Paint Party for Ethiopia

At the beginning of the month, past members of Central Church's Team Ethiopia short term mission trip (this includes me) hosted a PAINT PARTY fundraiser at the church to help begin raising funds for the 2013 summer team. Although it is unknown who Team Ethiopia 2013 will be, the fall fundraiser provided a great turn out and will hopefully help to reduce some of the stress that comes with a team fundraiser near the departure date of the trip.

The event was definitely a team effort and was super successful! The Lord was very generous to us!

I caught a few pictures of the event to share. . .

Team Ethiopia Members: Candice (2012), Liz (2010,2011,2012), and Mr. McGoo (2010, Team Leader 2011, 2012)

The fabulous artist/instructor and Team Ethiopia member (2012), Jane

Goober me and the photographer (& Jane's hubby), Chris

Mr. McGoo & I were also able to use the event as a birthday present for our (now) 11 year old niece, Grace. For her December birthday we got her two tickets to the event and she was able to make it a mother-daughter activity night. They did great!

What night would be complete without a Uncle/Niece goofy pic?!

Our niece and sister in law were not the only family in attendance. These four goobers had a date night at the event - talk about a win/win, supporting a good cause and spending quality time with the one you love! I was super impressed by their finished products!

Dad, Mom, Uncle Brad, and Aunt Glenda

works in progress

This one REALLY makes me smile!

Thanksgiving

Somehow December has already come upon us and quickly the memories of Thanksgiving begin to fade. Crazy how that happens. Before we get too far into the Christmas season, I wanted to take a quick moment and say that Thanksgiving was great.

This year was different than ever before for Mr. and Mrs. McGoo. We did not travel this year... something that has not happened since I became "us". Due to Mr. McGoo's family moving and scattering all throughout the nation, this Thanksgiving we decided not to travel. A first for us. Instead of traveling, we enjoyed Thanksgiving here in Memphis.

I must say that I found the experience to be....

restful!

We definitely missed visiting with Mr. McGoo's family, but I forgot how much traveling can "take it out" of you. Not traveling gave Mr. McGoo and I some extra rest and relax time, as well as fun time with our furbabies. It was fun. I completely ignored school work and soaked up the time as much as possible. 

There are definitely photos from the long weekend that I could share, but I'm waiting for Mr. McGoo to write his own blog post about the events... they will be more entertaining from his perspective. He was there.

UPDATE: Mr. McGoo's Thanksgiving blog post - DEFINITELY worth checking out!

A New Decade - My 30's

This past Friday I entered a new decade of my life, my thirties! Thanks to my fabulous husband and wonderful family, I had the opportunity to celebrate my 30th with a large group of family and friends! What an awesome surprise!

I was absolutely spoiled for my birthday - all weekend long!

I don't feel any older... any wiser... any different than before, but I will admit it does sound odd to say, "hi I'm 30". Now that my birthday has passed, it's safe to say that 2012 has been a busy year for my folks - their oldest turned 30, their middle had their first grandchild (May), and their youngest graduated college.

So a NEW DECADE has arrived. I'm pumped to see what God has in store - let the new adventures begin!

Post coming soon with lots of images from the weekend...

Baby Dedication

This past week was a whirlwind...

• Class Tuesday night 6-9pm following a full day of work 
• Traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for work Wednesday through Friday afternoon
• Attended my Psych/Mental Health Nursing clinical Friday night
• Worked on clinical paperwork Friday until after midnight
• Arrived back at the clinical spot at 8am Saturday until 6pm
• Attended a Connecting Point get together with Mr. McGoo Saturday night
• Traveled to Nashville and back on Sunday and tackled school to dos in route

However, the highlight of the week was the reason Mr. McGoo and I traveled to Nashville. We went for our nephew's baby dedication at my sister and brother in law's church. We are honored to be Fisher's God parents and were happy to be able to attend.

The celebration was great. We started with a family lunch at my sister and brother in law's casa. We enjoyed some yummy eats and time with my parents, my sister and brother in law, Fisher, and lots of my brother in law's family. Unfortunately the youngest Wilson girl was not able to join us due to work obligations, but she was there in spirit!

From there we headed to the church to be a part of Fisher's baby dedication celebration. This was a time for Fisher's parents, my sister and brother in law to dedicate Fisher's life to God. They shared publicly their desire to see him grow to be a man of God that knows the Lord and follows daily after Jesus Christ. And they invited us to join them in this pursuit, asking us to play a role in pointing Fisher to Jesus as he grows.

I have no doubt my sis will post about the big day on her blog, so I'll leave most of the details for her to share. In the meantime, here is a picture of the adorable family, and the "life verse" they picked for Fisher:

The Kees

 "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10

Fun pics from our visit in Nashville

I'm looking forward to spending more time with the little guy and the rest of my family in the next couple of weeks!

snapFISHER

As a big sis, it has been the coolest experience, already, to see my middle sis become a mom and flourish in that role! In May, our nephew, Neil Fisher Kee was born. I have loved seeing the awesome teamwork my sis and her fabulous hubs have as they work to be a mom and dad to Fisher and care for him. He has been such a blessing to them and to our entire family already and the fun has just begun.

I wanted to share a few photos of my adorable nephew that I've taken with my phone, but if you want to see more of this little guy, check out his daddy's blog, snapFISHER. Brent is a rock star photographer and shows off his skills AND his handsome little boy in every post!

 

Life is busy right now and we don't get to see this little man and his rents as often as we desire... but we soak up every second each time we have an opportunity.

Neil Fisher Kee

Sunday we had the opportunity to meet our 4 day old nephew, Neil Fisher Kee. He was born Wednesday, May 16th at 3:04pm: 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches long.

Unfortunately Mr. McGoo and I could not get away from Memphis until late Saturday night due to school and work, so we greeted the Kee household a little after 8am with breakfast in hand for the new mommy and daddy and grandparents (my rents). After completing my eats and baby Fisher enjoying some of his own with his momma, we were introduced to our nephew for the first time.

He's perfect.

We had a great time spending all day with Fisher and the family Saturday - 8something until 10pm. I held him every chance I got and was mesmerized by God's creation... every wrinkle and joint within his hands, every eyelash, every movement. A miracle indeed.

Mom and Dad Kee are doing awesome. Perfect teamwork is fully underway and they are smitten! I loved being able to see them work together and spend time with them throughout the day as I held the little man. We're looking forward to our next adventure to visit. In the meantime, we're waiting on the next photo sent our way because no doubt this boy will be growing fast!

It's Okay

The first week of May was the beginning of a new school trimester and the most recent full emotional breakdown by Mrs. McGoo. The first Thursday and Friday of the month were some hard days. Feeling inadequate, incapable, unable, tired, worn out, dragged, beaten, and OVER this journey called full time work and nursing school... I was broken in a way that I haven't been in awhile.

Sure I have random, but regular crying moments here and there when I'm worn out and emotional, but this "full emotional breakdown" almost left me in a stand still. I prayed and prayed for peace and comfort through the verses I so regularly turn to - Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 6:25-34.

But thankfully I have an amazing husband that can read those emotions from me and not run out of the room, but instead pray with me, encourage me, and call on women in my life to support me when I'm down. Right when I absolutely needed it, I was flooded with texts and emails that reminded me of God's truths and His ability to strengthen me. Reminders that I didn't have to do it on my own and wasn't really called to do it that way either.

Mom and Dad even surprised me with flowers at work Friday afternoon, which overwhelmed me with emotion and sweet reminders of their unconditional love for crazy me.

So by Saturday morning... the load was lighter and the sun was brighter. He provided as usual! He even provided through others.

This sweet email spoke straight to the heart of the matter I needed to hear that day. I love that! I have a feeling I'll be reading through this more than once over the next 15months.

Thinking of you and praying for you today. 

You are a super woman! But you know that you don't always have to be strong and hold everything together. It's okay to feel overwhelmed, stressed and emotional. It doesn't mean you're weak or unable. It's just a reminder that God wants us to rely on Him. 

Praying that you will cast everything on Him today knowing that He loves & cares for you.

We love and care for you too! Praying you through this semester and season of life!

So for those that need to hear it today... it's okay!

Closing

Tonight ends my 13 day break from nursing school's Spring Trimester to the Summer 2012 Trimester. I completed Adult I and Pharmacology... passing both, which allows me to continue to the next phase. It has been the quickest 13 days of my life - but days that I am thankful for. I obviously did not blog a single moment of my break (until now) and honestly never really sat down long enough to do so.

Mr. McGoo and I took the approach with my break that we should do things we haven't had as much of an opportunity to do while I'm in school... we hung out together, we hung out with family, we hung out with friends, we went to festivities and events, we I threw a couple parties, we babysat our niece & nephew, and so on. We worked to fit as much in as possible.

Here are a few photos from the last several days...

hosted a family baby shower for middle sis

hostess sisters with the sister Mommy to Be

went to see the Redbirds play with friends - it was packed!

got pedicures with mom and the sisters

our adorable niece and nephew

Lots has really been going on and God is doing some awesome stuff in Mr. McGoo and my life. I miss documenting it all through blogging, but as soon as blogging becomes a stress and not an outlet, it's not a good thing. If and when able, I'll try to share some of the cool things God has been up to! What about you? He's always moving, how have you seen Him lately?

I'm trying to wrap up a few more things before the Summer 2012 trimester begins, but I realize the hour is getting late and good rest is really what I need to begin the next phase of nursing school.

night!

Easter Weekend

As you've noticed (as if there are any of "you" still around), I've been MIA in the blog-o-sphere. I've missed it, missed writing. But especially, I have missed keeping up with the many blogs that I follow and being encouraged, challenged, entertained, and informed by you them. I'm behind in the blog-o-sphere for sure. Life has been at a tempo, I'm not sure even this normal busy body is able to keep. The ability to "make it" truly has only come from one source, Christ and I find myself meditating regularly on three key verses: Isaiah 40:21-31, Philippians 4:6, and Matthew 6:25-34. He has been so faithful, and I've made it this far... 8 days to go to complete the trimester. I'm super close to saying, "one more down!"

Considering the pace of life these days, my blogging isn't the only thing that has suffered. I feel out of touch with friends, family, and at times, even my mate. I don't mean to sound like Nancy Negative - but at the same time I don't want to be fake... it's hard right now. Thankfully the Lord has blessed me with an amazing support network all throughout... lately I've been more humbled than ever by that network (husband, family, friends, church, etc) God has provided and their abundant support, encouragement, and provision.... seemingly just when I need it, right when I'm at breaking point.

Last month, Mr. McGoo and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! It's doesn't seem like it's been that long, but at the same time it feels longer - - - I'm quickly forgetting what life was like before Mr. McGoo. And have been abundantly blessed the last 5+ years as God has blessed me with him in my life. To celebrate - I got Mr. McGoo a ring:

To celebrate our anniversary, Mr. McGoo took me to Hot Springs, Arkansas - but due to our schedule, Easter weekend was the earliest opportunity for our trip's date. So... this weekend we enjoyed Thursday night thru Sunday morning in Hot Springs and had a great opportunity to hang out with one another without distraction. It was grand! So without further adieu, here is a quick photo log of our trip.

We slept in (YAY!), read, ate a massive pizza at Rod's Pizza Cellar, went to a Secret Church simulcast, watched the races at Oaklawn Park, and ultimately just laid low. It was a perfect weekend.

We made it back to Memphis in time to worship and celebrate Easter with our church family. Following service, we headed to the rents' casa. We enjoyed some time with family, ate a delicious Easter lunch, got Mom and youngest sis signed up on Instagram (encouraging them that surely my BIL would be posting pics frequently once Baby Fisher arrived, no pressure Brent), watched some of the Master's, and headed out to bring our furbaby home.

Home now... back to the grind.

New Year's - Boy or Girl?

For New Year's Mr. McGoo and I traveled to Nashville to visit with my middle sis and brother in law. The weekend was full of fun things like Mr. McGoo going to the Music City Bowl Game with our B.I.L. and friends, me spending some quality time with my preggo middle sis, us visiting Green Hills Church on Sunday and hanging out with dear friends Mike & Tabitha, and most specifically the Baby Kee Gender Reveal Party!

Yup, my middle sis and brother in law are pregnant - Baby Kee is due in May 2012! We're excited and looking forward to welcoming a new addition to the family!!!

In typical Robin fashion, she rocked an adorable party to reveal the gender of baby Kee to friends and family! We all joined together on New Year's Eve to eat our way through DELICIOUS cake-pops to find out with Mom&Dad Kee-to-Be what they were having... boy or girl?

Below are photos of those who voted BOY and those who voted GIRL:

To find out what Baby Kee is going to be and what team was victorious check out my sister's blog: KEE CREATIVE! There are lots of photos from the party - Robin's decor is amazing, as usual. I was the photographer of the evening - not a pro by any means, but I'm pretty sure I captured enough with the camera to give the gist of the festivities. Enjoy!

Mom and Dad to be... May 19, 2012

LOVE YOU SIS & BRO - We're pumped for you guys! Congrats!

Christmas Time

Christmas already seems forever ago... but it's really only 17 days ago. Crazy. Most Christmas holidays I look forward to diving into a book or two and spending unlimited time with my family. This Christmas, I definitely was blessed with family time, but I did not pick up a book. My mind needed the rest.

Now 17 days later, the "daily grind" has cranked it up a notch, or ten. Busy busy. Nevertheless, I do not want to forget the great time of Christmas. I must acknowledge the fun time I enjoyed with my family, the rest that was much appreciated and needed, and the awesome reminder that my Savior humbled himself to come to this early for ME (and YOU)!

Merry Christmas!

I took a ton of photos over the week of Christmas... here a few to share. I love my family - I'm so blessed!

Wilson Ladies - minus the fab middle sis, Robin

I love my parents!

Mr. McGoo & I Christmas Eve

Mr. McGoo, Dexter, and I - Christmas Day

Niece Grace and Me

Daddy Larry and Nephew Tristan

Bro and Sis McGoo - Kevin and Leah

Graduation Party

In honor of Mr. McGoo's graduation, I threw (with SUBSTANTIAL help from my mom and middle sis) a graduation party open house for the hubs! It was great!!! Mom and sis did so much to make the evening fantastic for all. Mom took care of the house and edibles, while sis did all the decor and even made the invitation.

You definitely want to check out the awesome photos from the event... they can be found on my sister's blog: Kee Creative. Go check them out!

Graduation

Three and a half years ago, my hubby and I made a dramatic change. We left the DINK* world and became a SINK* family. Instead, Mr. McGoo began to pursue his college degree and work for the Univeristy of Memphis as the manager for the men's soccer team, which provided the funds for his schooling.

I am amazed that we are now standing on the other side of that journey, 3.5 years later! Mr. McGoo graduated cum laude from The University of Memphis last Saturday, December 17th. To say I am a proud wife is an absolute understatement!!!

As I waited with our family for the graduation ceremony to begin, I began to think over the past 3.5 years and all that God has done in and through this dramatic change in our life.

For example:

• He provided a way financially for Mr. McGoo to go through his position with U of M soccer.
• During the summer Mr. McGoo had time and availability to go to Ethiopia with our church (twice & on winter break) - an event God used to change my husband spiritually forever as well as benefit our marriage relationship.
• I came home every night to a man with renewed passions, interests, and desires - saying goodbye to the less than excited man that rested at home after a long, boring day at the office.
• We were never without while living (and continuing to live) as a SINK family.

There is much more I can testify to, but the underlying theme for all is GOD IS GOOD, HE IS IN CONTROL, and HE IS FAITHFUL! Thinking through it all brought me to tears - in awe of God's faithfulness for Mr. McGoo and me.

Here are some shots from the big day!

Granddaddy, Mr. McGoo, Grams

Mr. & Mrs. McGoo

Grams and niece, Grace

Grace pointing out Mr. McGoo's name in the program

Mr. McGoo and nephew, Tristan

*DINK = Double Income No Kids
*SINK = Single Income No Kids