Updates....STUFF

Well, I haven’t blogged in a while. I did the 100 question thing a while back, and just copied and pasted it to my blog on Friday. Finding the time to devote to sitting down long enough to blog has been difficult. WE have had a unbelievable amount of STUFF going on, some happy & some sad:
I guess I’ll start with Heath’s birthday! He turned a whopping (lol) 34 on Wednesday the 25th of March. The Saturday before though, I threw him a surprise party at Margaritas. The biggest surprise was that I pulled it off without him knowing too much of what was going on! If I remember correctly, there were 44 of our friends and family there to celebrate. (plus 9 kids) He was very excited! He hadn’t seen some of the friends that came into town for the party in about two years! We had a great time chatting and hanging out with everyone that came. I have a few pics (before my camera battery died) that I will upload at a later date.

Then, Sunday we set our new church in order. The evangelist that preached the tent revival was there to ordain Dad and Mom as ministers in his organization, as well as a few others from our congregation as Christian Workers. He then said that there was someone in the congregation that had been called to preach, and if this person was also feeling that calling, and feeling that tug, the they should come to the front right that minute. Without hesitation Heath went to the front! I think everyone was a little surprised, but so happy!! Deep down, I think Heath is happy about it as well. Bro. Corley then also asked that if anyone else felt that God was calling them to be workers, and leaders in the church that they too should come to the front. More than ever in my life, I felt that calling. Myself, along with a handful of others went forward. We are so excited, but are definitely doing some major praying for direction and guidance as to where and what God wants us to do.

In the middle of our excitement and celebrating, we got a phone call that a close family member was in the hospital and not expected to live much longer. He had been sick for a while and on a respirator. He asked that the respirator be removed and that God’s will be done. Although I was not related to this man by blood, I have known him my entire life and have always considered him family. He was actually my cousin Lauren’s grandfather:

Mr. Claude Bueil “CB” Rightmire was born on May 8, 1927 in Groves, Texas. On July 21, 1927, he baptized at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church in Port Neches. Mr. Rightmire was the second of four brothers born to Dewitt C. H. and Zula DeVellier Rightmire. The family later lived in Houston where he attended Jeff Davis High School and starred on the football team. On April 5, 1945 he enlisted in the US Navy and served on destroyer escort USS Acree. After the war, he met and later married Olive Marie Harbison on July 8, 1950. Mr. Rightmire and Marie had three sons – Mike, Robin and Jeff. In 1967, the family moved from the city of Houston to Houston County Texas. After a lengthy illness, Marie passed away in 1988. In 1991, he was married to Eunice “Sissy” Dickey. The couple lived and worked in Houston County until he passed away on March 22, 2009 at age 81 years, 10 month, and 14 days. For most of his adult life, he was a carpenter and building contractor. He worked as a millworker and finish carpenter on many of the homes in the River Oaks area of Houston. He built three homes for his family in Houston and Houston County. After 1967, he built many homes in Houston County and neighboring counties. He loved the craft of creating with wood. He was a master mechanical tinkerer and could build or repair almost anything. He enjoyed the outdoors and the camaraderie of hunting and fishing in Texas and Alaska with his sons and many friends. He was a good Father, grandfather, husband and neighbor and we will all miss him greatly. Survivors include his wife Sissy Rightmire, of Grapeland; sons Mike Rightmire and wife Evelyn, of Plano and Jeff Rightmire and wife Kelly, of Mabank; grandchildren Lauren Rightmire, of Lubbock, J. J. Rightmire, of San Diego, Joshua Rightmire, of Washington State, Brandi King, Vanessa Petters and Megan Melson, all of Palestine; brother Donald Rightmire and wife Tommie, of Calvert. Preceded in death by his wife Marie Rightmire; son Robin Rightmire; brothers Robert Rightmire and Jerry Rightmire; and parents Dewitt and Zula Rightmire. Funeral Services for Mr. C. B. Rightmire were held Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in the Callaway-Allee Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Eddie Atkinson officiating. Interment followed in the Evergreen Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 531313, Henderson, Nevada 89053 or American Stroke Association, P.O. Box 15186, Austin, TX 78761.

“Papaw CB”, as we fondly called him, will be remembered always and loved. While we were saddened by this loss, we are also comforted by the fact that we know Papaw is no longer sick, or in pain. After the visitation at the funeral home, we went to Aunt Gayle and Uncle Bill’s for dinner. We had a small birthday cake for Heath, and sang to him ( he turned red of course) A few pics from the evening:

After things got back to normal, for the most part anyway, we finished up our work week and welcomed the slow pace of the weekend. Yesterday morning at church we voted on the name for our ‘new church’. We are now Remnant Faith of The Trinity. Nice ring, eh...well, it's growing on me anyway... This coming Wednesday we will hold our first official business meeting, where we will elect deacons and other officers.

Of course, I can’t post without giving a little update on my Lucas. As usual, his wit and sense of humor impresses and cracks us up daily. You never know what to expect! He learned the hard way this weekend though that an attitude in combination with a smart mouth will get him grounded from playing outside! Our little boy is growing entirely too quickly. He is such a Jackson, from looks to personality, and ATTITUDE!