the sosebee family

Let’s be honest. Last week was a not so good week. I was very, very down in the dumps. I didn’t even want to get out of the dump. I was negative, and pessimistic, and um, negative. I received an unexpected email of exhortation and encouragement from a dear friend, and it brought tears to my eyes. I knew her words were a Godsend. But, I refused to act on the truths shared, and instead kept sinking further into the dumps. I told my husband I was too tired to try. Tomorrow is a new week, and if I’m honest, I still feel tired. Here’s an old hymn that I am praying replaces the sad overflow that was a reflection of my heart last week. Join me?

1 MY God, and Father! while I stray
Far from my home, in life’s rough way,
O teach me from my heart to say,
Thy will be done!
2 Though dark my path, and sad my lot,
Let me be still and murmur not,
Or breathe the prayer divinely taught,
Thy will be done.
3 If thou shouldst call me to resign
What most I prize – it ne’er was mine;
I only yield thee what was thine;
Thy will be done.
4 Should pining sickness waste away
My life in premature decay,
My Father, still I strive to say,
Thy will be done.
5 If but my fainting heart be blest
With thy sweet Spirit for its guest,
My God, to thee I leave the rest;
Thy will be done.
6 Renew my will from day to day,
Blend it with thine, and take away
All that now makes it hard to say,
Thy will be done.
7 Then when on earth I breathe no more
The prayer oft mixed with tears before,
I’ll sing upon a happier shore,
Thy will be done.

Psalm 16

“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.’
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their name on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

I am taking much comfort here, in this week. HE IS BETTER. As I have struggled much in this past year, His grace has proven sufficient. As bitterness has tried to bury its roots in my heart, His grace has proven more powerful. I am thankful. Yes, the lines have fallen in pleasant places for me, because HE is my portion, and that is better!

I write this evening about our weekend away last weekend because my companion is away for this weekend. It was much needed trip. The trials of work were taking their toll and I wanted to surprise her with a small little getaway. Time for us to enjoy ourselves with nothing else pressing on our minds. What better than an escape to the mountains? So we returned to the little Bed & Breakfast in Brevard, The Red House Inn, where we celebrated our first anniversary. This time we got the room with the claw-foot bathtub. The Probart Room.

We left Saturday around lunch and drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway to do a little hiking first. The “Graveyard Fields” was our chosen trail. It was a nice 3 mile hike over some strange terrain. The sign told of a natural disaster that left the mountain scattered with fallen spruce trees. Unfortunately a fire sometime ago destroyed most of them, but the area remains treeless. Granted it was overcast that day, but the trail definitely lived up to its namesake, it was a bit eery.

We enjoyed it nonetheless, but looked forward to getting to our room. We picked up a pizza on the way back and enjoyed our peaceful, quiet room the rest of the evening. A long, relaxing morning with a fresh cooked breakfast awaited.

For birthday outing #2, we took a very lovely trip to Connemara (birthday outing #1 was to go see yonder mountain). I was oh so glad to have my parents along on outing #2. We went Sunday morning, and it was perfectly chilly, and dry, and overcast. I just love those kinds of days. The whole world seems mysterious and frisky. So we set off to Flat Rock, and back in time. Rambling around old houses will just never get old. We marveled at the book collection, and the bookshelves on every spare wall. We admired the mountains from the front porch, and imagined the sunrises that would dawn through the windows of the house. We hiked around on the farm, and explored the old buildings and grounds. They still have goats and chickens, and big, fat cats. I loved watching the chickens run on their twiggy legs toward Corey. What a funny sight an excited chicken is! I also decided we need some goats. I told Corey I want a baby goat, and he said we couldn’t have them inside city limits. Perhaps we’ll move out to the boondocks.

Today, the wife turns… one more year older! Happy Birthday! It’s going to be a fun filled Saturday with family and all. The Dumas family (Steve & Beth) are coming up to help celebrate. The first time in many years Kris has been able to celebrate with them. Excitement is flowing through the apartment. We’ve got a “Smoke on the Water” dinner planned for tonight with some post-dinner cupcakes, presents, and ice cream. Fun times.

And below is a shot from our trip to Flat Rock, NC to visit “Connemara”, the Carl Sandburg Farm. I’ll post about that shortly.

Just check out the video. 4 guys + 4 stringed instruments= hours of bluegrass entertainment.

The Orange Peel in Asheville was hosting the Yonder Mountain String Band for two nights and Kristen wanted to go see them for her birthday. Unfortunately the Friday night concert sold our, so we traveled up Thursday evening after work. It made for a long night, and we were both pretty tired on Friday, but the concert was well worth it. Those guys can play.

Yes, after months of not having any work, I have a new office. It’s back to the daily grind for me. Currently B2B Environments (we are undergoing a rebranding) has hired me on as a contract employee. As an environmental design firm, they hope to expand their client base to include projects that would require someone with architectural training. That would be me.

I’ll definitely be with them through March, and then my position will be evaluated. Only the Lord knows where it will lead. The first week was enjoyable, though. It was nice being in a place where you get use your talents. I do enjoy designing.

Just a little update from the home front. Hope your January has been a blessed one.

It’s a beautiful white Monday morning. Once again we’ve been blessed to awaken to a fresh white blanket covering the ground (Though, I was privy to this information as I had gotten up multiple times during the night to see if the snow had begun to fall, and to check the progress). So much snow fell during the night that we were both relieved of our work duties for the day. A small miracle in Kristen’s field.

So, we’ve spent most of the morning in our warm little room, staring out the window, and reading. It’s quite a treat. I’m thankful for the time.

It’s almost time to make some soup and a grilled cheese for lunch. We will resume our reading and relaxing until this evening. Then we’ll trek through the snow to go watch the Tigers on the big stage tonight. War Eagle!

It’s not often you awaken to the beauty of snow falling on Christmas Day. While this may be a common occurrence, even annual, in some parts of the country, it’s rare for the south. Kristen was a little girl the last time it snowed on Christmas Day in Arab, Alabama. She had vague memories of it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a white Christmas.

Until this year. The temperatures continued to drop and, of course, “they always say it’s going to snow on Christmas” Kristen said. I think so as not to get our hopes up. It started to get cloudy on Christmas Eve as we drove home from the family gathering, but it still didn’t look like snow. We all stayed up late into the night and finally retired to bed.

Morning came early (the time change, CST in AL, and movement about the house were contributing factors) and as I fought my way through the haze of sleep to open my eyes, I turned to the windows. The blinds were turned, but from the brightness of the light pouring through, I knew the snow had fallen. It’s that white glow that streams in from the edges. So, I got up and opened the blinds and what did I see? A winter wonderland on Christmas Day morn.

Kristen was as equally excited. What a beautiful sight. Not much compares to a fresh blanket of white snow on the ground. Especially on Christmas morning. It just sets the scene for a special day. A day filled with reflecting on Christ’s birth, the gift of giving, and time spent with family.

I hope wherever you were this Christmas was as beautiful. I know it was if spent in the company of those you love.

This was really our first year getting a Christmas tree. We had one last year, but only “by chance”. We had just moved in our apartment the first week of December and didn’t really have time to put one up. But as I was on my way home from work one day, I passed a little tree lot in Rosman, NC (3 days before Christmas) they had put a sign in front of the remaining tree, “FREE”. I turned in and picked one up to surprise Kris. We couldn’t even find a tree stand it was so late in the season. We got it up, but didn’t even decorate it. It was still nice having one.

This year we were a little more intentional.

I guess if you grew up watching Christmas Vacation, you’ve always wanted your own “Griswold Family Christmas Tree”. That’s what I had in my mind anyway… I’m sure Kris did as well. Up to the Appalachians of North Carolina we drove. Up and up into the hills, winding back and forth around the switchbacks. We finally emerged into the little mountain town of Cashiers. I just happened to know of a nice coffee shop on the corner, we stopped in for a cup to keep us warm for our trek into the fields to find the perfect “Sosebee Family Christmas Tree”. It wasn’t quite cold enough for our eyes to freeze, so we were able to pick out the perfect tree, and they did have chainsaws on hand (no digging it out of the ground, roots and all).

They bailed the tree for us, tied it down, and we then had the pleasure of driving back to SC with a tree on top the car. That’s probably half the fun. You kind of have a smile on your face the whole ride back.

We got up and after a good breakfast this morning, turned on the Christmas music and adorned it with lights and ornaments. It’s a beautiful Douglas Fir and has a wonderful pine scent that fills our apartment. The smells of the season.

It’s a good tree.