Year End Wrap Up and Christmas Greetings

Listen my friends, and you will hear
Of the Massey’s life in 2008…oh,what a year!

From marching bands to the Air Force to beaches and travel
It was all we could do not to completely unravel!

There were birthdays, anniversaries, and a big graduation
We all ran the gamut from happy to frustration!

There’s five in our house, plus Mark’s mom, in case you don’t know
And we’ll start with January in Texas…and, as usual, there’s no snow!

After a visit from Noelle’s …’different’ cousin Andrew
Reese and dad’s car took a spin in the morning dew!

He rolled it two times and landed on his head
But God protected His child, and he spent only a few hours in the hospital bed!

February came and Mark turned 43
He’s doing quite well for his age…but bifocals are in his future, ‘cause it’s harder to see!

The month came and went with no ripples in that pool
But wait! I forgot…Reese finished early! He was done with high school!

March blew in and before our very eyes
Drake decided it was time that he should be baptized!

He’s generally a shy boy, attention he’s always resistin’
But he knew he had to let others know that he was a Christian!

When April showed up, that’s when we got very busy
Three birthdays in one month can really make you dizzy!

Reese turned 18, McKenna turned 14, and Drake became 11 this year
All three are generally good kids… so we have little to fear!

But wait, that’s not all…oh, no that would be too easy
Getting braces off and proms and color guard auditions… It all made us quite queasy!

Color guard? Oh, yeah…that was McKenna’s direction
She could toss and catch the flags with ease...it was a natural progression!

As we headed into May, this shock came to husband and wife
Each of the kids was moving on to another level of life!

Leaving middle school and elementary! Graduating from high school now!
Growing up before our very eyes! We both could only think….’wow’

Summer showed up and life was speeding on
But did someone say ‘vacation in Florida?’ In mid-June we were gone!

The whole family went to Destin, Mark’s sis and bro, too
One last fling with Reese before he went off to the Wild Blue!

The white sandy beaches were really quite cool
But there were jellyfish in the water! We should’ve stayed in a pool!

We had to come back to the life that is too real
McKenna started color guard practice…it was a back-to-school feel!

At the end of July, there was happiness and remorse
It was time for Reese to spread his wings…and leave for the Air Force!

To San Antonio he went for Basic Military Training
We prayed and God gave strength… his determination was never waning!

As the summer closed out, all we heard was ‘band, band, band’
Both McKenna and Drake were in…so we had to give a hand!

For McKenna we joined booster club, Drake got mom’s old clarinet
Before we knew it, band fund raising deals were up to our neck!

But…before school started we had to say our goodbyes
To our best friends, the Means’…there were tears in our eyes!

They’re in Colorado now; God has given them great grace
We talk with them often…but miss seeing them face to face!

Anyway…School, work, and practices became the routine
For the lives of the adults, the freshman, and the pre-teen!

In September we jumped in cars and to San Antonio we would race
To see Reese graduate from Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base!

After six weeks he looked great, a handsome sight to see
But the next step took him to tech school at Keesler Air Base down in Biloxi!

We all came back to Sachse and like an hourglass full of sand
We were poured from Friday night football to contests for the local high school band!

The first weekend of October, McKenna had her first homecoming dance
While Mark, Noelle and Drake went to Biloxi…where Reese was…caught in a trance?

He wanted to marry Melanie, his longtime girlfriend
She was the light of his eye, and a life without her he didn’t want to spend!

We were happy for Reese! But then we left Biloxi and that gave us the blues
However we got over it real quick, ‘cause Mark and Noelle went on a cruise!

We drove down to Houston with the Means, Humes and Moore’s
To embark on the Ecstasy, and sail to Mexican shores!

We had a great time, and I’d really like to gloat
But as it is in Vegas, everything stays on the boat!

When we got back on land, one more contest was brewin’
For the Sachse High band…but the end would leave them stewin’!

They came close to state finals, just one place away
But it wasn’t in the cards, and they’d have to try another day!

In the middle of November, Reese got transferred to Wichita Falls
Sheppard Air Base is where he’ll finish school…so close he can make house calls!

Now Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we were all together
In Oklahoma with Noelle’s family, having a great time in the cold weather!

December is upon us now, everyone’s got things to do
But we always remember the One who first loved us and gave His life for us, too!

As you celebrate this Christmas, wrapping up boxes and tin
Don’t forget the real reason for the season…and Come, let us adore Him!

As we all know, this life can be like an out of control gurney
So our hope and wish is that you’ll just laugh…and together, enjoy the journey!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
The Massey’s!

Catching Up

So much has happened since our last post. I've been on my husband to post something new and he is working on it but thought I would catch us up...

After graduation we took the family to Destin, Florida for vacation. Our last family vacation with Reese in the house under our household umbrella. We had a great week together and faced some interesting challenges while there. Being raised on the west coast with waves you can surf and water you can't see through I found it a bit boring but relaxing and thought that the 'beautiful crystal clear water' that everyone talks about wasn't so great...you can see what's floating in there! I would rather be oblivious. Mark and I had booked a catamaran cruise for our family and were looking forward to it with the kids. We were promised dolphin sightings and snorkeling and beach time but were stuck on the boat for three hours in the hot, hot sun because the jelly fish were so thick and the captain didn't want to let us into the water. Sigh...we'll talk about that memory forever! Not the least of the things that went wrong was that I brought home sand mites and broke out in small bumps all up and down my arms. What!?!?! Sand mites?!?!? I have never heard of such a thing!

With all of that said, here's what went right. We spent a good amount of time in the car together as we always do when we travel. The kids played games and joked around and chatted. They always seem to get along better when we travel. I love to listen to them laugh! Such a wonderful sound. We had a wonderful day at the beach with Mark's sister, Helen and her girls, Abbey and Summer and with Mark's brother, Matt. We played volleyball on the beach. We learned that the smaller the jelly fish the smaller the sting (but still a sting!). We built sand castles with motes. We buried Mark in the sand. Mark and Reese got to eat very fresh seafood. I read on the beach with my feet in the warm sand. We ate dinner on a covered patio at the beach while it stormed all around us (Mark was a very happy man!) We talked, we laughed we relaxed (as ordered by Reese who is tired of vacations that make him tired! Thank you, Reese, for demanding us to slow down). And, true to form, Mark always has a stop planned for our trip home so we can see a little something extra. This time, New Orleans. We stopped and had Beignets at Cafe' Du Monde. YUM!

After we returned from our vacation we busied ourselves getting Reese ready to leave for basic training. On July 28th we dropped him off and said good-bye for 6 whole weeks! The house is quiet without him...well, I should say, quiet-ER...not quiet. After a long six weeks we finally made our trip to San Antonio to his graduation from basic training. He is now an Airman in the United States Aif Force and is completling his technical training in Wichita Falls after 7 weeks in Biloxi Mississippi. We are so glad he is going to be in Texas for a while! He is close enough to home that he can come and visit on the weekends! We are so very proud of him!

School started in August and we were off! Drake decided to join the band and he is learning how to play the clarinet. He's enjoying middle school and is doing very well. McKenna started her year in the thick of football season by way of the marching band. She is a proud member of the Sachse Mustang Marching Band's Colorguard. We have spent the last few months doing new and exciting things as band parents! Football halftime shows, marching contests and band booster club! I'll have to see if I can post their show...it's great and she's great! I think she's found a niche! We are looking forward to next year!

Another major announcement in our lives is that Reese is getting married! He and Melanie have set a date for June 20, 2009. Our lives have quickly been taken over by wedding plans. I am thankful that Reese has found Melanie. She is a wonderful young woman who loves God and loves Reese. I see it in her eyes everytime she looks at him or mentions his name. I can't thank God enough for her. Reese will be loved very well for the rest of his life.

Stay tuned for more of Mark's posts. We'll try not to leave so much time between...with so much going on I'm sure we'll have much to fill you in on!

Done with High School...and moving on!

It’s been over a month since Reese graduated High School!!
And it’s funny how you can get ‘used’ to something so quickly. All of us, I would say, have gotten used to his new schedule, being out of school. There’s only so much ‘new’ quite honestly…he’s working almost full time for the time being, so his schedule isn’t that different than what he had in school. He gets nights and weekends off, he’s hanging with us and Melanie (well, with Melanie and us, in THAT order), and just generally enjoying being a ‘free’ teenager waiting for the next phase of his life.Speaking of the next phase, and with apologies to Carrie Underwood (whom I've heard MANY times, thank you, McKenna!) '18 years have come and gone - For us they flew by, for Reese they (probably) drug on and on!'

I was looking at some pictures of him recently, trying to get my head around the fact that I was the parent of a High School graduate! Looking at his kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade pictures...then flipping to his high school pics...it wasn't even the same kid!! Amazing! The same little boy who was playing with me and learning how to throw and catch and standing close by as he threw with all his might and the ball went all of 4 feet and half closing his eyes as I threw the ball and he tried to catch it...was the same 'young man' rocketing the football at me (as I closed MY eyes and tried to catch it) and making leaping one handed grabs in the street just the other day!!

I look forward to his future. I remember telling him as he started his senior year that I firmly believe God has an incredible plan for him, and as much as I’d like for him to stay around here for college or work, God’s got things for him to do! I'm excited for him as he learns more, meets different people...starts living and growing in ways I can only imagine. I can't wait for the time, after he’s been in the Air Force a couple of years, for him to call and say 'Hey dad, want to know what I did today? I’d tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!'

That would be so COOL! Yes, I’m a strange dad, but a proud one! I know I’ll probably cry like a baby when he crosses the stage in May, and I’ll cry when we leave him at the hotel before he goes to Basic Training, and when he graduates from that in September, and when he…well, fill in the blank here.

Right now he’s in the next room playing Guitar Hero, talking on the phone with Melanie, and will probably stay up WAY later than he needs to on a schoo…uh, work night. His life is good and blessed…my life is good and blessed to a large measure because of him. To quote from the song 'Butterfly Kisses', ‘With all that I’ve done wrong, I must have done something right…’ to be given this gift of time with Reese!

Thanks, God!

Reese in a wreck!

As most of you are probably aware, Reese was in a one-car accident Monday. He's bruised and sore, but God protected His child and we are obviously very grateful. He's recovering nicely, as the 'worst' injury he had was some cuts on his left hand and arm.
According to Reese and the police, after he lost control of the car on a wet, tight curve, it wound up rolling 2 1/2 times, landing upside down. He crawled out the driver's window, where a local resident told him to sit down. An ambulance was called, and they put him in a neck collar and took him to the hospital for precautionary scans and xrays. Noelle and I beat the ambulance there (in itself rather wierd), and after a couple of hours, took him home.
Today (Tuesday) I went to see the car where it had been towed. I was in stunned silence. It was more beat up than I imagined it would have been, and anyone looking at it would have questioned whether anyone would have walked away from it. God obviously has plans for this boy, and I hope He also has his full attention!

Quickly, this thought struck me as we were in the hospital with Reese. Nothing else matters! If you're a parent, you understand this. If your kid is hurt, or in great danger, or is fighting for their life, nothing else matters. Not the job. Not any body. Not being anywhere else. Not money.
Nothing. Else. Matters.

It's amazing how a situation like this will re-prioritize your life. When it comes to your kid...
Nothing else matters!

Recent Developments!

This just in from the home office in Garland...

I CAN BLOG AT WORK!!!! I didn't think that was possible, with all the firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-fun filters that the school district has in place, but they've obviously let this one slip.

My voice can be heard from my cave! The office I have in the bowels of the Event Center has a conduit of communication to the WWW and I plan on taking advantage of it! I have a voice! I have an opinion! I will NOT be silenced! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Now if I can just get them to pay me for writing instead of that other nonsense I'm supposed to do!

More later people! Power to the blogger!

Routine

The routine in the Massey home on school mornings goes something like this:

I get up, go tell Reese to stop ignoring his alarm and get in the shower (2 or 3 times depending on his state of comprehension), get in the shower myself, get dressed, remind Reese AGAIN to get in the shower and that now he won’t have as much time since others have to shower as well, start waking McKenna up to tell her to be ready to get in the shower, start getting lunches ready, tell Reese he has to start wrapping it up, continue with lunches, tell Reese to get OUT of the shower, make sure McKenna is ready to get in, tell Reese to get OUT of the bathroom, make sure McKenna gets in, finish lunches, start getting Drake up for his shower, tell McKenna that yes, I do think she has a wonderful singing voice but she needs to start wrapping up her shower, see what there is for breakfast, get Drake in the shower, take Reese to school, come back to make sure breakfast (or some semblance thereof) is eaten, finish my primping routine (did I just say ‘primping’?!?), make sure the kids are ready, get them out the door, take them to school, go to work!

I know, I know! There are so many things WRONG with this routine but it would take much time and many group sessions to fix! And I’m not here to say ‘Hello, my name is Mark Massey and I’m an enabler.” That’s another column for another time. It was a quick observation that McKenna made during one of these mornings that brings me to this soap box.

Recently, after Reese FINALLY got in the shower the conversation went something like this…
Me: You’ve only got three minutes!
Reese: I only got in two minutes ago!
Me: Then you should have gotten in earlier! Hurry up!
I go start waking McKenna. Move to kitchen to start lunch routine.
Me: Reese, time’s up. Turn the water off.
Reese: What?
Me: Turn the water off. Time’s up.
Reese: Dad, I’m not done.
Me: Too bad, it’s time to get out. Now!
Reese: Fine! (turns water off)
Me: Kenna, get ready to get in.
Back to the lunches for a minute.
Me: Reese, get out. McKenna’s ready.
Silence.
Me: Reese!
Reese: I’m coming!

A minute or so later, he comes out, and McKenna makes her way in. Only this particular morning she came to the kitchen first to make this observation.

“Dad, Reese can’t shower as quick as you can, so you don’t need to keep telling him to hurry up. Boys have needs too, you know.”

Pause. I quickly debate what to say next, and I settle on this.
“Thank you.”

She went to the shower.

I continued making lunches.

I didn’t feel at that moment that McKenna needed to know what my reasons were for doing what I was doing…it was probably one of those ‘pick your battles’ thing. Plus, I don’t want her to be afraid to come and tell me what’s on her mind thinking I’ll always have a come back as to how and why she’s wrong (I probably do that enough!).

In her 13 year old mind, McKenna had assessed the situation, come up with the problem and solution, and conveyed it to me. In her limited viewpoint, she saw the immediate, in your face situation, and determined that dad didn’t need to be so hard on her brother.

That’s cool. In and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with her feeling that way (it’s also out of the norm, but I digress).

What McKenna doesn’t have yet, of course, is the omniscient knowledge that had been bestowed upon me when I became a parent! Anyone who’s a parent understands, of course! It’s one of those magical, ethereal, heavenly light, angelic AAAHHHHHH things that happens once your child is born. But, again, I digress. I had reasons she didn’t see for ‘getting on’ to Reese as I did. He needs to learn about time management, responsibility of getting things done when he’s supposed to get them done, obedience in general, yada yada.

I said to myself, “I’ll tell her those things later when it won’t seem like I’m just being ‘big bad dad!” (Aren’t I sweet?)

So, I resumed food duties.

And God spoke.

“You know, that sounds just like you when you tell ME how I should run things. How you think it would be better if I did such-and-such a certain way.”

If you have ever seen the TV show ‘Chuck’ you’ll understand what I mean when I say I ‘flashed.’ If you haven’t seen it, I’ll just say I quickly ‘heard’ these words replayed in my head;
God, I’ve evaluated the situation and I really feel it would be best if you did this…

Father, it would really be best if you gave us another car so we can get around more conveniantly.

God, why don’t you heal that person? It would obviously be the right thing to do.

God, why did you take that job away from them? They have a family to support and bills to pay. I wouldn’t have done that!

God, I know I got myself into this situation basically because I didn’t do what you told me to do, but if you don’t ‘rescue’ me from it how else will people see your grace and mercy? Don’t you want people to like you? Don’t you want us to praise you because you made us comfortable again?

I stopped and shook my head. Once again, God had used the words my kid had said to me as an example of what this ‘kid’ says to Him. A LOT!

What HE has said quite plainly in Isaiah 55 is “I don’t think the way you think, the way you work isn’t the way I work” (vs. 8, The Message). In Jeremiah 29, He says “I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING! I have…plans to take care of you…” (vs. 11, The Message, emphasis mine). For my benefit, He might as well add, ‘AND DON’T EVER FORGET THAT!’

Our view is so limited! We can’t see the whole! God does! We can’t see beyond the second we’re living in! God can! He knows the lessons He’s trying to teach His kids, we don’t, so we (I) just need to stop complaining and believe He knows what’s best!

I'll get right on that!

In the meantime, I have lunches to make.

Laughing and enjoying the journey, Mark

Start of something new!

You're looking LIVE at the latest blog entry to the Massey Blog Spot...spot. I'm your host, Mark Massey, head of the Massey Bunch (probably a figure head, but I'll take whatever I can get!).

We took the plunge this Christmas and used Noelle's bonus to purchase a laptop computer! OOOOOOO!! We're SMOKIN'!! I can enter the 'blog world' much more conveniently now that I can take the computer wherever I may be. I'll be filing blogs from all over the house, probably even the bathroom (I'll try not to let that information get out, as Noelle would probably ban me from using the machine for a while!).
We've had this laptop for all of 8 days now, and I've spent about 20 of them on the phone with Dell trying to get the *&^$%*& wireless mouse properly connected! It seems to be working properly now, just a BIOS problem, which, if I'm not mistaken, is part of the brains of the computer. So the brain wasn't functioning properly. THAT'S encouraging. But, hey, it's a refurb we got for a great price, I've got a 2 year warranty on the equipment, so I shouldn't complain much.

I look forward to having more time to post thoughts, questions, observations, and possibly some writings. On occasion an extended thought will hit me regarding some aspect of life and an article, for lack of a better term, will spit itself out of my fingertips into Microsoft Word. Then I post or send it out for more people to see so, if nothing else, they'll realize just how much their life DOESN'T suck, since they're obviously handling it better than me! That's probably what I should title my 'columns'...How Much Better You're Doing Than You Think You Are!

Anyway, I'll call it quits for the time being. Gotta go help put the kids down and spend some time with Noelle! She's probably getting a bit jealous of the Dell techs in the Philippines that I've spent most of my evenings with of late!

Laugh and enjoy the journey, people...it what keeps us sane!