Which Way Is Up????

I know it is VERY uncharacteristic of me to go so long without updating my blog. But I do have just a few excuses . . .

1. Me, Kelly, Tate and the rest of Clan Enright took a much needed vacation to Gulf Shores a month ago.



2. During said-getaway, we received 2 offers on our house!

3. After promptly accepting one of the offers, we promptly began house hunting so that we could promptly move into a house (and not an apartment) when we closed on our house 3 weeks later.

4. Somehow we found a house and made an offer.

5. We spent the following week haggling back and forth with the sellers.

6. As soon as we came to an agreement with the sellers of our new house, the buyers of our house had to back out.

7. We then experienced 30 minutes of panic!

8. Panic was short-lived because Debbie, our Wonder Woman Realtor, lined up another buyer!

9. We were then able to return to only a heightened level of stress as we hurried to pack up our house before June 14th.

10. On Wednesday of last week, I received a call from the mortgage company with "concerns about my employment." It appeared to them as though I didn't have a "real job" because I was running the family business.

(So my two most recent pay stubs don't mean anything???)

11. Panic ensued as I tried to convince the mortgage company that I was gainfully employed in time for our Friday closing.

(I eventually appeased them with a letter from both my CEO ~ Dad ~ and my CPA.)

12. Wednesday night arrived with one of those typical North Texas thunderstorms that promptly took out 5 panels of our backyard fence and plucked my favorite backyard Live Oak right out of the ground.

13. The storm also took out the electricity at the office . . . NOT GOOD seeing how we have drug and specimens that must remain below certain temperatures!

14. Thursday morning I: (1) purchased one of the last power generators at Home Depot, (2) scrambled to find a contractor who could repair our fence and plant a new tree and (3) continued boxing up the house for Friday's closing.

15. Thursday night: With the power generator sitting on our office back porch and 8 extension cords running through the backdoor, we hired a high school grad to watch the building overnight. He showed up with a 9mm holstered on his hip . . . . I'm not kidding!

(Isn't there a law against 19-year olds packing heat?????)

16. Early Friday morning: I returned to the office at 6:45 AM grateful to find the power generator still running and that nobody had been shot!

17. Later Friday morning I had to convince our buyers that even though I promised to make repairs, they would have to close on a house with storm damage!

(Scout's honor!)

18. Late Friday afternoon: We closed . . . . whew!!!


19. On Saturday we packed and packed and packed and packed.

20. Then we packed some more!!

21. The movers showed up at 9:00 AM on Sunday.

22. By 10:30 AM, one of the movers collapsed in my front lawn and promptly went into diabetic shock!!!

(No joking here folks!)

23. At 10:31 AM, I called 911!

24. Paramedics and Fire Station showed up and took Mr. "I must have forgotten to take my insulin this morning" to the hospital! His levels were 550 - he hadn't taken his insulin in nearly a week!

(Uh, I hate to seem insensitive, but . . . um, I'm only going to be charged for 4 movers now instead of 5, right?)

25. We kicked it into high gear because our contract said that we had to vacate the house by 5:00 PM.

26. At 4:00 PM, the movers told me that even though the truck was completely packed and ready to go, they couldn't leave be they had accidentally locked their keys in the cargo bay of their truck!!

(When the mover asked me if I had any bolt cutters I actually had to explain to him that ALL OF MY POSSESSIONS were in the same cargo bay his keys were locked in . . . genius!!)

28. 40 minutes later, thanks to a neighbor's sledgehammer, the keys were retrieved.

29. At 4:58 PM, I got in my car and pulled away from my old house for the last time.

(Sniff, sniff! Keep it together, Wade!)

30. And ever since Sunday evening, Kelly and I have been unpacking, unpacking and unpacking.

So, needless to say, things have been so busy around here that I don't even know which why is up! It's been a little crazy!

(See also stressful, exasperating, tense, trying, upsetting, aggravating, anxious, nerve-racking, distraught, frantic, weary, exhausted, wiped out, uptight and just a little on edge.)

PS: The mover was admitted to the hospital and should make a full recovery provided he takes his medicine like he's supposed to!

Mary Juanita Reneau

I had the privilege of speaking during Grandmother's funeral service yesterday. Here's what I said . . .

"Even though the presidential election is still over a year away, we're already being bombarded by presidential sound bites about values and beliefs. I can't say that I know any of the presidential hopefuls personally but I can say that they could all learn a thing or two from Grandmother about living a life according to values and beliefs.

Regardless if you agreed with Grandmother's values or beliefs, you have to stop for a moment today and recognize the incredible discipline it took for her to live her life day-in, day-out according to what she believed was true. She was, simply put, a woman of conviction.

Every thing she did, she did for a reason. And if you could trace back her steps, you would find that they all led to the same lone driving force in her life - which was to love and serve The Lord as faithfully as she could.

This meant that Grandmother had high expectations not only for herself, but for all of us as well. You always knew where you stood with Grandmother. She had that not-so-subtle way of letting you know that she expected better from you.

She held us accountable because she saw the God-given potential within us. And she knew exactly how to draw that potential out. I can remember staying the weekend with Grandmother when I was young and on one occasion she told me a story on the way to church about how my mom from time to time would have trouble sitting still during the service. Grandmother said that she would just reach over and pinch the back of my mom's arm, 'and that always seemed to settle her down.'

Now, why do you think Grandmother told me that story on our way to church? Needless to say, I was especially attentive that day during service.

And that is exactly the effect a woman of conviction should have on us. She should challenge us. She should draw out the finer qualities within us. She should make us better than we would be without her.

I will always think of Grandmother when I read about Ruth. I love Ruth. Just like Grandmother, she was a faithful woman. A hard worker. A woman of integrity. If fact, scripture tells us that even the other men working the same field as her treated Ruth with respect because they could tell she was 'a woman of noble character.'

And so was my grandmother.

Thinking about Grandmother this week has reminded me that the other women in my life have followed Grandmother's example as well. My mother, my sister and my wife are all, too, women of conviction - living their lives day-in, day-out according to values and beliefs they hold as true. Each in their own way has pushed me to be a better man than the one I would have been otherwise.

By doing so, they continue Grandmother's legacy .

Although Grandmother is gone, I believe I can honor her and continue her legacy by serving and loving The Lord as faithfully as I can and holding true to the same convictions day-in, day-out.

I love my grandmother and will miss her terribly."

Prayers For My Family . . .

My 103-year old grandmother passed away today.

It's weird how this is one of those passings that was probably for the best.

Grandmother had not been herself for the past several years. Although she was never diagnosed, I think she suffered from dementia. There were only a few members of our family that she even recognized let alone talked to - I was not one of them.

Physically, however, she was quite healthy for someone having reached the century mark. We actually thought she would pass away a couple years ago when she fell and broke her hip. The decision was made to go ahead with surgery and put a titanium rod in her leg. After the surgery she refused all pain medication!

Talk about one tough grandma!

Grandmother started a fever on Friday and began "shutting down". A nurse was by her side this morning when she took a final deep breath and then slipped away peacefully. She never seemed to be in any pain or discomfort.

Mom seems to be doing well. Even though this was expected it's still hard. My sister and I are taking the lead in organizing the funeral so that Mom and the rest of the family can grieve.

So prayers, if you please. Prayers for my mom and my family. Prayers for this week as we prepare to say good-bye. And, most of all, prayers of praise as my grandmother finally reaches Heaven.

Tree

Do you remember the first major purchase that made you feel all "grown-up"?

I'm sure the usuals would be along the lines of buying your first car, closing on your first house or even buying an engagement ring.

But let me add one to the list: buying a tree. In an effort to beautify our back yard, Kelly and I bought a tree last week.

The first feeling you have when you shop for a tree is sticker shock! Holy live oaks! Those things are expensive!

How much for just an acorn?!?

The second and lingering feeling is the realization, when driving away in your car, that you have just purchased, of all things, a tree for your yard. I guess it strikes me as a little odd since I'm usually the one who's in the market for stuff like cycling jerseys, iPhones and/or the latest The Simpson's season on DVD. Purchasing a tree just seems like something my parents would do.

Gasp! I'm turning into my parents!

But now that our new arborian friend has found its new home in our backyard, I'm please to say that I've yet to have the typical third feeling of the purchasing process: buyer's remorse.


And I'm sure Al Gore, tree-hugger extraordinaire, feels much better knowing that Kelly and I are doing our part to protect the ozone layer directly above our house!

We Still Love You, Little One

For the past week or so, I've found great difficulty in writing a post about our first baby.

Kelly has found way to beautifully express how be both feel today.

Three Roberts In A Row!

Robert Alfred - Robert Wade - Robert Tate

Happy (First) Father's Day!