Friday, April 23, 2010

Respecters of Life

We were up twiddling around our apartment this morning, when a knock came at the door. There were some maintenance men out front chopping holes in the ceiling. Apparently the men who have been working on the roof of the complex poked a wire and cut off electricity to our neighbors. So... they had to find it and fix it. Since they couldn't find it outside, they had to come inside our apartment and make some giant holes in our ceiling! No big deal, until...



...we walked outside and found a bird's nest destroyed on the cement landing. It would have been okay had there not been four newly hatched baby birds laying there too! We were irate! So, we scooped them up and took them to the vet clinic on campus. One of them did not make it... we just hope the other three are okay.



The holes are now all fixed just like the little birds will be... we hope.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Legacy

A lot can happen in a week and a half... especially when two people are at either end of the Mississippi River. Here are just a few photos to represent the reason I went to Minnesota.


This is my Grandpa, Robert Dean Smith.


This is his boat storage.


These are his woods.


This is his son, my father, in his woods.


And this is the procession to his funeral.

Despite all of the sadness, I can honestly say that I came back from Minnesota a stronger woman. There is a legacy that we leave for those walking behind us on the path of life. My grandfather left a strong legacy of loyalty and I cannot do more for him than step into my place, into his footsteps, and continue what he started. As my dad described it, he used a metaphor of a ladder in hopes that we will take from where was left off and only continue improving what we were given to work with. I hope I can live up to their expectations.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter

It has been a while, so here is whats new:

School has being busy for Evan. He is taking three classes, teaching a lab, research, and thesis work. One of his classes is the "Imperial Barrel Competition". Graduate programs around the world are given data and students have to figure out if there is oil or gas and if it is economical to drill. The OSU team won the regional competition and they will be competing in the international AAPG Conference in New Orleans this next weekend. Evan will be flying out on Thursday the 8th and will come back on Tuesday the 14th.

Lacey has been looking for a job with no luck. There have been some promising interviews and great jobs, nothing has worked out. She has been busy developing her talents. She has been painting pictures to decorate our apartment with. She also has been busy sewing. She has made a few skirts for herself and the sister missionaries.

Saturday, April 3rd, Lacey's grandfather Bob Smith had what appeared to be a stroke. He has been battling cancer for a while. The stroke was so severe that the doctors decided not to attempt to stop the internal bleeding. At about 12:30 am Sunday morning, he passed away.

Evan drove Lacey to Tulsa to catch the 1:15 am Greyhound. She will arrive at 7:45 pm in Bemidji today. She will be in Minnesota for eleven days so she can be at the funeral. She then will catch the Greyhound on the 14th and Evan will pick her up in Tulsa Thursday, April 15th.