Karwoski Life

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…a little late, and a little early! We had a wonderful Christmas week! Naturally it flew by and the reality of WINTER is starting to sink in…but as usual, I will do my best to see the bright side! It sure was pretty to have lots of new snow for Christmas, and since my parents and Matt’s family from Michigan had already safely made it to Iowa, I welcomed the fresh blanket. Of course, it has since mostly been covered in ice and partially melted, so things are a real mess now…but it sure was pretty on Christmas! Mom and Dad arrived in town on the 23rd and we had some time in the afternoon at our place. It was so great to have them over and just spend time visiting and puttering around the house together. Dad helped me hang up some things, while Matt and Mom supervised, of course. We ordered pizza and relaxed. They were tired after the long trip though, and headed back to their hotel to crash, while we watched some football (what else is there this time ...

It’s been a pretty tough week here. Wednesday I attended the funeral of baby Graham…which is something I had hoped and prayed we wouldn’t have to do. While the odds were stacked against him from the beginning of his short life, we all prayed diligently for healing and health…but it just wasn’t to be. I can’t imagine the pain of losing a child…especially after waiting so long for the blessing of one. I just can’t make heads or tails of it…none of us can. All we can do is lean on our faith and pray for comfort and peace. I pray that Scott and Julie will be washed in the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit and know that their baby is safe and healthy in heaven. It’s hard to know what to say to try and comfort her…it’s hard to feel comfort myself and I am just a friendly bystander. The sadness I feel for Julie is profound. It caught me off guard…I just couldn’t fight the wave of grief that bubbled up and poured out when I got the news that he was gone. And sitting at the funeral, seeing...

My dear friend Julie's baby boy Graham passed away yesterday. Please hold Scott and Julie and their families close in your prayers...

For those of you who don’t live in Iowa and aren’t all that familiar with the weather here…I just thought I’d give you a quick low down on the past few days. Saturday it was sunny, a little breezy, and FIFTY degrees outside! All the snow and ice were melting, the streets were wet with run off, and it felt like spring was around the corner. On Sunday morning it was still mild when we left the house for church, the sun was shining and it was FORTY-EIGHT degrees. As we made our way to church, we could see clouds headed our way and the wind started to pick up. By the time we came out of church it had completely clouded over, the wind was howling, and the temperature was TWENTY! The crazy temperature continued to spiral lower and lower quickly to a brisk THREE degrees. INSANE!!!!!!!!!!! Wind chills were negative TWENTY-FIVE this morning as I made my way to work…that’s NUTS folks…NUTS! Anyway, we managed to have a really good weekend, despite the borderline personality disorder of mot...

November…where did you go!?!? I just can’t believe we are well into December now…the time is really just flying by. I know I’ve been really bad about posting updates, but things have just been so hectic. The holiday rush is in full swing and just tonight I finally feel a little calmer about things. We had a great Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad’s in Texas…oh, it was just the best time. We flew down on the 24th with Hope, Chad, and the kids…YIKES! Both kids traveled pretty darn well though, and we arrived in warm, sunny Texas all in one piece. It was so great to pull out the flip flops and sandals for one more hoorah! We spent most of the next few days just hanging out…quality time as a family and it was SORELY overdue! I wanted to soak as much of it up as possible. We celebrated Thanksgiving with a wonderful meal together, followed by a birthday celebration for Dad and Meghan. (They both loved the Barbie cake!) We spent time playing with the kids outside, running around the yard, writing...