A weekend of ups and downs

This was an interesting weekend to say the least. It started off great! A bunch of Harrison's family came into town for the weekend (from NYC, Albuquerque, Tampa, Jackson (MS), Valdosta, and Atlanta). We had a big BBQ dinner at my in-laws' home. I made a dessert that I got from Catherine Bailey's blog, and it was FANTASTIC. Almost everyone had two servings! It's a very summery dessert (Lemon Blueberry Trifle), so this was probably the last opportunity I had for the year to make it. I'm glad I did; it's a keeper.

Saturday was another 11am kickoff, but we still made the most of our short time to tailgate beforehand.

We played Mississippi State this weekend, who has a really good team this year. Auburn pulled off the win again, and we celebrated the rest of the day!

Players charging the field to celebrate the victory

After the game, we met up again with Harrison's side of the family for more tailgating. Here's a photo of Harrison holding up his cousin's recent Emmy Award:

We're all proud of you, Wesley Whatley! Can't wait to see what's in store for this year's Macy's Parade!

Sunday morning I woke up with the decade old memories of 9/11. Ten years ago I was sitting in Mrs. Hawkins English class. We were popping a movie (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) into the VCR while we caught sight of the cable channel showing a tall building up in smoke. Just when our class started to absorb what had happened, we watched as the second plane crashed into the tower. It was a time in my life that I'll never forget.

Around 9am, my Dad called. My grandfather (my dad's father) had passed away early in the morning. He's been suffering from cancer for a long time now, and he was ready to go. My Dad had been in Pennsylvania with him up until Saturday, so I was glad they got to say their good-byes and Grandpop is no longer suffering. Regardless, it's still hard to lose a grandparent. My grandmother (his wife) passed away last June. Here's a photo of my siblings with Grandpop last year after her funeral:

After coming to terms with that news, my brother, Nate, called. Paige was having to be admitted to the Cardiac Stepdown Unit at Egleston/Children's Hospital in Atlanta because her kidneys aren't doing well. They're not sure if it's her heart condition causing her kidney issues, or if the kidneys were 'bad' to begin with. The plan is to do a heart cath today to see if the pressures in her heart are worsening, which is causing her kidneys to suffer. If this is the case, she'll likely be put back in the ICU (to start the Milrinone IV drip - which helps her heart pump blood to the rest of her body, namely the kidneys) and have to be added to the heart transplant list. I hate that Kellye and Nate are going through this right now, but I know God is with them. It's hard to believe that this beautiful, healthy-seeming child is sick:

Photo 9/4/11:

9/11/11: Baby in Jail (Nate's reference to the hospital crib)

PLEASE keep the prayers coming! Refer to the carepage for updates:

http://www.carepages.com/carepages/BabyPaige