My sweet Grandpa Tunney passed away in August, and our family traveled to Ohio for his funeral. I loved this man deeply and missed him for the past several years as Alzheimer's took his mind away from us while his body lingered. I wanted to share what I said at his funeral as I hope it truly honors the man he was. I cannot wait to see him whole in eternity!

He stood only 5 feet 7 inches, but Richard Allan Tunney - my Grandpa - was a giant of a man. Loyal, steadfast, hardworking. He was an honorable man, and I am grateful for the opportunity to honor him today.

Grandpa leaves quite a legacy, and I know he would love to see these first few rows this morning: his bride of 68 years, 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and (so far) 9 great-grandchildren.
I have sweet early memories of him: the smell of his workshop, the way he smiled with his eyes, his strong arms as he pushed one of his four granddaughters on the swing in the backyard. I remember many Sundays spent on one of those back pews, wondering how in the world every single person at Bethel knew Grandpa by name. Even though we grew up about 5.5 hours away, Grandma and Grandpa never missed a major moment. They'd drive to Nashville to watch our cross country meets or to take pictures before prom or graduations. And I'll never forget them dancing at my wedding. Grandpa also had a bit of a mischievous streak that I especially admired. One time, in my early teens, I convinced him to hang a full-sized hammock from the walls of my bedroom when my parents just happened to be out of town. We both clearly knew they'd said "no" to the idea, but he helped me do it anyway, and I loved him all the more for it.

Grandma - I want to talk to you for a minute. Your courageous, sacrificial love for Grandpa, especially over this past decade, has astounded me. You have worked so hard but I know you'd do it all again if given the chance. You never stopped, you never gave up. I know he would be so thankful for your incredible care. I'm confident he's the only Alzheimer's patient in all of Ohio who had his hair blow dried every single day. I know your love wasn't perfect, but it sure was strong.

A little while ago, you told me over the phone that it had been a particularly rough day. I listened as you recounted Grandpa's unsurprising stubbornness when it came to just about every part of his daily tasks. 

But then you paused. And I'll never forget what you said: "I still remember him walking up the drive to pick me up for our first date. I was 16. It's still him. I love him, and I'll love him 'til the day I die." 

I work part-time as a nurse, and each time I'm headed to work at the hospital, I call Grandma. It's a chance to catch up for 10 or 15 minutes, and one of the first things I always ask is, "How is Grandpa today?"

Now that Grandpa is in Heaven, you better believe I'll still call. But I won't have to ask that question because I already know the answer. So I want to ask that question - and answer it - one final time.

How is Grandpa today?

Grandpa is having his best day ever and this is only the beginning. Grandpa is whole. His mind is sharp and clear, his joy complete as he's in the presence of his Savior, Jesus. He's free from the broken body he struggled inside for the last several years of his life. Grandpa knows peace like none of us in this room have yet experienced. We don't have to pray for him anymore because we know where he is. We know Whose he is. We may say "we've lost him," but Grandpa is not lost to God. And in just a little while, we who place our hope in the resurrected Christ will join him in a glorious future we can hardly fathom. Amen!

Our fam.

I'm so, so thankful to have new family pictures (said all the moms in the room!). Shannon Mills Photography did an incredible job with a short window of time and impending rain - and a few wiggle worms - and I love that she captured our family at this crazy wonderful season. 

Tennessee.

Back in June, our new family of 6 made the trip to Tennessee. We celebrated a dear friend's wedding reception and my dad's birthday, and got to show off Beckham to dozens of friends and family. Besides much of our family being in middle Tennessee, the golden light, the lush landscape, the open fields... there's no place quite like it. Tennessee hasn't been our home for 6 years now (hard to believe!), but it will always be a place of rest and respite for us.

July 4th wedding.

I had the privilege to photograph another wedding in downtown Raleigh, at the same location where I shot a wedding a few months ago. Hayleigh and Ben had such a fun, relaxed wedding. There was nothing forced or stiff about their day, and I think that came through so beautifully in the photos. They were fully present, just drinking in the goodness of their family and friends that surrounded them. And how fun is it to get married on July 4?! They'll get to celebrate with fireworks every single year! Here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Flexible.

If there was one word that my sister Kelsey and I were encouraged to embrace as little girls, it was "flexible." As daughters of full-time Christian musicians, we traveled as a family nearly every weekend to churches around the country. We slept in countless hotel rooms, were expert flyers, and navigated late nights and early mornings like pros. We became the embodiment of "flexible."

Kels and I, outside Alcatraz

It felt like a true privilege, this adventurous life we’d been given. After an evening spent at a church concert - selling product, unpacking and repacking sound equipment, greeting church members - we’d get to stop at a gas station on our way back to the hotel and choose anything we wanted for dinner. I’d pick a cherry Icee and a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips and revel in the fact that I knew none of my friends’ Sunday night dinners looked like this.

This was my early childhood.

Faithfulness.

I started this blog in February 2009 with this post, just 6 weeks after we got married.

I've always been good at starting things. I haven't been as good at keeping them going. So to see over 9 years of posts on this little blog... truly 9 years of God's faithfulness... it blesses me. And to see how he's grown our family from a newlywed couple in downtown Chicago to a thriving family of 5 just brings me to tears. While this blog has always been about chronicling our journey (and I hope our grandchildren might read these words someday!), it's also been a joy to share our life with readers. You've graced us with the sweetest comments and prayers for many years now. (Is there anyone besides my mom and mother-in-law that have been reading since 2009 and is still along for the ride? I'm so curious!)

A few weeks ago, we landed on a really sweet opportunity. I'd been entered in an Instagram contest for a chance at free family photos without my knowledge, and before I even realized it, I won! Callie Doty took these amazing photos in sweltering heat in half an hour. She's a true professional, so kind, and did extremely well with the kids. Considering we hadn't had professional photos taken since our wedding (!!!), this was an enormous gift.

Check out Callie's photography website here: Callie Doty Photography
And her sweet blog post about our family here: The N Family

My favorite kind of before and after.

Left: July 2015
Right: December 2017

We're celebrating half a year with Brooks Wilder under our roof, and it's hard to imagine life before him. Putting photos side-by-side, though, makes it real. He was just a dream and now he's here, woven into every precious moment of our family. 

We couldn't have believed how much Liam and Lanie adore him. We affectionately call them "the fruit flies" because the moment Brooks enters the room, they swarm to him and won't leave him alone until they've smothered every surface of his chubby cheeks. The mornings are especially intense with Brooksie love, so I've started setting a timer for each child to get one-on-one time with him. Who wouldn't want to keep all that joyful squish all to themselves? I don't blame them for a second.