wall decor

Looking for a cool Christmas gift idea?  Check out Single Stone Studios (http://stores.ebay.com/Single-Stone-Studios).  A few months back, I decided I wanted to spice up our home with some cool wall decor.  After a web search, I came across Single Stone’s site on ebay.  The product came in quickly, was incredibly easy to install, and looks fantastic!  It gives our home a personal touch and I love them all!  Plus, after communicating with the designers, I discovered how friendly and down-to-earth they are.  And they’re very talented.  They can create anything you want, even if it’s not on their site.  So this is my effort to give their business a plug… and give you a unique, fun gift idea (for any occasion)!  I’ve added a link to Single Stone Studio’s website on the righthand side of this blog under “Shop Around” for future reference.

Dining Room

  

Our bedroom

Nursery

2 parties. 1 day.

August 9.2008 -  1st we went to Mt. Juliet, TN to celebrate Kaylond’s 2nd birthday.  Boy, was it fun!  Kaylond has her OWN waterslide which is always a hit!                  

                  

Then it was off to Glasgow, KY for Carson’s 1st bday party.  Liam experienced his first Slip ‘n Slide at Carson’s house… and it was the “Daddy” of all Slip ‘n Slides!  It had 3 lanes for racing!

“early” swim

                                    

August 2. 2008 – Swimming at Chris and Amy Early’s house.  Liam especially loved Maximus (aka Max… the Great Dane).

     

Here’s a new trick Liam mastered.  He had already hung from the basket a hundred times before I shot this video… so he wasn’t hanging on quit as long… but, still, pretty impressive for a 20 month old!  There were also a couple of times Cheyenne let Liam go completely under water, but Liam preferred being caught.  After every drop, Liam would hold up his finger and say, “One more!”  I’m guessing he would have let Cheyenne put him up to the basket all day long!  Oh, and ya’ gotta love the dog who would “cheer” for Liam every time he went into the water!

denied

Thank you for your prayers.  Gary Pentecost was denied parole.  But more than that, he was denied any possibility of parole in the future.  The parole board determined Pentecost will serve his sentence out.  His release date is August of the year 2016. 

I am emotionally spent, so it’s hard to describe how I feel.  The one word that works is “relieved.”  After the trial was over, we knew Mr. Pentecost would be up for parole in two years.  It was yet another date that loomed over our family like some dark cloud that was ready to explode.  For the past few weeks, I have had this sick feeling in my gut… this knot in my stomach that just aches… and no matter what I did, it just wouldn’t go away.  I know what it is.  It is the agonizing pain of grief.  It zaps you physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I don’t like it… AT ALL.  It has subsided with time, but the “looming” parole hearing brought everything back to the surface.  The feeling has been impossible to deny.

Yes, I am a believer in Christ.  Yes, I know He is in control.  Yes, I have cast my worries on Him.  (Okay, okay, I’ve TRIED to hand over my worries… maybe I’ve hung on to a few… OKAAAY… quite a few!)  Anyhow, I’m here to tell you, the Christian walk isn’t easy.  But God never promised that it would be.  I’m sure you’ve heard of the 23rd Psalm:  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”  The bad news is many of us will experience the shadow of death, but the good news is that God doesn’t leave us there.  He clearly says He will walk us through it. 

And that He has.  Our family again walked through the valley of the shadow of death yesterday.  The parole hearing was difficult, to put it mildly.  But it simply had to be done.  We prayed that God would give us peace with the outcome, whatever it may be.  And peace He has given us.  Knowing that IT IS OVER and that we will never have to face the parole board again is such a relief.  We can finally take steps forward without having to dodge that looming cloud.  It has dissipated and the weight of it is gone.  To quote a line from “Anne of Green Gables” (one of my childhood favorites)… “Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.”  It reminds me of all the times in the Bible where the morning is symbolic of new beginnings.

“His mercies are new every morning…” Lamentations 3:22-23

“Though sorrow may last for a night, joy comes in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5

Praise God for the morning!

up for parole… please pray

I have put this off and put this off… but I can no longer ignore what is about to take place.  The drunk driver who is responsible for the death of my parents will be up for parole on Oct. 21st… just 22 months after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crime.  I have learned so much about our justice system over the past couple of years… and the more I learn, the more disheartened I am.

Did you know that ALL INMATES, except those who receive a life or death sentence, have their sentence reduced by 1/4th as soon as they enter the prison door… FOR NO REASON??!!  This does not include time docked off for good behavior which can add up to an ADDITIONAL 7 DAYS PER MONTH off his/her sentence.  Think about that.  Is it just me, or does this make absolutely no sense to you, too?  In addition, some inmates are eligible to receive other forms of time credit for program participation and working within the institution.

This means Gary Pentecost’s 15 year sentence automatically became 11 years the moment he walked into jail.  We just found this out… and we’re still trying to wrap our head around it.  I hate to blog about this, but I think it’s important that you are educated on how our justice system operates.

My brothers, sister and myself have the opportunity to go before the parole board in Frankfort on October 20th… the day before Mr. Pentecost.  We will be urging the members to deny parole for the man who killed my mom and dad.  We will be requesting they recommend he serve his sentence out  (which, as of now, means he would walk out of prison in less than 8 years… and probably much sooner when you consider “good behavior”.)

I want you to know I do not hate Mr. Pentecost.  I have forgiven him.  I simply believe the safest place for him is right where he is.  He has a long history of alcohol abuse and the chances are good that he would reoffend.  I certainly don’t want another family to experience the pain that we have suffered… and continue to suffer. 

 

I debated about posting these pictures, but I think you should see him.  This is Gary Pentecost, the man who made the decision to drink alcohol and then get behind the wheel… which is a deadly weapon when you’re intoxicated.  At trial, Mr. Pentecost testified that he continued to consume alcohol while driving that day because he “was thirsty”.  He never understood what he did was wrong.  The mugshot on the left was taken the day of the crash.  The mug on the right was taken when he was transfered from the county jail to federal prison the day he was sentenced.

Will you pray for him?  Pray that God would soften his heart, that he would not challenge the sentence the jury recommended and that he would be man enough to accept the consequence of his terrible choice?

The loss of my parents has been excruciating.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss them and think about them.  I continue to grieve the fact that my two precious babies will never know their ”Maw Maw” and “Pop Pop”.  I would give anything to watch my mom and dad interact with Liam and Nadia right now.  I feel an agonizing ache in my heart when I let my mind consider how much was stolen not just from me… but especially my children… the day Mr. Pentecost chose to drink and drive.

Would you also pray for us?  And for the parole board?  This is an exceptionally challenging time right now… just the anticipation of going before the board.  Plus, we are approaching the 3 year anniversary of the crash, November 4th… Election Day.  I am still healing from the loss of my parents.  The scars still seem so fresh, yet we are being forced to relive the event all over again so soon… which is like starting the healing process all over again. 

Also, we need people to write the parole board on behalf of my mom and dad.  We hate to even ask you to do this.  So many of you have already done so much.  If you’re interested in writing the board, leave a comment for me here or email me ASAP.  Your letter would need to be mailed no later than Wednesday, October 15th in order to arrive on time.  I know this is late notice.  I apologize.  That’s just the way things like this operate, which is another reason for the mass post.  To make things easy, I have written a “template letter” you can use as a guide.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post.  Sorry it was so depressing, but I thought it was necessary in order for you to fully know what’s going on in our lives… and so you can pray for us specifically in this area.  In life, you have to take the good with the bad… and hope that in the end you are strong enough to survive.  It didn’t take me long to realize I’m NOT strong enough to survive on my own… which is why I’ve invited Jesus to walk with me.  With Him, all things are possible.