A Life Worth Emulating

My Grandpa White recently passed away on September 22, 2008, just a few months shy of his 88th birthday and just a few months greater than three years after my Grandma White had passed away. They were closer to me than most grandparents would be to most grandchildren.

Just after I had turned 21, I lived with my Grandpa and Grandma White for the entire summer of 2000 when they were still living in Marshalltown, Iowa. I was completing my music ministry internship at New Hope Christian Church in Marshalltown that summer. I loved living with Grandpa and Grandma that summer, am glad I got to know them on a more personal level, and cherish the memories and the things I learned from them.

Here are just a few of the things I learned from them:
1. Arguing can sometimes bring humor into a marriage...if you allow it. This is taken from what I like to call the "Hot Pad Argument." One evening, Grandma was finishing preparing supper and called Grandpa and I into the dining room to help set the table. Now Grandpa and Grandma were both months away from their 80th birthdays at this time and so did not possess the same keen hearing abilities they had when they fell in love with each other nearly 60 years ago. As Grandma was bringing over a hot dish of some sort, she asked Grandpa to put a hot pad down on the table and to do it quickly. He apparently did not hear her, so she yelled it out loud and clear such that I was pretty sure one of the neighbors was going to bring a hot pad over and put it on the table! Grandpa was clearly upset that she had yelled at him and bellowed something back at her (of which I cannot remember now), and she countered with one of the funniest statements I had heard in some time, "You're a hot pad!" So, yes, my all-wise 80-year-old grandmother called my grandpa a hot pad. I immediately laughed out loud as I generally cannot hold in laughter even if it is during a tense moment. Both Grandpa and Grandma then let their guard down and had a chuckle themselves realizing how silly the argument had become. We then continued on with supper and our evening activities that night.

2. A little TLC (tender loving care) goes a long way. One afternoon that summer, I decided I was going to go rollerblading in one of the cemetaries in Marshalltown as it had nicely paved trails. It also has a few beautiful rolling hills. However, I was not (and still am not) a very experienced roller blader. As I was going down my first hill, I began to panic as I began going faster and faster. The trail also began to curve at the bottom which I could not see at the top of the hill. As my ankles began to shake from the speed, my legs finally gave out; and I toppled end over end on the pavement, then on the gravel on the side of the trail, and then finally landed in the grass (thankfully not on anyone's tombstone). As this was happening, the thought that flashed through my brain was, "I may die today. Right here and now, my life might end!" (You will see in just a few lines from where I get my dramatic side). Well, I laid in the grass for a few minutes thanking God that I still seemed to be alive. I then began to get up and assessed the damage. I had bloodied up both arms and legs pretty good and had deep gashes especially on my elbows, wrists, and knees. (I still have about a 5-cm crescent-moon-shaped scar on my right elbow as a reminder of this event.) I then felt pain as I tried to bend down and take off my roller blades. I realized the tumbling had ripped two large gaping holes over my butt in my overalls and in my underwear that I was wearing (for real, who roller blades in their overalls...or who even owns overalls?!) I had road rash and large bruises that covered both butt cheeks. So, I attempted to walk back to my car with one hand holding my roller blades and the other hand holding the rear of my overalls together so that I wouldn't be showing the world my rear end. I then drove back to Grandpa and Grandma's house and asked if they had any bandages. Grandma and Grandpa came to the entry way; and Grandma exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! You look awful! What in the world happened to you?!" (Grandma is one of the people from whom I get my dramatic side.) They brought me into the bathroom and helped me clean up my arms and legs and put gauze bandages over my wounds. We agreed that I would clean up the road rash on my butt by myself...WOW, did that ever sting! I remember still experiencing pain two weeks after the accident every time I would sit down. Grandma also sewed patches into my overalls so that I could still wear them without my butt hanging out. I still have these overalls and pulled them out to make sure I was telling the story accurately.

3. Listening to other people's stories assists in developing a strong connection between you and those people to whom you are listening. I absolutely loved going through old photo albums with Grandpa and Grandma and learning more about their early childhoods, extended family, war stories, etc.; and I could tell Grandpa and Grandma also loved sharing those stories. I witnessed this same active listening on many occasions at church when Grandpa and Grandma were talking with old friends or new visitors at the church.

4. Going to bed at 8:30 p.m. and waking up at 5 a.m. does not mean that naps are not welcome visitors!

5. When you wake up in the middle of the night for whatever reason and can't get back to sleep, that time is probably as good a time as any to let God speak to you through the Bible and to speak to Him through prayer. I remember a couple of times that summer I would come home late at night after hanging out with friends from church and would find either Grandpa or Grandma in the front entry way, where they kept one of their desks, either reading the Bible or a biblical commentary or praying. Grandpa and Grandma both lived purposeful structured lives spending time daily with God. Though we grew up two generations apart with many different experiences, spending time daily with God is something that is a common need for every one of us. I am just recently relearning the grand importance of this lesson all over again.

Grandpa had many favorite activities, but I would say three that would be near the top are playing pinochle, reading, or napping. Pictured below, Grandpa (furthest right) is partnered up with my cousin Daniel (second from the left) against my dad (furthest left) and my uncle Kevin (second from the right) in a game of pinochle at my uncle Kevin and aunt Bonnie's house here in Rochester this past Memorial Day. My uncle Ron is looking on.

Pictured below, my Grandpa is reading a Reader's Digest while my aunt Marsha (left-handed) is participating in a game of Scattergories this past December at Kevin and Bonnie's house.

Pictured below is Grandpa surrendering to the power of the nap and forgetting about all the worries of the world.

I would like to include Grandpa's eulogy using the pictures below.

George William White was born December 2, 1920, in New Providence, Iowa, the son of Levi Wellington and Annie Laura (McCracken) White. He graduated from Whitten High School in 1939 and that fall enlisted in the Navy for six years. He served as a Hospital Corpsman during World War II and rose to Chief Pharmacist's Mate before discharge. George was united in marriage to Margaret Schwarck on June 28, 1942, in Waynesville, Missouri. He graduated from Logan Basic College of Chiropractic in 1954 with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. George and Marg eventually made their home in Marshalltown for over 40 years where he was a member of the New Hope Christian Church and served in many leadership positions. He had a passion for missions and youth serving on the board of the NE Iowa Christian Camp for over 20 years. George retired from Fisher Controls in 1983. For the last four years, George has lived in Mason City, Iowa, and has been a member of the Church of Christ there.

George is survived by his son Ronald (Karen) White of Stewartville, Minnesota (middle front sitting), his daughter Judith (Alan) Sheldon of Mason City, Iowa (second from the right; my mom), his son Larry (Marsha) White of Indianapolis, Indiana (furthest left), his son Kevin (Bonnie) White of Rochester, Minnesota (furthest right), his brother James (Helen) White of Loveland, Colorado (not pictured), his brother Levi White of Jefferson City, Missouri (middle back standing),

his eleven grandchildren (in order of age, back row: Doug White, Brad Sheldon, John White, Chris Sheldon, Daniel White, me; front row: Shane White, Scott White, Michelle White, Bryan White, and Andrew White),

his twelve great-grandchildren (back row: Kendall Dawson, Kahleigh Dawson, Jarod White, Faith White, Dharma White; front row: Jordan White, Caleb Sheldon, Ashley White, Elijah Sheldon, Hannah Sheldon, Benjamin White, and Gabriella White),

and numerous nieces and nephews. George was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, brother, Arthur Dale White, and his grandchildren, Craig White and Timothy White.

Pictured below is the entire family of George and Margaret White.

All of the grandkids sang "The Old Rugged Cross" (one of Grandpa's favorites); and my brothers, my dad, and I sang "Find Us Faithful." We had also sung at Grandma's funeral a few years back; but the words to "Find Us Faithful" seemed to be moving me more emotionally while we were singing, and it was pretty difficult to make it through the song.

At the grave site, all 11 grandkids carried the casket to the grave (I still can't believe how heavy the caskets are). The Honor Guard was present, and one member of the Honor Guard played "Taps" on a trumpet off in the distance. I had tears streaming down my face as they presented my mom with the perfectly folded American flag. All of this was very moving, and the whole day allowed for a lot of reflection and motivation for me over the past few weeks to begin to emulate the godly aspects of my grandpa's life.

The day before the funeral, my mom wanted my brothers and I to look through a few keepsake items of Grandpa's. I took one of his Bibles. I opened it a few days later and read something he had written on the very first page, "Never believe in never." Obviously, Grandpa wrote this as a motivational reminder to himself. I take this advice to heart as there are way too many times when I think I could never do something thinking it is out of my abilities or realm of comfort when really God may want to use that very thing I think I could never do to stretch and mold me and to help me grow closer to Him. I am 100% convinced that Grandpa will be smiling in Heaven as his family, friends, and those he did not even know in this life choose to never believe in never and allow themselves to continually be shaped by God.

If you would like to read another one of the grandkids' reflections on the life and death of our grandpa, please visit my cousin Shane's blog site at http://shanemwhite.blogspot.com/ and his posts dated September 26, 2008. As I read Shane's reflections, I finally let my emotions run free and let the grieving and growing process begin.

Weekend in Eau Claire, WI

This weekend, Aimee and I took a trip up to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to visit our very good friends, Ed and Charlotte Hudgins. We were all friends at Crossroads College here in Rochester. They lived in Rochester after they graduated from college until about three years ago when they moved up to Eau Claire. They left such a void in our hearts that we must see them at least once or twice a year.


We spent Saturday morning and early afternoon at a farmer's market and then at an international festival in downtown Eau Claire. It was a beautiful day and fun to take in the festival. We then came back to Ed and Charlotte's house and watched the Hawkeyes lose a close football game to Pittsburgh. On Saturday evening, we went out for supper at Houligan's Pub in downtown Eau Claire (pictured above). The food was DEE-licious! I had honey-crusted pistachio chicken and have never tasted anything so extraordinarily yummy! By the way, for those of you who know Charlotte, she has lost 62 pounds via her committment to Weight Watchers...that is awesome!

Pictured above are the four of us inside Houligan's Pub smiling pretty after our scrumptious meals.

Ed and Charlotte now have a 9-year-old Bishon named Paige (pictured above just in case you were confused!) they inherited from Charlotte's aunt who passed away about two months ago. It was hilarious watching Paige outwit, outplay, and outlast Penelope who is about 50 doggy years younger than Paige! There were several times we thought we might need to get the puggy inhaler out for Penelope!


As per Sheldon-Hudgins tradition, it was a must that we play cards at some point over the course of the weekend. In the picture above, we are in the middle of a rousing game of Nerts. Aimee made us all pause while she took the picture so that she would not fall behind in this speed game. I am not sure why she needed us to pause as she won every game of Nerts we played over the weekend.

Nerts is usually our warm-up game to get our minds focused for the all-important Spades game which really determines whose marriage has been more successful since we last got together (just kidding)! For real, it is a mental battle to try to either defend or recapture the World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions of the Spades Universe trophy. As you can see in the picture above, Aimee and I defended our previous title and held onto the trophy. I should also note that out of the ten times that the trophy has been up for grabs Aimee and I have won it six times. That said, we are looking forward to Ed and Charlotte visiting us some time in the next few months and trying to recapture the trophy.

Welcome to Fantasy Football, Aimee!

After being told year after year how much I should and would like fantasy football and being turned away due to no openings or because I am a girl, I finally joined a league...my league. Me and a couple of other ladies formed a fantasy football league called Fantasy Wives. Our group consists of ladies and only ladies. We don't know much, but we all are excited about learning and cheering on our players. This is a photo of some of the ladies on draft day. We did an online draft. It was pretty intense. I think that none of us wanted to let our husbands down. It was a lot of fun.

Check out my new glasses!

After Penelope got a hold of my old glasses, I got a new pair at my last eye check-up. I also received some good news at this check-up. For the first time I can remember since I started wearing glasses, my eyes didn't change. I was way pumped about this. You can view them on me in this next photo. Penelope is a big fan!

Ladies Day in Clear Lake, IA

(Top: Andrea, Amy, Stephanie, Kirsten, Beth

Lower: Me and Tabitha)

Just the girls. Stephanie, Beth, Tabitha and I hopped in the car and headed down to Clear Lake to visit our friend Amy before she had her baby one July morning. Kirsten and Andrea also met us in Clear Lake for a day of fun.

Our day consisted of playing games, eating, more games, and tons of laughter. We decided to take a break and hit the wild town of Clear lake. We stopped at a small

local coffee shop and walked down to the lake. It was a beautiful day.

Like a Gazelle

This past Saturday, August 23, 2008, I ran in the Rochester Half Marathon (13.1 miles). I had only run in one other competitive race post high school; and that was a 5K (3.1 miles) last summer, so this definitely challenged me. While I did not train as much as I should have, I did gradually increase my distance the last couple of months on the Douglas Trail. Below is a picture of me stretching in front of the Holiday Inn Downtown before the race.

There were 603 people who completed the half marathon. I am about half way back in the mob, so you cannot see me in the picture below. I thought it was freezing that day while I was waiting for the race to start (mid 50s). However, the weather turned out to be perfect once I started running.

The picture below made me laugh as everyone had stopwatches on their arms that they are starting as they cross the chip line. I had one in my pocket that I referenced at the four water stops.
About ten minutes after the half marathon had started, a 5K race began. Pictured below are two of Aimee and my friends from college, Jessie Garcia and Bonnie DePeel (both left-handed),

approaching the finish line.
My first goal was simply to complete the race. My second goal was to try to average under a 9-minute mile. My official time for the race was 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 20 seconds with an average mile time of 9 minutes and 2 seconds per mile, so I came very close to meeting both goals. That is me pictured below as I approached the finish line near the Mayo Civic Center.
I must admit that I have never experienced such tight muscles in my life as I did after the race. Even today, four days later, they are still a little tight. I did stretch after the race (pictured below). It was great to have Aimee and Penelope's support at the end of the race!
My sister-in-law, Dee, wants me to run in the Des Moines Marathon (26.2 miles) with her in October of 2009. Judging by how my legs felt after this race, I am going to need to train a little more seriously for that race if I want to have any hope of not being permanently wheelchair bound!

Don't mess with Texas!

As many of you know, Aimee and I road tripped down to Midland, Texas, last week to seek counseling from a pastor and his wife in a church down there. We left on Friday, August 15, after Aimee got off work. I drove all the way to Emporia, Kansas, before I decided I needed to pull over and sleep (around 1:30 a.m., we had driven 8 hours by this time). We had taken the back seats out of the Aztec, put a couple of eggshell matresses down on the floor, moved our luggage into the front seats, and slept in our sleeping bags in the back of the Aztec in a Walmart parking lot in Emporia. I had even purchased battery-operated fans for noise and to help circulate the air while sleeping (unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures of this). Penelope traveled with us and woke us up around 5 a.m. Neither one of us was really able to get back to sleep after that, and we finally decided to get up and brush our teeth, etc., in a nearby gas station's bathroom. We got breakfast at McDonald's and continued on our way. We stopped in Oklahoma City on the way down and toured the Capitol Building grounds (pictures below).


We then drove the rest of the way to Midland (11 hours total on Saturday for a total of 19 hours). It was really fun to see the landscape change from lush green to more of a desert look (though not as desert-looking as parts of Arizona). When we arrived in Midland on Saturday evening, we drove by our hotel, drove by the church so we would know where to go on Sunday morning, checked in to the hotel, dropped off our luggage and Penelope in our room, and then went to eat at an Italian restuarant called Carino's (pictures below...keep in mind that we had not showered for almost 48 hours, so we look quite pretty).


On Sunday we went to first service at church at 8:30 a.m. and met the pastor and his wife with whom we would be seeking counseling. We also met with the professional counselor/pastor on staff at the church. We had the rest of Sunday to enjoy on our own but did have homework to work on in preparation for our counseling sessions on Monday. We worked on the homework all Sunday afternoon and then decided to just relax that evening. We went to Logan's Roadhouse for supper and then came back to the hotel, took Penelope for a walk around town, exercised in the fitness room at the hotel, and watched the Olympics. On Monday, we had counseling in the morning and afternoon. Our counseling couple took us out for lunch to a local mexican restaurant called Carambas. It was delicious (all the food at the all of the restaurants was great)! They also invited us over to their house for supper on Monday evening, and we enjoyed getting to know them better in their family setting and also enjoyed the scrumptous grilled meal they had cooked for us. On Tuesday, we met with our counseling couple for one last session in the morning and then headed back to Rochester after lunch. We stopped at the same Walmart in Emporia, Kansas, on the way back to sleep. On Wednesday, we stopped in Topeka, Kansas, to tour the Capitol Building grounds there (picture below).

We were upset that there was construction and that we weren't able to tour either of the Capitol Buildings on this trip, so we let Penelope poop on the Capitol grounds right near a "Keep off the Grass" sign. For those of you whose hearts may be racing at our blatant rebellion, I would like to let you know that we picked the poop up with a plastic bag and disposed of it properly.

Also at the Kansas Capitol, we found out that Penelope is not fond of Abe Lincoln. She ferociously growled and barked at him for several minutes while we were near his statue (picture below). As we walked back to the Aztec, she kept turning around to keep barking at him as if to let him know that he better not move. Isn't she just the best guard dog ever?!
We arrived safely back in Rochester Wednesday night, August 20. We praised God that He kept us safe the entire trip, that we had no car trouble, and that He spoke to our hearts through our counselors.