Big man, even bigger heart

On February 1, 2013 you may remember a post titled "Little Lady, Big Heart" about Michael's grandmother, Nanny. Now, on June 20th, only 4 and a half months later, I'd like to share with you about her husband and Michael's grandather, DD also known as Jim Reid, who passed away on Tuesday, June 18th after over 200 days in Methodist Hopsice and after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Jim Reid smile :)

Love this picture of nanny & DD at Christmas time... I'm pretty sure this was the Home Builders Christmas Gala.

"Jim Reid was respected throughout the building and business communities as a good, honest man who could wear his jeans and t-shirt with a cigar in his mouth to dig a home's foundation in the morning and then be in a suit and tie to meet with the bankers in the afternoon."

The quote above is one of my favorite parts of DD's obituary. DD was the kind of man that wrote love letters to his future wife every day, drove long hours to see nanny when they lived hours apart, started a family business bulding homes with a little bit of experience, a dream, and a lot of hard work, gave anything and everything to his family, came to every basketball game, graduation, and birthday party that any of the grandkids had, and knew that a simple life was a happy life. What an extrodinary person he was and what an extrodinary legacy he leaves with his sweet family. You can read his full obituary and see what rich life he lead, sweet pictures that serve as memories of who he was and who he has helped his children and grandchildren become, and memories that will always be in our hearts, here.

Here are a few of the pictures that I just love. You can tell how much these boys (Michael and Aaron) adored their DD even from a young age.

DD & Michael (love those little red curls :)

DD & Aaron (notice DD's got his popsicle in one hand and his cigar in another :)

The boys with nanny & DD

DD with his Reid Homes shirt that Michael & Aaron got him. This is exactly how I will remember DD... In his chair at home surrounded by famiy with a slight smile and big blue eyes peering up at us.

There are truly no words (although DD's obituary will give you insight on the kind of man he was and the type of family and business he built) that can describe him and his family. I am so blessed to be a part of his legacy through marriage to Michael. I can only hope that Michael and I can live like him, love like him, and raise a family like him.

We love you DD.

Love,
R&M

Next to me

We had the best time this weekend at our cousin's (Matthew & Sarah's) wedding! It was in Rogers, Arkansas which was just as pleasant as they said it was. Rogers is a smaller town, relatively speaking, with the cutest square, great shopping and beautiful scenery.

As I watched Matthew & Sarah say their vows I couldn't help but remember our own. Being with Michael in the chapel at our church in front of all of our friends and family, while saying our vows, was the hands down the sweetest and most intimate experience of my whole life. How wonderful is God and his gift of marriage?

We will be married 8 months this week. Life has never been sweeter. Yes, we have definitely had our share of ups and downs, believe me... there are times when I want to ring his neck for being on his phone all the time and leaving his golf stuff in our dining room and I know there are times he'd like to ring mine (although I have no clue what for... :)) but I do know this much - God gives you little glimpses of what heaven must be like when you find that one who your soul loves. Saturday night reminded me of just that. Although we were in the middle of his family celebrating Sarah and Matthew, we were also in our own little world... on the dance floor, at the bar, wherever we were at the reception. We had such a blast together! Sometimes you just need to dance and laugh and God knew exactly what we needed. I am so thankful for this gift of marriage and I thank my God for him.

On the dance floor. :)

As we were driving home and holding hands one of my favorite songs (as of late) came on. I couldn't help but smile as I looked down at his hand in mine as he was so sweetly rubbing my hand. In that moment I didn't want to move. I really just wanted to freeze in time and remember how much fun we had. It's hard to explain unless you've been there. Anyway, I want to remember it and want our future children to know how this feels, how their parents felt about each other and how love is supposed to feel... so I'm blogging it. :) The days of pen and paper are long over!

Without further ado... I'll let Emeli take it away. Click here for the music video of one of my favorite songs lately & the song that reminds me how blessed I am to have Michael next to me!

Love,
R&M