Thursday, December 20, 2012

Happenings




Lots of things have been happening for the Logan family...in fact one might say this has been the busiest semester of our lives (yes, I still go by semesters for both my work and personal lives haha)....let me see if I can give you a brief recap since August...

I started my new job.  Love it.  Every day is full of adventure...I really never know what is going to happen.  Sometimes I meet with a student and they cry, sometimes they laugh, sometimes they get real made at me, sometimes they share about growth and opportunity.  I love it all.  And despite that I am in student conduct, I have only met with 2 students so far that are just complete jerks--I count that as success!  I also love my co-workers, they are baller.


some co-workers, Chris and RJ, during our recent Christmas party
 We BOUGHT A HOUSE.  yeah, a real one.  Basically the Lord is real good to us and we got a great deal on a downtown bungalow from the 1930s.  Its cute, comfy, and feels like home.  We are a half mile from the farmers market and all our favorite Harrisonburg bars, restaurants, and shops!  Here's to a great summer of walking downtown!  And, although it was "move in ready" we wanted to do lots of work to it before we moved in.  Hence, no time to blog and my social life slowly decreasing.  There will be much more on that later...

Our yellow bungalow!

I finished up a practicum at the Office of Internal Programs and aced my Simulation University class.  I have 4 more left till I graduate and 1 portfolio...hoping to graduate by December.  One sad thing about only being in school part-time is I only get to take one class with my cohort.  Luckily, they still love me and although I don't get to hang out as much, my time with them is wonderful.


The International Bazaar at JMU that I planned in September

My cohort is amazing and helped us paint one night!

Weddings.  Yeah, our friends are still getting married.  Although it is so busy to be leaving a lot on the weekends for these lovely celebrations, we would not miss it for the world.  Luke and I are lucky to have such great friends and we are thankful we have gotten the chance to be with so many people on their special days.

Amy and Eddie got married in Concord, NC in September!

Katie and Jeff had a beautiful wedding in VA Beach...even with Hurricane Sandy on its way!   




All the Big Love girls reunite for Jess and Clay's wedding in Asheville, NC
I got to emcee this reception--that was a fun first!


We went camping with Lisa and Brandon.  They had never been before, and never slept in a tent.  It was awesome.  Can't wait for more of these weekends in the future.



We "chaperoned" a trip to Busch Gardens and rode the coolest new roller coaster...

Long line for the new ride...beer needed

I ran a half marathon.  My mom ran the 10K, my aunt and I ran the half, and my sister-in-law ran the full.  I had a great first 8 miles, then my knee decided to give up on me and I had to stop several times to strech.  Despite stopping, I was still able to beat my last time by 45 seconds (I think it was 1:59:10 or something like that).  I was a bit disappointed, but glad that God got me through it.  Please don't ask me how many times I have run since then...

We both ran our personal best!  Glad to have a wonderful sister in law!

Dara ran her personal best for the half and mom ran her first ever 10K (a personal best too!)

We bought a couch.  We hadn't had a couch for 2 months because we ended up selling ours, our kitchen table, and our coffee table (yep the one I found 4 years ago in the church basement) surprisingly on craigslist.  We actually made money despite my mom thinking we would not get more than $5 for all of it.  So, we have been using our air mattress and camping chairs as our couch...

bought these beauties at a going out of business sale...wasn't sure about the "extra cushion" at first, but they are super comfy and fit the look of the room perfectly.

So those are some of the big things going on in our lives.  Although I am sure we will continue to experience new things in the next year, I am hoping that we can slow down a bit and just enjoy our home, jobs, friends, church, lives...I will be sure to post some before and after pics of the new house soon!  It is a continued work in progress for sure. 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Granpa John

So, it has been awhile.  Last night I had a dream that I started blogging again, so I thought I might try it out today.  My last post was about a trip that we took in July...since then I have started a new job, Luke and I bought a house, started a new small group through our church, and it is already close to Christmas.  More than any of those things, I experienced loss in a deeper way than I ever have.  I lost my Grandpa John to complications with leukemia.  One day he was up on backhoe doing work for other people, and the next he was in the hospital sick.  I just wanted to post the letter I had the privilege of sharing during his funeral on November 21 (the day before Thanksgiving). 



Grandpa,

I can’t believe you are not here today.  I can’t believe that you will not be with us Christmas morning or playing games with us at the beach this year.  I can’t believe you are gone. But, even though you are not with us any longer, there are so many life lessons we have received from you that I know we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.  

You have taught us that we should always take notes and pay attention to the world around us.  Ever since I can remember you have had a pocket on every shirt specifically for a couple note cards and a pen.  You observed the world around you and wanted to remember the things that you had seen and heard.  At some point in life you moved to bigger notebooks and I remember taking a look at them one day.  You would share what time the owl left the nest in his backyard and what time he returned.  Similarly, at the beach you would jot down the time of the sunrise and sunset.  You would take notes about who called that day and who you needed to call back.  You appreciated every moment and observed the beauty of people and nature around you.  You have taught is to enjoy the simple wonders of the world.  Thank you.

In that, you also taught all of us to pay attention to details.  I remember hearing about the time that Dereck, Ken, and Dad all went over to your house to help you build a deck.  From what I hear, you let no mistake go unnoticed.  I think he wanted Dereck to move a nail a quarter of an inch to the left, because a small detail like that made a difference.  As annoying as it may have been to them at the time, I think we can all say we appreciate this about you.  You taught us if we are going to do something, we need to do it right.  There is no use in doing something if it is not something you can be proud of.   I have tried to carry that mentality with me, which I most definitely got from you, into my school work, job, and life in general. I am so thankful for it. 

Speaking of school work, you have taught all of us to care about our education.  Whether or not you knew this, you modeled that for us.  You are the perfect example of a life-long learner.  I remember when we went to Thomas Jefferson’s house in Monticello—most people go and browse the area for a couple hours.  I am convinced if we did not force you, you would have stayed there for 2 days straight—soaking in the information and applying it to your life.  You have attempted to instill that desire for education into all of us, especially your grandchildren. I know each of us have been so proud to call you and share with you about an accomplishment we have had because we knew you cared more than anyone else.  Whether it was Cobe sharing about reading the most books in his class, Kenna having the chance to dress up as Elvis for a school project, Dereck graduating from Appalachian State before all his friends, or when I got into grad school—we were eager and proud to share the news with you.   

You also taught all of us to concentrate and never give up!  Whether it was a sporting event, a school assignment, or a small house project—concentration and focus was absolutely necessary.   Even when you were sick you shared with mom that you needed to really concentrate on what you needed to do as you laid in the hospital bed.  You were always so focused and motivated, more so than any person I have ever met.  

Grandpa, more than anything else you have taught us, you have taught people to care about people.  You always put people first, no matter what the circumstance.  A few days after you got your blood work back and were still feeling weak—you were out on your backhoe doing work for someone else.  You would cut wood and give it to a woman from church during the winter.  You would spend all weekend preparing for the Ruritan club’s fish fry.  You would call Luke up to make sure he knew how to fix my car.  You helped Ken sand the floors in his house.  Even in the hospital you shared multiple times that you needed to come up to Harrisonburg to help Luke and I with our new house.  You would literally do anything for anyone at any point in time.  You never complained, never expected anything in return and always had a smile on your face.  I guess your senior class was right as they gave you the superlative of “friendliest.”  People mattered to you and I hope that I can carry that same love, concern, and passion for people into my life.  

You loved your family so well.  You took care of your sister Jean and always made sure she had what she needed.  You loved us grandchildren in a way that I can’t even explain.  You were at our sporting events cheering us on, our graduations sharing how proud you were, and you have never forgotten a birthday.  You would call us random times just to check in.  You welcomed Luke into our family with more than open arms, teaching him about the best tools to buy, chatting with him in the mornings at the beach and sharing stories.  And even though Uncle Ken and my dad may have been intimated by you at first (with your big beard and all!) they became not just your son-in-laws, but your sons.  You loved your daughters deeply; you cared about their success in the world and soaked in every moment you shared with them.  And, you loved Grandma.  Your high school love turned into a consistent, steady, adventurous marriage full of traveling, friends, and visiting family.  I am so glad we got to celebrate your 50th wedding anniversary and had the chance to talk about the years that God gave you to love each other.

Last night when we were at the visitation several people shared something that struck me…it went something like “John, he didn’t talk much about his faith but he lived it out more than anyone else I know.”  You might not have been at church every Sunday—but that’s because you were living out what all of us would just talk about in church (love your neighbor more than yourself particularly stands out).  And last night I heard person after person share that you were one of the greatest people they ever met.  I stood there proud to be your granddaughter and honored to hear how much you have impacted the lives of others.  

Grandpa, unlike you, I am selfish.  All I  want is for you to be at the beach with us in July, waiting down the stairs on Christmas morning, or even coming up to visit our new house in Harrisonburg.  I want to make you proud when I graduate with my Master’s and when Luke and I become parents…eventually. I want to call you and share with you the things that you taught me and how I am applying them.  I want you to be here.  

This past week the verse from Philippians 4 has been ringing in my ears.  I wasn’t sure why, but now I know.  It says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”  So even though I am upset that you are no longer with us, I am rejoicing that I had the best grandfather in the world.  I am rejoicing that I have so many great memories and stories to share.  And I am rejoicing that you have taught me so much and I know I have a lot to give to others.  Thank you for loving all of us so well.