Inspirations

Well, as some most of you know, my amazing grandfather has had some health troubles lately, and this week was in the hospital. He really gave us a scare! We were afraid he was going to have open heart surgery, but was able to have stints instead. He came through the first round beautifully and is now at home, PRAISE THE LORD! Now, though, he does have to go for a second round of stints, in a more difficult artery, in a few weeks.  But, right now, that is not what the real purpose of this post is. This post has been brewing in my mind for days, but there was no Internet access in the ICU, and when I was at home I was sleeping, so here it is:

I want to write about what an inspiration my grandfather has been in my life. He is the most amazing man I have ever known. He is hardworking beyond belief...I swear, the man never stops! He is 82 years old and still works, because he really enjoys it! The staff at church is constantly commenting about what a hard worker he is and how conscientious he is about his work. He has always been there for me. I have not always had an easy life (who has?!?), and he has been there for me through it all. He has supported me in every way possible as I worked my way through school, and he constantly encouraged me to get my education, finish college, and pursue my dreams. He is a strong Christian man who has always been an example to me of a life lived to glorify God. I can remember growing up, he could often be found stretched out on the couch with his tattered blue bible in hand, reading away. These days, there is a dedicated spot at his kitchen table where he sits to read God's Word. He is also a shining example of what a loving husband should be. He loves my Grandma and would do anything, and I do mean ANYTHING for her. They have been married for over 50 years, and their love is still so evident. I pray that my own marriage will last in the same way that theirs has. He has a stubborn streak that I inherited 100%, and I love him for it. He does what he thinks is best, even when other people disagree. (And sometimes, he's right!) But, when it comes right down to it, he always does what is best for his family, even if it isn't what he wants at the time. He is the patriarch of our family, and I love him dearly.

Here is a picture of the two of us when he walked me down the aisle and gave me away at my wedding:

I'm sure I left out a million wonderful things about Grandpa, but that's okay.  I'm not the only one he has inspired! What about you? Leave a comment and share how he has inspired your life!!

Adventures in Grilling

With Memorial Day being the official start of summer, my family decided that we absolutely must grill out this weekend!  Well, fine by me!  :)   I love family get-togethers and cookouts because of the FOOD!  I don't know how other families do things, but my family has always done a "bring your own meat and drinks and a side to share" sort of thing.  So, for the two cookouts we went to with my family this weekend, here are our two sides to share:

Grilled red potatoes...so good, when they came off the grill at the first cookout, I was worried Chad and I wouldn't get any!  I wasn't planning to take them the next day, but was told that I would have to!

Pasta salad with fresh veggies.  Oh, boy, I could eat a big ole bowl of this right now!  Actually, there were some leftovers and I did eat some of this for supper tonight...with the hamburgers that my GrillMaster hubby grilled for us here at home.  So.  Good.

We also grilled these vegetables for the first time this weekend.  Nothing fancy, just squash, zucchini, onion, and broccoli wrapped in aluminum foil and thrown on the grill while everything else is cooking.  Yummy.  If I keep thinking of things to cook on the grill (potatoes, veggies, meat...) we may need to buy a bigger grill!  Yeah, right...along with my dream of finishing/re-doing the back deck, that will go on the "Someday" list.  :)