It is hard to know where to start so I will just start from the beginning of the "Villnave Family". My husband, Richard, most commonly known as Rick, and I started dating the fall of 1998. It was October 26th to be exact which was a day before my 21st birthday. I am not going to go into detail the events surrounding how we met and the circumstances but all I can say is God is good and His plan is perfect. We were engaged in July of 2001 and married March 23, 2002 at Faith Baptist Church in Cortland, New York where we were and still are both members.
Rick works full-time as a heavy truck mechanic at Cortland County Highway Department. I also work full-time as a secretary for Blue Moose Sanitation, Inc., family business since the 1970's. I will tell more about this later. Rick and I also rent a 100-acre farm to grow vegetables. Rick has been in the farming "business" since he was a teenager. It is definitely in his blood. As the saying goes, once a farmer, always a farmer. I NEVER thought that I would marry a farmer. In fact, I remember saying that when I was younger. My parents both grew up on farms and I just did not like the idea of farming. Well, like I said earlier, God's plan is perfect. The crops that we grow are cabbage, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, acorn squash, hubbard squash, sweet corn, oats, grain corn, and soybeans. I think I got them all. Our "big" crops are pumpkins, cabbage, soybeans, and grain corn. So, needless to say, we are quite busy.
In March of 2005 I found out that God was going to add to the Villnave family, not knowing that He was going to take away a beloved member of the Parker family soon after. I had always dreamed of having a child and finally the time came and I knew that dad was just going to be "thrilled". I would always watch him interact with younger children and he was so good with them. He was just waiting for the time that he would become a grandfather.
I had my first doctor's appt. on April 6, 2005 which turned out to be a day I will NEVER forget. I asked my mom to go with me. If I remember correctly, my appt. was in the early afternoon. The appt. went very well and the doctor determined my due date to be November 11th. We left the doctor's office, which was in East Syracuse, and we went back to my house where mom was going to leave to go meet dad at a Cortland State baseball game. I remember it being a very warm day. I had praise team practice at church.....I played the piano at this time.....at 6:30pm. I was so excited. I could tell all of my friends the details of our new baby. We had practice as usual and afterward, like any other time, we prayed together. The phone rang at church at about 8:00pm.....I think....or around that time. Of course, we were praying so I did not think anything of it, but a lady in our church came into the room and told me I had a phone call. I was like....no one ever calls me here at church....which made me quite curious. I answered the call and mom was on the other end. She had told me that dad had been in a bad accident and that they were airlifting him to the hospital. I did not know any details at this time. I was able to get in touch with my sister Julie and brother Chad and they met me at the church and we then went to the police station to wait to see what hospital they were taking my dad. My brother Casey is a volunteer at the Marathon Fire Department so he had heard the call and went to the scene when they knew my mom had gotten there. As time went on, which seemed like hours, things transpired and we then got word while at the police station that dad had gone home to be with the Lord. Of course we were heart broken. My brother, sister, and I, along with my sister's friend, then had a police escort to my parent's home where several family and friends had gathered.
It was just so "weird" in a sense the events of that day. I am so thankful that about two weeks before my dad went home that I was able to tell him he was going to be a grandfather. He was so excited and I will never forget the day I told him and the smile on his face. That was the last time I told my dad I loved him. I was never one to come right out and say that to my dad but for some reason, and now I know why, I told him that day.
The months following my dad's passing were trying times for my family but God is good and His plan is perfect. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful family, church, and close friends who have stayed with us thru these couple years. We would not know what we would have done without them. Thanks to all of you for your love, prayers and support for us all.
I said earlier that I found out in March of 2005 that we found out the Lord was going to add to the Villnave family. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Theresa Marie, on November 9, 2005. She weighed 8lbs. 5oz. and 20 1/4 incles long. She was so beautiful!! I was unable to see Theresa for very long after she was born because I was rushed in to the operating room for emergency surgery. I was losing blood fast because of some massive tearing that occurred while giving birth. My husband was such a "great sport" during this whole thing and I really did not know until later how much of a "great sport" he was.
Rick and I were discussing just recently the day that Theresa was born. My surgery was very extensive and the doctor did not know how extensive until he was actually performing it. The doctor had told Rick that day that he was not sure I was going to survive the surgery. I had massive internal bleeding and he thought I might bleed to death. I just lost it when Rick told me this. No one had no idea that the doctor had told him this..not even my mom or sister who were there with me. I am so grateful for God's hand of protection over my body. I know that it was Him that allowed me to survive. God knew that my family would not handle another death. God is good and His plan is perfect.
My father's business is now owned by my brother Chad and like I said before I am working as secretary. It has been a privilege to be able to take Theresa to work with me each day and watch her grow. She is almost two now. I don't know where the time has gone. She is our family's pride and joy. She has made us laugh. We have had some great times together as a family and like the song says, Blessed be the name of the Lord. He gives and takes away but my heart will choose to say, blessed be the name of the Lord. God chose to take my dad, and we miss him but he chose to bless us with a beautiful child, Theresa.
I will fill you in more on what has been happening with my family later on. I think this entry has been long enough. I trust you can be encouraged by knowing that even though we may not understand why God chooses to have things happen at the time they do that He is good and His plan is perfect.
Love and blessings to all,
Lynnette
Rick works full-time as a heavy truck mechanic at Cortland County Highway Department. I also work full-time as a secretary for Blue Moose Sanitation, Inc., family business since the 1970's. I will tell more about this later. Rick and I also rent a 100-acre farm to grow vegetables. Rick has been in the farming "business" since he was a teenager. It is definitely in his blood. As the saying goes, once a farmer, always a farmer. I NEVER thought that I would marry a farmer. In fact, I remember saying that when I was younger. My parents both grew up on farms and I just did not like the idea of farming. Well, like I said earlier, God's plan is perfect. The crops that we grow are cabbage, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, acorn squash, hubbard squash, sweet corn, oats, grain corn, and soybeans. I think I got them all. Our "big" crops are pumpkins, cabbage, soybeans, and grain corn. So, needless to say, we are quite busy.
In March of 2005 I found out that God was going to add to the Villnave family, not knowing that He was going to take away a beloved member of the Parker family soon after. I had always dreamed of having a child and finally the time came and I knew that dad was just going to be "thrilled". I would always watch him interact with younger children and he was so good with them. He was just waiting for the time that he would become a grandfather.
I had my first doctor's appt. on April 6, 2005 which turned out to be a day I will NEVER forget. I asked my mom to go with me. If I remember correctly, my appt. was in the early afternoon. The appt. went very well and the doctor determined my due date to be November 11th. We left the doctor's office, which was in East Syracuse, and we went back to my house where mom was going to leave to go meet dad at a Cortland State baseball game. I remember it being a very warm day. I had praise team practice at church.....I played the piano at this time.....at 6:30pm. I was so excited. I could tell all of my friends the details of our new baby. We had practice as usual and afterward, like any other time, we prayed together. The phone rang at church at about 8:00pm.....I think....or around that time. Of course, we were praying so I did not think anything of it, but a lady in our church came into the room and told me I had a phone call. I was like....no one ever calls me here at church....which made me quite curious. I answered the call and mom was on the other end. She had told me that dad had been in a bad accident and that they were airlifting him to the hospital. I did not know any details at this time. I was able to get in touch with my sister Julie and brother Chad and they met me at the church and we then went to the police station to wait to see what hospital they were taking my dad. My brother Casey is a volunteer at the Marathon Fire Department so he had heard the call and went to the scene when they knew my mom had gotten there. As time went on, which seemed like hours, things transpired and we then got word while at the police station that dad had gone home to be with the Lord. Of course we were heart broken. My brother, sister, and I, along with my sister's friend, then had a police escort to my parent's home where several family and friends had gathered.
It was just so "weird" in a sense the events of that day. I am so thankful that about two weeks before my dad went home that I was able to tell him he was going to be a grandfather. He was so excited and I will never forget the day I told him and the smile on his face. That was the last time I told my dad I loved him. I was never one to come right out and say that to my dad but for some reason, and now I know why, I told him that day.
The months following my dad's passing were trying times for my family but God is good and His plan is perfect. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful family, church, and close friends who have stayed with us thru these couple years. We would not know what we would have done without them. Thanks to all of you for your love, prayers and support for us all.
I said earlier that I found out in March of 2005 that we found out the Lord was going to add to the Villnave family. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Theresa Marie, on November 9, 2005. She weighed 8lbs. 5oz. and 20 1/4 incles long. She was so beautiful!! I was unable to see Theresa for very long after she was born because I was rushed in to the operating room for emergency surgery. I was losing blood fast because of some massive tearing that occurred while giving birth. My husband was such a "great sport" during this whole thing and I really did not know until later how much of a "great sport" he was.
Rick and I were discussing just recently the day that Theresa was born. My surgery was very extensive and the doctor did not know how extensive until he was actually performing it. The doctor had told Rick that day that he was not sure I was going to survive the surgery. I had massive internal bleeding and he thought I might bleed to death. I just lost it when Rick told me this. No one had no idea that the doctor had told him this..not even my mom or sister who were there with me. I am so grateful for God's hand of protection over my body. I know that it was Him that allowed me to survive. God knew that my family would not handle another death. God is good and His plan is perfect.
My father's business is now owned by my brother Chad and like I said before I am working as secretary. It has been a privilege to be able to take Theresa to work with me each day and watch her grow. She is almost two now. I don't know where the time has gone. She is our family's pride and joy. She has made us laugh. We have had some great times together as a family and like the song says, Blessed be the name of the Lord. He gives and takes away but my heart will choose to say, blessed be the name of the Lord. God chose to take my dad, and we miss him but he chose to bless us with a beautiful child, Theresa.
I will fill you in more on what has been happening with my family later on. I think this entry has been long enough. I trust you can be encouraged by knowing that even though we may not understand why God chooses to have things happen at the time they do that He is good and His plan is perfect.
Love and blessings to all,
Lynnette
