle laugh in the giggle of my grand. We taste her love in every recipe that she has shared and then she would confirm we did it right when we made it for her.

Summer Was Something But We Aren’t Done Yet

• Grateful that I married into a family that the grandmother’s accepted and loved me just like I was theirs. Gladys Noles loved me the entire 23 years that she knew me. I will miss her. We laid our last grandmother to rest in October. There were definitely many bittersweet days the last few months. Heaven gained some good ones this year.
• First Thanksgiving to be completely parent and grandparent less…. Except I am a lucky girl who has a fantastic Mother & Father in Law! #blessed

• The last few months I have been journeying through the blog world. Navigating daily without my momma’s voice, but her spirit driving me. I’ve been building a trip for people to experience the Holy Land next Spring.

Thankful & grateful for health, family and friends! I know that I am the daughter of the King and I am blessed beyond belief! Can’t wait for 2019! Let’s do this! 

Living in a rhapsody full world,

Trina