Recently in Sidney

We've had a busy time of it lately, with visits by Belinda's mother and brother, church activities and much more.

Here are some pictures to give an idea of what we've been up to!

This week in Sidney

A busy week here in Sidney with severe weather, temps in the upper 70s and low 40s, hospitalizations of church members and more.

We are looking forward to Pentecost/Mother's Day!

More from a May weekend in Sidney

A beautiful weekend, weather-wise, after the blustery conditions of Thursday and Friday!

Yesterday, Belinda departed on a surprise trip to Texas to see her mother in San Antonio. She hopped aboard the shuttle van here in Sidney and really surprised Mo for her 80th birthday (on Cinco de Mayo).

Charles in the meantime busied himself with getting ready for church the next day. A real treat was the presentation of the cross made by the third grade class, a special memory from this time and place.

Who knows what tomorrow may bring, come back and find out!

Happy May 2nd!

We woke up this morning to blizzard conditions and throughout the day we continued to marvel that this was May 2nd!

Sunday Praise from 2-18-08

Thank you, Rilla Draper, for conducting our worship services this morning and delivering a wonderful message about the Sermon on the Mount! And Carrie Reynolds did a wonderful job as our lector this morning: Thanks, Carrie! And our Glori-bells bell choir members were as amazing as always!

The United Methodist Men returned to FUMC with the serving of the Sunday Lenten brunch after the 10:00 a.m. service. Parishoners filled the fellowship hall and enjoyed the pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit compote and juice/coffee/ water... YUMMY! And the fellowship was, of course, appreciated by one and all!

Church Valentine's Dinner - Great Success!

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!

The United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) group did an awesome job preparing a delicious meal on Sunday night, February 10th! Thank you to the youth leaders who helped them orchestrate the menu!! AND thank you, Glori-bells, for your fabulous serving of the meal!!! All 140 of us really, really, really enjoyed the wonderful evening. The fellowship hall was transformed with beautiful decorations and lights. You created a wonderful, festive dining experience for us. We love you!!! And the money raised will support the UMYF mission trip and the Glori-bells expenses.

Praise be to God for this wonderful evening of food, fun and fellowship!!!

Whoosh!

What a crazy few weeks this has been! We just noticed this morning that it had been several weeks since we entered a blog report so here goes a brief synopsis of the events of November since the previous entry of the 5th...

The week of the 11th - the week began with two great worship services and faith formation classes for all ages at the church. The afternoon was given to putting the final preparations on the Community Thanksgiving Sing that was hosted by FUMC. We had over 300 people turn out to enjoy singing and bells from 10 churches. Afterwards, the FUMC youth hosted a soup supper that by all accounts was the best ever. They raised over $450 for next year's mission project.

The week of the 18th - this past week has been a real push to get a lot done before Thanksgiving. Belinda put in a lot of time to get the newsletter finished before the holiday and the result is a resounding success. Charles in the meanwhile focused on getting the Church Conference report tweaked and polished and is finally done! Next year will be much easier, he promises!!!

Monday was so pleasant with temps in the low 70's! The next day saw the arrival of winter and about an inch of snow and the temps barely reached 30 the rest of the week.

Thanksgiving Day, well, we enjoyed a turkey dinner at home, enjoyed the quiet and watched some of the parades back east. In the evening, we journeyed out and visited with three families in the parish, sampling some of the family life and festivities that makes living in western Nebraska so much fun.

On Friday evening this week, we enjoyed the arrival of Santa in Sidney aboard a old fire engine bedecked with lights. We ran into one of the church members Marge Sabin. She was enjoying all the festivities with her daughter and her grandchildren. The grandchildren really enjoyed shaking hands with Santa! The town tree by the post office was turned on, and then a chili supper was enjoyed at a nearby business establishment.

Praise God for small-town living!!!

Today is clear and cold, 16F when we got up. We hope to get the tree up in the parsonage and get those Christmas cards started! Hope your weekend is enjoyable, wherever you are!

10 years in the making!

Today marks the tenth year that Belinda and Charles have been married and what an amazing time it has been! We were marveling last night about all the places we've celebrated an anniversary over the years:

Osmond, NE 1998, Iwakuni, Japan 1999 & 2000, Jacksonville, NC 2001 & 2003, Williamsburg, VA 2002, Newquay, Cornwall, UK 2004 & 2005, Vienna, Austria 2006, Sidney, NE 2007.

We have so much to be thankful for over the years. We've had a few speed bumps and like most couples we've had our moments of frustration, but we are blessed that we have each other and are excited about the next ten years!

Yesterday was Another Great Day of Church!

We had a busy morning at church yesterday. What a great church family we have! To see what is happening at our church, check out the blog at
http://sidneyfirstumc.blogspot.com/.

Afterwards, we were treated to lunch at Perkins. It was fun to relax and get to know some of our church family members a little bit better!

The nap we took this afternoon was fabulous!

The Current Events Bible Study was very interesting last night. A spirited discussion took place! Afterwards we were invited to parishioners' home for coffee, tea and birthday cake. It was an impromptu birthday party. Again, it was so wonderful to be able to relax and enjoy getting to know other church members, hearing some of their stories.

We have been here four months, and we realized today that there is a sweet rhythm that is unfolding here in this parish. God is so good to have brought us here to Sidney! Yea, God!!!

A Week of Birthday Celebrations!

We have celebrated birthdays this week! Belinda's was on Tuesday, the 30th. The first picture shows the gorgeous flowers that her brother and his wife sent. I just love the autumnal colors! Everytime I look at it, I smile. I so love this time of year! The arrival of the flowers really added a festive feel to the parsonage!

After Bible study on Thursday night, Charles drove 3 hours east, to Camp Comica, where he attended a covenant group meeting of the folks who have attended an "Upper Room" affiliated 5-Day Academy. It is a 24-hour "spiritual renewal academy" meeting they have once a quarter.

This morning, he drove to Ogallala, where he attended a United Methodist Church (UMC) training on church records management. On his way home, he dropped off some paperwork to the UMC pastor located in the nearby village called Chappel.

After about a half-hour reunion at home, we went to two different locations to celebrate the 80th birthday parties of two church members! It was great fun to experience the celebratory atmosphere in honor of Warren Johnson and Eleanor Gordon's birthdays.

Praise God that we get to live in communities where folks make the time to get to know one another and develop long-lasting friendships that stand the test of time!

It's Belinda's Birthday!

What a wonderful day was Belinda's birthday! Charles went out early and put the "birthday" cover to our mailbox.

Then he made an early run to the store, where he bought beautiful flowers for both inside and outside the house, AND he got a lovely painted ceramic pot with bird houses on it. Belinda really loved it all!

Then the ladies in the Gurley/Dalton Bible Study Group, who agreed to migrate to Sidney for a study and a birthday party, arrived at the parsonage. We had a great time! The fellowship, the study, the tea and pumpkin bread: Everything was "spot on!" They brought some beautiful/fun birthday cards, home-made jelly, Belinda's favorite coffee cake from the Gurley Cafe AND Cadbury's chocolate AND.. "the" most gorgeous rose just picked from the rose bush that very morning!

Afterwards, Belinda gave them a tour of the parsonage. It was a great morning!
Cindy had to leave before the rest, but we did get a picture on the front step of those of us remaining.

You can see the family "birthday bear" on our dining room table. We also have it sing the birthday song to the birthday person.

Then Fed Ex delivered a gorgeous flower arrangement. Belinda's brother and his family sent this spray of autumnal flowers with a beautiful vase. It was a delightful surprise!

In the evening, the "Bad Girls of the Bible" Study Group surprised Belinda with birthday cards, presents and a chocolate cake! Yum, yum, yum! We had a great study and terrific fellowship!

Praise be to God for loving friends who take the time to celebrate the good times with you! It really was a blessed day!

Friday Night Date: Attending Opening Night of "Hello Dolly!"

Tonight was so much fun! We attended the opening night of "Hello Dolly!" The music, the costumes, the story: It all was wonderful!!! It was great fun to be there!

Praise God for folks who are willing to share their talents with the rest of us... in such a special way!!!

We're Getting Our Annual Physicals Done

It's that time of year: we're getting our annual physicals done. This means that we had our blood tests done this morning. Charles went in first, and he did well. Belinda tends to be rather apprehensive about it, so Charles was a dear and volunteered to go in with her. He chatted her up, and he kept her mind off what was happening, so before she knew it, Belinda was done. Whew! (In the picture above, Belinda is both smiling and gritting her teeth. It was taken just as the process was beginning.)

Belinda looks tired, because she was. For her, it was early... around 8:30 a.m. Since they had to fast before the test, Charles took Belinda out to breakfast afterwards, as a treat!

Praise be to God for dear spouses who know your concerns and fears and volunteer to help you get through them all... and then celebrate with you when it has all passed!

A long, long week

What a week this has been (for church life details, see www.sidney-firstumc.blogspot.com)

A week ago today our beloved friend, Nick the Cat, passed away with Belinda and Charles by his side. It has been hard to say goodbye, he was such a part of our lives these past fifteen years.

Sunday we turned our attention to the work of the church and the worship services were really special for us. Many offerings of support for our grief were given. The confirmation class enjoyed a viewing of "Godspell" which tickled them with the "ancient" outfits as much as the message being offered.

Monday was a truly sad ocasion in the life of Sidney when over 700 filled the FUMC sanctuary and chapel for the funeral service of a local Sidney teen who had died the previous Wednesday.

Thursday was another funeral at the church which was for a well-known local businessman. We followed that with the arrival of the India Children's Choir and a delicious supper prepared by the church ladies.

Friday Charles accompanied the choir and their leaders to the mothership of Cabela's and a tour of the store. The choir members were a real hit with the shoppers when then performed two numbers for those in the store. That night a good turnout was on hand for the concert by the wonderful singers from northeast India. It was so nice to see the sanctuary filled with so many people, basking in the warm smiles and wonderful music.

Saturday was a bit slower with the choir taking its leave by 11am and Charles taking advantage of perhaps the last warm day to play a round of golf. Tomorrow the high temp is expected to be around 40F.

We think we are ready for another vacation!

Friday and Saturday's Journey... Farewell, "Nick the Cat"

We took Nick to see a local veterinarian Friday morning. He said that Nick's heartbeat was muffled, difficult to hear. He ran a blood and urine test. He said that Nick's organs seemed to be shutting down.

Truth is that Nick hit a low health point last weekend. He was having difficulty keeping his food down and had vomited a few times. Throughout last week, Nick had no appetite; he vomited occasionally; and he did not want to drink water.

The veterinarian gave us an antibiotic for Nick to take for the infection he had. We were given some pureed cat food and a dropper for it. Nick just couldn't keep the food and the medicine down. He grew more lethargic. In the end, we just gave him water, dispensed from a dropper.

The three of us had a quiet evening at home. We took turns sitting next to Nick and then holding him. He quacked/meowed at us several times. We could tell he was slipping away. Praise God that He helped us to know that. We spent the evening telling stories about Nick, remembering all kinds of things about our times together.

This morning, we took Nick to see the veterinarian around 9:00 a.m. The doctor said that Nick's eyes were dilated; his heartbeat was barely audible. Charles and I had our hands on Nick as the doctor administered the drug that very, very quickly helped Nick to be released from the confines of this world. In a matter of seconds, Nick was at peace. We were amazed how quickly it happened. The doctor was amazingly supportive and tender towards us. It helped so much!

We brought Nick home. Charles prepared a special place in our back yard for him, directly under the bird feeder. Nick always loved looking out at his friends the birds. He delighted in their activities. He would often quack/meow at them.

Charles wrapped him in a white sheet, and then he placed him into the big box, in which he always stored his Navy "covers"/hats. We collected pictures of Nick, and placed them in zip lock bags, along with a note detailing Nick's name, birth and death dates and... praising God for the gift of Nick in our lives.

Charles placed Nick into the ground. And then he walked over to the rosebush in our back garden and selected a lovely rose, handed it to Belinda, and then she placed it over Nick. We said prayers of Thanksgiving for all the great memories of Nick, and then Charles completed the burial. We placed a special marker over where Nick is buried. It states: Cats Leave Paw Prints on Our Hearts... Loveable Tabby, You Are Always in Our Hearts.

Afterwards, we planted a chrysanthemum next to where Nick is buried. It had a lot of "spent"/dead buds on it and also loads of brand new buds on it. It seemed symbolic: yes, there were so many "dead" buds, but the plant still has so many new buds on it... more life to come. After we buried the plant, we removed all the dead/spent buds. We look forward to the new life that will spring forth from that plant. It is something to which we can look forward!

Nick is gone from this earthly realm, but now he is at rest; he is in a much, much better place! Life changes, rearranges and evolves... Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow... and one of those many blessings was the joy of knowing "Nick the Cat" Alkula!!!

P.S. Nick has started something. We plan to develop all along, up and down that side row of the back yard, i.e., landscape it and plant some special plants in it... come spring! Praise God that we can always look forward to spring!!!

Our "Nick the Cat" Enjoying Being at Home

This past Tuesday morning, we collected our sweet cat Nick from the wonderful folks at the Coastal Cat Clinic in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We had not seen him since the middle of February, just after we returned from our 3-year tour in England.

It was so good to see him again! His veterinarian, Dr. Crystal Smith, said that she could not tell how much time he had left, but that it was good that Nick was finally going to be home again with his family.

We drove to Raleigh-Durham Airport and caught the direct flight to Denver. Afterwards, we drove home to Sidney, Nebraska. Home... we were all together... home again! Praise be to God!

Here are some pictures of Nick relaxing at home. He really enjoyed himself on Thursday when he was able to hang out and sun himself on the deck. It was a beautiful afternoon, about 72 degrees, with a lovely breeze. We think he was happy to be home with us again. We know that we were very happy to have him back with us again!

Praise God for happy reunions!