30 Days of Thanks: Day 24 ~ 27

I am thankful for Family, Skype, Love and Life: I am so thankful for the family God has richly blessed me with both near and far. I am thankful for the love from this family. I so enjoy spending time with each of my children and this Thanksgiving we (Steve and I) had 2 of our 3 children at home with us. We were able to skype with Stef, Josh, Carter and Coleman. We are thankful for the availability to see and talk with them daily but it is extra special on holidays when we cannot be together. Thank you God for this life you have given me. It has been one that is full and overflowing with your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 23

I am thankful for unexpected blessings. Today was one of those days that I was blessed with a really big unexpected blessing. God is so awesome and takes care of us in the most awesome ways. Thank you my Wonderful Father in Heaven for your love and unexpected blessings!!!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 22

I am so thankful for the radio station KLove. I listen to it everyday. I am thankful that I can listen to wonderful uplifting, spiritual music and radio personalities while in I'm in my car! Thank you KLove!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 21

I am thankful for Sundays to be in the house of the Lord to Worship Him! What an awesome day!!!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 20

I am thankful for days that my husband and I can have lunch together. We usually do not get to have lunch together because of our schedules so I am thankful for days like today when my wonderful husband calls and says let's have lunch together at our favorite place. I love my man!

30 days of Thanks: Day 19

I am so thankful for Grandchildren: I am thankful that God blessed us with not one but two precious little grandsons this year ~ Carter and Coleman. They are just the cutest, most adorable little guys. I am thankful that Carter and Coleman are both healthy and are growing so big and strong. They both are such blessings from up above and absolutely the most wonderful little guys every. There are so many things that I cannot wait to experience with them. But they are only 7 1/2 months old, so we have plenty of time. But how fun it will be to share the world with them as Nana (and PopPops). I (we) cannot wait!!! I pray that God will hold them in His hand their entire life and that they will live a life that is pleasing to Him. I am the happiest Nana in the whole wide world because of Carter and Coleman.
Carter, remember that Nana loves you with all her heart! Coleman, remember that Nana loves you with all her heart! Thank you God for the gift of grandchildren.

30 Days of Thanks: Days 13 -18

Well, I have fallen off the wagon on posting. Things have been quite busy for me this past week and I just did not get on the computer at home to post. So this post is going to be 5 days rolled into one.

Day 13:
I am thankful for Jesus, God's perfect Son! I am thankful that Jesus was willing to come to this earth as a baby and to live and grow. I am thankful for all the ways that Jesus lived his life on earth as a holy, sinless, perfect man! I am so thankful that Jesus bore the burden of my sin and shame on that cross and was willing to die for me! And for you! And that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day and is living with God in Heaven! God's love is amazing! I am thankful that we all have the promise of eternal life with God in Heaven because of Jesus' sacrifice. But you must believe, confess with your mouth and be baptized! I do believe, I have confessed with my mouth and I have been baptized and I am so thankful! I will say it again! I do believe that Jesus is God's Only Son and that He died, was buried and rose again to live eternally in heaven with God and I have been buried in Christian baptism for the forgivness of my sins and I have received the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ's sacrifice. Hallelujah! Mark 16:15,16; Romans 6:23

Day: 14
I am thankful for the seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Right now we are in the fall and I love the colors of the trees and the crispness in the air. The pumpkins and the colorful mums. But when the winter comes I will be thankful for the cold air and the snow/ice ( for a short time) and then there is the Spring and all the beautiful flowers and the warmer weather and the budding of the trees and bushes which brings about new life everywhere.I really like the Spring Season. Hooray for the Summer season. I like the summer season and the fun it brings with vacations, beach trips and hot weather. So I am thankful for all the seasons in NC because they are just the best. I cannot say that I have a favorite because when I am in the middle of each season, I say that one would be my favorite. Thank you God for the seasons.

Day: 15
I am thankful for In-Laws: My In-Laws! I have the best Mother-in-law in the world. My MIL ~ Verna Mae has such a giving, kind heart. She has been a blessing to me for over 33 years. I am thankful for what she has taught me in forgiveness, mercy, kindness, selflessness and love. My Father-in-law passed away a little over 2 years ago and he was the best FIL any girl could ask for. He could be gruff sometimes, but I think that was his way of not letting us all think what a teddybear he really was. He showed me what kindness, grace, selflessness and love where many times. I miss him so very much! I am thankful that God planned for me to have Verna Mae and Harold as my In-Laws because they have given me perfect examples of how I want to be to my son-in-law now ~ Josh and my future son-in-law and daughter-in-law. I love you very much Verna Mae!

Day: 16
I am thankful my car: I know this one sounds silly, but I am thankful that my car has been such a good car for so long. Steve bought me my car in February of 2001 and it has been a really good car. It is getting old now and we have had no trouble with it at all and I am so thankful for this car.

Day: 17
I am thankful for Wednesdays. They are great days. They are middle of the week and when the work day is done your are over 1/2 way done with your work week. Wednesday's are get the work done days. I am thankful for Wednesdays.

Day: 18
I am thankful for Sam, Josh and Sue ~ they are the ministry team at our church. They all do so much for Cary Christian Church. I am thankful that they each have chosen(or have been called) to work in the ministry and have chosen Cary Christian. Thank you Sam for bringing us messages each week that really make me reflect on them all week long. Thank you also for leading us weekly in great praise and worship. Josh, thank you for working with the kids. I know this is a tough job and you have a wide range of kids to work with. Thank you for all the time you put into to it. I know that each of the kids thank you. You do a great job. Sue, thank you for keeping everyone and everything in such great order. Thank you for all you do that is not your responsibility. I know what a big job you have. Thank you to each of you, I appreciate each one of you.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 12

I am thankful for the children God has blessed us with: Kellie Renae, when I held you, I knew you would be full of wonder and bring us great joy! You were a beautiful, easy going baby. You smiled all the time and you loved to be sung to. It was such a blessing to hear you say, "Again Momma, again". You wanted me to sing Jesus loves the little children, but you wanted all your family's names to be inserted. (Maybe that is why God has given you such a beautiful voice) You brought such laughter to us all. You have grown into a beautiful woman that is successful in her career and is full of life. I thank you for your fun-loving spirit, your humor, your strong-will and most of all for your love. I am thankful that you know Jesus as your personal savior. We were blessed beyond measure the day God gave you to us! Kellie, you are my sweet, precious little girl (you will always be my little girl) and I love you with all my heart.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 11

Veterans Day ~ I am thankful for all the men and women that have stepped up to allow us the freedoms of this country. We are the land of the free ~because of our veterans. We are free to live the way we want and to worship freely without fear of persecution or punishment because of the men and women who have gone before us and who are still willing to make those sacrifices to keep our country "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!" Thank you so much for your willingness to serve our country all who have served in the past, who are serving in the present and who will serve. Thank you to my Dad, Jerry Jones who served for 21 years in the US Navy, to my son, Jeremy Beezley who served in the US Marines, to my son-in-law, Josh Trantham who currently serves in the US Air Force, to my brother-in-law, Mike Beezley who served in the US Navy, to my Nephew, Brandon Roat who currently serves in the US National Guard, and to my cousin, Ryan Buckels who is currently training in the US Marines. I THANK YOU!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 9 & 10

Whew I am behind so I am going to combine days 9 and 10.
I am so thankful for the gift of Friendship. True friendship cannot be made or measured. It is actually very difficult to describe because true friendship is a precious gift of the heart. Some of my friends I have had for many years, some for only a few. But that girlfriend kind of friendship that allows you to know that you have a listening ear, a shopping buddy, someone that prays with you and for you, a shoulder to cry on, and someone to laugh with so hard over the silliest things that your eyes tear, that is a precious friend. I am thankful for my friends whether you are near or far, new or old. How blessed I am to be able to say I have the gift of Friendship. Thank you to each one of you my friends.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 8

I am thankful for the Children God has blessed us with: Jeremy, when you were born and I held you I knew you would bring us joy beyond measure. You have been a wonderful son and I am thankful for your compassionate heart. You are so full of adventure and are willing to share everything you own with those around you. I am thankful for your kindness, goodness and for the man that you are and that you know Jesus as your personal savior. We were blessed more then words can say the day God gave you to us. Jeremy you are my sweet son and I love you with all my heart.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 7

I am thankful for CCC (Cary Christian Church). Cary has been our home church for over 19 years. I love my church family! I am thankful that I have a wonderful church with great people that want to sing praises and Worship our Savior and want to hear the Word preached, but also wants to make sure that others around the community and around the world are offered that same opportunity. Thank you CCC.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 6

I am thankful for Saturdays! I really like Saturdays. I am thankful that on Saturday I do no have to wake to an alarm clock. I can pretty much do what I would like to do which usually means I can get caught up on laundry and running errands and then just piddle paddle around my house which I love to do! Saturdays ROCK!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 5

I am thankful for the children God blessed us with. Stefanie, when you were first placed in my arms, I had no idea what wonders awaited me! Thank you sweet Stefanie for filling my life (and Dad's too) with unimaginable joy. You are a beautiful woman both inside and out. I am thankful for your kind heartedness, your loving spirit, your creativity and the energy you bring where ever you are. But most importantly, I am thankful for the wonderful Christian woman you have grown to be. I was blessed beyond measure the day God gave you to us. I love you with all my heart ~ my precious Stefanie.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 4

I am thankful for warm houses. Our temperature has quickly turned much cooler and we discovered a little over 2 weeks ago that our heater was not working. The diagnosis was that we needed to replace our heater (it was quite OLD). The new heater is installed and the house is just the right temperature and it feels so nice and toasty. I am most thankful for the warmth because I am really cold natured and my hands and feet feel cold all the time. I am thankful and blessed to have a warm home again, because I know there are many people that do not have heaters in their homes or cannot afford to heat their homes in the cold weather.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 3

I am so thankful for the hunk of burnin love that I call my husband, Steven Paul. We became one through marriage a little over 33 years ago and I am so thankful that he chose me to live his journey with him. He has been a great friend, provider, comforter, father, and leader of our home. I am so thankful for him and his love. I love him SO much!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 2

I am thankful for the job I have and the people I work with. With so many out of work and unhappy in their jobs and feeling trapped due to the economic conditions, I am thankful that I have been blessed with a job that I truly enjoy.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 1

I was looking on Stefanie's (for those of you that don't know who Stefanie is ~ she is my sweet, creative, awesome oldest daughter) blog and she had started a 30 Days of Thanks and I thought what a great idea (as Stef usually has great ideas). I went back and forth in my head of whether I should do this 30 days of blogging because I am not the best blogger (as you can tell by how long ago my last blog was). But I have decided to take this on because I do have so very much to be thankful about. So here goes...

Day 1
I am thankful that my Mom cared enough those many years ago to teach my sisters and me about Jesus and to take us to Sunday School and Church every Sunday so that we could hear the bible stories and learn about Jesus so that we could make the decision to ask him into our hearts, be baptized into Christ and want to live for Him. I am thankful that she knew the importance of building that foundation during those early ages.

Passing of Life and New Life Begins!

In our family this past week there has been loss of loved ones and Birth of New ones. My family in California that I love and don't get to see very often, but just spent some time with in June to see a sweet couple united in Marriage experienced a loss this week. My Cousin Helen's husband Ferrell lost his mother Dorothy, she went to live with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in Heaven. Dorothy had a stroke a couple of years ago and had been in a nursing home. Ferrell went to see his Mother every single day. I remember Dorothy as always having a smile on her face and always being very nice to me when I was a little girl growing up in CA. Dorothy loved the Lord very much and lived a wonderful Christian life.

The other loss was my sister Nancy's husband Tony's Grandmother. She was 100 years old. She would have been 101 on Tuesday. She lived by herself up until a little over a month ago when she just could not live alone any longer. She was moved into a nursing home and passed away on Friday. I did not know Tony's grandmother at all, but Tony spoke loving of her and cared for her very much. Tony will miss her greatly. To my knowledge she was not a Christian. That makes me very sad. :(

Our neice, Ashlee (PopPop's Sister Pati's daughter) gave birth to a precious little girl this week, Emma! Ashlee and Emma are both doing well. I know that Pati and Jeff are so happy and will be GREAT grandparents. Praise God for precious Emma!

How I love my family both near and far!

We've been Married 33 Years.... And oh how I love PopPop so much

It was a beautiful summer day. Not a cloud in the sky that I can remember. It was quite hot for a June day in Oklahoma, but I didn't care, it was my wedding day! I was so excited...I was getting married to my best friend. The most handsome, kindest, most gentle man in the world and I loved him so. That was June 11, 1977 ~ 33years ago. Steven Paul(PopPops) and I started our journey together. Oh, we were so young! (I wish I knew how to post pictures on here ~ I will need to have Stefanie guide me on posting pics ~ can't figure it out) We honeymooned in Hawaii, a trip that I won from the WKY (A radio station in OKC) Bridal Fair in January of that year. PopPops and I neither one had ever flown on a plane before and we were flying all the way to Hawaii. That was a big deal 33 years ago.
Our journey has seen many seasons so far. Our seasons have brought with it great times, sad times, happy times and rough times, but all through our journey we have looked to each other and remembered our commitment to each other and to our Father God and we have relied on our Faith in Him SO MUCH.
God loved us so much that He gave us 3 of His children ~ Stefanie, Jeremy and Kellie to rasie for Him on earth. We have loved them and nurtured them and taught them the ways of the Father and have sent them out to live on their own now but continue to hold them up to the Father in prayer daily. The season on parenting in our home may have passed, but the season of being a parent will never pass, it just flows to another season of life...
PopPops and I have grown older and we hope wiser in our ways and have grown stronger and matured in our Faith through Prayer, Study of the Word, fellowship, serving others,and by attending services in His Church regularly, and we pray that we will always be the Light of Christ in our daily walk.
Our Journey has continued with another season in our lives....grandparenting! How blessed we are to have precious Carter and Coleman in our family. How wonderful our God is to have given them to Stefanie and Josh to raise. Now PopPops and I get to share all the fun things that grandparents get to share and will eventually get to say back in my day....NOT! We are not THAT OLD! :) :)
What an awesome God I have. He gave me the WONDERFUL man I married 33 years ago and have grown to love even more now then I did when I married me. We might be wiser and older and have more weight on us(well I) and more wrinkles (and I again), but I would not change my life with my man over the past 33 years and all the wonderful blessings that we have, even the hard times. When you wait for God to give you the mate He has planned for you, it is truly a match made in Heaven! I love you PopPops so much!
And so our journey of seasons continues....

Memorial Weekend

We have had a good Memorial day weekend. We didn't have anything specific planned. However, we wanted to go to the zoo. But Kellie had plans and Jerm, Tracy and Bri said it was going to be way to hot to go, so the plan is to go in the fall. We have not been to the zoo in ages. Both Kellie and Jeremy thought it was really strange that we wanted to go to the zoo.
On Saturday, we started our day off making 64 hot dogs to take to the church for "Feed the Homeless" a mission that our church participates in,(the youth actually took part in this activity and fed the homeless even though they were participating in the "30 Hour Famine" ~ way to go youth at CCC!. We then came back home and started cleaning out the garage. We have needed to do this for a long time. Our church is having a yard sale next Saturday to help our youth with a Missions trip this Summer.So we decided this was a great time to clean out the garage. We cleaned and found things that we forgot we had. I did find the boxes of baby blankets and 1 box of speciality clothes that I knew I had for each of the children. I am going to move them into a plastic container once I make sure they are all still okay. After working all morning long we took the items for the yard sale up to the church around 1:00pm and PopPops said he was getting hungry so we went to Snoopy's for lunch...after making hot dogs earlier that morning, they sounded good. Then we headed back home to clean on the garage some more. We took a truck load to the dump in Cary and came back and finished up the garage. Many times I think PopPops would have stopped and finished another time, but I was determined to get it done. It looks so much better. The funny thing is, PopPops has stuff in the garage that I just don't know what to do with. He says he just has to keep it, that "One day he just might need it." Must be a guy thing! So there is still alot of things in the garage but it is an orderly mess now, instead of a jumbled mess.
Once we finished with the garage we were hot and tired and decided to go to Chick-Fil-A to grab a bite to eat...PopPops wanted ice cream and he likes Chick-Fil-A cones. After dinner we came home, cleaned up (we were all dirty from our hard day at work) and enjoyed a quiet evening.
Sunday was a wonderful day of Worship. The praise band (PopPops sings in it) had some really wonderful songs, and Sam's sermon was a good thought provoker. It was a really good day to be in the house of the Lord. We then went to eat at On The Border. It was good. PopPops and I decided that we had not been there in over 6 months. We overate :(. We then went to Sam's Club as PopPops needed to get his tire fixed and rotated on his work truck. It was going to take 3 1/2 hours. We decided not to have that done! We bought a few needed items and called it a day. PopPops needed to rest. His back has been bothering him and Sunday's are a day of rest. He likes to watch the race on Sunday afternoons as well. I like to piddle around the house. With working full time, it is really nice to be able to be at home and just do things around the house, sew or re-arrange or read. Just do things at your home that you cannot do 9-10 hours a day, daily when you are at work.
It has been difficult these past few days not skyping with Stef and Josh and seeing the babies. I have missed them (all of them so much). Josh's Dad and Stepmom (Sam and Becky) have been in Las Vegas visiting with Stef and Josh and seeing the boys. I did not want to infringe on their time at all. This is a special time for Josh to have his family there. However, I did get to see Stef, Josh and the boys late last night. They are so, so precious. Stef indicated that she thinks that Coleman has taken to the new formula. He still has gas and some spitting up, but nothing like before. Carter seems to have taken to it as well. She said they seem much happier and content. They go back to the doctor for their 2 month check up on this coming Friday so she will be able to evaluate until then just how they are doing. Coleman is still having difficulty with his eczema. I hope that it will get better once the formula situation gets better. They are watching movement now, it was so cute, Carter was watching Stefanie as she moved around the room. Oh how Nana and PopPops love You and Miss You!!!

On this Memorial Day, please remember all that have fought for our freedom!

First Month Back in NC ~ Nana & PopPops miss J,S,C,C so much!

I have been in NC and back to my routine for almost a month. Back to normal life in NC. Back to seeing my friends and Worshipping at CCC (Cary Christian Church) and back to my job. After about 1 week back at work, it felt as if I had not been gone for 1 solid month. The demands where the same. People were very nice though. Many came by and said boy, are we glad you are back...we missed you! My boss said, " I am so glad you are back." PopPops was glad that I was back too he missed me as well, he said he was lonely. We have been married for almost 33 years and I don't think that he has been home by himself ever for that period of time alone. He was home alone for 2 weeks. He actually came to Las Vegas to be with us for 11 days. And I missed PopPops so much too. If he could have stayed out in Las Vegas with us the entire time it would have been perfect. Put he is boss man and he had to come back to NC.
All of that being said, that does not help the big hole in my heart that I have and the ache that I have daily that comes from the Trantham Family living all the way in Las Vegas, NV. It is really hard. Coleman and Carter have both developed Cow's Milk allergies and they have had such struggles and it is really hard to listen to all that they have gone through and all that Stefanie goes through daily with them and not be able to physically drop by to help her out or help out on the weekends to give Stefanie and Josh a break, or to just go over to hold and cuddle a fussy baby with a Nana's love. It breaks my heart!
For all the grandparents and parents that live away from their grandchildren and children, you know how hard it is. If you live in the same town as your grandchildren or adult children...please make every effort to see them. Enjoy them and make time for them.

The First Month and Skype

I have just spent the month of April in Las Vegas, Nevada helping with Carter and Coleman. It was such a wonderful month that went by way to fast. I loved and kissed on them as much as I could to try to hold me over until I would get to see them again. I cherished everyday I spent with Stefanie as I knew that our time together would come to an end as well.
I knew that she would be able to handle the babies and everything else once everyone was gone, there would be a transition time, but she is a good Mommy and she is a planner and she would figure out how to handle it all. My wish would be that they did not live so far away from us, but that is how it will be for 3 years so we just have to make the best of what we have been dealt. To help with the distance, Stefanie downloaded Skype (I already had Skype on my home computer). It has been wonderful. It has been great to see the boys and Stefanie almost every day since I have left there. To see Stefanie feeding them or see Josh giving them their baby manicures. :) To watch them sleep or hear them cry! To see Stefanie holding them or see them content just laying in their boppies with their pacifiers. It is just awesome! Just to see them and watch their expressions and have them hear our voices and to eventually see us and recognize our voice, how cool is that! It makes them being so far away not be quite so bad. Until we get to hold and kiss Carter and Coleman and hug Stefanie and Josh again, Skype is making the distance seem not so far.

I have many friends that are Grandparents and they have all tried to explain the emotions of becoming a Grandparent, but when you become one yourself, oh then you can understand! All the emotions of when you had your child come running through your mind, you have flashbacks of her when she was born and then you look at your daughter and realize that she just gave birth to these 2 perfect little babies. Words are hard to explain your feelings at that time. Proud, compassion, LOVE, tenderness, thankfulness to my Father God that she is okay and the babies are perfect. To realize that your precious little girl from 30 years ago that you gave birth to and watched grow up to be a beautiful woman of God is now a Mommy herself is Awesome!

And then to hold those precious little babies (2 of them) praise God! To look at their tiny little features and feel their soft skin and smell their newborn smells...takes my breath away. To know that God's plan is perfect and He formed them and planned for them to have Stefanie and Josh as their parents and brought Carter and Coleman to our family is AMAZING! Nana and PopPops are so proud to be their Grandparents and look forward to sharing our lives with them and spoiling them and then sending them home to Mommy and Daddy...teehee. That is all for now...more to come later.

First Post

Today is my first post as a blogger. A Nana blogger. I hope to share my experience on being a Nana and Steve's experience of being a PopPops and our life with our family.