Our backyard is freshly mowed, and I lay out blankets on the grass like a child playing picnic. Only, I'm not a child and my hip is shooting pain, my canker sore is throbbing, my wisdom teeth are FINALLY coming in with much pain, and I'm really out here to take a nap. But, the Virginia afternoon is perfect and I don't want to miss a minute of it. I get out an old journal so I can write down my blessings. 1. A quiet backyard that births azaleas, fiery pink. 2. Adamant birds that flatter me Read More
My First and Last Mexican Party
Tonight was slightly traumatic. Here's the story: We went to our first "CINCO DE MAYO" party at our friend's house. I took the three girls for a walk and Colby had the job of watching Penelope. While Colby wasn't watching, Penelope ESCAPED from the house and went looking for me. When I came home and couldn't find her, everyone at the party started looking for her. I ran outside and saw her at the end of the block in the middle of an intersection, standing with a little stuffed animal tucked Read More
Moving Walkway
Bad news. That's been the theme of the past couple months. Family members who are sick, friends who have died, church members who are dealing with both sickness and death. Our neighbor rings the doorbell right as we are tucking in both our children and the long day. I can hear him talking through a tight throat as I say a goodnight prayer in the other room. Cancer. His father. Kidney and pancreas. It won't be long. The phone rings the other day but I don't answer it. It's someone who Read More
A Girl Named Noel Devin
Today there is a funeral in Texas. I'm sure there are many other funerals happening around the world today, but this one is for my friend, Noel. I've never met Noel, so it may appear strange that I wrote something to be read at her funeral. But, actually the opposite is true. I wish I could have flown to Texas today to read this in front of everyone, but I couldn't. But the following is what I would have said: ** My name is Annie Garman and I have never met any of you. But our lives Read More
The Book is Here!
In case you missed it elsewhere on this blog, our third daughter, Gracie Garman, was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. The morning of Gracie's first open heart surgery, I woke up at 3:30 AM feeling like I had a stomach full of acid. As I turned to go down the stairs, I had an incredibly loud thought. (Possibly the voice of God, but I really don't want to blame this whole thing on Him in the event that it wasn't His idea). Well, anyway, this was the Read More
Garman Year in Review: 2013
Dear Ones All, Oh, how to recap Garman 2013 for you... Obviously, there was a lot of this... Yes, we've endured our share of teething (Lord, have mercy...are we done yet?!), conflict management, sibling rivalry, stomach viruses, instruction and training in righteousness, and potty training...but we have also had moments that have shone through the occasional rubble: In all reality, 2013 was a year for the Garmans to learn how to be a family of six. Let's start at the very Read More
Wet Seeds
Let's just be honest...living in Iceland from 2009-2010 had its share of difficult moments. It wasn't just the VISA problems or the miscarriage or the fire or the loss. It was most likely culture shock--this tremendous weight I had to bear up under day after day. The heinous, icy winds ripped through me every time I went outside...and we had no car to shield us from its wrath. There was much internal pressure to learn the language and keep up with Colby as he excelled. I also felt the Read More
Today is Our Anniversary
I never wanted to get married, at least that’s what I claimed. I met Colby John Garman my freshman year of college right outside the post office on campus. He was wearing a plastic bow tie (obviously attained from the nearby dollar theatre) and shook my hand jokingly like a politician. I can remember the morning sun was in my eyes as I looked at him and could really only make out a fuzzy silhouette. I didn’t think twice about him. I was meeting new people every single day. As the year Read More
The Story of My Miscarriage (Proceed with Caution)
My friend asked me to write about my miscarriage for an e-book she's writing. After a few hours writing/crying/reliving this experience, I thought to myself: Why would anyone want to read this? This question prevents me from sharing a lot of what I write. However, today I'm deciding to post this in hopes that it will 1) help someone not feel so alone in the wake of their miscarriage 2) encourage someone by telling them how I got through it. If you don't like miscarriage stories, you Read More
Plucking Chin Hairs
When I was in college, I spent the majority of my Friday nights in a nursing home. There was a group of us who used this first night of the weekend to get off our Christian campus, out of the Christian bubble, and spread some love to those in the community. Some went downtown, some went to the hospital, but I usually chose to go to the nursing home. Some of the elderly we visited greeted us with huge toothless smiles, while some didn't even look up from their folded over slumber. We would Read More
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