Cheers to Zach & Emily

 

 

One of Emily's bridesmaids shared a speech at the reception, and she gave me permission to share it with you. It is a beautiful description of the love between Emily and Zach and the friendships they have with others.  

 

Hello, my name is Paige and I have had the privilege of being friends with both Zach and Emily for the past 5 years.

 

Emily is a beautiful, tender soul, a hopeless romantic in most aspects of life. She holds on to joy wherever possible. She is honest and open and direct, but such an honest person. She loves with a depth and genuine nature--to be loved by her is a true privilege.

Zach is such an incredible friend. He is full of wisdom, he is smart, generous, faithful and diligent. With a fierce heart, thirst for adventure and a relentless perseverance of the things he cares about. Especially Emily.

 

You may not know that Emily's favorite movie as a kid was Peter Pan and that she had a crush on Peter growing up. Ironically, she herself is much like Wendy, a responsible big sister who cares deeply for those around her and loves to read and dream of wonderland.

It's fitting then, that Zach is much like Peter. A thirst for adventure with a troop of friends who would go anywhere with him. A natural born leader who will rise against any forces who would threaten what he holds dear. He has such integrity, even his shadow knows what he is about. He would stare down a crocodile-fearing pirate captain, challenge his friends, and even say hard things to the one he loves if life calls for it.

 

Emily, like Wendy calls others higher. She calls shots as she sees them, and will not be left out of the adventure. She loves deeply, and creates a safe space for those around her.

Together, these two have truly built something that seems like it belongs in a kid's book for the pure love that it holds. Like the story in Neverland, it's not been perfect, there have been arguments, and moments when the faith in the magic almost faded. But they fought for it and it came back stronger and brighter than ever.

 

 Zach, I couldn’t have hoped for a better man to pursue this sweet friend. In your love, Emily has found the peace her heart longed for, it is clear how you hold her in equal parts gentleness and fierceness and she has become more of the beautiful girl that I have had the privilege of knowing privately, in public.

Emily, thank you for loving Zach. Two weeks into dating, I remember you looking me in the eyes and saying, "I am going to marry Zach." Thank you for contending for him in the hard things, for choosing the narrow path, and always fighting for your relationship. Zach is clearly so secure in your love, and that has been a joy to see. He has become more joyful, vibrant and gentle. And you were right! Here you are, marrying Zach.

 The only thing I could now hope to say is… Zach I lost the game…. Also, congratulations, for this day and all the days to come. And never forget the secret to life is the live with love, faith, trust, and pixie dust…. CHEERS!

 

(Thank you Natasha Miley and Arin Love with @Shutterupphotographers (Instagram) or @ShutterUpPhotographyTexas (Facebook) for not just amazing photos, but a wonderful experience!)

 

Christmas 2023

My social media posts highlight the happy moments of 2023 and we certainly have much to be thankful for. But 2023 has also been one of the hardest years for our family. We are walking through a really difficult season and honestly, some days we have had only an ounce of hope. 

But God gives us good gifts even in the most difficult times.

Katerin has been with Heartlight Ministries for almost a year and it gives us great pride and joy to see how God uses her to minister to the girls in her care. She has learned so much and we love every minute we get to catch up with her, whether it’s a couple of days or just a phone call.

Emily and her boyfriend, Zach, are celebrating a year together and have just transitioned into a long-distance relationship as Zach took a job in Arlington. We have enjoyed getting to know Zach this past year. Emily moved to a new apartment this past summer and has roommates again. They have been so kind to take care of Daisy on the weekends Emily goes to Arlington.

Marian is in her 3^rd year of caring for an elderly client. She has enjoyed some travel this year—Las Vegas for her birthday, Alabama for a wedding, Thanksgiving in Oklahoma, and she is headed to Mexico for NYE! We love having Marian close and enjoy our time together when she is not working or off having fun.

You can see from our family photo below that we are excited to announce Wesley’s engagement to Sarah! The wedding planning is in full swing as we look ahead to April 27^th. We could not be more thrilled to welcome Sarah into our family! Wesley is finishing college this month and walking the stage in May! He is studying hard for the CPA exams and he and Sarah plan to move to Dallas where he will start a job with Mazars next summer.

Omar is in his Senior year at Tomball High School. He is in class half days and then works at Houston Oaks the other half as a ranch hand. He loves to work, which comes in handy since he bought a truck last Spring! He is planning to study Agriculture at SFA next Fall—go Lumberjacks!

Saimon and Savannah are both Juniors and both are going to high school out of state. Saimon’s school has 8-man football and his team was undefeated and took the State Championship! Savannah is just getting settled at her new school and we look forward to seeing her soon!

Going to high school out of state was not what we planned for or wanted. But for different reasons, and with heavy hearts, we made the decision in effort to help meet our kids’ crucial needs during this time. Together is where we want to be. Even though we cannot be together every night right now, we are trusting the Lord to hold us all close, even closer to Him.  And we try to make the most of the times we do get to see each other.

We hope you have a beautiful Christmas with loved ones and pray that in whatever path you are on, you may know the Lord more deeply and feel His amazing love and goodness every single day!

With love, The Evermons

Christmas 2022

 

For my Christmas letter this year I adapted a previous post....it was a different kind of Christmas, so I decided to do a different kind of card:

In celebration of the Astros winning the World Series, here’s what it would look like if our family was a professional baseball team…

Top of the line up...

CF: Jeremy! There are days when this guy probably feels like he's batting .230, but from my view in the dugout, he is an all-star. One of the highlights of this year has been cheering him on and joining him (somewhat) in getting healthier. When Jeremy makes up his mind and sets a goal, he is undeterred. His self-discipline and dedication to losing weight and exercise has been fun, rewarding, challenging, and admirable. I am super proud of him for making some healthy changes! But what I appreciate more, and what I too often take for granted, is how he always chooses me. We have had our share of foul balls and strike outs, but that's not the end of the story. By God's grace, we come back together and work it out….even if it takes extra innings. He's definitely the MVP on this team.

Next up...

2B: Me -- yes mom gets a spot on the team too. I am the author of this Christmas letter and manager of this team so I get to be 2nd in the line up. Often times, the 2nd batter is a good bat handler and needs to be one who can take pitches to allow the leadoff hitter to steal. I don't know about handling the bat, but I do know how to take some pitches. And I often sacrifice bunt so that makes me good for batting in the 2 hole.

3B: Marian can throw across the diamond with strength and accuracy, and she can quickly react given her close proximity to home plate. She is not surprised by bunt attempts that come her way either. Marian demonstrated her strength (and courage) on a recent, memorable trip to Colombia.

LF: Saimon -- this kid is our power hitter so he's 4th in the lineup to drive us home. He’s also a switch-hitter—he’s able to hit the ball hard from either side of the plate. I do not know anyone who works out more than this guy. He lifts weights up to 5-6 hours a day. He is one strong dude.

1B: We have another power hitter, Omar! Omar often has to scoop one-hop throws from an infielder or pick low throws out of the dirt, but you will never hear him complain. He does look forward to being granted free agency in May 2024 upon his high school graduation.

SS: Wesley - Wes is one of two left-handed batters on the team (mom being the other). He has leadoff-type skills so he gets 6th in the lineup, and he makes a good shortstop because he takes charge on balls hit in the air as well as communication among infielders. Wesley is fast approaching graduation at College of the Ozarks with just 2 more semesters.

RF: Emily! When asked what position she wanted on the team, without hesitation Emily said, "OH, I want to be way out in right field, out where the dandelions grow." Emily is enjoying College Station with her friends, church, job and cat.

Catcher: Crouched behind home plate, Savannah primarily is responsible for receiving all the pitches thrown at her, but she also has a lot of duties on defense. Preventing stolen bases, suggesting pitch selections, and framing the strike zone make for a lot on her plate. Savannah is 8th in the lineup because she is also a patient hitter. Savannah shows her patience and stamina as she manages responsibilities in AP classes and Athletic Training.

And last but not least....

P: Katerin is batting 9th in the lineup because of her leadoff-type skills. And as pitcher, Katerin is a swingman because she may be used as a starter or a reliever. Katerin has lived in Waco for nearly two years but is now looking for a job elsewhere. We have enjoyed having her visit more this past month as she is starting her job search.

With every great baseball team, there are even greater fans. We have the best support around us with our family and friends! Even when we are the losing team, they are cheering us on. We could not take the field without them.

And of course, what’s a team without ballboys? Cocoa and Hiccup make the best ballgirl and ballboy!

Whether you cheered for the Astros or all the other teams they beat, we hope this Christmas your family experiences the joy of being on God’s team…always the winning team.

Merry Christmas from the Evermons

The Most Unexpected Reunion

The past few weeks Jeremy and I have been delighted, no... ecstatic, to tell and re-tell this story to our friends and family. Some close friends have been with us almost each time we've shared it, and they are sweet enough to make us feel like they are not just enduring it, but actually enjoy hearing it one more time.

Recently, so many parts of our world collided in the most extraordinary, unexpected, amazing way and I've procrastinated in writing it down because I don't think I can do it justice.

The excitement we feel is the same excitement you may feel when you've opened a long-awaited gift. 

The encouragement we feel is kind of like that feeling you may have when your kids give you hugs, or your boss recognizes your hard work, or your parents tell you how proud they are of you.

So here's what happened...

On a normal Tuesday work day, Jeremy and I both got totally random messages from a stranger who says,

Hi there! Sorry for the totally random message from a stranger. I am at Pinecove in Tyler with a new friend named John. John was an orphan in an orphanage in Rwanda as a child, he said that he had a couple from Texas named Jeremy and Vanessa with a son named Wesley who came to spend time with him when he was an Orphan and he wanted to try and find them.

I am curious - is that you and your husband? Sorry if not!

This stranger was not the only curious one now! What did John look like? What orphanage was he from? What camp was going on at Pine Cove?

I asked him if he could send a pic of John and when he did, he mentioned John was blind and he had lived at the Noel Orphanage.

AWE of God drifted over me and settled inside softly.

John at Pine Cove

Jeremy and I knew exactly who John was. We had spent 2 days at Noel Orphanage on our first trip to Rwanda in 2010. I started this blog a month before that trip and posted about each day--this post includes Jeremy's thoughts about visiting Noel and a letter from another John at Noel.

Our time at Noel was so brief, but made a huge impact on us. We walked around the grounds of Noel with John and many others, but John spoke more English so it was easier to talk. He sang and taught Jeremy some songs in Kenyarwanda and they sung some American worship songs too. He had a beautiful voice. And he hardly left our side the entire time we were there.

John is on Jeremy's right shoulder

First trip in 2010

John and I in 2011 on our second trip

Fast forward to August 2022, John was at Rally Week at Pine Cove. Rally Week is an extra week of camp for ministries across Texas to bring their kids who would not otherwise have the opportunity to go. John met a guy named Wesley at camp (not our Wesley, although our Wesley had been there the week before!) and he asked him, "Are you the Wesley with Jeremy, Vanessa and Wesley from Texas?" He was not, but Kenneth (stranger who sent us the random message) listened to John explain why he asked. Kenneth began googling "Jeremy, Vanessa, Wesley, orphan, Rwanda" and he quickly found us and got in touch. He wanted to make sure it was us before telling John.

Meanwhile, Kenneth told the whole story to his co-worker, Autumn, and Autumn was like, "I know them!" 

WHAAAAAT???

Autumn is one of Katerin's BEST FRIENDS from college--they affectionately call their circle of 6 friends "The Gaggle." This photo was taken of Katerin and Autumn the weekend after Autumn met John at Pine Cove (One friend in the gaggle got married). 

Back at camp, Kenneth saw that John had left his water bottle at the lunch table so he took it to him. He had the confirmation he needed to tell John the news.

He told John he found his water bottle but that's not all....

he had found Jeremy, Vanessa and Wesley from Texas!

We got to Facetime with John at the end of the week and we soon made plans to meet in person. John shared how he would ask people he met at times if they knew us. He'd come to the States in 2014 and even to Texas and he would sometimes get frustrated and ask God, "Why can't I find them...I have come all the way from Rwanda to Texas!"

Now he lives an hour away!

Wesley stopped by to see John on his way back to school

Meeting John face to face again!

We can't get over all of the things! Our trips to Rwanda making it clear we would adopt older kids. Rwanda adoptions closing and God leading us to our kids in Colombia. Our daughter from Colombia going to UMHB where she met Autumn. Autumn working with a non-profit that goes to Pine Cove the same week John is there. John remembering our names and asking about us.

John has quite a story! God is so sweet to allow this reunion to take place on this side of Heaven. And how He brought it about just amazes us!

Tulips and Windmills

Yesterday I passed the exit I used to take to get Emily to The Westview School. As I drove passed, my mind traveled back to the past to the days of commuting to school, learning about autism, and all the fears I had as a mom with a child on the spectrum.

Soon after receiving our diagnosis, someone shared Emily Perl Kingsley's essay, Welcome to Holland with me and yesterday's drive gave me time to think about some of the tulips and windmills and what I would share with my younger self...

First thing I would do is put my arm around my shoulder, give a squeeze and say, 

"It really will be ok."

Yes there will be hard things, things that feel impossible and at times you will feel helpless. But these hard things are necessary things. They become the necessary tutors, the only teachers, that can equip Emily and prepare her for more independence.

You won't have to figure things out on your own. 

Don't limit your dreams by what is on the internet or what diagnosticians project. Emily is unique. Your family dynamics are not the norm. You really can't imagine what is ahead.

Hold fast to faith and allow enough naivety to take risks.

Build on her strengths and invest in her character. Don't waste a second trying to catch up or fill in gaps. Being normal is not the goal.

The photos in this post are from a recent trip Emily and I got to enjoy--her senior trip just 4 years late. We enjoyed Disney at our own pace and were grateful to get to do all the things we wanted.

And I am even more grateful "to enjoy the very special, very lovely things" about the journey we are on. 

Birthdays & Baseball

Since I have taken a social break online, I have missed sharing about my loved ones on their birthdays. So this is THE BIRTHDAY POST for my favorite people with a little bit of a baseball twist. 

Here's how it would go if we were a professional baseball team:

Top of the line up...

CF: Jeremy! There are days when this guy probably feels like he's batting .230, but from my view in the dugout, he is an all-star. One of the highlights of this year has been cheering him on and joining him (somewhat) in getting healthier. 

When Jeremy makes up his mind and sets a goal, he is undeterred. His self-discipline and dedication to losing weight and exercise has been fun, rewarding, challenging, and admirable.

I am super proud of him for making some healthy changes! But what I appreciate more, and what I too often take for granted, is how he always chooses me. We have had our share of blow-ups and disagreements, but that's not the end of the story. By God's grace, we come back together and work it out.

He's definitely the MVP on this team.

For Jeremy's last birthday, he met Wesley in Kansas City to watch the Astros beat the Royals 6 - 3. It was a quick trip for them both but they got to enjoy baseball and BBQ.

Next up...

2B: Me -- yes mom gets a spot on the team too. I am the author of this blog and manager of this team so I get to be 2nd in the line up. Often times, the 2nd batter is a good bat handler and needs to be one who can take pitches to allow the leadoff hitter to steal. 

I don't know about handling the bat, but I do know how to take some pitches. And I often sacrifice bunt so that makes me good for batting in the 2 hole.

I got to spend my last birthday at my favorite place in the whole world--THE LAKE. Being at the lake feeds my soul. It can be any lake, and fortunately, we have a few lakes within 1-3 hours from us that we can enjoy. 

3B: Marian! Marian has a birthday in April, so in 2020, we were in the middle of lockdowns and in 2021 we had a family crisis that didn't ask for permission to collide with her day.

So this year she actually got to have lunch with grandparents, dinner and dancing with friends, and then we had our family birthday dinner for her and Wesley a week after.

LF: Saimon -- this kid is our power hitter so he's 4th in the lineup to drive us home. Saimon got to spread his birthday celebration out over Spring Break with a big extended family lunch and fun with friends throughout the week. 

Saimon turned sweat 16 this year (that's not a typo). He is sweat 16 because I do not know anyone who works out more than this guy. He's in athletics at school and then he works out at home up to 3 more times a day. He is one strong dude.

1B: We have another power hitter, Omar! Omar did not get a car for his birthday, but he found a good deal on one a few months later. Omar spent the last two birthdays hanging out with friends and re-introducing the family to Golden Corral. He also has become a frequent shopper at Boot Barn so most of Christmas and Birthday money went towards his new style. 

SS: Wesley - Wes is one of two left-handed batters on the team (mom being the other). He has leadoff-type skills so he gets 6th in the lineup, and he makes a good shortstop because he takes charge on balls hit in the air as well as communication among infielders. Wesley has spent the last 2 birthdays at Pine Cove working as a counselor at the Bluffs. 

There is a lot to love and appreciate about Wesley, but what you may not know is that he is....

RF: Emily! When asked what position she wanted on the team, without hesitation Emily said, "OH, I want to be way out in right field, out where the dandelions grow."

Emily most enjoys spending her birthday with family and friends. She likes to read every birthday card...out loud. The last two birthdays she has gotten to do exactly her favorite thing--quality time with her favorite people, feeling loved and celebrated. 

Emily has also been on a journey to a healthier lifestyle and is almost half way to her goal!

Catcher: Crouched behind home plate, Savannah primarily is responsible for receiving all the pitches thrown at her, but she also has a lot of duties on defense. Preventing stolen bases, suggesting pitch selections, and framing the strike zone make for a lot on her plate. Savannah is 8th in the lineup because she is also a patient hitter.

Savannah has spent the last couple of birthdays with a small group of friends. She is beyond ready for her next birthday because she will finally get a phone!

 

And last but not least....

P: Katerin is batting 9th in the lineup because of her leadoff-type skills. And as pitcher, Katerin is a swingman because she may be used as a starter or a reliever. 

Since Katerin went to college and is now in the workforce, we have spent less birthdays with her on her actual birthday. But she has enjoyed special outings with her best friends and joined us for family dinners when possible.

 

What's a team without our own ballboys??

The best Ballboy & Ballgirl

Hiccup & Cocoa just celebrated their 2nd birthday

Birthdays give us a chance to turn our attention to each family member and give God thanks for their life, their gifts, who they are, and who they are becoming.

And I think we would make a heck of a baseball team!

You may have guessed already, but we love the Astros! 

So to end this post, I'll share some fan pics from over the years...

Let's go Astros!

Thanks MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com for helping me form my lineup!