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Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It seems to be the purest, most family-centered day of the year. As long as I can remember, Grandma and Grandpa Kaiser would come to our house (or we'd go to theirs) for lunch, Lions, naps, and board games... This year, Grandma decided to go to her new home for Thanksgiving. Yesterday morning, quite unexpectedly, she had a stroke and at 1:00 this morning, she left for her feast. She was the most unbelievable Grandma. She was so full of life, love, and warmth beyond what my simple words can describe. She was so strong, wise, and gentle. Her love for God was so evident in everything she did.
This week will be very hard, but I'm thankful. I'm thankful that she had 78 FULL years on this earth. Even yesterday morning, while she ate breakfast with Grandpa, she was still the same Grandma we've always known. She lived her 57 years of marriage to the fullest. I am thankful for my 28 great years with her. She was there for my birth, my soccer games, my graduation, my senior recital, and she was able to be a part of my wedding. Every birthday she would make me a pumpkin pie, and I still got one last month. Every summer they would make sure I got a chance to waterski, even if it was the only time they took the boat out all summer. Grandma even skied herself within the past 5 years! I am thankful that she raised such amazing children. My mother is an amazing woman and I can see where she got it. When I watch my mom be a grandma to my nieces and nephews, I am reminded of how my grandma was when I was younger. My 3 uncles are strong, godly men. It is an honor to be part of the heritage.
I could go on an on about why I am thankful for Grandma Kaiser. She enriched my life more than she even knew. The holidays will not be the same without her, especially this one. But it's okay, because death is not the end -- not even close. She is dancing with Jesus, more healthy and happy than she has ever been, and 
for that, I am MOST thankful. If anyone deserves that happy ending, I think it would be Grandma. I like to think that one of the first people to meet Grandma Kaiser when she walked through those gates was a good friend of hers, my Grandma England, who passed away just eight weeks ago today. I cannot thank God enough for both ladies, I loved them so much. They were both perfect grandmas in their own way.
Cherish the ones you love, and praise God that we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
This morning I ran in the first 5k of my life. The last time I ran was probably six months ago, well before the first snow. That was probably two miles. Three miles and some change is really not that far, nor is my 23:39 something to write home about, but the experience was quite freeing. There is something about running towards a finish line. I get the same feeling climbing Colorado's 14ers (2 down, many to go). When I push myself physically, I am forced to pray and I am able to focus on conquering struggles and achieving personal goals, which I did in part today. Believe it or not, that is partly why I did not train for today's race. I wanted it to be a little harder.
I should probably run more. Yes, because I am way out of shape. Even more, God likes the opportunity to push me up those mountains and speed me up at the end of those races. If it doesn't hurt, it is not worth it. I think I have a newfound desire to run a marathon someday. I'm probably crazy. And yes, I will train for that one.
My bride, take heart, I still have no desire for Everest.
A late night in April brought me back... along with the recent revelation of my username and password. Not much has changed since the last post. But I didn't move into my house on February 1. April 17th, 2007 was the big day, almost a year ago. And now I have a roommate. She's not so bad, she does her part :)
The love of my life vowed to love me back 2 1/2 months ago... something I thought may never happen. She is compassion, grace, and beauty. She is mine. And she is sleeping in the next room. Sometimes I can't get over it. I hope I never do.
Maybe I'll never post again. But maybe I will. Facebook requires no thought. You just look around at other peoples lives and occasionally send notes to them. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But , depending on your approach, blogging makes you look at your own life. After all, who are you writing to?
I don't know where this will take me, but I have learned a lot in 2 months of marriage. That, along with the recent finding of Spurgeon's Expository Encyclopedia in my basement, may give me something to talk about. I'm still waiting on that inspiration. For now I'm going to crawl back into bed with my sleeping beauty. The sheets should have cooled down by now.
So it seems that the emergence of Facebook has taken control of my social time on the computer. It seems like a college/high school site, i know, but it's easier than blogger. Sorry for those of you who enjoyed my pointless ramblings. They were few and far between and I think that as time goes on they will become fewer and farther between. I'm not giving up though.. I'm still "waiting for inspiration"... House is not done yet...February 1?
When I was just ten years old, he was the pick of the litter. He was the biggest one and the most active. He was a fighter. That was proven by how long he lived. Sixteen years.
Today we laid to rest my first and only childhood pet, OPE. Otis (my favorite mountain in Colorado at the time) Patrick (we got him on St. Patrick's Day) England was a good dog. Through years of Michigan winters and the neglect of a busy family, he stuck around-- always waiting for just a pat on the head... He would follow us around when we mowed the lawn, He would sit by us when we sat by the pool. He would even join us on the trampoline. He knew one trick. He could give a high five... and he still did it for me last week.
This may seem like a comical post if you had met OPE. We all knew this day was coming soon. He was sooo old. But as detatched I thought I was from him, today was surprisingly extremely sad. I really don't remember life without him.
So goodbye my good friend, man's "best friend"... A little pain for me is worth the relief of yours. Rest in peace.
So blogger doesn't have one of those little reminders for usernames. Only passwords. But alas, I have finally figured it out. Turns out my Student ID number was it once again. I know those 7 digits better than my own phone number. But yeah, I forgot my username and couldn't update for months. Actually that only accounts for about six minutes of this three month span. Give me a couple more months and I will consider updating more frequently. I'm busy with work, coaching, and home improvement from 7:30am-9 or 10pm every night. No my house isn't livable yet. Yes it has taken forever. The place was a hole. I may have taken 10 years off my life but it will be nice when I'm done.Yep. I'm done already. Maybe I'll give a holiday greeting. Could be a few holidays though.Bye.Go Tigers.
My posting frequency seems to be on an exponential decline, for which I apologize. For those who are curious, the house is going slow but well. Pictures to be posted when completion is near. Yeah, I created a ridiuclous amount of work for myself, so I will probably end up posting a few more times before it is complete. Yes, even at this rate.It was a 7-day weekend fun in the sun. I guess at some point it stops being a weekend. Anyway - Jenny and I left last Thursday for Mark and Allison's wedding in Akron, had good times with good people (you know who you are), then we drove back Saturday after Bob Evans. We drove right to the hospital to see my first nephew, Luke. He was a big baby. Then we both went home for a refreshing ten minutes to pack up our things to go camping with some friends (you also know who you are) an hour and a half north. After a humid, mosquito-filled night in the tent, we looked for the restaurant we have been waiting a whole year to go to - the Bitchen Kitchen. Turns out it was a shop, not an actual kitchen. It's a good thing Pentwater, MI had more to offer than meets the eye. I'm a Holland pier-jumper. Swimming amongst the boats in the channel is a big "no-no." You get to pay money when you get caught in Holland. But Pentwater is the place dreams are made of. Swimming to the other pier is encouraged. As I was crossing my proverbial Red Sea, boats all around, the danger that encompassed me was a mere afterthought. How glorious it was. Then I got sunburned. After a day of rest, I was back in the game. This independence day found me in the same place as my ancestors - on a boat. While I was not crossing the ocean, I was in search of freedom. A fleet of five undersized inflatable rafts dropped in the Black River, looking for the great Lake Macatawa. It was no Potomac, for the Black River is stagnant and putrid. It changes direction with the wind. Through our journey we found two brdiges to jump off of, along with some very tired arms. Well worth the journey. I got sunburned again. I did not intend to tell you about my weekend. It was merely a precursor to another theory I have. I was recently in the shower fighting off the hot water because of my sunburn. Then I stopped and asked myself... "Does this actually hurt?" Answer: I don't think so. Next time you stand under hot water after over-exposure - bite your lip until you feel a strange, cool sensation. Scream if you have to. But it's all in your head.
for that, I am MOST thankful. If anyone deserves that happy ending, I think it would be Grandma. I like to think that one of the first people to meet Grandma Kaiser when she walked through those gates was a good friend of hers, my Grandma England, who passed away just eight weeks ago today. I cannot thank God enough for both ladies, I loved them so much. They were both perfect grandmas in their own way.
