Christel Joy

3 years later...and It is well with my soul!

2009-05-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

The other day I was driving with the kids in the car and we started going over some bumps in the road, I hear Destiny say Christel would like this road. It makes me smile, because even though she is not with us her memory is strong in our hearts. Most of Destiny's memories are from the stories the older kids, my Parents, and I tell about her.

Like the fact she loved bumpy roads and would get the giggles if it was real bumpy. The best part of us going camping for Christel was that she got to sit anywhere she wanted to in the parked car at the camp site. She loved anyone who could make themselves burp. She loved it when Kimberly & Kaeleigh would burp for her. She would start to giggle and then she would make herself burp. Here favorite fast food place was In-N-Out. She loved to eat (almost) anything. The two foods she did not like was oatmeal and spaghetti.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain
It is well, with my soul, It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord! Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!
Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain

"This hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford’s life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired these words. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth." http://nethymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

The last two years our family has marked this day in different ways. But the one thing that was the same is that we had dinner from Christel's favorite place. Tonight we decided to have spagetti for dinner. :O) Thank you family and friends who have walked with us through these last three years. I can truly say three years later we still miss Christel, yet I can stand and say It is well with my soul!

No Fear!

2009-05-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight I watched my youngest show no fear. At the end of swimming tonight they let the kids jump off the diving boards. It is always fun to watch the kids do this. They get real excited when they get out the pool and quickly walk (not run) over to the diving boards. I have watched Destiny jump off the low dive last year. As I watched all the kids get in line I got excited for Destiny as I realized she was getting in line to jump off the high dive. I was wondering if she was going to get up to the top and decide wait this is way to high and want to go back down to safer ground. She climbed up the ladder and marched out to the end of the board and jumped off with no fear.
Made me think about areas in my life with the Lord. I should be able to focus on the Lord and with no fear "jump". My conversation might go something like this. I start to climb the ladder and I start thinking man this is kind of high... I wonder if God knows how high this is? As I reach the top I see how high up I really am and I tell God do you realize how high this is... how scary this is... I don't think you realize how hard this is for me to jump... or how scared I am?

2 Timothy 1:7 says:

God didn't give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He
gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control
ourselves.

Romans 8:15 also says:

You didn't receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear once again. Instead
you received the Holy Spirit, who makes you God's child. By the Spirit's power
we call God "Abba." Abba means Father.

So the next time I am climbing up the ladder of the high dive in my life I want to be like my youngest and with confidence and not fear focus my eyes on my Daddy God and jump!

Congrats to my younger sister!

2009-05-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday the 23rd my younger sister Christy got married. It was a beautiful wedding. May God bless you and your marriage. I wish you guys all the best Corey & Christy. I will post more photos later but here are a few.

The Beginning of Swim Season!

2008-06-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ti's the Season to be Swimming...

Next week we have our first swim meet of the season. Thursday we had Time Trials with just our team the Waves. All the kids are swimming this year. :O) Kimberly moved up to the 11 & 12 (12 & under), Kaeleigh moved to the 9 & 10 (10 & under), Nathan moved to the 7 & 8 (8 & under), & Kasey & Destiny just joined the team this year and they are in the 6 & under.

http://www.visaliawaves.com/

It is very fun to have all the kids swimming on the team this year. I am looking forward to a lot of fun times these next to 2 months. It is usually pretty hot by now but we have had some really strange weather these last couple of months. I am not complaining... I LOVE the cooler weather, it makes me feel like I am at the coast. All the kids are doing well with swimming and they have gotten off to a good start for this season. I am proud at how far each one of them have come.

Plains, Trains, & Automobiles...

2008-06-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Grama's Train!

Plains, Trains, & Automobiles (& buses)! The kids and I drove (AUTOMOBILE) Mom to catch her TRAIN which will take her to a BUS, then she will get on her PLANE headed to Europe. We will miss her, :O( but I know she will have an awesome time. :O)

I hope you have a blast Mom. We love you!

One of my favorite Movies!

Yummy Stuff delivered right to my door...

2008-06-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Our Basket

I am very excited today, because I got Yummy Stuff delivered right to my door. I can hardly wait to see all that is in the basket. You ask why I am I so special? Okay Okay maybe you don't ask that, but I bet your wondering where did this bountiful basket came from? It did not fall from the sky nor did it come from the Farm Fairy! It came from Family Farm Fresh.

Check out their site. It gives all the information about them and how to contact them.

http://www.familyfarmfresh.com/index.html

We ordered the large family basket for our family of 8. Here is what we got in this weeks basket:

10 Navel Oranges

2 Scallions

2 Red Onions

2lbs Cucumbers

2 Bundles of Radishes

3lbs Squash

3 (1/2 pints) of Cherries

1.5 lbs Apricots

2 (1/2 pints) of Blueberries

2 Large heads of lettuce

2lbs of Tomatoes

It is very cool. This is going to help out so much. Sometimes thinking about going to the store with 5 kids in tow just makes me tired and want to go lay down and take a nap. :o) I would love to go to the farmers market more, but just don't seem to have the time to get there very often. So I am loving the idea of getting fresh fruits and veggies every week at my doorstep. It will be fun to see each week what will be in the basket. Kind of like a present every week. So maybe it is kind of like a Farm Fairy. You leave your empty basket outside and every week you get a new one filled with lots of yummy stuff. Maybe I will call them my Farm Fresh Fairies!

Oh am already excited to see what we get in next weeks basket. Very Very exciting!

The Reports are in...

2008-06-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Reports are in... Report Cards that is!

What a blast we had this school year! I am so proud of all the kids and how far they came this year. We gave out Report Cards on Friday to them. They were really excited. It was fun to watch them show their Grama & Papa how they did in school. They were very proud of themselves. It was really good for me as the teacher/parent to stay up late (2:30 am) Thursday night to get them all done. It really helped me to think back to the beginning of the year and see how much they have changed and improved. It also helped to go oh yeah they are only ______ (fill in the blank)Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, or 5th grade they are doing really well. Sometimes I forget how old they are. I do not feel what I expect out of them is to much for them, but it was good that we did the report cards because it made me really look at how well they really are doing.

So I am a proud Mom/Teacher right now saying I am proud of my kids they had an amazing year. I am really looking forward to next year. Way to go you guys! So now I have a Kindergartner, 1st grader, 2nd grader, 4th grader, and a 6th grader. They are all growing and changing so fast. I am glad this year done, but I am also getting excited about next year. :O)

Beginnings, Endings, & HIS Amazing Love...

2008-06-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Isaiah is 1

Yesterday my friend Lori celebrated her youngest turning 1! Today she is celebrating her Dad going home to be with Jesus 2 years ago.

Service for George Campbell 2 yrs ago

God is so amazing! He works everything out in His time. It is very cool to me that their youngest entered this world just one day shy of the year mark of George going home to be with Jesus.

I thank you God that you care about the tineset details in our lives. How amazing is your love for us. That you would ochrestrate for these two lives. One to begin their time on earth and one to end their time on earth.

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (The Message)

My prayers go out to Lori and your family as you guys celebrated the beginning of one life yesterday and now you are celebrating the ending of another (here on earth). We love you guys and are praying for you. Sending lots and prayers and love your way.

Two years later...

2008-05-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today Christel went HOME to be with Jesus. It seems like a lifetime has passed and yet it seems like just yesterday I was harassing my little sister (with love of course). :O)

Today some friends are coming over to help us make some rice crispy treats (one of Christel's favorite desserts) so we can have them tonight and laugh and maybe cry a little as we tell funny stories and remember Christel.

Christel eating a Big rice crispy treat at Disneyland April 2006

We miss you Christel! Time does ease our pain as we wait for the day we are joined all together again in heaven with you. My prayers today go out to those people who have recently lost someone they loved or cared about. I pray that you will let the Heavenly Father wrap you with His loving arms and hold you as you learn to give all your pain and tears to Him. He knows your pain, He understands the hurt allow Him to give you comfort you. It is okay to cry, it is okay to laugh as you learn to continue on. I specifically want to lift up the Chapman family and pray that they are feeling God wrapping them in His big arms of love.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/musician_steven_curtis_chapman.html

I post today saying that I miss Christel very much. Today we will remember her as we eat one of her favorite desserts. Next year maybe we will have spaghetti (she did not like spaghetti) and tell all the stories about how she did not like to eat spaghetti. I am thankful I was loved by Christel (even if she did not think her big sister she be in charge of her sometimes) LOL.
I am so thankful that my Hope is in the Lord.

Friends

2008-05-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight as I type this there are 3 giggly girls in the next room who are suppose to be going to sleep. They have been having fun just being silly and playing dress up tonight. I am not sure what time they will eventually fall asleep, but it reminds me of sleepovers I use to have with my friends. They are so fun to watch and listen to. I am thankful for friends tonight. To staying up late, to laughing at things that are only funny to us, and to just hanging out and do nothing.

Destiny, Emma, & Kasey

Emma, Kasey, & Destiny

Life!

2008-05-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that I am alive and well. :O)

Life with 5 kids keeps me busy. I have made a promise to myself to keep this blog updated better. Even though the kids and I are getting ready for a real crazy schedule for the next month, I can truly say I am blessed to be a Mom of 5. I had a chance to help my friends with the birth announcement of their fourth child. I found a saying that I really liked and I put on the announcement .

Children are born to us in

different ways, but the

love is all the same.

While growing-up if you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would have told you I want to be a Teacher and a Mom. Most of all I wanted to be a Mom of 6 kids. God put that desire in my young heart to be a Mom to a bunch of kids. In a way I could not have ever imagined, God has given me the desires of my heart. As I look into the faces of my 5 kids God has given to me I am overwhelmed at how blessed I truly am. That is why I like that saying the love is the same it does not matter how I became a Mom or how they became my kids the love is the same.

As we are wrapping up school for this year it reminds me of my other desire to be a teacher. I am a preschool teacher, a Kindergarten teacher, a 1st grade teacher, a 3rd grade teacher, and a 5th grade teacher. I am truly blessed to be able to homeschool my kids. God has truly blessed me.

I am happy to report I am ALIVE and WELL in JESUS!

My 5 Blessings

George Campbell

2007-06-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a year today that George Campbell went home to be with Jesus. George was Grandpa to Jacob, Maddy, Emma and Dad to Lori & Tim Budz. I got to know George because of my friendship with Lori. George was the only person I ever watched a Super Bowl game with. Playing the quarter game was great incentive. LOL! One of my favorite memories of George is at a 4th of July party I had received a call from my mom to let me know that Christel was having a Grand mal seizure and that they were taking her to the ER. I shared with everyone what was going on we began to pray for Christel. After several people had prayed George broke into song singing:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

That was so awesome. It really touched my heart. My prayers are with you Lori, Tim, Jacob, Maddy, and Emma as you take this time to remember your Dad/Grandpa. He went to be with Jesus 5 days after Christel. I like to think the two of them are up there whistling and singing their worship songs to Jesus together.

In Loving Memory of...

2007-06-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today at Mt. Whitney High School outside Mrs. Fortney's class a table was dedicated in Christel's memory. The plaque above is in the cement the table sits on. There were many, many people who helped with this project. People who did not even know Christel helped to make this possible. I do not know all your names, but I want to say thank you. Christel was loved by many people and it was wonderful to see some of those people at the dedication of the table.

The table is red and has three benches and the fourth side is open for wheelchair accessibility. It also has a very nice umbrella for shade. I am a Redwood graduate and everyone knows the rivalery between Redwood and Whitney. I used to tell people even though Christel went to Mt. Whitney she was really a true Redwood Ranger. I do not say that anymore. Thank you again everyone at Mt. Whitney who made this project come together in memory of Christel. I am still a Redwood Ranger, but maybe those Mt. Whitney Pioneers are not all that bad LOL.

Thank you!

Kasey, Ivee Dawn, Destiny Dawn

Nathan, Kimberly, Kaeleigh, Aleks

Christel's nieces & nephews @ the table

I'm a Kindergartener Now!

2007-05-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Kasey!

Today was the last day of Preschool for Kasey. Kasey has changed so much this last school year. It has been awesome to watch her blossom. She is not the same little girl she was at this time last year. God is truly amazing!

How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well. Psalm 139:14

Kasey really loved having Miss Leslie and Miss Lori as her teachers this year in the Blue Room. I was very excited that Kasey would be attending Christ Kids like her big sisters Kimberly & Kaeleigh. She graduated last Wednesday with her friend Emma http://fcswhatshappening.blogspot.com/ and today was their last day of school. Kasey loved playing with all her friends in her class. Her friend Emma also attended Christ Kids this year in the Red Room. The two of them love playing together so they would get excited when their classrooms were outside at the same time so they could play with each other.

Class of 2020

Today when I dropped off Kasey she told me when I picked her up from school she would be a Kindergartener. She is very excited and ready for the next adventure God has planned for life.

your eyes saw my body even before it was formed. You planned how many days I would live. You wrote down the number of them in your book before I had lived through even one of them. Psalm 139:16

Lord I stand in amazement of you. I look at Kasey and see her smile and her eyes light up and twinkle. She has come so far and I know it is because of Your amazing love God. I thank you for this special gift from you. Thank you for the chance to love Kasey and the chance to be her Mom. Thank you for the many people who have poured into her this last year. My heart was overwhelmed when she decided to give her heart to you on February 13th. I know that you have a plan for Kasey's life. Lord may she hunger for more of you and not be satisfied with anything else but you. I thank you for Kasey's sparkle and sillieness and just the joy that flows out of her. Thank you for this precious gift my
Kasey Doodle.

If you are one those people that loved on Kasey this last year I want to say Thank You! You have been a blessing to our family.

Remembering!

2007-05-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

One Year Later
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Christel went home to be with Jesus. Today I want to remember some things about this day a year ago. When I think back to this day it is hard to remember all that happened. Yet the things I do remember are strong in my memory. I remember saying goodbye to you one last time Christel.

I remember Lori waiting with me and just being there for me. I remember Tim taking care of Kimberly and Kaeleigh and taking them to church that day. I remember the nurse coming out to let us know that you had died. I remember thinking how fitting that you went to be with Jesus on a Sunday and that you were now having worship like we could only imagine. I remember laughing and crying as we shared stories about you. Then I remember having to go home from the hospital and really realizing that you would never be riding home with me again. Christel you forever changed my life our whole family’s life. I can never express how much I miss you. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that your time here on earth was finished and it was time for you to be Home Free. Thank you Christel, for loving me and for teaching Kimberly, Kaeleigh and me about unconditional love. I would not be the person I am today if I had not been loved by you Christel. So today I say thank you Christel for your unconditional love. I am truly blessed to be your big sister.

I would also like to thank everyone who helped our family during this time last year. Everyone who prayed, cooked, baked, decorated, loved on us, came to the hospital to bring us dinner, and everyone who came to say goodbye to Christel and showed us how Christel had touched your life. THANK YOU!!!

Christel has entered His Gates with Thanksgiving!

2006-05-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Christel Joy Conley

August 28th 1986 - May 28th 2006

Christel went to be with Jesus at about 11 am. She has forever changed our lives. Thank you Christel for loving so many people. Thank you again dear friends and family for your prayers and support.

The Celebration of Life service will be Tuesday May 30th, at 6 pm at Savior's Community Church (the old Planing Mill). The address is Savior's Community Church, 515 E. Center Ave. Visalia.

We ask that if you have a Mickey Mouse shirt or Mickey ears or anything with Mickey on it to wear it to the service in honor of Christel's favorite Disney Character. We want to celebrate the JOY that Christel has given us. So come and celebrate her life with us.

In honor of Christel and the JOY she brought to her family and those around her our family chose to give the gift of organ donation. It was an easy choice to let Christel continue to be a Gift in people’s lives even in her death. Please be praying for the families who have received a gift from Christel. We want to lift them up and pray that their body will not reject their new organs.

Love,
Melinda & Family

Home Free!

2006-05-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends & Family,
There are not words to express how blessed our family has been by all the prayer, love, & support that has been given to us. Christel will be going home to be with Jesus soon. I think it is very fitting that she came into our lives around this time 19 years ago and now she will be leaving around the same time. I am forever changed having been loved by her. We know that God has our days numbered here on earth and that this is Christel's time to go home. Do not think your prayers have not been answered. They have!
We will be having a celebration of life ceremony sometime next week in the evening. We will be saying our final goodbyes today. Thank you again.
Love Melinda & Family

Home Free
Eventually the ultimate healing
Were going to be
Home Free
Home Free
I’ve got a feeling
That the ultimate healing
Were going to be
Home Free

Night Update

2006-05-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. The Doctor has told us that Christel's kidneys are failing. This means her body is starting to shut down. She is not going to be with us much longer. Your prayers and love have and continue to be felt by the whole family. Thank you to all who have shared with us how much Christel means to you. She has many friends. We asked God for a complete healing or for Him to take her home to be with Him. So we believe God has answered our prayers. Thank you again to everyone. I will continue to try and keep people updated through this time.

Because your love is better that life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift my hands.
I my soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my
mouth will praise you.
Psalm 63:3-5

I truly believe this is what Christel has done with her whole life!
Melinda

Early Morn Update

2006-05-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

I stayed with Christel for most of the night. She gave us a scare with her breathing early in the night. She seemed to have a lot of fluid that they needed to clear out. But things settled back down and her nurse was happy to see all her vitals back to where they needed to be. Everything else is pretty much the same. I will write more later I just wanted to give a short update before I fall into bed. Thank you to everyone.
Love to all
Melinda

2006-05-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Christel at her favorite place Disneyland!

April 2006

We want to thank everyone for your prayers and support. The family has been taking turns staying with Christel. Christel is still in ICU at Kaweah. The only time that a family member is not with her is when they do shift changes. Those take place at 6 am to 10 am (the doctors also make their rounds at this time in the morning) and then again at 6 pm to 7pm. During that time they do not allow anyone in the room.

· The accident happened Saturday May 20th 2006 at around 5:15 pm.

· Christel eyes have been fixed and dilated since that time.

· She is still on the ventilator.

· Since Tuesday morning she has been hiccupping. That is the best way to describe what she is doing. They are not sure why or what is causing this.

· She was responding early Tuesday morning to them changing the tape on her ventilator tube. The tape goes around her mouth and around the back of her head. Then also when they took blood. She would stiffen up and try and lift up her head. This appeared to be a good sign to us because she had not been responding at all to any pain or when they would do those types of procedures to her. They gave her some medication to calm her because she had become so agitated.

· Mom stayed with her last night from 9:30 pm to about 4:30 am. Then I was with her from 4:30 am to 6 am. Shift change starts at 6 am.

· Everything that had upset her on Tuesday did not seem to upset her at all Wednesday. So we are not sure why she responded that way Tuesday morning and then with the same procedures Wednesday she did not respond.

· Dad went back to work this morning. We would appreciate prayer for him while he is at work.

Mom is with Christel right now and I am getting ready to head down there in a few minutes. Thank you for all your prayers. We are feeling them. Please pray for continued strength as the days continue we will have to answer some hard questions on what to do next.

2000-06-05T01:38:00.000-07:00

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