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2010 pictures
June 2010 tornado
Since the storm it has been our pleasure to get to know the Swartz family, who also lost everything. It has been so exciting for us to see them get into their new house. It is now easily accessible for Beth, who has been plagued with MS. These have been some truly tough times for them, but they have handled the situation with humility and grace. Continue prayers as they reenter their life on Main Street. We are blessed to have these new friends in our life.
So many people lost so much. We lost our best friends Ryan & Mary and their son Hayden. Many people lost all of their possessions. The storm will haunt many of us for years to come. However, through it all we realize the incredible community we live in. It is overwhelming to think back to the countless hours that people spent volunteering their time, money, clothes, food, etc.. to help in the recovery. We are so proud to be a part of Mainstreet Church through which many of the relief efforts were organized. There are/were many churches and organizations that worked together in the aftermath. We are proud to call this community our home and the home of the Lake Flyers!
We have been overwhelmed by the support of our friends, family, and even many people we did not know. The many notes, cards, phone calls, and even Facebook messages have been a great source of encouragement and we thank you for that! Soon spring will come, along with anniversaries, scary storms, memories. However, we are moving forward slowly but surely. We have questioned God about many things, but our conclusion is this: we will remain faithful. When we don't "feel" him with us or "see" him working we'll put our emotions aside and open our eyes wider. I've found he's working all around me whether I'm paying attention or not. We'll wait for his redemption like his countless faithful in recorded history. We will not be moved!!
Ryan, Mary, & Hayden, we'll never forget you!
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Almost 8 years ago we were blessed to have a great couple
come into our lives. How lucky we were to have the great friendship with
Ryan and Mary the next 7 plus years. In life it is pretty rare to find
friends like they were. Even more rare is the fact that as a couple we
were best friends Ryan became my best friend and Mary Kristi's. This
led to many great times together. We spent multiple vacations together
building great memories. Who could forget Ryan running out of air while
SCUBA diving in the Cayman Islands and having to share off of my air, or when
all four adults got the flu at Disney while all four kids were fine, or the
piece of junk van that Ryan rented in Florida that couldn't keep up on
"Alligator Alley" in South Florida with the Chevy Cavalier we rented, or when
Scott & Mary stood on a corner in Ft. Meyers with 2 two year olds, an infant and
Mary being very pregnant with Hayden (you can imagine the looks we got, who
knows where Ryan and Kristi disappeared to). More importantly the special
times of just sharing our lives with each other and being there for one another.
With all the time the four of us spent together it was just natural that our
kids would become close. Our children were betrothed; Caleb & Maddie would get married as well as Mackenna and
Hayden. We always joked that Mackenna and Hayden's house would be a wreck
and they wouldn't have 2 nickels to rub together, but they would have a lot of fun.
Now all we are left with are pictures and memories of the times we had. Memories of Mary talking a million words per minute. Thoughts of her loving kids so much and how great she was at working with kids. Not only did kids love her, but adults loved her. She had a contagious smile. She made you feel welcomed and loved no matter who you were. Most of all was her love of Jesus. She never gave herself enough credit for how she showed the love of Christ and how she shared it with others. It was absolutely amazing to hear all of the stories of the lives that were changed through her life. Thank you Mary for how you shared your life with Kristi and became the true best friend she always longed for. As Kristi put it, there are secrets you share with a select few in life, Mary died with hers. Then there is Ryan and his enthusiasm. Ryan always seemed to overextend himself because he couldn't say no. He couldn't say no because he had a heart to help people as much as he could. Both at work and outside of work he continually could be found helping out others. He would also get hooked on what Mary's brother Chad called his "oscillating hobbies". I liked to refer to it as his "flavor of the week". When he would find something he was interested in he jumped in full force and wanted everyone else around him to do the same. The list included SCUBA diving, coffee, guitar, MACs, biking, and lastly running. My overwhelming memory of Ryan is when he decided to get baptized. He had become a Christian shortly before we met, but reached the point where he wanted to be baptized as an adult to let the world know about the change in his life. What an awesome memory! Ryan thanks for challenging me to be healthier and to leave a legacy that will live on forever. Thanks for being the friend that would talk on the phone on the way home from work, someone to vent to so when I got home from work I could leave work behind and just spend time with my family. Who could forget Hayden after meeting him? His energy definitely reminded you of the Energizer Bunny that just kept going and going. He always made both Ryan and Mary's blood pressure rise way too high as he was constantly climbing, running, jumping, and yes even talking really fast (wonder where he got that from?!). He definitely was a momma's boy and did have a bit of a shy side to him where he would simply hide under Mary's wing. The tornado in June took so much from us when we lost the three of you. However it also gave us a lot. It gave us the privilege of seeing all of the lives that you touched during your time on earth. It gave us the opportunity to share the love of Christ with others and to share the story of your lives and how important Christ was to you. It gave us the opportunity to remember not to take a moment for granted. It also gave us the opportunity to become an extended part of your families. Both of your families have kind of adopted us as members of their respective families. It now also gives us the incredible opportunity to see Madison grow up to be a great woman someday. It is amazing to see how God has healed her and how she is adjusting to being raised by her Uncle Craig & Aunt Amy in such a loving environment. We love you guys and miss you terribly. However, we look forward to the day, someday, where we will meet up again in heaven. |
looking back at 2010
We also added a handful of camping trips (one of which our friends drove all the way
from Boston to be with us), a visit to Cedar Point, and a night at Kalahari.
Another really cool thing that happened was that we got to meet and hang out
with Jeremy Camp.
Some of Jeremy's folks found out about Maddie and her story and how the Walters
family loved his music. Jeremy has a great heart and took the time to meet
all of us and share how he dealt with losing his first wife to cancer. Most
of all he loved on Maddie which was really cool. Jeremy lives out what he
sings about. He is a genuine and fun guy. It is very refreshing to meet
people like Jeremy. Plus he rocks out! We have since got to meet up
with Jeremy for another concert.
2010 marked 12 yrs of marriage for us. We really feel like Sugarland was
writing about us when they wrote “Stuck Like Glue”. Superglue. The
bond is forever. We go through ups and downs, yet we fit
so well together. The year also brought continued healing to Kristi as we have figured out her diet
better. The fact that she is able to exercise now without being wiped out for a few days is a huge
blessing. Her goal is to be able to run the 5K race on the anniversary of the tornado.
Kristi also started her own little "side business" this year. She came up
with an idea for jewelry and went out on a limb and rented a booth at a vendor
fair and it went extremely well. She has pretty much sold out of her first
batch. So stay tuned for a website where you can buy your own "Mar.Mar"
original . Scott also
made a pretty big accomplishment as he finished his first Sprint Triathlon in August. Hopefully next
year he will do more than just finish, and actually feel like he competed.
Now for the important part, the update on the kids. Let’s just get it out of the way that we think our
kids are the smartest and cutest kids in the world (don’t all parents think that?). All kidding aside,
we are very proud of Caleb & Mackenna. Caleb is now in 2nd grade. He loves being active and definitely
has his dad’s technical side in him. He also loves Ohio State Football and spent many fall afternoons
cheering on the Buckeyes (one of which at Ohio Stadium). Mackenna started Kindergarten this year. She is our social butterfly / drama queen. She never fails to keep us laughing with her never ending
stories of what happened that day. She loves dancing and singing and many nights can be found dancing in the living room.
Although 2010 has been a tough one for us, we can honestly say that things are good.
The events of this year have caused us to reflect and try to cherish every
moment we have on this earth. The band Revive has a great song called
"Blink" talking about this exact fact. Through the tough
times we have drawn closer as a family. We realize that God does have a better plan than us (even when
in the midst of it we may not like it). We have been blessed with 2 great kids that are at such a fun
stage. We pray that during the Christmas season you would take time to reflect on and cherish the family
and friends you have in your life. Most of all we pray that you know the real reason for the season. That
you would know Christ as your personal savior, and not just say you are a Christian because you live in the
United States.
May God bless your 2011.
Love,
Scott, Kristi, Caleb, & Mackenna
