2 years.

Today marks two years of my dad's unexpected passing away. It's hard to believe that much time has elapsed, and it didn't begin to really hit me until this past December when I graduated from college. The past two years have been rough, indeed. It takes reminders sometimes to not get stuck wishing life was like days past when I didn't realize life was this hard. Friends and family have definitely been an encouragement with their prayers and kindness in reaching out to us. I love it when someone tells us they miss him. They didn't forget. He truly was an incredible example to us. Compassionate, serving others, serving in church, sacrificial--selfless love poured out of him.

My sister and I were staying at Matt and Jenni Moreau's house while we were visiting Greenville this weekend, and one night she and I laughed and laughed for hours into the early morning telling eachother stories we remembered from growing up. It still aches, but it's wonderful to be able to smile and be thankful that we had him as a dad.

One of the many enjoyable things to do with dad was sing with him. He and I sang in the car on the way to church, stores, road trips, you name it. When I started taking voice lessons at 16, I loved how interested he was in the literature I was learning. He took voice on the side when he was younger, so we learned some of the same songs. When I hit my college years, Rebecca, Matthew, and I had friends (Paul Keew, Austin Cook, Jared Porter, Ashley Feagin, Angela Wolynes) that came over to visit at New Years or just weekends, and we would all gather around Austin Cook (my love at the time) at the piano, and have a musical sing-a-long. Dad loved to join in. A few Sundays before he passed away, he and I sang our first duet in church. I was scheduled to sing a solo, but I really wanted him to join me, so we sang "I Could not do Without Thee". At his funeral, I sang "By the Gentle Waters" which was a song he and I both held dear. He sang it often, and I loved to harmonize with him.

Dad was such a compassionate man. Whenever a friend of ours was going through a rough patch or trial, he was concerned for them. He was such a great listener. We all told him everything, and he would be there to listen or give advice--whatever we needed.

A year before he died, I realized how much I didn't really know about him and his childhood--just always selfishly viewed him as dad and didn't get to know him. I began to ask about his life, and loved listening to his stories. He had a difficult youth with being the oldest child of four and at a young age his mom was dealing with mental problems and was eventually taken away to a mental hospital. He still kept a sweet, loving smile, and a gentle laugh after all that had happened.

He definitely was a great example of a man of prayer and devotion to the Lord through his life.

I love thinking of the memories we shared, and I'm so thankful for him. We miss him incredibly, and can't wait to see him in heaven.

"O Lieb, zo lang du lieben kannst...."

Stranded?

"Hi there! Are you the family that's stranded?"
I awoke to this question from an older lady in tiny hot pink shorts and a white tank top. Realizing the brightness of the day and how long my brother, mom, and I had been parked at the rest area in Oklahoma, and our appearance, I'm sure we could have easily been mistaken for homeless people. I replied that we weren't--we were just getting rest for the evening. She told me of a sign that she saw in the bathroom that a family in a black dodge vehicle was stranded. After I reassured her that we weren't, I watched her leave, and soon every few minutes a car would drive slowly past or stop and check us out. One lady walked up and tried to hand us some money. You know how tempting it was to accept it? I was good, don't worry. :)
I decided to check out the restroom and see what this sign said....

I peeked outside to see if a black dodge truck still existed outside, and none was in sight. I quickly took down the sign and threw it away so we didn't have to turn away any other kind and helpful citizens!
What were we doing in Oklahoma? My mom, 16 year old brother Victor, and I drove out there to check out a boys ranch for him. It turned out to not be a good match, so we turned back around after a bit of mulling over the decision. It was nighttime when we began our journey back home. We decided to pull over at an exit and hop out of the car to take a look at the stars. I have never seen that many in my life!! Stunning.

Status: Charlotte, NC for a couple of weeks (our sublet ended and we were unable to find one suitable for our needs) helping out Mom, figuring out what to do next, visiting dear friends

Performing updates: I took a trip to Chicago in August to visit a friend and record tracks for my upcoming website! I should have them back soon. Also, when my family was on vacation, I sang in a talent contest on a magnificent stage with great lighting and an incredible band. It reminded me of my dreams from a child to sing in a band. It was so much fun! My background image is a product of that evening.

Highlights: I turned 22! Rebecca and I walked halfway across the George Washington Bridge before we went out for a birthday dinner with 2 great friends. It was something we had been meaning to do since we lived right by the bridge! We've also enjoyed shows, friends, vacation with the family, and exploring.

Because I lack the time to post more, I've attached a link to my photobucket album of the pictures that tell stories of the past month and a half! Click here for the pictures!