6 Months

So much has happened in the 6 months Vinny has been gone from this earth. It seems like so many people we know have gone home to be with the Lord in such a short time. I don't ever remember a time like this. Last night Rye (she was best friends with Grace Frankenhauser all through school) asked me when this is going to end. Who knows? Maybe it won't. Thank God our Redeemer lives. Though they are in a better place, my heart goes out to the families whose loss is great.

Frankenhauser Family Photo

I love this picture of the family

I shouldn't have said David and Vinny met on the street by chance - nothing is by chance - just unexpected.

We Love You David & Frankenhauser Family

Our dear friend David Frankenhauser went home to be the the Lord unexpectedly while serving in the military in Korea. He and his family have been such incredible friends and support during our loss of Vinny. One of the last times Dave and I were with David was in Baltimore this summer. David ate dinner with Vinny and us at the convention. He was such a great encourager to Vinny and, though he will be missed, I am so blessed they are reunited in heaven. They actually ran into each other by chance in Afghanistan once.

To his family - Marian, Grace, Christian, Noah and Faith - We love you and are praying for you.

The pictures above are of David and Grace when she stayed with us during the time we were getting ready for Rye's wedding.

Behold I Stand at the Door

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.


The first time I remember being fascinated with doors was when my best friend from high school Amanda and I took a trip to RI to visit my cousin Will. We spent some time in Providence taking pictures and I just remember being captivated by people's doors.

When my cousin Rye and I went to London in the summer of '02 we walked along the quiet streets of the suburb in Southeast London and I couldn't get enough of the cottage doors. She sent me a postcard of Irish doors when she was on her honeymoon this year.

On Saturday afternoons Dave and I go door knocking in Searsmont near our church. We invite people to church and talk to them about God. I really love doing this because a door to a house is like the cover of a living story. Behind each door live precious people and I am so intrigued to get a glimpse into their lives. Our first door today was a farm in the middle of the woods. We could see through the window a teenage girl sitting on the couch with her boyfriend. She came to the door and was very friendly and said her mom was actually looking for a church. The second door was an older woman who was a believer but hadn't been to church in years. The third door was a young family. The fourth door was a woman from another country - maybe Finland or Sweden - with a big yellow lab that wanted to jump all over us. We pulled up to the last house on the street and agreed this would be our last door. The house was in disrepair. As I looked through the door a table was sitting near by. There were half empty Wendy's sodas on the table and opened bags of chips folded shut. The house looked dark and depressing inside. I saw a POW sticker on the little car outside and was wondering who lived behind this door. A not so well taken care of middle aged woman answered the door. I told her we were from the new church and were just out inviting people to service. She nodded her head in a "I don't care what you're saying" way. I asked her if she went to church and she told me that I have my beliefs and she has hers. I said okay and told her that God loved her. She said "whatever". The way the conversation was going I was going to politely say goodbye and be off, but her words didn't match her heart. As we were about to go she told us to wait. She called her partially crippled, elderly mother into the room. They were saying they were mad at God, didn't believe and didn't want to talk to us, but really they did. That's all they did was talk. The older woman told us about her woes with her recently late husband fighting in WWII and how the government treated him afterwards. They poured their hearts out to us and we listened. As time passed they softened and I felt led to hug the elderly woman. We didn't really ask them if they would go to church again but by the end they were saying they might come. People's lives really touch me. I don't care what their response is to our invitation. I truly want to be present in their lives in the moment that I am present and do what ever I can to share the love of God. It's such a privilege when someone opens to you the door to their heart. I don't want to take that for granted.

2008 - Year in Review

January 08 - We took our house off the market after being on there for a couple of months.

March 08 - Our friend Cliff Bob went home to be with the Lord

Easter 08 - Vinny was home for Easter and the Pease family went to the Samoset for brunch. Vinny just had suits made specifically for him in Afghanistan. He wore one proudly that day.

April 08 - Took a trip to MA & RI and got to see my Galkowski grandparents and some other family.

May 08 - Dave and went to my Uncle Peter's wedding in Newport, RI on my 31st birthday. Stayed at my aunt Annie's house and spent some time with family down there. Started going to church in Searsmont. Annie and Rye graduated from College.

Mid June 08 - Went to the Missions conference in Marlborough, MA. Made plans with Vinny for our trip to MD.

End of June 08 - Arrived in Baltimore - stayed in hotel in Towson. Spent lots of time with Vinny and at the International Convention.

July 08 - put our house back on the market

July 7 - Heard the life changing news that my dear brother went home to be with God.

Summer 08 - total blur - found out I was pregnant but didn't tell anyone because of Vinny.

August 08 - Drove to Virginia with mom and Dan. Met Molly and Vick down there. Went to memorial service Vinny's company had for him. They were so incredible to us. Went to funeral home and where Vinny lived. Flew home.

August 30 - Rye and Tim had a beautiful wedding in Northport, ME

September 11 - first Dr's appointment and first time we heard the baby's heartbeat

Fall 08 - started telling people about pregnancy.

October 15 - Mom's 51st birthday and date for our fist ultrasound. Baby Um wasn't cooperating.

End of October - went to Marlborough, MA for missions conference

November 08 - Stephanie's only brother/ sibling got lost at sea.

November 5 - Found out Baby Um is a boy

Thanksgiving - Dave and I went to Maryland and stayed at Rye & Tim's apartment. Rye threw me a baby shower. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Rye, Tim, Stacey and John.

December 08 - hosted for the first time - Christmas morning at our house. Was sick with sinus infection and terribly sad about Vinny, Christmas and his birthday but managed to have an okay time.

Had our best year yet at Cleaners - Thank you God because it helped off set high fuel and goods costs.

2007 Recap

07 - Vinny bought his first house - I went to the closing for him because he was out of town.

February 07 - My bestfriend from high school's mother passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Amanda had just given birth to her second child and was living in Washington state when she got the news about her mother's life expectancy. Vinny and I went to the funeral together.

March 07 - Teagan celebrated her 1st birthday.

April 07 - Dave and I went to Mexico on vacation

May 07 - Lost my paper ticket for my 30th birthday vacation. Drove to Boston via rental car to catch a flight to Baltimore. Ran back and forth in the airport for miles to try to get another ticket. They wanted to charge me $1500 plus not give me a refund for my ticket that was lost. Rye picked me up in the airport. They were out of paper so wouldn't give me another ticket. Got to see her townhouse rental for the first time. We drove to Philadelphia in the morning. Finally got a very nice man to issue me another ticket for $50. Caught a plane to Germany and then onto Barcelona.

Our first call home we heard my mom got into a near fatal accident while we were flying over the ocean the night before my 30th birthday. She had broken her neck and they weren't sure if she would be paralyzed.

The news put a damper on our trip. We didn't know much about Barcelona but eventually found the Gothic part of town and La Bouqueria. We were supposed to catch a flight out to Paris a few days in. I took some really bad advice from an American who was living over there. Needless to say we didn't make it to Paris. Rye got very sick but we ended up staying in a 4 star hotel. The next few days we ended up staying in an area we called little Baghdad. Our trip probably wasn't as great as we planned but we were glad to find out my mother wouldn't be paralyzed.

Started renovations on our house Summer of 07. We bought it to renovate and sell.

June 07 - Stayed in the ghetto with Rye. Vinny picked Dave, Rye, Tim and me up and we all went to Chili's and hung out for the day.

July 07 - Fire at the Laundromat. The fire department was able to stop the fire before it took spread too much and burned down the whole plaza. We were amazed and blessed by the outpouring of support from the local community. We had men shoveling glass and ash until 2 am. We were able to be partially up and running within 36 hours thanks to all of the help and Superior Restoration.

October 07 - Our 5th wedding anniversary. Had a 50th birthday party for my mother. Vinny, Zac, Vick, Molly, Dan and the grandparents presented her with a trip to the Bayou, New Orleans, and St Francisville, LA.

November 07 - My mom found out Vinny was overseas. She hadn't known for months and the cousin gang was keeping it a secret. She was very mad. We spent Thanksgiving in Maine ~ the year before we had taken a family trip to Savannah, GA.

December 07 - Vinny turned 32 - wasn't home for Christmas or his birthday.

Had our best year yet at the Cleaners

My Pregnancy this Week

10 weeks to go - 70 days!

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)