On our St. Louis trip we went to the City Museum where everything is made out of recycled material. It is a dream come true for kids and adults alike. Greg and I climbed up many, many flights of stairs and were very high up. I inquired how do we get down and was told we go down a metal tubular slide all the way down! I wasn't so sure about that but didn't have much choice at this point. We made it down fine, a little scary but fun. Sheryl and I decided we can climb through tree trunks like the kids, Greg and Mark were doing, why not? Well it wasn't quite as easy as the young lads made it look. We had to crawl on hands and knees and it hurt!!! We were laughing and ouching the whole way through. We decided not to try that again. Stephanie and Leslie were the smart ones who chose to not do such silly things as crawl through a tree trunk that is suspended very high up in the air. Curtis is quite the climber. He climbed up a metal thing all the way to an airplane and across the sky, no fear of heights there.
It was great to have part of the family together but sad without Dad. We put his picture on the table so he could be with us. He would have really enjoyed Stephanie's prayer, I can hear him saying "she's just like her mother"! I guess he heard it up in heaven and both he and Mom got a big kick out of it.
I finished up a grueling two weeks of training classes at H & R block and have a little break until I start January 2nd working there. I am going to attempt this tax season and see how it goes. There are so many exceptions when dealing with taxes, it is quite confusing. At Carroll we are in the process of switching from in house payroll to a payroll company so I have had to go to training on that as well. My brain is tired.
I am looking forward to spending Christmas with Justin and Stephanie in the morning and Pam, Lindsey, Eddie, Judy and Alex in the late afternoon for dinner. I am hosting the get together at Shirley's house as there is more room. It will be a little strange without Dad or Shirley there but we will make the best of it.
Happy Holidays to all of you. Below is Stephanie's prayer
November 27, 2008
Today I want to pray especially for: Leslie, Ryan, & Shirley, as well as our recent losses of Mark's Father, Ed & Morgan's baby, Grandpa, a family friend Angie, and anyone else I didn't mention.
Along with all of our individual unspoken struggles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Lord:
Thank you for our family
Our shelter
Our food and
The safety that brought us here.
Thank you for blessing us with our
Unconditional love and strength
That has allowed us to carry on
through this past year.
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Thank you for our unanswered prayers
As what we often ask for
We may not always be ready to face.
Thank you for taking our loved
Family, friends and pets
To a fearless, angelic place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know they're up there dancing
Begging us not to cry.
Because death is just a sorrowful word
For the beginning of a sorrowless life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Lord for blessing us
With the resources to overcome hard times
And the ability to live for today.
Thank you for allowing us
To be here to thank you
As we bow our heads and pray.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please keep us strong
And continue to assist our healing
Through spirit, mind and body.
Since Grandpa would want us
To share a great laugh
We'll end with a prayer
For Spencer's stubborn potty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh gracious stubborn potty
Please accept our Spencer's poop!
I know you're scared and he is too, but
It's throwing Mommy & Daddy
For a loop!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please stubborn potty
It's not Spencer's fault you see!
It's the new house's potty
That won't let the pull-ups be
Set free!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because the pull-ups want to help
A smaller bottom now.
And let the bigger ones sit on
The big glass bowl.
Does Curtis have magical powers?
Or put a spell on the new house's potties?
I guess we'll never know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Lord for this unique family
Of whom can enjoy a Thanksgiving prayer
Including such unappetizing words.
However it is our attractive
Sense of humor and the
Famous Williams wit
That sets us apart from the other herds.
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Now, since Grandpa is not here to say "Oh My!"
To the unimaginable things in which we often say.
I thought we needed some extra inappropriateness
To bring great laughter
To this blessed Thanksgiving Day.
Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written By: Stephanie Romer
Beth and Greg feeling victorious after their long descent
The guys trying to fix a telescope
Curtis and Spencer in their "spy" glasses
