Jessica and Jake :)

Sam - KDH article :)

 
 Fewer teenagers able to find summer jobs

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Luke's Weight Lifting Days - KDH article

 ‘Karate Kid’ and his ‘Mr. Miyagi’ hope for state powerlifting record

Luke, at age 17 (Junior year), was starting out when this article was made.  He quickly went on to, not only win a state record in bench press, but also set a national record! He was only 4 lbs and one bench press attempt away from breaking a world record! His senior year, he thought he would give wrestling a try and, in just a few short months, became first in the district.  He perfected one move:  the Cow Catcher.  Way to go Luke!  

Luke now....HE IS STRONG!

Freshman Year

Max & Sam in 2009 as freshmen - Killeen Daily Herald Article

As a freshmen, Max ran a 4:31 mile and placed 2nd in the district while Sam ran a 4:44, missing Region by seconds. This year, however, Sam placed third in our district in Cross Country!  What great athletes, but what even better people.  This was the last meet I will get to see them run together in. :(

Tatum is tough!

Cousins Song & Tatum

Tatum is not only a cancer survivor, but also a liver transplant recipient...all at the ripe old age of two!  Now, at five, he is going to have part/half of his lung removed.  It is hard to believe such a little guy can go through so much and still be a normal, active, happy, loving boy.  Besides the fact he is pretty awesome in his own right, he does have wonderful parents too!  Song and I are glad we got to see him before he went up to Dallas for his operation.  Praying that all goes well!  
                                 Love you, Tatum :)

New Shop Logo!

Logo by Jake Mayo

Homecoming

Homecoming Pics
 

....moving on!

Okay, I think I have most of my philosophical musings about illness out of my system for now.  There are so many things going on, I can hardly keep up!  Junior has decided to open his own shop and three of our boys, Jake, Seth and Luke, want to work with him!  It is something he has been talking about for awhile now and the timing seems right.  

Back: Mom, Jeromy, Mandy, Jake, Song & Paisley, Susan, Junior Front: Luke & Seth

Max, Sam and Song are still in high school.  Max is trying to get his associates by the time he graduates (he is taking classes at CTC while at Ellison).  He is leaning toward a career in the medical field, but is not sure if he wants to run in college or not.  Sam is becoming interested in engineering and wants to run.  Both would like to study abroad at some point.  They have not settled on a college yet.  I wonder if they will be at the same school!  Max has been growing his hair out to donate!  Both boys are running very well this year, working hard and enjoying life!

Sam and Max

Song and Josh

Song decided not to do band this year.  It's sad not to be able to watch her dance/play, but she is very happy!  She's in the Honor Society and Student Council and is taking the prerequisite class this year for the health tech vocational program next year to learn about medical careers.  She's interested in nursing or something in the medical field.

Luke, Me and Sam

This is my first year not driving anyone to school in, hmmmm, about 20 years!  First, I am still recovering and organizing my own thoughts and the household, now that I have a little more time to do so.  With everyone home, however, a lot of time is still devoted to housework/cooking/laundry.  Even so, I am enjoying this "in between" time and have given myself permission not to commit to anything else until I feel ready.  I'm not ready yet.

Max, Sam, Me and Luke

Junior and the boys are opening their own shop!

Song

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two-pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."  

- C. S. Lewis

Max and Sam - KDH article

 

Killeen Daily Herald

Ellison X-Country team 2011

Max the troll!

Naegle Family Art and Photos

Watercolor by my uncle, Stephen Naegle

http://www.naeglefriends.org/

This is a photo of my mother, Lynda Naegle Edwards, in 1954, taken by depression-era photographer, Dorothea Lange.  

Hello, it's me. Where did the year go?

It has been an interesting year.  I got cancer again.  Blah.  No fun.  No fun at all.  How did I deal with it?  I let myself deal with it any way I wanted to deal with it.... the only way I could.... one day at a time.  Plus, I had many other things and people to keep my mind off myself.  That helped.  It helped a bunch.  Then there is seventies music.  I can always pull that out of my hat too.  Oh, and Hallmark movies.  The ones with predictable plots, but I didn't care.  Then, when I could walk, walks to the pond.  Sitting by water, listening to frogs and watching birds dive in for a sip, is pretty restoring.  This is going to sound awful of me, but I have to be honest.  I know God was watching over me but I kind of took the phone off the hook for a while.  I don't know why.   Even so, I had a feeling it was okay with Him because He understood I did not really know what to say, but I kept a thankful heart.  Finally, when it struck me, I would write a poem.  Music, movies, walks, talks, writing and even well-placed denial might have kept my spirits up, but I could not have survived without my family, great doctors, nurses and wonderful friends.  I've been humbled to my core.  Again.