Chair's Table

Isabella Joy Poskonka!!!

2010-11-15T15:41:00.004-06:00

Wow -It's been almost 2 years... in a couple weeks, Matt and I will celebrate 2 years of marriage! It's been wonderful and filled with great exciting trips (alaska, san diego, TN, etc..) and also mundane things which are wonderful as well (meals together, walks, picnics, daily happenings etc...). The greatest thing, though, was welcoming our daughter, Isabella Joy Poskonka, into our world. She was born at 3:54am on 1/26/2010 and weighted 7lbs 12oz and was 20.5in long! She's almost 10 months now and is adoreable. Full of giggles and smiles, singing, chattering, waving, crawling, standing, and all that sort of fun stuff! Enjoy the pics! We are looking forward to her first Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and then her cousin Chris's wedding (that's my brother Dave's son) on New Year's Eve!

WEDDING and HONEYMOON

2009-01-27T16:08:00.008-06:00

Matt and I got married on 11/29/08 at 10am at Harvest (http://www.hbclz.org/) and our reception was at Makray Memorial Golf Course (makraygolf.com). It was a wonderful time and we loved every minute of it. The ceremony had a lot of meaningful moments in it (Lori placing a rose and Dave's Bible on the piano; my Dad performing communion and a prayer; good friends Happi and Jerry singing (bergerbuzz is their blog), a wonderful wedding party and best of all- the MAN of my dreams becoming my husband!!! Matt and I had our first dance to "Bless the broken Road" by Rascal Flats, then Dad and I danced to "I loved her first" and then Matt and his mom danced to "What a wonderful world." We did a garter toss which Matt completely hammed up and was AWESOME, and then, for the boquet, we had a married people's dance, where people were eliminated until the longest-married couple remained (happened to be my parents who have been married 52 years.) It was a tribute to marriage and they got my mini bouquet. The cake was yummy, as was lunch, the toasts were so sweet and all in all it was a great time! We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon-- The Big Island and Oahu. We saw waterfalls, went to the active volcano and walked through a lava tube (the main thing was closed), went on a tour of Pearl Harbor, the Arizona memorial, and on a battleship and later toured Honolulu while driving through it. We went parasailing, snorkeling, and kayaking. AND, we got to swim with dolphins~!!! They actually swam with us hanging on to their dorsal fins.... way too fun!! I will put a few pics here, but if you want to see more you'll have to ask..... It was a wonderful time and Matt and I are thoroughly enjoying married life!

David Bishop-my brother: 4/19/1968-9/17/2008

2008-09-23T09:59:00.009-06:00

Last week, surrounded by family, my brother, Dave, went to be with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Though we know he is in a better place, the loss leaves a huge hole in our hearts. Dave was an amazing man, though very humble. He was gifted in so many ways- he could take apart anything and rebuild it, he painted, played guitar, he had a mechanical and artistic mind. He was kind, gentle, wise, and meek. When he spoke- it was either very true and wise, or absolutely hilarious! More than that, though, he LOVED. He loved his country by serving in the USAF. He loved his family so much- he often told me of his love for mom and dad, our siblings, and especially for his wife, Lori, and his kids, Christopher and Brittany. He was so proud of them and his love and care for them overflowed in so many ways. They put a smile on his face and lit up his eyes. He loved God, so much. In that last year, Matt and I often visited them and we recal spending a lot of time listening to Dave tell of his love for his Saviour, and he would share so much wisdom with us. He was a kind, gentle, strong man, who will be missed forever.

There are so many memories that come to mind when I think of Dave- and my brother Larry was sharing some of his many many memories as well- including one that Dave had talked about recently: simply driving through the mountains of NW Georgia, years ago, with his brother, windows down and John Denver playing. It's the simple things. The time. Not the big grand plans, while wonderful, but the simple things, the time with family and friends that counted. May we all remember that in the days ahead- what's really important.

We have lost an incredible brother, son, husband, father, and friend. We mourn this loss, but rejoice also at heaven's gain.

We love you Dave and always will.

MATT PROPOSED!!!!!!!

2008-09-06T09:52:00.003-06:00

August 9, 2008: Matt surprised me with a trip to Galena, IL- a cute little town built in the 1800's in northern Illinois, full of little shops, B&Bs, and cobblestone streets. He had the whole trip planned out, every moment was a surprise! First we found a little breakfast nook to eat at, then we got in our swimsuits and went on a 5-mile kayak ride down the Galena River. After we tipped the kayak and I freaked out, Matt saved me, the boat, and an oar. We got back in the boat and made the rest of the trip back to town. After freshening up we walked around town, we had a "6:20 appointment" that I had no clue about until I saw the horse-drawn carriage pull up.... so we went on a nice ride, enjoyed the weather and it stopped at our dinner spot- a beautiful italian restaurant. Before getting out of the carriage, Matt asked the driver to take a photo, then he got on one knee, and asked me to marry him!!!!! Of course I said yes and we heard the crowd that had gathered on the street cheering and clapping... I think the whole town of Galena heard the news! I'm still on cloud nine that I get to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful man that God has blessed me with. God's plans amaze me, his timing, his working in our lives, and his grace and blessings in our lives. We have so much to be thankful for. The big day is 11/29/08, nothing like a Thanksgiving weekend wedding full of thankful hearts....

2008-08-08T06:50:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been a wild ride since I've written. In July Matt and I went on vacation to visit my brother Larry and family in Georgia, then on to Myrtle Beach to spend a week with the RVA (class from Kenya) crew for the 15 year reunion. (see photo!) We got back to Chicago just in time to host a BBQ at Matt's place to raise funds for Dave to help with the medical etc.. bills. Last weekend we went to mom and dads and Dave, Lori, Brit, Jeff and Julie all were there so we just had a good weekend together! I've been in Dallas this week for work and am headed to Chicago today.

My main reason for this post is to ask for prayer for Dave. He's at the docs this morning to get more tests and talk about a spot they found in his lung last night- not sure if it's near the original tumor or not, but needless to say, Dave and the fam need our prayers- for healing, comfort, peace during this storm. I'll keep you posted.

It's been a while... update

2008-06-17T13:50:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been a couple months since I updated this... here's the short version:
1. Dave recently found out some good news, and then some tough news: the cancer has not spread past his lungs and brain (where it went in Jan)!! PTL! The brain tumors are shrinking. Again, PTL! There is a new growth on his original tumor which is not growing as fast as most small cell cancer grows, but they've already started a 5 month regimen of low-dose radiation for it. He's in good hands- the Lord's, the docs, and his family's. Dave's faith is strong, despite his weak body, and he continues to be an encouragement to all around him. Matt and I will go visit him this weekend.
2. Matt and I have had some adventures recently- a trip to Denver to visit Steph and Phil ("Christie House" is their blog) in March, In April another visit to Dave's for his b-day; a wonderful day at the Morton Arboretum with Matt picnicing; the beginning of the painting of Matt's home interior- looks great!; and some family gatherings with MAtt and some cousins. In May I spent many days in the dentist's chair getting fillings and a crown- still not recovered; my parent's came up and spent a weekend with Matt and I after we ran a 5k; Matt and I spent a lovely day at Cantigny (cantigny.org); I hosted a wedding shower and travelled all over for work; we celebrated mother's day with some of Matt's fam, then mine; and then Matt and I went to a CUBS game followed by a day in the city!!! It was a blast and we did all the touristy things. June thus far has been filled with my friend, Beth's, beautiful wedding for which I stood up in and played a song I wrote during the unity candle; Matt and I just got back from a trip to Kansas to see his sister and her fam- we had a blast; this weekend we're off to see Dave again before he and his fam leave for vacation- another PTL!!! =) So, that's where I've been. Once I figure out how to post more photos, I'll put a few up here.... in the meantime, please continue to pray for Dave and the family, and praise God for the wonderful work He's been up to in Dave's body and in our entire family's lives.

Update on Dave!

2008-02-25T17:14:00.004-06:00

This month has been an eventful one in the Bishop household.
The first weekend in February Matt and I visited Dave and Lori, and celebrated Matt's Bday as well as the Super Bowl. Mid February, Dave's check scan's came back indicating that the original tumor and the potential trouble spots in his lungs were now scar tissue, and even shrinking! Then, last week Dave had a brain scan which indicated that his hemmorhage (from Dec 31, 2007) is healing, and the 2 tumors in his brain look like "shadows"! So, all he has to do is go back in 3 months for a body scan to see how things are going, and for the docs to keep an eye on everything!

PTL! Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers, please continue to keep Dave and the family in your prayers and he begins to regain his strength and make plans for the future, job, etc....

Pray for Dave

2008-01-07T10:04:00.000-06:00

Please continue praying for my brother, David Bishop (39), in Appleton, Wisconsin. In August he was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer, which is agressive and typically inoperable. They treated him aggressively with chemo and double doses of radiation and the cancer seemed to respond.

(The photo: Dave and I are sitting, Matt is behind us)

On New Year's Eve he was admitted to the hospital and they found that the cancer has spread to his brain. He is now in the midst of cranial radiation treatment for another couple weeks, after which they will see where things are at. The prognosis is not good, but we are hopeful because the docs are treating this aggressively and we serve an amazing God, the Great Physician. Dave is in good spirits, laughing, talking, etc. My boyfriend, Matt, and I drove up to be with them on New Year's Eve, and spent last week just spending good time with mom, dad and Dave and his family (Wife Lori, Kids Chris-18 and Brittany-13). It was good to be together, laughing and talking. PLEASE pray for Dave-for healing and peace through this; for his wife and kids, and for all of the family as we walk this path and face reality but live with hope. Please also pray that their financial needs will be met, as many of you are familiar with cancer and the mounting medical bills. We covet your prayers at this time. Please spread the word, and if any of you knew Dave and want to contact him, you can get his info through me at charity_bishop@hotmail.com

Thanks so much for your prayers at this time.

Names

2007-10-09T13:10:00.000-06:00

This looked fun!
YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Snoopy Taurus
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Rocky Road NoBake
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Orange
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hospital where you were born)
Joy Jersey Shore
NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Ashley Eugene
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names)
Ashley Mae
TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Stadel Seattle
SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Easter Poppy
CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now
+ “ie” or “y”)
Mango Shirtsky
HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
MiniWheat Palm
YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Singing Sunbeam Tour

The importance of Toes

2007-09-28T10:05:00.000-06:00

Do you take your toes for granted? I certainly did until this month. I recently had foot surgery that has caused me to have to undergo Physical Therapy just to learn to bend my big toe again. I never knew how important toes were, in walking, standing, and even in using the pedal for the piano. It's somewhat humiliating to say that the highlight of my day yesterday was being able to bend my big toe farther than the day before. When I rejoiced, my PT had a good laugh. "One small victory for mankind..." he said. I'll never take my toes for granted again.

Well, I can definitely praise the Lord for a successful surgery and it seems I'm healing pretty quickly. Thanks to those of you who prayed.

My brother: David Bishop

2007-08-31T07:18:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I write about odd tidbits of info or travel woes, but today I've decided to blog about my brother, Dave. (That's a recent photo of he and I at his place in WI.) Please keep him in your prayers as he is suffering. I don't want to use this blog to describe the details, but rather to tell you about him. Dave is the sibling closest to me in age, he's my "youngest big brother" as I've been blessed with 2 awesome brothers and a great sister. When we were in Africa, Dave and I were roommates for a while which must have driven him nuts with all my dolls around. He was always into mechanical things as a kid and now as a man- cars, airplanes, etc. Even when he was little, he'd take anything apart and figure out how to put it back together again. It's no wonder he had the role he did in the USAF. He always drew the coolest pictures too, and now he has is own business of designing and creating signs for cars, yachts, events, etc. In Africa, he got rid of a baby snake under my bed at least once and has been my hero ever since. We went to boarding school together and I honestly believe that he's the main reason I survived the transition. He's a wonderful brother, and now a wonderful husband to wife Lori, and dad to kids Christopher and Brittany. He's kind and has the listening capability that I dream of and aspire to. He's respectful, wise and a so thoughtful in his decisions. Above all, he LOVES the Lord. I am sooo blessed to have a brother like Dave, so this post is dedicated to you, Dave.

Wierd bits of information

2007-08-02T21:28:00.001-06:00

Well, despite some of the angsts that I verbaly process on this blog about my travels, there are definitely some blessings along the way. For example, enroute to Minneapolis yesterday I learned about the history of the various clefs in music (treble, C, and bass clef) from an orchestral flute player who sat next to me. Cool. I also learned that solfege (sp?), that's the 'do re mi fa so....thing) came from the first few letters in consecutive stazas of an old Italian chant in whcih each stanza started with the next note up the scale. I might just have to write my own version of a solfege chant for fun... =) In any case, it was a delightful conversation and I know have some great knowledge if I ever get on Jeopardy and the topic is "Wierd Music History." I hope each of your days are filled with little blessings and surprises along the way to make you smile. If not, defy them all and smile anyways.

Lost in NC

2007-07-16T20:11:00.001-06:00

So, if any of you have tried to traverse the ins and outs of the roads near Charlotte airport, you know how I feel. After a late landing at the airport, I had an hour drive tonight to Spartanburg. All I had to do from the airport was find 85-south. Easy, right? Wrong. I carefully followed the signs and ended up on a road that split into 77-N and 85-N... what in the world? I did the next best thing and got on 85-N thinking that I could take an exit, turn around and be on 85-S right? Wrong again. I did that and ended up on 77-S. Completely confused I followed signs back to the airport, took my best guess and finally found my way to Spartanburg. Such is the substance of the exciting things in my life today. The one thing to brighten it up was having fresh cookies upon my check-in at the hotel! Ah, bliss. I forgot all about getting lost. It's all about the little things.

2007-07-16T19:59:00.000-06:00

Prayers for Daniel McConchie

2007-06-29T14:15:00.001-06:00

I recently received the news that my friend and old co-worker at CBHD (Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, www.cbhd.org) who is now the VP and Exec Director for AUL (Americans United for Life, www.aul.org), Daniel McConchie, was in an accident last week and is paralyzed from the waist down. He's at an excellent spine-neuro-trauma center right now in the ICU and has undergone some surgeries to promote healing of other inured areas of his body as well. He has a wife and two young daughters. My prayers go out to him, his family and the docs. I went to the store yesterday to get a card of encouragement and had a really tough time not finding one that said 'get well soon' or 'hope surgery was okay' or some other comments that just don't seem to fit right now. I ended up with one that simply said a word of encouragement and let him and his wife know that we are praying for him. Life can change in an instant. Milena, Dan and girls--I hope you can feel the support of the prayers going out for you all over the globe.
http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2007/06/dan_mcconchie_u.html#more

Weddings, Birthdays, and the like...

2007-06-25T17:21:00.000-06:00

I'm always fascinated about weddings. They take months, sometimes years to plan, and they're over in an instant. I spent this past weekend with my family who drove to the chicago-land area from all around the country to attend my nephew, Jonathan's, wedding. Krista, his bride, is a fabulous addition to the family. The wedding was beautiful, and went really smoothly-- even when the flower girl had to run down th aisle to keep up with the ringbearer. Jonathan's face when he saw Krista walking down the aisle is etched in my mind forever- a mixture of pride, love and anticipation. Krista's pastor performed the ceremony, and my dad performed the communion, which was neat. After about 200 photos were taken, we celebrated at the reception. The "blues brothers" dance that the incredibly hyper DJ got the 9 groomsmen to do was hilarious and the massive chocolate fountain was yummy. In between celebrations, rehearsal, and the wedding, we managed to celebrate my sister's XXth birthday (number hidden to protect my life) at a steakhouse. Busy weekend, but definitely worth all the planning and time. I'll post some photos later when I get them developed.

I've been tagged

2007-05-07T11:42:00.000-06:00

My friend Happi at "The Berger Buzz" has tagged me for a "7 random facts about You" meme.
So, here you go:

1. I put milk and sugar in my tea, and the tea has to be black tea (none of that fruity stuff).
2. I'm a lefty so I write with my paper sideways.
3. If I have an option, I'll go barefoot.
4. Curious George is my hero
5. I know songs in Tamil, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Swahili, & English. (Italian too, thanks to Hap!)
6. I have a fake tooth courtesy of a diving board.
7. Recently, I've gotten hooked on solitaire on my phone.

I now tag: stephanie, fblife, and kamangamwangi.

Mexico, Retreat, and other happenings...

2007-04-04T16:05:00.000-06:00

That's a photo of me in Nogales, Mexico. 7 of us on the worship team just got home from a 7-day teaching-worship-music-mission trip: 7 days, 1009 miles, 7 concerts, 3 seminars and yes, we are exhausted, but so encouraged. We were encouraged to see the people in Mexico worshipping God and working together to serve the community. We were blessed by the wonderful love of the people there who took incredible amounts of their time to house and feed us, as well as take time to "talk" with us, as much as we could communicate despite the language barrier. My facial muscles have had a work-out from trying to express a thought that I knew now spanish word for! What a wonderful trip.

Just before Mexico, I was able to go on a women's retreat from my church, with my mom!

Here's a photo of us together. Isn't mom beautiful! It was a great time of learning, worship, and just spending time with mom.

After the retreat, we met up with other family member's and surprised Dad with a birthday dinner at a local restaurant. It was a great evening filled with much laughter. See the photo below-it's dad showing off his new watch from mom!

Snow sculptures, scallops and superbowl

2007-02-06T16:53:00.001-06:00

Denver is a fabulous state! I had a business trip out there this week, and my good friend Steph and her hubby Phil live out there, so I spent the weekend with them. AND it was her birthday, so we celebrated at "denver's best" seafood at McCormicks (where the food is flown in daily). Scallops on a rissotto bed with spinach and a mustard-dill sauce was the food of choice. Thoughts of that food still make me happy. We spent some time with a crowd of people at a cool house in Breckenridge and checked out the international snow sculpting contest which had huge carvings of "old man winter" (Steph's fave) and Elephants and Giraffes with baby animals (my faves). Lunch was at a fireside cafe with brie and fruit. I lost our cheapy camera, but we had fun anyways. Perhaps our photos of us climbing on the snow-dragon's head will end up on a postcard! And yes, we watched the superbowl and, in my opinion, the team that played the best, won. I cheered for my Bears though. Found a cool website regarding both teams, check it out: http://www.beyondtheultimate.org/ All in all, the weekend was incredible, there's not much out there that beats time good friends anyways. =)

Starbucks Now Serving Breakfast

2007-01-26T14:27:00.000-06:00

What great news, as of next Tuesday, Starbucks will be serving yummy breakfast egg sandwiches! I am thrilled. There's a Starbucks enroute to the airport, so that means I may just have to enjoy these offerings on my way to the airport now. It may actually boost my job satisfaction on those annoying Canadian trips. Thank you Starbucks!

From Ottawa and Toronto

2007-01-23T17:55:00.001-06:00

I worked in Ottawa today and am in the hotel in Toronto. The trip to Halifax via Toronto was amusing last week, I must look French or something, despite my USA passport. All the customs people kept trying to talk to me in French. Today, the security person looked at my ticket, let me through, then recalled me to ask me if I was going to the US. Wierd, my ticket said Toronto on it, that's not really in the US, so obvioulsy I said no. It sortof worries me that security people are supposed to notice things, and he didn't even notice the destinationon my ticket... sometimes I am just reminded that all of it is in God's hands anyways. Good thing.

Counting my blessings

2007-01-16T19:25:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am in Halifax, Nova Scotia and it has been a bizarre day. I spent most of the day in Montreal running from customs to immigration and then across the airport thinking I would miss my connecting flight only to find out I had to redo security, then run on to the gate. I got to the gate just in time. Just in time to wait for the flight was delayed. Getting in to Halifax tonight, the first rental car I got had doors that were too frozen to close, so in the -14 degree weather I ran back inside, informed the agency and got another car. Its about 9:30 pm and I just checked into the hotel and got my first meal of the day. I'm tired, I still have a few hours of work to do...so I should sign off. I must say, though, that despite the workout I got in Montreal, and the frustration I faced at Ohare in the morning, the Lord did get me here safely and without too much hassle, no major delays, no missed flights, no last-minute overnights and didn't get too lost finding the hotel in Halifax, so I really have a lot to be thankful for. Counting my blessings.

Parking in Toronto

2007-01-10T14:31:00.000-06:00

So, today I worked in Toronto. My advice to anyone going there is to get a cab. Wierd rules and no signs that gave me a headache today. Do I drive behind the trolley in the trolley lane or find another way around construction? I found out the answer is YES! And there seems to be parking issues- at the hospital I worked at, I had to wait 10 minutes for an attendant to let me in the parking lot once I found it; then he needed my keys so I had to park in timbuctu, run to the booth and give him my keys, and run to the other side of the hospital to get in--needless to say I was late to my meeting. When I was done, I went back outside to the booth to get my keys and had cash in hand ready to check out and the attendant got frustrated since I didnt pay inside (there are no signs there regarding this). In any case, it got taken care of, and then I was trying to look at a map and figure out where in the world I was going, and he knocks on my window and tells me to get out of the parking lot as my ticket would expire. So I do this but there's a giant van blocking my way out and I sat perpendicular to all traffic for 10 more minutes since I couldn't back up and van couldn't move... I finally got out of that mess and flew to the airport and managed to get an earlier flight home. It leaves soon so I will sign off. But Toronto itself is a great town- CN tower and all. Just take a cab.

News Items of the day

2007-01-08T18:53:00.000-06:00

Yes, "Chair" is what they call me. It's the short version of my name, Charity. No, I'm not offended that it is also a piece of furniture, since I am self-aware enough to know that I am not a piece of furniture. I've neverblogged before, so this'll be an interesting experience.

I have to say that I am usually an avid watcher of the news but today only 2 news pieces remain in my memory: 1-apparently they found stem cells in amniotic fluid, which I think is fabulous instead of getting them from embryos. Though, the funny thing is that adult stem cells are already much fatrther along the research path to progress than embryonic stem cells, so the hubub of finding a third source for stem cells is sort of odd. I still think it's cool. 2-the word of the year for 2006, according to the American Dialcect people is "plutoed" which means to be "demoted" or "put down," like what they did to Pluto, the planet, last year. Have you ever been plutoed? I have, not at work, but in life. It's not fun, but now I have a word for the experience!