I apologize for not updating the blog lately. There has been SO much going on that it’s hard to keep track. I hit a major plateau, which I knew was coming, but I didn’t anticipate it on being as long and drawn out as it has been. I’m finally back on a losing path though. So YAY!!!!
August was a month that tore me apart. One of my close friends, Tina, was murdered by her ex. Tina left behind two children a 4 year old and a 3 year old. She was killed on August 18, 2007. The following is part of a letter that I gave to her parents at her funeral. Tina left behind a family that loved her more than words could ever express. She also left behind friends that loved her unconditionally.
I can’t find words to express how sorry I am that you are going through all of this. Tina was such a dear friend of mine, and even if we did not see each other much or talk much, when we did talk, we picked up where we left off. Not a day or week passes that I don’t think of Tina. Working with her was such a pleasure! It allowed us to develop a friendship that followed even after she left Belk.
She and I used to joke around that we think we were probably meant to be sisters, because we have such similar backgrounds. We both came from very strong Christian backgrounds, and we had “Families that Pray together, Stay Together” as a motto. We both have two sets of parents that still love each other deeply and are still married, which is hard to find in this day in age. We both know how much our parents love us, despite the trials we’ve had in life. We often talked about how similar our parents are in terms of personalities and beliefs. We would laugh at some of the things our parents and grandparents said, because they were often said the same exact way in both families. Her grandfather also said “Great Googelymoogely”, like my granddaddy said.
We both had a love for children. Tina loves both of her children so much! She wanted nothing but the world for them! She was prepared to give that to them. I remember when she had questions or concerns about them, she would call me and I would tell her how I handled situations at the daycare that I worked at. I always told her that if I didn’t have the answer, I would find it for her. We had an outing at Chuck E Cheese with Cameron and Katelyn and I always knew how motherly she was, but seeing her when her children were afraid of some of the sights and sounds, she comforted them and made sure that they understood that these things would not hurt them. She was so proud of her two babies, and she celebrated their accomplishments. She would have done anything and everything to make sure her babies were taken care of.
I also remember, when I had broken my foot two years ago, Tina was so helpful!!! Prior to breaking my foot; Every Morning, she and I would go up and get breakfast and I would get Coffee from the cafeteria here at Belk. When I could not walk without the crutches, or without pain, Tina got my coffee… without asking sometimes, and always put the right amount of sugar, and the right amount of cream in it. She would go out of her way to help me out if I couldn’t do something that required using my foot. She was always like that. She was always willing to help everyone around her, no matter if it meant going out of the way for herself. She was a true, genuine, amazing friend, that I am so lucky to have been blessed to have.
She was so proud to be your daughter, and she was so proud to be her brothers Big Sister! I also have a little brother, and she and I used to joke that our baby brothers were like our Big Brothers because they are always wanting to protect us from being hurt. We laughed because they are our “Big Little Brothers”. She loves her family and cherishes you all so much! She often said that she didn’t know what she would do if she didn’t have you all there. She is a blessed woman to have such an amazing family!!
I also have to mention her abounding love of the Lord! Her faith is and always has been what has kept her grounded and strong. I find comfort in the fact that she is up in the Heavens with our Lord and just as she was an angel down here on earth, she earned her wings and is flying high with God. She will forever look after her children and her family and friends.
We will see her again! We may not see her while we’re here on this earth, but I know she will always be with us. Looking out for us, and protecting us because that is what she did best. She loved with her whole heart!
We miss Tina so much. It has been 1 month to the day that we laid her in the ground and said our goodbyes to her. It is never easy to lose a friend, especially when their lives were taken from them at such a young age by someone else’s hand that pulls a trigger. She will NEVER be forgotten!
I have been thinking of ways to memorialize Tina and to raise money for her children. I have started making bracelets to sell either through Ebay or craigslist. I want her children to know how much their mother wanted for them, and I know she wanted them to go to college and get the best education they could. So I want to start a college fund for both of them. I want to make sure that they don’t have to worry about affording college in the future.
I know that was depressing, however, I cannot NOT post a blog about Tina… In other news….
I turn 28 on Monday! YIKES! Susan turned 30 on August 10th! Brian and Lauren moved from Wilmington back to Greenville. Mom and Dad are doing great! Mom’s knees are healing much quicker than anyone had anticipated. We are all so proud of her progress! Bella.. my oh so sweet, yet freakishly crazy dog had a visit with a behaviorist on September 12, 2007. It was determined that the reason she has the reactions that she does is because she is afraid of everything. I have narrowed it down to a few of my life events that never really helped her in the fear area. So… I have committed myself to socializing Bella as if she were a puppy again. I’m going to treat her as if she were a puppy again. Hopefully, she’ll overcome her fearful ways, and we’ll all live happily ever after!
In terms of Nutri System. I have stayed on plan… however, on the weekends.. it is difficult to do so, especially when traveling, going to get togethers, parties..etc… It’s hard to isolate my food choices, and so that could be part of my plateau. After this weekend… I’m back on plan 100% and will continue to update the blog. It is a great support outlet and I should have never stopped blogging. So I will keep it up from here on out.
Oh yeah… One more thing.. The lake house is officially on the market :-( We hate to see it go, but understand Mom and Dad’s reasons for selling it. We all agree that it’s not a bad idea. So… this weekend out at the lake could be our last hoorah out there. :-) What a better way to go out in style than to have my birthday party out there.. :-) WOOHOO!!!
Love to you all!!!!
-Christie
August was a month that tore me apart. One of my close friends, Tina, was murdered by her ex. Tina left behind two children a 4 year old and a 3 year old. She was killed on August 18, 2007. The following is part of a letter that I gave to her parents at her funeral. Tina left behind a family that loved her more than words could ever express. She also left behind friends that loved her unconditionally.
I can’t find words to express how sorry I am that you are going through all of this. Tina was such a dear friend of mine, and even if we did not see each other much or talk much, when we did talk, we picked up where we left off. Not a day or week passes that I don’t think of Tina. Working with her was such a pleasure! It allowed us to develop a friendship that followed even after she left Belk.
She and I used to joke around that we think we were probably meant to be sisters, because we have such similar backgrounds. We both came from very strong Christian backgrounds, and we had “Families that Pray together, Stay Together” as a motto. We both have two sets of parents that still love each other deeply and are still married, which is hard to find in this day in age. We both know how much our parents love us, despite the trials we’ve had in life. We often talked about how similar our parents are in terms of personalities and beliefs. We would laugh at some of the things our parents and grandparents said, because they were often said the same exact way in both families. Her grandfather also said “Great Googelymoogely”, like my granddaddy said.
We both had a love for children. Tina loves both of her children so much! She wanted nothing but the world for them! She was prepared to give that to them. I remember when she had questions or concerns about them, she would call me and I would tell her how I handled situations at the daycare that I worked at. I always told her that if I didn’t have the answer, I would find it for her. We had an outing at Chuck E Cheese with Cameron and Katelyn and I always knew how motherly she was, but seeing her when her children were afraid of some of the sights and sounds, she comforted them and made sure that they understood that these things would not hurt them. She was so proud of her two babies, and she celebrated their accomplishments. She would have done anything and everything to make sure her babies were taken care of.
I also remember, when I had broken my foot two years ago, Tina was so helpful!!! Prior to breaking my foot; Every Morning, she and I would go up and get breakfast and I would get Coffee from the cafeteria here at Belk. When I could not walk without the crutches, or without pain, Tina got my coffee… without asking sometimes, and always put the right amount of sugar, and the right amount of cream in it. She would go out of her way to help me out if I couldn’t do something that required using my foot. She was always like that. She was always willing to help everyone around her, no matter if it meant going out of the way for herself. She was a true, genuine, amazing friend, that I am so lucky to have been blessed to have.
She was so proud to be your daughter, and she was so proud to be her brothers Big Sister! I also have a little brother, and she and I used to joke that our baby brothers were like our Big Brothers because they are always wanting to protect us from being hurt. We laughed because they are our “Big Little Brothers”. She loves her family and cherishes you all so much! She often said that she didn’t know what she would do if she didn’t have you all there. She is a blessed woman to have such an amazing family!!
I also have to mention her abounding love of the Lord! Her faith is and always has been what has kept her grounded and strong. I find comfort in the fact that she is up in the Heavens with our Lord and just as she was an angel down here on earth, she earned her wings and is flying high with God. She will forever look after her children and her family and friends.
We will see her again! We may not see her while we’re here on this earth, but I know she will always be with us. Looking out for us, and protecting us because that is what she did best. She loved with her whole heart!
We miss Tina so much. It has been 1 month to the day that we laid her in the ground and said our goodbyes to her. It is never easy to lose a friend, especially when their lives were taken from them at such a young age by someone else’s hand that pulls a trigger. She will NEVER be forgotten!
I have been thinking of ways to memorialize Tina and to raise money for her children. I have started making bracelets to sell either through Ebay or craigslist. I want her children to know how much their mother wanted for them, and I know she wanted them to go to college and get the best education they could. So I want to start a college fund for both of them. I want to make sure that they don’t have to worry about affording college in the future.
I know that was depressing, however, I cannot NOT post a blog about Tina… In other news….
I turn 28 on Monday! YIKES! Susan turned 30 on August 10th! Brian and Lauren moved from Wilmington back to Greenville. Mom and Dad are doing great! Mom’s knees are healing much quicker than anyone had anticipated. We are all so proud of her progress! Bella.. my oh so sweet, yet freakishly crazy dog had a visit with a behaviorist on September 12, 2007. It was determined that the reason she has the reactions that she does is because she is afraid of everything. I have narrowed it down to a few of my life events that never really helped her in the fear area. So… I have committed myself to socializing Bella as if she were a puppy again. I’m going to treat her as if she were a puppy again. Hopefully, she’ll overcome her fearful ways, and we’ll all live happily ever after!
In terms of Nutri System. I have stayed on plan… however, on the weekends.. it is difficult to do so, especially when traveling, going to get togethers, parties..etc… It’s hard to isolate my food choices, and so that could be part of my plateau. After this weekend… I’m back on plan 100% and will continue to update the blog. It is a great support outlet and I should have never stopped blogging. So I will keep it up from here on out.
Oh yeah… One more thing.. The lake house is officially on the market :-( We hate to see it go, but understand Mom and Dad’s reasons for selling it. We all agree that it’s not a bad idea. So… this weekend out at the lake could be our last hoorah out there. :-) What a better way to go out in style than to have my birthday party out there.. :-) WOOHOO!!!
Love to you all!!!!
-Christie
