round two!

So, after the Christmas celebration with my family and my grandfather's funeral we headed to Turkey Run State Park to celebrate with Larry's family. All the while knowing we had yet another loss to deal with at the end of this holiday week. We were to have stayed at the park Sunday and Monday night, but as plans would have it, we only ended up being there Monday night, and we were all exhausted. It had been a long weekend, and we didn't really get to enjoy our time there. Add to the fact that the weather again turned nasty on Tuesday morning so we couldn't even go for a short walk, we needed to get on the road. So we headed to Larry's parents near Lafayette to open gifts and have lunch together. The celebration was punctuated by phone calls about plans for Nana's funeral, which made the mood somewhat somber in the midst of the celebration. We missed her presence with us as a family. Please pray as we go through yet another loss this holiday, but rejoice that she has gone home to meet her Maker, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Saunders, Irene
December 24, 2008 Irene Saunders long time Carmel resident, died on Sunday, December 21, 2008 in her home. Mary Irene Stewart was born in Lake Butler, FL in 1907 to the late Henry and Ada Stewart. She graduated from Bradenton High School in Bradenton, FL in 1925 and from Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee in 1929. Irene married Warren Saunders on June 24, 1934, in Bradenton, a union which lasted nearly seventy years. The couple moved to Indiana in 1952, following his ordination as a pastor, and together they served Methodist churches in Richmond, Leesburg and Goshen before moving to Carmel United Methodist Church in 1964. They retired in Carmel in 1982. After college, she served for ten years as secretary to the manager of Peninsula Telephone Company in Bradenton. During WWII the couple moved many times due to her husband's military service. After he enrolled at Emory University in 1947, she worked as secretary to the head of the medical service at a VA hospital in Atlanta, and then served as secretary to Atlanta physician James Paulin, the doctor who signed President Roosevelt's death certificate. Following their move to Indiana, Irene devoted her energies to church, community and family. Active in United Methodist Women, she was also a member of PEO sorority, the Entre Nous Club, and the Carmel Symphony guild. She also served on the board of the Lucille Raines Residence and taught the Fidelis Sunday School class at Carmel UMC for many years. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Irene was also a wonderful cook and a gracious hostess who enjoyed entertaining. Travel was another passion. The couple traveled widely both in the United States and abroad. Over the years they spent time in Canada, England, France, Spain, the former Soviet Union and other parts of Europe and they led a tour group to Israel and the Middle East in 1976. They also enjoyed close ties with an extended family scattered from Florida to California. Their Carmel home became a hub for family gatherings for both the Saunders and Stewart sides of the family and they visited family and friends throughout the country. Her husband Warren preceded her in death on March 13, 2003. Survivors include a son, E. Stewart Saunders (wife, Margaret) of Lafayette, IN and three grandchildren, The Rev. Lawrence Saunders (wife, Jessica) of Culver, IN, M. Augustus Saunders of Los Angeles, CA and Emily Summers (husband, Justin) of Tipton, IN. She is also survived by two great grandchildren as well as nieces, nephews and their families. She was preceded in death by five sisters, Clara Stewart Towsend, Eloise Stewart, Ida Stewart Huggins, Kathryn Stewart Shaver and Lucille Stewart Powell. Family and friends will gather on Friday, December 26, 2008 from 4 to 7 p.m. in Leppert Mortuary, Smith Carmel Chapel. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. in the Carmel United Methodist Church with calling one hour prior to service. Interment will follow in the Carmel Cemetery.

Memorials to the Carmel United Methodist Church or the Habitat for Humanity.

prayers please

My grandpa isn't doing well at all, and could we could use your prayers, especially for my grandma Mary. Herb, my mom's dad, had a serious hospital stay back in February when we thought we might lose him, but he pulled through then. He has been in a nursing home since and just isn't the same. He was admitted this weekend and though, he has made a bit of progress since admittance, he is not out of the woods yet. The doctor is surprised at the progress he has made, but at 94 you just never know what might happen.

Also Larry's grandmother, Nana, has been not doing well either. She fell back in October, not seriously injuring anything. After a short stay in the nursing home side of her living complex, she is back in her own apartment. Since then however, she has not been eating well, or getting around, and has basically 24 hours care with her. She turned 101 at the beginning of October and we think she may be just plain tired!

We pray that God's will is done in these situations even if that means a loss for us, we know that God knows best. Thanks!

We have plenty to praise God for; He is omniscient.

More than a century

Can you imagine turning 101 years old? Well, Nana (Larry's grandmother) is today.

Happy Birthday Nana!

Maria and Joshua had a blast making pictures for Nana. They soon figured out painting themselves was just as fun as the paper, and Joshua enjoyed tasting the paint, don't worry it was non-toxic!

Joshua enjoyed the Chinese food!

We were able to celebrate with her on Saturday in Carmel. She is her normal self with a few bumps and bruises, due to a fall last week, that has her in the nursing care side of the housing she lives in for at least a couple more days. It is wonderful to be able to allow Maria to get to know her, and make some fun memories with her.

We have plenty to praise God for; a healthy 101 year old Nana.

Think about what the world was like 101 years ago?

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
• Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three minute call from Denver to New York cost eleven dollars.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and Tennessee were each more populated than California.
• With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
• The average wage in the U.S. was .22 cents per hour.
• The average U.S. worker made between $200. and $400. per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000. per year, a dentist, $2,500 per year, a Veterinarian between $1,500. and $4,000. per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000. per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education, instead they attended a so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
• Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were

1. Pneumonia
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart Disease
5. Stroke

• The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the union yet.
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30!
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer and ice tea had not been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's or Father's day.
• Two out of every ten adults could not read or write.
• Only six percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter at local corner drugstores.
• Back then the pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind and regulated the stomach and bowels and is, in fact a perfect guardian to health."
• Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full time servant or domestic help.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S

Ah, the good old days!