Last week of school & “Missing Person?!”

 And that’s a wrap on the 2023-2024 school year!! It’s hard to believe, but now we have a senior, a junior, a freshman, an 8th grader, and a fourth grader! (And I think I’m getting old!) We are excited for summer break to begin, and we need to think about some summer plans before the summer flies by! Garett will start his job with the gutter company on Tuesday. Chandler is still looking for a job, so please pray that he will be able to find one. Chandler went to talk to the neighbor, whom they’ve worked for before, but our neighbor didn’t have work as he didn’t plant vegetables to sell at the roadside stand this year. Chandler and Wyatt are both planning on attending basketball camp at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC in the middle of June. Wyatt would also like to find a little work this summer, so that’s also a matter of prayer. I am also trying to find some work this summer, but it’s hard when you need the work to be flexible so that everyone can get where they need to go, grocery shopping still gets done, Travis and Emma are supervised, and the other little details that need attention. But, ya know, God knows what we need, so just pray that all our needs will be meet, and we will continue to pray and work hard at the next right thing. 

We had the sports banquet last week, and I forgot to take any pictures! However, the boys did come away with some plaques and certificates for their endeavors in sports this year. Travis won the award for “most-improved” in middle school basketball. Wyatt was awarded the “Christian Character” award for the golf team. Chandler won “Most Valuable” player for the golf team, and Garett received “Christian Character” for the baseball team. It was a bit of a long day as Roger and I had a meeting after school, then the coaches meal (which was delicious) and then the awards. Thankfully, Jen had taken Emma home so that Emma didn’t have to spend a long evening at the school. 

Last Friday was my birthday (each birthday grows more exciting! JK!). I was thankful for all the birthday wishes, and for the gift of coffee from my friends, Tamela and Laura. (Apparently they know that I like coffee!) Travis had a soccer game in the evening, so the day was a full day, but I’m thankful for another year to serve Jesus. 

This past weekend we went to Virginia to visit our friends. The boys and Roger played golf, so that was fun for them. Laura and I spent time just visiting together, and catching up on conversations that we’ve started over the past several weeks. Laura had a special cake for my birthday, and everyone sang the worst rendition of “happy birthday” that you can imagine! Travis enjoys singing loudly off-key, and it was definitely funny to hear 10 people sing at their worst- pretty bad! 

On the way home from Virginia, my Aunt Lisa called to say that my Aunt Janice had passed away. Aunt Lisa asked if we would be able to come for the funeral, but I wasn’t sure if we would be able to with all the school events of this week. Originally the funeral was to be on Thursday, but Garett and Chandler were singing in the choir for graduation. Then the funeral was moved to Wednesday, and since the kids had a half day (except Emma), we were able to go to the funeral. I spoke with the boys teachers and they were all happy to accommodate the kids exams. We left school around 10:00 am on Wednesday morning, but we had decided that not all of us would go to the funeral as it was four hours there and then back in the same day. Garett and Roger were asked to be pall bearers, and Emma was singing with us, so we decided to take the oldest and the youngest and leave the middle three at home to watch Sam. We made good time out towards Hickory, and arrived in time to even practice our song for a minute. Garett, Emma, Jen and I sang “Jesus, strong and kind” for the service. This was the same funeral home where Papaw’s visitation had been held almost eleven years ago. That funeral place is like stepping in a time capsule as everything is exactly as it was 11 years ago! The carpet is still the same, the decorations are the same, it still smells a little funny, it all looked exactly the same (and I’m pretty sure that they didn’t tune the piano in the last eleven years either!) Garett was a little nervous about singing, but he and Emma did great. I played the piano and along with Jen, Garett and Emma. Jen and I haven’t probably sung together in over 10 years, but I don’t remember how young we were when we sang at our first funeral…pretty young. Emma had lots of questions about the funeral, as this is one of the first ones that she’s attended and remembered. She asked about the makeup on the body, if people in caskets have on underwear, what happens to the blood in people’s bodies and a whole slew of other questions! After the funeral, we all traveled to the cemetery for the burial. I suggested to Jen that she might want to park in front of the church in case we needed to leave earlier, but Emma shrieked out, “I really want to go through the drive-thru”. Jen and I were both momentarily confused, but then realized that she meant that she wanted to follow the funeral procession into the cemetery! It was a funny moment!

After the burial service, the church had some sandwiches and light snacks for us. We ate a quick bite before getting back on the road to drive back across the state the other way! We left about 6:30pm, and the gps was showing that we would probably be home around 10:30pm, so not too bad for a long day. However, God had other plans, and He puts us exactly where He wants us to be. 

MISSING PERSON?! God wrote a page in the story of our lives on Wednesday night, and I’m sure that none of us will ever forget it. On our way home from the funeral, we stopped in Greensboro (about two hours from home). We stopped at Sheetz (one of our favorite gas stations) for a snack and to put gas in the car. As we were checking out, I overheard the cashiers talking to an older gentleman. The gentleman was adamant that he needed to get back to Goldsboro, and the cashiers couldn’t understand why he didn’t have a phone with a GPS (the cashiers were in the generation that wouldn’t remember that we used to drive everywhere without using our phones for location services). Roger went over to see if he could help the gentleman with directions, as there seemed to be a little confusion. Roger offered to let “Grandpa” (as we affectionately named him) follow us back towards Goldsboro as we were headed in that direction. Grandpa was very appreciative, and then promptly walked off and left his drivers license on the cashiers counter. Roger reminded him to pick it up, and then we walked out to the parking lot. Grandpa poked his head in a vehicle and muttered, “oh yes, this is mine.” And we were off on our way back to Goldsboro. Roger and Garett were first in line with the little four door honda car, then Grandpa in his Kia, and then Jen, Emma and I. As we waited for the light to turn green to merge onto the interstate, Grandpa nearly rear ended Garett and Roger! Once on the interstate, I called Roger to ask if his life insurance policy was up to date! Grandpa was tail-gating Roger so closely that Garett said that he couldn’t even see the headlights of Grandpas car! Jen and I eventually passed Roger and Garett and Grandpa as we could see it was going to be a long ride back to Goldsboro at fifty miles per hour! As Jen and I were driving down interstate 40, we passed under one of those highway banners that was flashing something about a “Silver alert”. Jen looked over at me and said, “Do you think that might be Grandpa?” I was like, “Um, I don’t think so. Grandpa said that he was driving back from Delaware,” However, I tried to look it up online without any success. And then Roger called me and asked, “Do you think Grandpa is the silver alert?” Originally, Roger had planned to get Grandpa to the right exit for Goldsboro, and then leave him on his own. Roger said that Jen and I should head home, and he and Garett would figure out how to help Grandpa. None of us caught the full license plate number on the silver alert, and I wasn’t able to pull anything up online. Roger pulled off at the exit for Goldsboro, and he instructed Garett to take a picture of Grandpa’s license plate while Roger talked to Grandpa. Grandpa was so thankful for Roger’s help, but still seemed to be confused about how to get back to Goldsboro. Roger said that he was pretty sure that Grandpa was going to follow him home if he left him on his own, and Roger planned to call 911 to see about the silver alert after he talked with Grandpa. Once Roger and Garett were back in the car and headed towards Goldsboro with Grandpa still behind him, Roger called 911. When he spoke to the operator, he was patched through to the sheriffs department. The Sheriff’s department asked a bunch a questions and asked for the license plate number. Sure enough- Grandpa was the missing Silver alert!!!  Roger told the sheriff’s department that he was headed towards Goldsboro, and because he was going through several counties at one point in time Roger was on the phone with three different sheriff’s departments. The police department pulled Grandpas car over inside the city limits of Goldsboro. We had no idea that God would use Roger and Garett in a special way that night, but God had a plan! We didn’t know who the man was, but we hoped that his family was relieved and happy that he was back. I figured that was the end of the story, but it’s not. While at the graduation last night, I was talking to my friend, and she said, “I think that’s the man whose family posted on Facebook that he was missing and asking for help.”  Laura said that the family had posted late on Wednesday night that Grandpa was home again. I was happy to hear that Grandpa’s family was happy that he was home again. God is good. 

Today was awards day! Chandler, Wyatt and Travis decided to stay home, and we decided to let them. Typically the awards ceremony can be a bit long, but today it moved along. Emma got a reading trophy award, and she was excited about that. Garett got “most -improved” in his class, and the program was wrapped up by ten o’clock. I helped with some preparations  for summer camp, but we were all home by 1:30pm. It’s hard to believe that the year is wrapped up, but welcome to summer!!!! 

Mountains and Valleys (Highlights and Lowlights)

Where to even begin?! We are quickly wrapping up the school year, and it’s been a year to remember. I still can’t wrap my around the fact that Garett will be a senior in the fall! Where has time gone? I want to soak up the moments and the memories, but sometimes I feel like I’d just like a moment to breathe! 

So much has happened in the month of May, and we are just a few days into the month. First, I want to capitalize on the highlights, cause ya’ll might run off if I start with the overwhelming stuff! So blessings and highlights are at the top of my list.

 Two of our boys, Chandler and Wyatt, competed in a golf tournament on April 29th. This was the final competition for the golf season, and the meet was held in Virginia. Travis and I were able to go to the tournament as we stayed overnight at the Everett’s house in Virginia. The meet started at noon, with it being a nine-hole round of golf. The golf team had come down on Sunday night as originally the meet was scheduled to start at 10:00am. This was the first meet that I had been able to attend as the golf meets are on Mondays, and I’m always busy teaching art classes on Mondays. I watched Wyatt hit his first golf ball, and I was like “oh dear!”. He was off to a really, really rough start, but he managed to overcome and he was the second place golfer for his team. I was thankful that both Justin Everett and his coach, Chance, were willing to talk to him during the meet to encourage him to “keep at it”.  I was proud of him because Wyatt struggles with defeat. Once he messes up or has a bad play, he often can’t overcome to make a comeback, but he did at this meet. The golf team placed third in the meet, so that was exciting for the golf team as this is the first time in a while that the school has had a team. I’m thankful that Chandler and Wyatt had the opportunity to play on the golf team, and they both said that it was kinda nice to be a part of a smaller team for a change. I’m thankful for their coaches that invest in them, help them enjoy the game, and are willing in to give of their time and energy to the golf team. Travis and I left a little early from the golf tournament, so that we could make it back to school for Emma’s piano recital. Wyatt was also supposed to be in the piano recital, but the golf team barely made it back in time. Since Wyatt was dressed in sweat pants and a stinky polo shirt, he escaped having to perform- and he wasn’t crying about it! I’m thankful that Jen was willing to pick up Emma from school to help her pick out a nice dress for the recital, get flowers for her piano teacher, and get Emma back to school for the recital. It was a long and tiring day, but we made it!  

Another highlight would be that the Elementary Fine Arts Competition is behind us! Whew! We entered 29 projects into the competition, and four received ribbons. This was my first year teaching art, and we learned a lot at the competition. Personally, I think the categories are way too broad for elementary students. All the painting is lumped together, but if you’ve ever painted, you know that acrylic paint and watercolor paint are not even close to the same! I was a bit disappointed in some of the placings (or lack thereof), but hopefully we will be a little better prepared in the future. Some of our students art underwent quite the transformation before the event. While their art still may not have placed, I know how hard they worked and how much they’ve improved. I also help with the Bible Sword Drill teams for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. We made it into the second round of playoffs with all the teams except third grade. Our fourth grade team placed third in the competition, so that was exciting for them. And while third grade didn’t place, they’ve come a long ways in a short amount of time! When we first started practicing with them, they were using the table of contents to find the books of the Bible. They improved so much over the past few months! It was an exhausting few days, but I did learn a lot. Hopefully, we will be better prepared for future events. 

Last weekend was the baseball team’s tournament hosted by our school. It was a bit of a crazy weekend with the tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Everett’s came down for the tournament, and we all pitched in to help with concessions, taking admission, and helping pick up trash. Many hands make light work, and thankfully we had seven kids between us to help the Hardisons. The weather was beautiful for the tournament, and the baseball team made it to the championship game! It was a good game, probably my favorite one to watch all season. The team that they played had beaten our team earlier in the season. It was back and forth throughout the seven innings, but at the end of the game, our team won! The score was 8-7! It was fun to watch the team play in the game as they really did work hard and together to win the game. It was a bit of a long and tiring day, but it was a good day. 

Also last week (first week in May), Garett ran for student body president! He worked hard at helping create posters, coming up with ideas, and his brothers helped him come up with slogans for his campaign. Garett was up against some tough competition from two other girls also running for student body president, so he had his work cut out for him. He wrote a speech for his campaign, and I listened to him present it to the student body on Thursday afternoon. He did a good job, and while he didn’t win student body president, he did win Vice President. I asked him if he was disappointed, and he replied that he was a little disappointed, but “Kate is better at speaking to a bunch of people than I am. This way I can just back her up and still be involved. I’m really glad that I got picked for something.” Me too. I am proud of the man he is becoming, and while I often wish he was still a little boy, it’s exciting to see God at work in his life. 

An additional highlight in the past two weeks would be God’s protection over Emma as she ran into a tree with her bike. Her face was pretty scraped up on Saturday evening, and she stayed home from church on Sunday morning with a black eye, but God protected her as it could’ve been much worse! Boys get all excited about battle scars liked a scraped up face, but Emma was so nervous about school on Monday as she didn’t want to be the center of attention. Her face is almost completely healed up now, so we are thankful for that. God is good. 

Mother’s Day this year was also a highlight for me. We decided to take the day as a family, and do something a bit different as in visiting a different church, and going out to lunch on Mother’s Day. We went to a church in Wilmington, and then ate a nice lunch at a casual place, walked around on the riverwalk in Wilmington, and visited a few thrift stores. It was a very enjoyable day for all of us. The church service was a blessing to me as the pastor talked about moms (pretty typical for Mother’s Day), but he also had all the moms stand while he prayed over the moms. It was a special way to honor the moms, and I appreciated the intentionality of his prayer for moms. The message spoke to me too as the pastor spoke about not letting “your barrenness turn to bitterness”. He was referring to Hannah in First Samuel, and how she held her tongue when Peninnah was provoking her; Hannah waited; Hannah prayed; Hannah worshipped. To be completely honest, I have felt like I’m in a season of “barrenness”- waiting for God to move in a big way. I’m going to move on to touching on a few deep disappointments, so if you only want positive news, just stop reading here. 

Waiting on God and waiting for God to work in and through us to orchestrate His perfect plan is a challenge. As many of you know, we applied for the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship. Due to the number of hours I’ve worked in the past year, we were over the limit for Tier one families by a mere 4K. Early in April, we had been informed via email that there would not be enough funds for all the families in Award Tier Two, and that the families would be selected by a random drawing and notified via email. We prayed through much of April asking God to provide the scholarship funds for our family, and I really felt like that’s what God was going to do. I mean, why wouldn’t He want to help us continue to give our children Christian education, save for college and retirement, pay off bills, etc.? Surely, this is what God would do…but…it was not God’s perfect plan. Two Fridays ago, on April 26th, we received the email from the state notifying us that the scholarship funds had been depleted, and we had not been selected. I was stunned. But why? Roger and I have sacrificed much over the years (and many have helped along the way!) to keep our children in Christian education, and why wouldn’t God make this easier on us?! I cried - a lot. I’m tired and weary, and I just couldn’t understand God’s plan. I’m not saying that I understand it now, but I’m determined to continually give it over to God. Every.single.day. His plan is still perfect, and He didn’t forget where we are or what we need. I talked with my mom last Sunday morning and poured out my woes to her. She reminded me that we aren’t the only ones praying for God to work, and that they were praying too. And I know that many of you are as well. I guess my prayer in all of this would be that I would remain faithful to do whatever it is that God has for our family. If that means homeschooling, online learning or continuing on, then we will be faithful to do what God directs. Roger reminded me that we’ve wondered what God was doing before and God has always shown up right on time. (It’s also a reminder that I shouldn’t gamble. The opportunity scholarship families were selected through a random drawing, and since we weren’t selected, I clearly shouldn’t gamble- I’m not a lucky person! JK!) 

A lowlight for Travis would be that two of the chickens have disappeared! Somehow the chicken coop wasn’t quite latched, and two chickens escaped during the night. Travis was pretty upset that two chickens are now missing as he’s been so faithful to feed, water, and clean the coop. It may seem trivial to some, but it wasn’t to Travis. The chickens have given Travis something to pour some energy and attention into, and that has helped some with his school anxiety. He still asks me every single day if I will sign him out of school, but having the chickens has helped him press on to finish out the school year. 

There’s been a few other lowlights in the past few weeks, but none of which I’m going to mention currently. We are working to finish well. We are praying diligently for jobs for our children for the summer. Chandler was supposed to be notified on Friday about his job application, but we did not receive any news. So please pray that he will be able to figure out a job. 

Last week was teacher appreciation week, and we worked on teacher appreciation gifts. Emma’s love language is giving gifts, and thankfully her teacher never bats an eye at what Emma might bring for a gift! I had my art students work on teacher appreciation letters, and it was fun to read their responses! (We didn’t finish the letters as we had to get our Mother’s Day projects done, but I’m hoping it’ll provide some laughter and love for the teachers). It was nice to have lunch provided twice this past week and three students surprised me with a small gift- it’s always nice to be remembered. We are quickly approaching the end of the school year, and it’s hard to believe that we only have ten school days left. 

I received a sweet note in my mailbox from my other friend named  Laura this week. It was a good reminder that others are lifting my name before the Lord in prayer. Prayer truly is our greatest resource, and the older I get the more I realize what a special privilege it is to bring all our concerns and praises before our great God. “Heavenly Father help me to lean on you more. Thank you for the blessing of being able to boldly approach your throne.” This song has especially encouraged Roger and I over the past couple of weeks.