A Trip to Texas and Gratitude for Family

In July I went down to Dallas for the weekend - it was fantastic. I helped host a bridal shower for my sister Heather and my mom and sister threw a baby shower for me.

I wish I would have gotten more photos with all of the wonderful friends and family who joined us - it was truly a fantastic weekend. A lot of the McElderry clan came in town as well... so it was this blissful weekend with family from all over and from both the Bates and McElderry side. I am so grateful for my parents and sisters, as well as the new family I have gained in becoming a McElderry. Baby Boy was spoiled rotten and I was overwhelmed with love and generosity. 

Family is really the greatest - I am learning this more and more over the years. They are the ones who stick by you through each part of your life. Some friends stick with you and stay in touch... but many pass by as the seasons and circumstances of life change. But your family is always with you.

I can't wait for what this fall has in store for us. Our little guy is going to arrive any day now, and in November my sister gets married and we add one more to our numbers. I have another nephew on the way in December... and we will get to see much extended family this fall at the wedding and over the holidays. 

We did a 3d ultrasound with my parents and sisters. It was so cool! I think baby boy has my nose...

International Doll Quilt for Kathryn

My sweet mother in law, Kathryn, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Uterine cancer this Winter. She has begun her chemo, and the whole family is hopeful but distressed nonetheless.

Kathryn is one of the most inspiring women I am privileged to know. Since I worked in Little Rock the last two years, I was able to get to know her so much better and really build a strong relationship with her. I love her so much and cherish all that she has taught me. Even though I am glad to be back in Boston and no longer travelling, I have felt so far away as she has begun this very hard trial. Since she has been one of my greatest influences in learning how to be a faithful woman, I felt like I needed to make her something extra special to know that John and I care and are thinking of her.

So...thus began one of the most extensive and over-ambitious quilting projects I have ever completed! I wish I had better photos. Kathryn loves dolls, and she loves different cultures from around the world. So - we made her an International Sun Bonnet Sue quilt. 

I was not even remarkably alone in making this quilt. My mom did over 10 of the 25 blocks, and provided so much moral support. I had friends from Church helping by making blocks, lending sewing machines so we could run at "double capacity", and of course John doing the bulk of he finishing. John may not be the first to admit it - but he is so talented at anything crafty or detail oriented. I was feeling extremely ill the week before we needed it finished, so John did all of the border, quilting and binding. He also did all of the cutting (I don't exactly have the same precision to detail... say as an Analytical Scientist). I am so grateful for all the help we had in making this quilt.

We chose 25 different countries/regions in the World to represent, and cut out and ironed on the designs to attach them to the blocks. I also did blanket stitch applique on all of the pieces, which really helped them "pop" out. We ended up just tie quilting it due to time constraints, but hope to have it quilted one day with a long arm. 

My mother in law loved it. She sent me photos of her using it in Chemo and said it is actually the perfect size. We did a snuggly flannel on the back, so it is very soft and warm. 

Quilt Top before Finishing

Here are some of the blocks before we did the applique. 

Middle East

Boston, MA

Peru

Spain

Here John is pinning on the binding. Yes - those are my purple pajama pants. Yes - I love this man to the moon and back. He is so good to me and to his momma. 

It may be eons before I decide to tackle another applique quilt, but this was a really great project with lots of help. It was truly a labor of love.

Thanksgiving in Florida

We spent the week of Thanksgiving visiting Florida. We spent 4 days in Orlando and 4 days in Miami. John's brother lives in Miami so we spent some quality time with him, his girlfriend, and John's parents who also joined us on the trip. 

It was such a treat. We spent 2 days at Disney and 1 at Universal - it was so much fun. Disney is really a magical place, no matter what age you are. Harry Potter World was also great - but a little too crowded for my taste. 

In Miami we visited gardens, ate good food, spent a day on the beach and visited some cool historic 

Disney was as magical as ever!

Harry Potter World

Orlando, FL Temple

Thanksgiving Day on the Beach! It was fun to BBQ, and we still had pumpkin pie!

I love this man. 

Visiting a way cool butterfly garden. The butterflies loved my Father in law!

Christmas Sewing Projects

I did a ton of sewing before and during the Christmas Season. It was fantastic, and a much needed break from my normal life of spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations.

While visiting my family in Texas, my sister and I made  few fun item. Including this lovely headband...

This maxi skirt. Looks really wrinkled here, but it really is a lovely skirt. 

I made 100s of infinity scarves for Christmas. Okay not 100, but probably 20+. I taught a workshop to my colleagues on how to make these and we churned them out!

Teaching my colleague to sew! She had never touched a sewing machine before and was surprised how much she loved it.

What projects have you been up to lately?

Christmas 2013

We had a lovely Christmas this year. We spent it with our families in little rock and Dallas, and then spent a few days at home in Boston before heading back to work.

At the mcelderry's in LR we did a special Christmas program that was very tender, where we had some music and a nice activity where everyone reflected on their past year. I felt so very close to everyone. 

In Dallas, we did another Christmas celebration with a beautiful dinner (see my moms lovely place settings). We spent most of our time sewing and relaxing together. What a treat. Also- a Christmas miracle. My dad had another pet scan and is still cancer free. Considering the scary events and treatments the last two years, this is such a relief and blessing to our family. 

When we came back to boston we got our house in order. We also went skiing, which was a blast. We hope to go again soon. 

Happy new year!

50th Birthday!

In July and August, my parents both celebrated their 50th birthdays! John and I went down for the weekend and we had a nice family dinner. Below is the yummy and delightful food, as well as the pretty decor done my mom, sisters and I put together.

I am so grateful for my parents. They have accomplished so much in the last 50 years. I am constantly learning from them and having those "Aha!" moments where I realize they were right all along.

Birthday Dinner + Heather and Randle visit Boston!

September marked another birthday. My sweet sis heather and fiance Randle came the weekend before and we celebrated by hanging out all over Boston. We had a lovely candlelight dinner in Boston's Italian district, way too many cannolis, went on a duck tour, hit Newport, RI for a day, and also went to Martha's Vineyard for a day trip. It was a fun birthday I will remember for a while. I hope they come back soon!

Birthday dinner! We ate at the tastiest tapas restaurant in Cambridge.

View from The Breakers, in Newport, RI.

We went to Newport, RI and toured some of the mansions. 

This place was so much like Downton Abbey!

They got engaged while visiting Boston!

I love this girl.

My fun Family!

A great one I had to share from my parents 50th birthday this summer. So grateful for all they have, and continue to do for me.

Blessings in Little Rock

I am still travelling to Little Rock 3/4 weeks a month. It looks like I will be done travelling in December, and hope to find something in Boston at that time. I miss being around John during the week, but I feel grateful for the opportunity to be in Little Rock right now.

Coming home to these kids is so fun

Instead of staying in a hotel each week, I am staying with my brother and sister in-law and their two children. I cannot tell you enough how this has made all the difference. I love coming to their home each day and hearing my sweet niece yell "Kistin!!!" Even though I am not that exciting, they both never cease to be happy to see me, it is invigorating. I love staying up late talking with my sister in law, talking finance and business with my brother and law, and getting the opportunity to go to family events. I sew with my mother in law every few weeks, and see other family frequently.

Doll making night with the family. So much fun...

It is hard to be away from John. We are both our best selves when we are together. But if we have to be apart for a little while, this is the best way to do it. I feel spoiled rotten by his family, and am so grateful for their kindness and generosity. It is such a privilege and honor to be a McElderry and to have been taken in so literally into this family.

Beautiful flowers sent from my love to cheer me up.

We try to video chat often. I think this was while John was in Belgium for work.

I also have some great colleagues, which makes travelling a lot more fun.

Until We Meet Again

I feel like I don’t know where to begin. Life has been full and rich for the last few months, but it also has been bittersweet.

Our holding pattern finally came to an end, John was offered a job in early May in Boston and a few weeks later our small apartment in Little Rock was packed up and we were off. Just a week before the move, John and I went on a Caribbean cruise for a week. We really enjoyed the trip, it was fun to spend a week together in the sun before moving out to Boston.

Visiting Myao before we left for Boston

Shortly after we got home from the trip, we noticed our kitty was not acting normal. He was not moving much or eating, and started breathing heavily. He had been well cared for while we were gone, but a day after we got back we noticed he seemed a little off. We took him to the vet to be extremely alarmed that he had very few red blood cells. It looked like his immune system was attacking himself. Just for some context, this was the day before the movers came to pack us up!

We visited our sweet Myao at the kitty hospital the rest of the week, but his condition seemed to worsen. Ultimately Friday came and we had to head to Boston without him. I would be back the following week after Memorial Day for work, but it was definitely with a somber heart that we arrived in Boston. When I landed in Boston, we had a voicemail from the Vet. His kidneys were failing, and they were trying to get an IV without much luck. This poor kitty was very sick.

He loved being held like a baby.

When we arrived at the temporary apartment the company organized for us, there was a kitty bed waiting for us in the living room.  It was a little too much for me to handle. I really struggled enjoying Boston that first weekend, because I felt like we had left a key member of our family behind.

The following Tuesday came around, and I was back in Little Rock. I made it to the vet, and oh, my poor boy. How he was suffering. At this point, the vet told me he had a kidney disease that is sometimes hereditary in long haired cats. His heart wasn’t contracting fully, and there was no turning back for this guy. He needed to be put to sleep. John and I had been preparing ourselves for this over the weekend, but this still was so hard to hear. Not our sweet Myao? Our full of energy and love and snuggles Myao? The swing in his health happened so drastically.

So I cried and cried at the vets. I had brought his brush with me and I spent about 20 minutes just loving on him and brushing him. Even though he was extremely weak, and could only lay on the table and not even purr or stand up, I could tell he was so happy I was there and felt my love for him. Whenever I would put the brush down for a moment, he would struggle his little head to nudge it to encourage me to keep petting him.

Finally, the time had come. The doctor brought in the injection,  and as I pet and held him he drifted peacefully to sleep. I was so distraught the whole day, to say I was a wreck is a major understatement.  I made arrangements immediately with John’s parents to bury him that evening in their back yard The burial was simple. John’s mother and father and myself attended. John wished he could be there, but it was just not practical. John’s father read a poem aloud, and we said a prayer together. I wrote a sweet note to Myao, and buried it with him. We planted a rose bush over his body.

As much as it was such a hard day, I felt so much peace after burying him. It has been a few weeks now and I honestly haven’t cried at all until just writing this out.  I am grateful to have had such a great friend in my life, and especially for the time we were able to have with him even if limited. I am so grateful for my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that I can find peace and comfort in hard times through my understanding of life after death. I strongly believe that we will be with this sweet little kitty again, and I find comfort knowing that he received so much love while he was in our home.

Slowly I am adjusting to life in Boston.  Our big challenge right now is finding housing, but we are hoping to find something this weekend. Things are definitely looking up, but we sure do miss our kitty. As John likes to joke – I am sure he is in Heaven preparing our celestial home, and probably getting fur all over it.

So farewell sweet friend, until we meet again. We miss you.