Beach Balls and Tutus

Missing my baby girl tonight...

Nate

Great Strides Today!!!

We'll be hanging out with a bunch of awesome people today (Saturday) from about 9am to 1pm at the Outer Banks Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis, having an incredible time! Tons of free food, drinks, desserts, a sweet raffle and silent auction, a live DJ, Beach104 Radio, live music, free games and activities for children, and so much more!

Dare County Family Recreation Park in Kill Devil Hills (Behind the Outer Banks Brewing Station) is THE place to be tomorrow! Anyone and everyone is invited!

Whether you know all there is to know about CF, or nothing at all, whether you have thousands of dollars sitting in your pocket waiting to be donated, or nothing more than a willing heart and happy attitude, I would absolutely love to see you there! The walk is less than half a mile, and begins at 10am...even if you can't walk, arrive anytime after 10:30 and enjoy the rest of the fun! Come out and meet Tricia, Gwyneth and I, and have a great time with our friends and families!

Please, let me know if you have any questions about this fantastic event!!!

Thanks!!!

Nate

PS. Check out our photos from last years walk!

9.11

I want to pause and say "thank you" to all of the men and women in my town, county, state and country who choose to serve to protect our freedom and insure our safety. I have many friends who serve as public safety personnel here locally and across the country, and more than a few friends who dedicate their lives in our armed services.

My parents and elders taught me to always be thankful , respectful and supportive of these men and women, knowing the sacrifices they make and the character and skill it takes to do their jobs well. My life is blessed, in large part, because of those who, mostly unseen, protect my family and I every day.

This week is a busy one for me, but I will spend some extra time today remembering and being thankful, praying for these dedicated men and women who are always ready to serve when the call comes in.

Nate

ENT Appt.

Gwyneth has an important ENT appointment today at 10am. We've had her ears tested twice in the past 6 months, and both times she's shown moderate hearing loss. We're pretty certain it is due to fluid behind the ear-drum, but she hasn't had any infections. Today's appointment should answer all of our questions and give us a plan to fix the problem. We're hoping that it is as simple as that and not something more severe/permanent, but we're ready to tackle anything!

Thanks for your continued encouragement and support for our family as we help our little preemie grow big and strong!

Nate

Mission Accomplished!

Yesterday, I asked for 99 people to donate $9 each by 9pm last night. The results are in, and just under 80 people donated well over $1000!

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to my Personal Great Strides Account in the past 24 hours, as well as to everyone who helped me spread the word about my event! Together, we've made a difference in the lives of over 70 thousand people affected by Cystic Fibrosis in the world!

I would still love to reach my goal of 99 people, so if you missed out on the fun yesterday but would still like to donate, it's not too late! Just read on to my next post!

Nate

9

Did I reach my goal of $9 from 99 people by 9pm? I'm certain I came close, but I won't know until tomorrow...find out at noon with me! And, if you're just tuning in and would like to donate, please read on!!!

9 is a very unique number...check this out...

Today is 9.9.9.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009.

Wednesday has 9 letters.

September has 9 letters.

It's the 252 day of the year...2 + 5 + 2 = 9.

The average life expectancy for a child born today with Cystic Fibrosis is 36 years...3 + 6 = 9.

A $9 donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation can make a huge difference in the lives of 30,000 children and adults in the US alone suffer from Cystic Fibrosis.

I'm looking for 99 people to donate $9 each by 9pm tonight (EST) to my Personal Great Strides Account. If we can accomplish this, raising $891, I will be sincerely grateful! Every penny goes directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and their search for a cure for CF. Please, if you haven't yet, consider Clicking Here and investing in those who are living for that hope.

And, if you would like to help me accomplish today's goal, feel free to link this blog post, or repost it on your twitter, facebook, blog, etc.

Thank you so much for helping to make our future bright!

Nate

BTW, did you know Tricia, a CF patient, and I had our very first date 9 years ago this week?

Misunderstood

Hmmm...apparently my tongue-in-cheek tone was missed by more than a few people when I said, in This Post, referring to my very first post on this blog two years ago, that, "I had a ton of followers and commenters in those early days..." What I was actually trying to communicate was, when I first started this blog, it had 0 followers, and my first post had 0 comments...comparing that to today, when the blog now has a bunch of wonderful followers and lots of enouraging comments.

Nate

Sick on the Couch

That's me...sick on the couch since Sunday night...tonsils flared up again with something nasty, fever, chills, achy body, etc. Very glad to know that, this time next week, I will be rid of those two lumps of tissue in the back of my throat forever!

In the meantime, I've been catching up on some photos from the past few weeks, and I thought I'd share a few with you.

One of my best friends, Brent, invited me to officiate his wedding ceremony...it was my first time. We had a great time hanging out with Brent and Katie, I saw several friends from high school that I haven't seen since I graduated ten years ago, and Tricia and I enjoyed our first pleasure trip out of town without Gwyneth (we were excited to come home, though).





We've finally got our guest room set up, and Ralphie has been making the most of our new double mattress (and the hide-away from Gwyneth)...


Meka and Gwyneth have been spending more and more time playing together...


We're enjoying lots of walks around the neighborhood and the beautiful sunsets that come along with the end of summer here on the beach...






We've been involved with a bunch of different fund-raisers for our CF Walk coming up this weekend...Meka loves tagging along when she can.

And, Gwyneth continues to love squishing things against her face...

I hope your September is going well!

Nate

Duly Noted

Two years ago today I began this blog...in retrospect, it was a fairly good decision.

As you can see for yourself, I had a ton of followers and commenters in those early days........

Nate

One Week

It's been one week since I last posted, so I just wanted to post quickly and say that all is well. With the Great Strides Walk coming up next Saturday, and lots of painting (and regular work) to be done at our church building, it's been a crazy week with little time to blog.

I also sold my faithful truck this week [the one that has been sitting in driveways unused for two years (reminds me...something pretty major took place in our lives right about two years ago...)], so even though we've been a one-car family for a few years anyway, our driveway has a little more room.

We also have a few personal prayer requests. Fawn, the mother of my best friend Zach, is in the hospital with some major heart issues...also, Zach's grandfather was recently diagnosed with advanced Lymphoma and given just a few months to live. If you could think and/or pray for Zach's family right now, I'd really appreciate it.

And, my great aunt Nita, the unofficial matriarch of my dad's side of the family, is in her very last days. She has lived a long and beautiful, well-lived and well-loved life, and at nearly 100, she has told us that she is more than ready to meet her Savior. We're praying that she'll have peace and experience no pain in the next few days.

It's been very wet and cool here for about a week, which means no beach days...but, Gwyneth has been learning a lot about windows and rain...


Nate