Mrs. Missy turning 30!

I've been reflecting recently about my 1st pregnancy 30 years ago. We were living in Arlington, TX, where Rick was pastor of his 1st full fledged church, having been a student pastor in seminary & then an associate pastor while I finished college. I was working my 1st job as a nurse, on a Med-Surg and Oncology floor in the hospital where I would deliver our 1st 2 girls.

I was 24 years old, the same age that my mom was when I was born. We were living a LONG way from our families in the Ft. Lauderdale area. We went through Lamaze classes, very much the thing to do in those days (and I made Rick go to them with me all 3 times for accountability). My due date was January 9, 1979. The day came & went (all 3 of our girls kept me waiting!) On Sunday (an appropriate day for a PK - Preacher's Kid), January 14th, my water broke and we were off to the hospital on a COLD Texas night. I had a great labor coach and never took anything for pain (never did, all 3 times - we were au natural in the "Hippy Days," as Becky likes to say!) 12 hours and back labor later, Malissa Elizabeth Cockman made her appearance "sunny side up." She weighed 7# 4 1/2 oz., 20 1/2" long. She was born @ 12:16 P.M., just about the time that church would be out if we had been there that day! Our family expanded and we had new titles and jobs as parents, something that we're still learning as we go, but more recently as parents of adults and grandparents.



It's hard to believe that out 1st BABY will be 30 a week from today. She was with us when Becky was born and in our moves to Lake Worth, FL (where Katie was born & where Missy started school), Midway, NC (elementary & middle school, basketball, soccer & softball and church youth group), Port Charlotte, FL (high school, journalism, basketball, cross country and track and starting college @ Nyack College) and Buford, GA (college graduation, living nearly a year in Lebanon, teaching job in Gainesville, Ga while living again @ home and meeting & marrying Paul von Herrmann). Now, she's the wife of a Navy doctor and has moved, herself, to Augusta, GA, Chesapeake, VA and Pensacola & Pace, FL. She has 2 precious daughters of her own, Ellie Jeanne, 2 3/4 years old, and Aimee Kate, 9 months old. I'm so proud to see the wonderful woman, wife & mom that she has become.



I love you, Malissa Elizabeth, my precious 1st born daughter! May the Lord continue to bless you in the years to come. I look forward with great anticipation to the Lord's continued leading & working in your life. Happy birthday, Missy (now lovingly known as "Mrs.," since you're married!)
Mom OX <3

Our house in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, through the seasons

I was born & raised in Florida where they say that the only change is in the license plates (when all the "snowbirds" from the north flock to the warmer weather there!) I never saw snow till I was an adult and moved away.

We have lived in Ft. Wayne, IN for nearly 3 1/2 years now. Though Rick & I have moved a lot in over 33 years of marriage, this is the farthest north that I've ever lived. We definitely have changes in seasons here. It's hard to imagine on a gorgeous summer day that it could ever get so cold and it's hard to believe that it will ever be warm again when it seems like the arctic. Here are some views of our house that I've taken over the years.



Christmas scene, complete with a Moravian star, a mainstay of our decorations since our days in Winston-Salem, NC



Late winter, early spring scene in FW - it's nearly summer before I can plant flowers around Mother's Day



Late spring, early summer - I love planting flowers and watching the humming birds when they return




2008

2008

Sunflowers have been a part of our late summer/early fall yards in Port Charlotte, FL and Buford, GA as well as Fort Wayne.

Autumn scene

All in all, I like living in Ft. Wayne. It's a pretty nice place to live, despite the FREEZING half of the year. When I married a "preacher," I knew that our life would be interesting & it has been. We married in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, where we met. We have ministered in Birmingham, AL, Arlington, TX, Lake Worth, FL, Winston-Salem (Midway), NC, Port Charlotte, FL, and Duluth, GA (near Atlanta) before moving to Indiana. I've met lots of wonderful people & enjoy keeping in touch with many of them.

My biggest complaint is being so far from our spread out family. My parents and brother's family live in the Orlando area, Missy & family live near Pensacola, FL, Becky lives in Augusta, GA and Paul and Katie live in Nashville, TN. I'm so very thankful for all of the ways that we can keep in touch. I definitely know that the Lord is using us here in Ft. Wayne & has a purpose for us being here. But, I have asked Him more than once how it is fair that some people live in the same town with all of their family and we're apart so much of the time from ours. In that sense, I can empathize with missionaries, who live much farther away from family for longer periods of time. It's a good reminder to pray for missionary friends.

If you live near your family & they drive you nuts at times, hug them tight and be thankful. You don't know what a blessing you have. :)

Christmas 2008 Memories

Another thing that I'm so thankful for is that all 3 of our "girls" were able to come to arctic Indiana to celebrate Christmas with us. It was extra special since Rick's mom was with us & we hadn't been with her at Christmas time since 2001 (and Missy wasn't with us then, since she was in Lebanon).


Grandmother & Aimee

Missy & family arrived Monday, December 22, after a 2 day trip from the Pensacola, FL, area, spending a night with Paul & Katie in Nashville. I had to leave for work about an hour after they arrived, but we had supper together and they were in the house! Hurray! Katie & Paul made the drive the next day after work, leaving early @ our urging, since bad weather was coming in. They wound up being stuck in traffic that was not moving or creeping for hours, but they arrived safely, PTL! Becky flew in on Christmas Eve, after working the 3 nights before, tired but safe. Our house was wonderfully full.



















I had to work 4 hours Christmas Eve and only got 3 hours sleep before we had a full day of Christmas festivities. It was really fun with 2 little ones. Aimee, at almost 9 months old, was old enough to sit up & just be cute and 2 3/4 year old Ellie was able to really get into everything that was going on.



I went back to work Christmas Night for 12 hours, returning home to get ready to set out for a portrait session @ J. C. Penney's. However, the roads were dangerously icy, so we turned around & came home to take our own family pictures.


































The next day, we had a beautiful day since it warmed up (a record high for the day) and most of the ice & snow had melted off. Missy's family set out for the Atlanta area after supper for an all night drive to spend Christmas #2 with the von Herrmann family.

Becky's boyfriend, Stephen, flew in that night from GA after several hours' delay in the ATL airport. We spent a wonderful Lord's day together, getting to know Stephen.




He & Becky flew back to GA on Monday and Paul & Katie drove back to TN on Tuesday. The house is quiet again but full of wonderful memories. I'm so thankful for the effort, time & expense that girls made to be with us. See Missy's blog for her better expressed thoughts on our time together. http://www.vonherrmannventures.blogspot.com

You can also see more of my Christmas pictures on an album that I made on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=194674&l=f292b&id=545345651

Goodbye, 2008!

2008 is a year that a lot of people want to forget. With natural disasters, losses of loved ones and the economic downturn, there are a lot of things that seem better to forget. There were a lot of things this year that caused sadness & tears, but I'm counting my blessings today for the joys of 2008.

• I'm thankful for 2 new members of our family, Aimee Kate von Herrmann, our almost 9 months old 2nd granddaughter born in April, and Paul Williams, the new husband of our youngest daughter, Keturah (Katie), married last month.

• I'm thankful that Rick's mom came to live with us in May, so that we can make sure that she's well taken care of and not alone.





• I'm thankful to have a job. As tired as I get, working the night shift especially, I'm realizing what a blessing it is to have a job these days.






• I'm thankful for electricity. Because of an ice storm here on Dec. 19, MANY people were without electricity for DAYS. Making it even worse, the temperature here dipped to -2* and it was WINDY, so the wind chill made it -30* or so. We only lost power for about 30 minutes that day and a couple of hours 3 days later. It threatened to prevent family from coming for Christmas, so I was extra thankful when the lights & heat came back on.






• I'm thankful for health. We've had some colds, but have been relatively healthy. Rick's mom is 83 & is healthy, too, even climbing stairs to her room.
  
  
  
  
  
• I'm thankful that my dad's coming home from the hospital today. He's been there since Friday with congestive heart failure, even spending their 57th anniversary there, but he seems to be better now. Please pray for my mom as she faithfully cares for him, especially since she had a bout of stomach bug the night before last. I'm looking forward to seeing them in February, Lord willing. I haven't seen them since this picture was taken on our trip to the Orlando area in January.

I could go on & on... It will be refreshing, though, to start with a clean slate tomorrow. The Lord only knows what 2009 will hold, but I'm encouraged to remember that He's in control. Nothing ever takes Him by surprise. He has a perfect plan for our lives. Trust in Him. Happy New Year!

A new thang

Here's the posting that I wrote on 3/07, intending to start a blog but never getting it published. It's funny to me to see it now, nearly 2 years later. Missy has written volumes on hers since then.

Missy started a blog & it challenged me to start one, too. It seems like a neat way to share photos, updates & prayer requests. Not that I need one more thing to occupy my time...!