Family Traditions: The Nutcracker Suite

It's Christmas and that means...

Da Da Da DAaa... DaDaDa... DaDaDa... DaDaDa... DaDa DaDa Ddadada...

Or, The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy from The Nutcracker!

See?  Now you're humming it, right?  You get the Da Da Da's? 

OK, maybe not. 

At any rate, that was Christmas a few weeks ago from Grammie to all of the kids, grand or otherwise.  And they did ah-mah-zing.  Cooper sat through the entire two-hour performance.  Entranced.  Heidi was wooting like she was at an Aerosmith concert at every break.  Ballet.  Stage Diving Divas.  It works.

This was the Moscow Ballet's interpretation of the classic and they had a few... interpretations.  Like the moon-walking mouse that showed up in Act II.  Or the cannon that shot confetti.  Perhaps that's what kept Cooper in his seat for so long.

Thanks to Mom for a wonderful night out at Jesse Auditorium!

SCOTT: Some Sibling Target Practice

We've quit giving each other stuff we don't need or want for presents.  The family has, instead, gone with a variety of experiential gifts (i.e. hot-air balloon rides, trips to STL, etc.) for Christmas, Parent's Days, Birthdays, Ground Chuck Day, etc.  Unfortunately, with our schedules, making these events actually occur is nigh unto impossible.  So, in reality we all get off cheap... or cheated.

"Dad, Jaime & I are going to take you to (Fill In the Blank Museum)." 

That one never happened.

"Mom, here's a gift certificate for a Massage!"

The location closed before she got around to it.

My birthday gift to Jaime this year was a morning out at the range and lunch... what better way to bond than through the haze of gun smoke & BBQ?  And since, it was something I really wanted to do, it was bound to happen!

We borrowed a friend's Buckmark .22 (thanks, Chase!), which, when coupled with a few other larger caliber items, lent itself to a whole barrel of fun.  It's a sweet, well-balanced, smooth-shootin' machine.  It also turned out to be Jaime's fave.  Though she's shot long guns quite a bit, this was Jaime's first turn at a handgun and she gave Annie Oakley a run for her money.

Below is a vid of Jaime going cyclic with a 9mm... (OK, she's not really... that's the type of irony usually reserved for our blog over here).

Anyway, it was birthday good times in the country!

A Memorial

When Dad passed away, there was an outpouring of generosity in his memory.  A committee was formed to find an appropriate use for those funds and the decision was made to remodel APC's outdoor signage.  The original sign was, well, the original... from when the church was built over 30 years ago.  It was one the things on Dad's to-do list that got started, but just never got crossed off.

On Sunday, September 30th, APC held a memorial service for Pastor McGarvey and unveiled the new sign.  It was a very touching service, with memories and laughter and a few tears.  The video that was played is below and more pictures are here.  On the sign there is a plaque that faces the Memorial Garden with a dedication in his memory.  It was great to have so many of the St. Louis clan in attendance for the service and dinner afterward.

Last week the family attended the UPCI General Conference in St. Louis for the Memorial Service on Friday evening.  During his sermon on Friday afternoon, Pastor Aaron Soto gave honor to Dad as his mentor.

Just this week, I was talking with an alum of the College where I work and she asked about our family.  Dad had volunteered in a local retirement center where she worked for many years and she reminisced about how friendly and loving he was, both to the residents and the staff.

This hasn't been an easy year.  I suppose none of them are from "that day" forward.  It was nice to take some time and remember him and who he was and all the lives he touched... all the time.

Pastoral Tribute from The Carpenter's Studio on Vimeo.

Missing You Together

So, after a massive storm this morning, we met at "Papa's Special Place" as Heidi calls it.  The kiddos dropped off pictures and flowers and Heidi read a story she'd written.  The new stone has been installed and grass is slowly healing the scar of earth.  It's a beautiful place, under a tree, on a hill side.  We all stop by more often than we talk about.  It's his place and ours.  Especially this week.

More pictures are over here.

We Miss You...

Vernon McGarvey

October 15, 1946 - September 25, 2011

There really aren't letters in any alphabet to form words that flow into sentences substantial enough to describe the utter feeling of loss that we, all of us, feel today.

There are small ways... and there are gigantic, canyon-deep, ocean-wide, gut-wrenching ways of missing you.

Some are unique to the individual, a memory that just one of us has of you; perhaps a shared laugh or a quiet nod of recognition, that answered call or jotted note.

And then there are the communal experiences that find us standing in a circle, hand-in-hand, staring together into a deep, open space of missing you.

Twelve months.  Three Hundred & Sixty-Five Days.  Not enough distance to stop up the emotion that sits just below the surface; threatening, waiting, ready to spill over, down the street.

Flooding our day. 

Washing us into missing you.

Facades, daily routines, trash cans emptied, bills paid, life moving inexorably around us. Past us.

Through us.

Rushing us away from today, from yesterday to last week, those months ago turning into...

A year ago.

A year gone.

A year of missing you.

____________________________________

Sunday, September 30th, at 10AM, there will be a 

tribute service & memorial dedication to Vernon McGarvey

at Apostolic Pentecostal Church, 2197 Six Mile Lane in Moberly.

Train Trips Through the Park

Moberly has a phenomenal park for a city of our size.  Rothwell Park is home to two large lakes, a massive sports complex, water park... and a train. Now, it's not the St. Louis zoo train, but for where we live, it's great.

For years, McGarvey family friends, like the Ballingers, Gerhards, and many others, have volunteered their finances, time and sweat to create an homage to Moberly's historical past.  Every Sunday throughout the summer, the whistle and the clackety music of the rails float through the Park, calling kids of every age.

One recent Sunday afternoon found us giddily awaiting the approach of the next open train.  It was Cooper's first train and Heidi's sophomore event.  It's a leisurely circuit through a mature forest, over trestle bridges and through dark tunnels.

Needless to say, it was such a hit we bought season passes.  

I think Cooper & Heidi liked it, too.

Mother's Day

MLK Celebration

For over 20 years, my family has been involved in the Martin Luther King, Jr service in Moberly.  From the early years, Dad worked with Sylvia Ganaway and others to produce the service; and there were times he emceed the service and he has preached the service.  He served on the MLK Scholarship committee, providing guidance and support.  Jaime has been a soloist numerous times.  Sylvia remembered once my family was away for the weekend and came back, suitcases still in the trunk, just in time to make the service.  This was the first year after Dad's passing and the MLK committee honored him during Monday's service at Second Baptist.  It was very nice... and fitting to memorialize two amazing and committed men that evening.

(photo: Connie Duval, MMI)